Christmas...Memories

Right side up or right side down... We are thankful for all the memories that the Lord gave us this year! Thank you Jesus for being born and loving us and taking our punishment on the cross!

As if to say Tah-Dah! This boy has been waiting for this gift for 2 years! He loves it. A big train!

Unexpectedly, he only wanted a comforter for his bed. Honest. That is what he asked for! So, we splurged a bit and got him this race track. He was so surprised!

Oh, this is the gift I wanted for me! Will no one get me a doll for Christmas!? Elizabeth Cole.

We were so excited to get these dolls for our little dolls. That is why it was basically their only gift under the tree! Grandpa helped us purchase them. Thankyou Grandpa! We got all three girls a quilt to share and a lamp with a matching night light.

This young lady was so excited to receive Ruthie for Christmas.

Just so happy to get a wash board and a jar for her 18 inch dolls. They need to wash some clothes and make some cookies!

Do ya think the oldest child is happy with mom smootching on his cheek like that? Poor lil' guy. He does actually love his gift even if the embarrassment of his mother lingers here on this blog.

Soon to be our new favorite game! We like to purchase a family game every Christmas. This is going to be fun! Homeschoolopoly.

Watching Charlie Brown Christmas videos. Good Times. Good coffee. Good memories in the making.

Just hanging around after the holidays. Enjoying all that the Lord has given us this year!

Funny and yet strange

These little cupcakes were so much fun! I got this free printable mustache from some sweet little blog,...oh, I wish I could remember the name! Anyway, we taped them onto tooth picks and stuck them into the cupcakes! Fun! This here is a sailor friend of ours. She is a one of a kind christian young lady!

This here is the Birthday Boy!

We have been enjoying crazy get togethers. We had a little imprompto birthday party for one of our friends. He is a boat schooled child. Their sweet family lives on a sailboat!

This Christmas break has been a real challenge to our little BIG family. It seems that there is one thing after another and that there is no time to relax and breathe in and out. And all we seem to be doing is cooking, preparing food to be eaten, washing dishes then bringing them out again to be eaten on, oh and did I mention, we've been eating! I do praise the Lord for the food! Please do not read me wrong! I just can't get over that as soon as we clean up from eating...it is time to cook and eat again! Crazyness! I am going to have to resort to smoothies here before too long! Ha.ha.ha.;)

Love

He's a real character, this one! What am I to do with such silliness?! I guess I just have to love 'em.

It so like this particular lil' guy to act silly like this. He has nicknamed himself as ALBANY. And of course he talks in a lil' strange annoying voice when he acts like this character.

Isn't he cute! Oh the fun we had that evening with my three boys! They stuffed his shirt with none other than...webkinz!

It is so nice to be able to actually download my photos on blogger! I never realized how easy it is! Homeschool Blogger will not let me download any more photos. Even though I deleted about 5 posts thinking that would give me some room. Oh well.

I just love the cool air outside this morning! I am thanking the Lord for it! It was up to 80 degrees just day before yesterday! Wow! Florida is very unique like that. One day it is 34 degrees the next it's 81. Maybe one day the Lord will allow our family to move north where there are true signs of seasonal changes. But for now I must be content!

Christmas...Thankyou God for Jesus!

Merry Christmas From Our Family To You!

This was a tradition my family had when I was a teenager. We would go to the tree farm on Thanksgiving day, take a tree home and decorate it. Well after 6 years, we have finally bought one from that same farm. Not on Thanksgiving day. But fun, and a memory our family will cherish. We will cherish this memory not because it is a "Christmas Tree", but we will cherish it because there was no arguing, no fussing, we had our favorite adopted mom with us, we had prayer with the tree farm owner for him and his wife who broke her hip, we will cherish the newness of a new start for Ms. Rose, and the wonderful dinner she cooked for us and our other favorite adopted family members!

My twin boys actually cut the tree down by themselves.

Brings new light to the song: Oh Christmas Tree!

My oldest daughter is absolutely hilarious! We praise the Lord for our "little BIG family".

We praise the Lord God for Jesus and what He gave for us in His time and in His Will.

Crampedford...otherwise known as "dollworld"

Here is what My three daughters and I have been up to lately. My oldest wants to call it Cranford. Love that show! But I refer to it as Crampedford! This is the bottom of her bunkbed turned into a two story doll house. Now you know what I want for Christmas? I wanna American Girl Doll! Ha, Ha. This has been such fun! The little sisters are getting to play too!

The dining room.

Here is the Kitchen. Homemade by the oldest girl. Gotta love that mini cast iron pan! It is real.

Here is one of our boarders now.

Kirsten is chatting with Millie and I have no idea what the baby's name is! I think it is Polly. but I could be so wrong!

Kit is decorating the home. Hopefully, it will continue to be fun for all three girls. But of course now the the oldest has this new home for her dolls, I told her she has to share with her little sisters. She said: " okay, I'll take on some boarders".

