Christmas Eve

Well, officially it's Christmas Eve. Everyone is tucked all snug into bed and I'm getting ready to do the same :)

I had a very busy/tiring day today. It's amazing how I've always taken for granted the energy it takes to do small things like take a shower and get myself ready to go. Well, actually, it's amazing how much in life I have taken for granted. I have never before so strongly desired to just scrub my house clean or cook myself a meal. I do greatly appreciate everything that everyone is and has done for me, but I am really looking forward to the day when I can do some of those things on my own as well. In the meantime boy, oh boy, am I ever getting a lesson on patience. *sigh*

Today I went to the Dr to have my post-op check-up and have the staples removed from my incision. I was really dreading getting out of the house period. It all just sounded so exhausting, but I was especially dreading the staple removing part. That incision was so large and yucky looking to me. It felt Frankenstein-ish!! And the mere thought of them removing those staples just gave me the hebe-jeebies!! Anyway, it wasn't so bad. Just the fear of the unknown I suppose. The dr. said that I am doing well and that I just have to be patient and keep all weight off of my left leg for the next month to allow myself to heal properly. Please pray that I will heal properly. I don't want to have this surgery again. I am sure everything will be fine though. I know that the good Lord has seen me this far and will continue to take care of me through the rest of this. I just have to learn to be patient. Dr's orders!!

We then went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries and I had the privilege of scooting myself around in one of those electric buggies. Not sure what I was thinking to do that two days before Christmas, but I'm just aching to do what I can for myself so something as simple as grocery shopping was really important for me to attempt at least. It was a madhouse of course, but with my Dad and sisters help we got'r done! At least now I have a meal planned for Christmas eve and something to make for breakfast Christmas morning. Well, it will be more like me directing my sisters to cook and stuff, but we have the food nonetheless, lol.

I got one of my sisters to bake some sugar cookies tonight and we then decorated them. That was fun and they had a really good time. I'll leave you with some pictures from that :)







And by the way, have a wonderful Christmas eve with your families!

Sleepless in Niceville

That almost makes me want to go watch the movie sleepless in Seattle. Almost. I fear that my body is so off schedule that it may never get back on. Praise the Lord that I don't have to get up early anytime soon. It's about 1 am here on the Gulf Coast. The house is so quiet and my sweet sisters and son are sleeping away. I've read, I've prayed and yet I still lie here wide awake.

It was such a blessing to awake this morning at 7am to hear knocking at my door and bustling outside my window. I didn't expect my family to get in until this afternoon, but they decided to drive all the way through. I was quite groggy and trying to figure out how to get out of bed, but thankfully Jarred heard all the ruckus and excitedly jumped out of bed and ran to open the door. (PTL for his youthful exuberance) I was still trying to orient myself when my sisters piled in my room to say hello. Then came in Daddy to great me and it just brought my heart such joy for him to wrap me in a big hug. What a lovely wake up call!!

Needless to say they were pretty tired so after breakfast and a little visiting Rachel and I laid down for a nap and Daddy headed out to my Uncles to try and get some rest. Jarred & Stephanie headed outside for a fun time of skateboarding and play.

Later on in the day Stephanie, who happens to have an endless supply of patience (or so it seems), helped Jarred put up the Christmas tree. Bless their hearts, they worked so hard on getting it up. Jarred broke several ornaments in the process and ended with breaking a limb almost completely off the tree. He was so upset with himself, but I just said "honey, I just want to see a happy smile on your face that the tree is finally up and you got to help." Again, it's so hard to reign in my OCD nature and not go and fix things or take over, but I am completely unable to do anything about it so I suppose that is teaching me a thing or two about just letting things be.

It's hard not to do for yourself you know! The pain that I have been in is beginning to subside, but I am still not able to do a whole lot because of having to keep all the weight off of my left side. I wonder what other lessons the Lord has for me in this???? Learning patience is surely at the top of that list, lol!

