Our Weekend Shopping Trip!!

This weekend I had a lovely time in town!

We went to town with my best friend, Bethanie, who is getting married in March.

My beautiful baby girl is going to be the Jr. Bride in her wedding, and I am going to be the Matron of Honor.

 Here is my beautiful baby AKA The Queen, in her beautiful dress with tiara!

 Well, we needed to head to town to purchase her little dress. Let me say, it was very crazy in there. I remember the excitement I’m sure all of those future brides were feeling this weekend as they were trying on various dresses, standing on those platforms surrounded with mirrors so that they could see themselves from every possible angle.  The excitement of a new life, with their new husbands, the future unknown… I would NOT go back there if I had the chance! Ha ha… I love being in the place I now am in my marriage. I love that we have been through so much together, and survived it all. We know each others weaknesses, each others strengths.. we know how to push each others buttons, and how to avoid them. I love him, and I know without a doubt that he loves me… unconditionally.

Well… once we left the Bridal store, we headed to the MALL!!!!

As soon as we walked in, we spotted the picture booth… we all tried our best to jam in there and be seen .. we succeeded most of the time.

I have only been to the mall a handful of times in my life… literally… I never liked going as a kid, it was too much commotion, to large of crowds, to noisy. My girls on the other hand, do not seem to have shared my dislike. They had a blast! I just wish I could have had a little more money to spend on them while we were there. My youngest rode on the escalators for the first time. She was shaking a little bit, but she was excited.

We hit all sorts of stores, but my oldest was the real reason we went, she had Christmas money, and it was getting hot in her hands.  She spent a little bit at Bath and Body works. She found lots of sales on Scented Hand Sanitizers and carrying cases. She even purchased a couple for her two sisters and a friend, she found some wonderful smelling body spray.  She also spent some money at Victorias Secret.. (she only purchased 3 shades of lip gloss, one of which I found out later she purchased for me). I was able to purchase some body spray and bath wash for myself there, called Pure Seduction! It smells divine!!!  

After leaving the mall with aching feet, we went to Chili’s for a late lunch and to discuss the up-coming bridal shower!

After lunch we headed to Old Navy where each of the girls left the store with something, and I made sure to purchase a couple of shirts for Knuckle Head… I knew he would feel left out if we came back with nothing for him. I know he had a blast as well, since he and hubby went hunting all during the day while we were shopping.

On the way back home we stopped at Starbucks… I ordered a Mocha Frappe, and my best friend ordered a Mint Mocha Frappe… that was my very first Starbucks drink!

I really enjoyed myself and am looking forward to another trip soon!

I am thinking we will need to head back there so I can find myself an Anniversary Outfit, especially since we will be renewing our vows…

So much fun! 


Oh... and on a side note... this Saturday while we were enjoying our shopping day, another one of my husbands nieces was enjoying her baby shower... where she received this from me.

She said she loved it!

Part 3 - Our 10th Anniversary & Giveaway!!!

(If you missed it, you can still read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 4)

Eww... I really dislike this picture :) 

… as I walked into the living room, the air was thick with awkwardness.  I really wish I could say that while we sat there, we just clicked… that we had these long, in depth conversations that went on and on for hours… that the time just seemed to pass us by we were so captivated by each others company. That was not the case… I was so excited and so terrified at the same time.  We sat there, not really knowing what to say to each other. After a short amount of time my Aunt suggested we go outside.  We had a patio table out there with plastic lawn chairs surrounding, all of this sat underneath a tree in our yard. It was nice to get out of the living room and enjoy the nice fresh air… it wasn’t yet steamy hot in the Summer, and the mosquitoes were not terribly bad yet either.

However, getting Daniel to talk was like pulling teeth! He was very quiet by nature, as was I, and I’m sure now that I look back on it, he was just as nervous as I was.  Every now and then I would gather up enough courage to ask him a question… usually he would respond with a quick answer and then silence would fill the air once again.  He may have asked me a question or two, I more than likely responded the same way… short, to the point… over.

I sat at the table, picking little pieces of plastic off it, my head down… trying to think of some way to get him talking. I wanted to know everything there was about him!  I finally decided that I might have been making him nervous with my nervousness and I would “play it cool”.

I allowed myself to just relax… I had this… I was going to pretend I was not wearing my brothers long jean shorts and my hair was not a total mess!  I leaned my plastic lawn chair backwards, so that it was standing on just the two back legs as I was sitting in it… and slowly, began to rock back and forth.

