Christmas time around our house

Well I've finally gotten around to taking pictures of the house decorated.  I would've done it earlier but I needed to make the house presentable for pictures as well.  Which hasn't been as easy with Joseph aka my little piglet, still wanting to eat around the clock.  Anyway here's a look at christmas around our house right now....

I still have more decorations but getting around to it a different story.  Ha!

I finally got Joseph smiling on camara....

He's been smiling for awhile now but getting it camara wasnt so easy.  But finally I got it!  Completely melts my heart.  Just to see emotion and joy on his face is awesome and never gets old!  We find ourselves making fools of ourselves to get another one. :-)

Well he's sleeping on my lap as I type this so maybe its a good time for me to get some stuff done, besides blogging.  Ha!  I'm trying to get my fall bulb planting done.  Got several different kinds of bulbs this year, and I'm excited for spring to see what pops up.  Now that we've bought a home I know I'll be here for awhile able to enjoy them! So I better get out there and plant them or nothing will happen! 

I hope you've all had a wonderful week, and a wonderful weekend to come.  Chris starts his new job on monday so any prayers would be greatly appreciated.  I know he's nervous.  It's never easy to start something new, being the new guy.  But hopefully, God willing, this will be the place he retires from.  I know he's tired.  Tired of new jobs and new people starting over and over does get old.  But praise God for this opportunity.  We are truely blessed, beyond what we deserve and I know that, and daily thank God for the things that I probably take for granted moment to moment.  Thinking back a year ago, never would I have imagined that from a job loss God would allow us to buy a home and have a new baby!  What a wonderful maker we have, an awesome God who gives freely.  I love Him!  And I've grown so much spiritually lately.  Changes have been made, only be the Lords leading and I'm so glad our hearts have been intune to the Holy Spirits voice and guidance.  I"ve been reading the daily walk devotional everyday.  It gets you to read the bible in a year.  I find myself so looking forward to that time of my day.  I read outloud while nursing the baby.  Who knows maybe he's starting to retain some in his little mind already!  :-)  Definately cant hurt right.  The kids are also growing and being challenged in the Word and they need it so much to battle the world.  I'm so happy and blessed! 

Well like I said earlier I've got to get some planting done!

Blessings,

Heather

I cannot believe I forgot to blog this!!!

Hey guys! 

Yesterday when I was updating my blog I forgot to tell you all something....

On Monday night Chris and I were watching tv.  Kids all sleeping, house quiet, enjoying a cup of coffee together when we hear a rustling sound.  Slowly we turn to our right, and down went our christmas tree!!!  We go to a tree farm and pick out our tree and cut it down.  So their usually big.  This year its a 9 footer.  All decorated, lighted and trimmed with bows, and down it came.  Needless to say it was shocking.  I didn't believe it happened at first until reality set in and we looked at eachother and it was like "what just happened? Did our tree seriously just fall down?"  I'm kicking myself now that I didn't get a picture of it down.  But I did get some of the aftermath....

(yeah, it was a mess)

I"m still sweeping up glass!  But it's up and so far still is.....LOL!  Anyway, just thought some holiday humor would fun!

Love and Blessings!

Heather

Couldn't do a 'Wordless Wednesday"

Hey all!  I cannot believe it's wednesday again!  Have I really not blogged at all in a week!!!!  Crazy how fast time flies when your this busy.  Our Thanksgiving was wonderful and I hope all your were as well.  We had a wonderful day spent with family, with lots memories and pictures to boot!  There's so much to be thankful for and it was such a blessing to be able to do that with family.  It's been quite a year for our family  as most you know, who follow my blog.  Job loss, home buying, new jobs, babies born, babies very sick, its really been a year.  And I've never needed the Lord so much like I have this year and I wouldn't trade that for anything.   Anyways, I took lots of pics of our thanksgiving day, click here to view them all!  Hope you enjoy getting a snippet of our day!

Well thanksgiving night, we took our nephew Devin home with us and Hannah went with her Auntie Annie and Uncle Richie.  So the cousins got a sleepover for  a few day and had a lot of fun.  We've since got our christmas tree, hung lights outside and decorated the house.  So it's really feeling like christmas around here now.  I plan on taking some pics as soon as get the house cleaned.....hehehehehe......

Joseph has also had a big few days.  He's now smiling all the time, "talking" to us with the most beautiful little coo's and noises.  He also discovered his hands a couple days ago.  It's cute to watch him look at it in sheer amazement! He's also gaining weight like crazy.  I weighed him on thanksgiving and he was 11 lbs. 9 oz.  So I'm sure he's passed the 12 lb. mark my now!  He's getting so big and so much fun!

