We celebrated Madelyn’s third birthday party this weekend. So, for my Top Ten today I give you my favorite pictures from her party!

For breakfast I let the girls have toast with Nutella as a special treat. Love their Nutella smiles!

The cake! It was a little lopsided and I had a super hard time using the frosting pouches and tips from Cake Mate (never again!!) so my writing was a little off. But still…

The theme was  just a Flower/Butterfly theme. Madelyn couldn’t decide one so I finally just picked some cute, matching party goods from the dollar store and went with that. I don’t think she really cared what the theme was!

This was the smallest party I’ve ever had. There were all the kids I invited, minus one. Madelyn doesn’t like a lot of commotion or large groups of people so a large party wouldn’t have been what she really wanted. We had a simple cook out.

Love this picture of Madelyn trying to open her gift. Like it required a lot of exertion! She received a lot of Barbies and Barbie stuff. She loves them. With every gift she would say ” I wonder if it’s a Barbie?” and then gasp and “oooh and aahh” over each new Barbie she got.

This is the best picture I got of her in her party dress. We got a lot of complements on it. My mother in law has good taste! From now on you’ll notice Madelyn is holding that Mermaid Barbie in.every.single. picture. She literally did not let go of  it for two days.

Cake time! She didn’t have any, by the way. Once she opened her Mermaid Barbie we didn’t see much of her after that. She’s my loner and perfectly happy playing in the corner by herself.

Madelyn holding her Mermaid Barbie? Check. Madelyn not eating her birthday cake? check.

For party games, I turned on the sprinkler and let the kids throw water balloons. Mike had them try to get the water balloons in the little basket ball net. They had a blast! I love this picture of the exploding balloon in Katelyn’s hands.

Post water play snack. Madelyn did not participate in any of the water play and instead chose to watch holding her Barbie.

This picture was taken after everyone left. The girls sat on the deck and played with Madelyn’s new Barbie Camper. It was so cute to listen to their play. It was a perfect day for a third birthday party and we all had a great time.

For more Top Ten Tuesday head over to Oh Amanda!

Now that Katelyn is the ripe, old age of almost five we are having to start thinking about schooling for her. As much as I want to hide my head in the sand and pretend she’s not getting old enough for school already, I can’t. This year she will go to “Kindergarten” at the private school she went to Pre-K for last year. But technically she isn’t old enough to go to Kindergarten so if we put her in public school next year, she’ll have to do Kindergarten again. We are considering homeschooling next year. It’s a big decision and one we aren’t taking lightly. In fact, I’m glad I don’t have to make that decision just yet!

We were homeschooled until Junior High and ended up skipping grades because we were ahead.  Our situation was a little different since we were missionaries to Brazil and came back to the USA every couple of years on furlough. During that time we’d travel all over the country visiting churches. Homeschooling gave my parents the flexibility they needed to continue our education while traveling all over. They also wanted us to have an American, Christian education and felt this was the best option all around at the time while living in Brazil.

Many of my cousins were homeschooled and did just as well. I’ll have to admit to dreaming about going to school once I started getting older. It seemed like such an awesome thing! Well, once I did start going to an American, Christian school it didn’t end up being all that I had dreamed that’s for sure.

Anyway, I survived and feel like I have a unique view on both sides of the homeschooling versus public schooling debate.

I’ve noticed that homeschooling has become a lot more popular these days. Even non Christians are doing it. It used to be a “Fundametalist Christian” thing and now everybody is doing it for different reasons.  However, depending on where you live it can be popular or not so popular.

If I were to homeschool I’d be the only person in my area that I know that’s doing it. No one in my church homeschools (as far as I know) and none of my friends do here in Massachusetts.  I wouldn’t have much family support here for it either as my husband’s family don’t seem to be supportive of the idea or like it much. My family thinks it’s great but they’re all the way in Texas!

I know there’s a certain stigma that goes with homeschooling: socially awkward children, education depending on the quality of the parent’s teaching skills , narrow minded, fundamentalist, and children unable to function in society. Comments like ” Ooh, they’re homeschooled. Thaaat’s why.”

However, there are so many options that homeschooling families have today to cover all the social and education bases that things that once seemed like huge obstacle, aren’t anymore. Things like extra curricular activities, sports, clubs and lots of social interaction at church. ( If you’re a church going family, that is).

So, needless to say this is something I’m praying my heart out about right now. My husband is kind of letting me take the lead on this since I’d be the one doing most, if not all, of the educating.

My Top Ten today deals with questions/ fears I have about homeschooling and the reasons why I want to do it.

1.What if I can’t explain a concept very well to her and she is not getting it?

2. What if I find homeschooling a certain someone very frustrating and don’t have the patience for it?

I have worked with her on preschool and pre-k concepts and we can really butt heads!

3.What if she hates it and begs to go to school like all of her friends?

4. Will people stop and ask us why my kids aren’t in school like they did us?

Whenever my mom used to take us out to the store or to run an errand  during school hours when we were back on furlough some nosy person would inevitably ask why we weren’t in school at the moment. So my mom had to launch into the homeschooling explanation and then the missionary explanation. I used to die of embarrassment.It got to the point where many times we just stayed home until school was out just to avoid the nosy questions. I preferred it that way! I know that’s not a big deal now and most people probably wouldn’t ask.

