Girls Retreat! EEAAKKK!!

I am so excited!!!  eeeaakkkk!!

Tomorrow morning me and all three of my daughters will be leaving the house and heading to the girls retreat!!

None of us have gone on a girls retreat before and we are all pretty anxious about it.

My husbands not too thrilled though, he claims he can not sleep without me next to him in the bed (aawww). 

It's hard for me to sleep without him also... but I am STILL EXCITED!

We will be leaving the church at 8:00 a.m. and starting on our almost 3 hour trip... we will be spending the night there and leaving sometime Saturday to head back home. We also have a family reunion on Saturday... I am hoping that we make it back in time to attend at least the last bit of it. I have also never been able to attend a family reunion and would hate to miss it completely this year.

My youngest daughter shouldn't even be able to attend, she missed the age mark by 4 months, but since I am a teacher and I am going as well... they are allowing her to attend. I really love the fact that all four of us will be there together. However, we will all be doing our own thing. You see the younger "girls ministry" will be somewhat separate from the "teen ministry".  So we will be on the same grounds, but attending different events at different times.

I'm not quite sure how that will work with the youngest yet. I don't know if she will be clingy to me the entire time, or if she will be able to stay with Angelina and go to the events they have set up for the younger group.

I'm sure sleeping arrangements, she will be with me. I can't see her sleeping in her own bunk, away from me or my oldest daughter in a strange new place.

I have a lot of packing to do tonight after work...

I so pray that the girls learn and grow from this experience. I pray that they are able to receive a touch from God and that there lives will never be the same afterwards. 

Crawfish Boil Party & Outfit!

This Saturday we had a crawfish boil to celebrate our Angelina's 8th birthday! She had a blast, so did everyone else. 

A few days ago when we were at the store, Angelina asked me to buy her a soccer ball. I did. She then asked me to buy her a soccer net and I told her that I could not get her both at that time.... so when my dad called me and asked what he should buy her, I remembered she wanted a soccer net and asked him to get her that!

I am so glad that he did, because it was the hit of the party! (besides the crawfish)

I had purchased some "crawfish" (was really supposed to be lobster) fabric and told Angelina that I would make her a dress. Well, time slipped away from me, and before I knew it, it was time for everyone to start arriving. I had no time to make her the dress. I did instead sew together a quick elastic skirt... and on a last though put together a head band that tied underneath. It came out pretty cute!

The weather was BEAUTIFUL! It was really sunny and warm, with a nice cool breeze blowing. We opened all the windows and doors to the house, turned on the attic fan, and it was just lovely! I don't think it could have been a better day!

Here are some pictures from the party... enjoy..

They were eating....

and eating...

and eating....

She realized it was the soccer net!

She was one happy girl!

Even daddy played with them... check out those cajun reeboks
I'm sure those helped him in running... :) 

All these beautiful pre teen girlies hung out in the livingroom.
(notice the new framed vases are still there for now)

One of my best friends, Natasha, with her niece and my daughter.

Grown up hang out apparently. :)

They had so much fun... I wish you could have seen it!

I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed weekend as well!

I wish there was something I could do...

I sometimes watch my husband as he works, and I can’t help but see certain things I wish I didn't.

I notice his skin… a little looser than it used to be. I notice his muscle tone… a little less than it used to be. I notice his strength… loosing it as the days go by.

He tires easier than he once did. A few years ago he would go and go and go and you could never get him to slow down. Now he takes breaks often and I know he feels it more than he shows it.

Four years ago, my husband… at age 29… was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I knew something was going on by the way he was acting.  He would consume large amounts of liquids in a short period of time… as fast as he could get them down he would let them out.

It was really noticeable the day we went a couple hours out of town to get some supplies for a project at home. When we stopped at a gas station to fuel up, he bought four bottles of water and three large bottles of power aid. He drank all of those before we reached our destination, and we had to stop three times on the way for him to use the restroom. Something just wasn’t right and I knew it.

A few days later we were in the doctors office listing to the doctor say “Go straight to the hospital… don’t even go home first… you need to be hospitalized now! I don’t know how you are not in a coma right now! Your blood sugar is so high, our machine can’t even register it… it’s off the charts.”

Scary.

That was just the beginning… the last four years have been twists and turns of medicine after medicine being changed… added… taken away… doses changed… needles… syringes… eating habits changed… finger pricks… blood drops…     lives   …   changed.

Our worlds were turned upside down for quite a while. We still are not exactly back to normal. I can literally see my husbands health deteriorate at times. It hurts so bad to watch someone you love so much go through something like this, knowing that there is nothing you can do to help him, or to slow it, or to stop it.

He is still young, and I am trusting in God for a complete and miraculous healing… where only He can receive the glory and praise. My husband on the other hand has accepted his “sentence” so to speak.

