after all.

because of yesterday's events and events taking place in my own life I have felt drawn to this song all week.

brings me to tears 

just a little {something}

It's been a tough week already 

so I thought I would share this precious video

Happy Homemaker Monday #15

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we did! 

It's Monday again, so that means I'm joining up with {Sandra} today for another edition of Happy Homemaker! 

The Weather:::

its still dark outside but it's supposed to get up into mid 70's today! Thanks for sending all your heat down south, Sandra! ha

Thinking:::
I'm about to give up on my stockings :(

What I'm Reading:::
We started reading a chapter or two a night from the Bible with our big girl for her bedtime reading. This week is Exodus 20-26 

What I'm Creating:::

I'm so close to finishing my quilt I can taste it

I bought some red and green from RedHeart Yarns and so far {this} pattern has been disastrous for me... I got through the leg and heel just fine, but that's as far as my mind will comprehend... I've tried everything... I'm one day away from giving up :(

Something Fun to Share:::

Got some Christmas pictures taken after church yesterday and I'm hoping they turned out really well.

Favorite Blog Post of the Week:::

Danielle @ Blissful and Domestic

{How Does She Do: Santa}

On my tv:::

nothing at the moment

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - spaghetti salad and rolls
Tuesday - tacos
Wednesday - bass fried okra white peas hushpuppies
Thursday - roast mashed potatoes and broccoli
Friday - hamburger helper green beans
Saturday - salmon rice and broccoli
Sunday - perfect chicken mac and cheese broccoli

On my to do list:::

never ending Laundry

dishes

make beds

bathrooms
pay bills

Homemaking Tips:::

I don't feel like I can say this enough... keep on top of everything, I let a few things go last week so I could hurry up and finish some crochet items before I felt too overwhelmed to do anything and I let the house go.. like bare minimum... {running the dishwasher and washing clothes bare minimum... only for 2 days though} and now I hate myself for it

From the Camera:::

yep, we're that family that brings football into every aspect of our lives :)

Looking around the house:::

I need to finish decorating the mantle. I have a ton of laundry to finish from hardly doing it last week and the kitchen needs to be cleaned up from breakfast

On my prayer list:::

That I don't let the stresses of the holidays turn me into a contentious woman

Bible verse, Devotional::

TTC {Thursdays}

Well here we are ladies.. I think it's been a while since I updated on this particular topic lol

I'm sitting in the carpool lane at big girl's school with baby and hubby after a long day of errands and Christmas, so please forgive the lack of TTC posts lately, but this is what my Thursdays has consisted of lately.

Now onto our update... We still don't know what we really want. Our children's minister, and my dear friend Mrs. Lauri, came over to the house the other day and we talked about it for at least an hour and a half! Of course she wants us to take a leap of faith and go for it!!

Heck, I WANT TO GO FOR IT! At this point I don't really care about a November baby anymore, just a fall baby... The only thing holding me back is going into interviews pregnant... Visibly pregnant. I don't want my choice to continue my family to hinder my chances of getting my dream job!

My totally amazing yet incredibly frustrating husby wants whatever I want... He's amazing because he doesn't want to tell me no but he's frustrating because he won't tell me what he wants! Does anyone else have an incredible husband like that?

So I guess what I'm updating is to tell you that there is still no update... Again :(

Oh, and something totally random... I'm working on a crocheted stocking pattern and its about to drive me batty!

I've been to two different craft stores and no one knows what it means... I've looked for videos online, I've called RedHeart Yarns and can't get anyone to answer! I'm about to completely give up!

Here's a {link} to the pattern... and it's the foot part that's frustrating me. If it makes sense to anyone else, PLEASE contact me :)

Now that I've vented, I hope everyone has a fabulous day

Oh, and give that hubby and hug and kiss for working so hard for you this week.. he deserves it

Tuesday Topics {Week 4}

hey ladies! Welcome to another week of Tuesday Topics hosted by {Lauren} and {Tiffany}

This week's topic is:::

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

This was actually really difficult for me to answer because there's so many places I would enjoy visiting!

Especially in all the different seasons...

I think in the fall my favorite place to visit would be New England.