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. I'd like for us to have a day of maybe making a few crafts, baking some cookies, and playing some games. I really just want to take advantage of every second of family time that I am getting. It seems like such a sweet blessing to have my Dad and sisters drive all the way down here just to be with me. I miss my mom and her being here is the only thing that keeps this Christmas from being "complete."

I have lots of pictures to post, but I have a laptop that I don't want to crowd with lots of files so I have been hesitant about putting anything on here. I suppose I just need to get to it or I will never share them :)

Well, it's nearing 2am now. I'm slightly sleepy so I suppose I will try it again.

goodnight

A different Kind of Christmas

This Christmas finds me and my family in a much different place than any other Christmas in the past. If things were going along with "our" plans then I would be in Wisconsin at this very moment hanging out with my sisters and enjoying the comfort of being home. Instead, I am lying on the couch at home in Florida recovering from surgery to fix my broken hip. Not "my" plan obviously, but this Christmas God had/has a different plan for me.

For months now I have been in such severe pain and it got to the point that I actually lost my ability to walk without assistance from a cane. The biggest part of my battle was getting to a Dr. finding someone who would take me seriously and treat me. After much prayer and finally just asking God for a miracle, He came through. He immediately gave me a Dr. to see and upon the first visit to that Dr. I was made aware that I had actually been walking around with a broken hip. No, I have NO IDEA how that even happened. So I had to have an emergency surgery to stabilize my broken hip so that it can heal. But after it is all said and done I find myself with such a heart full of gratitude that the Lord allowed this to happen. I'm very thankful of course that I *will* be able to walk again. That this is just temporary. But even more, I am thankful that He gave me this infirmity to show me how to be more compassionate to others that are hurting. And that He has truly shown me that through my weakness He is made strong.

I have always been pretty independent. I didn't realize until I had that stripped from me that it was in the way of my living for God. When you are independent you end up making decisions and doing things on your own because that is just the way that you are used to doing it. Never even to stop and consult God on the little things. The bible says "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." Well, I knew that, but I had totally missed out on the blessing of actually doing it in all things. As it stands I can barely stand or walk on my own. I am on crutches for the next 6 weeks, so there is not a whole lot I can do myself. I have been almost completely dependent on others to help me. But in this I have learned to just stop and ask for help from God in the little things. Like taking a shower, giving myself a shot, making phone calls, or other things that I just need to work out. I have seen that worrying truly isn't going to get anything done at all. That I just have to commit it to God and allow Him to work it out.

I have learned that faith is not doing all that you can do and allowing God to do the rest, but allowing God to go before me and do it all. That's what He wants anyway, right? I have realized that I am not capable at all of making things work out. I don't even know what's best for me. But when I just give it all to God. WOW. He works things out better than I could ever even hope to. In this last week I have seen miracle after miracle in my life because I have let Him have control and just do what He does best. Take care of me. It is so hard to let go of the control that we think that we have over our lives, but God is there waiting for us to give it to Him and when we do, WOW, what amazing things wait beyond that.

So, this Christmas is quite a bit different than any other Christmas. I'm not focusing on decorations, cooking, shopping, or any of the other worldly trappings. This Christmas my focus is on CHRIST and His mighty works. I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to clip my wings this Christmas and take me THROUGH this valley.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice." Psalms 51:8

????

Do people still read this?

I haven't been so great about keeping up with my blog the past several months. Wondering if I should just close it down.

What do you think?

Here Comes Fall....

Did you know that tomorrow is officially the 1st day of Fall? I'm very excited about that!!!:)!!!

I just love fall and everything about it. Especially pumpkins. Ok, I'm obsessed with anything pumpkin. As most of you probably know.

We will be celebrating the first day of fall by making pumpkin pancakes for breakfast then decorating the house after school/work. I promise to post pictures later this week and maybe share with you some of my new pumpkin recipes. Think.... pumpkin pie oatmeal.... mmmmm....