The rocking motion kind of got my mind off the whole awkward silence of the evening.  After a few minutes the mood started to lighten up and conversation really began to flow. I can’t tell you what the conversations were about, not because I don’t want to, but because that was 13 years ago and I honestly have no idea what they were. The only thing I can tell you, was that about 10 minutes into the good conversation, as I was still rocking on the back two legs of that chair, I felt the gravitational pull increase towards the rear of said chair!  I shifted my weight towards the front thinking that I could sort of counter weight it and bring the front legs back safely down towards the ground. In the meantime, Daniel jumped up and was going to grab the chair to keep me from falling backwards… simultaneously, the chair stopped in mid fall, and for that single moment… it seemed as if it were going to land softly back on all four legs… Daniel, satisfied that I had everything under control, sat back down in his chair. About the same time he sat back,  the two back legs of the chair I was sitting in… buckled.. and backwards I fell…

I lay there… still in the sitting position… still in the chair… the chair on the ground… I had a wonderful view of the stars in the night sky.  I didn’t want to move… I didn’t want to get up… I didn’t want to face anyone… I wanted to sink into the ground.  My brother-in-law was rolling with laughter, Daniel was smiling, trying to be sympathetic, trying his best not to laugh…but hey.. it was hilarious!  My Aunt was the only one composed enough to ask me if I was o.k. in which I replied “yeap”. Despite the fact that I looked like absolute horridness, despite the fact that I could not calm down enough to be myself around this guy I have been thinking about all this time... despite the fact that this all seemed like a dream, and a nightmare at the same time... and that I just had the most embarrassing moment of my life, in front the only crush I had ever had... I was o.k.

Eventually I got up, excused myself, and went inside to regroup my thoughts … and what little was left of my dignity.  When I gathered up enough of that dignity to go back outside, the ice was definitely broken… apparently by my head hitting the ground!

Conversation between Daniel and I wasn’t flowing steadily at this point, but it was definitely getting better!

He came to visit me again the next night, and the next, and the next, and that went on for months. I figured if seeing me at my worst dressed, worst hair day, and at my clumsiest didn't scare him away... I didn't know what would. 

One day while we were having a conversation, (conversation was better as we warmed up to each other) he asked me if I had ever been to Grand Isle, Louisiana, I told him I had not been there before. He said he thought I would like it there, and that he would take me one day. I liked that idea…

To be continued…  

(Till this very day, he laughs so hard he can barely tell the story of when I fell backwards out of my chair)

Read Part 1 to learn what you can win by a simple comment!

I am a Christian, not a Saint.

I am a Christian, not a Saint.

I have a prayer life, I try and seek God… I try and search his words before I make any move, but there are times when my flesh takes over and I do things my way… often to my own destruction.

I love my children , I would do anything for them, anything to protect them… but I do raise my voice at them, I do grow frustrated and I do yell…  I am more patient today than I have ever been, but I still lack.

I love my husband, I cherish him and respect him like no one else… but he does get on my nerves at times.

I love when my house is clean and fresh smelling… but with a husband, four children, and a full time job, more times than not… that isn’t what it looks and smells like.

I have courage, as a daughter of the one true King I like to be able to say I know my worth… but there are times when the enemy will use people to get to me, to break my confidence, to wear me down.

I try my best to love everyone with a Christ-like love, but there are times when people push just a little too hard and it makes it very difficult.

I know that my body is my temple… but it’s still flesh and bone, I do not exercise as often as I would like, and I do indulge in Caffeine and junk food.

I still get jealous, not as much as I used to, but I still do just the same.

I am human. I am a woman of God. I am not without fault. I am not perfect. I am a work in progress.

 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6

20 Questions and Quilts!

20 Questions for Year 2011

The quilt I made my grandma, complete with an inscription of

her favorite verse Psalm 46:10  Be Still and Know....

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

~God opened the door for me to be able to lead a pre-teen girls ministry. This was a seed he had planted in my heart 10 years earlier. I had many times tried to start a ministry in my own time… it was when I least expected it that he opened the door wide open for me to lead a ministry that was already there!

