The month of January has been a significant month for Mark and I. Our church has set aside the month of January for a special time of fasting. Mark and I started our fast the first of January and ironically enough started seeing immediate attack from the enemy. It's been a crazy month of health issues for our family. As some of you know, Mark was diagnosed with mono at the beginning of the month (and that's on top of the other health issues that he already has). He was extremely fatigued and just downright feeling crummy. He would go to bed at 5:30pm some evenings and sleep until 7am (he's usually an early riser). The doc even put him on bedrest for a week.
We continued to stay strong in the Lord and draw our strength from Him. His power is made perfect in our weakness, isn't it?! Every Wednesday throughout the month of January, we had a corporate prayer meeting at church. I have to admit that when I hear the words "prayer meeting" I never used to get really excited. This month was totally different! I attended the first 2 by myself as Mark was at home in bed. The Wednesday that he was on bedrest I headed over to the church excited to see what the Lord had in store. It was an awesome night of prayer for me and a night of getting deeper with Him. At the end of the night, one of our pastors called me forward to stand in the gap for Mark. They annointed me with oil, laid hands on me, and a group of our fellow believers prayed earnestly for Mark's healing.
Fast forward a little bit... I get home and send Mark and email to tell him about the incredible time of worship that I had (yep, I emailed him... because he was on bedrest he was in our room all day long and most times sleeping. I didn't want to bother him but I knew he was doing a little bit of work on his computer so I thought I would send him a message). The next morning he told me that he felt like he had been healed of mono! Praise Him! He said that about 8pm the previous night (while I was at prayer meeting), he almost texted me that he had had a sort of "awakening" where he felt he had been healed. 8pm was right after the church had prayed for him! His energy level went up the following days and he was able to go through his day without naps. All the glory to Him.
I was definitely sad that I had to go to church those first two Wednesdays on my own but I know that the Lord had it all planned out. I needed that time by myself to really devote myself to prayer and to focus on my relationship with Him. I've done so much growing these past 4 weeks that it's incredible. I am so thankful for my Savior and for what He's done for me. I have a new thirst for His Word like never before and a new devotion to Him. Thank You Jesus!
Another answer to prayer happened this past Wednesday at prayer meeting. We were praying for those that we wanted to go out to that aren't saved. Mark prayed for one set of our neighbors and I prayed for our next door neighbors, J & A. I prayed that the Lord would give us opportunities to share Christ's love with them - however that might happen. Mark had just talked the night before on love at Fusion and I was reminded about sharing His love with those around us. Anyway, I prayed that in some way I might be able to connect with them. That night when I got home, I had an email from a girl named "A" in my inbox who was responding to the craigslist add that I had for a Cardinal fitness gift card. We texted back and forth and the next day her husband said that he was going to come and get it. He asked for my address and the response that came back cracked me up. He said, "well, we live at 803 ... and so we won't have that far to drive." It was our next door neighbors whom I had prayed for the night before!!!! I blessed them by giving them the gift card.
I am praying for more opportunities to go out to them and build relationship with them. I think inviting them over for dinner is next on my agenda :)
I love how He answers us when we call. He hears our prayers and answers them according to His will.
Thank you Lord for healing and for answering prayers in my family lately. Thank You for divine appointments to share your love.
PS. This is Mark. On another note, God has blessed me this month at work as well. I found out that my quarterly sales numbers were outstanding and I'm getting this biggest quarterly bonus I've ever received this month. We've also been praying earnestly for our college ministry, Fusion, and we had the biggest turnout ever this past Tuesday. We've also been praying that the Lord leads us on our missions trip this summer to Ghana, Africa. The Lord has blessed us, as we've received almost the total amount due for the trip. We are looking forward to being able to share our faith story of His provision. We are also praying about our involvement with Youth For Christ International in Ghana. The Lord is leading us there too. All to His glory. He is God and I am not.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
It's my favorite thing...