5. What curriculum is the best and most simple to teach?

6. What if I feel a continual lack of support in doing this? Like we’re the odd ones out?

I can’t stand nosy, contrary people and I don’t want or feel the necessity to constantly explain myself all the time about our choice. I know for some people homeschooling is a hot topic and they are almost offended by the idea. I’ve seen many parents act as if I’m saying they aren’t good parents because they put their kids in public school.

7. Will my girls feel like they “stuck out” like I did because we were homeschooled?

Reasons why I’m considering homeschooling:

8. My children would get a Christian based education here at home. We would teach them the values we believe in and Creation based science concepts.

9. I like the simpler, slower. flexible pace of homeschooling. There would be no rushing to school in the morning and then rushing out to pick my kids up. There would be no trekking through the snow every morning with all of our gear. In and out. In and out. I feel like the time spent learning would be more efficient.

10. There is lots of one on one attention in homeschooling. Smaller class size for sure!

Do you homeschool? Are you planning on homeschooling?

On the flip side: Do you hate homeschooling and think it’s a terrible idea?

I’d love hear from all of you!

For more Top Ten Tuesday check out Oh Amanda!

Anyhoo…moving on!

Dare I say it??

Fall is not far away. ACK! Back to school is not far away. Double ACK!! Everyone around me is buzzing with back to school shopping and talk of the school bus coming.Even though Katelyn isn’t technically really in Kindergarten yet, she’ll be doing Kindergarten at the little school she did Pre-K at and I have to drive her half an hour and back every day. Not really looking forward to that! But when the tuition to a good, cute little school is paid for you, you can’t complain!!

I am SO NOT READY for Summer to be over. And it happens all to quickly here in New England. Fall here is beautiful. I love Fall. However, Fall being here signals the coming of a long, depressing, dull and disgusting winter.

I LOATHE winter here.

However, there are a few things I’m looking forward to come September. I truly enjoy the month of September to December 31st. It’s January to April that I don’t like!!

I present to you : Top Ten Things I’m Actually Looking Forward To In The Fall

1. My birthday in September. Wait….maybe I’m not looking forward to being a year older!

2. Being able to start singing in our church choir.

3. Helping start up a missions themed Wednesday night Bible club for the kids at our church. I’ll be teaching the 2.9-5 year old’s. It’s going to be great and I hope we have a good turn out for it.

4. Halloween. I love Halloween! I’ve always loved it. I know many Christians “frown” on it but I love seeing my girls dressed up in their costumes, trick or treating, school parties and our church’s big Trunk Or Treat event. I think my love for it goes back to when I was preschool teacher and we had so much fun decorating out classroom for Halloween and the kids all came dressed in their costumes for our big party.

5. Finding out the gender of our baby in October! I can’t wait for that. I’ll also enter the second trimester here so that will be a great milestone as well.

6. Apple and Pumpkin Picking.

So fun! There’s nothing  like  biting into a chilled, crisp apple right from the orchard

7. The sights and smells of Fall.

Love the crisp- but- not- freezing air. The Pumpkin Spice candles. The beautiful colors.

8. Thanksgiving.

Who doesn’t love that time of year. Thanksgiving and then…. Christmas! Wait, did I just say Christmas?? But it’s August!

9. The return of “Glee”.

Need I say more?

10. Being able to start buying new, cute maternity clothes.

I’ve only ever been at the end of my pregnancies in the summer and beginning of Fall. I’m going to have to buy winter maternity clothes. I love maternity clothes because they are comfortable, cute and give me a good excuse for showing my belly. (That’s already there in the first place! Ugh.)

For more Top Ten Tuesday and to link up head over to Oh Amanda’s blog! It’s fun!

I’ve really wanted to try the Once A Month Cooking (also known as Freezer Cooking) for a while. Since I’m totally new at this I’m starting slowly and cooking only a few things at a time. (And hopefully I can make it only once a month!)

Here are ten foods I’d like to start cooking in bulk:

1. Whole Wheat Pancakes.

I think these are healthier choices than cereal and toast every morning. We also love them for dinner too. (With grilled kielbasa. Yum!!) I usually make them with flax as well. Mike will only eat plain ones but the girls and I like banana and blueberry so we’re getting some fruit in there too. You can look up whole wheat recipes on Cooks.com or Allrecipes.com. I want to make a huge batch of them and then freeze them in smaller portions. When we want a pancake I can just take it out of the freezer and defrost it!

2. Whole Wheat/Grain Waffles.

I got a waffle maker for Christmas a couple of years ago and have used it once.  Waffles are a fun alternative to pancakes and I like them for all the same reasons I like pancakes!

3. Homemade Granola Bars.

I haven’t found a recipe I just love yet but I’m going to keep trying. The ones posted at Kitchen Stewardship sound great so these will be the ones I try next. The last batch I made (with chocolate chips) tasted like dessert so I wasn’t convinced it was that healthy. I can make a big batch of these and freeze some of them. Again, I’ve been using Cooks.com or Allrecipes.com for these. If you have a delicious, healthy granola bar recipe please share it with me! As a side note, I’ve also heard plain, homemade granola is really good too. I want to make some of that as well.

