No more coasting!

I am committing right now to living up to what God has for me in every area of my life! I am no longer going to settle for second best! That doesn't mean that I am going to do everything or anything, for that matter, perfectly! But, it means that I am going to seek Him for His priorities in my life and put myself fully into those things!

I have really been struggling the last month with figuring out how to handle all that I have on my plate! I feel like I've not been doing anything well! I feel like I've been spread thin and worn out! I feel like I've been living in survival mode and not accomplishing the things that go beyond necessary! I can honestly say that if I evaluated my life in the last month I couldn't point to one area and say I did that well! I have felt overwhelmed and defeated and questioning if I'm really where God is wanting me right now! After closer examination, other than maybe a couple things, I think that I am where God wants me to be, but I need to allow Him to begin to show me how to make it all work!

So, I am determined that I am going to find His priorities! I want Him to show me how to make this all work instead of feeling defeated when I can't handle it all! If I am pursuing the passions that He has placed in my life, then He will enable me to accomplish those things to His satisfaction! I want each of the things I do each day to be done for His glory! I am going to push through those times of discouragement when it feels like I can't do it all, because you know what, I can't, but He can! I am going to keep evaluating what I am doing and figure out which things either need to change the way I am doing them or need to go all together! An area I really struggle with is organization and time management! I know that to make this all work, I have got to figure out how to better manage my time. I am trusting that God will help strengthen me in this area.

It is my goal through my blog to help others who are struggling with the same things that I am! I hope that if someone else is feeling that same way that you can find the way to live up to the potential that God has placed in you as well! If this is an area you are also struggling with and would like to share and have someone pray for you, I would love to hear from you! You can comment on here or send me a message. I would love to pray for you to be all that God wants you to be! I honestly believe that Satan would love nothing more than to keep us in those places of defeat! Feeling like we can't accomplish what we need to! When I feel overwhelmed, it seeps into every area of my life! I want to help other women to step into the fullness of what God intends for them!

My Baby's First Day of Kindergarten!

Well, it is official! I am no longer the mother of a preschooler! It's hard for me to believe! I have been the mother of a preschooler for over 10 1/2 years now and can't believe that I have all school age children now! Where have the years gone? It seems like just yesterday that I was bringing Lance home from the hospital! Our sweet little baby boy! And, now here he is all grown up and headed off to school! I keep telling him that he grew up way too fast and he keeps telling me, "No mommy I grew up at just the speed God made me too!" He doesn't understand how fast the years have gone for me! To him, heading off to school has taken an eternity! He's been ready to go since he was 2!

I managed to put him on the bus with all smiles and feeling proud of the grown up boy he has become! But, now as I am writing this, the tears have started flowing for the first time! The reality of that time that is gone is setting in! I know, I am too sentimental and emotional, but he is my baby! I want to keep him that way!

Just wanted to share some pictures of his first day! Hope you enjoy them!

Kissing my baby goodbye!

He's ready!

They're all ready for their first day of school!

Bus stop buddies!

All grown up!

Excited to go!

See ya later!

Kindergarten pals!

His first step on the bus!

I Don't Have to Understand!

The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? Proverbs 20:24 NLT.

Such a short verse, but exactly what I need to hear! I'm a person that likes to know the plan! The Lord has been showing me that there's a bigger picture. That when we're walking through difficult things, that we're only seeing that part and not all of it! So, I've been learning to accept that and trust that God is in control and will use things for His purposes!

But, I'll be honest, even though I am learning to trust Him through things, all too often I am still trying to figure out the bigger picture. So...... as I was just wrote the previous sentence, it hit me is that really trust??????? Or, is true trust when you don't even have to know how God is going to use what you are walking through until HE is ready to reveal it to you?! It may sometimes be while you are in the middle of it, sometimes it might not be till years later and other times we may never even realize what the purpose was!

So, the challenge that I face is to stop trying to figure it out! I don't need to understand! I just need to walk in obedience, trusting the One who is leading me because He is directing my steps!

Discouraged or Refined?

Last Sunday we were talking about David in our Sunday School class and I was sitting there thinking about all the difficult things David had walked through in his life. God had promised him he was going to be king, but for a long time everything that was happening in his life seemed to be opposite of that! How easy would it have been for David to get discouraged or give up on God's promise! To think Samuel must have heard wrong or that he misunderstood what Samuel was saying!