So, in a tribute to one of my favorite times of the year here are some pumpkin facts:

*Pumpkin’s are fruits and their blossoms are edible. They can be baked into breads, used as
edible garnishes, or even batter-dipped and fried.

*Pumpkin was one of the foods introduced by the Native Americans to the colonists. Native
Americans pounded strips of pumpkin flat, dried them, and wove them into mats for trading.
They also dried pumpkin for food.

*90% of the pumpkin is made of water. Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state in
the country. It harvests nearly 12,300 acres of fruit every year.

*The earliest pumpkin pie made in America was quite different than the pumpkin pie we enjoy
today. Pilgrims and early settlers made pumpkin pie by hollowing out a pumpkin, filling the
shell with milk, honey and spices and baking it. (source)

*The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2005 and weighed 2,020 pounds.

*Pumpkins were formerly considered a remedy for freckles and snakebites.

*Each year, growers compete for the honor of growing the world’s largest pumpkin. The largest
recorded pumpkin grown was on October 1, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers
Weighoff. It weighed 1,469 pounds, breaking all previous world records, and was grown by
Larry Checkon of North Cambria, Penn.

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength

A strong woman works out every day,
Pride in her appearance she portrays,
But a woman of strength kneels to pray,
Keeping her soul in shape, God leading the way.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything,
Looking forward to challenges each day will bring,
Women of strength show courage in the midst of fear,
Knowing triumph through faith because the Lord is near.

Strong women won't let anyone get the best of them,
So skilled in defense even if they have to pretend,
Yet a woman of strength gives her best to everyone,
Being anointed with divine blood from the only begotten Son.

A strong woman relies on the physical attributes making her tough,
In her search for power and money she will never have enough,
A woman of strength understands that it’s not about material stuff,
Knowing that before becoming a diamond first she’ll be in the rough.

A strong woman sometimes disguises her feelings shadowed by clouds,
Unhinged when challenged on her policy becoming boisterous and loud,
A woman of strength concerns herself not with judgment from others,
And will not let business interfere with commitments as a wife and mother.

A strong woman is easily impatient back and forth she will begin to pace,
Counting on her holier than thou attitude instead of depending on faith,
A woman of strength is assured trust in God will always carry her through,
And at the Creator’s appointed time she’ll receive all that is justly due.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same for tomorrow,
Refusing to take time looking back with reverence and Godly sorrow,
The woman of strength realizes life's mistakes no matter how slim,
While thanking God for the blessings as she capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks head first with no doubt in her mind,
Again, no matter what, she’ll not make this mistake a second time,
But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls,
So when a situation arises again, she’s not afraid to answer the call.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
Always doing whatever it takes to finish, seeking only first place,
The woman of strength competes with an emotional sense of grace,
Understanding it’s more important to run a Holy Spirit filled race.

A strong woman has faith that for the journey she’ll have enough,
No matter how uneven the terrain or roads being rocky and rough,
A woman of strength knows it’s in the journey she will become strong,
And the love of God is forever with her, no matter how difficult or long.

A strong woman when uninformed thinks that she is being mistreated,
In the end her physical attributes fail causing doubt to become seeded,
A woman of strength will compromise as a little give and take is needed,
Why? Because a lesson not learned the first time is soon to be repeated.

Ladies! Philippians 4: 6, start everyday with supplication & prayer,
Trust and believe that God will always get you from here to there,
And should your giant steps seem to be moving only inch by inch,
The journey is not as A Strong Woman but A Woman Of Strength.

(A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength by Luke Easter )

1st Day of school & the fall semester, yay!

As much as I have dreaded school starting I must say that today was simply wonderful. If this is any indication as to how the year will be then I'm thinking it's gonna be fantastic. I got up super early today and had time to do everything that I wanted - and more!!!

