It's Party Time!!!

COME ON IN AND JOIN THE PARTY

When - March 2 - 5th

Who - All Ladies of all ages and stages of life

What - A Party Celebrating all things womanly

Do you have a favorite recipe? A creative idea? A frugal tip? Or something else that could benefit others? Next week is the time to share it. On Monday many other women from all over the world will be posting their introduction posts. These post will tell about the woman and the heart behind her blog. It will be a time to get to know more about each other.

For the rest of the week we can all blog hop around to find recipes, ideas, and encouraging posts about almost anything.

So, write a post about you and anything that you would like others to know about you and your blog and join in the party starting on Monday.

You can go to She Looketh Well, for the button for the party and then also to link up with others throughout the week.

So, in this last stretch of winter when we could all use a pick me up, let's have a PARTY!!!

Thankful Thursday

I have decided that this week I would join in this great opportunity to join some awesome ladies in counting our blessings and turning our minds to the things that we have to be thankful for. So, this week's theme is "basics" and I have a few to list.

1. I am so very thankful for my dad. He is there for me when I call and willing to listen at the times when I just need to talk. He prays for me often and loves my children and is an example to them. I am often times reminded that not everyone has that relationship with their dad. He is an amazing Godly man and I am so blessed to call him my dad.

2. My family is a great blessing. I have a husband that loves me and shows me that often. He loves our children and takes the time to nurture them and train them in a Godly way. He provides for our family and seeks God's will for us. When I am so caught up in the emotion of a certain situation he has the ability and clarity of mind to make decisions for us and according to God's will.

3. My home and health. We have an occasional illness but overall we are healthy. We have a home, be it not super fancy or huge, but it meets our needs and keeps us warm. Thank you God that we have a house that can be a place of safety and refuge from this hurtful world we live in.

4. I am so thankful today and always for my God and His grace. It is not only for our time of salvation, His grace is sufficient everyday and in everything. Praise you Father, for you love us and care for us.

Thank you for reading my list and I hope that you will be reminded of how many things we have to be thankful for even in these tough times.

At the Well

Well, better late than never. I have had a busy day filled with helping my mom and sister with finishing up the wedding things. But I have been thinking about this post for several days now. I have a few thoughts that I would like to share.

Sometimes, as a mom to many small children, I fall into the trap that this is not fun. That children are hard and a lot of work. While this mothering job is hard and is a lot of work, it is also the calling that God has given me. And I love it! The world feeds us this lie about needing "my" time and doing things for "myself". When did Christ take time for himself? We are called to serve and to give of ourselves selflessly. I have always wanted to be a mom. From the time that I can remember I have wanted to be a mom. So, why do I find myself dreading the things that come with this job?

I "want" to be a hands on mom and to pour into them in a selfless way. But then why do I find myself "hiding" behind the computer reading more blogs than I should. Or being "too busy" with work to stop and spend the time. I have decided that it has to stop. If I don't take the time now to train my children then I can't go back. If I don't take the time now to color with my girls or drive monster trucks with my son, I will never get to. But the laundry will be there tomorrow and the dishes will get done eventually.

I HAVE to be consistent. I have to pour into these children and train them. Not just watch them grow up. And I find that when I do spend the time and pour into our children I really do LOVE this job. I am proud of my children and I desire to watch them grow up to love the Lord and to serve him with their everything. I want them to be well behaved and I want to be a mom that they can be proud of one day. I want my husband to be proud of his family when we are out. And when I look back on these hard, busy days, I want to know that I did my best. Not that I spent too much time on things that would last and not on my children while they were growing.

God is our Heavenly Father and the ultimate example of a loving parent. He never leaves us and He tends our needs; He loves us no matter how badly we mess up, and He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. As a mother I say I am willing to give of myself and give my everything for my children, but am I? I am resolving to be. I am choosing to start now to "parent" these children. I will turn off the computer, post less often, if necessary. I will be more organized with my time so that I have more time and energy to spend on my children. I want to put more of an effort into their obedience and growth. I am resolving to make a change.

