cruisin' into the fall...

so we've made it to the end of the first trimester....yay!!! the consistent nausea is not as consistent and the getting up 5 times a night to go to the bathroom is down to about one time, so i'll take this much desired relief and cruise into the second trimester. i got to hear my babe's heartbeat yesterday! i love love that sound!! so precious...it's hard to believe that 14 weeks have already gone by

i don't have a ultrasound pic of my own for 13-14 weeks (wouldn't it be so amazing to have one every couple weeks to see the baby?!) but i found this one and while i'm completely sure my lil' gummi bear is more beautiful, this will do :)

the big kiddos are back in school, just starting week 4, and 'K' is happily soaking up all the one-on-one attention. i really wasn't quite ready for them to go back just yet, but i was ready to stop hearing the hum of the PlayStation3 and disney channel and arguments about who double bounced who on the trampoline...on purpose.

cute picture of my posse of the kiddos at my brother-in-law's wedding a few months ago...just thought i'd share how awesome they looked :)

i started a new business from home (in addition to all the crafting stuff i already do, like this super cute purse/bag i made)

and i'm really loving it....but i'll do a separate post about that soon, okay?

hhhmmmmmm.....what else can i say is happening? i've been laying back and resting in the presence of God and His Grace, seeking to trust Him with all the changes that are happening and forthcoming. really been working on accepting His gift of unconditional love in a way i know i never have in my 20+ years of salvation. let's just say that it's liberating to truly serve and believe on Christ knowing & reminding myself that His love & blessing for me has nothing to do with me and what i give Him but is a demonstation of His blinding awesomeness!!! His faithfulness!!! that's pretty amazing and noteworthy don't ya think?!

my prayer for you this week (and month for that matter)is that you would slow down, close your eyes and take note of the graces, gifts, blessings that surround you, give thanks to Him who is the Giver and snuggle in a bit closer to the One who loves you more than we can ever comprehend.

be blessed....

catchin' up....

since i've been a tad inconsistent with my blogging for the last month (sorry, again...), there is a ton to catch up on, like....

....did i tell you that we had a baby squirrel?! yes, we did... past tense.... he had such a wonderful time playing with all the kiddos and jumping from drape to drape, eating hand-picked acorns and being the center of attention at 3rd grade show-n-tell, he (his name is Bandit) just laid down and fell into an eternal sleep dreaming of tall trees and yummy nuts from now 'til forever.... yep, he croaked passed away just days before we were to release him back into the wild back yard. it was actually very sad for our posse and my Man was conveniently out of town on business during the whole drama, leaving Mama here to handle the tragedy alone.... sorry if my sarsacm is dripping all over your screen right now, just wipe it off and find your happy place in looking at this adorable picture of Bandit and lil' Girlie

....i had an amazing 3 days soaking up the wisdom of Godly women at our church's womans conference! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! the presence of the Lord so sweet and deep.... renewal that was much needed, insight that i had been seeking, dreams being revealed, and such a blast spending this time with my sister (in-law) M..... big God-sized dreams that seem impossible to me, but with God working through and the power of His Holy Spirit, nothing is too big for my God! can i get an AMEN?!! thanks :)

....there was a birthday in the house!!! our baby Girlie is now the big 9!! how did that happen?! she's 9, really?! aside from my denial that she's becoming a beautiful young girl and not my lil' preschooler anymore, it was a great week of celebration. yes, i said week long celebration: the family party on the 3rd, mini-celebration just our Posse on her actually birthday on the 5th and finally her friends came over for an evening that following weekend. wow, i'm tired all over again just typing that!

my sweet girl, Mama thinks the universe of your heart and soul! your eyes see right to someone's heart and your compassion is unmeasured. i love your delight in the Lord, how your voice rings sweet as you recite verses to me, God's secrets written on your heart...simply gorgeous is all of you, inside and out!

...and how could i forget the endless days of football practice and games for the ever-growing eldest, 'P'.... his dedication and perservance and hard-work this first jr. high season is stunning and inspiring to me. this was a lesson in preparation without much opportunity to perform....82 boys on the 7th grade team, so no one got to truly show their full potential, frustrating is the ache during games, but God is good and faithful and 'P' demonstrated great skill on defense (inside linebacker!) and he went uninjuried (yay!)....

and as soon as the season was finished the very next week began basketball tryouts (this is our sport, baby!!)...50 some odd 7th grade boys graced the court to compete for the coveted 18 spots. after a week long tryout, our awesome young man MADE THE TEAM!! so proud, excited, humbled, thrilled, anxious.... man i love you, kid!

