A day of baking!!

Last week a friend and I, and our wonderful little helpers decided we should get a head start on some Christmas baking! We had so much fun and ended up making so many good treats.

Our little helpers played and had such a great time while Olivia and I whipped up about 8 different candies and cookies.

I love baking and It's such a Joy to give to others!

Thanks Olivia for such a fun day!!

Playing catch up!

A couple of weeks ago we took the girls to the square for our annual night of pizza and the lights!! It's something We always look forward to doing with our girls. They love it and it is just sweet memories for us all!!

They always love riding the ponies. Bella took a stroll on the camel this year. She looked so tiny on that huge animal. She loves it.
Of course we had to get kettle corn and cotton candy!! One of my fav reasons for going..:)

Such a fun night taking in the beauty of the Christmas season!!:)

Meaningful life...

Wow what a week it has been.  As a nation, we have faced a tragedy that my mind can not wrap itself around.  A tragedy that I can not find the words to explain how it makes me feel.  A horrific act of violence on precious, innocent children....and those who dedicated their lives to invest in our children.

Yesterday as two families buried their sweet babies, we celebrated the life of one of ours.  Our sweet Bella Grace turned 4 years old yesterday.  Bella has been a pure JOY.  A little girl that just shines with happiness.  A little girl that touches the life of everyone she comes in contact with.  The same qualities have been said about the sweet little boys who lost their life and were laid to rest yesterday.   Their parents love their sons the same way we love our daughters.  God loves our daughters no less than their sons.   Life...it's so difficult to understand sometimes.  So uncertain.  Yet so certain at the same time.

Last night I was sitting on the couch talking to Matt and just looking at our Christmas tree.  I love our tree.  It's beautiful to me.  As I gazed into the sparkle, I started at the bottom of the tree, and made my way to the top.  It's just the natural movement of the eye.  As I followed our tree to the top my heart was overwhelmed by the comfort we have in Christ.   I thought about the Christmas tree and how it symbolizes Christ birth, the warmth of Christmas, and the HOPE that we have in Christ because of the death he suffered on the Cross.  He came to save the world.  To be born as a baby, with one purpose.  The purpose to save the world from death.

I feel like tragedy has been a constant lately.  I am certain it will remain a constant (The Bible is true and it tells us these things).  I am certain I will not understand it.  I am certain Jesus has a plan.  I am certain he has a plan for ME.  I am certain my purpose in this life does not include a focus on myself.
As if we have not been reminded enough, life is short.  We are not promised tomorrow.  We are not absent from tragedy. I have come to grips with the fact anything can happen anywhere...any time.  Now more than ever, I want my life to matter.  I want my life to count for something far greater than myself.  I want the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart to be pleasing to you oh Lord! 


Yesterday I was asked if it was hard to send my children to school.  It always is.  I always have to choose to TRUST the Lord.  Yesterday was no different.    We want to shelter our girls and keep them under our wing of protection.  But, we know that is not the Lord's plan.  They are not ours, they are His.  We can offer protection for them in some ways, but their life is HIS and He is the ultimate Protector.  We choose to trust in God's plan daily.  We know his word and we  know it is true.  In a world that is so uncertain, we are thankful for the constant that we have in Christ.  He is TRUE.  He is FAITHFUL. He is RIGHT.  He is JUST.  HE is HOLY and He is our only HOPE in this world!

I can't imagine going through life without the peace of Christ.  IF you do not know the Lord, I pray you will come to know His greatness.  God knows the pain of losing a child because He willingly gave up His so you and I could live....He would love nothing more than for you to receive His free gift!

Isaiah 12:2  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Heavy heart...

I can't really explain the heaviness that I carry in my heart. It's not really for one specific reason, but it's there and it's just caused me to pray an be thankful.

I feel like the daily news I hear about is constantly filled with reports of young kids dying, to cancer filling young bodies, to sickness, to divorce, to people in financial struggle. Life's just hard at times.
God doesn't promise that we will live flawless lives filled with perfect days. But he does promise he will never leave us or forsake us. He promises that his plans are good. He says his love never fails and is unending. He tells us to not fear the days ahead for he knows what our life holds. Nothing catches him off guard. I'm so thankful for these promises.
Maybe you needed this reminder tonight. I just know that I felt led to share tonight.

