a new song

The Nativity Story, part 2

2011-12-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Matthew 1:18-21 (ESV)

The Nativity Story, part 1

2011-12-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

[Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat]

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

(Luke 1:46-55 ESV)

livin' on cruise control

2011-09-27T15:59:00.002-04:00

I got in the car today and headed to the next town, but something just wasn't right. My car didn't want to stay at the same speed today, it just kept slowing down. I'd speed up again and set my cruise control, only to have the car slowing down again. Then I realized what was wrong. My cruise control wasn't working. I tried at least 5 more times to get it to work, but as much as I wanted it to, something was just not right.

Pretty much anytime I'm driving on the interstate, I set my car on cruise control. Even if it's just for a few miles, it's become somewhat of a habit. I set the car on cruise and just relax my foot for the drive. Too often I find myself just letting my brain go on cruise control as well and that's when the problem starts.

I remember the last time I was pulled over was on a Sunday morning. Yes. It was about a year ago and I was taking the very familiar drive to church, about to turn on the interstate when I saw the flashing lights. And it felt as though my heart just stopped. And when it started again I realized I had been completely lost in my thoughts, just letting the car drive me to my destination.

Bad things happen when we just let ourselves mentally "coast" while driving and in life. Thankfully, that morning, the "bad thing" became a good thing because it came in the form of a warning.

If you were to look up cruise control on wikipedia, here's the "definition":

Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or autocruise) is a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver.

Yes. This is just a definition about a device, but I think the key is how something else "takes over" the course that the driver has set. When I use cruise control, my foot is essentially not in control of the speed of the car for as long as I let the cruise control it.

It's funny because I really use cruise control to keep me out of trouble by keeping my speed in check. But when I let my mind wander, there's where the problem comes in.

And this is what I was thinking about today...when I was jolted by the fact that my usual way wasn't working...for too long I have been on cruise control spiritually. We were never meant to cruise through life without consideration. In fact, we are warned in 1 Peter 5:8 to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

For me, I'm realizing now how I have been on cruise control in several areas of my life. Food is a big one. So now, I'm having to be on extra alert to make changes that would have been more apparent had I been watchful for the enemy trying to fill me with physical pleasures instead of the spiritual pleasures I was made for. I can tell this is going to be a tough journey because cruise control has become my norm.

So as you pray for me, I will be praying for you. What areas of your life have you placed on cruise control? Together, let's be watchful of how the enemy is seeking to devour areas of our lives that belong to God! I'm right there beside you trying to keep my foot on the pedal...or better yet...letting God take control.

mid week momfessions!

2011-01-25T14:21:00.001-05:00

My momfession this week is...I want my child to be organized!

And he seems to be jumping on board...I love it! When I thought Elijah was playing with his trains in his room this morning he was actually organizing his train accessories and his cars. Reason #3498 why I love that kid!

Mom disclaimer...I actually did not teach him to do this...

Have a "momfession" of your own? Join in at my friend Sheila's blog!

One down...

2011-01-13T13:56:00.000-05:00

To tell you the truth, I'm not doing so well with my goals for this year. And yes, I know it's only the 13th of January. At least since it is the 13th of January I still have hope for the rest of the year. It's as if I wrote down these goals and every lazy bone in my body (all of them) decided to kick into full gear. Ugh.

BUT...I have completed one goal! We went to a great concert Sunday night. Justin and I had talked about going to Winter Jam and I'm so glad we did. We paid extra for VIP open seating and ended up on the FRONT ROW! It was just so great to be out with my husband for a night...enjoying time together and worshiping beside him. I love that he's a worship pastor, but I do miss getting to sing beside him in church sometimes.

ANYWAYS...here are some pictures we got at the concert. *Spoiler Alert* if you're planning to go to Winter Jam this year!

Chris Sligh

Chris August

Sidewalk Prophets

Red

Newsong

Francesca Battistelli

David Crowder Band

Us waiting on the final two groups!

Kutless

Very genuine group...loved them!

Michael Tate of the Newsboys

Newsboys drummer...hilarious!

I felt kind of old hearing some of my favorite Newsboys songs from "back in the day" that not too many people around us seemed to know! But at the same time...going to great concerts makes me feel younger....It was a great concert and time of worship!

Being Intentional

2011-01-03T13:48:00.000-05:00

Investing time purposefully

iN order

To be

Everything

that God

iNtended for me to be!

This takes planning, sacrificing my desires, and being

Interested in the things that really matter each day. I can
Only do this with God's power at work within me.
Nothing I do in my own strength has ever helped me to
Accomplish being intentional in the things that are most important in my
Life.

Heavenly Father, you know that I desire to live with intentionality and quit only having good intentions in every area of my life. Help me to rely on your strength each day, taking one day at a time to intentionally accomplish what You have placed before me to do. You are so patient with me and I'm humbled again and again that You will even allow me to be a part of Your great plan in people's lives. Help me to make my life matter for your kingdom by living intentionally with your purpose each day.

Amen

Phillipians 4:4-9

2011-01-02T21:05:00.000-05:00

Here is the first passage I am starting to memorize this year. Feel free to join in and let me know that you are working on memorizing scripture as well! These are some of my favorite verses to use in counseling, so I decided to start here.

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

(Philippians 4:4-9 ESV)

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sad that the 2010 Christmas season is over because I think it was one of my favorites. Our family enjoyed witnessing Elijah's first glimpse of the live nativity at our church, Justin and I got to lead the music at our first ever church Christmas Eve service, Christmas presents for our little man mostly involved trains and the names Thomas...and Emily...and James...and Henry....and Edward...(if you know what I mean!) and we were blessed by a sweet time of worship at our home with some musician friends and their families which we hope will be a first annual tradition. I'm blown away by God's goodness in our lives in 2010 and I really could enjoy another month just like our December was.

BUT I'm ready for 2011 as well. I'm entering this new year with great expectations for what God has planned for our family and how He can help me to reach some lofty goals I have set for myself! I want to share my goals with you for this year. I feel like they have been constantly on my mind, so I'm ready to get them in print and hit the ground running. Please join me in praying that we become the women (and men) God wants us to be in this new year. If any of these goals are similar to mine, let me know and we can check in on one another!

Personal Goals...

Memorize 30 scripture passages
Read every chapter in the Bible (though not necessarily in order because I have failed at that so many times)
Read 10 books (that I already own but haven't read)
Establish a consistent morning routine (exercise, prayer, reading God's word)
Establish a consistent nighttime routine (cleaning up the house, early bedtime)
Stop biting my fingernails
Go to a concert (or two!)
Merge this blog and my family blog (look for this in the near future!)
Establish consistent hours for counseling
Create monthly goals to accomplish as well

Household goals...

Not be embarrassed when anyone shows up unexpectedly (keep the house presentable!)
Find 2 more ways to be a little more green - and start doing it
Save for a new dining room table and chandelier (quit just wishing they would appear!)

Family goals...

Intentionally have guests over 2 times a month
Look for or make items to use for our Jesse Tree/Advent Calendar
Read Elijah's new Bible with him each day before breakfast and watch the DVD
Have many more times of family worship in 2011 than we did in 2010

If you are making your own goals this year, I'd love to hear about them! Also, feel free to print out a goals worksheet here. This is what I plan to laminate (with my laminator I got for Christmas!!) and put on my bathroom mirror for daily reminders of what I would like to accomplish this year.

Happy New Year!

musical monday

2010-11-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

I know I have shared how Keith & Kristyn Getty's music is such a blessing to me. They are "modern day hymn writers" from Ireland and God has truly anointed the words and music they share. We were blessed to see them in person at Southeastern Seminary and I'm so excited to see them in a few weeks as they help the choir at my parents' church, First Baptist Charlotte, lead worship for Christmas.

This song, Speak O Lord, is one I could and should sing or read everyday before I spend time in God's Word. It is a prayer for God to use His Word to penetrate us, challenge us, and change us. It is a reminder for me personally to read God's Word expectantly, and not casually.

I pray that this song will bless you today. I chose to share the live version of them singing at a church, even though the video quality is not best, because I love to watch Kristyn Getty sing. May God's Word penetrate, challenge, and change us each day!

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow'r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we'll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.

fall sensory tub

2010-11-04T20:15:00.001-04:00

Here's another fun activity we did with Elijah surrounding pumpkins. In fact, I have never seen Elijah get so excited over an activity, so I will be sure to expand on this one!

I have read about several sensory tub activities over at this website, but I just didn't get around until making one until last week. I had a lot of papers that I needed to shred, so I thought this would be the perfect time to hide some small pumpkins and gourds I had around the house in a "shredded paper sensory tub" for Elijah.

He literally played with this activity for about 45 minutes. And every pumpkin he found was accompanied with squeals of delight. I (of course) was so pleased and Justin and I had the best time watching him.

We had been outside earlier, which had turned into a major acorn-collecting adventure, so I decided to add a few acorns to the tub as well. Elijah had to have help with those, but again, he was SO excited every time he found another object.

Basically, you can use items such as rice, beans, or shredded paper like I did to serve as the main substance in a plastic tub. (It's also nice to have a lid so you can close it up for storage and use it again). Then add some larger items that can be hidden in the tub, preferably a themed object, to add focus to the activity.

We put a bowl beside the tub for collecting the items, which allowed us to encourage Elijah to count how many pumpkins he found.

I really was amazed at how much Elijah loved this activity. I should have videotaped his reactions as he found pumpkin after pumpkin. Hopefully your toddler will enjoy this activity. I highly recommend giving it a try! ...And it wasn't really as much mess as I had expected!

musical monday

2010-11-01T08:51:00.002-04:00

The children at our church sang this yesterday and it is so powerful. I couldn't wait to share it with you because it is one of my favorites. My husband hopes for the kids at our church to sing this at least once a year because it is such a short and clear message of the Gospel - the Good News in one verse.

If this message has not yet impacted your life, but you want to know how it can, ask me about it! And if the message put to this song has completely transformed your life, please share in the comments!

The Gospel Song - Sovereign Grace Ministries

a little craftiness

2010-10-30T11:22:00.001-04:00

I found this great idea for an easy and inexpensive Fall wreath here and here the other day, and since my doors are completely boring everywhere I look in my house, I couldn't wait to try it!

Too bad I actually found the brown coffee filters (which I had no idea existed), but our Wal-Mart did not have the styrofoam wreath ring that I needed. Since it was 10 o'clock last night and I had no other options of stores and being crafty was on my mind, I opted for a styrofoam ball and figured that I would attempt a coffee filter floral-like ball. (Whatever you want to call it!)

Here's how it turned out...

And here's how I did it...

It's not my favorite, but it was pretty easy and I can't wait to make the wreath version of it when I get the styrofoam ring! I just don't have a great place to hang the ball version of it.

Meanwhile, Justin was working on this...

His pumpkin version of David Crowder, who looks like this:

I just can't compete with that talent!

But, I made these while I was waiting on Justin to finish:

That's about as good as my pumpkin carving gets!

Yesterday, our little family came up with this:

So now my house is a disaster and I'm off to clean!

how to get the most out of swagbucks!

