Thankful

I have to say that this season of Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year.  It is so important for us to focus on the blessings that we have.  So here goes my list of things to be thankful for...

1. God - I am so thankful that he forgives me for all my sins.  I pray that I can continue to grow in His likeness and adopt His attributes.
2. My Husband - John is a great spouse.  He has taught me so much about living selflessly.  He always wants what is best for our family no matter the cost to him.  Thank you Lord for dropping him out of the sky into my life it has not been the same since I met him and I am very thankful for that!!!
3. James, he is an amazing child.  He loves the Lord with all his heart and does not hesitate to share it.  He wants to know how every little thing in life works.  He is a stickler for the rules and reminds people (of all ages) if he feels like they are working outside the rules.
4. Jorja, my little princess.  Life has not been the same since she joined our family.  She is growing in so many ways - learning to trust the Lord, learning to read, learning to control her emotions (she is a lot like her momma and will cry if you look at her wrong).

To be continued....

Oh my it has been a year!

I can't believe it has been a YEAR since I blogged!  This is terrible.  I love sharing thoughts with my family & friends.  Where have I been for the last year???  Apparently the transition to a out of the house job was a little harder than I imagined!  It is time to get back to some of the things I love - gardening, reading, crafts and hanging out with the fam!

It is spring break in San Antonio.  I am sure there will be lots of fun quotes and pictures of the kids to come.

High Ho, High Ho it's off to work I go!

Well today is the big day!  My first day at UTSA!  I am excited, anxious, nervous and ready for this challenge.  God has continued to confirm this change in our life and I am totally on board with His plan.  Jorja had a great day Friday at her new school.  James was happy that he would get to spend some quality time with Grandma after school each day.   And while my heart is sad and my eyes are full of tears, I feel better than I have felt in a LONG time.  It's gonna be a great day! Say a prayer for each of us because this changes things for everyone in our little family.  We have all learned that we serve a powerful God that can drastically change our lives in a moment and we are SO thankful for Him!

Family Bible Study

In this new year we have committed to start having a Family Bible Study time.  We are starting simple with a book that I found at Lifeway ABC's of the Bible.  It will help Jorja to learn the letters of the alphabet and also help all of us memorize scripture (which is vital in our ability to witness to others and defend our faith). 

I was recently reading Lifeway's ParentLife magazine (Parkhills folks the Children's Ministry provides the ParentLife magazine free - pick one up on your way out the preschool doors) and it gave great advice on holding family bible.  The article stated that you should keep the each element of the bible study to the youngest persons age, for example - Jorja is 3 so we will do a 3 minute prayer, 3 minute activity and 3 minute story.  We followed that plan this week and it works really well.  As the weeks progress I think we can go a little longer (plus she will be 4 soon). 

Along with this bible study time we are starting a prayer journal, making a record our prayers and blessings!  I have heard of other families doing this and it is a great tool to teach you and your children to hand it over to the Lord and He will answer your prayers.

This week our study is A - is for Angel.

"He has put His angels in charge of you.  They will watch over you wherever you go." Psalm 91:11. 

We read Psalm 91 and discussed its meaning, practiced the verse and started working on making a decorative angel.  I will post a picture of our angel when it is finished.

Would love to hear what your family is doing!  We can learn a lot from one anothers experiences so please feel free to share yours!

Happy New Year!

Did you make a New Year Resolution?  That is really not my thing.  However, this year I have challenged myself to be a better communicator.  I am terrible about calling people, returning phone calls, calling on special occasions and I have even gotten bad about sending cards (not sure why I keep making cards I just don't use them!).  Not this year.  Monday, James goes back to school, Jorja is going to Grandma's and I will go purchase my 2010 calendar and start entering birthdays and updating my address list (some of those Christmas cards came back) and that will put me on the right track for remembering specials occasions in my family and friends lives!  Now just to set aside some phone time - I like to talk (you all know that) but I just never make time to sit down and chat with friends and family.   So say a prayer for me this is something that means a lot to me - communication is the key - right!