Some of you may not know this but recently I have been diagnosed with Sciatica. Basically that means that my sciatic nerve will flare up and send excruciating pain throughout my entire left leg at any given time. It was constant for quite some time and more recently I have had more days without pain, but when the pain comes it's almost more than I can bare. I have been seeing the Chiropractor and believe that has aided in the relief that I have had thus far. I'm not quite half way through my treatment and am believing that God truly will heal me of this. I have been advised by my Dr. that when my pain flares up not to take meds but to get off of my feet for the day. I try REALLY hard not to take the meds that I was prescribed, but sometimes the pain is more than I can tolerate and I have to take the edge off. I do try and stay off of my feet though and that has certainly helped. Please pray that I will be healed of this quickly and that my body will accept the adjustments I am receiving at the Chiropractor.

So, with all that said, this morning was one of my worst days :( I did take some meds (i know, shame on me!) because I knew that I HAD to go to work and school. I cried out to the Lord and prayed for Him to take my pain away and get through the day, and Praise the Lord, HE did! YAY!

Anyway....... Today was Jarred's first day of 4th grade...... wow, how time flies!!! Hard to believe that my little guy is growing up so quickly. I know that he enjoyed it and I am trying to help him have a positive attitude towards school this year. I just have the greatest feeling about this school year. Like something great is going to happen and it will be the best year yet!!! Maybe I'm just excited, I don't know, lol.

I also started classes today. Which I was seriously dreading, lol! I'm taking Accounting I (was really dreading that class), Business Research, and Ethic Issues for Business Leaders. The latter two are online classes that I have orientation for this weekend. I have Accounting I on Monday & Wednesday morning, and I must say that I think I'm going to really like it. Another Praise!!! God's so good! Oh, one more shout out for the Lord, lol.... The cost of the Accounting book I needed was $200!!!! Can you believe that??? That's almost as much as the class it's self! Well, I had been waiting till after the first class to buy it, hoping that I could find something cheaper online and wanting to see if I would even need it. After class today something told me to check with the Woman's Resource Center to see if they would be able to get me a book. Well low and behold they gave me a book for..... FREE!!!! YAY!!!! God is so AWESOME!!!! I'm so happy about that b/c like most of us, I really needed the extra money!

I need to post some pictures of Jarred's first day, but that will have to wait. I am about to go read with him now. Just wanted you all to know how our school year is starting out ;)

Take Care,
j.

Random Thoughts & Photos.....

Ok, so wow... I've really been slacking on this blog thing, lol! It is amazing that I haven't posted in over three months! Has it really been that long? This summer has just FLOWN by! Jarred was gone for six whole weeks and is back now. School starts back up in a little less than three weeks. Can't believe that my boy is going to be in 4th grade!! I'll be starting my junior year in college working on my BA in Project Management. Glad that I'm still trucking along in this whole education thing, but I'll sure be even happier when I have it all behind me, lol! Sometimes it seems like I'll NEVER finish school. That's OK though. It really is such a blessing to have the ability & desire to be educated.

All in all this has been a great summer. I have seen the Lord work continuously in both me and those around me.

Here are some random photos from this week along with snippets of a few of my favorite things!!

Saying goodbye to friends is hard :( I'll miss you Carrie!!!



Gotta love girl time! The three of us went to have pedicures :)



Jarred's best bud came along to the airport to surprise him. His BF is moving to Spain next week, so they are spending the WHOLE weekend together :)


So my Mom basically rocks!!! She is such a Proverbs 31-type woman!! She knitted me these gorgeous socks as a graduation gift! They even won a blue ribbon at the fair!! Thanks Mom :)


A closer shot of the detail work..... again, she is just amazing.


Salt.... ok, so this is very random... But my Mom knows I love this salt and the only place I know of to get it is from a Menonite grocery in Wisconsin. She is always thoughtful enough to send some this way... Thanks again Mom!!