(bathtime, is one of his favorites!)

Blessing to you all!  Love ya!

Heather

Thanksgiving Blessings!

Thanksgiving Blessings everyone!

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have a day filled with family, friends and wonderful memories!  Eat and laugh lots and lets make sure to keep our Lord at the forefront our minds always praising God from who all blessing flow. 

Safe traveling everyone and have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Heather

Baking, new jobs and a 2 month birthday!

Hey everyone!

Well is tuesday and I meant to get on here yesterday but I was on a roll getting caught up on housework and stuff.  So I'm on here today to catch you all up on what's been going on around here the past couple days. 

Let's see, on Saturday the kids and I had fun baking.  We made our first batches of sugar cookies and I made a pecan pie.  It was my first time making one from scratch and it came out really yummy!  So that was a lot of fun and such a good way to get in the spirit of the season. 

(decorating the cookies!)

(our first batch)

(the finished product!)

(the first cookie of the season!)

(my first pecan pie...Mmmmmm.......)

Sunday, we went to church and after that we got the hooks up on the house to hang lights.  So hopefully in the next few days we'll be able to get the lights up.  I'm also planning on decorating the day after thanksgiving.  Yay!  I also made our own Thanksgiving dinner on sunday night.  Since were not having Thanksgiving here this year and I love cooking it so much I thought it would be fun to have our own little Thanksgiving feast.  It was so yummy and now we get to look forward to having it all again.  Hey it's only once year, why not right?  :-)

Yesterday, was a good day too.  The kids and I got a lot of yard work done and I caught up on the housework too.  Then we played catch outside for awhile.  And while we were playing I missed a call from Chris.  And when I called him back he had some great news.  He had gotten the call from Northrop Grumman saying he got the job!!!!  Such a huge praise!  God is so faithful!!! And never, ever fails His kids.  He would've been praise even if Chris didn't get the job but how wonderful that he did!

And today my Joseph is 2 months old!  So super bittersweet for me.  I am so in love with him and enjoying watching him grow and starting to interact with us, but time really goes by too fast and I sure wish it would slow down a bit.  I've had to put away so many clothes that he's grown out of already and I hate that.  But such is life with growing babies. 

(Happy 2 month birthday JoJo!  Mama loves you soooooooo much!)

Anyway, I've got to be off to make lunch for the kids.  Have a great Tuesday everyone!!!

Blessings,

Heather

Divine Romance

I am sitting on the couch listening to the music from blog page.  Loving the quiet time I've been given to sit there with my eyes closed, holding my baby against my chest and sing.  And let my heart open and receive love as I give my heart over to worship.  I was really hit when "Divine Romance" started playing.  One of my favorite all time songs to worship too.  But for some reason this time was different.  As I sang the Holy Spirit gave me something.  Before I go on here's the words to this beautiful song:

"Divine Romance" by Phil Wickam

The fullness of Your grace is here with me

The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied

(Its probably playing right now, since its first on my playlist :-) )

So, as I am singing softly, with my baby against my chest, I am struck with Love.  Not love like I am normally used to experiencing.  But the overpowering love that I feel for my infant.  My innocent helpless child that is sleeping against my chest listening to my heartbeat as he rests.  And is in complete peace.  And how much I love him.  I love him with a love that hurts.  It's so overpowering that the thought of him in pain or suffering pains me greatly.  Yet to hold him and listen to him breathe is enough for me.  To look at him brings tears to my eyes.  What kind of love is this?  Something that only God can create and give to us. So how much does God love me?  His word says:

"For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb. 
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place. 
 When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body. 
All the days ordained for me
 were written in Your book before one of them came to be. 
How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake I am still with You.
                                                              Psalm 139:13-18

That is on another level.  I love my children with a full love that God has given me.  I think maybe a form of the love that God has for us.  But not the same.  Because were not the same.  Were made in His image but were human and our humanity puts limits on even our very emotions.  However, it gives me a taste, a glimpse of the God's love for me and his Son Jesus.

The thought of any of my kids suffering in any capacity pains me. To look at Joseph so helpless and dependant.  And to think that was Jesus when he was born.  Helplessly dependant on His mother to feed Him and care for Him.  That He left the right of God to come into the world helpless and God allowed, no not allowed it, but planned it just so I, you, all of us, could be with Him.  I dont think I could love someone so much to allow my son to be brutalized and tortued before my eyes just to show how much I love my other children.  That's even hard for me to say outloud but I dont think I could.  Although God knew that that's why He did it. 