When I am consistent and take the time to get up and get involved and do it right away I can see that my children respond better. Their behavior and their choices improve almost over night. Once they see that mom is "here" and not just sitting there, they learn to think twice before they don't listen. I find that once they see that I mean what I say things run smoother around here, we have a schedule and they know what to expect. We eat better meals, the house stays cleaner, and the kids are better behaved. So why do I not keep this up? I have no idea!?!?! But I am going to try it again.

Well, this post has gotten longer than I wanted but God has laid this on my heart since I saw this topic. So, I am asking you to pray for me as I try to stick with this new commitment for the betterment of my family. And hop on over and read other woman's responses to these questions.

Here are some questions to help:

Are there areas of hardness and coldness in my life? What are the roots of these? Do I need to release someone who has hurt me in my past? Do I need to confess and release myself from the bondage of sinful patterns in my own life?
What are some ways that I can turn the conversation around when other women begin to gripe and complain about their children?
Name some creative ways we can create warmer, more inviting environments for our children.

"Hi/Lo" Thursday

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and for a chance to win $100.

Well, I could pass up this opportunity to enter into a contest like this. So Here is my "Hi/Lo Thursday" for this week.

My "Hi" for this week would be attending my sister's wedding on Saturday. I was able to sit and visit with her while we got our nails done in the morning and then took pictures for her before the ceremony.

My "Lo" for this week was my family having the flu after the wedding last weekend. And also having to say good-bye to my second sister as she left to go back to Louisiana to finish her last year in the army. After all of these changes, one sister married, one sister moving, and the flu, I have been exhausted and a little down. I have felt lonely and missing my friends this week. It has been a hard week as I felt so much stress with the decisions to be made and the changes in my life. But I have had to come to a place that I am trusting in God and I don't "need" anyone or anything else in my life.

So that is the "Hi/Lo" of my week this week.

Budget

Well, here is where I stand on my menu with only one week left of this month. I still have about $45 left to spend and still be under $200 for the month. I have a short list to get for my sisters shower this Saturday and to restock our fresh produce. But it should all fall well within this amount. So here are our options that we have left for meals in the coming week -

Turkey w/dressing (2) (I bought a whole turkey that was on sale. I will use it next week several times)
Pork Roast
Bar-b-Que Steaks
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey and Noodle soup
Vegetarian Burritos
Bacon Sandwiches
Spaghetti w/ homemade bread
Meatloaf

So, I am very please to see that I should be able to pull this off. We may have eaten differently this month than in the past but I think we are better for it. We are focusing on smaller meat portions and more veggies with every meal. I have also changed our lunch menu to be simpler. Here are some lunch menus on our new diet -

Peanut butter sandwiches w/ veggies and dip
Beans (black, navy, pinto, or butter), steamed veggies, and fruit
Leftovers are always an option
Crackers and cheese, carrot sticks and popcorn
Rice, veggies and fruit
Noodles (sometimes w/sauce, others w/just a touch of butter), fruit and a veggie
Tuna Salad

Well, the lunches are simpler than they used to be, and the cost is less, but the health benefit is more. If you have any questions about any of this I would love to chat with you about it. This has been a rewarding endeavor and one that I hope to continue.

Kids at the Wedding

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Here are all three kids before the wedding started. All dressed up and ready for the big event!!

Aunt Meagan and Josiah - A great friend loaned us this suit for Josiah.
He was so excited about the wedding!<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>My big girl! She was such a help this day and handled herself like a little lady! I was so proud of her.

Sam was one of the flower girls in the wedding. She LOVED her part and did it well.<<<<

Here is another collage of the beautiful bride. Her wedding photos turned out amazing, if I do say so myself!!!! I really do enjoy taking and editing photos. I was so honored to help her in this way and it will be a memory that will last a lifetime. I was able to be there for her the entire day and I am so glad that I can look back with lots of memories and no regrets about what I missed. I will pick a few of my favorites and post full size pictures tomorrow. I will also add some to my facebook account if you want to few them on there. But for now I am off to bed. My handful of children will be rising at their usual early time tomorrow.