Well, this is what we have been up to lately!

Here I am...

Here I am...



Beautiful skies are a blessing to me.

Motivate Me Monday

Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee is having her Motivate Me Monday. So, I thought I might have something to share.( Sorry, I forgot to link up to her blog earlier.)

Romans 13:14

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

My flesh wants to be fulfilled. It wants me to eat things I should not. It wants me to think thoughts I should not. It wants me to go places I should not. It wants to sleep when I should be vigilant.

Sounds like self entitlement. Romans 13:14 is my new favorite verse. Because it is one of the hardest things to do as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, keeper of the home. Think about it. How easy is it to put on a movie to keep the children quiet for just 30 minutes? I don't know about your home, but it is so easy at mine.
How about, giving in to your flesh and yelling at the children or husband because you just needed to let off some steam?
For me it could be getting a snack that is not good for me and hiding in the bathroom so the children won't see me and ask for some too! Boy, is that a temptation of my flesh sometimes. But these are just some "fleshly" things. What about the spiritual?
I have always struggled spiritually being a mom. Getting just 15 minutes for a shower can be difficult for a new mom. Getting 15 minutes alone with our Savior is impossible! Or so we think...


I used to have a check list to check things like: fed the baby, fed the husband, fed myself, read the Bible, prayed, prayed for others. But in my own strength I failed. So I asked the Lord to help me. I still ask the Lord to help me! I am not super mom. I AM NOT SUPER MOM. Does my flesh want to be a super mom? Yes.
But what I am striving for is a follower of Jesus who happens to be a wife and mother.

I get easily sidetracked by the "duties" of a christiam homeschool mom. Then I get sidetracked by the "duties" of a pastor's wife. Then I get sidetracked by the world. Sounds funny altogether. By the world, I mean, fashion, hair styles, losing weight. These things feed my flesh. And this only happens to be bad for my flesh when I get my eyes off of the Lord! What about my spiritual fashion? What about my spiritual hair? What about my spiritual body?

So, my motivation for today is to put on Jesus! Not a fake appearance! The Real Jesus, the one who died for me. The one who conquered death. The one who Rose Again! The one who gave me newness of life!

I know how hard it can be to try so hard at something like being a great mom! All I can say is keep asking Him for peace, wisdom, and grace! He will give it to you. Praying in a closet is fine. But if you are like me, and you have all the children up already, remember you can go to Him in prayer standing at the sink, brushing your teeth, or changing a diaper. He wants you to ask for help. He wants to hear you need Him. He wants to give you that peace and wisdom and grace.

"Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."

I know there is an abundance of spiritual things that I could list here other than reading His Word and Prayer. But as moms these are at the top of our "Spiritual List!"

You know, I think I might have something to share...

Christ in us the Hope of Glory.

If Christ is in us, then we have hope.

Hope of Glory. What is that?

Something to look forward to, something to sing about, something to talk about, something to think about.

The Bible that God wrote to us...gives us many Glorious insights to live out. I get down, I get sad, I get mad, but I have noticed that if I were to concentrate on what the Lord has done in my life, where I came from to where I am now, I can say: Thank you Lord! I can sing Thank You Lord! I can share with my family and friends and even strangers How I am so thankful to Jesus for what He has given and done for me. Do I do it enough? No. Do I want to do it more? Yes.

You may think it comes easy to me, being a pastor's wife. But that is not what defines me. Christ in me the Hope of Glory is what defines me. What defines you?

Grace...God's Grace

Like A Warm Cup Of Coffee is having a contest...

Oh, I love her Blog! I Love coffee! I love the Lord Jesus! Anyway, she wants a new tag for her blog.

Sarah Mae, thank you for asking all of us ladies to join to and help you find a tag for your blog.

I think this sounds good: "Like A Warm Cup Of Coffee
Full and brimming over by God's Grace."

Oh How I love to tell the story...

I am so very sorry for the long, long time between writing. I just can't seem to get my act together sometimes.

But that is another story.

For today, I wish I had a wonderful crazy story for you all to read. I know that all the "great blogs" have them.

Hmmm.

Oh so many wonderful writers. Writers with guts, with glory, with triumphs, and sad stories.
That is why we all flock to them. We all want to be(or I want to be) friends with them. Share praying for them with others. What about the greatest story ever told?

Have you heard about Jesus? His story? What He did for me and for you?

If He were on a blog...and say He wrote all those things about Himself, would you listen?
Would you be willing to love Him and care for His triumphs and sad stories?

Jesus said: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."

Oh how I want to see and hear and understand better! I pray for you all the same.

As I was driving to our little mission church yesterday evening, I looked and wondered at the people in the opposite lane. They all were headed somewhere, they all had a purpose for being in their vehicle, but do they know Jesus? Do they long to be in freedom of a clear conscience before God? Do I even want that? I do. In as much as I am able to. May God grant us mercy and clear consciences before Him.