Well I better get back to organizing the craft room/office - boy is it a mess after Christmas!!!

Much Love,
K

We are so silly!

The kids had a great evening playing Wii with MawMaw and Aunt Claudia. We celebrated Aunt Claudia's birthday a little early since she was in town. I got to use my new cupcake pan - I think this will be a fun addition to the baking in our house! After MawMaw and Claudia left the kids and I got a little silly with the camera. Here is a glimpse of what goes on around here when we get bored and Dad is working.

Fancy Clipboards

After a lot of encouraging by my dear friends I am posting these clipboards. I LOVE making them they are lots of fun to make and design. I will be making up several to sell at a craft show on November 7th in our neighborhood. That I will post here first for you to see and if you like one you can purchase it. Or if you have some specific colors/theme in mind I would be happy to create on for you.

Fancy Clipboards made especially for YOU!

here are some samples of clipboards I have created.

Pricing

Small Clipboard (6x9) $8 each.

Large Clipboard (9x12) $14 each.

You pick the colors and or theme. Price includes name within the design. Clipboards use a combination of paper, stamps, ribbon and stickers. Designs are not dimensional so that it does not interfere with the writing surface.

The small clipboards have an optional magnetic backing for an additional $2. This allows you to put your clipboard on the fridge or filing cabinet—they are great for reminders and grocery lists!

To order

Please email to sharingtheheart@sbcglobal.net

Information needed to complete your order:
Colors (up to 3 colors) and or a theme
Name for clipboard (if desired)
Delivery Date (when you would like to have them)

James is off to School

Well today was his 1st day of Kindergarten!

Last night he got into bed, Dad read him a story, and within seconds he was in the living room crying like he had just lost his favorite toy. It was so sad. He was scared to go to his new school because he did not have any friends in his class. Mommy worked hard to calm his anxiety. Back to bed he went - slept like a baby.

James woke up this morning to his requested breakfast - eggs, bacon and toast. He talked so much about everything on his mind it took him almost an hour to eat his breakfast - I think he was stalling!

Then we loaded up and went to school. He seemed excited - a little shy but he is my kid so he comes by that naturally. First in line by the door to the classroom. Carefully watching all the other kids. Then it got hard - he went in the classroom but Mom could not go...James did fine - but I cried. It was hard to not cry like someone just took my favorite toy away but I held it together so that he would not see/hear me.


He is safe at school. Can't wait until 2:40 when we get to go pick him up!

First day of school memories - I don't remember my first day of school - do you???

Fancy Flip Flops and Flower Hats

We were scheduled to leave on our vacation Saturday...as usual we are having to delay our plans. I am in the midst of writing a grant and have to finish it before I can go on vacation (due 6/16 I will turn it in on 6/12 - pray for my productivity this week). In an effort to inspire some creativity (I am fresh out) so that my writing in the grant will be above the rest we spent some good family time Saturday and some good craft time Sunday.

Here are some pictures from my time at the craft table...

Fun stuff...Jorja an I will be sporting matching caps and flip flops this summer!

James is Growing Up

My little boy is growing up! James graduated from PreK yesterday. I was so tickled by how important it was to him (which made it very important for mommy too). He practiced by humming the music and shaking hands with anyone that would practice graduating with him. Lots of fun. He is embarking on a new chapter of life - elementary school!

Here are some pictures of my little James that is growing up every time I turn around.