4. Homemade Smoothie Pops.

I made these a few weeks ago and they were a hit!

5. Homemade Muffins.

Again, I try to make these with whole wheat flour, flaxseed and blueberries. We like corn and bran muffins too. There are some good recipes online too. I’m still in search of the one I like best.

6. Taco Meat.

I want to start precooking and freezing taco meat in bulk since we love tacos around here. If I keep several cans of refried beans and tortillas on hand that’s a simple and easy meal on weeknights and especially for weekends when we’re most tempted to eat out.

7. Homemade Calzone.

I make a super easy calzone. I make the dough in my bread maker and then roll it out. I then cook up ground beef and mix it with cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I lay the mixture on one side of the dough and then fold over the other side of the dough and pinch the edges. Then I bake it at 350 degrees until it looks done. I know this version doesn’t sound very healthy so I’d like to modify it a bit (Adding tomatoes, onions and mushrooms maybe?). Although, I’ll probably be the only one to eat that one. I want to make a couple of these and freeze them. Can I freeze them unbaked? Does anyone know?

8. Oatmeal Cookies.

I really want to find a healthy(er) oatmeal cookie recipe to make. (Sans raisins since we don’t like them in baked goods). I think that would also make a great snack and dessert. Mike loves them.

9. Fajita Chicken.

Another meal we love. I want to make it in bulk and freeze smaller portions so it’s ready to go on a weekend when mealtime rolls around and I don’t feel like cooking. (Thanks to Kathy at House Of Hills for this idea.) I love it with peppers, mushrooms, onions and avocado. Mike and the girls will only eat them with chicken and cheese. We’re going to have to work on that…..

10. What foods do YOU make in bulk? What is your go-to, must have freezer recipe? Please share!!!

For more Top Ten Tuesday head over to Oh Amanda!

We had our very first yard sale this past Saturday. Mike and I were both a little excited and a little nervous about having one. We didn’t know what to expect and were hoping our junk treasures stuff would sell.

It was quite a first time experience. So, in honor of our interesting first yard sale experience I give you:

Top Ten First Time Yard Sale Lessons

1. People don’t care if your yard sale sign is up. Or, if you’re technically even “open for business” yet.

Our yard sale wasn’t supposed to officially start until 9 am. We didn’t put our yard sale sign up until 9:00. However, we had some people show up at 8 am while we were still setting up and bringing boxes out of the garage. There’s nothing quite like having people dig through boxes of your stuff chattering away in Spanish to each other. I actually felt kind of violated! I know that’s irrational since I wanted them to look at my stuff. I was standing right there and they were digging through my stuff , talking about it and carelessly throwing it back in the box.

Humph!

2. Old Hispanic women can haggle.

Let me tell you, the biggest deal seekers and hagglers of the day were the Hispanic women who barely spoke English. We had a couple of families come where the young son had to translate for his mom. One woman came and wanted to pay ” two dollah !!!” for my more expensive stuff. We were selling my old KRAZR phone and Mike’s 4 month old Blackberry (Sans chargers. We couldn’t find them!) We didn’t have a price on them but I was figuring maybe $10-$20 a piece. Maybe?? To be honest I really wasn’t sure! Well, the “two dollah!!!” lady came over and guess how much she offered for each of the phones?? You guessed it! Two dollars. I was appalled and told her son that no way we would sell the Blackberry for two dollars. He explained this to his mom. Then she offered “fy dollah!!” for both of the phones.  And Mike took it! (In his defense the Black Berry was a work phone that his company gave him and then upgraded to a different phone and network four months later. We didn’t actually pay for the Blackberry ourselves.)

3. If it’s out, people will try to buy it.

I had my reusable water bottle filled with water on one of the tables and this lady picked it up, looked at it, then opened and shut it. I told her that it wasn’t for sale because I was drinking from it And she said ” Oh.” Shrugged,and put it down.

4. Yard sales invite “interesting” people on to your property.

Exhibit a) The religious nut who came and tried to un-convert Mike and then convert Mike again to Christianity. Apparently Mike wasn’t on the “right track” when it came to his salvation. Satan was going to draw him away from God. We have to have the Bible in Hebrew to understand it and we need to use a concordance. Have we studied Revelations? Our church needs to be teaching that. Oh, and the story of Adam and Eve is all symbolic and not quite like the Bible explains it. Satan seduced Eve to have sex with him. The whole “not eating from the Tree Of Life”  is symbolism for seduction and sex. Therefore Cain was Satan’s son and Able was Adam’s son.

Yes, Mike patiently listened to this  man and argued with him for about half an hour.

At the end of it the man shook Mike’s hand, thanked him for his time and told him he was impressed at how firm Mike is in his beliefs. However, he’s on the right track but needs to open his mind a little more to the truth.