Amanda

A Few Wedding Photos

Here is a collage that I created for Meagan. She didn't hire a photographer. A friend of hers and I took all the wedding photos. Here are just a few of my favorites of them after the ceremony. I haven't even started editing the bridal photos yet. But I loved the way that this turned out and I had to share.

NOT ME MONDAY

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



Oh the list is long this week. With a shower, a wedding and the flu all in one week it makes for many times that I as a mom do things that I just have to admit and move on. Knowing that under normal circumstances I would NEVER do.





I did NOT let my four month old watch as her brother's balloon got stuck under the mobile of her swing. And then decide since for once that day she wasn't crying I was going to leave it there for her to look at.





I did NOT take all four of my children to the park on a beautiful day, by myself, with no other adult company. Those odds are just ridiculous, who goes into public with a four to one ratio, to a place where there are open spaces and hidden places?!! I went, I did, and I conquered!!





For my sister's personal shower, I did NOT have 12 adults in my house for dinner and then left with said adults to cross town and stop at three different friend's houses before going to our final stop. The final stop was the house a one of the most giving persons I know. He is a great friend. Such a great friend, in fact, that I called him up and asked if I could use his game room for a girls night out. But, I needed him to find somewhere else to be so no men were at the house. He was NOT more than willing to accommodate me and made plans for the night. So, I took the girls out to his house and we let ourselves in and had a wonderful time in his house!! Thanks Rick!!








During the wedding rehearsal on Friday, I did NOT tell my two year old the he could help hold the basket full of flowers that his sister was carrying. After telling him that he decided that he would help spread the flowers too! This was NOT a perfectly fine idea until the actual wedding when he was a little aggressive with the "throwing" of the flowers!! Too cute, and what a great memory!





I was NOT totally blessed by my sister asking me to get my nails done with her on Saturday morning. She did NOT even pay for my nails and toes to be done! It was NOT the most relaxing time I have had and the best visit we have had in a long time. What a way to spend the morning of your wedding day. And it is NOT a memory that I will totally cherish forever.

For about 5 minutes prior to the wedding starting, it was NOT me that could not find where I had laid my new brother in law's ring. I had put it somewhere for safe keeping (out of the reach of kids) and then proceeded to forget where I had put it. Talk about panic!!! But it was fine and the wedding went on without a hitch!! It was beautiful!



My husband performed the first part of the service until my dad walked my sister down the aisle. So, when I, the matron of honor, walked down the aisle, it was none other than my husband standing at the front of the church. During rehearsal this set of circumstances led to tears and a whole lot of memories on my part. So, during the wedding I did NOT just look at the floor the whole time and avoid eye contact with my beloved!








After the wedding was over, and all of my children had accomplished their parts without major incident we were off to the reception. Lots of people in a fairly small space makes for a creative time. So, people were standing all over the place, but when the music started the dance floor did NOT totally clear. When the dj started the chicken dance, my late grandmother's favorite dance to do with us girls, I could NOT resist the opportunity to teach my kids a little "tradition". It was NOT the best time I have had in awhile!





One the way home from the wedding, after almost six hours in a church and then even more time at the reception, we were all exhausted. Kate was screaming in her car seat yet again, and all of the other children were NOT trying to sleep, when suddenly a cry erupted from the back seat. I turned around just in time to NOT see my middle daughter violently throwing up EVERYWHERE!! So, with the baby screaming in daddy's arms and me cleaning up vomit from all in the car, the other two children slept and watched in quiet disbelief.





Finally home, I did NOT fall into an exhausted heap on the couch to prepare for my Sunday lesson and end up falling asleep with the laptop on my lap. When my hubby woke me I moved to bed and knew that it had been a very eventful week.





Well, it was a long list and a long week. But I am so glad that I was able to be there for my sister during this special time. Times have been rough around here lately and it was nice to have a distraction from the hurting and loss that has been with us for awhile now. I hope that you all had a great Valentine's Day weekend.