But, although we see there were times when David was feeling down, he always kept his eyes on God and his faith was strong! David always knew that God had chosen him to be Kind and even though he didn't know when, he knew it was going to happen!

We discussed that man had chosen to have a king and Saul was placed in that position! God chose him but because the people demanded it! Saul was not a bad man when he was chosen. So, what was the difference between Saul and David? David had all those years of struggling to build character and dependence on God! He was refined! God removed the pride and self-reliance from David that Saul eventually struggled with so much!

So, when you really believe that God has promised you something or called you to something and everything in your life seems to be pulling away from that, maybe you are in a time of refinement! Maybe you are walking through things that will better enable you to serve His purpose in the right timing! Hold on to your faith! God is always faithful!

Free Crazy Love Book (or other Francis Chan book)

Just wanted to let you guys know about this great deal I heard about at Money Saving Mom! You can get a free Francis Chan Book! I've been wanting to read Crazy Love and now I can get it for free! How awesome! I'm so excited! I already ordered mine! Don't know how long this deal will last, so grab it right away!!

Inconvenience.........or Blessing in Disguise??

Do you ever have times that something you have planned gets rescheduled? Do you get frustrated like I sometimes do? I had two days in a row like this last week!

Last Thursday was a day that started out from the very beginning of not going the way I planned! I had an important phone appointment that afternoon. They didn't call and didn't call, so I finally looked at my phone and realized that my daughter hadn't hung up the phone earlier! So, I was frustrated because this appointment was very important! I had to reschedule for the next morning.

As it turned out during my appointment at the rescheduled time, I was able to share some of the ways God has been providing for us. I just felt like I was to share. I had been scheduled with someone else for the original appointment and wouldn't have been able to share with this lady. I will never know if or how what I shared will impact this lady, but she seemed encouraged!

On Friday evening the threat of thunderstorms caused us to push our plans to camp out with friends back a night. It wasn't a big deal, but it was disappointing for my family! Well, because we didn't camp on Friday night, I was able to go to yard sales on Saturday morning. I was able to find some awesome deals. Some of the things I found were things that we were getting ready to go buy and I found them really cheap! It saved us a ton of money! Wouldn't have been able to be there if our camp out hadn't been rescheduled!

How often do I grump around or feel discouraged because things don't go the way I planned? But maybe, even more that I realize, it's God's way of putting me in a better place at a better time for His purpose and even my good! I will definitely start to look at these "inconveniences" a little differently now and try to find the blessing!

Perfect Preparation!

Every experience God give us, every person He puts into our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see. ~~Corrie Ten Boom

Wow! There have been so many things going around in my head since I read this quote this morning! It is relevant in so many areas of my life right now, and it is only one sentence!

First of all, even those difficult times that we walk through help to define us and prepare us for what God has purposed for us! At the time, we can't think of anything positive that could come out of that situation, but God can use it to refine us and prepare us for what He has later!

Another thought I had is that sometimes we meet people and at the time have no realization of how important that "chance" meeting might be someday! We never know which person we meet that may end up being a very important part of the plans God has for us!

The final thing I've been thinking about, is the part about the future. There are times when I feel like the Lord is preparing me for something and I get impatient because I'm not exactly sure what it is and I'm not seeing anything happening yet. He's been teaching me that sometimes the preparation can take a while! He begins to place that yearning and allow certain pieces to fall into place long before the actual moment He's been preparing us for is here! I believe that He takes so much pleasure in that time of us seeking Him and simply trusting Him as He shapes us and molds us for that exact thing He wants us to do. And, when that moment comes and you look back and you see how all the pieces fit together, WOW!

Okay, so now the moment of truth! I had written out what I wanted to post before I left for a little while this afternoon. I came home to not so great news which made me stop and think do I really, truly believe any of what I just wrote! I do! I needed to type this to remind myself how much I believe it and how much God has been faithful in the past! He WILL be faithful again! It's part of a bigger picture, the future that only He can see!

