New Casa search

This past weekend Jamie and I headed to Columbia to find a place to rent. We had a good list of 10-ish places to check out and were sure we'd find mroe driving around. We got there and had a few hours to look before dark. Immediately we found out our #1 and #2 choices were rented out last week, oh well..moving on. The rest of our list was either not in a safe area or WAY out of our price range. Housing is much cheaper to buy in Columbia than in the ATL and so we couldn't figure out why it was so expensive to rent. Apparently they have some ridiculous taxes on rental homes. By late afternoon on day two we were bummed and out of options.

We continued praying and asking everyone to pray for us. We had about 3 hours of daylight left and only 4 hours the next day before we had to leave town and head back to GA. So, we started grabbing flyers for homes that were for sale and Jamie starting calling them to see if they would consider renting. One realtor Jamie was talking with initially had nothing for us,but then she called back and started asking more questions. He shared with her about moving here to start a church and she began telling him all about her personal church experience and asked if we wouldlet her know when we get started. Then she said she knew a builder in the neighborhood we were looking in and gave us her number. She said she wouldn't make anything off it and just wanted to help us out.

We called the builder and she and her husband showed us a few properties that we knew were totally out of our price range, but she said she was very motivated. Basically, everything at this point had been out of our price range, so it wasn't a surprise. She offered it to us at a price we could afford and it was a done deal just before we had to leave town to come back to GA. Turns out they live there too and she has a grand daughter B's age that lives downt he street too. We are also thrilled that one of the few couples in the church that we have met live a street over from us.

We knew God would provide, we just didn't know what that would look like. I had a feeling it would be a relational connection and it happened in a way that only God would have orchestrated. It was very scary with plenty of panic and doubt opportunities. We jsut kept reminding each other that this is God's thing and if He wants us here He has it all worked out. We just keep doing the next thing He puts before us. Now we have a realtor and this builder couple interested in Awaken Church and realtionships with a few families in our neighborhood and we're not even there yet. How awesome is that?

Thanks God!

Emery the Dangerous

Well, Emery's black eye healed up and then she fell and hit the other eye on a handrail. Black eye #2 with a nasty cut too. Then two days ago, I was laying on the couch and she came over to cuddle with me. She climbed up and started to lay her head down and "BAM" gave me a black eye. So that 's 3 black eyes within 3 weeks. You can't make this stuff up people.

Counting my blessings

In all the craziness of the past few weeks, there has been some amazing blessings happening. We had someone come and want to rent the house we've been renting a month before we had originally planned. So we packed and moved out in 2 days along with some invaluable help from my in-laws. My parents welcomed us to stay in their super nice finished basement till we move to Columbia, AND let us use their gigantic car hauler trailer to load all our stuff. My sister and brother-in-law are letting us store it at their house. Did I mention we have a great family?

We also found out we will be able to have the baby here in Georgia! I love my doctor AND we'll be near family. Booyah! That blessing got me right in the heart. Thanks God!

My niece and her husband are home from Cambodia. We haven't seen them in a year! Welcome home Abby and Jim! This is gonna be a great Christmas!

Nauseous feelings are dwindling! Hallelujah! This time around has been the most difficult.

My mom and step-dad are back after a month in Florida. We had homemade biscuits and gravy for breakfast then fried salmon patties, homemade mashed potatoes and beans for dinner. Straight out of a Paula Deen show y'all! It was so good I didn't even get heartburn, that's how thankful my body was! O.k. back to eating my well balanced diet. I love my mama!

I love the picture above. I mean look at those sweet faces. I am blessed. We thought it would be the worst picture of us all ever. The way we had to pose was humorous to say the least. It involved angled bales of hay and stacking the girls on top of Jamie, but miraculously we were all smiling.

God just keeps reminding me that He has all this under control and He still loves me ginormous. (as my girls like to tell me)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Big news...quickly written

So, I'm not quite able to keep up with the pace of my life right now on ye olde blog. Limited internet time and capabilities doesn't do much to help. I want to plug in the next segment of My Story, but alas time does not permit. So here is our big updates #1 and #2.

#1
In the past week we have moved to my parents as we prepare to move to Columbia, S.C. early January. God has led us to help start Awaken Church. We are hoping to launch in March. So exciting and the biggest step of faith to date for us. Especially with kids in tow. God has been so faithful to guide us in our decisions, in his time. Don't miss that last part b/c that is the difficult part. His time doesn't equal my time. Inf act, being the planner that I am, I'd like about 6 months and He seems to operate in just-in-time mode. (JIT for those accounting peeps)

God has been leading us slowly to this point over the course of our whole marriage, we just didn't know exactly what that would look like till now, mostly...we think... If you'd like to get more of the story on Awaken check our blog out at thebrewers.wordpress.com .