So, you may think this picture is the strangest thing yet, lol. But these two are TRULY two of my favorite things, lol. Fresh bacon and Brats from my parents farm.... I think that this pig was just slaughtered like two weeks ago..... yummm...


These are trinkets that belonged to my Great-Grandmother. I inherited them and finally have a place to put them..... They were on her dresser when I was a child and I spent literally hours playing with these things, lol. So proud to have them in my own home....


Ok, so this is NOT one of my favorite things, lol! Jarred's BF found this little guy (it is a toy, thankfully!) at the airport yesterday, and he has been showing up in the strangest places.... I'm gonna get them for trying to scare me......


Last but not least (by any means) is my new backpack....(ok, so I am so not Vera Bradley obsessed...... but I just had to have this!) Got it for a really good deal and it is my present to myself for graduating with my AA.... Won't I be too cute toting this thing around campus?



Alright, well that's it for now. I know that I've said this before, lol, but I'll try to be better about posting. Maybe I can at least post weekly from here on out. Getting back into the routine should help some!!

After Pix

Ok, so about 6 hours later I am finished organizing my room :) It is so much nicer in here. Now I think that I can relax when I come in this room rather than just shut my eyes and go to sleep :) Here are some of the after pix... see, I really did do something!!



Take a look at two VERY special hats..... I truly am a woman of many hats!


I was ecstatic when I found these two extremely special CHRISTmas ornaments in my filing cabinet. They are from my great-grandma and one was from my 1st CHRISTmas and the other is from Jarred's 1st CHRISTmas. It has been a yearly tradition since my 1st CHRISTmas to take a picture hanging this ornament on the tree. I haven't been able to find them for the past several years and was very sad b/c I thought that I had lost them.


On the other hand I have discovered that my Goo-Be-Gone is.... well... GONE!!!! How ironic! I really needed it today :(

I still have a lot to accomplish this weekend, but at least I have a good start ;)

Have a Happy Memorial Day weekend!

j

Blog Picture Tag & Update on progress...

Ok, so two blogs in one day!! WOW!

I am getting so much done! I just have to finish the filing cabinet & my craft area! But I am taking a break to participate in a Picture Tag & eat lunch.

I am going to play along with Sherry over at Lamp Unto My Feet. So to participate in this tag you have to show a picture, but not just any picture. It is to be the 6th picture in your 6th folder. This is what I found.

Jarred at Disney during Spring Break '08. This was our 1st time and we had sooooo much fun!! This pic was taken on the Buzz Lightyear ride which was one of our favorites. I think that we must have ridden it about 5 times!!

I'm supposed to tag 6 others, but I will tag whomever wants to play. Leave a comment so I can check out your pics. :D

I'm getting back to work now ;)

j

What I would like to accomplish today...

I would like to do absolutely nothing, ha! No really! It is raining and thundering outside, so I have decided to postpone my trip to "town" ( i love that I can say that, lol) and get my house semi-organized! Namely my room. I live in a really small duplex and my room has to house not only the typical elements of a bedroom, but also my desk and "crafting center!" I would just love to have one of those organizer/decorator people come and and make this space of my house fully functional and pretty, but I will have to settle for what these two hands can do for the time being. So that is the goal.... As a way to motivate myself (and to document proof that I actually accomplished something this weekend) I am going to share some before pictures with you.... Now I warn you, this is scary!







(Shauna, this is proof positive that my house truly is a disaster at times, lol!)

I also need to do some Business Calc hw, finish a skirt that I started sewing two months ago, make some cards, plant my tomato garden, color my hair, and do some other random cleaning this weekend. I will check in later to let you know how it's going.

Please feel free to join me in posting your before\after pictures of what you have accomplished this weekend :)

Here I am... I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....

It has been over a month since I have posted, my oh my where does the time go?