....we went pumpkin hunting!!! no, this picture isn't from our evening at the pumpkin patch (those pictures may or may not ever grace the screen) but it was a superfabulous evening of corn mazes, corn boxes (think sand box, but with corn kennels instead!! it was great!), horse back riding, hay rides, feeding goats & sheep, bottle feeding a calf and a wonderful time around a bonfire roasting turkey dogs and marshmellows.but this picture is at a local farmers market and was however the perfect place to buy some perfectly orange pumpkins to puncuate our front porch...and for only $13 we walked out of there with 6 pumpkins and some "baby" princess punk'ins

'K' felt the need to put all the "baby" or small (we've been doing a lot of home preschooling about tall/short, big/small, etc.... so he's a little obsessed with grouping right now) punk'ins together or with a "mommy" pumpkin. you're so stinkin' cute Big 'K'!!!

that is most definitely NOT everything that's been happening in these parts, and i've had a bajillion and one thoughts and ponderings floating around my mind and on my heart.... i will share, promise... really i will!

i so want to share some my God-dreams that i feel being led towards, talk about the Mama's Day Out program i am starting, my thoughts on another Sister Party for the Christmas season and my complete obsession with a new holiday craft to make your home fantabulous!! and even if you never stop by again, just know this:

you were hand-crafted by the Creator of the Universe and He so wants to spend time with you today: just talking, singing, crying....He is never, ever far from His children. He's waiting for you.....

be blessed my dears!!!

a peek into my week...

i know, i know, it's only been forever since i last posted.... sorry.... we get busy around here and i literally go days on end without opening my laptop. i am totally determined to not let this happen anymore, even if all i'm writing about is what i made for dinner and the strange dreams i had the night before :) maybe y'all can help interpret some of them, because the dreams have been getting weird! i need to drink some calming green tea before bed or something!

has it been raining for like two weeks where you're at? i swear i am done with rain!! this is just one of the reasons why....

yes, after two days of record rainfall last week, we had about 3 feet of water under our home, a backed-up sewer system and me have a little stress-attack! you can understand, right? when you have five people in the house and the toliets won't flush, well i'll just let your imagination and nose go from there.

but 97.50 for a plumber to work 20 minutes and fix the problem (and oh my goodness! that is a career path i am thankful i never considered!! gross, gross, gross!!!) and 84.00 for a sump pump, we were on the road to getting everything back to normal by last friday afternoon. and we were incredibly thankful for my brother (in-law) who hauled over a HUGE pump from his work to get the water out from under the house much faster!! and the mammoth puppy and Big 'K' had the time of their lives playing in the water that was leaving the house and now flooding the yard!

i promise that the water wasn't contaminated or anything, but it made a terribly muddy mess of my already soggy yard and my neighbor wasn't exactly please that the run off was puddling up her yard (again) too.... but what can ya do?!

what else?..... oh! my babe, Masta 'P', is just days away from his first jr. high football game!! we are soooooooo excited and pumped for him! he's had 2 1/2 hour practices every day after school, so he's ready. and he got the jersey number that he had desperately been praying he'd get....

my other brother (in-law) is the number 1 high school running back in the state (he holds 5 state records! but he's in college now... i digress, sorry) and 32 was his number, and 'P' really wanted to have that number in jr. high and in high school, too. and we were all really excited, too! it was an affirmation to him but me as well, that nothing we pray and give to God is too small or insignificant; if it's important to us and something that's on our heart, the Lord is so faithful to hear us...

i love to bake from scratch. mostly i want to control what is going into our food, but baking/cooking is theraputic to me, is it that way for you? my bestie (ms.s) teases me about making my pizza crusts from scratch, like when i say "it's really not that hard or a big deal" and she says "well not if your martha stewart!" so i just decide to take the sideways compliment and go on about my day :)

so since 'K' and i are together all day with nothin' but time to learn, read, play, frolic, shop, clean... ahem, i got a little sidetracked.... we bake together quite a bit

he was so happy to wear mama's apron, and i am glad i snapped a pic real quick because in no time flat he was trying to yank it off with extreme prejudice! we were whipping up some sugar cookies, which are really awesome and soft, but i need to create some sweet glaze or something to drizzle over the top.... just thinking out loud :)

my glorious Girlie is doing so outstanding at her (new) school. third grade is splendid and she is making several close friends and if i haven't said it before, we just are so giddy about her teacher and what a blessing she is!

as we walk to school in the mornings, we walk right past a locally owned donut & coffee shop, and it smells incredible, delectible, scrumpitous!! so i got us out the door just a little earlier than normal this week and surprised Girlie with a little detour into the shop for a donut (or two). she smiling from ear to ear and loved the treat!

don't you just love surprising your kiddos with special treats like this? my kiddos treasure the most simple memories like this and the moments of talking over a sprinkle donut.... i love 'em

i've had several orders of Jewelry Portraits (from my design business, Flooded By Grace Designs) and they've been custom orders and that has been truly a treat for me to create them!

here's one i did for a little girl who needed a portrait for her growing necklace & earring collection plus something to hold her beautiful hair bows...

it was a double stack of frames with gorgeous satin ribbon and buttons flowing from the bottom to clip hair bows on.... i loved it and lil' Girlie was a bit more than jealous for it! i am still working on my website, it's a much longer process than i anticipated, plus i'm trying to get my inventory (jewelry portraits and such) built up and ready for orders, but customers can always make a custom order request... just sayin' :) if you're interested just drop me a note!

and before all the sogginess, 'K' and i have enjoyed some cooler, fall-like days at the park...
...isn't he just beautiful?! wow...

and he was racing just as fast as he can up and down the ramp on the equipment. amazingly he didn't bite the dust... praise the Lord :)

"peek-a-boo, mama!!!"

okay, so this is a peek of what's going on in my world.... i promise, cross my heart to be back tomorrow with something profound to say.... or at least something amusing to say :)

love ya!

be blessed!

and then there were two...

has it seriously been over a week since i wrote last?! wow! how lame can i get?! please do NOT answer that, really don't....