Exhibit b) The older lady with the throaty voice who had the sides of her head shaved but the top of her hair grown out into a pony tail. However her pony tail was sectioned off into two parts with a shaved strip  in between. She had heavily tatooed, muscular arms,needed a heavy upper lip wax, and had hairier legs than my dad. She loved our garage and the large work area and said she did word working for a living and loved tools.

Definitely not your typical granny.

5.  If you don’t close off the gate leading higher into your driveway  and to the garage people will wonder into your garage thinking you’re selling stuff in there too.

We have a long, sloping driveway that is sectioned of by a gate. We live on a busy street right by an intersection and if balls, or God forbid, kids start rolling down the driveway they’ll end up in the street. Behind our gate is also our huge garage that has a lot of Mike’s tools and equipment. The doors were left open because we had been carrying stuff out.  We had to escort several people out.

6. Someone will inevitably want to buy something from your garage that isn’t for sale and you will inevitably ask them how much they are offering for it.

This is the reason I no longer have a changing table. A young women saw it and loved it. I told her that it wasn’t for sale and she went on and on about how it would go great with her decor. I told her they sell them at Babies R Us. ( It truly is nothing special. A standard, light wood changing table!) She offered me $50 and I sent her home with it.

7. No matter how much stuff for sale you have out people will still ask ” is this it?”

8. The elderly who come to your yard sale will want to chat for a long time.

9. People will buy anything.

Anything.

10. It will start pouring rain with two hours left in your yard sale and you will start rushing to put stuff back into the garage. People will stop by anyway and ask to look at your stuff as you’re putting it in the garage.

By the time we had everything put away in the garage we were SOAKED. It was kinda fun, though.

We actually had fun and  plan on holding another yard sale soon! We also made some pretty good cash. If you’ve never had one you should do it!

For more Top Ten Tuesday go check out Oh Amanda for more great Top Ten posts!

I started reading “The Power Of A Praying Wife”  by Stormie Omartian for the second time this summer. I love this book. I know I need to read it at least once a year to keep reminding me of what I need to pray over my husband about.  Stormie points out that a mother’s prayers for her son are important but his wife’s prayers are even more important! She reminds us in her book that praying for our husbands isn’t about what we want to see changed in them but about what God wants to do and see in their lives. And if there are things that really do need to be changed in our husband’s lives  that God is the only one who can do it and not us. It’s not until I read this book last year that I realized I was not praying enough for Mike. There are so many areas of his life that I could be praying over and I wasn’t! Part of learning to pray for our husbands is also learning to pray for ourselves and how to be better partners.

Stormie details 30 areas (yes, thirty!!! Who knew?? ) of our husbands lives that we should be praying about. And they are all important. Depending on your marriage some areas may need more prayer than others. I have picked the top ten that I find the most important for Top Ten Tuesday.

1. His work.

My husband works hard and long hours. He’s Engineering Manager for a biotech company. It’s a stressful job. He’s responsible for a lot of deadlines and budgets.  His work drains him mentally and physically sometimes.  He is one of those guys who takes his work seriously and gives %110. Many times I feel like his employers take advantage of him because he is such a hard, honest employee and willing to go above and beyond his job description most of the time. I pray that God will give him wisdom, peace and energy throughout the day. And that his employers will appreciate his work and compensate him accordingly.

2. His Purpose.

Similar to praying for his work, if my husband does not feel fulfilled in his life’s work he will not be happy. So I pray that God will show Mike his purpose in life. Mike has a huge heart for ministry and is talented in teaching and descipleship as well so if he is not involved in church ministry in some way he doesn’t feel like he’s truly doing all he should be doing for the Lord. Stormie writes:

” You can always tell when a man is not living in the purpose for which God has created him. You sense his unrest. You get a feeling something is not quite right, even if you can’t put your finger on it.”

“…a wife can’t put pressure on her husband to be something but she can pray for him to become it.”

” Whatever God has called your husband to be or do, He has also called you  o support it and be a part of it, if in no other way that to pray, encourage, and help in whatever way possible.”

I don’t want to be a hindrance to God’s purpose for Mike. I want to be an encourager and a blessing.

3. His Health.

Because Mike is in a high stress, long hours job he doesn’t have a lot of time to take good care of himself. I have worried about how stress and poor eating can affect his health negatively. He doesn’t exercise consistently ( pot calling the kettle black on my part???) and wasn’t eating  healthfully most days. He’s a BIG guy. 6′7 and 370 pounds. BIG. He (we) have struggled with our weight since we’ve been married. He’s a uber picky eater by nature and vegetables and fruit I(or any healthy food for that matter) have not really been on his menu for most of his adult life. I can attest to the power of prayer by the fact that in the past year Mike’s tastes for healthy food have changed considerably! I started making Mike’s lunches so that has forced him to eat healthier. He has started taking salad’s to work ( something his family NEVER thought would happen!) and he started eating an apple at breakfast every morning.

Stormie writes:

“Your husband’s health is not something to take for granted, no matter what his age or condition. Pray for him to learn to take proper care of himself, and if he becomes ill, pray for him to be healed.”