#2
The day after Jamie announced to his current team of co-workers that we would be leaving in January for Columbia, we found out we are pregnant! HA! No I'm not joking and in fact it took us about 3 weeks for the shock to wear off. Without going into too much detail, that should not have been possible. I had the charts to prove it. Yet again, God had different plans. So, we are almost 13 weeks now and doing well.

Jamie's dad always jokes, "if your gonna be a bear, be a grizzly."
Apparently God has the same sense of humor!

As crazy as it all is, the peace of knowing we are smack dab in the middle of God's plans for us and knowing He is leading us grounds my feet everyday. God has a heart for the people of Columbia and we are honored to be invited to be a part of His plans to reach them in His name.

Pray for us and the girls as we journey through this process. The girls are doing well, but there is much still to come. Good health, safe travels, a place to rent, etc...We are raising support for the first 2 years, so please pray that God would bring those who desire to partner financially.

Good night and hope to write more soon and share all that God has been doing in more detail.

So Far Away...

It's me. I live, though it was doubtful for awhile.

Our dsl was cut off last week at the old house and I have no internet set up here, except when Jamie gets home from work. So, bear with me for a little while, k?
Did I mention we were moving? It happened rather quickly, but we have moved to my parents for this month. This past week has been insane. We basically packed in a day and a half. In the middle of which was Thanksgiving #1 at Jamie's mom's 30 min away and Thanksgiving #2 with Jamie's dad's extended fam about 2 1/2 hrs away.

We are up in the mountains, literally. We even had snow all day today. That was nice!
I will give you the whole update on our happenings soon, but I'm exhausted.

Buenos noches!

Extra Thanksgiving Craziness

All I got to say is a German Chocolate cake, a carrot cake and a sweet potato soufflé (all from scratch) has to be done, kids bathed and ready, me ready and out the door in 4 hours.

What?

Oh did I mention we are in the middle of packing...more on that later.

First (and hopefully last) black eye

It doesn't surprise me, but Emery is sporting a good ole black eye. She and B were running around in the dark and B's teeth met up with her eye. It immediately turned purple and less than a minute went by before she was out of my lap and running to play again. Couldn't even get her to sit still to ice it. Here she is showing you her boo boo.

My Story - part 3

Sorry it's been awhile, head cold for 12 days..uggh, moving on...

Part 2 left off on my spring break trip to Guatemala. I came back and had the most difficult conversation in my life with the 7 yr boyfriend and cried all the way back to Athens. Talk about sink or swim. My prayers amounted to "God, help? Now can you do your part, k?" It was a long hard night, I was clinging onto Ps 30:5b that kept running through my head, "weeping may remain for a night, but joy comes in the morning." The next morning as soon as I awoke, my heartache was gone. It was peace that passes understanding coupled with desperate dependency to remain connected to Jesus. The more I drew near to God the easier it was. I experienced Mt 11:30 "for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Pretty soon, I knew God's spirit was all over me. I mean I couldn't help but smile and gush, I was in love, with my savior.

I had some amazing friends that were growing right along side of me too. Dana and Jamie, my two best friends from the mission trip, and I were pretty inseparable. Jamie and I would grab lunch here and there, trading off on who was paying. Then it became awkward. He picked me up and I said, "So where you want to eat?" He just smiled and said he had it all worked out. Uh Oh! (let me pause at this time to say I was not interested in dating..anyone..Jesus and I were redefining love in my head and I had to get right before I could date anyone and it be a good thing) So, you can imagine my nervousness. This was a great guy who had the same sense of humor and we just had fun together. Sure enough, my fears were realized as he had a whole picnic lunch planned out reminiscent of Guatemala memories. Then I think before he could even get the full sentence out about asking me to date, I spilled the beans about my intentions and how I understood if it was too awkward to continue being friends, but I sure would love it if we could still be friends. Did I mention we hadn't even started eating yet? Yea, torturous lunch.

To my surprise he called a few days later and acted as if nothing had changed. We continued to hang out as friends till he moved away and I graduated and went to Guatemala indefinitely. We kept in touch in Guatemala through e-mail and it was awesome. I mean we were seeing God move huge in each others lives, praying for each other and encouraging each other. The time at the ministry for me was tough in certain aspects, but so rich in my relationship with God and seeing His heart for others.