i have a totally good excuse for not writing: it was the first week of school!!! this has been huge! Mr.'P' is now officially in junior high and playing football (whoa!) and lil' Lou-Woo Girlie started third grade at a new school here in our quiet town, Fly Over Country, USA (she's brilliant!) and this has been quite the adjustment for Big 'K' to do preschool each day at home and no bubba or sissy... then there were just the two of us....

the evening before school started, i stole the big kids after dinner for a special treat

did you know that it's the little things that kids remember? the little walks down the street and seemingly simple conversations, the snuggles and holding of little hands are the moments that they remember, not the gifts or pricey gadgets. i know this because my posse would tell you that one of the best times ever was eating ice cream at sonic when they crawled through the moon roof and ate on the roof of the truck. and this was like 2 or 3 years ago. crazy, huh? so i drove 'P' and Girlie to sonic for 99 cent sundaes (yum-o!!) and i let them create another memorable moment :) on the roof of the truck in their pj's...

and i'd like to say that i got a picture of my eldest before i was allowed to walk halfway to the junior high with him, but then i'd be a liar instead of a completely forgetful and silly mama who has broken her streak of first-day-of-school pictures.... however that walk to school on monday was magnificent! i was so excited that he let me walk with him and i was kicking myself after i quickly hugged him and gave his fuzzy head a rub that i forgot my sunglasses to cover my teary eyes as i headed back to get my Girlie ready for school, too.

she wanted to walk to school, as well. this is the first time we've ever lived close enough to do this and it is apparently the coolest thing ever to walk to school!! (giggle) so after much careful preparation, she adorned herself (with some primping assistance from mama) with her most favorite new outfit and i strapped 'K' into the stroller and headed off to third grade...

i'm so a fan of this super adorable frilly, sequined skirt.... kinda want one of my own... seriously

so we headed inside..... it was an anxious moment for her, i could see her biting the bottom lip a little and so i reminded her how incredibly kind, smart, sweet, caring, fun, beautiful she is as we walked the new halls to her class. might i add she has the most amazing teacher this year, it is sure to be a wonderful success. and after five days, it is almost being to feel normal and not new... and this mama is overly relieved for God's grace in giving the right teacher and class, everything

you noticed the fabulously gorgeous school bag my daughter was carrying, didn't you? i thought so, i could sense your envy from here (hee, hee)...

yep, i made it for her.... and wow, it was one of the most frustrating projects i've taken on as of late. i wanted to throw my sewing machine about 6 minutes into the whole dang process, but after i shed a couple tears of frustration one night i persevered and came out with what she believes to be the "most beautiful bag i've ever seen, mama"... ya, that made it worthwhile

Big 'K' and i are working on the letter 'A' this week, 'A' sounds and 'A' words, also on concepts of big and small, short and tall and his very favorite: cutting on the lines!!

i am trying to finish a couple 'jewelry frames' that were ordered, and one is completed and the other is going to be done by the end of tomorrow if it kills me!! okay, it won't kill me but no one may get fed until i finish :) and i have about 5 more frames to complete so i can officially open my etsy webstore for Flooded By Grace Designs (lots of Yay!!!)

so do you forgive me for ignoring y'all?

oh, good!!! now it is bedtime for this mama who is worn out and in need of about 14 hours of straight sleep.... i do realize i'll only get about 6 but a girl can dream, right?!

be blessed.....

what's cooking?!

so i've been tweeting about my oatmeal cookie obsession lately (if you don't follow me on twitter, just click on the link on the right sidebar) and the obsession has yet to subside... yep, at 10am this morning i was whipping up another batch.

hey! don't judge me! it's oatmeal, people! it's heart healthy and whole grains are very, very good for you.

anyway.... since i have been completely lazy on sharing our weekly menus and new recipes with you (bad mama blogger....), i thought that i would give you my super fabulous oatmeal cookie recipe, well it's my mama's but she won't mind at all if i share with you :)

preheat your oven to 350 degrees (i almost always forget to do this, so i eat way too much cookie dough while i wait for my ancient oven to heat up)

you'll need:

2 sticks of butter (softened) and yes to make them incredibly delicious it must be real butter

cream butter with 1C brown sugar and 1/2C sugar (i use organic raw sugar but granulated is fine, too). once you've creamed those together and taken a couple tastes, just to be sure :), then add 1tsp pure vanilla, mix some more. then grab 2 eggs from your chicken coop out back or the fridge, whatever :) and beat those in (one at a time) with your butter/sugar mixture.

good so far? great...

in a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1 1/2C flour (i use half unbleached white and half whole wheat), 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp cinnamon and a pinch more for good measure, and 1/2tsp of salt.... stir it all together

now stir in the dry ingredients, about 1 cup at a time... oh hold on i have to take a bit of my cookie, oh that was good.... into the butter/sugar/egg. your dough will be nice and thick but it is of course missing something: oatmeal!! now just using my spatula or wooden spoon i stir in 3C of oatmeal (i do not prefer the quick cooking oats, i like the big old fashioned oats, i love the texture it adds to my cookies

yea! you've done it!! now just plop down some of this amazing mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, okay you don't have to use the parchment paper, but i do and it's my recipe, to there :) bake at 350 for about 8 minutes, and viola! you have the most amazing oatmeal cookies this side of the mississippi!!