This is what Mady told me tonight when I went in to tuck her in after Dad did the bedtime routine. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and whispered, "It's my favorite thing..." I asked her what she was talking about. There was a short pause and she said, "wrapping my arms around your neck is my favorite thing."
With tears coming, I told her "it's mommy's favorite thing too!"
I love that little girl!
With tears coming, I told her "it's mommy's favorite thing too!"
I love that little girl!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Starting the year off with a little FREEZER COOKING
Ok, so I haven't been really good about this whole blogging thing lately. I've had family asking me to start back up again so here goes... I am going to try to be consistent!
This past Saturday I got together with 2 friends from church to spend all day cooking. I've always wanted to try freezer cooking but it's definitely not something to tackle yourself... especially the first time. They had brought up the idea of taking a day to cook 15 meals a piece... 45 meals all together. I was all for it!
The week leading up to the big day was spent picking out recipes, figuring out how much of each ingredient that was needed and getting all the pots and pans, crockpots, and utensils ready to go! I think we purchased, cooked and shredded something like 52 chicken breasts!!
I arrived at the house at 10:30 ready to go. We began by cooking all the meat - hamburger, chicken and the pork for the pulled pork BBQ went into the crockpot. I cooked 15lbs of hamburger! Whew! Then after we cooked all the meat, we started assembling meals. Here's what we made:
It was insane! But, oh so much fun! We cooked and assembled all day. I think the last meal was put together at 8:00pm and then we started clean-up. The fun part was trying to carry everything home and get it all in my freezer - thank goodness for a deep freeze!
It's been so nice on crazy hectic days (lately especially because we have had a house full of sick people) to just pull out a meal and warm it up! Plus, we totally saved on $$ buying everything in bulk and then cooking. It only cost me around $90 for all that!
Dinner time is crazy in our house just because the babies are usually tired and hungry at that point. Mark is usually just getting home or getting finished up in his office and I'm beat. So, it's been nice to have this little life-saver called "frozen meals" in my freezer. I think it may have to be an every 6 weeks type of thing. And maybe next time we will cook all the meat the day before (each person do a different type of meat) and I'm sure that would speed the process along as well!
All in all it was a fun day and I'm so glad I did it. Here are some pics from the 'event' (they were taken with my phone so they aren't the best quality!) :
Mixing up the Chicken Lasagna
Me being the organizational person that I am loved putting the foil on the finished meal and then writing the instructions (and sometimes a little note) on the top!
The finished Product! It may not look like a ton but the meals in the back are stacked 3-high and a lot of the ziploc bag meals are stacked as well! Yay for food!
This past Saturday I got together with 2 friends from church to spend all day cooking. I've always wanted to try freezer cooking but it's definitely not something to tackle yourself... especially the first time. They had brought up the idea of taking a day to cook 15 meals a piece... 45 meals all together. I was all for it!
The week leading up to the big day was spent picking out recipes, figuring out how much of each ingredient that was needed and getting all the pots and pans, crockpots, and utensils ready to go! I think we purchased, cooked and shredded something like 52 chicken breasts!!
I arrived at the house at 10:30 ready to go. We began by cooking all the meat - hamburger, chicken and the pork for the pulled pork BBQ went into the crockpot. I cooked 15lbs of hamburger! Whew! Then after we cooked all the meat, we started assembling meals. Here's what we made:
Chicken and Veggies with Stuffing
Shepards Pie
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken New Orleans.
Shepards Pie
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken New Orleans.
Chicken Cassarole,
beef and bean burrito mix
Spinach lasagna
Ham, Potato, Cheese casserole
Sloppy Joes
Italian beef
Hamburger dish
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Lasagna
Meatloaf
Pulled BBQ Pork
beef and bean burrito mix
Spinach lasagna
Ham, Potato, Cheese casserole
Sloppy Joes
Italian beef
Hamburger dish
Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Lasagna
Meatloaf
Pulled BBQ Pork
It was insane! But, oh so much fun! We cooked and assembled all day. I think the last meal was put together at 8:00pm and then we started clean-up. The fun part was trying to carry everything home and get it all in my freezer - thank goodness for a deep freeze!