A Give Away

I have been following, along with several of my friends the 1 Corinthians 7:5 Challenge and in the comments section for this week's challenge I found a give away for a very helpful book. So I wanted to give you all the opportunity to join in and have a chance to win a copy of "Intimate Issues". So follow this link, and leave a comment to enter this giveaway.

Three Days and Counting

Well, only three more days until the wedding. My sister is hanging in there and the rest of us are tying up the last minute things and preparing for three whirlwind days. Thursday is her bachelorette party. I am hosting the first part here at my house and then we will be traveling to other friend's houses for more fun throughout the night. Then on Friday it is decorating the hall at 2pm and then rehearsal at 6:30 pm. On Saturday we start getting ready at the church at noon, pictures at 3pm and the wedding starts at 5pm. Then we still have the reception to follow. After that whirlwind of a day we will have church the next morning and then discipleship that night.
I am hoping that next week will be a little calmer at least at first. Then I am hosting her wedding shower here next Saturday morning. It will be a brunch shower so there will be cooking and preparing for that. So, it will be a busy week next week too.
I am so glad that I am able to help her during this time. I am glad to make it less stressful for her during her special day. It is so neat to watch someone that you care about be so excited about an event and to be able to help plan that event. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I LOVE to plan and organize. So, helping pull off a major event like this is almost fun to me.

Kinda weird, I know! But hey, what can I say.

Amanda

What A Day

Who would have thought that we would have 70 degree weather in February!! But the kids and I took full advantage of it that is for sure. We has an invitation to go to the zoo but with the crazy busy schedule of the week before the wedding, it just didn't work. So, I loaded up all four of my children and we set off for the park. It was the first time that I took the kids to the park without a friend or family member to help wrangle the crew, but it was loads of fun.

I have spent a lot more time in the past few weeks "with" my kids. I have been able to engage in activities and projects with them more now than in a long time. It has been great. I read a really good blog post recently about momma being "here" or just here. In other words, even though I stay home all day with my children how often do chores of the day prompt me to say, not right now, or in a minute, or momma's too busy, or other such phrases. Children need to know that they are important and worthy of our time and attention. I want my children to remember trips to the park, finger painting, playing with bubbles in the sink and other such fun times. Not that mommy had a sparkling clean house with organized cabinets and freshly mopped floors. While these things are good, they are not top priority right now for me. My first calling and priority is to these children that God has entrusted to me. And I have resolved to spend more time "with" them and less time just here.

So, anyway, back to what I had originally intended to post this time. OUR TRIP TO THE PARK!!! Here are some pictures from today. One of the blessings of having to do more things without other moms right now is that I have the freedom to follow my whims. So, today I saw a small tree which was perfect for climbing and I enticed the girls to give it a try. It made for a great photo shoot. So here are today's accomplishments -

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



Well, I have had another full week of visiting with my sister, helping to prep for the wedding and taking care of four children. It has been anything but calm around here. Here is my "Not Me Monday" list for this week.


I didn't NOT tie almost 100 little dollies around almost 300 Hershey's Hugs and Kisses! That would take a ton of time and we all know that mothers don't have time like that.

I was NOT subjected to cleaning up vomit in my mothers car when my two year old suddenly got the flu this week. Then him and his oldest sister continued with said flu through Friday night until I did NOT clean up vomit a total of six times in twelve hours!

I did NOT almost run out of diapers for my Baby Kate and thank the Lord that I have cloth ones to fall back on.

I was NOT totally blown away by the fact that we had 35 people present at our discipleship class last night. God is using that class in amazing ways!!!

I am NOT counting down the days until my younger sister's wedding. She is so excited and I am so happy for her. I remember how exciting that day can be. I am NOT totally giddy for her. I know how long she has waited for this.

I am NOT totally amazed and in awe of the work that God has done in my heart this week. I felt all week like I didn't really want to worship any where, worship hurt too badly. It brought back painful memories. But when I prayed before worship yesterday and told Satan that he couldn't have this victory, and that I was going to worship "No matter what!" I felt my heart begin to change. I experienced amazing worship yesterday. God is so good!