now i have been experimenting with little additions to my cookie dough such as white chocolate chips or walnuts or even dried cranberries.... and while all of those are yum-o, i still just love this simple recipe without all the bells and whistles. and for all you freaks who ruin a perfectly wonderful oatmeal cookie by adding raisins (YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!), i don't want you're commentary about how you added raisins and it was fantastic, gross :)

okay, i am off to clean up the kitchen after feeding five children (yes i had two extras today) this colorful, yummy, and simple lunch....

some all natural vanilla yogurt, with honey wheat pretezel, slices of nectarines and a drizzle of raw honey..... yum, yum, yum... enough said :)

my belief is: if it looks colorful and appealing to the eye, then the posse is more likely to eat it without any complaining

and the hot dogs are actually turkey dogs without any preservatives or anything artifical, organic mac-n-cheese (so good), grape tomates and baby carrots with cottage cheese... easy, cheap, and so healthy i can hardly contain myself!!

be blessed today!! let me know how you liked the cookies.... i'm off to put the toddler down for a nap (praise the Lord!) and then i have like a million jewelry portraits to create...

running to and fro...

okay so besides my obvious addiction to all things twilight, and by the way i have an entire post about my thoughts on twilight and if you don't care i do understand but you are totally missing out!! ahem...... anyway, we have been busy, busy, busy here in fly over country, USA.

my big kids go back to school in only 2 weeks!! i can't believe it's flown by so quickly! so last week we took our annual trip out and about to buy school clothes and shoes and hang out...

one of the many places we shopped was the mall....aaagggrrrhhh....i despise, loathe, dread the mall. something about taking three kids of varying ages, different opinions and wants, having to go into more stores than i want just to say "no" to most things, attempting to avoid all the candy, cookie and pretzel vendors, ugh! however, they were all mostly good, okay 'P' and Girlie were, of course, good....

...but 'K' on the other hand was having a rather difficult time following directions. however he and 'P' had an amazing time riding the escalator over and over and over.... and then as he bunkered himself under some shelves of jeans, his sweet sis sat next to him humming and chatting until, well see for yourself...

yep! it was way past naptime and i was totally fine with it, as least he wasn't running around pulling clothes off the rack :)

and by the way, jc penny was having an amazing sale, and no they didn't pay me to say it, but WOW! you should totally check it out...

i've also been creating several jewelry portraits for my sweet readers who won them plus a couple as gifts and i am developing a business plan and site to sell Flooded By Grace Designs... it is sure to be wonderful (i hope)...

i really liked this design with a delicate pink frame, the vintage pink roses in the background, sweet pearls with purple button accents from which to hang necklaces or rings...



and this one was a requested pink and brown palate....

and i have to say that i loved how the varying shades of pink paisley ribbon on the inside of the frame popped against the background & the frame, but i'm kinda of biased :) more importantly, what do you think? i'm really curious...

so as i prep our lives for a kid in junior high, one in third grade and lastly our little one for preschool, i am experiencing glorious anticipation about what the Lord is bringing to our lives and how He will use me... praying that He will equip me, make me worthy of the calling He has on my life.

seriously, i'm writing out my thoughts on twilight for debut tomorrow, so you won't want to miss this one....

love y'all! be blessed.....

it was a 'Super' day!

i love being a mama.... just check out this 'super' kid that tagged along with me the other day!! he had a cape and everything!!



needless to say, he was the talk of the town everywhere we went...




and when we had played too hard and just couldn't handle going without a nap for one second longer, big 'k' found sissy's shoulder to crash on...

i am so overly blessed with amazing kids, an awesome hubby and a gracious Lord whose compassion and mercy are bigger and more amazing than i can describe!!!

my random thoughts....

how shameful that now at home full-time i can't even find the time to post my ponderings and the activities of this Blessed household... so let me give you a rundown of my random thoughts for the last week:

i have been busy organizing my home (constantly) just in case a realtor calls without warning to show the house (which happens frequently), and while i am not trying to be a whiner (honest!) it is simply exhausting to keep the laundry down to one small-ish pile and the floor gleaming! but oh how blessed to have this home that God has provided out of His vast amounts of grace, thankful that i have a home to clean, a place to rest our head...

it is a work in progress (literally..) to find a routine that is conducive to working at home... if any of you wonderful friends have ideas for me about how to be more productive & organized, i will happily take some advice here!! big 'K' and i were out all last friday meeting with clients, talking about MLM to businesses that will benefit from reaching moms here in Fly Over Country, we had a fun lunch at the pizza place together, and while we worked late into the afternoon it was incredible to have 'K' with me (and the big kiddos were at school, just in case you were wondering :) )

i went to a really fun pampered chef party last week, i bought the coolest bamboo spoons... i know i'm nerd but i so love to cook and so i'll find happiness in the small things!! i am going to have my own party soon, probably before we move since our new home will most likely not host huge groups (but maybe it will... i shouldn't put limits on what God can provide for us, huh?)

we are still waiting (working on patiently waiting) for our home to sell... lots of buyers through to see it, and very good feedback, however nothing yet. i won't lie to you, i've had moments of worry, irritation, grumbling, faith & trust; regardless i know that i know that i know God has brought us to this place in our walk with Him and He doesn't just walk off and leave me hanging! our home will sell in His time, we are praying and seeking Him through all this, i will rejoice & serve Him no matter what, and can't wait to see His provision! (if you would like to add us to your prayer list regarding our home selling, i would be so super thankful!!)

praying a lot for little Layla Grace... my heart is broken for them, asking God to work a supernatural miracle for this sweet girl. remember them today when you praying...