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends .  John 15:13

There is no greater love.  And God is love.

So as I sing those words,  I am struck that God allowed all that just for this.  For worship in its purest form.  That doesn't have to include a worship team, and hundreds of people.  It doesn't have to magnificent, I dont have to sound wonderful (thank Him :-) )  Just a moment of pure worship.  Where my heart is with Him.  My mind is thinking and trying to grasp what kind of Love is this?  And when that's all I need.  When I realize even for a moment that everything can be taken away, but you cant take away my God.  I can be alone, with nothing and no one, I still have that.  Him.  That is what the Holy Spirit gave me today.  Peace.  And a greater understanding of what that means.  That no matter what I am going through, no matter the trial, the fear, the pain, the worry, the anger, the guilt, the end result is always Him.  So why do I stumble on the path and get worried and scared when I know the end is and will always be Him? 

"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" Matthew 28:20

I wrote yesterday about worry.  I came again today.  But instead of feeding it I closed my eyes and listened to the music. I didn't give room to the enemy.  And this is what God gave me.  A deeper look at Him and who He is.  A treasure to hold on to.  And none of this is me.  Will I mess up again?  Sure.  Will I doubt and worry again?  Probably.  But God will be the same.  There.  On the throne.  In control as always and faithful to lift me up when I call to Him.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us
but to Your name be the glory,
because of Your love and faithfulness.
                                        Psalm 115:1

Everything always points back to Him.  Even my failings and mess ups.  Because I can still call on Him and He will be there.  Faithfulness.  When I repent, he forgives.  Grace.  When I deserve death and grave, He gives me life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). Mercy.  And those all add up to Love.  Him!

Love and Blessings,

Heather

God's Grace (right in my face, as always...)

Well  the first half of today was not the greatest.  Nothing specific happened.  Just my own weakness and lack of faith I guess.  You see everyone I think has their weak points.  Mine happens to be worry.  I tend to be a pretty cheerful and optimistic person.  But sometimes Satan finds that window of opportunity and really goes to town in me.  Mine is worry.  So everything is going great, a nice morning and I'm in a great mood, getting excited to hang the christmas lights this weekend and stuff.  But when I go to check my email I decide to check our bank statement, which I ususally dont do because hubby takes care of the finances (I used to but because of my worry he took that off my shoulders a while ago).  Thats when is started for me.  A downward spiral of worry and "what ifs".  I know its wrong and is shows a tremendous amount of lack of faith on my part but its like it takes  life of its own and I cant stop it.  I did pray about it but instead of waiting on the Lord I call Chris to vent and he was busy and not able to give me the reassurance he usually does.  So I hang up the phone feeling worse.   Does this happen to anyone else?  I should not have called him.  I cant expect him to give me the faith that only comes from the Lord.  I felt so bad afterwards too.  And to top it off he send me a text saying he was sorry he didnt reassure me and that the Lord was going to see us through like always and that were being refined.  The troubling part for me is one, that I shouldn't put unrealistic expectations on my husband that I should be bringing before the Lord and two, that I need to stop focusing on the miniscule "what ifs"  and enjoy the hope set before us.  Like the job offer that Chris recieved.  Were waiting on the the background check to come back.  I dont know why I allow myself to get so caught up the negative when the positive is jumping up and down right in front of my face.  The Lord always, always, always proves Himself faithful to me and I never seem to get the message.  Or I do but when the next attack from Satan comes I fail.  But I need to remember constantly not to give Satan the chance.  The next time I fell worry setting in I need to approach God's throne with boldness, knowing and believing that He is in control of everything and that His plans for me are plans to peace and a future.  How blessed we are to have His word to bring us comfort and any time!  So being that were days from Thanksgiving heres some of what I'm thankful for~

~Jesus.  His sacrifice gives me the promise of eternal life in Heaven.  Even on my worst of days I know I'm going to heaven.

~The Bible.  Gods word, living and true that I have access to at anytime.

~My family.

~My kids.

~My husband.

~Church

~My Health

~My kids, husbands, and family's health

~My home

~My husbands job

~Food on our table

~Clothes on our backs

~Transportation

~Laughter

~Nature, Gods masterpiece, the sky, stars, galaxies, the sun, rain, snow, trees flowers, animals, the ocean.....it goes on and on....

I have too much to be thankful for, there shouldnt be any time for me to focus on the negative when the positive is endless!

Love and Blessings,

Heather