“It seems to me that God is interested in healing, and he didn’t put a time limit on it; only a faith limit. ( Matthew 9:22)”

My prayer for Mike is that he would learn to take better care of himself and also to listen to the signals his body is giving him to take it easy or to go to the doctor when needed. (You know how “tough” men can be!!)

4. His Protection.

As I mentioned above, Mike’s job keeps him working long hours. He works an hour away. He has to commute to and from work in horrible weather during the winter. He also has to commute when tired and sleepy. Many a times he has nodded off while driving and that scares me to death! I’ve prayed often for Mike’s safety while driving to and from work. Your husband may be in a line of work (construction, military, police officer, firefighter etc) that puts him in harms way. Praying for the Lord to put his hedge of protection around him is something you need to do daily.

Stormie writes:

” Our husbands are on the battlefield every day. There are dangers everywhere. Only God knows what traps the enemy has laid to bring accidents, disease, evil, violence and destruction into our lives….. That’s why prayer for your husband’s protection needs to be frequent and ongoing. You never know when it might be needed in the battlefield. And if something happens, you’ll have the comfort of knowing you’ve invited God’s presence and power into the middle of it.”

Not only do we need to pray for physical protection but also for mental and spiritual as well.

5. His Trials.

Stormie says it best:

“Everyone goes through hard times. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes our prayers help us avoid them. Sometimes not……A wife’s prayers for her husband during these times may not change some of the things he must go through. After all, if we never suffered anything, what kind of shallow, compassionless, impatient people would we be? But prayer can help him maintain a positive outlook of gratitude, hope, patience, and peace in the midst of it, and keep him from reaping the penalty of a wrong response.” (italics mine)

6. His Integrity.

I’m not bragging when I say that Mike is a man of Integrity. It’s just a fact! He is one of the most noble, honest people I know. When I pray for his integrity I don’t pray for him to have it, I pray for him to keep it.

Stormie writes:

“Integrity is not  what you appear {italics hers} to be when all eyes are on you. It’s who you are when no one is looking. It’s a level of morality below which you never fall, no matter what’s happening around you. It’s a high standard of honesty, truthfulness, decency and honor that is never breached. {italics mine}It’s doing for others the way you would want them to do for you.”

” A man of integrity says something and  means it.”

” A man of integrity “swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psalm 15.4) He will keep his word even if it costs him something to do so.”

” Your prayers can help shield him from anything that causes him doubt and waver, and gie him strength to do what’s right- even when no one’s looking”.

In a world where it’s so easy to take the easy way out, let’s pray for our husbands to be men of noble character.

7. His Relationships.

Does your husband have a wonderful, steadfast, godly friend? Mike has had some that have come and gone in his seasons of life. Good friends are truly hard to find unless the Lord is in the search. My prayer right now is that he will find a wonderful, loyal and godly friend for this season of his life. We all know how much our husband’s friends can influence them. We need to pray for godly couples to come into our lives and be a wonderful source of encouragement and friendship to both of us.

Stormie writes:

“Being  good friends with godly people who love the Lord, doesn’t just happen by chance. We must pray that such people will come into our lives. And then when we find them, we should continue to cover the relationship in prayer.”

” Pray also for your husband to have godly male friends. And when he finds them, give time to be with them without criticism. Those friends will refine him. “  As iron sharpens iron,s o a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17)”

I also pray that Mike will continue to have a good relationship with my family and his.

8. His Fatherhood.

Mike is a great father and great provider. One of my duties as a wife is to pray continually that God will give us both wisdom to parent our daughters. But we all know that fathers play a huge role in our children’s lives. A role that sometimes is underrated and underestimated. A father’s relationship to his children is unique and special. I pray that Mike will continue to have a close relationship with our children throughout his life.

Stormie writes:

Men don’t always realize how important they are to their children. They sometimes fell they are only there to provide materially for them. But the importance of a father’s influence can never be underestimated. How he relates to his children will shape their lives for bad or for good. It will change his life forever ,too. For if he fails as a father, he will always carry that sense of failure with him. If he succeeds, there will be no greater measure of his success in life.”

9. His Marriage.

We must pray for our husband’s marriage… to us! I think our marriage is something that many women automatically pray for since it’s something so close to our hearts. Or maybe your marriage is so great you don’t feel the need to. Cover your marriage in prayer. It’s the best thing you can for both of you!

Stormie writes:

“Praying about all aspects of marriage keeps the concept of divorce from gaining any hold. So we mustn’t neglect the major issues, even if we think they don’t apply to us.” {italics mine}

” Pray that your marriage is a place where two agree so God will be in the midst of it (Matthew 18:19,20)”

” Don’t take your marriage for granted, no matter how great it is……Pray for your marriage to be protected from any person or situation that could destroy it……Pray that God will make your marriage a source of joy, and life to both of you, and not a drudgery, a thorn, a dread, an irritation, or a temporary condition.”

10. His Obedience.

The Lord speaks to us as a couple and also individually as a husband and as a wife.We each have our struggles and issues we are working on, with the Lord’s help. We do our best to keep each other accountable. Sometimes the Lord gives extra insight about a path the other is headed down.