Steven Curtis Chapman - Miracle of the Moment - Lyrics

I know it has been forever since I've blogged at all. My life has been nuts the last two weeks and I just haven't found the time! Earlier this week I was riding in the car and Steven Curtis Chapman's song Miracle of the Moment came on the radio. The lyrics really jumped out at me like they never had before! Listen to the song and really read/listen to the lyrics!

As the words settled into my heart, I felt very convicted and challenged! Just the day before I was lamenting all the choices we've made that we would do differently if we could go back and change them! Well, you know what, we can't, and even if we could, would we be better off to? Yes, we would've made some wiser choices and prepared better for the time we are in, but would we be the people we are today without the circumstances we've walked through? Would we know God's grace and provision to the same measure?

How often do I get caught up worrying about the days to come and what's going to happen if... I have come a long way in learning to trust the Lord with our future, but have to admit that I still have many days where I am worried and trying to figure out how to "fix" our problems!

So often we become so caught up in regretting our past and worrying about our future that we miss today! I was really challenged that the only thing I can do anything about is today! Yes, we need to be wise and prepare for our futures, but you know what, if I seize today and walk in obedience to my Lord today, my future is resting in His hands and what better place for it to be!

Matthew 6:25-27

New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

I am glad that I serve a God big enough to redeem my past and hold my future! I can let both of those things go and claim today! I challenge you to join me in living in the moment and looking for God's miraculous hand all around us! God is so good and He doesn't want us to live feeling defeated or overwhelmed by guilt or worry! Let Him carry your load so you can enjoy the day that He's given you!

Precious Little Zane (and his family!)

Just the dark before the morning!

Last Saturday morning I felt like the Lord was wanting me to share from my heart some of the things He's been teaching me about trusting Him. It was a busy day with no time to write anything so I waited. Well, by the end of the day the enemy had attacked and had me feeling discouraged and alone! The days that followed were more of the same. I was believing my emotions and not truth!

Well, at this point, I felt to share what God has been teaching me about trust would be hypocritical. So, I waited.

Well, last night a dear friend shared with me that when we have come through this difficult season of our lives and see what God has brought us to, we won't even think twice about the things we've endured! Then, today I heard the song "Before the Morning.

Before the Morning by Josh Wilson

Do you wonder why you have to
Feel the things that hurt you
If there’s a God who loves you where is He now

Maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening
To bring a better ending

Someday somehow you’ll see you’ll see

Would you dare would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

My friend you know how this all ends
You know where you’re going
You just don’t know how you’ll get there
So say a prayer

And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot
It might take a little time but you’ll see the bigger picture

Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory

It’s just the hurt before the healing
Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

Funny that often when God is trying to tell us something, He will tell us in more than one way from more than one source! God is good! He holds my life in His hands! He sees the bigger picture and I just have to trust Him!

For any of you who may also be walking through difficult things right now, I encourage you to trust the One who does see the bigger picture! He loves you and He sees the better ending! Unfortunately, all we get to see is the chapter that we are in! Keep fighting the good fight! He will bring you through! He loves you!

Learn to Coupon Series!

For all of you who have been wanting to learn more about couponing, check out this couponing series at For The Mommas! The series is going to be a 30 day series in June! This is one of my favorite blogs for finding good deals and weekly lists for each store! I'm sure this series on couponing will be great! I will definitely be checking it out!

Free Homeschool Tips Ebook

Download this free ebook Homeschool Tips From a Homeschool Veteran at www.smockityfrocks.com.

Free Brunch eCookbook

You can go to Mr. Food to download this free Best Brunch Recipes ecookbook!

Light Bulb Moment

Several years ago, the Lord began to speak to me through a specific passage of Scripture and a particular song. At first I had no idea what He was asking of me or us. So, I prayed and I had other people praying, seeking God for what it was He was calling me/us to!

After months of pressing in, I thought I had a break through, and heard what God was calling us to! We did a lot of praying and background work etc, and were excited at first, but as we tried to move forward, we just didn't really feel a peace or the ability to move in that direction at that time!

My thoughts were either I misunderstood God or the timing wasn't now! So, we continued with life, but it has always still kind of been there hanging over my head! Sometimes I would doubt my ability to hear God's voice because I must've heard wrong! Other times, I'd feel guilty because what if I had heard right, I didn't feel like we were doing anything to prepare ourselves for this calling! But, I always just kept coming back to, God, I don't understand but You do! Show me in your timing!