He is constantly trying to eat right, choose the right foods, the right portions, eat at the right times. This disease always seems to be getting worse every time we go to the doctor.

The last time we went for his check up we were told… “If more changes aren’t made, if things keep going the way they are going, you will have a heart attack before the age of 40.”  My husband is 33.

I watch him work and I can see that he is tired. I wish so badly that there was something I could do besides pray and beg God to heal him.  I love him so much… my children love him so much.

I often catch myself thinking about what life would be like without him here with us… I can’t imagine. I don’t want to imagine.

I thank God for him… for the gift of him… often.

 If you think of him, of us, at night before you fall asleep… say a prayer for him please. Pray for his health.

Thank you all! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINKERBELL!

Today is my little Tinker Bells (Angelina's) birthday! 

She will be 8 years old at 3:30 today! She woke up to her favorite breakfast, pancakes!

I thought I would go the extra mile and put some sprinkles on her pancakes to make them super special for her. When she looked at them she made a face and said... "what's on them?"  I said "sprinkles" in which she replied "can I get some without sprinkles?" lol... Oh well, I know better next year. Don't mess with the girls pancakes. 

We will be having cake tonight to celebrate at home... and this weekend we will have a crawfish boil at our home and invite the family over to eat them! Yummmm.

I am so proud of my baby girl, our Lina Bo Bina, she is such a hard worker, super smart, and she makes such good grades in school. She has a kind heart and a love for all animals, those that have legs, and those that crawl and have slime. lol. She is the all american girl, she can put on a pretty frilly dress, and head outside and crawl under the house to help her brother dig for worms. She wants everything boys have... guns, boats, four wheelers, sling shots... except she wants them in pink!

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet girl, 

Mommie Loves you!

In Him we were also chosen,

Ephesians Scripture Study for the day:

Thursday - Ephesians 1:11-12

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.

He chose us, we were chosen to be a part of his plan... WOW, you are chosen.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me your words in the Holy Bible. I thank you Father for the words and knowledge of the women who were kind enough to put this study together for us. I thank you for choosing me ahead of time to be a part of your grand plan. I ask for the knowledge and wisdom we need to see what part we have in bringing glory to your kingdom. Amen

Free Study of the Book of Ephesians

I am doing a study of Ephesians… it’s an online bible study put together by GoodMorningGirls.org.

If you would like a copy of the study, you can find it HERE free of charge.

I like at the end of the introduction the writer said:

“Let’s get started – week 1 will be simple – but hold on for the ride because when it picks up and God enlightens our hearts with his truth, the excitement will be palpable!”

I began the study on Monday and I will give you the scriptures from the previous two days for you to reflect on as you wish… but first, here is today’s verses to meditate on.

Wednesday: Ephesians 1:7-10

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment – to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth.

Wow, God loves us so much; He lavished his grace on us by sending His only son to die on the cross for our sins. Only through the shed blood of Jesus were we able to be redeemed and forgiven of our sins. This was the only way we would ever be able to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father… the only way He could bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth. Why? Why did God choose to redeem us from a life sentenced to damnation? What in this world is so great about us? NOTHING… not one thing. 

We are sinners, there is nothing we could ever do in our lives that could make us worthy of the grace that God has extended to us… so why would he want to know us on a personal level? Why would he want to be close to us?  Simple… because he chooses to, because He loves us, unconditionally. It’s so hard for us to understand why he would love someone like us. Someone so flawed. Someone who gets angry at little things at times. Someone who snaps at their children when your nerves get shot. Someone who sometimes looses sight of the big picture. Who gets to the point where you really don’t want to be around people, or deal with them, or be nice to them.  Someone who, despite the grace extended to us, dislikes to have to extend that grace to others at times.  Someone who despite being forgiven over and over and over again finds it hard at times to forgive others.

We are this way because we are human and you know what… God made us the way we are, he made us with these emotions, he knows what emotions we feel and when we feel them. He wants us to bring those emotions to Him… cry out to Him, lay it all at His feet and admit that without Him you cannot do it on your own.

Verses for Monday: Ephesians 1:1-4

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God's holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love.

Verses for Tuesday: Ephesians 1:5-6

He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One He loves.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Grace, I thank you for loving me enough to send your son to die so that I can be forgiven of my sins so that we can be reconciled to you even though we deserve to spend all of eternity without you. Thank you Lord, I praise your holy name. I pray for all women reading this post, Lord you know their hearts, you know their desires, and you know their hurts. I ask you Lord to touch their hearts and their lives and to minister to them directly today.  Amen.

Living Room Wall Makeover!

Okay... I used to love this wall above my sectional sofa in my living room. 