When I went to Guatemala I knew not a single word of Spanish. Seriously, I didn't know the difference between "Hola" and "Donde". (Hello and Where) There were 2 other volunteers and a couple who helped run the ministry in the house we lived in. Only the volunteers spoke English. We had feeding programs in villages and at the house, a clinic 2 days a week at the house, church two times a week, and other non-regular events going on constantly. I went to serve in an administrative role and then helped with whatever else. I adore the children and the people of Guatemala. My heart was so full for them and God grew me so much in prayer while i was there with them. After about 3 months, I knew I was suppose to come home. So, I did and it was my family and Jamie at the airport when I got there. While I was in Guatty, I had some parasites and got very sick. One of the doctors prescribed me a medication that apparently had a large dose of steroids in it. So, when I returned I was about 20 lbs heavier than when I left, oh and I forgot to mention that to anyone, so that was a fun reunion!

Jamie and I were super close friends and I knew it was getting to the point where we would either start dating or end our friendship. You just can not be that close to someone of the opposite sex and have a close relationship with someone else. We both were of the same thought that dating was for seeing if marriage is right for two people. We were both done with dating for the sake of dating. If your at a point in your life where you are ready to get married, then date someone you think you'd like to marry, if not, you are only wasting your emotions, time and heart. No matter what anyone tells you, you will wish you would have saved those emotions, memories, etc... for the one you call your husband. Thanksgiving came and I was ready to date and so was he. We "officially" dated for a little over 2 months, got engaged in February and married in June. (I do NOT recommend long engagements! That's just torture.)

Sovereignty of God

I first saw this on a friend's blog, but I think John Piper shares an invaluable perspective on where we are right now as the church in America.

My Story - part 2

If you are just now joining, check out part 1 here.

So here I am in 8th grade just soaking up all that God can give me. I was extremely blessed to grow in a church where grace was given freely, even to the youth. Yet I was challenged to grow in my knowledge and faith. It was awesome. I was growing so much enjoying such an amazing relationship with God, but I still had no idea how that translated to dating. At that time no one questioned whether you should or should not date, it was a given. So lots of confusion through high school in the dating area. My sophomore year I started dating a guy who professed to be Catholic, but only attended or talked about his beliefs if it was Christmas Eve mass. I don't know why it was so unclear if I should date him or not, hind sight is 20/20. I even asked other, wiser people, and no straight answers. I was 15 when we started dating, crazy. That led to a 7 year relationship, over half of which was long distance, thank you Jesus! My heart was broken over and over, but what I didn't realize is that I couldn't expect him to act with the same convictions I had because he hadn't been changed by the love of Jesus like I had. so it was just rules to him.

My junior year a new high school was built in the town and only about 70 of us went to the new school. I had an awesome group of friends that were excited about living for Jesus. We were having student-led bible studies at each other's houses and pretty soon it grew from about 15 of us to 70+. It was awesome. Summer came and the guy I had been dating and I broke up. Another guy and I started to date, but pretty soon I realized I was still interested in the first guy and broke it off. Well, because of that ALL but 2 of my friends that were girls and 1 guy friend turned on me. My senior year was torture. The guy I was dating was gone to college. To this day it is the most persecution for my faith I have ever experienced. Apparently they all decided to get into drinking and other things and our 'Bible study" was reduced to a social gathering where afterward they all would make fun of me for being a Christian. Nice and mature, huh? This went on almost the entire year and I ditched the student-led "bible studies"and started going to Younglife. I will never forget how real the scriptures were to me that dealt with persecution and 'because they hate me they will hate you". Every single day of school was like walking into a war zone and being ambushed verbally by those who were my friend less than a year ago.

College was interesting I went to a smaller school for awhile and didn't enjoy it. My best friend and I transferred to UGA, go dawgs! At this point in my life I was growing further away from God. I hadn't found a place to plug in with authentic believers and pretty much gave up on trying to plug in. I was busy with school and working waiting tables, so I didn't have much time for anything else. The summer after my junior year I went to stay half the summer with the family of the guy I had been dating for so long. I knew this would tell me a lot and boy did it ever. It was miserable. I packed up my car a few times, but couldn't leave because I was taking a summer class at the local college where they lived. BAD decision! As soon as it was over I headed home and had a long 10 hour drive to process it. I knew that was not what I wanted in a marriage and I knew I was dying spiritually on the inside. So I returned to my senior year and decided to check out the student ministries at UGA. I knew I was home when I attended the Wesley Foundation and there were real authentic people who I would be friends with even if they weren't Christians. I got involved in a small group, a local food and prayer outreach and before I knew it I was looking at going on a mission trip to Guatemala.