Stormie writes:

If you clearly observe your husband walking down a wrong path, should you say something? If so, how much should you say and when is the right time to say it? The best way I’ve found to proceed is to take it to God first and weigh it on His scales……You can encourage him to do what’s right and pray for him to do what’s right, but ultimately it’s God’s voice that will have the greater impact.”

” A man who does what God asks, builds his house on a rock. When the rain, floods, and wind come and beat on the house, it won’t fall (Matthew 7:24-27). You don’t want to witness the downfall of your house because of your husband’s disobedience in any area. While it’s not your place to be either his mother or the gestapo, it is your job to pray, and speak after you’ve gotten your orders from God.”

I highly recommend  reading this book if you haven’t. Not only have I learned to pray for my husband but I’ve learned more about myself and how important MY prayers are. It touches so many different areas of prayer there’s no way your husband could NOT be covered in God’s protection and blessings when you pray over these things.

For a not- as- dragged- out Top Ten Tuesday head over to Oh Amanda!

I love journaling. I’ve been journaling since I was thirteen years old. There have been a year here or there that I stopped for a time. But I’ve always picked back up. I have a storage tote filled with all my old journals. I love going back to read them from time to time. Sometimes I laugh. (I was very dramatic with my writing in high school. ” I just know so and so and I are meant to be together!!!”)  Sometimes I cry. Certain things I wrote about bring back strong emotions and almost transport me back to that time. I’ve recorded the time leading up to my wedding, the day I found I was pregnant with both girls, and my feelings the night before their births. I’ve written about hurtful things or confrontations I’ve had with people. I’ve vented and written in huge letters to show that I was angry and yelling at God. My journal is where I write my deepest thoughts.   Do you journal? If not, I’d like to give you some  reasons and tips to start!

How To Start

1. Buy a journal you enjoy writing in.

It can a plain old notebook but I suggest a nice hardback journal. Something that feels special to write in. I also have a specific size I like as well. I want the journal to be pretty because I’m going to spend several months looking at it and putting my thoughts down on paper. Use whatever works for you and makes you happy. It may even be your computer. I still prefer the pleasure of writing by hand.

2. Start writing once or twice a week.

If this is your first time journaling you may even feel a little silly writing random thoughts and feelings on a paper. Start  purposefully putting something in your journal once a week.  Write about your day. Write your thoughts on something. Write WHY you’re starting this journal. Write a poem. Whatever you feel like writing, write it. No matter what it is. Once you start doing that you’ll find that you look forward to it and want to write more as time allows.

3. Write about anything.

And I mean about anything. It’s your personal journal. For your eyes only. You can write any way you want. It may seem like everything has to be formal and proper when you first sit down to write.

It doesn’t.

Since it’s your journal you can be as random and disjointed as you want. Or as proper and  put together as you want. Remember this is for you. It’s supposed to be fun. If sitting down to write a formal and proper entry makes you dread it- don’t do it that way! I write in my journal like I’m talking to a friend. I even start every page with “Dear Diary” still! I use my own short hand for some stuff. Sometimes my handwriting is sloppy. Sometimes it’s neat. Some days I write slowly. Others I’m writing so fast that I have to read my writing a couple of times to understand what I wrote. Some days I put my thoughts in bullet format. Some days I write in large paragraphs. I write about my week. I write about my kids. I write about how I feel about something. I’m not formal at all. My purpose is to get my thoughts, feelings and memories on paper. I find writing in my journal liberating, therapeutic and freeing.

4. Use highlighters, markers and stickers.

Yes! Let out your inner teen-aged girl.  Write a Bible verse that is special to you in purple marker. Highlight it. Write your husband’s and your name inside a heart.  Be silly and have fun. If something great has happened to you  write it in big letters with a marker and put stickers around it! That’s what I do! You may feel silly shouting it to your neighbor but you can shout it out on paper. With sparkly stickers!!

Why Journal:

5. Journaling is a great way to record memories, special events and special dates.

Yes, scrap books and baby books are great. But sometimes there’s little things that you may not be able to put in a scrap book or baby book. Maybe their are little things that are just for you to remember.

In the back of my journals I keep a running list of special dates that happened during the time I used that journal. For some reason, I’m a stickler about remembering and knowing the right date for certain events and occasions. So  I record it.  The day we went to the beach last summer. The days I had my girls’ birthday parties. The week we went to Texas in October and the list goes on.

I also use my journal as a scrap book and baby book of sorts. I glue pictures that are special to me in the pages. Movie ticket stubs to a movie I found particularly enjoyable. Programs, invitations and any other miscellaneous thing that I find special. Whatever little thing that holds some special memory or thought I glue in those pages. In one of my journals I have pressed some rose petals from the bouquet of roses Mike brought home to me the night we found out I was pregnant with Katelyn. I have notes and letters from friends from highschool in my high school journals. Again, you can put whatever little scraps you want in your journal! I recommend that you do just that. It may sound silly and juvenile but you will find that those little bits and pieces of your life you put in there become little treasures later on.