 I once had two lovely pictures hanging on either side of the mirror there... my beautiful, wonderful, well behaved children just love to jump behind the sofa at the corner of the wall... one day, my son was running away from one of his sisters and in a failed attempt to jump on the sofa, and catapult himself behind the sofa to hide, his foot hit the second picture and it fell and broke. (Thank goodness no one got cut as a result of the accident) The picture was no more. 

I really hate to admit that it has been well over a year since this happened and I was still left with this...

Notice the deer horns... I have not been able to convince
my husband these would look much better in the breeze way.

I know... I know... It's just so... off. 

I had a couple of these frames on hand that I was not yet using.

I ran to walmart to pick up a few supplies

Took the frames out in the back yard and spray painted them an off white color... deciding that it would go better with my decor than the hammered metal look.

After I painted the two frames, I took the string and tied a long piece around both the frames and the little vases' I purchased... placing the vases at different heights on both of the frames like so...

Here is one of them a little closer.

I then put a little flower in each of the vases and hung them on either side of the mirror in the living room like so....

To get THIS...

Okay... so what do you honestly think of this? My husband walked into the living room and immediately turned his nose up to it. He smiled and made a face as if to say... Seriously? 

He completely hates it. Everyone else who has seen it loves it.

So.. if you do NOT like it... give me some ideas please! What would you do with this wall?

Going Gray Together...

I was sitting on the white wooden swing outside enjoying the beautiful day this past Saturday. They had puffy white clouds floating overhead. The trees behind me where providing shade… so it was nice and cool despite it being pretty hot outside.

When my husband noticed I was on the swing, he came and sat by me. We were talking for a few minutes, when he then asked me to scoot over to the other side of the swing. He laid his head on my lap, he had been cutting grass, raking the leaves and moving fallen tree limbs from the back yard most of the morning.

As I sat there swinging the both of us, running my fingers through his hair in the sunlight… I couldn’t help but notice the increasing number of silver hairs growing on his head. I smiled.

I’ve been with this man since he was a teenager. We’ve been together through so much together over the years… through deaths… through births… joys and sorrows. Again I smile…

I love that we are growing older together. I love that we have been through so much… and that everything we have been through has brought us closer together and to place we are today.

I thank God for the gift of my husband. He is the opposite of me… he is my other half… he is my better half.

excuse the no makeup, hair pulled back, and red faces... if you live anywhere
near Louisiana or it's humidity you would completely understand! :)

I play with his hair and I know that I am not far behind him… I have noticed more and more silver hairs on my head the last year. I don’t think its going to bother me much. I know that we have earned these silver strands. We are not those teenagers any longer. I told my husband that if I begin to color my hair… it would only be if he wishes me to do so.

I love my husband so much… I think he is going to be the best looking man with silver hair I have ever seen!  There’s a sense of comfort, if that makes any sense, in seeing those silver strands on his head. The odds were against us from the beginning. When we met I was so young… we were so young. No one imagined we would be here today, swinging on this old white wooden swing, going gray together.

In the bible it says –

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.  Isaiah 46:4

FEARLESS...

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready.

In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

Fearless is the story of Adam Brown, a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the US military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.

You can read the first Chapter of this amazing book by going HERE!

The Dress WINNER IS !!

I'm so excited!  The winner of this dress

IS...

YAY!

(The winner was selected using Random.org)

Please send your mailing & size info to angel.m.buck@gmail.com!!

Q & A with God

Me (in a tizzy) : God, can I ask you something? 

GOD : Sure. 

Me : Promise you won't get mad? 

GOD : I promise. 

Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today? 

GOD : What do you mean? 

Me : Well I woke up late, 

GOD : Yes 

Me : My car took forever to start, 

GOD : Okay.... 

Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait 

GOD : Hmmmm.. 

Me : On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call 

GOD : All right 

Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to 
soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. 
Nothing went right today! Why did you do that? 

GOD : Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning 
and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. 
I let you sleep through that. 

Me (humbled): Oh... 

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on 
your route that might have hit you if you were on the road 

Me (ashamed): ............ 

GOD : The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't 
want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss 
work 

Me (embarrassed): Oh..... 

GOD : Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going 
to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even 
let you talk to them so you would be covered 

Me (softly): I see God 

GOD : Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw 
out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to 
be in the dark. 

Me : I'm sorry God. 

GOD : Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the 
good and the bad 

Me: I WILL trust you God 

GOD : And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than 
your plan 

Me : I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything 
today. 

GOD : You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I 
love looking after my children.

I received this in an email today, I thought it was cute and wanted to share it with you all.

You of little faith...

God spoke to me one day, so clearly.