2010-10-27T14:23:00.002-04:00

If you haven't yet signed up for Swagbucks, you should do it! Go ahead, just take my word for it - sign up here!

But if you're still skeptical, here's the deal with Swagbucks. SB is an easy way to earn free stuff. If you use internet search engines often, then you should definitely sign up with SB as soon as you finish reading this! By searching through Swagbucks, you will randomly earn Swagbucks' "digital dollars." These can accumulate quickly in you SB account to allow you to save up for great free stuff (or swag).

So, here's my view on how to get the most out of Swagbucks once you sign up:

Use Swagbucks.com as your search engine. You will randomly earn different increments of Swagbucks as you search.
Definitely download the Swagbucks toolbar to make it easier to search through Swagbucks and keep up with your own account. You get one Swagbuck just for having the toolbar when you first open your browser each day, although this doesn't work in Google Chrome.
Take the daily poll on Swagbucks to get one extra Swagbuck per day.
Refer people to Swagbucks. This is the best way to earn more because you will get every Swagbuck your friends get, up to 1,000 SB. This really helps the SB's add up!
Choose a Swagbucks banner like those here to add to your blog or website so that others can find out about Swagbucks and start helping you earn more.

Become a fan of Swagbucks on Facebook to keep up with current codes to win more SB's.
Watch videos on Swagbucks TV to earn more SB's.
A new feature that I saw today - Sign up to receive 50 SB's every year on your birthday!
Check out the Swagbucks blog for randomly given codes that can be entered to earn more SB's.
Add a Swagbucks widget to your blog or website in order to refer friends and keep up with new codes to earn more SB's.

Swidget 1.0great free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

There are even more ways to earn that you can read about here. You can also find answers to frequently asked questions here. Read more tips about earning SB's here.

If you still aren't convinced that earning SB's is easy and profitable, then check out the possible free stuff you can get here. I have always bought Amazon gift cards with my Swagbucks, so those are my favorite!

Don't wait, start earning Swagbucks today!

Any other ways I missed? Any questions? - Just ask me!

musical monday

2010-10-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've been listening to our choir's Christmas CD nonstop in the car to prepare for our "cantata" coming up in a few weeks. This is one of my favorite songs, so I'm so glad Justin chose to include it this year. My favorite part is the repetition of the line, "things will never be the same" into "we will never be the same."

Indeed, Christ came and things were never the same. I pray that you have experienced Christ's forgiveness through salvation and that things have proven true to never be the same in your life!

Here are the words and music in video form. Don't worry, the first 30 seconds is a completely black screen!

commentary in a box

2010-10-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I was completely baffled about how to manage the growing pile of sermon notes I accumulated each Sunday at church. These 1/2 sheets of paper, full of great biblical wisdom from our pastor, stayed in my bible until I cleaned it out, made their way into various piles around our house, fell out in the car, slipped into drawers, but they were never where I wanted them to be when I wanted to reference them.

Enter a new system which I have dubbed Commentary in a Box:

Bible commentaries can be expensive, especially when wanting a complete set. If we are in church about 52 Sundays a year, those are basically free commentaries from our pastor!

Our pastor creates fill-in-the-blank notes for us each Sunday that are in our bulletin, so they have very practical information, but are not very practical for putting in a notebook to keep (unless you have a good idea to share with me). I wanted an easy way to house my sermon notes, including lots that I took when we attended chapel three days a week in seminary.

Just a plain (brown because I love brown) photo box was the answer for me. It just took a little time to round up my notes from piles around the house and then put them in order according to the Bible. Now, when I'm studying a specific section in Scripture, I have this extra commentary easily accessible. This works especially well because our pastor preaches mostly topigetically (somewhere between topically and exegetically for those who care). I found this fun to say made-up word here!

(Here are the first few in my box!)

Sermon notes could also be kept topically, though that might be a little more work to organize. Or they could possibly be ordered chronologically, especially if you write the date in your bible when your pastor preaches on a specific passage, like I have seen some people do.

I just wanted to share what I have found to work after years of keeping sermon notes but never fully utilizing them as an ongoing resource. Do you have any differently sermon note systems that have worked for you?

pumpkin decorating for a toddler

2010-10-21T10:16:00.000-04:00

I found this great idea in Family Fun magazine yesterday and couldn't wait to make it! Elijah has enjoyed a pumpkin decorating activity we found online here, so I knew he would like this magnetic version. It hardly took any time to make and so far he's loved it. I can't wait to make a snowman...and maybe a turkey?! This is a great activity for focusing on shapes and faces!

Here's all you need:

2 adhesive magnetic sheets (mine were about 5x7 that I already had and I think they're pretty cheap)
orange paper (I raided my scrapbook paper!)
black paper
scissors

Here's what you do:

Attach the orange paper to the magnetic sheet and cut the paper down to size. Cut out a pumpkin shape!
Attach the black paper to a magnetic sheet and cut out several shapes for eyes, noses, mouths, and anything else you want!
Put it on the fridge and see how long it takes your child to find it!

online shopping

2010-10-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

I just love shopping online...when we have money to shop with!

Heading into this Christmas season, I know shopping is on the minds of those who may be (the only one!) in charge of finding gifts for loved ones, so I thought I would share a tip that I have learned in the last year.

I love to read blogs about good deals and every once in a while there is a really good deal that I just can't pass up! For instance, yesterday, I bought a $100 Picaboo gift certificate for $35! And since I already have a photo book in the making on their website, I couldn't turn it down. (This was from Groupon....check it out!).

And again last night I saw on this blog that the Fisher Price Nativity set was 25% off at Family Christian Stores. I knew this was something I have wanted for Elijah, so it was a great time to snatch it up!

Here's my tip to possibly increase your savings even more when you are shopping online:

Google a coupon code for that specific store/website before you check out. This has paid off several times for me and last night it worked again! I just Googled "Family Christian Stores coupon code" and several websites came up.

My favorite website that consistently has working coupon codes is retailmenot.com. Last night, I found an additional 25% off code for my entire order at Family Christian Stores! The codes aren't always this good, but sometimes you can find free shipping codes or other percentage off codes to help with saving money. Any little bit helps! If you're interested, the code is 122501301.

I hope this helps to make your gift money go a little bit further this Christmas season!

And don't forget Swagbucks to make your purchases even sweeter! If you still havn't joined...now is definitely the time. If you're signing up for the first time, you can enter code SBTVisOnTheAir to start off with 30 swagbucks!!

musical monday

2010-10-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

There are some songs that I hear on the radio and just sing along with without even really knowing them. Today's song is an example of that. I was checking out another blog and ran across the live version of a song called "Your Hands" by JJ Heller. I had never heard of her, but I remember hearing this song on the radio.

The effortless of her voice in this live version captivated me and the words are so encouraging. I pray that you will be encouraged as well!

musical monday

2010-10-11T09:39:00.001-04:00

I don't think we can ever be reminded of God's love for us too much. His love reminds us that He chose us, He seeks a relationship with us, and we can have a relationship with Him because He sent His Son to die for us. His love is so great it is really indescribable. There is nothing we can go through where we aren't surrounded by His love, whether or not we are able to see it at the time.

God's love is amazingly limitless. With no limit. It's not going to run out. So no matter what you are going through, never think that God's love isn't big enough to carry you through. We can't exhaust His love, so we can have complete peace in that.

Great songs have been written about God's love. This song was one I first heard at Centrifuge camp in high school and I love it. I pray that it will encourage you today, as a reminder of God's great love for you!

In what ways have you been experiencing God's great love?

...back from vacation...

2010-10-06T23:25:00.000-04:00

We finally got a chance to enjoy some time away as a family this past week.

And part of me is still there.

And part of me was already there before we went.

It wasn't long enough.

But it doesn't matter how I feel, we're back. But along with the crazy change of seasons came another cold for me this year (more than I can ever remember having!)...so that is all my excuse of not blogging. My brain has been at the beach and now still feels "swimmy."

We didn't have the best of weather at the beach, but it was such a great time to get away and I went crazy trying to photograph our trip well. And that was so much fun! We stumbled across Fort Macon, which was an amazing place to take pictures! I LOVE taking pictures of Elijah, so I'll use any excuse to do so. And my husband surprisingly let me get some of him and he got in on the fun, taking pictures of me! Here's a taste of our trip through photos.

Thanks for being forgiving blog readers!

I know it's a gazillion pictures...but I just can't choose!

take a trip with me...

2010-09-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

...to my new blog!

We Could Blame Eve All Day...Or We Could Get Over Ourselves!

I've been praying and planning for this blog for awhile...and just dove in the other day! I hope you will join me in seeking to become less of ourselves and more like Christ as we counsel ourselves through Scripture. Head on over!

www.stopblamingeve.com

musical monday

2010-09-20T14:16:00.002-04:00

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

Wonderful, merciful Savior

Precious Redeemer and Friend

Who would have thought that a Lamb

Could rescue the souls of men

Oh you rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper

Spirit we long to embrace

You offer hope when our hearts have

Hopelessly lost the way

Oh, we've hopelessly lost the way

You are the One that we praise

You are the One we adore

You give the healing and grace

Our hearts always hunger for

Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father

Faithfully loving Your own

Here in our weakness You find us

Falling before Your throne

Oh, we're falling before Your throne

i heart the dollar store!

2010-09-18T15:13:00.002-04:00

In the last few months when I have been trying to keep up with Elijah's learning capacity and teach him new things everyday, I have quickly discovered the wonder that is called "The Dollar Store."

I have shopped at different dollar stores for random things here and there, but I'm so impressed with the teaching supplies that you can find! The store we have in our town is a Dollar Tree, so that's the one I really know about.

I don't have a degree in teaching or anything, but I absolutely love teaching my son. It's so much fun to watch such a little person absorb so much information. I like to teach him, but I'm not necessarily good at coming up with my own ideas, so that's where I especially rely on those who are homeschool or craft bloggers. There's just a ton of free information to find in the blogging world!

One idea I gleaned from a few blogs is the usefulness of bulletin board borders that you can buy in a pack at the dollar store. The ones I have found have 14 identical strips that you can use.

These are great for learning "games" around the house. (At least that's what Elijah and I call them!) I have used them as simple matching games so far. I just lay down a complete strip for Elijah to have and give him the pictures that I have cut out and laminated from another strip that he can match up.

I just went to the Dollar Tree today (hence the blog) and got a few more bulletin board border packs, but they didn't have near as many good ones as I got last time. Here is a sample of what you may be able to find:

Because of these, Elijah already knows what an oval and an octagon is, as well as the other shapes....crazy!

I'm just keeping the "game" pieces in plastic bags.

I look forward to using these in other ways for teaching Elijah.

Here's a video clip of him learning...

What great things have you discovered at a dollar store lately??

musical monday

2010-09-13T07:57:00.000-04:00

I am so thankful that God has amazingly gifted so many contemporary song writers to help us to see Him in a new way because of the words and melodies He gives them.

With my husband being a music minister, I think I look at music a little more through his eyes - looking for songs that will draw others closer to the Lord and change them in a real way.