First off let me say PRAISE THE LORD!!! I graduated last week with my AA and that is nothing short of a miracle from God! This past week was just amazing! My parents flew down last Sunday and surprised me. I had to no idea they were coming and when they showed up at church I almost fainted. Instead I did the ugly cry for about five minutes! Not only did they fly down but they arranged for me to have several days off of work and got us a condo on the beach. WOW!!! I am so undeserving of every blessing God has ever bestowed upon me and this just humbled me that much more. I couldn't believe that they went to all of that trouble just for me! It was quite possibly the best week ever!! So thanks Mom & Dad! Here is a little pic from the ceremony....
The lord has truly worked miracles in my life and made a new creature in me the last four years. I was saved in September of 2005, and sometimes I just can't believe what He saved me from and where He has brought me to. I would love to share more about my testimony and how God has been working in my life and heart later but today I just wanted to give ya'll a quick update. :)

I started my first upper-division class on Monday. No, there is no rest for the weary! I secretly love school though. It is such a blessing to receive a higher education, and I thank God daily for the opportunity that He has given me to do so.

The past few days have been spent trying to get back to reality. My house is a DISASTER! I desperately need to get cleaned and organized. So that mundane task is currently topping off my to-do list. Next would be working on my tan, lol! This has been a busy week and I am looking forward to..... sleeping in on Saturday!

I need to start getting ready for work, but I pinky-promise to post again this week regarding my testimony, some great pix, and just general chit-chat!!

~love
j.

Jarred's thoughts on mom.....

1. What is something mom always says to you?
~No

2. What makes mom happy?

~Obedience

3. What makes mom sad?

~Disobedience

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

~By being funny, duh~

5. What was your mom like as a child?

~annoying probably

6. How old is your mom?

~28, but she will tell you she's 29 (Jarred swears I am still 28!)

7. How tall is your mom?

~5 inches or 5 feet?

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

~Cook

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

~Invite friends over (that's right... party!! lol)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

~Being rich..... or being obedient to God and making Him happy

11. What is your mom really good at?

~Math, Biology, Pre-Calc, my school work, and being a mom

12. What is your mom not very good at?

~Letting me have what I want

13. What does your mom do for her job?

~help customers out and say "thank you for calling financial aid, how may I help you?"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

~ice cream, cake, and vegetables. (Wow, he sure knows what I like!)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

~when she lets me have what I want (gotta love the honesty!)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

~Batgirl (go figure!)

17. What do you and your mom do together?

~go on dates (he said I wasn't allowed to list that one!) play games!

18. How are you and your mom the same?

~We are both humans with brains, we are not naked, and we have books. (I don't even know how to respond to that!)

19. How are you and your mom different?

~She is annoying, I am not. She gets pimples.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

~Because she corrects me (Can you tell that he has had the "I only do this because I love you" lecture a few times, lol) and she gives me lovins.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

~the mall

22: What would your mom be if she wasn't a mom?
~A widow and lonely.


You gotta love kids. They say the funniest things.

P.S. How do you use the strike through feature on here?

A prayer....

I found this prayer on someone else's blog today. It seems to screem the unspoken words of my heart at the moment....

".....Lord, I know in my heart that your timing is perfect, but I still feel restless in my spirit as I wait. I want to see your plans for my life unfold now. I want to know ahead of time what the future holds for me. It is so hard for me not to try to control circumstances or manipulate situations so that things happen the way I want and according to my time frame. So, during this season of waiting, carve into my character all I will need to fulfill your amazing plans for my life. Don't let me waste my time while I wait on You. Grant me your perfect peace while you prepare me. Give me wisdom about when to move and when to be still. Rmind me daily that your timing is perfect and that your plan is for my everlasting good.I choose to wait on your timing."

~Sherri Rose Shepherd

A nice thought....

A good friend of mine sent me an e-mail today that had this though in it. It blessed my heart so just thought I would share :)

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'
When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely
opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this
sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will
not protect you.'