It was here that God loved on me big time, speaking to me about my true identity and where He wants to take me. I clearly heard God say to me that if I wanted all of God, He had to have all of me. He would not force me to surrender every area of my life, but he couldn't work in an area I had not surrendered. I knew what that meant and I gave up the relationship. Spring break I went to Guatemala on a mission trip, that in itself is a whole story, but there a couple of significant things happened. First, God directly spoke to me through the wife of the couple leading the ministry there. She shared here testimony and it was exactly where I was in my life. God had promised her that if she surrendered He had something far better for her. That night God said that He would bless me if I chose that life, but if I was willing, He had something far better. So I closed a door that night. Secondly, I met some amazing friends on that trip, actually by the time we were actually on the trip we were all great friends. Except for one guy that was a couple of years older that tagged along to see his buddy that was working down there. He kept to himself and usually only talked to the leaders of the trip. I didn't get to know him till later in the trip when we ended up sitting next to each other on one of the bus rides. He and my other friend Dana are still to this day some of my best friends.

More on what happened next later....

Disney on Ice

Grammy treated us all to a special day by taking us to see Disney on Ice. The girls loved it. B kept the same expression throughout, total amazement. Em did as well, but a totally blank look. Although, she did raise her hands at one point. You would have thought she was bored out of her mind but no that's just her, taking it all in, studying it in fact. Both of them loved every minute. Thanks Grammy. We went back home afterwards and the girls acted out the entire performance for Grandy. Bella made sure to turn the lights off and then back on between acts. Souvenirs chosen were Minnie Mouse for B and Flounder for Em. Great day despite my recovering from food poisoning the night before!

My Story - part 1

I’ve been blogging for over a year now, and I thought you might like to get to know me a little better. My life has been an adventure moving along like a nice little train ride the past several years, but is turning into quite a roller coaster experience. Some background will do you some good, so here we go.

I grew up in Georgia, just north of Atlanta. I have 4 siblings who were all in high school when I was born. My oldest niece, Christen was born when I was 4. So I grew up like the youngest, the oldest and even an only child. I attended a First Christian Church in elementary school and my parents divorced when I was in 3^rd grade. My mom’s job moved us to Florida for a couple of years, North Carolina for a year and then we returned to my hometown when I was in middle school.

Those years were crazy and created a lot of insecurity for me. I came back to the crazy world of middle schoolers and apparently had no fashion sense because my best-friend Melissa immediately brought me to her room to show me exactly how to peg my pants! My sister and her husband began taking me to church with them and it was there in 7^th grade that I invited Jesus into my heart and accepted Christ as my savior. For the next year I attended our youth group, which consisted of 5 others and me. I had no idea how to read my bible and the world of boys was an ever-present attention grabber. I “dated” a guy during that year and by the summer my heart had been broken. I was so seriously depressed I struggled with thoughts of taking my own life. I know that sounds ridiculous to most people that that could happen in a 7^th graders mind, but HELLO it can and does. I wasn’t growing in my relationship with God b/c I didn’t know how and the enemy saw his window of opportunity. To this day it was the darkest time in my life. However, God had different plans. I signed up for youth camp, Super Wow, the summer after 7^th grade. I mean a week at the beach without parents as a middle schooler with tons of other middle schoolers, no brainer! Louie Giglio was speaking the week we went and it was awesome! I remember getting my “Quiet Time Guide” and I still have it today. It was like someone handed me gold. Finally, a way to approach reading my bible that gave me a practical way to apply it in my life. It was there one morning on the beach that I prayed and ask God to change my heart and lift off this heavy sadness (depression) and He did! He super-naturally did. I could not even feel the way I did before even if I tried, it was done. Amazing! A little side note…The guy I had dated approached me a couple of years later to ask me if I wanted to date again and unfortunately for him I had to tell him that I could only think of him as a friend anymore and that God had changed my heart and it just wasn’t there anymore.

Where did things go from there? Stay tuned…part 2 coming up!

My Vote - Fight for the Unborn

There are so many grey areas in most issues, but this is perfectly clear from God's word. God is love. He knows the plans he has for us in our mother's womb. Just as much as he loves the unborn, he loves the mothers. He know that "You're doing the best thing for yourself and this child" and "There is no way you can take care of this baby" and "It will ruin your future" are all very hollow sounding after the fact. Only then does the condemnation come (not from God), "You don't deserve to have anyone love you" "how could you take a life" etc... The thing is God knows this and THAT is why He forbids it. He really does know best for you and the unborn children he has given you.