Some song writers that have made a tremendous impact on us with the words they have been given to share. Often it's in the rewriting of an "old" hymn that brings new life to a song we already loved. If you don't already know artists like this, then here are a few I can think of: Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Keith & Krysten Getty, Paul Baloche, and Laura Story.

These writers point me straight to the Lord. It never seems to be about them, which is so refreshing.

Over the last year especially, Laura Story's music has totally blessed me and I have such a respect for her.

...And I got to meet her this weekend!!!

Many of you know her song Mighty to Save, but you may not know that she wrote Indescribable, which Chris Tomlin made popular. I shared a while back about her great song Immortal, Invisible which is one of my favorites right now!

I was able to meet Laura on Friday night because it was a small women's conference and I told her how I love this song and that my husband has been introducing it to our church as a new worship song. She seemed so grateful that we were sharing her music and later told me that they would be singing it over the weekend. When she sang it, she even gave me a little wave, letting me know she remembered! How sweet is that!

It was such a blessing to meet the person behind the music and to see that her personality also made things not about her. I love that I will respect her music even more now, knowing that her life lines up with what she writes. I'm so thankful that God let me get to know her a little bit this weekend.

(sorry, it's a little blurry!)

Here's a video with a little more of Laura and her music:

What are some musicians that God is blessing your life with right now?

a weekend away!

2010-09-10T14:22:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited because I'm heading out with some friends this afternoon for the Women's Prayer & Evangelism Conference in Ridgecrest, NC. Aahh...it's a beautiful day here so I can't wait to head toward the mountains!

In honor of my trip, I thought I would just share with you my thoughts when I came back from this same conference two years ago. The following was originally posted on September 13, 2008, entitled An Endless List.

Have a great weekend!

_________________________________________

I just got back from an amazing weekend at the Women's Prayer & Evangelism Conference. God is so good and I was able to hear from some gifted women who have encouraged me to renew my personal prayer life in fresh ways. So...when I got home tonight, eager to begin with my new prayer journal, I wanted to begin with praise, preparing my journal for exciting reminders of who God is. God quickly gave me the idea of pulling out magazines I had around the house and starting on a "collage" of words that portray names and descriptions of who He is. As I turned the pages again and again, it was not difficult to cut out an abundance of words that describe our Heavenly Father.

The reason this was easy, however, was because advertisements use so many descriptions to describe their products that are actually words meant to describe the One True God. I was convicted again. How many times am I sold on products to make me better, prettier, etc., things that can easily become idols in my life? Ask God to reveal to you what people or things have taken His place. What words do you use to describe insignificant things that should maybe be reserved for worshipping Him alone? Believer, be renewed today in your definition of who God is. If you have yet to know a relationship with God, read the following list, knowing that God wants to become these qualities in your life! The capitalized words are the ones I found (in just 3 secular magazines) to just begin to describe God. Let me know what names God has given you lately. How has He revealed Himself to you?

God is....

the PERFECTOR of our faith
standing with ARMS WIDE OPEN
PERSONAL
longing to be your DAD
our ROCK
saying "I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND"
LIFE
waiting to be your EVERYTHING
CLOSE to you at all times
JOYFUL as He sings over you
still in the work of SAVING those who are lost
FLAWLESS
longing to SATISFY your every desire
AVAILABLE to CALM every stress, every fear, every worry
waiting for you to see his VISION
THE KEY to ETERNITY
the ONLY true answer
MASTER
the FREEDOM you are longing for
MORE than you can ever imagine
I AM
EVERYWHERE, watching and listening 24 HOURS, 7 days a week, and he NEVER SLEEPS
WATER to our thirsty, dry bones
STRONGER than our strongest moment
a JUST God, DIVINELY ruling His creation, and always RIGHT
waiting for you to COME AS YOU ARE
coveting a RELATIONSHIP with you
LORD over all
the only One who truly RADIATES WARMTH
to be TREASURED greatly
THE ONE, THE ONLY
still doing works BEYOND our comprehension
POWERFUL
wanting to speak to you through His LOVE LETTER
AGELESS
our SOLUTION
in CONTROL
ULTIMATE
our GUIDE
ready to COMMUNICATE in a PERSONAL way with you DAILY
BEAUTIFUL
the One who CHANGES EVERYTHING
STRENGTHENING
a God of HARMONY
offering you REST
RESTORATIVE
wanting to be your CLOSEST FRIEND
able to claim VICTORY in your life
LORD
a SHINING light
your ROCK
FULL of AMAZING grace
asking you to seek His HIDDEN mysteries
calling you to TRUST in Him
HIGHLY exalted, the ROYAL king
wanting to be our FOUNDATION
FABULOUS
able to TRANSFORM our biggest messes
ready for you to celebrate His GOODNESS
MIGHTY
wanting to be your BEST FRIEND
a healing DOCTOR
PERFECT
offering you a FREE GIFT of his Son
one of whom we stand in WONDER
BEAUTIFUL, beyond description
in CONTROL!

(...And here's a picture of it all that I didn't add last time!)

Pray these descriptions of God this week. Stand in awe of who He is and ask for His strength to stay pure in a world that wants us to use these words to describe temporary things. He has a PLAN for you and wants to make Himself CLEAR to you as you seek His face. He will indeed show Himself to be WIDER and more PERFECT than we can even begin to COMPREHEND. Praise God for He is limitless!

small town adventures

2010-09-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

Lucky for me, my son doesn't know what size city we live in (if you're wondering, we have no Chick-fil-a and no Target, so that equals small for me!) and at his age (18 months) he gets quite excited about little things.

This has caused me to try and make parts of our day exciting for him in some way. For instance, whenever we go to Wal-Mart, I try and make it a point to go and visit the fish. As far as Elijah knows, it's just as great as the Aquarium we visited when we went to the beach back in April! He loves to point out the different colors of fish and try to count them. Great fun for a toddler! ...Always makes me want to bring a fish home (for a few seconds)!

Today...the small town adventure I had been waiting for happened.

You see, we can hear the train going through town several times a day, but Elijah has never gotten to actually see it. And even if we have been stopped in traffic waiting for the train, he can't tell what is going on.

On the way back from the library this morning, I saw the train coming from a distance. I pulled into an abandoned parking lot and we were able to get a first hand look at the train. The engine stopped right in front of where we were standing (awesome!) and apparently they were doing some redirecting, so it went forward and backward several times before heading back the way it came.

Elijah loved it!

Then I was able to show him the train tracks so he could understand what those are a little bit better. I was so excited for this opportunity today...a fun daytime moment in the life of a stay at home mom.

When the town was repaving the main road by our house several months ago, that made for some fun days!

We had Rolly, Scoop, and Muck (check out Bob the Builder) sitings almost everyday for weeks. Justin and I even took him to sit on a steamroller one day when the equipment was parked for the night. Elijah loved it!

Basically, whatever is catching your child's interest at the time...be creative! Even if you live in a small town there are easy and often free ways to let your child have fun.

I know that no ride in the car will ever be the same again. I'm always on the lookout for trucks, trains, and motorcycles. But what fun!

A few weeks ago we saw this creature on the road with us...you never know what you'll find!

What creative ways do you have fun with your kids around town?

morning and night time routine

2010-09-07T21:48:00.002-04:00

So, I have to admit that I just got overwhelmed with blogging last week and the fact that I am the worst at keeping things simple in the kitchen...so I left you hanging on the last day of K.I.S.S. Please forgive me.

After much thought, here's what I have for keeping things simple in the kitchen.

Having a morning and nighttime routine does wonders for helping me not hate walking into my kitchen! It's amazing how the condition of my kitchen can really affect my attitude toward my home. It's such a small room, but boy can the dishes pile up!

Keeping things simple can also help keep things sane. And I will admit that things are not always simple or sane in my house. On a perfect (?!) day, this is how I keep things simple and sane in a room of our house that really doesn't get me too excited...

In the morning...

I unload the dishwasher or dishes that are out drying, putting away all dishes right away on a very good day!
I wash all of the dishes from breakfast so that I don't start off with a messy sink.

At night...

I load the dishwasher or hand wash all dishes that are dirty (oh what a glorious night!)
I make tea if we are out.
I think about what is for dinner the next night (possibly pulling it out to thaw).
I put water in the ice trays and tell Justin we should fix our ice maker.
I clean off the kitchen counters and kitchen table.

It really is mostly about the night time routine. If I take a few minutes to do things at night then I love waking up to a clean kitchen. I am motivated to cook and keep things clean if my kitchen starts off clean in the morning.

Again, it's one of those things that are simple - IF I WILL JUST DO IT!!

How do you keep things simple in your kitchen? Feel free to link up a post below or leave a comment!

(Well...I can't get the link to work...maybe later)!

toys, toys, everywhere!

2010-09-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

It's day four of Keeping it Simple, Sister! and we're talking about keeping it simple with kids. The first thing I thought about was how to keep it simple with toys.

It's hard to even imagine that they were no toys in our house at one point. Now toys are a daily part of our lives and that means keeping them put up as well!

I feel like we have more toys in our house than I ever meant to have, but we bought nearly all of them at yard sales or consignment stores and just couldn't turn down good deals.

Most of Elijah's toys are in his room...

But I actually have toys scattered around different places in our home:

Toys are in the Living Room...

Toys are in the Kitchen...

A few toys are in our bedroom...

And there's usually one or two toys in our office.

Elijah plays for about 45 minutes by himself each morning in his room. So about every other week, I change out his toys. They move around the house so that it keeps the appeal of them fresh! I have read about this in several places and I think this "changing it up" approach has worked really well for us.

When Elijah has played with the same toys in his room for too long, then he gets bored and starts pulling out his clothes or getting fussy. But when I change up his toys it's amazing how content his is to play with the "new" toys.

And, I guess I couldn't have written this post on a better day, because here is evidence of what Elijah's room looks like when I have kept the same toys in there for too long!

Keeping a certain amount of toys in each room keeps things simple for me because that only leaves so many toys to clean up in each space. Also, it is easy for Elijah to see that there are specific places for his toys to be.

In the toy box that is in his room, I continually change it out with hats or stuffed animals. That way, the toys are all alike and easy for him to help clean up. We also have a toy box that my brother-in-law made that is in our living room. It serves as an end table for us and Elijah forgets that there are even toys in there.

So when I'm switching around toys, I pull toys from there that he has forgotten about and he's excited to play with them!

What about you?

How do you keep things simple for kids?

Feel free to link up a post about keeping things simple for kids or share your comments below. Remember, tomorrow is the last day for K.I.S.S. and we're focusing on the kitchen!

exercise in communication

2010-09-01T08:21:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Day 3 of Keep It Simple, Sister! Today is a chance to share ideas on keeping things simple in marriage.

My husband and I have only been married for four years, but I do have just a little bit to share on the subject!

Justin and I attended a marriage conference at our church a few months ago. It was a good conference, but there was one thing in particular that I took away that I don't think I will ever forget.

The couple who led the conference shared a great exercise to help foster communication within marriage. And isn't that one of the greatest areas where breakdown can easily occur in relationships?