'P' has been doing fantabulous in school (not that he's ever done badly, just to clarify) and really enjoying his homeroom this year. he's in the school spelling bee tomorrow morning so that's exciting... he played on two basketball teams this year, one already ended and this next week is the last week for the timberwolves (tear... sniffle). these boys have been playing competitively for a long time and since they are headed to junior high next year this will be their last games together. we had a great season and have been very blessed to be apart of this group of boys & parents. however 'P' was asked to join another competitive team for the spring and summer, so that will be a great experience and excited to see him develop his skills even more... i so love being this kid's mom!!

my lil' Lou-Woo girlie is totally rockin' it in regards to school!! she is wicked smart and an incredible reader, and she is just blowing it up. straight A's (she's always had A's, but again just clarifying:) ) and even an A+!! so proud, but you can't tell at all can you?! hee hee... she played on a basketball team this winter as well, and she improved so much from last year. she was a much better shooter and she handled the ball great! while this isn't her sport of choice, not that any is, she did a wonderful job and it was good exercise if nothing else :) Girlie isn't playing the piano right now, we're on hiatus, but it will be making a reappearance soon much to her dislike. we're trying to find a hobby or interest that she'd like to pursue & develop, other that perfecting her caring for babydoll skills :) she is the love of my heart... my little mini-me :)

here's 'K' dancing with bubba's robot (which he so loves more than all the popsicles in the world!! and that's saying a lot 'cause he loves "sicles"!)... yes he is still in his jammies, which consisted of the shirt he fell asleep in the evening before & his batman underwear... cute!! this picture will reappear later on in the teenage years as a potential source of embarassment i'm sure :)

...i am fairly certain that my eyeballs are going to pop right of my head due the amount of sinus pressure i am experiencing

...wishing there were more hours in the day to get my to-do list completed

...is winter ever going to be over?! i promise if i see one more forcast with snow or freezing rain in it, well... i might officially lose it!!

what else?.... hhhhmmmmm..... i'm racking my brain for anything else of importance i can share......

oh! 'K' decided to climb 'P's book shelves the other day.... and let's just say they might have fallen down on him. thankfully there were no injuries from the crash and i needed something new to clean up right then, so it all worked out.... except he then went downstairs and found the cinnamon & sugar shaker and proceeded to sprinkle the entire kitchen, dining room & living room with it... nice, huh?! who is supposed to be watching this kid?! geez.. but i wouldn't want to be anywhere else and i love him all the way to the rainbow & back!!

i think that's all, i do cross my heart that i'm going to complete my nutrition post this week as well as a post on how we prepared our house for sale & ways we saved money; maybe this will give you some inspiration:)

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17

WOW!!!!

And so, our lives are meant to be listened to, because it is God who is speaking into and out of and through the symphony of the years, and the masterpiece of a lifetime." ~Michael Card

i love looking back and standing in awe of all of God's fingerprints covering my days & weeks, and all the moments inbetween...

i promised you last week that i would give you giant praise reports about the ways that God has been smudging up the windows of my life with His miracle-working hands

so as not to disappoint.........

without further delay........

are you tired of waiting yet?

is your patience wearing thin?

okay, okay, okay.....

...well.... today is my 2nd official day as a stay-at-home mama!! that's right, baby!! are you jumping up and down as you read this?!! i'm doing cartwheels (okay, not really... but you get the gist of my excitement) as i write this!! it feels amazing to say, so i'm gonna say it again: i no longer have to get up each day (monday-friday) and hurry my babes around, just to drop them with another mom who can do drop-off for school or drop the babe at the nanny's house, worry that i'll be late for a sales meeting if one of the big kiddos misses the bus, use vacation days when the kids have a snow day, or stress about missing too much work if someone wakes with a fever... nope!!! i no longer juggle a career in the midst of being super-mama to my Posse of Kiddos and Mrs.Amazing to my Man!

wow!! have you been around here long enough to know my heart's desires? that for so long i have yearned to be home 100% of the time, without distractions of budgets & sales quota...

mid-december i was having meetings with management at my former (yea!!) workplace about their need for me to be more "engaged".... and without boring you to pieces with details, my Man and i began pressing in deeper with God and His plans for our family, spending time fasting and seeking the Lord and our desire to have Him provide for us, however He wanted to do that.

what we did know was i was supposed to be at home with our kids and not send them to some after-school program or more time at the nanny's; this was a walk of faith and we didn't know what to expect but we know God is good and does good, agree?

without warning God brought us not just one option or even two options but a whole handful of opportunities to work from home, on my time according to what is best for our family!!

hello?!?!! the Lord does not disappoint... even at times in my life when i have felt doubt or disappointment, He has never left me or let me down!

i sought God, we knew His will, we waited on His timing (which quite frankly is just as important to knowing God's will, in my experience), continued fasting & praying & believing the provision would come.... and look! God brought me more than i asked for, bigger and better than i expected to get.... not because i'm some great saint without imperfections, not hardly ma'am, but Jesus is faithful to His word that if i seek him i will find Him!!