I have actually envisioned myself driving up the coast with my hubs and kiddos
scarves, beanies, gloves and coffee in hand

with rocky coves on our right and beautiful lighthouses up ahead.

Yep, that would be absolutely Heavenly :)

Where would you visit?

Happy Homemaker Monday #14

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we did! 

It's Monday again, so that means I'm joining up with {Sandra} today for another edition of Happy Homemaker! 

The Weather:::

right now it's 34 degrees F and I am NOT complaining. There's frost on the ground and it's gorgeous outside. The sun is twinkling through the leaves reflecting off the ground

Thinking:::
I really need to find my gel nail polish because I'm tired of the  chipping :(

What I'm Reading:::
We started reading a chapter or two a night from the Bible with our big girl for her bedtime reading. This week is Exodus 14-20 

What I'm Creating:::

I'm so close to finishing my quilt I can taste it

I bought some red and green at Walmart yesterday so I can start crocheting some stockings as gifts this year :)

Something Fun to Share:::

well I don't know if this is something FUN I can share but I unkow-ingly decided to lock my keys in my garage last night and can't take big girl to school today...

another reason we should homeschool.. bwa ha ha 

Favorite Blog Post of the Week:::

Megan @ Just A Small Town Girl 

{Ungrateful}

On my tv:::

Yes, I'm that woman that watches A Baby Story when I have baby fever

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - spaghetti salad and rolls

Tuesday - perfect chicken, mac and cheese and Green beans

Wednesday - leftovers

Thursday - patty melts, homemade fries, brocolli

Friday - hot chicken casserole and salad

Saturday - fried bass {caught by hubby and big girl}taters and broccoli

Sunday - my mommy's house

{but she doesn't know that yet}

On my to do list:::

never ending Laundry

dishes

make beds

bathrooms

Homemaking Tips:::

before you go to bed every night make sure you know where your purse and your keys are {just in case your husband leaves for work with the only set of keys}

From the Camera:::

I think this swing is quickly becoming a part of our family
my baby seester home from college for the holiday! 

Looking around the house:::

we need to decorate the tree and finish decorating the house for the most amazing holiday of the year!

On my prayer list:::

Our church {through Samaritan's Purse} is collecting children's tithe to purchase a goat for a foreign family in need

Our big girl is so excited and came home immediately to see how much change she had to give

Bible verse, Devotional::

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” 

Hebrews 12:28 NLT

Tuesday Topics {Week 3}

I missed a lot of bloggin' time last week, so I missed week 2 :(

Linking up again today with Lauren and Tiffany for Tuesday Topics and boy am I excited!

at the same time, I also feel like I might get some hate mail about this week's topic.. Describe your perfect day.

and the main reason I think I will get hate mail is because I pretty much have my perfect day every Sunday

Because of hubby's work schedule, Sunday is the only day where {all} four of us are together and we make the most of it...

Wake up and make a yummy breakfast for my fam jam {pancakes/sausage/eggs or homemade biscuits, bacon, eggs, and grits}.. 

head off to church and hear a great message

have a great lunch, watch a family movie with hubby and the kiddos, take a nap and maybe even make some time to crochet

play with my babies and enjoy a meal with extended family

crawl up in a warm bed 

and possibly watch any movie above the rating of PG

Thanks for stopping by and reading about my perfect day.. I can't wait to read what everyone else has to say

Apparently there's something going on with Blogger, and everyone has turned into a no-reply commenter, so if you comment, please leave your email address :)

Happy Homemaker Monday #13

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we did! 

It's Monday again, so that means I'm joining up with Sandra today for another edition of Happy Homemaker! 

The Weather:::

its gorgeous today! I got to wear a cute little scarf out today and actually had to put jackets on the kiddos 

Thinking:::
I really need to sweep the kitchen floor

Something Fun to Share:::

cheesecake has always been my contribution for Thanksgiving and this year my big girl got to help me =)

we cookin' up a stome y'all!