Playing Catch Up

This weekend was so busy! Friday afternoon I had my hair done - which is always relaxing and fun - I am still not sure if I like the new hair do but it's just hair. Friday night was family movie night, we don't have a sit down supper on movie night just everyone's favorite snack foods...tequitos, chips & dip, pizza rolls, wings and a few other things that I thought would be good to try out on the fam! We watched Bedtime Stories, John and I laughed so hard, the kids enjoyed it but I think most of their laughing was at us laughing. Then Saturday Jenene brought Mason and Cloei over to play with James and Jorja and she helped me organize my scrapbooking stuff - what a blessing that was - it was too big of a task for me to conquer alone! Sunday was a great time of worship and learning. Then we came home and I helped John paint the back of the house - we had a fun time - the kids did their own thing in between asking a MILLION questions. Needless to say - the laundry is not done, my baking list is just a list nothing actually got cooked this weekend and the chores well its amazing but they are still here waiting for me! It's ok, I am taking care of it today. Playing catch up but I don't mind because its a beautiful day in San Antonio, and I will get done what I can and the rest will just wait! So I am off to make some yummy sausage and cheese muffins, Texas Governor Mansion Cookies (I got the recipe from Amy and it is a family favorite now) and a chicken pot pie!

Our House

While it is not finished it has come a long way! Wanted to share the excitement with you. John has been painting our house (when it is not raining) and I am SO excited about the new colors!

Here is the before:
And here is the after:

There is still stuff to do but I am so happy with the results of the outside transformation!

I hope to post pictures of the inside in the coming weeks as I continue my spring cleaning and prep for the kids to be home with me all summer!

Have something exciting to share about your house? Please share it with me...I love looking at houses and decorations. Post a link to your post on "Our House" so we can see what you are up to!

Mom

It's her birthday! Happy Happy Birthday to you mom! I know it won't be a fun day because you are having a colonoscopy but I pray that it is the beginning of a fun year for you. I love you and am so thankful to have you in my life. You are a beautiful, strong, smart, loving woman and I am blessed to call you mom!

Jorja's first Pillowcase dress

Well it is really a first for both of us. It was my first pillowcase dress to make and her first pillowcase dress to wear! I have been wanting to make on of these for a while now. My dear friend Tamara shared the idea with me and I finally decided to sit down and give it a try! It was pretty easy. And I have lots of ideas how to improve the next one! These pillowcase dressed are really cute with antique pillowcases - so keep you eyes out for some unique old pillowcases that will transform into cute dresses for your little girl. Hope to have more of these to show - summer is almost here and it is the perfect time for a pillowcase dress!

The tutorial I used for the pillowcase dress can be found here

Trusting Him

The current bible study I am doing has been a blessing to me - daily! I am thankful that God reminded me that I never finished this study that I started almost 5 years ago. The timing seemed to be perfect - which means it must have been His timing!

The verse that is the focus of today's study is Psalm 9:10

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

The writer (Kathy) brings up the most brilliant point here is what she says- "In the past I had always focused on God's promise never to forsake me - but this time I realized it also meant I could trust in Him, no matter what happened to me! I had to make a decision: I decided then and there to claim His promise that I would trust in Him, and I am so very glad" she is speaking of a different situation when she talks about this interpretation but for me it is real in my day to day. Times are hard - everyone is feeling a little pinch in the pocketbook. We get very consumed with the loss of funds in the retirement account or less money in the savings account or will we even have a job tomorrow. But in reality I should not be worried about any of these things - I should keep living for Him and fulfilling my call and trust in the ALMIGHTY Lord! He will not forsake me - I must trust in Him.

This is simple and what many of us know to be true but its the daily life that sometimes removes the focus and allows the worry to set in. But I glad that God continues to remind us of the things that we file away as simple. I think sometimes we do file away trusting Him as simple but is it really simple - for me it isn't. Even though I love the Lord with ALL my heart, I know that He is with me, forgives me, loves me (even when I am not loveable) but I find myself having this trust battle way to often. I have gotten better but I know that He is still at work in me - showing me new ways to trust or as a dear friend puts it "Let Go Let God" (thanks Kimberly for that easy way to remind myself to trust Him).


Father, thank you for your MANY promises, your promise that our faith in YOU will hold strong in times of trouble. Thank you for showing me how to trust you and for forgiving me when I don't put my trust in you and fail. I pray that you will continue to show me outstretched hand when I stop depending on you.