It's been so nice on crazy hectic days (lately especially because we have had a house full of sick people) to just pull out a meal and warm it up! Plus, we totally saved on $$ buying everything in bulk and then cooking. It only cost me around $90 for all that!
Dinner time is crazy in our house just because the babies are usually tired and hungry at that point. Mark is usually just getting home or getting finished up in his office and I'm beat. So, it's been nice to have this little life-saver called "frozen meals" in my freezer. I think it may have to be an every 6 weeks type of thing. And maybe next time we will cook all the meat the day before (each person do a different type of meat) and I'm sure that would speed the process along as well!
All in all it was a fun day and I'm so glad I did it. Here are some pics from the 'event' (they were taken with my phone so they aren't the best quality!) :
Mixing up the Chicken Lasagna
Me being the organizational person that I am loved putting the foil on the finished meal and then writing the instructions (and sometimes a little note) on the top!
The finished Product! It may not look like a ton but the meals in the back are stacked 3-high and a lot of the ziploc bag meals are stacked as well! Yay for food!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thankful to be 3-0
(this picture was taken the night of my birthday. My 3 little blessings. My friend brought the tiara to church and I had to wear it all evening. Mady has now claimed the tiara!)I thought I would be really sad and upset when I actually turned the big 3-0 but it was quite the opposite! I went into this birthday and new year feeling overwhelmed with thankfulness... I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who goes out of his way to make sure that I am happy and does everything in our power to take care of us. He is a wonderful husband and a magnificent father. I'm thankful for my 3 healthy and beautiful children who teach me something new everyday. They are a wonderful creation that bring me closer to my Creator. I'm thankful for great friends who are there when I need to talk, cry, laugh, and have some girl time. I'm thankful for a home church where I feel like family. I'm thankful for a beautiful home. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for good health. I'm eternally grateful for my Savior and what He has done for me... Thank You, Lord!
I could go on and on... I am blessed beyond measure. Thank you to everyone who is a part of my life. You all mean so much.
And thank you all for a great birthday and for all the birthday wishes!
Thanks for another wonderful birthday, Babe! I love you SO much!!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
I think we should give it to God....
The words from a 3 year old regarding tithing. I don't think I knew what the word "tithe" meant when I was 13. I'm grateful that my little girl is learning very important lessons while she's young and I'm praying that she'll keep these lessons in her heart as she gets older.
A couple of weeks ago Mark and I told Mady that if she left go of us in the swimming pool (she had on a swimmy and she was still holding a death grip on us) that we would give her $5. Yep, crazy right?! She let go for a whole 5 seconds and then resumed her grip on my bathing suit. To keep our word, we gave her $5 the next day after she continued to ask us about it. Mark used the $5 to teach her a little about tithing and what it meant to give money back to God. At that time they placed $0.50 in one cup "for God" and they placed the other $4.50 in another cup for her to save. The next week she excitedly reminded us that she wanted to take her money to God (at Wednesday service) so we packed it up in a bag and she happily carried it to her class and dropped her change into the Buddy Barrel.
The next week she again wanted to give money to God so she got into her piggy bank and got $0.50 to take in. Each time we used it as a teaching time continuing to teach her about tithing and giving back to the Lord. We talked about how all money is His and we are to be good stewards of it.
My mom came up and gave me a $50 bill for my birthday. Mady was excited that I had gotten $5! Ha! I asked her, "well Mads, what should we do with my money?" She looked at me, completely serious, and said "Mom, I think we should give it to God."
Wow. I was floored! Such a small child who is learning such a big thing. It's awesome to me that she is learning things like that and that she has a sincere desire to give back to the Lord. Just this morning she again raided her piggy bank (as her pawpaw had given her some change this weekend). She picked out her change and took it to church. During worship she put her change in a title envelope, sealed it, and wrote her name on the front all by herself (her newest adventure)!