Favorite Blog Post of the Week:::

enter shameless plug here 

Young {Christian} Marriage

On my tv:::

Raising House

Deadly Women

Unusual Suspects

Home for Dinner with Jamie Deen

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - spaghetti salad and homemade rolls

Tuesday - pancakes. sausage, eggs

Wednesday - {hot chicken casserole} and salad

Thursday - Thanksgiving @ my mother-in-laws and my mommies

Friday - leftovers

Saturday - potato soup baked chicken and broccoli

Sunday - leftovers

On my to do list:::

Vacuum

clean bathrooms

laundry

definitely clean up the kitchen after baking, HA!

Homemaking Tips:::

need self rising flour? add 1 1/4 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to a cup of all purpose flour and bigga bam! you got it!

From the Camera:::

so proud of her =)

Looking around the house:::

the kitchen scares me sometimes. The big girl is sitting in her "reading" chair watching a movie, baby is sleeping so it's abnormally quiet in the house. my soul is a peace, for the moment =)

On my prayer list:::

traveling mercies for all everyone's family this week

that these cheesecakes come out wonderfully

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Isaiah 54:10

¹⁰ Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

God loves you no matter what! His love is unshaken!

If you are a no-reply commenter, please leave your email so I can reply to you 

Hope everyone has a blessed week :)

Thirsty Thursday: Young Christian Marriage

When I was 16 I met my husband to be. There were fireworks and sirens, the whole shebang! I was instantly in love and knew he would be my husband one day.. Almost 9 years later, 7 years of marriage, and 2 baby girls later, I am still in love with that man. He’s the strong silent type…You gotta really know him to like him…

When my baby cousin, well 21 year old cousin, called me the other day to let me know he was getting married {didn’t even know he was dating, let alone serious about marriage, lol} I was so happy for him, because I knew what a blessing my marriage had been to me {even at such a young age}

I seemed to be the only one happy for him, and that broke my heart. For obvious reasons everyone else thought he was crazy, and even though I don’t think his timing is the best, I still support him.

Over the next few days my family would call and ask me to talk him out of it, I started to hear a small voice pop into my heart once again… it was a voice that I had heard on and off for years while defending my young marriage to outsiders.

That small voice was my Heavenly Father, and what a sweet voice it was.

He laid it on my heart to spread the message that loves knows no age.

We are so proud of our young children when they accept Jesus into their hearts. We dedicate them, we throw parties for them, we video their baptism and tweet or Facebook about it later….

But we condemn young marriage…

If a child understands what Jesus did for us on the cross, then why can’t we accept young marriage?

If we accept that a child can fully understand the sacrifice displayed in Jesus’ ressurection, why can’t we accept that a young couple can understand the sacrifices given in marriage?

Because age doesn’t matter. It’s the willingness of the Holy Spirit that allows a marriage to prosper.

And this is exactly what I told my baby cousin, as long as you wake up every morning and submit to each other, you’ll prosper. Wake up every morning and do at least ONE thing to make each other’s lives easier.

I was 18 when I got married, and I was 19 when I gave birth for the first time. I was 21 when I came to know Christ and was 23 when I earned my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education.

My marriage is blossoming and we did almost everything backwards.

The Lord isn’t going to bless you just because you follow society’s guidelines of adulthood.

He blesses you if you put Him first and love one another.

It's has for me

If you’ve learned one thing from this post it's this. It doesn’t matter what the outside world thinks of your marriage… The outside world is a yucky nasty place.. full of godless people

It doesn’t matter how old you are, how many square feet you have, how much money you have in your bank account, or what your social status is. 

God will bless your marriage if you Him first. 

{Linking up with}

Love is a Choice Marriage Link Up

Controversial Parenting Tag

This is a tag going around YouTube {Maybe even the blog world, but who knows}

I thought it would be fun so let's get to it! 

1. Pro-life Vs. Pro-choice

I believe that every woman should have the right to choose what is best for HER body, but before I start getting hate mail, let me explain something....That baby growing and moving around inside of you is it's own person... It has it's own DNA. It is temporarily a piece of you. It might not be precious to you, but that child is precious to a family that can't have children AND to a Heavenly Father. Every child should be given a chance to live and prosper. It is because of my religious beliefs that I will never support abortion.

Even if a woman is raped, I believe that adoption is the answer.

Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb. {Psalms 127:3}

2. Baby Wearing

I love baby wearing, but my babies never liked it.. {insert sad face}

3. Circumcision

 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. {Genesis 17:9-10}

4. Adoption

I don't have a lot of people in my life that have experience with adoption, but I know that it can be such a beautiful, yet heart wrenching journey to adopt. It's one of the most selfless acts any parent can take part in for their child. If you think about it... everyone is adopted. Our Heavenly Father has "adopted" us out to our earthly parents. 

5. Baby Piercing

I don't have a problem if parent's choose to pierce their children, I just know that it's not for my family... when my oldest was four months old, we pierced her ears. She was so cute, but around 9 months she started actually pulling at her ears and yanking them out... so for our family, its a no go for safety reasons. When my girls come to me and ask, then they can get their ears, belly buttons, whatever they want. Watch this video on tattoos and piercings from a Bible World View.... It's pretty eye opening

6. Breast Milk Vs. Formula

Once again, because of my Biblical World View, I believe in breastfeeding. I was 19 when I gave birth for the first time and there was no question in my mind that I was going to breastfeed, but because there was no support from most of my family members, and because I developed mastitis, I resulted to using formula, and I have always hated myself for that. When my youngest was born I was determined not to let it happen again and I made sure I surrounded myself with as much support and knowledge possible... I hated how demanding it was, but the Lord used my breastfeeding journey to show me that it's not about me.. It's about my child, HIS child. With that being said, if for any reason a child needs to be formula fed, my heart will ache for that child, but you won't hear a single judgmental word come out of this girl's mouth :)

7. Spanking

My husband and I use spanking as a form of discipline, not punishment. Nor, do we agree that every situation warrants a spanking. I was spanked as a child out of punishment, so I feared my parents, and because of that there was a disconnect in our relationship.  

{The Biblical Approach to Spanking} is a great article that explains the exact reason why we choose to discpline our children in this manner

8. Co-sleeping

I think co-sleeping is great, especially for nursing mothers, but once again, it wasn't something that worked well for our family. When the baby was born we were living in a two-bedroom house so she had to sleep in our room. Apparently, she got her sleeping habits from me because everytime we rolled over she heard it and woke up... only until we moved in with my mother-in-law did she have her own room, and only then did I get a full night's sleep.

Every family has to do what works for them

9. Home Vs. Public Vs. Private Vs. Charter Schooling 

I would love to homeschool my children, but it obviously needs to be a decision agreed upon by both parents. Hubby and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum. You see, I have my certification in Elementary Education, and have been in the process of finding a job for the passed year. If I were to homeschool our children, then I just wasted 6 years in college and a year's salary to do so. Doesn't make much sense to us right now. I think for working parents, a private school is a great option, because then they have a say in what their children are taught as far as curriculum and Biblical content. I went to a charter/magnet school in highschool and I loved it. We had to keep a certain GPA and we had "academies" that were essentially majors in college. Even though I knew from age 5 that I wanted to be a teacher, it gave me the opportunity to explore my options. I wouldn't have a problem with public school if there was a lot LESS government involvement. A National Education system is just one step closer to socialism, and buddy, I live in America for a reason.

10. Vaccinations

we vaccinate, but each and every parent has to make the decision that best fits their family. I will leave it at that

11. Medicating Children

My sister was diagnosed with ADD when she was in second grade, and I know what a major difference it made in our family dynamic once she was. I think that medicating children can be a blessing, but I also think some teachers/parents/doctors jump too quickly into it. For the parents and teachers that jump into too quickly it's my opinion that they are tired, they don't want to deal with it, and they want to control the child to make their job easier on them... like I said earlier, though, for some children, it works. Once you've exhausted all options {different discipline, reinforcement, etc} then medication might be a viable option for you.

12. Cloth Vs. Disposable diapers 

I didn't think anything about cloth diapering when my big girl was little, but I was somewhat interested in it with this last pregnancy. I researched it A LITTLE and was left very overwhelmed and confused by ALL the types that were out there that I gave up. My grandmother clothed all three of her children, because that's all they had, but there are too many options these days. I know how to use a disposable, so that's what I'm sticking with. 