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

~Having my husband leave out of state, across the country and away from us for three months! It was the longest me or our children had gone without him. It was very hard being without him and I pray that we never have to go through that again.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

~I met two wonderful, spirit filled women who have became dear friends to me. I have not had many close friends in my life outside of family, and even less Christian friends. I am so thankful God sent these women into my life, and at the time I needed them the most… when my husband was away from home.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

~Finding out I was in the beginning stages of Cervical Cancer was very unexpected. I still have to go back in a couple of months to make sure the procedure removed it all. I am praying that I am clear and it stays that way.

5. Pick three words to describe 2011.

~Grace, Love, Fulfillment.

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011

(don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

~Crafting, Loving, Sincere.

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).

~Challenges, Uncertainty, Peace.

8. What were the best books you read this year?

~The Essential Guide to Healing, and So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore.

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

~My Hubby, my Children, Natasha, Janet, Bethanie & Natalie – My Best Friends.

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

~I was able to more regularly stop and seek His guidance before each move I took. This was something I would always do every now and then before… before life would get in the way. I have been able to focus more on Him this year.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

~I am the kind of person who worries about what others think of me, too much… I was able to step back and realize that I will never be able to please everyone all the time, and that as long as I was obeying and following my Lord and Savior, no one else should matter.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

~This year, more than any other, I have constantly searched for His face, constantly wanted to read His word and study books on His miracles. I have had some major “Ah Ha” moments.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

~I have actually shrunk a bit in the weight area! Lol. I don’t think there is much more change than that physically. I might have a few more grey hairs popping up, and a few more wrinkles here and there… but for the most part, I’m still the same.

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

~I have learned to just let go of hurt, I have learned to just forgive and be free from those feelings. I have began to learn about giving of myself even when I don’t feel like it. I have grown closer also, to the girls in my ministry class.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

~I like that I am free to take off whenever there is a problem at home I need to take care of. I like that I can make up lost time whenever I need also.

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

~Sometimes, people surrounding you who are not actively growing in their walks with God, can be harsh. My mind is almost always at home, with my family, with my duties, with my children. I would love to be able to stay at home with them once again.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

~I can’t say there was any one thing that really wasted my time, or made me waste my time. I pretty much try to balance things out as much as possible. With working full time outside of the home, I have so little time to work with from the get go.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

~Spending time with my family and friends.. creating handmade gifts that loved ones will treasure for years to come. I love to create and craft, and to be able to do that and at the same time give from that gift… there are few better feelings.

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

~I am so excited to have made my first few quilts. This was something I had always been a little scared to try, and now I think it is my new obsession. I know not “life changing” but for me very exciting. I was able to make memory quilts for my sister and brother-in-law out of their fathers shirts… something they will cherish forever. I was able to make a quilt for my grandmother which she will hold on to until the day it’s passed back to my family… with even more meaning than the day I made it… for I will know that each morning when she awoke, she covered herself with that quilt while reading her bible and sipping her coffee.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.

~This is the beginning of the works that He has planted in my heart; I can’t wait to see the fruit.

 The baby quilt I made for an upcoming shower

 Do you gals think this would sell? I am thinking of adding them in my shop when I re-open on Etsy..

This one is going to my husband niece, who is expecting a little girl she will name Addison.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year!

Book Review - The Essential Guide to Healing

Wow… is the only way I can think to sum up this book. I really didn’t have high expectations when beginning this book, but I was not disappointed.

Growing up in a full gospel apostolic Pentecostal church during my childhood, I witnessed miraculous healing among other miracles performed… it was just the norm for us.

I never learned how to pray for healing for others, until I read this book!

The majority of this books gives you the background of each of the authors, it gives you, in detail, their first hand experiences of being healed through the power of prayer. It also gives some examples of healing they have witnessed.

They go on to tell you of the research and studies they went through, and the history and background both biblical up to today that supports or denies healing power of prayer.  They give you all the knowledge they obtained throughout the years in a few chapters at the end of the book…  they teach you about Words of Knowledge and the different ways you can receive them. They teach you about how to identify the source of the health issues of individuals so you can know better how to pray for healing, and they give you examples of prayers for each circumstance.

I don’t think there was anything they could have added to this book to make it any better than it is.

I have already passed this new found knowledge on to a dear friend, and I know she will enjoy it as much as I did. I feel as though I am now equipped with the power to make a difference in this world, and in the lives of those around me.

I will definitely pass this book around, and once it has made its pass, I will keep this on my book shelf for future needs.

You can view the first pages of this book here.

Also, I need to inform you that I received a copy of this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review… which I have given.