WE are enjoying our spring break (with rain and all)! Tomorrow Jarred and I are off to Mobile to the Exploreum and then to spend a night with my G-pa. We are looking forward to the trip. We have had a great week so far. It has been so nice to not have school work to do! I wanted to get out of the house and do all kinds of outdoorsy types of things, but alas that rain has prevented that. It has been a nice, quite, and restful few days and for that I am so very thankful!! Jarred has spent most of his time playing with our new favorite toy, the Wii Fit-btw if you have a Wii and don't have this thing then ladies you MUST get it. You will absolutely adore the yoga and all the other fun games!

Hope to share some pix when we get back in town.

Quick Update: A new look and Testimony to God's goodness

It is really sad when you see that you have only posted 4 times in 2009!!! To be perfectly honest I hardly sit at my desk at home anymore. This has been a crazy busy semester.

As you may know from previous posts, I am taking several classes this semester including Pre-Calc. It started out really bad at the beginning of the semester. I started really praying about it-that God would provide a tutor and a way to help me out- and of course He was right on time. I have a great tutor and my boss has also been very lenient with me in allowing me to visit the math lab weekly. What a difference all the extra effort has made!! I went from getting a D on the first test to a 95/A on a test this week. PRAISE THE LORD!!! I know that it is all His doing in me getting this stuff. I mean I am the girl that can barely add without a calculator and math was my most hated subject in high school!!

Through all the stress of this semester I kept seeing the verses "With God all things are possible," "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," and "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." As well as many others relating to the words "all things." It dawned on me that all things means an awful lot!! I needed to just trust in Him more and lean on Him because that is the only way that I would make it through this semester or wait... this life!!

Committing myself to God is not always easy. It is far easier in theory than in reality. I do desire to be a dedicated, separated, living for Christ Christian. It is my hearts deepest desire, but I too struggle daily and have to constantly be reminded to take up my cross daily.

Even today I woke up despondent and discouraged. It was all that I could do to drag myself to work. I had to be reminded again that part of dying to myself is getting my lazy self out of bed and not allowing my flesh to have the rule over me. My heart was downcast for a good part of the morning, and finally I got God's word back out and read several verses about comfort. In about 15 minutes I went from being on the verge of tears to laughing. He is there every time we need Him and even better, when we think that we don't!

There has been a lot going on with me lately. Some things I am not ready to share with the public. But God is up to something....... I'm not quite sure what yet. But in this situation that makes me sometimes want to shout with joy and other times cry, He is showing me things little by little. He is giving me glimpses of a life that one day will be..... Hope for a future that I so desire...... an appreciation for waiting and seeing His will unfold.......and most of all gratitude for His work in me. A gratitude that does restore my joy daily-even in the mist of my sorrow-and leaves me in awe for the perfect work that He is doing in me.

I hope that you know the joy that comes with being saved. I hope that your heart sings with gratitude when you look back at the past and see what God has done for you.

This verse is also one that I have been claiming more so every day as my current circumstances makes me want to analyze every aspect of what God could possibly be doing. I am daily brought back to this truth:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" Proverbs 3:5-6

The Sound of music.....

Jarred started his very first piano lesson on Wednesday. On the way to the piano teacher's house I sang to him "When you read you begin with A, B, C.... When you sing you begin with Do, Re, Mi....." He just rolled his eyes at me and said quite matter-of-factly "I already know all that Mom!"

I figured that I would wait out in the car so that he would be better focused, but he wanted me right there..... awwww...... It can be intriguing when you see your child interacting with someone in a capacity that you generally do not observe. I got to see a glimpse of the "man" my boy is becoming. Which just warms my heart. He really is such a sweet boy.

He made me laugh so hard when his teacher told him that they would start from the very beginning.... He looked at her in the sweetest, kindest way and said "My mom sings a song about that!" Then he giggled one of those adorable innocent little boy giggles that still creep out from time to time when he is not trying to be such a "man" and just melted my heart.....