13. Cry It Out Method

I don't believe that you can spoil a child under the age of 12 months, but I also don't think you should give in to their every whimper and whine. When they are teeny tiny crying is their only way of communicating their needs and wants to the people around them, and because of that they should not be ignored. All I am going to say about this topic is, the older they get, the longer you should delay your reaction. When you are trying to teach them to put themselves to sleep let them cry for about 15 minutes. If at the end of that 15 minutes go in and check on them, give them what they want, and leave. The next night, make it 20 minutes. Eventually, they will learn to self soothe.

 With both our girls, if they bump their noggins' we  take our time to get over there, unless there's blood. If you don't make a big deal out of it, they won't make a big deal out of it. Most of the time if you ignore a noggin bump or a stumble and fall, they forget about it and go about their business.

I get the stink eye from other mommies sometimes because it can be seen as "ignoring" my children and honey lemme tell you... that ain't the case! 

If you stuck it out this long I hope you enjoyed all my rambling! and a BIG congratulations goes to you! 

now, it's your turn to ramble about your controversial parenting ideas!!

I TAG YOU!!! 

if you leave a comment and are a no-reply commenter please leave me your email so I can respond to you

Tuesday Topics {Week 1}

Linking up for the first week of Tuesday Topics

with {Tiffany} and {Lauren}

 This week's topic? 

What are ten things you would do with $1 Million?

And before I start, I want to thank {Mr. Cash King} for his amazing Financial Peace University 

Because of him, I know what God has planned for my financial future

1. tithe to our home away from home 

 2. Design/build our own house, pay off our mortgages for both houses, and rent the old one out to a military family. {positive cash flow, people}

3. take care of debt {pay off school loans, hubby's truck}

4. buy myself a slightly used Honda Odyssey cuz that 4Runner is 13 years old {cash, of course}

5. start investing more in retirement, mutual funds, and college plans

forget football, I want my children to have an Auburn Education

6.  Go ahead and have that third {or fourth} baby without a second thought.

7. Stockpile our W.E.L.C.O.M.E. center's food pantry

This is where it gets hard... Are you sure you have to do ten?

8.  finish decorating my house

9. Vacation at {Big Cedar Lodge} for two, yes, two weeks :)

either that or a hunting trip for the hubby at {Dream Ranch}

10. Save save save for future expenses {Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else}

Of course, I know $1 Million won't cover all of this, but hey, {in your best Si Robertson voice}
you gotta do what you gotta do

Thanks so much for letting me share my heart's desires for my family... I can't wait to read about what other ladies have chosen for them 

If you leave a comment and are a no-reply commenter, please leave your emal so I can respond :)

Happy Homemaker Monday #12

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we did! 

It's Monday again, so that means I'm joining up with Sandra today for another edition of Happy Homemaker! 

The Weather:::

its 58 right now and the high is 70!! whew, its nice :)

Thinking:::
There's no way I'm getting makeup on my face today 

Something Fun to Share:::
Saturday was absolutely awesome. We did NOTHING all day long

Favorite Blog Post of the Week:::

Megan @ Small Town Girl
{Ornaments for Adoption} 

On my tv:::

Dateline on ID

On the menu for this week:::

Monday - spaghetti salad and homemade rolls

Tuesday - Shepherd's Pie

Wednesday - chops, ranch taters, and broccoli

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - talapia, wild rice, and broccoli

Saturday - sloppy joes, fries

Sunday - baked chicken, mac and cheese, green beans

On my to do list:::
clean out the dryer
sweep
make spaghetti sauce
dishes

tidy up bathrooms
make beds
laundry

Homemaking Tips:::

Stuck on food? whether it's a pot, pan or casserole dish, fill it with water and a little dish soap. Place it on the stove and bring it to a hard boil. Watch it closely, though. When you are satisfied with the amount of goop moving around in the pan take it and finish cleaning it whether by hand or in the dishwasher 

Looking around the house:::

still in my jammies, oh such comfy jammies

Table still needs cleaning off, laundry's sitting in the basket waiting to be folded and it's a bit chilly in my house :(

On my prayer list:::

Our country 
hubby's safety

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Psalm 109:8 

Let his years be few, let someone else take his position.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Barack..

There, I said it! 



If you are a no-reply commenter, please leave your email so I can reply to you 

Hope everyone has a blessed week :)