He Makes Me Brave

Last night I told John "I am going for my walk after I take the kids to school because it is starting to get warmer in the afternoons and tomorrow it is suppose to rain." So this morning I got up, didn't shower because I knew I would be walking around 9:30 and would shower when I returned.

So I take the kids to school and stop by the house before I head to the park (potty break) and then get in the car and get almost to the park and it starts to rain. I am not exaggerating the next part...I start yelling at the devil - I am so tired of you getting in my way and holding me back. I want to walk - for my health, for my kids, for my energy level. So I call John to tell him that I am sick and tired of the devil being in my way - he needs to move over because there is NO room for him in my life. John listens like a good husband and one that truly knows how much I want to walk this morning. So then I just say you know what a little rain never hurt anyone...I am walking anyway!

I get out of my car put ear buds in, turn on my music the song comes on and it says "...so long status quo, I think I just let go you make me want to be brave..." And there I was - walking my walk - a little rain never hurt anyone!! God is Strong and He makes me want to be brave - if I believe in Him it changes everything - the rain stopped. And I think I shouted - "Move over there is NO room for you"

I got my walk in, praised the Lord the whole time!
Got back to the house to re-read my devotional for today (Jorja was a little cranky this morning so I think I read it but I did not remember it)

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1
If I had not gotten my walk in today then I would have felt like a failure and the guilt would have gotten me down.

Father, thank you for setting me free from guilt and condemnation. Thank you that Jesus resides in me and that I can be victorious and brave!

James lost a tooth!

My little snaggle tooth!

Can you believe that my big guy lost his first tooth today! He sure did. In preschool during lunch in Ms Prell's class he lost his tooth. He has been working on it for a few days but today is the lucky day and tonight the tooth fairy will come! His new tooth is already coming in - it pushed the old one out - which I thought was strange but the dentist assured me this happens often.

So my question to you bloggers is "How much does the tooth fairy leave at your house?" I think she will leave $1 here.

Writing His Word on your heart Verse 2

It's time to work on another verse - the goal is to memorize 24 verses in 12 months. I will write tomorrow about what I learned from my first verse and how God has already used it in my life.

The second verse I would like to memorize and fully understand is:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24 NIV

This verse already has me thinking. I hear His words but putting them into practice is not easy and since we are being honest with one another I don't make it a priority. Which is why there are so many parts of my life that feel like they were built on sand. Much to come from this verse. Thanks again for helping me by holding me accountable.

Again if you are intersted in joining in on this scripture memorization go over to the LPM blog and read Beth's writings.

What do you think when a 2 year old asks for hair rollers at 6 o'clock in the morning???

I will have to blog about James pretty soon because it seems like I have only blogged about Jorja lately but she is in that funny stage. This morning when I was still feeling relief from my terrible back pains (thanks to some great meds and a compassionate God), Jorja needed her hair dried from her bath. She was getting her detangling spray out and said "Stop mom, I need rollers in my hair." Well I have always wanted to put those pink sponge rollers in her hair but I don't have any and she was after my velcro rollers. So we played beauty shop at 6AM this morning and Jorja got her hair in rollers! She even packed them up and a travel hair dryer to take them to Grandma's - maybe she was going to do grandma's hair before her surgery. Anyway, I don't know what to think - does she like playing hair, does she want TEXAS hair or is she going to be that perfect little girl that lets her mommy roll her hair??? I guess only time will tell!

James the Makeup Artist and Jorja the Princess Clown

Jorja got a makeup kit for Christmas from my Mom, thanks Mom (that was a little sarcastic)! She has to keep it next to my desk so that I can supervise the adventure. This is mainly to keep it off of the carpet, bedding and walls in her bedroom. Well she was having a hard time holding the mirror and applying the mounds of glitter and lipstick, so she got her dearly beloved Bubba (James) involved! Here is snapshot of the Wilsey Princess Clown!