6. You can record how far you’ve come.

Since I write very personal things in my journal I’ve been able to see how far I’ve come in certain areas of my life.  Whether it’s weight loss, an exercise program, something you’re asking God to change in you…write about it! Then see how far you’ve gone in six months. It’s encouraging and eye opening.

Remember the list of dates I wrote about above? Some dates are special only  to you. The day you feel a certain prayer request was answered. The day you had a special “epiphany” about something. The Bible talks about how important it is to remember what God has done.  I find this a great way for myself to record and remember what God has done in my life and how He is stretching and increasing my faith. And it’s all in baby steps. Those steps need to be recorded.

7. It’s therapeutic.

Sometimes we just need to get our emotions out there. We disagreed with someone at work. We can’t stand this person at church but don’t feel right talking about it.  We feel betrayed by a loved one. We’re feeling a little depressed and lonely and don’t know why.  As women, there are certain emotions, thoughts and feelings we have that our husbands may not understand. Or, that they may not want to talk about over and over again! There’s also a certain amount of guilt we feel about even feeling a certain way about something. We have issues we need to work through. You can write that in your journal. Get those feelings on paper! You will feel a lot better. I’ve filled up a few pages with big , angry handwriting. I’ve written things like WHY, LORD?????  Or SO AND SO IS SUCH A JERK!!!  I’ve even just written I’M SO MAD RIGHT NOW!!!!  “UGH!!!” and “GRRRR”.  Yes, I’ve written those things.  As petty as it sounds I’ve written it. It enables me to calm down, get some perspective and move on.

You can learn a lot about yourself when being completely honest in your journaling.

8. Record prayer requests and Bible verses that are close to your heart.

I LOVE reading a journal from the year before when it seemed like God wasn’t going to answer a certain prayer. Only to see recorded in my journal how God did answer that prayer the following year.

It’s still fun ( and heartbreaking at the same time) to read my thoughts and feelings on when I was trying to get pregnant for the first time. How upset I was. How angry. How jealous. And then to read in the very next entry that I found out I was! It was great to read my thoughts from one week to the next. To say how God changed my life in an instant. Those are great reminders of how God is working in our life. When you need some reminding go back and read what you wrote in a previous journal.  On many occasions I’ve also taken a whole page to write “GOD IS GREAT!!!” AND “THANK YOU, LORD!!!” (Lest you think I only write in big letters when I’m upset)

9. Write a journal for your children.

If you so choose, you could write a journal dedicated to your children for them to read in the future. You could journal your thoughts and feelings on them as they grow. Write words of encouragement. Then give it to them at their highschool graduation.

10. Record poems and words to songs that touch you.

There are many songs that are meaningful to me. I’ll write them in my journal to help remember the words and further impress them in my mind and heart.

I hope that if you have never journaled before that this post will help encourage you to do so.

If you do journal, do you have any other thoughts on it?

For more Top Ten Tuesday check out Oh Amanda!

If you’re like me I’m guessing that your favorite Fall season shows have just had season finales (or series finales..Lost…..sigh). You’re sad but, hey, new seasons of Summer shows are starting. Yay! Since my Summers are usually a bit more relaxed and flexible I have more time to catch up on shows. Here’s a list of what I’m watching  this Summer and/or catching up a bit on this Summer. (er… hopefully)

1. Season 6 of Lost

I’ve watched 5 seasons plus 1 episode of season 6 since about March of this year. My hubby and I love this show but I don’t think we’ve gotten the full effect of loving this show since it started six years ago and having to wait for a new season to start each year. I’ve had to refrain from reading any recaps of season 6 or the grand series finale. I’m pretty sure I’m going to host a finale party of my own for anyone who wants to watch it again.

2. So You Think You Can Dance

I’ve been watching this show since season 2 (I believe). LOVE IT. I always get attached to a couple of dancers. It’s the only show in which I call in to vote.

3. Drop Dead Diva

Season 2 just started on Lifetime.  It’s a cute, chick flick type of show. I was able to watch the first 5 episodes of season 1 on Hulu before they pulled them. It’s very entertaining. And definitely a girly type show.

4. TrueBlood

What can I say? Season 3 starts next week.  It’s a guilty pleasure.  Twilight it’s not. Team Bill or Team Eric? *Because real Vampires don’t sparkle….

*Just ribbing on Twilight. I love Twilight too!

5. The Gates

I think it’s another vampire drama type show. Looks intriguing. It’s so new I couldn’t find a picture to post put in this post!

6. Season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy

No, I didn’t get to watch most of this past season! Hopefully it will show up online again

soon.

7. 24

I’ve been told we MUST watch that show. Thankfully, if we subscribe to Netflix, we’ll have many seasons to catch up on.

8. Lie To Me

We’ve watched a couple of episodes and really liked it.

9. Modern Family

Mike and I both think this show is really funny. Not sure where it is in the season or if it’s over yet.

10. What show do YOU think I should add to my list?

For More Top Ten lists head over to Oh Amanda. She’s got a great link up going!