Well, yesterday, someone was talking about the song that God had been speaking to me through and it was like a light bulb went on! I now believe that what God had spoken to me , I had taken in a physical sense, but He had meant it in a spiritual sense in regards to something that wasn't even a thought in someone's mind yet back then! But, God had called me to pray for His work even then! How awesome is God?!!!

How much less stressed would I have been had I just taken the call to pray and allowed God to reveal the "how" in His timing instead of asking Him to show me "how" and worrying whether or not I was missing it! He's got it under control! He can get my attention when He needs to!

$1.00 Movies at Valley Mall This Summer!

Thanks to For the Mommas for sharing this great deal! Go here to see the movies being shown this summer and Regal Cinema locations!

Pocketful of Posies: Free Play Dough Recipes E-Book

Thought this looked like it might be a neat free download! Thought I would pass it on!

Click on the link below.

Pocketful of Posies: Free Play Dough Recipes E-Book

Sweet Rest!

I had one of those days today! Started out with getting the kids into the car to leave for work, only to find that our cat got trapped in our car overnight and had pooped! Oh joy!

Got to work and the day just seemed to continue to hold its negative course that it had set out on that morning! Things weren't going great with work, I was having issues with kids, etc., etc.!

After supper I was doing the dishes and I thought, "I just feel weary!" Immediately, the Lord brought, "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest!" to my mind! My response was actually, "How do I do that?"

I realized that I have known this verse and believed it was true my whole life, but I don't totally know how to live it!

I prayed, Lord how do I actually find sweet rest? So, I read Matthew 11:28-30.

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I felt like I was to read it in The Message. I've never read this passage in The Message before and was interested to see what it said!

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Am I tired? Yes! Am I worn out? Yes! What's His answer? Come to Him, get away with Him! Then, He'll show me how to take a real rest! I need to walk and work along side Him, to watch and see how He does it!

So....I am on a mission to pursue the sweet rest that Jesus has for me! I am going to do my best to watch how He does it and pattern my life after His! To let Him carry my burdens!

FREE Download – Adventures in Odyssey: The Meaning of Sacrifice

Here's a free download for all of you whose kids like Adventure in Odyssey! Go here for more details.

Free Ebook: A Praying Life

Right now you can download a free copy of A Praying Life by Paul Miller for your Kindle for free at Amazon. If you do not have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle apps for your computer and many phones.

I have not read this book, but it's free at right now, so I thought it would be worth reading!

Adobe Photoshop Elements only $39.99

Right now you can get Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for only $39.99 after Rebate! This is a great deal! Normally $99.99! So, if you've been thinking about buying Photoshop Elements, now is the time to do it!

Found this on Saving Cents with Sense. I think this may only be good for today.

Was also informed they have great deals on this at LA Cameras right now. There is an Elements version with PrintShop and Scrapbook Creator Plus also included for only $39.95.

I need help!

Okay, so I desperately need some help! Can anyone give me some advice on how to help my kids keep their rooms neat???

I feel like I am constantly nagging them about picking up their rooms! They'll "clean up" their room (which will take forever) and I go in and it looks like they haven't done anything. So I go in with them and we work on it together and get it looking acceptable and by the next morning, or later the same day, it looks like a tornado went through again!

You have to understand, I'm not even an overly particular housekeeper! So, it's not like I'm asking for perfection, just presentable! I'm tired of the ongoing battle!

Do any of you have any suggestions of what works to help them keep it from getting such a mess and to remove the frustration? I feel like I'm constantly on their case and that's frustrating for them and me!

Homemade Spice/Seasoning Mixes

One way that I've found to save money and be a little healthier is to make my own homemade seasoning mixes. Here are links to some of my favorites.

Taco Seasoning

Chili Seasoning

Ranch Seasoning

Pumpkin Pie Spice

I hope you enjoy these! If any of you have any suggestions for more homemade seasoning/spice recipes, please feel free to share! Always looking for more!

Free Soooo Sweet Stevia Sample

Go to the Frugal Girls website for a free sample of Soooo Sweet Stevia!

Sweet Baby Caleb

A few of the pics of Caleb! What a sweetie!