i am a stay-at-home mama, the VP of the household, the home-based sales consultant, the head chef, chief laundry expert, child chauffer, God-praising, sinner saved by grace, work-in-progress wife, daughter of the Most High King....

i'm blessed of the Lord!! thankful for this miracle, this answered prayer... truly excited about what's to come (a sold home soon!!! i pray...) because when we serve the Lord of All Creation, the best isn't behind us

but is yet to happen!!!

a superhero, a monster and a cow are walking down the street...

tell me if you've heard this one before: Wonder Woman, a zombie monster and a baby cow are walking down the street.... hee hee!!!

okay i'm just kidding, well about the joke but i did see all of the above walking down the road on Halloween night.... and guess what?! they were my super-fantabulous Posse of Kiddos!!!

while this year was a little off because 'P' is now officially too old to go trick-or-treating, so we had one less kidlet to chase up and down the driveways, we all had a great night.

my sweet little girlie was the ever invincible Wonder Woman!!! right down to the head band, braclets and knee boots!! just missing the invisible jet, darn!

and while we were treking through the neighborhood i could hear screams of fright and terror... coming from the general direction of my home... hhmmmmm... what could it be?

it was of course my eldest babe taking the opportunity to scare the life right out of all the trick-or-treaters brave enough to head towards our door and plead for candy!! when you see this picture of a dead zombie monster sprawled out across a bale of hay, it seriously looks like a Halloween prop, but you'd be wrong!!! it was my usually gentle mannered boy 'P' creeping out all who dare to trespass!!! (just cackle a wicked laugh right now.. lol) now his Nana did have to come out and remind him to be careful with the little kids, so don't worry, i'm sure no one is scarred for life :)

and how could i leave out a stupendously beautiful picture of my adorable little cow, baby 'K'... everyone say "aaaawwwww" together!! isn't he the cutest? okay so maybe he was not into leaving the hood on except when we walked up to the doors, he'd allow it on long enough to say "treat, peeessss! i a cow... mmmmmooooooooo!!" with a giant grin, take the candy, look it over and once approved, plop it into his bucket, say "tank yoo", quickly pull the hood off and make his way to the next house.... it was fun, fun, fun!

not only did we have some great family time tricking and treating, we were at an awesome party at church earlier in the day jumping on inflatable, eating hot dogs and seeing many families hear the Gospel and receiving the best treat: the ultimate love & salvation of Jesus!!!

so what did you guys do on Halloween: trick or treat?!!!

seeing orange

have i said that i just love fall? well, i do!!! i love that my home smells like spice & pumpkins right this very minute, yum-o. i just feel all comfortable and cozy with cinnamon scented pine cones arranged ever so neatly on the dining room table and on the buffet in the kitchen. 'K' is amazingly good about not touching mama's stuff, he is constantly walking around and pointing at my decor and saying "that mama's pretty, no no for baby". how cute?! and yes, he calls himself baby most of the time, it's pretty stinkin' sweet!!

so in the spirit of autumn.... the Posse and i went hunting for our pumpkins!!

we made the trip to pick out our pumpkins on lil' Lou-Who's birthday, and it was ever so much fun!! no, we didn't make it out to the patch itself (maybe next week) but we were still surrounded by a zillion pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, the many shades of orange were making us dizzy, thankfully there were bales of hay to rest upon and several small gourds to trip over as i pulled the wagon.

my personal favorite when it comes to choosing a pumpkin are the fairy tale pumpkins... it is right out of a storybook, and 'P' was trying to simply find the biggest one he could find that was in the 2 for $5.00 category, and Lou-Who decided that she didn't care as long as i let her pull the wagon!!! seeing how it was her birthday i relented and she was thrilled... until we took out a pile of gourds, then mama got to take over. oh well, nothing cracked or exploded so we called it good!

and needless to say 'K' was content to ride along and let me snap pictures of him in the wagon until he was seeing spots but eventually he did escape and throw himself into the fun of pumpkin hunting!!

do you love the change in seasons as much as me? would you like your home to smell yummy and pumpkin spicey? how would you like me to send you an amazing, high quality autumn spice candle from a fabulous boutique for your home? you would be ever so honored to have the same type of extraordinary candle burning in your home sweet home?!! well then you'll need to stay tuned this weekend, and invite your other friends to join in on the fun, 'cause a giveaway is just around the corner...

how time flies!

minutes fly past me at break-necking speed, it was just august and somehow september came out of nowhere and BAM! it's already almost october! crazy... however i totally love all things autumn and i am currently nesting all over the house with my fall decor! no, i'm not nesting due to the excepted arrival of a cute, squishy baby (not that i like to squish babies, oh nevermind) but i love a change in seasons and the opportunity to transform our home into a pumpkin spice-smelling, engulfed in warm, cozy hues of burnt orange and deep red world! my list of crafts and decor to create is long and i spent a hefty amount at michaels this past Labor Day in preparation for many evenings and weekends in crafting heaven. my lil' Lou-Who is excited about partnering with me this year on some projects and we have developed a long list of homemade Christmas gift ideas to make together. i'm thrilled to have her creative juices flowing along with mine! she is brillant with watercolors, and i can't wait to see what her cute little hands creates!