We were challenged to take time once a month to spend time with our spouse discussing three little questions/statements to help keep communication alive within our marriages. Justin and I did this exercise the night of the conference and I think it's about time we do it again. We were encouraged to have a nice date night and discuss these statements, so I think it's about time for a nice date!

Here are the three statements we were encouraged to use and in this order:

1. Do you remember when...?
2. What really bugs me most about you...
3. What I love most about you...

So, if I were doing this exercise with Justin, I might say the following:

1. Do you remember when you needed a plunger in Mexico and you had to draw a picture of it for the hotel clerk in order to get one? (Good example of a funny story to get the conversation going!)

2. What really bugs me most about you is how extremely good looking you are. (I decided not to call him out on the internet!)

3. What I love most about you is watching you as a Dad.

Hopefully you can see how this simple exercise in communication can really help to spur good and hopefully beneficial conversation between you and your spouse. This truly is an exercise I hope to see us repeat again and again in our marriage.

Sometimes it's fun just to talk about numbers 1 and 3, but number 2 can't be neglected. This is where growth in marriage can really occur, if couples are willing to listen.

What ideas do you have for keeping things simple in your marriage?

Feel free to link your post below or leave a comment!

J.O.Y.

2010-08-31T09:22:00.000-04:00

For day two of K.I.S.S. I thought I would broaden things even more to how we can keep things simple in life. For me, I strive to focus my life in order to have a biblical perspective to help keep things simple.

I once heard an acronym for experiencing joy. It goes like this:

J - Jesus

O - Others

Y - Yourself

I think this is such a good, simple reminder of how to focus our priorities each day. With this acronym in mind, it helps us to know what is important and what can be left undone or saved for later.

So many decisions and responsibilities can crowd our day, but I think this simple acronym helps to remind us, as believers, what is important in life. Any of the simple ideas I share this week fail quickly if I don't put Christ first in my day. God's grace allows me to even be able to complete the tasks that I outlined on yesterday's daily magnets.

I hate to clean, and on days when I get things out of order and move myself up to the top of the list, there really isn't joy in anything I do. But God has called me to be a wife and mom and I'm so thankful for his grace in giving me such blessings. Keeping Him at the forefront of my days helps me to focus on others before myself.

Here's a little more detail to help us in savoring JOY in our lives.

J is for Jesus:

In Mark 12:30 we are reminded of the greatest commandment to "love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." As we seek to love God with all of our heart, then He must fill us with the love we need to have to love others and love ourselves rightly.

O is for Others:

The second greatest commandment, showing the order of importance, is then seen in Mark 12:31: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Now, how do we love ourselves? I think most of us would agree that we do pretty well loving ourselves. We don't have to be taught to think of ourselves first, so we must ask God to help us to put others first.

Y is for Yourself:

After we have focused on our Savior and others around us, then we are ready to rightly focus on ourselves. The Christian life is about laying down our own life for Christ, who laid down His life for us. As we focus on Him and others first, we are able, with God's help to be filled with His strength to be able to see ourselves as He sees us.

How are you living simply?

Feel free to link up your posts on keeping your life simple or leave a comment helping us to focus on this today!

Daily Magnets

2010-08-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for stopping by for the first day of K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple, Sister! Check out the details below if you would like to join in on sharing your ideas for keeping things simple.

Today, we are focusing on keeping it simple in the home.

One of the things that helps me to keep things simple in my home is organizing tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly duties. For so long I would keep this in a folder or on my computer to help keep me stay on track, but I found that I wouldn't look there to see what I wanted to get done each day, and tasks just went undone.

That's when I decided to keep the cleaning and organization of our home on track by making my own daily magnets to remind me. Basically, if I don't have a plan, cleaning just doesn't get done. So here is my plan: I have 5 magnets that include tasks that I want to get done on Monday through Friday of each week. The top portion of the magnet includes items that I want to be intentional about doing at least weekly and the bottom portion includes tasks that can be done on a monthly basis.

I made the lists into a decorative picture in Photoshop and then inserted them into magnetic photo holders that I found on the picture frame aisle in Wal-Mart. Not too much time or money!

I realize it may be too over-the-top and not simplified for some of you, but maybe, just maybe this will seem simple to someone. To me, it's simple because it includes reminders like cleaning out my e-mail inbox once a month, organizing my photos, and cleaning out my refrigerator. Doing these tasks "when the magnet says to" helps me to stay on top of the organizing and cleaning that I might not recognize until it gets so out of hand that it is overwhelming.

Take for instance, the pantry. If I clean it out well just once a month (when the magnet says to), then I am able to better see what items I have on hand and be sure to use items that may be close to expiring. And to me, that makes things in my home a little more simple.

The main thing is just doing it! When I complete the weekly and monthly tasks according to my magnetic schedule, then my home is so much more manageable and tasks are simpler.

What ideas do you have for keeping it simple in your home?

If you blog about a simple idea for your home, then feel free to link up your post below. If you aren't a blogger, then leave a comment about a favorite simple idea in your home.

And Keep It Simple, Sister!

K.I.S.S.

2010-08-25T14:40:00.013-04:00

I'm all about keeping things simple. But simple doesn't just happen. For example, I'm forever rearranging things in my house to keep organized. Systems seem to work and then one day, I run across a better system that is so much simpler and I wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?"

So next week, I want to share a few of the simple things that have worked for me and I hope to hear from you about some simple things you have found to work in your life. There are entire blogs devoted to simpler lifestyles. A magazine entitled Real Simple. And I have recently been reading a great book called The Simple Life.

Interesting. We don't seem to need books called How to Have a More Cluttered House or How to Have A Crazy Schedule. We do, however, seem to need help when it comes to simplifying things. In fact, my pastor has even been preaching a series on simplifying different topics in Scripture.

So what does keeping things simple mean? Well, dictionary.com defines simple as "easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.; not complicated." And simplify is defined "to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier."

I don't know about you, but I like for things to be easier! So, join in and share your best ideas to Keep It Simple, Sister!

Starting next Monday, you can check back here to learn some of my simplified ideas and link up your own ideas to share. Here's where we will focus our ideas:

Monday: Keeping it simple in the home
Tuesday: Keeping it simple in life
Wednesday: Keeping it simple in marriage
Thursday: Keeping it simple with kids
Friday: Keeping it simple in the kitchen

These areas are pretty broad, so as long as you keep it clean, I'm excited to hear what you have to share!

Feel free to grab the button below and encourage others to join in so we can learn as much as we can about keeping it simple!

mission of the month: September 2010

2010-08-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

There is so much to be said about accountability. In all areas of life.

Last month when I embarked on the task of cooking for two weeks, there was a point when I was sitting on the couch, looking through the shopping list, recipes, and preparation plans and I really wanted to quit. Then I thought, "I've got to do this. I said on my blog that I would!"

So, I did. And I was so glad that I did.

Mama Jenn is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs, and she has put out a challenge for her readers to join her in completing monthly missions. I love this. In terms of plans (and I love to plan), I tend to think on a daily or weekly basis, so large projects can seem more overwhelming during that time.

The mission I am going to embark on for September is creating (once again) a Blakley Family Folder. This kind of serves as a control station of our home. Granted, there are only three of us (+ Jazz), but things can easily spiral out of control when I don't have a plan. I have had 3-ring binders before with our schedule, meal plans, budget, and other things in one place to keep down on the clutter, but I've let them go.

This time, I would like our "Blakley Family Folder" to include our schedule/calendar, our favorite "go-to" recipes, new snack & recipe ideas for Elijah, and learning activity plans for Elijah. I have been working on our daily schedule for the fall, since I will start teaching piano lessons next week and things will swing back into gear from this (relaxing) summer. But I want to spend some time collecting ideas for the other items in our BFF. haha! BFF....how funny!

I want to be intentional in my time with Elijah during the day, so I'm most excited about compiling ideas for continuing to teach him each day. And snacks and recipes for him need to be planned so that he will eat so much better than when I just try to do things last minute.

So...hold me accountable. I hope that this time next month I will have a great report of what our new, improved BFF looks like!

And if you want to challenge yourself to go on a specific mission in September, then head on over to Mama Jenn and link up your idea!

2010-08-24T08:23:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we took Elijah to a nearby children's museum. Now when I think museum I think about being quiet and walking around slowly looking at priceless items. Not this museum. It's definitely for children and a great place for their imaginations to soar.

I was most excited to take Elijah because of the different modes of transportation that he would be able to explore. (After all, he is ALL boy!) There is a train and an airplane to play on as well as a real police car and fire truck to discover. I thought FOR SURE he would go crazy over these!

Not only did he not go crazy over them, I think he would have been content to stay in the toddler area and play with the blocks. The same blocks he has at home.

When we entered the room with the fire truck, Elijah got so excited and ran right to the fire truck. Not the real (huge) bells and whistles fire truck, but the toy fire truck right in front of him on the floor. The one that was smaller than him.

I couldn't believe it. We have a toy fire truck at home. Did Elijah not know we were at the MUSEUM?!

And the same thing happened in the room with the train. We have toy trains at home.

This totally affirmed to me that we like what we know. Not only that, but we gravitate toward what we know. I was convicted by the Lord that this is so true in my relationship with Him. How many days do I come before Him bringing what I already know and expect, totally missing out on the big picture of what He wants to do?

I would also say that we expect what we know. In Habakkuk 1:3, the Lord answers Habakkuk's cries for understanding by saying, "Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

I often come before the Lord questioning Him, already having the answer in my mind, instead of quietly waiting to see what great work He has in store. Would I even believe if He told me?

On the way to the museum, we talked with Elijah about big fire trucks and trains we were going to see. But in his realm of thought, the fire truck and train are to be played with at his level. He wasn't ready to comprehend climbing and exploring on the real vehicles.

I pray that I wouldn't be so stuck in my ways that I miss what God is preparing all around me. I pray that I won't just gravitate toward what I know. I'm so quick to limit God and He is infinitely bigger that what I can even comprehend!

project complete!

2010-08-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

I certainly didn't wake up this morning intending to complete a project, but I did! I was checking out random blogs and ran across a project that I just couldn't resist getting done TODAY. And it's rare that I have all of the supplies needed, so when I found what I needed I got to work!

This is the project that I just couldn't put off. It was screaming my name! So about an hour later...it was done!

Mine isn't quite as good as the original, but I like it! I had been using some dry erase magnets on my fridge, but I like this so much better. I'm perpetually making lists, so I love it when they are actually pretty to look at.

There really are lots of possibilities for this project. In fact, I'm thinking about making a calendar like this as well. What project are you planning to complete in the near future? Or what project have you completed lately? It sure feels good to start and finish something all in the same afternoon.

...Now off to clean up my mess and work on my to do list that didn't get done this afternoon.

musical monday

2010-08-23T01:53:00.000-04:00

Our pastor has been preaching a "Simple" sermon series, breaking things down for us, and it has been so challenging to me. Yesterday's message was "Stewardship Made Simple" and it definitely challenged me as well.