As I was watching her do this I wondered why we adults have such a hard time giving things back to the Lord... whether it money, or circumstances, or problems... I want to have faith like a child. I want to give all things cheerfully. I want to be a cheerful giver.
Thank You Lord for my beautiful kids and what they teach me each and every day. Thank You Mady for a very big lesson from such a little girl.
A couple of weeks ago Mark and I told Mady that if she left go of us in the swimming pool (she had on a swimmy and she was still holding a death grip on us) that we would give her $5. Yep, crazy right?! She let go for a whole 5 seconds and then resumed her grip on my bathing suit. To keep our word, we gave her $5 the next day after she continued to ask us about it. Mark used the $5 to teach her a little about tithing and what it meant to give money back to God. At that time they placed $0.50 in one cup "for God" and they placed the other $4.50 in another cup for her to save. The next week she excitedly reminded us that she wanted to take her money to God (at Wednesday service) so we packed it up in a bag and she happily carried it to her class and dropped her change into the Buddy Barrel.
The next week she again wanted to give money to God so she got into her piggy bank and got $0.50 to take in. Each time we used it as a teaching time continuing to teach her about tithing and giving back to the Lord. We talked about how all money is His and we are to be good stewards of it.
My mom came up and gave me a $50 bill for my birthday. Mady was excited that I had gotten $5! Ha! I asked her, "well Mads, what should we do with my money?" She looked at me, completely serious, and said "Mom, I think we should give it to God."
Wow. I was floored! Such a small child who is learning such a big thing. It's awesome to me that she is learning things like that and that she has a sincere desire to give back to the Lord. Just this morning she again raided her piggy bank (as her pawpaw had given her some change this weekend). She picked out her change and took it to church. During worship she put her change in a title envelope, sealed it, and wrote her name on the front all by herself (her newest adventure)!
As I was watching her do this I wondered why we adults have such a hard time giving things back to the Lord... whether it money, or circumstances, or problems... I want to have faith like a child. I want to give all things cheerfully. I want to be a cheerful giver.
Thank You Lord for my beautiful kids and what they teach me each and every day. Thank You Mady for a very big lesson from such a little girl.
Monday, September 20, 2010
First Day of MOPS
I decided to join MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) this year and let me tell you... I'm SO excited! I had seen a post on a message board of another moms group that I was in and I emailed the mom asking her more about MOPS. She gave me all the registration info and I signed up, ready to go! l
Last Monday we had a play date with other MOPS moms at a park in town. It was a nice way to meet some of the other moms, let the kids play, and get some of our questions answered before we actually start. I met some wonderful new moms and even reconnected with a couple of moms that I knew.
This morning was our first meeting and it was great! I had so much fun! There were about 30 moms there. We had a hot breakfast, played some icebreakers, introduced ourselves and broke up into our discussion groups. I love my discussion group and I know that we're going to have so much fun over the next year! What a blessing it is to be around other moms who are going through the same things in life. Just in my discussion group, there are 2 moms with twins and one of those moms even has triplets as well! Thank You Lord for putting these people in my life.
I'm looking forward to the year ahead with activites, speakers, and moms-night-outs! I am looking forward to building new relationships with other moms and my kids building new relationships with other kiddos!
Oh, and my kids did wonderful... even Hannah who tends to go through a little bit of separation anxiety!
Last Monday we had a play date with other MOPS moms at a park in town. It was a nice way to meet some of the other moms, let the kids play, and get some of our questions answered before we actually start. I met some wonderful new moms and even reconnected with a couple of moms that I knew.
This morning was our first meeting and it was great! I had so much fun! There were about 30 moms there. We had a hot breakfast, played some icebreakers, introduced ourselves and broke up into our discussion groups. I love my discussion group and I know that we're going to have so much fun over the next year! What a blessing it is to be around other moms who are going through the same things in life. Just in my discussion group, there are 2 moms with twins and one of those moms even has triplets as well! Thank You Lord for putting these people in my life.