I'm so thankful for my family. For Matt and the girls. For my parents and my in-laws. For all of my siblings!!:) For our friends that have been there through the good, bad, and ugly!:). For a god who loves me and knows my ins and outs!

Sometimes you just want to cling a little tighter to those precious gifts he's given you. Today is just one of those days.

He's always there...

Amazed at The Lord's love for me. I have always known I am loved and Jesus looks after me, but to know that the God of the universe is close to me at ALL times is just absolutely amazing and overwhelming to me. Some days I just need the reminder. I'm thankful he chose to bless me with the reminder of his unconditional love today!

Our daily bread...

Disclaimer: this is a long post:)

This morning I woke up and rolled myself out of bed.  It was still dark outside, and I really just wanted to curl up in my bed and go back to sleep!  BUT, no need to live in dream land!!:)  There was clearly much to do!  Get breakfast made, lunches packed, children dressed, retrieve a pencil from 2 girls that thought they needed to fight over it this morning.  Yep, a pencil. Sometimes you just gotta shake your head and say an extra prayer!:)

I love to wake up early.   Before the hustle and bustle begins in our home.  It's my time to gather my thoughts.  My time with the Lord.  Our mornings are actually pretty low key.  I try to have lunches made and in the fridge, snack bags made for the week, and clothes out for the week to keep stress to a minimal.  I have discovered, I don't like starting my day with added stress that can be eliminated if I just do a little extra prep work!  It works for us and for that I am very thankful!

This morning I was reading from a book about teaching children the word.  About pouring your love for Jesus and his word into your children.  Into our daughters.  How can they have a love for the word if they are not taught and shown the importance of knowing God's word.  I know some mornings there may not be enough time to sit and read the Bible to our/your children.  But, I was so encouraged this morning that the time spent reading the word to our children is not the most important thing.  Our daughters need to see that God's word is so important to mommy and daddy that no matter how busy we are, we always take the time to speak truth into them.  Whether it be just teaching them a verse and what it means, or share a Bible story with them.  They need to see that Matt and I make spending time with Jesus a priority.

Here is the verse that I shared with Alyssa on the way to school.  It spoke so close to my heart today that I wanted to share it with her.

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you may grow into a full experience of salvation.  If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.  1 Peter 2:2

We have indeed tasted that the Lord is good.  He's been soooo good and sooo faithful.  I have also experienced, just this week, what it feels like to not crave the word in a way that it fills my life and my heart in all that I do and say.  I have been busy.  That's actually an understatement!  I have been real busy, but lets face it...whose not?  I have not spent my mornings pouring God's word and his truth in my life.  Starting my day with Him.   I have let all the busyness (good busy) keep me from Him, and it has been obvious in my life.  I have felt down.  I have lacked JOY.  I have felt stressed.  I have had less patience.  I have had a more negative attitude toward my husband and my children.  All because I neglected the spiritual milk that I need.  To get me through my days.  To stay solid.  To walk upright.  The milk I need to fill me!  Nothing else can fill me.  Nothing else satisfies.  Nothing else gives me pure JOY.

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.  Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Proverbs 4:25-26
  

I have known this to be true in MY life- I must start my day with Jesus.  Not finish my day with him, but start my day with him.  If I start with Him, I am more likely to produce the fruit of the spirit in my life.  If I wait till bedtime, I have more than likely struggled through a day that could have been much more smooth if I would have just began it in the word and in prayer.

I want this blog to be real.  It's our life.  It's my struggles.  We are by no means a perfect family.  We do not have perfect children. But we are real people.  I  never want to portray something that is false in our lives.  We are a work in progress.  The Lord deals with us daily.  I'm thankful he does.  I would never want the Lord to let me get away with my selfishness.  The Lord is far greater than holding on to my wants and desires!

Just wanted to share my heart today!  Have a great day!!