So often I think the word "stewardship" sends our minds straight to thinking about how we're spending our money, but Christian stewardship is so much more than that. Through stewardship, we honor God. And we are called to honor God in every aspect of our lives. As our pastor challenged us yesterday (here come the three points), this means that:

1. God is the Owner
2. We are the Managers
3. We better do it (stewardship) right!

You can read Matthew 25:14-30 to for the origin of these truths.

One of the great points our pastor made is the fact that we are only responsible for the "talents" (read it: "all") that we have been given, not something that someone else has been given.

As freeing as this statement is, I still have to go straight back to Matthew 7:3 to be further warned to hold myself accountable. Here we read, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" Let me tell you...I have a much easier time of figuring out how someone else should be spending their time and talents than I do for myself. That's definitely how I feel challenged.

When I think about the three points from yesterday's sermon, they are all great truths. #1: God is the owner of everything. #2: He has allowed us to be managers. #3: We better do it right. These do not change, but we must submit to the authority of #1 and utilize well our role in #2, because #3 is serious.

A song that has really spoken to me lately is Starry Night by Chris August. The second verse caught my attention this past week because it so poetically points to Matthew 7:3.

From the autumn leaves,
That will ride the breeze
To the Faith it takes,
To pray and sing
From the Painted sky,
To my plank filled eye

He is God of all, He is everything

God is Lord of all whether or not we acknowledge Him to have that authority. He has given us all we have and amazingly, He even wants what we offer back to Him. He just asks that we do.

lost in translation

2010-08-19T20:04:00.001-04:00

One of the things I have noticed with Elijah over the last few weeks is that he says some words almost perfectly and then other words are so far from the real thing that it is really difficult for me to understand.

For example, I remember talking to him about the word "empty" one day and hearing him repeat something that sounded like "got-be." The next day when he said "got-be" and kept saying "got-be, got-be, got-be" I finally realized that he was saying "empty." And the pronunciation hasn't changed in the past week, so I'm so glad I figured this out!

Elijah tends to get frustrated in communicating with me if I don't understand what he is saying. If he says "got-be" it's very clear that he likes and expects me to say, "That's right Elijah, the cup is empty," and continues to say it until I recognize his word.

This being said, I've tried to remind myself to have Elijah practice saying any new word that I teach him right then. That way, just like the word "empty," I will (hopefully) know exactly what he is saying the next time he tries to explain something to me.

So, if you're having trouble understanding your toddler, be intentional with listening for how he interprets the sounds!

painting with water!

2010-08-19T14:11:00.002-04:00

We have had so much rain here lately, which is great, but we haven't been able to play outside a whole lot. Yesterday afternoon was a great time to get out, so I decided to do an activity with Elijah that we had tried a few months back.

If your child wants to paint, but you don't want to deal with the mess, just paint with water! I think I remembered this idea from some childcare position I have had in the past and it's easy and fun. Elijah loves to play with the paint brushes, but it's a little too much now (with an 18 month old!) to pull out the paints very often.

Here's a glimpse into our painting session. Elijah painted a "train" and I painted a sun for him! ...And then the activity is over when he dumps out all of the water. Our water painting actually lasted much longer than I expected!

finding holiness in a dishwasher

2010-08-18T09:16:00.000-04:00

I remember one phone conversation I had with my dad a few months back and it always makes me laugh. I was in the kitchen when he called and he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was loading the dishwasher, but he heard me say I was "using the dishwasher."

We got a good laugh out of that. It's almost as if I said I was watching grass grow or using the oven. All things that do need input from me to possibly get started, but ultimately are doing the work themselves while I go on with other things.

This random misunderstanding got me thinking. How often do I say I'm seeking change in my life and simply sit there (or keep going about other things), waiting for God to do all the work.
One of the best books I have ever read is The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. In talking about holiness, he looks at our part combined with the Holy Spirit's part in becoming more like Christ. He says, "we have misunderstood 'living by faith' (Galatians 2:20) to mean that no effort at holiness is required on our part. In fact, sometimes we have even suggested that any effort on our part is "of the flesh."

Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

When we look at Scripture as a whole, and not just one verse, we quickly realize that our Christian walk is not going to grow without work on our part.

Other verses that I am drawn to when thinking about this dual role in change are:

Philippians 2:12 - "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

James 2:26 - "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

James 2:18 - "But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

I know (trust me) it can be easy to make excuses about the lack of transformation in our Christian life because we are (even faithfully) waiting on God to do His work in our life. BUT there is a huge part of change that depends on us.

I know this is true, because I know that God desires for me to spend time with him, but he doesn't magically (like my dishwasher!) let me go to bed one night and wake up the next day a totally different person who never sleeps in again without reading from my Bible. It takes an act of change in my own lifestyle and habits to be continually moving to be more like my Savior.

Of course, as believers, we are now "new creations in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17) with the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. So, as I have to tell myself daily, we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in us as we in turn work for change in our own life.

Another challenge from Jerry Bridges:

We must face the fact that we have a personal responsibility for our walk of holiness. One Sunday our pastor in his sermon said words to this effect: 'You can put away that habit that has mastered you if you truly desire to do so.' Because he was referring to a particular habit which was no problem to me, I quickly agreed with him in my mind. But then the Holy Spirit said to me, 'And you can put away the sinful habits that plague you if you will accept your personal responsibility for them.'"

Remember that God's "divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness," so don't just sit around and wait for yourself to get clean! ...You may have to pull out some of your own soap and use a scrub brush at the same time as God continues to complete the work that He has begun in you! (Philippians 1:6)

toddler on a mission

2010-08-12T00:08:00.000-04:00

As soon as Elijah started walking, it was as if the grocery cart became his worst enemy. Especially if I went to a series of stores with him. The poor thing did not want to get in another "seat," he wanted to be up and about.

As Elijah has learned more and more words, I've found something that has been extremely helpful for me as we're shopping. Instead of (me) freaking out, I just (very calmly) speak to Elijah as if I'm setting him on a mission. Here's how these moments in the grocery store may go:

Me: (after frantically looking around for something easily recognizable to a toddler) "Elijah, can you please tell me when you see a ball."

Elijah: Seriously focused on finding a ball, points emphatically when he finds it, as if in disbelief.

Me: "Ok. Now can you tell me when you see something orange?"

Elijah: May point out something prematurely, but then points again when an orange object does appear.

Me: "What about a banana?"

Elijah: Again, excitedly points to the bananas.

And the game continues.

I have found that this is helpful in the car and restaurants as well. Perhaps something about my tone of voice does make Elijah feel that the excursion has quickly become about him again. And, since all toddlers are all about themselves all the time, then it seems to work!

Even when Justin and I are talking at dinner and Elijah starts to get a little fussy, it's hilarious to watch Elijah's demeanor change when I turn to him and say, "Elijah, did you tell Daddy how we played in the pool today?" Just taking a few moments to make him a part of our conversation again seems to satisfy him. I mean, I would get pretty bored if everyone was leaving me out of the conversation!

musical monday

2010-08-09T14:38:00.003-04:00

A few "oldie, but goodie" songs have crept into my head today, so I want them to be stuck in your head as well.
Here are lyrics and the videos if you don't know them!

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever

Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when your love came down

(Chorus)
I could sing of your love forever
I could sing of your love forever
I could sing of your love forever
I could sing of your love forever

Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when your love came down

(Chorus)

Oh, I feel like dancing
This foolishness, I know
But when the world has seen the light
They will dance with joy
Like we're dancing now

(Chorus)

Shout to the Lord

My Jesus, my Savior,
Lord, there is none like You.
All of my days, I want to praise,
The wonders of your mighty love.

My Comfort, my Shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength.
Let every breath, all that I am,
Never cease to worship You.

(Chorus)
Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing.
Power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar,
At the sound of your name.
I sing for joy at the work of your hands,
Forever I'll love You,
Forever I'll stand.
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You.

My Jesus, my Savior.
Lord, there is none like You.
All of my days, I want to praise,
The wonders of your mighty love.

My Comfort, my Shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength.
Let every breath, all that I am,
Never cease to worship You.

(Chorus)

smooth road

2010-08-05T21:52:00.001-04:00

I've decided to make Thursdays an emphasis on toddler things, so here's an example of a fun "song" to sing with your little ones. I learned this at our baby story time at the library, and all of the kids just love it! ...I figured the easiest way was just demonstrate on a video (so sorry for that), but I've included the words below.

A smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road, a smooth road

A bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road, a bumpy road

A rough road, a rough road, a rough road, a rough road

A hole!

PB&J Makeover

2010-08-05T13:21:00.001-04:00

I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Elijah today and decided that I needed to "spice it up" a little bit. I don't really have any cookie cutters lying around - my Christmas ones are in the attic - so I had to make do! I grabbed the lid off of a water bottle (don't judge me on this point based on my previous post...it was a stray bottle...not an every day occurrence!) and hoped that it would suffice.

...And it did. The lid made perfect circles for Elijah to be entertained by and enjoy. And it was a lot less messy than me trying to tear his sandwich a part for him. I did flatten the bread before making the sandwich and I was pleased that the lid easily cut the circles, which were also easy to remove.

By the time I made my sandwich, Elijah had already gobbled up his and wanted more. At his age now, I think that eating is pretty boring for him unless I change things up every once in awhile.

As you can see...we started out with the sandwich and oranges and only ended up with oranges. This may be our new sandwich method!

Any more simple ideas to share for spicing up lunches??

going green update

2010-08-03T15:54:00.003-04:00

PAPERLESS KITCHEN

A few months ago we embarked on a "Greener" journey in the Blakley house as we went "paperless" in the kitchen. I had realized just how many paper towels we were using every day and I realized we were so wasteful!

So, how have we done? ...Pretty well, if I do say so myself! As long as I am on top of the laundry, I really don't even think about how we're not using paper towels or napkins. I have a larger stash of dish towels than before and our napkin holder turned into a "cloth paper towel holder" right by the sink. Also, I had to commit a drawer to cloth napkins, but I believe it has totally been worth it for the effect we can have on our environment.

We've probably used an average of 1 1/2 rolls of paper towels each month - for dog messes, grease, etc. Really, I have been completely happy with the extra money I can use toward other groceries and baby items.

COMPOST BIN

As for the compost bin...we did that too. Justin used some stakes we had around the house and bought chicken wire. I wish we would have done it last year so we could have reaped the benefits of some richer soil for gardening, but I'm looking forward to next year's soil!

The compost is as far away from the house as possible, so I got us a container with a tight lid to go under the sink. I'll throw scraps from produce (corn husks, banana peels, onion peels, etc.) in there, then send Justin to empty it out once a week. Pretty simple lifestyle change that has cut down even more on our waste.

REUSABLE BAGS

A long time ago we also switched to these great reusable bags from Target that have continued to be awesome! I heard somewhere a while back that Washington, D.C. had basically banned plastic bags. I honestly don't think this is a bad idea. The only problem (for me) is remembering to put the bags back in the car so I will have them next time! These bags have also been great for travel. I use them often to throw Elijah's toys in for short trips or throw food in for a picnic.

As this has become more common, you can find tons of super-cute options for reusable bags. Until mine aren't holding up, I guess I'll hold off on splurging for new ones!