Also, read Randy Alcorn's Blog for more info on each candidate's position, especially if you want to comment. I was amazed at the lengths Obama is going to make it more available without notifications and getting rid of the mandate to inform the patient of what is actually happening before they abort a child.

Is America willing to sacrifice children and marriage for the hollow promise of better economy?
I believe Obama would change America if elected, but is this the CHANGE we are looking for?

From my friend, Caroline's blog. I echo it whole heartedly.....

Abortion is the deal breaker issue of our lifetime. God have mercy on every Christian who votes for Obama.

If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech…I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him… (Leviticus 20:1-5)

Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed. (Deuteronomy 19:10)

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood… (Proverbs 6:16-19)

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31:8-9)

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:40)

"Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you" (Ezekiel 35:6).

My Little Stinkers

Bella's preschool had a fall festival today, complete with costumes, and Emery was invited too. I let the girls pick out their own costumes and both were sold on what they chose. It was probably a little more appropriate for Em considering our potty training issues lately, but B got into character and sold it. Emery kept telling everyone"look I a stunk!" and Bella would say,"You know what skunks do?" (followed by acting that out) They have such unique personalities, no princesses here, they were looking for laughs! Wonder where they got that?!

Kipper

We have no cable, so most of our viewings are DVDs. The girls love watching the simplest cartoons. Kipper is one about an English dog and his friend Tiger. However, the girls adapt an English accent when talking about them, so it's "Kippa" and "Tigar". I love it.

Election - Educate yoself!

With all the show of politics, it's really hard to know the truth. So I thought a look at the issues at hand would be a good thing to share. Here are the issues as listed by the FocusVoter.com website and how each candidate's support aligns. I believe at least 4 of these are perfectly clear in scripture.

		McCain	Obama
1	Defense of Marriage	Support	Oppose
2	Homosexual Education	Oppose	Support
3	Pro Life Legislation	Support	Oppose
4	Marriage Amendments	Support	Oppose
5	Human Cloning	Oppose	Support
6	Constructionist Judges	Support	Oppose
7	Drilling for Oil	Support	Oppose
8	Firearms Regulations	Oppose	Support
9	School Choice	Support	Oppose
10	Repeal Death Tax	Support	Oppose

Explanations:

1	supporting marriage as the union of one man and one woman
2	teaching about homosexual lifestyles in health education classes within our school system
3	legislations supporting the rights of unborn children, specifically against being aborted
4	is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would limit marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman.
	The FMA also would prevent judicial extension of marriage rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples, as well as preventing polygamy.
5	is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human being, human cell, or human tissue.
6	judges who understand that their role is to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose their opinions through judicial fiat.
7	utilizing domestic oil supplies to minimize foreign dependency
8	restrictions applying to all citizens on types of guns, ammunition, waiting periods, and more.
9	is a term used to describe a wide array of programs aimed at giving families the opportunity to choose the school their children will attend.
10	A tax levied on certain property owned or transferred by the decedentat death. Either an estate tax or an inheritance tax.

Don't Back Down!

Great post about the Christian perspective on the economy from Pastor Steven Furtick who leads Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.
This is from his blog.

Jump In!

Romans 12:11 "Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord."

This morning I came across this verse and it showed the relationship between our zeal and burning with the Spirit and serving. So to me it says, "If you have lost your zeal, go serve Me. If you want to keep your fire/zeal keep serving Me."

My next thought was how or where?
I mean, don't I serve you in my everyday life?
Matthew 13:44 says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

The thing that stands out to me about this passage is that he went to where God was instead of asking God to come move where he was.

A friend of ours once said,"Walking with God is like a river. Just jump in and His current will carry you to where you need to be." The worst thing we can do is stand on the bank worried we might mess up.

So, if you're like me and have struggled with losing your zeal, look for where God is moving and serve Him there.

Exhausted and Alive

I can not even begin to list all that God has shown, taught, encouraged and challenged me with the past 48 hours at Catalyst. Unity was the theme and it was amazing to see speakers from leaders in The Church to successful leaders in the business world come and share the research they are finding to equip and encourage Christian leaders, one of them is even Jewish. We have so much to learn from each other. Andy Stanley said "Always be a student, not a critic." I believe that with all my heart.
I hope to share many more insights from the past two days, but good gracious I need some rest and time to process it. All I can say right now is I'm so exhausted but at the same time feel like I could stand up and speak to a generation about the call of God on their lives. Craziness. It's just overflowing.

