I can't believe it's December Already!!!

I can't believe it's December already!! Where did November GO!?!?!? I just made my firswt (of MANY to come) SmileBoxes! It's so easy to use! Now I want to download all my pictures on this new computer! A huge Feat for me! Since for some reason I'm scared to take pictures off my SD card. It's a real fear! look it up! cameraitis! Haha!

It's so amazing to see how much the children have grown and are changing! Right before my very eyes! The saying "Time flies when you're having fun" is no joke! It also flies when things aren't going so well... This morning I read Psalm 46. Very encouraging and I want to write it down. Maybe it will encourage me another time, when I reread my blog! lol!

      "God is a refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not dear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
       A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts! The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
      Come, see the glorious works of the LORD: See how He brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
      'Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.' The Lord of Heaven's Armies is here among us, the God of Israel is our fortress."

      I recognized the "Be Still and Know" part, because it's one of the ones were all taught to memorize at some point in our lives. However, this time I was struck by the fact that it's a command! The writer is emphasizing that God is commanding us to BE STILL! and KNOW that HE IS GOD! He WILL BE honored in EVERY nation! THROUGHOUT THE WORLD! how Awesome is our God!
   I love the song by Rita Springer "I will rejoice." It's been in my head the past few weeks, as I recently heard Kim Walker sing it at an amazing women's conference I went to! I couldn't find it online for the longest time! Then I came acrost it called "There is a River" as a you tube video. I will try and post it.

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Bad day turned good

So I was not having the best morning...it started out by oversleeping by an hour! (We've been doing A LOT of  that lately) Then hubby having to leave soon after getting up.... Then kids getting started on school. Didn't go so smoothly, when my oldest is saying she doesn't feel well... I gave her the choice to go back to bed, or sit down and get started. She decided to start school. However, we're having a very hard time focusing and getting on task. I don't remember having these kinds of issues myself, so it must be inherited from my husband... who knows!? We did finish school. Now they are upstairs fighting naps... GR! There's a lot of little things that I won't even bother writing down in here, but to sum it up: It was a rough morning!
BUT THEN: I was checking my email and happened to look on the side, where it has the names of people who are "online" at the same time as me... I saw a friend on there that I had recently been looking for. I hadn't talked to her in over 5 years... tried to email her at that address before and it came back to me with an error message. So, imagine my delight when she chatted back to me and it WAS HER! YEA! So super excited was I that I'm sure I sounded a little freakish, but oh well! That's me! Talking to her, even if it was for only a few minutes, made my day! I wish I could talk longer, but I have to at least TRY to get SOMETHING done around here for the day! Hopefully we'll get together in the near future.... Thanks God, for my bad morning turned good. You make all things work together for the good of those who love You and are called by You!

Thankful

I was shopping in the health food store this afternoon with my two youngest children. Little Man was sitting on the floor in his carseat, being an angel. My daughter was being well behaved as well. I was very thankful. I went in with the intentions ONLY to get vitamins... came out with a little more... My daughter is SO good at reminding me to give her vitamins! Now if I could only be as good as remembering to take mine!

I'm so glad I can get my kids vitamins from the health food store! For us, that's the best choice. As I look at the ingredients in the grocery store vitamins, I see a lot of fillers. The ones at the health food store are usually organic and always all natural! With ingredients I can read and know what they are! Don't worry...you're kids only eat the gummy kind? They have THOSE kind there too! I was pleasantly surprised to see!

 I'm thankful that my mom raised me to know what's good for my body...yes, I've been in denial at times, but now trying to get back to the basics. And thankful that my mom shopped at a little store just like this for me and my sister and brother when we were growing up. Was I thankful then? Not so much! I still remember the corn puff cereal that I was forced to eat... I saw it the other day when I was shopping with a friend at Wegmans! However, now I try to have my children eating similar healthy things. We don't know how good we have it until we're all grown up! Thank you Mommy, for feeding me healthy things when I was little. I will always try to feed my kids that way too!