I didn't realize D.C. put a tax on bags until I just found an article about it here. Awesome.

PAPERLESS BILLING

I was torn on this "green" aspect for a while because my brother-in-law is a postal worker. I kept hanging on to our paper bills because I felt that I was in some small part helping to hang on to his job in this (struggling) area of service. However, when I thought about it some more, I realized that I am so tired of the amount of paper that accumulates in our home. This alone made me make the switch for all of our bills to be seen and paid online.

It's an easy switch, so check with your various companies about paperless billing options if you haven't already.

CLOTH DIAPERS

I am still a HUGE FAN of these cloth diapers. They have worked great for Elijah. At 17 months, he is still in the medium size, with a few snaps to go. It's been very cost-efficient. Especially because Elijah is pretty small, so we have really gotten our use out of only 18 small diapers and 18 medium diapers. They are just a way of life for us now. Elijah does use disposables for church (because I can tell no one else in the nursery is a huge fan) and for naps and bedtime.

After just visiting the website, I feel that it may be time to treat Elijah (or his Mama) with one of the gorgeous chocolate colored diapers. Gosh, I don't know why I love brown so much!

REUSABLE SNACK BAGS

If you are reading this and are already (for some reason) thinking about the birthday and Christmas presents you would like to get me, then please just shop here. I am a fan of basically anything you could find on this website. It is really killing me to think about the amount of plastic snack bags we use on a weekly basis. And I'm not really even packing many lunches yet! This is my next plan for the Blakley family in terms of going green. I haven't sat down and budgeted for these yet, so I may hold out for presents. (Hint, hint again to my family!)

What about you? Are there ways you are "Going Green" or do you have other simple suggestions on how to lesson our "Ecological Footprint"?

2 week cooking update

2010-07-31T10:13:00.002-04:00

Wow. It's the day after cooking for the 2 week cooking challenge and I think I'm still worn out from it.

Since Justin and Elijah were out of the house yesterday morning, I just decided to go for it. I did all of my shopping and all of the cooking/preparing for the 2 weeks. And I was so tired afterwards. I don't think I sat down from 9:00 to 3:30. Because I was crazy and stood in the kitchen for about an hour double checking my shopping list and adding to it for a few recipes that I swapped out. Should have sat down!

I did have a few items on hand already, so I had to figure all of that out, then I headed out to shop!

I shopped at our Ingles where the boneless chicken breasts were at least supposed to be $1.98 a pound, but they were all out. Rain check in hand (which will be nice for my next shopping trip), I bought the chicken at our local butcher shop where I can always count on it to be inexpensive. In total, I spent $106.62, which included several other things that I already needed to buy, on top of the 2 week cooking ingredients. I was pretty pleased with this, because our weekly budget for groceries is $60.00 and I ended up with 2 extra quart size bags of chicken and 2 bags of ground beef in my freezer for later use!

I followed the FANTASTIC outline that Jennifer at Saving and Giving so graciously provided. I'm not sure if I would have dove into this project if she hadn't done all of the work of preparing a meal plan, recipes, shopping list, and even detailed instructions for the cooking order. How much easier could it get? I definitely suggest starting this way if you are thinking about trying out some freezer meal cooking!

I did change out a few meals because Justin and I don't eat (most) beans. I know we're weird, but before you judge, we were brave and are trying out the Southwest Chicken Roll-Ups with refried (gag me) beans. I'm being daring! A recipe for Crockpot Bean Casserole, however, was NOT going to happen!

Anyway...I digress. I checked out some recipes from my friend Terra's blog and added them in the plan. I think the most daunting part of the whole project (although the most helpful because someone else planned it!) is that every recipe was new for me. So I had/have no idea what to expect. And I'm not the best cook in the world, so I completely misunderstood directions for Terra's Chicken Junks recipe. This almost caused a breakdown in the overall easy cooking system. But I persevered!

Here is our meal plan for the next 2 weeks! (only changed slightly from the original)

I've linked the recipes of Terra's to her blog. All of the other recipes, you can find here.

Sunday, August 1 - Stouffer's Lasagna (Already in my freezer, so I'm including it! haha!)

Monday, August 2 - Fried Chicken Salad (Tyson fried chicken strips also already in my freezer!)

Tuesday, August 3 - Mini (Italian) Meatloaves (doubled this recipe for later, too!)

Wednesday, August 4 - Chicken Junks

Thursday, August 5 - Chicken Parmesan (doubled 'cause we're planning for company that night)

Friday, August 6 - Southwest Chicken Roll-Ups

Saturday, August 7 - Ground Beef Stroganoff

Sunday, August 8 - Homemade Pizza

Monday, August 9 - Baked Ziti (This looked so yummy, it was hard not to taste test!)

Tuesday, August 10 - Chicken Stir Fry

Wednesday, August 11 - Popcorn Shrimp, Salad, Baked Potato (Again, shrimp was already in freezer)

Thursday, August 12 - Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Friday, August 13 - Grilled BBQ Chicken

Saturday, August 14 - Homemade Pizza

Sunday, August 15 - Eating Out because it's Justin's Birthday! ...And I'll be celebrating all these great meals I made for my family (and my husband's birthday)!

Overall, I thought this whole cooking experience was great because of how well Jennifer had it planned out for me. Yesterday morning, as I was going through my freezer to see what I needed to use, I was re-inspired to make some food for Elijah, which I hadn't done in months. Now he has some yummy pureed "fruit medley" and peas and carrots to enjoy.

Also, I realized how simple it would really be just to do this on an ongoing basis. I'm not sure if I would do the bulk shopping/cooking/prepping again (I'll let you know in two weeks). But I definitely know I could make things easier by doubling meals to freeze or just prepping stuff the night before. Great experience!

...And it all fit in my little freezer!

2 week cooking

2010-07-29T09:40:00.002-04:00

So even though my friend Terra has 2 boys and one ~~basically here~~ on the way, I still can't seem to get my act together like her in the kitchen. I love to eat, but I just really don't love to cook. You should definitely check out Terra's recipe blog (I have almost all of her's bookmarked and have tried several) because she has great recipes and is great at sharing help with once a month cooking, even organizing a freezer swaps with her friends, which I think is a great idea.

I've always been nervous about jumping into the whole Once a Month Cooking Plan. I mean, I barely like to fix one meal at a time! But Jennifer, over at Saving and Giving is hosting a Two Week Cooking Project Challenge. I told her I'd join in and I'm sharing it here as well so that I will be held accountable for doing it.

I think it's the perfect time because Elijah is going to spend the night with with grandparents tomorrow night, so I will have some "extra" time on my hands. I'm sure that's not what Justin has planned for the weekend, but he's going golfing, so I guess my "girl time" will be with myself in the kitchen. We'll see how it goes!

swagbucks!

2010-07-27T14:49:00.007-04:00

Are you looking for away to start earning some free Christmas presents, or birthday presents, or just free stuff in general?

Then you should check out Swagbucks if you aren't already a part of it! I've just "cashed in" my Swagbucks for another (free) $5.00 Amazon.com gift certificate because I have a few things that I need to order and it just seems so much better to get it for free.

Swagbucks is an easy way to earn free stuff simply by searching for stuff that you would be looking for online anyway. So sign up and next time you could be earning Swagbucks for searching for a last-minute recipe or why the #2 pencil is not #1 (saw that as a Facebook status today). Just start earning free stuff...cause you can!

And if you click on the links in this post then you'll be my referral and help me to add to my (now nothing because I just spent it all) Swagbucks account. Thanks!

musical monday

2010-07-26T09:01:00.001-04:00

One of my favorites...it's kind of fast (for my preference!) but I pray that it causes you to think about the Lord today.

When I Think About the Lord

Have extra time on your hands?

2010-07-21T21:36:00.001-04:00

(Ha Ha!) ...I have fallen in LOVE with this blog. And if you are looking for great things to do with your kids, then you just may fall in love too!

Also, I just found this blog that I think is going to be GREAT as well!

...They both cater to my ~~non-existent~~ creative side that wants to have cool things to do with Elijah!

and here is another...I've got to stop looking!

a challenge to women

2010-07-20T07:43:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine shared a great message from John Piper with me years ago and it continually resonates in my mind. I hope it will challenge and encourage you today.

That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.
That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.
That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.
That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.
That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.
That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God undergirding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.
That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.
That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.
That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.
That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.
That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom— to be in the employ of someone telling you what to do to make his business prosper, or to be God's free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God'sbusiness prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.
That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.
That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.
That in all your relationships with men you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and care and initiative. That you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.
That you see Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women in relation to each other not as arbitrary constraints on freedom but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God's ideal of complementarity. That you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld but by the countless roles offered. That you turn off the TV and Radio and think about...

You can read the rest of the article here.

musical monday

2010-07-19T06:34:00.006-04:00

Yesterday at church as we sang Jesus Messiah, I was overwhelmed (again) with the fullness of the song. It's another great song that Chris Tomlin wrote and it points you straight to the power of the cross and the tremendous debt Christ paid for our sin. This song is one of my favorites, drawing me into a deeper worship.

The lyrics are below, in bold, with my own expansion of the words in parenthesis. May this song lead you in to worship today. Not sure what or how to worship? Check out a recap of our pastor's Worship Made Simple message below the song.

He (Christ) became sin (belonging to this world)
Who knew no (not in any degree or manner) sin
That we might (have a chance to) become His
Righteousness (declared innocent and guiltless)
He humbled (lowered in condition, importance, or dignity)
himself and carried (bore the weight, burden of) the cross

Love (being patient, kind, and not envious or proud) so
amazing (overwhelming)
Love (not behaving rudely or seeking its own) so (very)
amazing (astonishing)

Chorus:

Jesus (Son of God) Messiah (promised Deliverer)
Name (renown) above all names
Blessed (worthy of adoration) Redeemer (Restorer)
Emmanuel (God with us)
The rescue (liberator) for sinners (evildoers)
The ransom (redeemer) from Heaven
Jesus Messiah (expected Savior)
Lord (Master) of all (everything)

His body (substance) the bread (sustenance)
His blood (vitality) the wine (drink offering)
Broken (crushed) and poured out (flowed forth)
all for (with the object or purpose of)
love (not being provoked or seeking any evil)
The whole earth (not heaven) trembled (shook from fear)
And the veil (something that covers, separates, screens,
or conceals) was torn (permanently divided)

Love (rejoicing in the truth and bearing all thing) so amazing
Love (hoping, enduring, and never failing...is God)
so amazing (awe-inspiring), yeah (yes!)