while our family is in the throws of constant busyness (i.e. 'P's football 3x a week plus games, Lou-Who's piano lessons, church, work, school & PTA functions and meetings, 'K's potty-training, etc) i didn't want anyone to think i had forgotten i had a blog. i have not, there is simply not enough hours in my days and while my mind is ever-churning with pondifications about being a child of the Most High King and my role as a woman of God, as a wife to a wonderful Man, Mama to ridiculously awesome kiddos and friend hoping to spill encouragment and love on those around me, i just can't fit it all in some days (or months as you can clearly see i haven't written in almost a month, bad blogger, bad!)

however i do have some cute pictures to keep you at bay until later this week when i have several posts scheduled to hit the page.

this was just too cute to pass up, but 'lou-who' decided one evening a few weeks ago to take over mom and dad's room and use 'P's playstation to rock out to here hannah montana game (and i have the cutest video to upload of her singing and dancing along as she played...) and 'K' who loves anything that sissy is doing grabbed the unused controller and started in himself. i love his little diaper hiney!! although he is no longer in diapers, and hasn't been since Aug 16th, yea baby Big 'K'!

i did promise you a million years ago a pic of the new hair, so i was able to snap a quick pic just for you!! MMMWWWAAAHHH! (that was a kiss, if you couldn't figure it out, giggle). thanks to miss karen down at the AVB Salon, i have style and highlights that i didn't have previously!!! thanks a million... so do you like?

'P' thought that he'd just play with the camera and take a serious, solemn photo of himself. maybe he was trying to capture his mood right after i asked him to hang up his laundry or something tragic like that!!! he is so handsome... yes i know that he'll be slightly embarrassed i wrote that, oh well, i'm the mom and that's my job!! and by the way, 'P' has his own blog now!!! i'm so proud!! i'll provide a link on the right side bar very soon!

and how could i not show you the "Terrible Twosome!!" baby 'K' and our mammoth puppy, Magnus, are totally BFF!!! (bestest friends forever!! hello, were you absent in the 80's?!!) people gasp in terror and fear as they observe these two wild animals playing with each other, and i suppose it is overwhelming to watch a 100 pound puppy (yes he's still a puppy, only 7 months old) knock down a 2 year old and lay on him or watch as 'K' flies off the chair to tackle Magnus to the ground... but 'K' is laughing and giggling 99% of the time, and Magnus is so happy that his monsterous & powerful tail is wagging hard enough to severely bruise an apendage!!!

so, while this post might be void of much serious and thought provoking content, our happy family is doing wonderful and we are soaking up our busyness and trying to Freeze Frame (such a good 80's song...what you've never heard it?! are you sure you're old enough to be reading my blog?!! relax, just do it kidding!! these little 80's music references were just for you, ms.S) these memories of our Posse. they will so soon be grown and while i'll still get to hug on them, God willing, this time is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience football, piano lessons, school projects, days at the park, church & worship, dinner together in the evenings, it is all a blessing!!

what's my deal?

i've been in and out of a funk the last few weeks mostly due to many of the events in and surrounding my life had me thinking and praying a lot, but i didn't feel like i could write about them yet. however, here's a snap shot of some the things that seemed to occur all within a short window of time: work has been completely, utterly overwhelming which makes my feel like i'm spending less time with my Posse and not being 'all there' for everyone in my home (and that is one of my top priorities, ya know?!), my blog pal MckMama's baby, Stellan, was not doing well and that had me praying and pondering, only to then get a call from my friend and fellow natropathic medicine researcher & user and dad to sweet Jaymun that Jaymun wasn't doing well and the CNS leukemia was bad to say the least, my Man's car died and was beyond the point of repair and he couldn't find another that he liked in the price range we wanted, i am in the midst of some ministry changes at church and trying to see where God wants me, the kids are starting school and how am i supposed to find time to do all the shopping for new clothes and supplies, will i be able to squeeze in a few more fun outings before school, had a middle of the night emergency room visit due a resurgence of the sickness & pain i have dealt with over the last year or so.... i could keep going but i won't, i'm looking over this and it's kinda a downer.

however, i serve a great big, huge amazing God who is not just lounging around in the clouds completely caught off guard by the current trials and stress in my life. my cries for discernment and understanding, rescue and relief are not a news-flash to Him.

'For I know the plans I have for,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29.11

even when i feel like all is lost and i want to crawl in a hole and just keep myself safe from all the potentially sad & difficult situations that this life has, that's not want God intended for me. Christianity is not about safety but is about freedom. the real freedom that comes with serving and surrendering my life to Jesus, even when it's hard, stressful, overwhelming, you get the point.

and with trials, large & small, comes a great testimony of the Lord's grace and provision, if i stick with Him and walk by faith then i get the pleasure of seeing the His fingerprints all over my life! let me show you:

my job:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as work for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3.22-23

most days i can honestly say that i really do enjoy my job, but the last 8 weeks or so have, oh what's the word..... sucked!!!! i'm not opposed to hard work and i think that change is a good thing, the changes in my office were a large adjustment, and it felt suffocating with a the over-the-top amounts of paperwork to complete each day, multiple meetings without any purpose, aaarrrggghhh!! and while i still am not totally onboard with the new requirements that fall under my job description, the Lord has given me extra energy when i was ready to throw-in the towel, put me in touch with business owners when i really needed an answer, grace with my managers. my days are still longer than i would prefer, but this career of mine is not permanent and i can't wait to share some upcoming changes and the Lord's leading in this area in a post very soon.....