Organic. To be or not to be....

What is our world coming to??? Why do we have all these chemicals in our foods that are said to be causing cancer, early puberty and obesity?? I don't understand it! It's seriously disgusting! And super frustrating for this momma! I'm trying to feed my kids as healthy as I can, but it's so hard! They charge SO much for "organic" food! Way too much on an almost non-exsistant income family!

 I planted my own garden this year. It was very VERY late to get in the ground, but I was determined. It was a very busy time for me, as I had just given birth to my little boy. But I was determined. So I planted. Planted zuchinni, tomatoes, and peppers. Way too much of all of them! They were coming out of my ears! I need to remember this for next year and not plant as much. However, my girls and I enjoyed picking what came in before the first frost. There's something completely fulfilling about picking what you've planted and cooking it for dinner.

Then I dabbled in canning this year. Somethign else I want to take up more of in the future. And I still to make and freeze my applesauce with my mom. A yearly tradition. Fun times in the kitchen with kids and apples!

I try and buy organic when I can. And definately picking choices of "farm over factory." If it comes in a box, I try to steer clear. Praying earnestly that my girls have a normal CHILDHOOD, where they can be CHILDREN!

Small Town Girl

I'm just a small town girl. I'm so grateful to my parents for moving me out of a very populated area and into the country at a young age. I remember visiting our old town when I was 16 and driving with a childhood friend. WOW! I was scared in the car! Not that she was a bad driver, but that everyone else on the road was seriously CRAZY! And there were several times I thought I might lose my life! YIKES! I love being back in the area where I spent my school age years... I'm so thankful that I'm able to raise my children in the country. Sure, we live in town, and our yard's not HUGE, but it's such a small town feel, that I wouldn't trade it! (Except maybe for a farm someday!) I know that God has us right where He wants us to be. I was driving to MOPS this morning, and saw a new traffic light. We were a "one light town" for the longest time. Then Wal-Mart came when I was in Jr. High. Wal-Mart got it's very own traffic light. I then called it a "one and a half traffic light town." I refused to call it a light. Now Lowe's is about to open. A HUGE boost to our local economy! IT HAS IT'S OWN LIGHT!!! I guess Penn Dot is thinking we're going to have MASSIVE traffic in and out of that parking lot. I guess we'll have to see. For now, I will enjoy being this small town girl, in this somewhat small town that's growing.

So I hate it when...

So I hate it when I get those emails titled (along the lines of) "Cozy Comforting Meals" and I open them and the first three recipes are beautiful, larger then life pictures of some gooey brownie or cake or cookies! Sure it's warm and cozy, as in adding more padding and cushion to my post baby body, but come on!??! Really?!?!? That is SO FRUSTRATING!!!! I'm on this recent health kick...I'm hoping to lose some weight... no not lose it. RELEASE it!! I heard Mandisa at a recent Women of Faith conference talking about Releasing weight...if you "lose" something, you're usually trying to find it. I DO NOT want to find this weight again! So I'm releasing it, praying never to get it back! Unless of course, the Good Lord decides to bless me with another baby, but then again, I'm still praying to be able to BE HEALTHY! That's really what it's all about. It comes back to the old saying "Everything in moderation." Now if I can just adapt that to my eating habits, I'll be golden.

So I wanted to start a blog....

So I've wanted to start a blog for a while...but never really knew how to do it. Finally, I realized if you just follow this link and that, I would find my way. If nothing else, it's a place for me to write, lots of things that are on my mind. Maybe it will help myself, if no one else. Or maybe some other mommy will stumble across my rantings and be able to to feel at home. We're not alone in this. Not only do we have other mom's that have gone before us, but we have those around us going through it. Whatever it is... and we can think we can do it all on our own, but we can't. We need other's and we need God. That's the way He created us to be. At least that's the way He created me. I need my husband, my family, my friends, to help me on the journey...the journey of Motherhood.