Jesus (the Christ) Messiah (anticipated Redeemer)
Name above (higher in rank, authority, or power) all names
Blessed (Holy) Redeemer (Savior)
Emmanuel (Jesus)
The rescue (Redeemer) for sinners (you and me)
The ransom (the sum or price paid or demanded)
from Heaven (perfection)
Jesus (God) Messiah (expected Liberator of a captive people)
Lord (King) of all (each of us)

All (every) our hope (confident expectation) is in You (Savior)
All (the sum total of) our hope (trust) is in (founded in) You
All the glory (adoration, praise, worship) to You, (the one true) God
The light (source of illumination) of (found in) the world (darkness)

Worship Made Simple (John 4:20-24)

1. Worship is DIRECTED to the Father
There is only one God and he is the object of our worship.

2. Worship is DESIGNED for any location
If you are a Christian, then you are a sanctuary for worship!

3. Worship is DISCOVERED through Jesus Christ
You need a relationship with Christ, then he enables you to worship.

Any questions? Feel free to e-mail me!

great giveaway

2010-07-17T21:06:00.001-04:00

If you are at all interested in making your own baby food, then there is a great giveaway here. It's a Fresh Baby baby food making kit! I have two of the Fresh Baby storage trays and I would LOVE to win so that I could have two more. It also comes with an instructional dvd and a cookbook. I love making Elijah's baby food and when I finally ran across these storage trays online, it made it even better!

free stuff!

2010-07-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

As I wrote in my last post, one of my "go to" websites is Southern Savers. Mostly because it is a "one-stop" place on the internet to compile my shopping list for the week and it helps me immensely to stay within our grocery budget. I follow this blog and a few others that have writers that are really doing the behind the scenes hard work to help me find some great deals each week. I really appreciate that!

One thing I have found by following these "frugal savvy" blogs is that there are lots of free items available - just waiting for someone to grab them. Because of this, it has become quite a treat to go to my mailbox each day. Just by simply filling out a few random forms each week that these frugal blog writers round up, I now receive at least 3 coupons or free items in the mail each week. I love that the free items I get are now starting to put a dent in the bills and junk mail I receive! (And no, I have not noticed any more junk mail because of these freebies I have received).

I have received samples of haircare items, coffee, sweeteners, granola bars, crackers, body wash, and diapers, just to name a few. I have also received lots of coupons for free stuff. That's the kind of mail I enjoy getting! Just the other week, I opened my mailbox and was surprised to find these items:

Pretty impressive mail items! And these were free! Here's what was inside:

3 Pampers diapers of a new style and a few packets of Crystal Light. Also, there were about $11 worth of coupons in these packages! I was quite surprised. And did I say that they were free!!

I say all this just to let you know (if you don't already) that there is free stuff just waiting to be claimed! These items above are both from Vocal Point where you can join to be "in the know" about free stuff and other offers. Other blogs I like to check out for free items and good deals are:

Coupon Mommie

Saving & Giving

Tips From a Mom of 3

So, go grab yourself some free stuff. If you get it and you don't need it - give it away. You can make someone else's day!

i heart cvs!

2010-07-13T14:55:00.000-04:00

I haven't told many people, but I have definitely become the "Zippered-Folder-with-a-Ton-of-Coupons-Grocery-Shopping-Lady." Yikes! It's not that I'm ashamed of what I've become, I have just not quite mastered or figured out how to handle my new self. There are days that I do revert and go back to my "No Menu Plan, No Shopping List" persona, but I honestly don't like her very much. Then there are days that I become "No Menu Plan with a Shopping List" Woman and I think I get even more frustrated with her!

All that to say - I love coupons and the amount of money I can save, but the hassle is sometimes more that I am up to handling in a week! When I do stay on top of couponing (cutting, filing, using), then I feel quite at peace with my new self.

One place that makes me completely fall in love again with my zippered folder is CVS. I leave there feeling as if I am making money and that is just a good feeling! I've tried to hang in there with Walgreens and Rite-Aid, but I just can't deal with them any longer. CVS is where my heart is.

For example ...I have done so well there lately with coupons, ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) and sale prices, it's just incredible. One week I got Justin 4 deodorants for free. Then I got him 4 body washes for free. Then a free razor. This boy is seriously clean, good smelling, and smooth! I have also made some pretty good getaways with cheap diapers on my CVS trips, which is a HUGE deal for a Mama who HATES to buy disposable diapers! I don't feel like digging out past receipts to prove this or tallying up my savings over the last months, but just TRUST ME...you can do really well shopping at CVS.

We are stocked on deodorant, shampoo, body wash and razors for quite a while, so I can now put my energy into purchasing other things or things for other people. If I am walking into CVS and there is a sale that will allow me to use a coupon and get back ECB's in order to get an item for free, then I will still buy it, even if we don't need it. BECAUSE I have a bag filling up nicely to take to the local women's shelter - of stuff I got for free! It feels really good to have an ever-growing stash of stuff that I may not use, but may bless another person.

Just when I thought I couldn't love CVS any more...I got sick. You see, CVS sent me 2 coupons for a $25 gift card when I bring a new or transferred prescription to them. Well, I usually NEVER have a prescription to fill, but just in case, I filed them away in my *Zippered Folder*. And...I thought about them on my way to the doctor Saturday morning. And... for the price of being sick and then having to fill 2 prescriptions at CVS, I walked away with $50 in gift cards Saturday afternoon. It made me feel better already.

THAT is why I love CVS and feel as if I am making money when I shop with them. I hope you can experience this someday too! The reason I feel this way about CVS and couponing in general is mostly due to my ongoing relationship with southernsavers.com. You can be kept up-to-date with the best online deals and the weekly sales at most of the grocery stores and drug stores around. I don't have to look at a store ad, website, or even write down my own shopping list. I do it all from this website, which also tells me the available coupons to make store deals even sweeter. You can learn how to shop for name brand items and get them for next to nothing or free! I don't think I'll ever go back to shopping my "old way" again.

I'm in love!

worship or waste?

2010-07-12T00:14:00.001-04:00

[Hello again blogging world!]

Justin just got back from a mission trip to Ecuador. I was so excited that he was able to go! He and his team worked with pastors and their wives and children who gathered in a small village for a pastor's conference. Many of them walked for days just to attend! Justin helped lead the music, play with children, and even spoke to the pastors for a little while. I'm so proud of him and really wish I could have been there. We didn't get to communicate much while he was there, but in one e-mail he wrote that he wished I could be there with him, but he definitely didn't wish Elijah were there because it was just so dirty. It's amazing the conditions others live in daily.

There were lots of new things Justin discovered on this trip. In fact, he didn't know much of what to expect, but he did know beforehand that he would be eating a rare delicacy prepared by the villagers - the "food of the gods" - guinea pig! Yes, I can't even believe it. My husband has eaten a guinea pig. (I have been sick basically the entire time since he's been home so we've hardly kissed. -boo- But I think that's been good because surely the guinea pig aftertaste is completely out of his mouth by now! Ugh!)

*Another side note if you want an idea of the dish he had - just Google "fried guinea pig."*

As amazing as it is that Justin has eaten guinea pig, the generosity of the people who prepared and served the guinea pig is even more amazing to me. Before going, Justin learned that a meal of guinea pig costs about $10 for the people to serve. These are people who (for those who actually make money) make about $40 a month! Imagine that - taking a 1/4 of your monthly income and blessing a stranger with a meal that you don't even splurge on for your own family. Think about that right now. What would a 1/4 of your monthly income be and would you even fathom preparing a meal that costs that much? We experienced this generosity on mission trips we took to Mexico as well - the giving out of their limited funds to welcome those whom they have never met. What a picture of hospitality and service!

I'm reminded of an account of such generosity in the story of Mary as she pours out a great offering on Jesus. In Matthew 26 we read the following:

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor." But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

As I think about the people who served Justin and his team last week, I am just amazed at their generosity. But I admit, much like the disciples, I find myself questioning the gift. Why did they spend this money on food that may or may not even be enjoyed by people they don't even know? In order not to see this treatment as an incredible waste, I have to view the meal as Jesus viewed Mary's gift - as an amazing act of worship. She knew her Master as Provider, and chose to lavish upon Him, her Savior, ultimately knowing His promises to care for her. These villagers who prepared such a sacrificial meal for Justin's team truly worshiped, showing their reliance on an unchanging Savior instead of reliance on their measly income.

I am challenged to seek greater ways to worship my Savior through extravagant service. I think that acts of service that are ultimately gifts of worship to our great God show the world that we serve a worthy Savior.

so busy I just have to laugh!

2010-06-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

I am completely overwhelmed lately, but I just don't even have time to stress about it! I feel like my life has been a whirlwind of stuff lately. Basically, everything I am remotely involved in is crashing into each other right now! I'm sure there are lots of you who feel this way and have tons going on as well. So, since I really don't have anything to blog about because I can't seem to have 2 seconds to think for myself lately, I'm just going to share with you my schedule just for Sunday (my day of "rest") so that you can laugh along with me, but also pray for me as it quickly approaches!

7:45 am Elijah wakes up
8:00 am Leave for church...seriously, Erin, you HAVE to be in the car on the road at this time!
8:30 am Playing piano for early service
9:45 am Justin and I start teaching a new Sunday School class for young adults!
11:00 am Playing piano for late service
12:15ish Go pick up a cranky child from the nursery who has been surrounded by adults and kids for 4 hours!
12:30 pm Freak out because I meant to fix lunch/put it in the crockpot but didn't have time this morning to get it done.
12:31 pm Call Justin to pick up some food on the way home
1:00 pm Put Elijah down for a nap, want to take a nap myself but there is still a lot of day ahead of me
~ here's the point where I'll be preparing stuff for a piano recital reception that I have not planned for yet!~
2:00 pm Head to the church with Justin to set up for my piano recital (and pay no attention to the point that Elijah is "technically" sleeping at the house being watched by our dog because I haven't planned for someone to watch him sleep yet)
3:00 pm Piano recital starts and I'm praying that my piano students survive. (there are a few I'm worried about!)
3:15 pm Justin heads out of town for a meeting for his upcoming Mission Trip
3:30ish Piano recital is over and hopefully the food has magically appeared in a room for all to enjoy
4:00 pm Back at home, Elijah is waking up, ready for me to keep him entertained for the rest of the evening!
8:00 pm Elijah goes to bed
9:00 pm Erin needs to go to bed....do it, Erin...go to bed now!

I guess the "day of rest" in the life of a music minister and his wife just needs to be another day than Sunda!

Whew...at least next week looks pretty good. No piano lessons this month and I'll have a week until VBS starts. Oh goodness. Thanks for letting me put this into the blogosphere...now to celebrate my Dad's 70th birthday and my anniversary! At least I wrote this all down so I can forget it and just come look here when I need to know what I need to do!

"Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions
fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

women's ministry

2010-05-11T13:39:00.001-04:00

My mind has been a whirlwind lately of thoughts about Women's Ministry. So much so that I am wishing I had a degree in Women's Ministry from SEBTS and not just Biblical Counseling! I'm having to remind myself that God is in control and knows exactly how to reach the women in and outside of our church. We collected almost 50 surveys from women on Sunday and I spent almost all of Sunday evening collecting data and making charts of what the women in our church want. (Remember my comments about organization yesterday...yeah).

Bottom line, I know that women are busy. Whether they work at home or outside of the home. Whether they have young kids or grown kids. We women seem to have trouble saying "no" I have realized, and that can almost leave no time for "extra" stuff. Unfortunately, church can sometimes get put in that "extra" category. I know I'm a little bit different because as a minister's wife, I sometimes feel that church is our only category! (And I'm ok with that!) I guess because church can sometimes feel like it is my "only category" I am so eager to spend time with women at church, but I realize that not everyone else is that flexible.