less time and my 'not all there' feelings for my Posse and my Man:

...train the [younger] women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2. 4-5

Her children arise and call her blessed... Proverbs 31. 28a

because of the high demands of my job right now i am feeling much pressure and guilt that i have not had the adequate time to devote to my Posse and my Man. i hate feeling like my big kiddos didn't have a truly amazing summer vaca because i didn't have the time to take them to SDC more, or have more movie days, we were at the park quite a bit and the pool and they both had church camp for a week each and sports camps and piano lessons.... they had a good but rather uneventful summer. i know that this is not all bad, but i wanted more for them and more time spent with them! then of course the house was kind of chaotic and messy than i'd prefer since the big kids were running the show with 'P' as the babysitter of 'Lou-Who'. and let me say that he did a great job taking care of 'Lou-Who' for a few hours each morning while i was at the office. they spent time reading and playing together, doing their chores, having some lazy time in front of the television and so on. but i wanted to be here more, i don't like getting home late and getting 'K' from the nanny and then rushing around to get dinner made and then cleaned up, etc. of course not every day was like this and i am overly organized in our family schedule and we just planned as best we could for the longer days. i despise the aura of hurriedness in our afternoons and evenings, and i will admit that once i feel hurried and stressed nothing is really right for the reminder of the day.

do you ever just feel saddened by what you want/dream for and what you have to endure in the present? i have prayed more than a few times this summer for the Lord to help me be the best mama that my Posse needs and fill me with energy and physical strength, give me insight and words to lift up my family and bless them with my service to them, even if some of that service is providing for them outside the homestead.

when i have days like this, i would & do have to step back and get ahold of my thoughts and my tongue and make choices to edify my Posse and my Man. my attitude and words will either bring life or death to my family, so i must stay close to my Jesus. i'm ashamed to say that many times my stress makes my words louder and more harsh than i'd like, and thus where i need to take my kiddos in hand and say i'm sorry and i will do better, with the Lord's help. i'm reminded that i need to be a Mary at the feet of Jesus allowing Him to pour into me so i can pour out on my babes, instead of Martha who is OCD about whether the dinner is done at 6p sharp

'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' Luke 10.41-42

the questions, concerns and uncertainity for friends with sick little ones:

I will restore your health and heal you of your wounds. Jeremiah 30.17

i will admit to that i felt such a burden when cutie baby Stellan was in the hospital a few weeks back with a terrible prognosis & health that was quickly decreasing. i was overcome with questions as to why the Lord was not intervening yet and praying for healing for Stellan like a crazy person. and then little Jaymun was back in the hospital out of the blue with the horrifying news that the cancer had relapsed, again. and i was overwhelmed with grief for him and the whole Kaat family.

does the Lord lay situations and families on your heart that you are to hold up in prayer? these two families are amazing and i (like thousands of others) am called to intercede to the Father on their behalf, holding them up and laying it all at the feet of Jesus, praying without ceasing for the healings that Stellan and Jaymun need. believing by faith that the Lord is true to His Word that He is our Healer!!

i am so happy and ectastic to report that Stellan was saved from the current danger with his broken heart and you can always check in on him at his mommy's blog!!! within just a few days the Lord rescued him from a perilous run of SVT. it was amazing to literally watch a miracle be performed right in front of my eyes!! i've got goose-bumps! and sweet Jaymun is not out of the woods, however he is defying the odds for a third time, yes i said this is his third bout of leukemia and he's only three. what 10+ treatments couldn't fix with his CNS relapse before, this time through the leading and mercy of Jesus, the chemo mixed with herbs and other natural medicines has gotten the blasts down to ZERO!!! he is in need of our prayers and petitions because despite great test results he is back in the hospital tonight with a possible infection that could cause menigitisis. thank you Jesus for hearing our cries, for being so near to your children that are brokenhearted and sick, but we are not defeated because you Lord are our victory!!

my Man's car died:

completely unable to be fixed. darn.... it was an unwanted stress to have to go out and buy a car that we did not intend to. and while it was a difficult two weeks of searching and praying and questioning what to do and why? the Lord heard and provided a near brand new SUV for my hubby at a low, low cost. thank you Jesus for caring about all the details of our life.

i know that your retinas are bleeding profusely at this point and i'm going to wrap this up, promise scout's honor!!

all of this to hopefully encourage your heart and soul today with the promise that the Lord wants to bless your life and He brings hope when you feel none. here's my two cents though: don't rely on your feelings, they will lie to you every time. if i only made dinner when i felt like it, it is quite possible that my Posse might never eat! i will serve the Lord regardless of how i feel because it says in His Word that He will never leave me or forsake me!! i might feel crushed and squished down by all the trials and hardships this earthly life brings, but this place, earth, is not my home, it is only temporary, and i am living for eternity!!!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, AMEN (emphasis is all me!) Ephesians 3.20-21

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for your viewing pleasure for sticking it out through that long post... baby 'K' snuck into 'Lou-Who's tent where her babies were sleeping and he wanted to feed them. he is so stinkin' cute!!!