I'm looking forward to the year ahead with activites, speakers, and moms-night-outs! I am looking forward to building new relationships with other moms and my kids building new relationships with other kiddos!
Oh, and my kids did wonderful... even Hannah who tends to go through a little bit of separation anxiety!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Usborne Books & More
Have I mentioned lately that I love my "job?" Yes, I love my job as a stay-at-home-mom and wouldn't trade it for the world, but I also love my other job as an Educational Consultant with Usborne Books & More! I've been meaning to post about my side job for a while but just haven't gotten around to it.
If you're not familiar with Usborne Books & More, you'll want to make yourself familiar! :) UBAM believes that kids should have every opportunity available to them, especially a good education. We offer a huge variety of fiction and non-fiction (over 1500 titles in our catalog) in age ranges from infant to high school. Our books are very educational and cover a wide range of subjects. UBAM also has a ton of activity books like sticker books, lift the flap books, touchy feely books, puzzle books, Things to Spot books, activity cards, and I could go on an on. We have one of the most creative and original books lines in the US.
Here's the Usborne Books and More Mission Statement:
I do literacy workshops for groups of women in their homes telling them about the importance of reading aloud to their children. I give tips on literacy and how to promote it in your own home. I also work with schools and libraries doing various programs like Bookfairs, Reading Incentive Programs, Summer Reading Programs, and even a Grant Matching Program. I love that UBAM has something for everyone... a way to help every child get great books. I especially love delivering bags of books to children at schools that have participated in our Reading Incentive Program. Their faces light up when they get their books that they got to pick out on their own. It's priceless. Some of these kids don't have the opportunity to get books for themselves so I love seeing them so excited and ready to read!
If you'd like more info on what I do with my Usborne business, let me know! I'd be more than happy to chat with you. My team is expanding now - I love working for a great company and working with a great bunch of a women!!!
I'm also booking for September / October - we have some great incentives for hostesses right now. I'd love to come and do a literacy workshop for you and your friends / family. It's the perfect time with the holiday season right around the corner, and we just had a bunch of new titles released!!!!
Feel free to check out my website at www.ReadingGeneration.com and don't forget to enter the drawing to win $50 in FREE books!!!!
If you're not familiar with Usborne Books & More, you'll want to make yourself familiar! :) UBAM believes that kids should have every opportunity available to them, especially a good education. We offer a huge variety of fiction and non-fiction (over 1500 titles in our catalog) in age ranges from infant to high school. Our books are very educational and cover a wide range of subjects. UBAM also has a ton of activity books like sticker books, lift the flap books, touchy feely books, puzzle books, Things to Spot books, activity cards, and I could go on an on. We have one of the most creative and original books lines in the US.
Here's the Usborne Books and More Mission Statement:
- "The future of our world depends on the education of our
children. UBAM delivers educational excellence one book
at a time. We provide economic opportunity while fostering
strong family values. We touch the lives of children for a lifetime."
I do literacy workshops for groups of women in their homes telling them about the importance of reading aloud to their children. I give tips on literacy and how to promote it in your own home. I also work with schools and libraries doing various programs like Bookfairs, Reading Incentive Programs, Summer Reading Programs, and even a Grant Matching Program. I love that UBAM has something for everyone... a way to help every child get great books. I especially love delivering bags of books to children at schools that have participated in our Reading Incentive Program. Their faces light up when they get their books that they got to pick out on their own. It's priceless. Some of these kids don't have the opportunity to get books for themselves so I love seeing them so excited and ready to read!
If you'd like more info on what I do with my Usborne business, let me know! I'd be more than happy to chat with you. My team is expanding now - I love working for a great company and working with a great bunch of a women!!!
I'm also booking for September / October - we have some great incentives for hostesses right now. I'd love to come and do a literacy workshop for you and your friends / family. It's the perfect time with the holiday season right around the corner, and we just had a bunch of new titles released!!!!
Feel free to check out my website at www.ReadingGeneration.com and don't forget to enter the drawing to win $50 in FREE books!!!!
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