Wow! Now wasn't that therapeutic! I am sure you all have similar Not Me Monday happenings in the past week. I would love to see them on your blog, or use the button to read other people's lists from MckMama's blog.

Amanda

Menu

I don't normally plan my menu day by day but rather just a list of meals that I am prepared to fix. It seems to work better for my family this way. So, here is the list of dinners that I will make from my trip tomorrow.

Lunches -

Peanut Butter sandwiches
noodles w/ sauce
leftovers
Tuna salad
Hard boiled eggs (or other protein) and veggies

Dinners -

Meatloaf
Turkey and dressing (2 nights)
Turkey and Rice
Pork Roast
Bar-b-qued Ribs
Grilled Steaks
Taco Casserole
Vegetarian Burritos
Spaghetti
Turkey and Noodle soup
Bacon Sandwiches
Sausage and Pancakes
Catfish and fries
Breakfast (eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon)
Wedding (2 nights we won't be home)
Leftovers ( at least three nights)

Well, that is a list of 20 meals. So, it looks like that will bring me to the 25th and with only 28 days this month, I just might be able to stretch these, with dinners at parent's house and such, until the end of the month. If that is the case I can spend another $50 around the middle of the month to restock produce and milk and such and still be spending only $200 this month!! I will continue to update if I spend any more and on what. Thanks for following this journey of mine.

Shopping Outcome

All right well today was the day. It started out rough because the van wouldn't start once we all got ready so that set me back by almost two hours but eventually we were on our way. Due to the late start I wasn't able to finish my shopping so some of the totals are estimates for items that I will have to pick up tomorrow. But I spent a total of about $150 and this is what I got -

Pork Roast
Whole Turkey
Pork Sausage (2lbs)
Catfish (1.5 lbs)
Pizza Rolls (small box- sale item)
Bacon (2lbs)
Whole Chicken
Chex Mix
Corn Chips (2 bags)
Cheerio Snack Mix
Lrg Box HoneyCombs
Tomatoes (.6 lb)
Bananas (3lbs)
Grape Tomatoes (3 boxes) (Aldi's for only .49!!)
Oranges (3 lbs)
Grapes (1.5 lbs)
Apples (3lbs)
Green Peppers (4)
Cucumbers
Head Lettuce (2 heads)
Romaine Hearts (6 heads)
Frozen Broccoli (2 bags)
Frozen Corn (3 bags)
Frozen Peas (2 bags)
Egg Noodles
Rice (6lbs)
Ketchup (2 bottles)
Pickle Relish
Dill Pickles
Canned Tuna (6 cans)
Elbow Macaroni
Spaghetti noodles
Diced tomatoes (1 can)
Cream of Mushroom Soup (2 cans)
Cheddar Cheese (3-8oz pkgs)
Stick Butter (4 boxes)
Diced tomatoes and chilies (1 can)
Refried Beans (1 can)
Sugar (8lbs)
Lemonade Powder
Powdered Sugar
Chocolate Chips (2 bags)
milk (2 gallons)
Vegetable oil (2)
Chili Mix (2 env.)
Dried Beans (2 bags)
Tomato Sauce (4 cans)
Tea Bags
Foil
Ziploc Freezer bags
Diapers (1 lrg package)
Shampoo
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels

Next I will post my menu for the next three weeks.

Another Step in My Grocery Endeavor

Well, I am one day out from shopping and amazingly enough I will be doing it with only one child. The other kids are going on an exciting outing (Extreme Jump Zone) with Aunt Erin. But I just had to tell you what I have found so far. I used the computer and checked Aldi's (this was hard to find), Shop n Save, Schnuck's, and Dierberg's sale papers. I am heading up to Fenton to shop as this seems to be the best option as they have all four stores within about a mile of each other. I have searched several online coupon sites and have tried to pair as many sale items as I could with coupons. I was careful to only buy items that I normally use or that were so cheap we could change up our diet a little. I will let you know tomorrow when I get home how well I did. I plan on starting at Aldi's and getting what I can there and checking for cheaper prices than the sales and then moving on from there. It will be a full day but I think it will be worth it. We will see!