Well, he really enjoyed his lesson and just loves his teacher. He is very excited about learning the piano and thinks that it is a lot of fun. He actually rushed home to practice!!

So, at the moment my house is filled with the sound of music.... well more like whole middle C, half middle C, and 1/4 middle C, but it is a start :)

Paper Crafting Thursday

I am joining in with Kelli over at There is No Place Like Home for her paper crafting Thursday this week. You should really check out her site because she has a lot of wonderful ideas, decor, etc.

These are some of my Christmas thank you cards.... They got out a little late this year. I really liked the outcome of all the cards. I stumbled upon some stunning ink at Hobby Lobby on sale after Christmas. It is Versacolor Bamboo & Raspberry. I just love the many possible color combinations that can be made with these two. On the card below I used them with a pretty electric blue ink. This was definitely one of my favorites.


In this one I mixed the Raaspberry with a black ink.


I thought that this was a fun one to make. I enjoyed piecing together the little bows. I have to give A Muse the credit for its design though.

Hope you enjoyed!!

To every thing there is a season......

I am taking a break right now to update you on what's what over here, lol. I am enjoying a nice hot cup of Hersheys Goodnight Hugs.... yummmm..... If you have never had it before it is a must try.

Today I called my mom to ask a random question and before I knew it I was crying. I'm not sure what prompted me spilling my heart, but nonetheless it happened. As always she is so very compassionate and always willing to just listen. I think that is why I feel I can just let my emotions run so freely with her. For that I am so appreciative. I expressed to her today that I am just so sick of school and ready to be done. There are times when I feel like I am so engrossed with work, studying, and taking care of my home and Jarred that I am missing out on Jarred actually growing up. BUT, I also have to remind myself when I get to thinking that way that I am teaching Jarred a very valuable lesson by trying so hard to finish school. I want so badly to set a good example for him.

This semester has become particularly stressful for several reasons. First of all, I am taking Pre-Calc. Ok.... so I never even made it through Algebra in high school. I always really stunk at math. Once I started college, very late I might add, I decided that I like math. Well, Algebra that is. I did really well in those classes. Pre-Calc though is A LOT harder and I am not doing so well. I am trying to work out getting some tutoring and getting to the math lab twice a week though. Please pray that I will pass this class!!! Also, I had to add an online class, that I wasn't planning on taking, in order to graduate on time. This was a big surprise to me by the way. I added the class one month after it started, yes, fun, fun. I am also finish up a Statistics class from last semester. I didn't really understand Statistics. So, with all that said I am a little bit overwhelmed right now. Granted I pass all of my classes I will be graduating in May. Which by the way is a huge deal to me, but more on that later.

After I got off of the phone with my mom I heard the Lord speak to me heart and say "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." And in an instant I felt Him tell me that He planned this for me. My life is going completely according to His will and plan for me right now. This is what I am supposed to be doing. I also remembered that God will not give me more than I can bear. With that came comfort knowing that my Heavenly Father is still here with me and He will help me through this time.

So, please forgive me for the next several months if I don't post as much as I would like to, or if you don't hear from me that often.

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Bottom of the list

I know, I know, I have become one of those bloggers at the bottom of your blog list b/c I haven't posted in so long. It is actually quite ironic, last post was titled "need to get busy" and I haven't stopped being busy since then.

I am so very deep in school work right now that I can't see over my pile of books and random papers scattered here and there. I have one more BIG test to get through this week and then.... well just maybe.... a REAL post!!! Yippee!!

I actually had to take on an extra class this semester. My load is much heavier than I had hoped it would be. But I am sort of thankful for that in a weird kind of way. It is getting my mind off of a lot of other things I would normally be obsessing over and most importantly I am really looking forward to seeing how God is going to work in my life this semester. I know the only way I will be able to get through it is by leaning on Him and pleading for His strength.

So.... I will try to post again in a couple of days :)

TTFN