Why am I writing about this? Well, I need your help! I have heard from the women in our church. Now I want to hear from you! What elements of women's ministry at your church are most relevant to you? What Bible studies have you most enjoyed? What is the most important element of a women's ministry? What aspect of an event, study, or program makes you look at your busy schedule and decide it is worth your time? What element would you love for your church to include in a women's ministry?

I know what I think - and it would take a ton of posts to fill you in on what's going on in my head write now about Women's ministry ideas. So I would love to know what you think! If you can, please take a moment to share your ideas. Thanks!

musical monday

2010-05-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

As you can probably tell from my blog (that seems to only be active on Mondays!), in my mind, Monday is a day for me to start fresh each week. No matter how crazy messy my house got over the weekend, no matter how much paper I have accumulated into (numerous) piles, no matter what I failed to accomplish the week before as the hours got away from me - Monday is the day that I just start all over. I always seem to have a motivation to get my house cleaned, catch up on laundry, cook well for my family, etc, etc. (Of course my motivation could be that I know I have piano students coming to my house for the next 3 days and want it somewhat presentable - whatever works!)

Same goes for blogging. I know that Mondays call for a Musical Monday and it causes me to think about what song spoke the most to me last week or the previous day in worship. Sometimes I just think I'm so quirky. I like to be organized, but honestly that has equated to an organized plan (for almost everything in my life from coupons, to recipes, to closets, to schedules), but not always an organized existence. I guess I just like the thought of organization, but it's not always my reality. Oh, that it would be! ...To take my intentions and be intentional!

Now to be even more honest! The songs that I share on Mondays are songs that have spoken to me in a unique way. Usually, they are songs that point us to a great Savior, hopefully causing us to worship Him in a new way. Unfortunately, these songs are kind of like my organizational methods - I like the idea of them and the way they make me think, but sometimes that's as far as I let the songs take me. Too often I end up appreciating the musicality or the writing of the composers, not surrendering in worship to the One whom they have written about. In other words, I like the thoughts that the song introduces or evokes in me, but I don't always make it my reality!

I love organizing. But what good is it if I don't use organization to make better use of the time God has given me? I love music. But what good is it if I don't allow music to bring me closer to the God who inspires the music?

The following song is one that has been in my head the last few weeks and one that I found myself praying to God in praise this morning. We sang it yesterday in church and last week in our worship service in the park. It's powerful. Allow God to use this song to draw you closer to Him today. What a reminder of our Savior who sacrificed His life for us. May it become a reality in all that you do today.

Blessed Redeemer
I just looked up the lyrics for you and realized the words were written in 1920 to a little bit of a different tune - love it! So here are the original lyrics. But if you haven't heard Casting Crowns sing it yet, you need to!

Up Calv’ry’s mountain, one dreadful morn,
Walked Christ my Savior, weary and worn;
Facing for sinners death on the cross,
That He might save them from endless loss.
- Refrain:
  Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!
  Seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree;
  Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading,
  Blind and unheeding—dying for me!
“Father forgive them!” thus did He pray,
E’en while His lifeblood flowed fast away;
Praying for sinners while in such woe—
No one but Jesus ever loved so.
Oh, how I love Him, Savior and Friend,
How can my praises ever find end!
Through years unnumbered on heaven’s shore,
My tongue shall praise Him forevermore.

musical monday

2010-04-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Seeing as how it's 9:00 on Monday night and I have yet to post (I had good intentions - I think I had the picture up at about 9:00 am!), I'm just going to share with you what our hymn of the month has been at our church, Elkin Valley. It's one of my favorites and just a great reminder of our need to invite God to be at work in every aspect of our lives. I don't know about you, but I am "prone to wander," and am so thankful for a Savior who is not just "prone to," but lavish in his grace each day! What a reason to sing!

Come Thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

I was lost in utter darkness
Till you came and rescued me
I was bound by all my sin when
Your love came and set me free,
Now my soul has found a new song
Now my heart has found a home
Now Your grace is always with me
And I’ll never be alone

Here I raise mine Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I’m come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace, how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

To learn more about this hymn, go here!

my paperless kitchen, optional title: Ode to Earth Day

2010-04-21T21:12:00.001-04:00

I was inspired a few months ago, by my friend, Terra, to work toward a paperless kitchen. I had been thinking about how much money we spend and how much waste we generate from napkins and paper towels and was wanting to make a change. I have truly enjoyed using cloth diapers with Elijah, but I wasn't sure I was exactly up for extra laundry around here. (And, fairly enough, Justin wasn't quite sure about me having an extra load of laundry either!)

I guess we have had a paperless kitchen for about 2 months now. I already had a few cloth napkins on hand (for "special" occasions, which never seemed to call for cloth napkins anyway), so we started using those (now every day is a special occasion!) and I set out to find replacements for paper towels. Wal-Mart was my store of choice, I guess, for finding some extra dish cloths, kitchen towels and reusable cloths. I really didn't spend a lot of money to buy extra kitchen towels so I wouldn't easily feel the need to reach for a paper towel when all of my kitchen towels were dirty and I had yet to do laundry. Also, I ran across a good deal on the Wal-Mart clearance aisle. I bought several packages of reusable (6 count) Scott Scrub Cloths for 99 cents each. These have been great. They weren't what I expected, but were even better. They actually have the feel of a thick paper towel, but have washed great and kept well so far. I fold these and keep them in what used to be our (paper) napkin holder, right by the kitchen sink.

Honestly, the switch from paper has been easier and less of a change than I expected it to be. It totally helped because Justin was completely on board from the beginning when I mentioned this possible change to him. I just wash all the extra cloths with our towels, so I'm not actually doing any more laundry than I was before. In fact, it's more of a full load now, so I feel like I'm not wasting any water on washing. It does take a while to fold the extra cloths, but it's not too bad. (Especially since we now have a TV in our living room, so I can be entertained while folding!) We've kept the paper towels tucked away under the kitchen sink, only to be used for cleaning up after the dog or grease from cooking, etc. Also, I added a bin under the sink that we already had so that I could just toss the dirty towels in there.

I would recommend going for a paperless kitchen! As I'm typing this I did remember that tomorrow is Earth Day (duh - maybe these subliminal messages all day caused me to start writing this post!), so what better of a time to make a change! The napkins were probably the easiest switch, but I would say that we save the most waste and money on switching from paper towels.

My next project...starting a compost bin. Justin has been wanting to do this for a while and I wish we would have earlier so I could have some good compost for my garden. Anyone already use a compost bin? I would love to hear your thoughts!

beach trip!

2010-04-20T13:53:00.002-04:00

Over spring break here, we were blessed to go with our youth group to Fort Caswell. This was Elijah's first trip to the beach and we had a wonderful time. The youth and chaperones worked hard during the day as they beautified Fort Caswell. Meanwhile, Jenifer (our youth minister's wife), her daughter, Abby, and Elijah and I explored and enjoyed the area. Abby and Elijah are on completely opposite schedules, so they didn't get to hang out a lot, but one day Elijah skipped his first nap so we could hang out at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Here's a photo recap of our trip:

Fun in the sand!

Loves boats!

With Daddy

Sleeping in his new car seat!

Elijah & Abby

Jenifer & Abby

Watching for boats

Eating lots of sand

Checking out the fish

Crawling in the sand

New Post

2010-04-19T21:37:00.001-04:00

Not an original title, but it had been SO LONG since I'd clicked on "new post," it just felt weird. Wow...I've been out of the blogging habit, haven't I? Over a month now...but here I am again... I felt rejuvenated last night just thinking about blogging, with hopes to have a "catching up" week for you to read about. Not doing too well when it's just now 9:00 at night when I'm sitting down to finally post today.

Anyway, here's my "catching up" post for "Musical Monday!"

I don't know if you're familiar with Laura Story, but over the last year she has truly become one of my favorites! Chris Tomlin made Indescribable popular, but it was written by Laura Story. Laura Story also wrote Mighty to Save which is one of my FAVORITES! Laura Story (I don't feel like we're quite on a first name basis yet, though I hope to soon be!) also wrote a song named Immortal, Invisible that captured me the first time I heard it and continues to do so every time I listen to it. I wanted to share it because it is just so well written. God has obviously gifted Laura (Story) with words to point others to Him. Here's the old hymn lyrics to compare this new song to as well:

Immortal Invisible (The Hymn - Walter Chalmers Smith, 1824 - 1908)

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish, but naught changeth Thee.

Thou reignest in glory; Thou dwellest in light;
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee.

Immortal, Invisible (By Laura Story)

Immortal, You are not are like a man
That you change your mind
or change your plan
Invisible, our human eyes can't see
The Depths of your majesty

You're the God of forever and ever amen
The alpha, omega, beginning and end
We sing hallelujah
We worship in awe
Immortal, invisible God

Immortal, You are not bound by death
You're the living God, my very breath
Invisible you are not bound by space
But your glory is filling this place
Yes your glory is fill this place

Immortal yet you once died for me,
to pay my debt to set me free
Invisible you will not always be
Cause you’re coming to reign as our king
And the saints will fall down at your feet

"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:12-17

need a fitness pal?

2010-03-18T11:20:00.001-04:00

I guess with the recent nice weather we've had, my ~~ruined on the first day~~ "New Year's Resolutions" that pertained to better health and fitness have had a boost. One of the best online resources I've found in the last week has been My Fitness Pal. I've tried to use exercise & food intake trackers online before, but I always get discouraged because they're not very user-friendly or there are not many foods that they actually have the nutritional value for and you have to enter it yourself. But, I have been SO impressed with My Fitness Pal so far! There are tons of foods that already have the nutritional information available and lots of exercises to choose from to help you know how many calories you are burning. If you need a boost in your health & fitness routine, then check this out for some great online help! ...Oh...and...it's FREE! So sign up and check it out!

Oh...and another tip...if you become a fan of Itunes on Facebook right now then you can get 15 FREE SONGS! What a great way to score some upbeat workout songs!

free workout videos!

2010-03-16T21:48:00.001-04:00

Are you like me and think you could be so much better at working out if you had money for a gym membership or better equipment? Well, here is the end to your (and my!) excuses...free video downloads of mini workouts with Jillian Michaels. Oh yeah...that solves another excuse...lack of time. These are short videos that are FREE! ...So head on over here, add the video download package to your cart and start downloading. (I'm still downloading mine, so I thought I would at least let you in on this good deal while I'm waiting!)

musical monday

2010-02-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

I've been really slacking on Musical Monday lately. Not only have we been sick the last few Sundays or I've been in the nursery, so I'm missing out on our church worship service, but I really just don't listen to the radio any more. I'm in need of an Itunes update! I've got an Itunes gift card from Christmas and I'm ready to spend it. So I need your help! What are you listening to lately? I mean, anything! I usually listen to Christian music, but I'm so out of the loop in any genre, so I'm up for anything! Please share...what songs are you listening to these days?