Gatherig at the Well

I do not think that I have ever been more excited about an online ministry than I am about this one. Several of the writers are woman that I have followed for awhile now. So, I am going to be joining in the topics here on my blog and I would HIGHLY recommend that you take some time to visit the site and visit it often to see what insight God lays on the hearts of these amazing women of Titus 2.

This first week's topics are as follows -

When you read the Scripture found in Titus 2: 2-5, how do you see this playing out in your own life?

What are your areas of strength? Of weakness?

If you could set some sort of goal in relation to this Scripture, what would it be?

So when I first read this scripture and started to ponder on it many years ago it set a longing in my heart that has to date not been quenched. I strive to be a Godly woman in all areas of my life. Not only at home as a wife and mother but also as a friend and in my ministry. I would love to have an older mother that would mentor me and teach me invaluable lessons for my family and my marriage. With the passing of my own grandmother when I was only a young teen I don't have an older woman to fill this need. I have made it one of my life's goals to rally around new moms that are within my circle to support them and be here for them. I might not be "aged" but at least I have the desire to share my thoughts and lessons learned with those just starting out on this journey called motherhood. Somewhere the circle has to be broken and I pray that I can help to break this cycle of young moms within our churches feeling so alone and with no where to turn. In this country so many people live states away from family, so where do they turn with questions or frustrations? They should be able to turn within their church family for help but many times that is not so. The generation gap is not easily bridged anymore.

My greatest struggle right now is in waiting. I have to wait on my husband to tell me when to reach out and restore relationships. I have to wait on him to tell me where we will minister next. I know that many of these answers he doesn't even have yet. Only God knows them at this time. But I always think that if I could make the decision I would already know the answer. But I am learning that since I KNOW that my husband is seeking God's will for our family and ministry I need to trust him enough to let him wait on God without nagging from me.

I am striving to learn also, when to speak and when to listen. I long to be able to stop myself BEFORE I say something that is disrespectful of my husband. I hate when he has to tell me that I have crossed over the line and am being disrespectful. I feel like such a failure. That would be my biggest goal right now is to focus on holding my tongue, but not only my tongue but my heart as well. With the goal that one day I will not even think or feel those words within me, but willing submit to my husband.

As, I begin this journey with a new group of "friends" I am so excited and refreshed to know that I am not alone in my longings to be a true Titus 2 woman. That woman comes in many forms and many callings. What is right for one is foreign to another. But as we all strive to be what God has called us to be (helpmeets, mothers, sisters in Christ, etc.) let us pray for one another and come together and walk side by side along this wonderful journey.

Amanda

"NOT ME" Monday

So, it is time for the "Not Me Monday" again. It has been a couple of weeks since I last played along but so many others have joined in the fun now so hop on over to MckMama's blog and read some more "Not Me Monday" posts.



Well here is my list for today -



I did NOT let my children play in the snow several times this week. During which I did NOT put snow pants on my son. Well, actually I did put the snow pants on him. But he hated them!! Mostly because they were NOT pink. I would NEVER put pink on my two year old son, while he told me over and over that he didn't want them but wanted blue instead. But since he is the third child and first boy, the 2T pants I had were pink. So it was that or nothing. And I most definitely would NOT take his picture in said pink pants because that would be just too mean!



















I did NOT stay home for FIVE straight days because of before mentioned snow on the ground. Staying in the same house with four children for five days is enough to push even the sanest of mothers to the brink of sheer craziness!







This weekend I did NOT help my mother host the best welcome home party for my sister just returned from Iraq. We had probably over 60 people come through my mother house that day. It was NOT the highlight of my week.




I hope you enjoy reading my "Not Me" Monday post and I would love to hear all of the things that you did NOT do over this past week.