I’m totally killing two birds with this Top Ten Tuesday. My daughter’s first dance recital was this past  Saturday. It was so cute and she did so great. It was very long. Three hours long! I’m being told that that is normal time frame. I had no idea!  My two year old cried through half of it which took away the fun a little bit. However, I did get some great pictures. So, in honor of that, my Top Ten today is my favorite 10 pictures from her dance recital and a small recap.

These were taken before we left for the recital.

Madelyn had to copy her big sister

This move is called “twinkling” which I think is so cute!

Sadly, our dance studio allows picture taking only during rehearsal. So these are from the rehearsal.

All of us moms were holding our breath during this move since the girl to the far left had to slowly walk backward into Katelyn’s arms and then both of them were to walk back into the third girls arms and so on down the line of dancers until they were in a little “train” line. We were all waiting for the domino affect to happen but it never did!

These were taken after the recital. Katelyn thought getting flowers was so special. Her nana and papa got her some pretty pink roses and we got her a mixed bouquet. She loved the pink roses but I could tell was somewhat underwhelmed by the mixed bouquet!  Since we’ve been really working with Katelyn to be tactful in what she says to others she says to me ” Mom, since I don’t want to hurt your feelings I’m going to tell you that I like your flowers.” Yep, still needs a little more work!

The dancing queen with mommy, daddy and sister.

Me with my dancer

As you can see, Top Ten Tuesday is pretty easy, fun and flexible. Join in at Oh Amanda!

My Top Ten today is a list of my favorite memes and ones I’d like to participate in one day! I know many of you probably already participate in many of these but you might also see a new one you might like.

1. Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you’ve ran into this meme each week!

Amanda hosts this fun weekly meme where we can list a Top Ten of whatever we want! Top Ten Things You Like To Eat. Top Ten Favorite Shows. Top Ten Things You Love About Your kids. Top Ten Things That Annoy The Heck Out Of You. (I’m currently working on that one…)

Get the idea? It’s fun! Link up!

2. Not Me Monday at MckMama.com

MckMama started this meme a while back. It’s a meme where we can publicly confess the non perfect person/mom/wife/ friend etc we were the past week by some of the things we “hypothetically” might have done.

3. Losing It- at House Of Hills

A continuation of a fun, 10 week weight loss challenge several of us Bloggers participated in a few weeks ago. Kathy has graciously agreed to continue it on her blog as a way for us to keep going with our weight loss goals and to keep each other accountable each Friday by linking up. I was knocked off the  proverbial wagon a few weeks ago (so to speak) and I plan on getting back on soon and losing another 10 pounds. Can’t wait to link up again!

4. Wordful Wednesday- At Seven Clown Circus

Many of us love Wordless Wednesday but, well, can’t keep from actually making it wordless! Wordful Wednesday is for you if you fall into this category. You can post a great picture (or two) and write as many words about it as you want!

5. Works For Me Wednesday- We Are THAT Family

Got a tip that has worked wonders for you in your home or personal life?Write about it and link up! You’ll find lots of useful information in this meme and you may be able to make a difference in someone else’s day with your tip.

~Here are some memes I would love to participate in at some point!~

6. Things I love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries

Have something you love to use/eat/read that you can’t stop talking about? Is there a cleaning product that has changed your cleaning routine for the better? A book that has changed your life? Write about it and link up at The Diaper Diaries and share it with everyone else.

7. Feed Me Books Friday- at The Adventure Of Motherhood

I love to read and I love to read to my girls. Adventure Mom Janna has created this meme to share great books she has read to her daughter and invites us to share too. You’ll want to check these books out and read them to your children! What a great book list!

8. Real Clean Wednesday…. at iDream Of Clean

Join Christine as she shares wonderful cleaning tips and tricks on Real Clean Wednesday. Not only will you gain some new tricks from her but from the other Bloggers who link up as well. A plethora (yep. I finally got to use that word!) of cleaning and organizing advice from real, every day women on one page! I guess I don’t have anymore excuses for being a poor housekeeper, huh?

9. Saturday Stumbles-  at It’s Come 2 This

Mandi invites us to share some great blog posts that we’ve read the previous week from other bloggers. She graciously Stumbles other people’s blog posts that she finds interesting and/or useful so other people can be blessed by them as well. I haven’t personally Stumbled anything yet but I most definitely read some great blog posts each week.  This is a great way to share some bloggy love and give props to inspiring, informative or touching blog posts.

10. Kid-Terview Friday- at Simply Mel!

This is shameless self marketing right here, folks. What is this meme all about you ask? (And poo on you if you didn’t.) This is a meme (is it a meme if there’s no link up?) I created a while back (on my old blog) where moms  can submit an interview that they’ve had with their child and I post it on my blog(along with an adorable picture of said child) each Friday.  The interview questions can literally be whatever you want. I was able to post several cute and funny ones. It’s amazing how the mind of children work!! It was also fun to see the questions that the moms came up with. Some of them were very creative! It’s a great way to showcase how cute/precocious/funny/brilliant/ adorable your kid is and have all the readers agree with you in the comment section!  I’d love to start this meme back up again. So, if you’re interested in submitting an interview with your child let me know!  Here’s one that was submitted a while back.

Have a Top Ten list and no where to put it? Write about it and link up at Oh Amanda.