 I was reading Matthew 16:7-10 which says – They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”  Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

I had been worried at that time about the girls ministry. Satan had been feeding me lies I suppose, trying to make me doubt my ability to lead these pre-teens to Christ. I was starting to wonder if God had really lead me to minister to these girls, or if it was really just a desire of my own. I thought I had felt God leading me to this ministry when I was 18… that desire had never faded only pushed back, waiting for Gods timing and for the door to be opened.

I was wondering if I had enough experience, or if there wasn’t someone better for this position at this time. All of these doubts, worries and fears were swirling through my head.

When God spoke to me He said:

Do you really have such little faith? Do you not believe what I have done with the fish and the loaves of bread when I fed the multitudes? Do you not yet see that it is not about what you have to offer… but it’s about what I can do with what you have to offer when you bring it all to Me.

Just as the boy with the fish and loaves had so little to offer considering the circumstances, when he brought all that he had to Jesus, it was blessed and was more than enough in the end. So it is the same with us today. I might not feel as if I have enough to offer these girls at times, but it is not about what I have to offer them, it is about what God can do with what I have when I bring all that I have to Him.

I thank you Lord Jesus for all that you do for us who bring our all to you. I thank you for your words of wisdom and for your encouragement. I ask you Lord to bless those who are doing your works, with willing hands and hearts… provide them with all that they need Jesus, provide them with enough.  Amen. 

Has God spoken to your heart lately? Would you like to share with us in the form of a comment, or post your response on your blog and post your blog link as a comment? I'm very interested to hear!

Angels Are For Real

I have always believed in Angels, and have always been intrigued by them… probably mostly due to the fact that my parents named me Angel.  I have always read very carefully the scriptures in the bible that referenced them, and always listened extra close to stories of Angels being told.

I was really excited to have a chance to review this book and am so glad that I was able to read it.

I enjoyed the stories from various people shared in this book, most of them unknown. I also loved the fact that the author chose to include biblical statements supporting the fact that Angels are among us, even today. They are here to help, support and protect us.

I did find myself skimming through the book on different occasions. The flow wasn’t always smooth and the transition between the real life stories and the meat of the chapters often cut each other off.

I did learn much reading this book. I loved learning about how Angels can take the form of humans we know, to keep us from being afraid of them. I’m guessing it depends on the individual person on whether or not the angel keeps their form or changes it.

There were a few statements that I found questionable, other than that… this was a very lovely book and I will definitely be passing it on to others.

I received this book free from the book review program at Bethany House Publishing in exchange for writing a review. I was not required to write a favorable review.

The BEST book I have ever read on parenting!

I have always known that the actions of my parents, or lack of their parenting, has had an effect on me today and the way I parent my children. I never truly realized to what extent until I picked up this book and started to read it.

I have seen myself in these pages... I see my children in these pages... and I have seen my parents in these pages. I feel as though I have been given a gift, a gift that has allowed my eyes and mind to be opened to the wisdom of parenting I have never known before.

I thank you, Milan & Kay Yerkovich, for your honest, and for your words. I know that I am now equipped with the information I will need until my children are grown and out of our home.

I love how they break down examples of each type of child... their demeanor, their needs, and their fears. After they break them down into a type, they break the sections down into age groups, so you can see exactly what your child needs from you at the stage of life they are in. GENIUS!

I always hand books on after I am finished reading them, but this is going to be a book that will stay on my book shelf for many many years to come.

I HIGHLY recommend any and all parents to read this book!


You can read a preview of the book on Amazon here

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Manicures and Ice cream!

We had such a wonderful time over this Easter break. The three day weekend was surely needed but definitely could have been a little longer! 

Friday night we had an extra three girls spend the night! They had a blast staying up late watching the Muppet's! Early Saturday morning I brought the girls who slept over back to their houses, and went around gathering the girls from my ministry group. 

After we collected everyone who was able to attend, we headed to a local nail salon and we all received manicures!  The girls giggled and talked about it the entire ride to Sonic. Two of the girls picked pink polish, one picked a turquoise color, and my lil one wanted sparkly silver. I had two of my finger nails break earlier in the week, so they had to trim all of them down to nothing. I was able to get a little sliver of French tips despite that fact. At least they will now all grow out at the same length.

Once we reached Sonic, we got out and sat at a table outside and all ordered ice creams to finish off our field trip. I told the girls they were now equipped to go out and lay hands to pray for people with perfectly manicured hands!

The day was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I'm sure it was well in the 80's outside, pretty hot considering my cars A/C quit blowing a few weeks ago :-/ But it was beautiful all the same!

I had a really nice time with them, this was our first official outing as a group and I'm looking forward to having more. Do any of you have any ideas about what I can do with the girls in the months to come? 

Me and two of my beautiful daughters!
The oldest and youngest of our four!