The song that is stuck in my head...

Kim Walker's I Have Found...go listen and be blessed.

Beauty

Today God displayed the most vivid full rainbow I have ever seen.
I could only get a shot of half of it, but it was gorgeous.

Don't have time to maintain these regrets

"All of the sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
and I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me." - this is from the song How He Loves, by Jesus Culture

Last night we were able to go to a night of worship and just sit in God's presence and worship Him. It made me realize that when I am consumed by my circumstances, my part is to change my circumstances to where I can be consumed by who He is.

I Silly Mommy!

Yesterday, we came home from a friend's house just in time for a quick potty break before we headed out the door to dinner to meet Grammy and Grandy. I had to check some stuff on the computer, so being the multi-tasker I am, I sat Emery on the potty and told her to call for me when she was done. I was in the office and heard, "Mommy! Come wook!" So I turned the corner and saw this:


















then "I Siwwy Mommy!"













At least it was a clean pull-up, right?

Brew Crew Favs - Sweet Potato Goodness

If you've ever had sweet potato fries, especially dipped in either honey mustard or blue cheese, you know some yummy goodness. These are just as yummy AND healthy, but come from your grocer's health food freezer section.
Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, Enjoy!
Can you tell I REALLY enjoy food?

A Southern Girl's Right of Passage

Bella loves to help me cook. So when I broke out the flour she had her chair pulled up and ready to go. When a southern girl makes her first biscuit, especially with her mama, it is a special moment that MUST be captured with a picture. (even if there is a lack of makeup involved)
I mean this is her first biscuit y'all!

Brew Crew Favs - For women only!

O.k. It's my opinion that women are not taught enough about their own bodies. The book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler is a wonderful book for any woman. It is my number one recommendation whether you want info for health purposes, fertility purposes, menopause, or birth control. I think this is essential information EVERY woman needs to know. The teen edition called Cycle Savvy is by the same author. This is what should have been taught in our health classes!

Brew Crew Favs - Luna Bars

Sunrise Vanilla Almond Luna Bar....yummy..nuff said.

Potty Training tips...

Hindsight is 20/20 and great encouragement for those of us needing wisdom.
I thought Shannon had some great advice on the biggest battle of the toddler years.
Check it out here.

Keeping it Real..

I'm starting a new bible study group and we are reading The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry along with Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. The purpose of The 4:8 Principle is to help us improve the one thing in life we have complete control over: our thinking.

"The battle you wage against your human nature is an invisible one that will be won or lost in the mind." - The 4:8 Principle

The author also quote Romans 12:2 and states that we are taught transformation is the result of a renewed mind. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. THEN you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Doesn't it seem we do it backwards? Trying to change our circumstances before asking God to renew our minds.

On the first day of our group we were asked to rate how joy-filled we are on a scale of 1 to 10. And then think of what would improve that rating. - I am probably at my lowest joy level in a while right now so I answered a 2! and if I could just not have to make any decisions regarding money that would improve that rating enormously.

Here are a few questions worth asking yourself:

If you don't do anything differently than you are now, what will your life be like in ten years? Will that be a good thing?

If I repeat today's action 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?

Brew Crew Favs - Acai Juice

Many of you might have heard of the many products selling the Acai berry juice. Jamie and I have been trying to make a healthy change in the way we eat and heard about all the benefits of the "kookaberry" juice as Jamie called it. However, we did not have the cash flow needed to purchase some of the more marketed brands. So, Jamie's dad, who works in the gourmet food industry and has specialized in teas and drinks, knew about it and said to try some from the grocery store. It doesn't have all the omega 3, etc... but if we were looking for the acai berry, we could get it much cheaper, like $7 a week. It is a super fruit and has amazing amounts of antioxidants in it. There are a few different brands and flavors, but the Acai with Pomegranate from Bom Dia is my fav. I try to drink a 3 oz serving every morning either by itself or mixed with some vanilla yogurt.

Brew Crew Favs

I've been thinking there are lots of great products, ideas, yummies, etc.. that I come across and think... "I wish I had known about this earlier."

So to keep you from having those same thoughts, here is a new segment that I hope will bring you great joy: Brew Crew Favs.

To start it off.... if your child has sensitive skin or eczema, you will L-O-V-E, LOVE the Method Baby brand body wash and lotion. It is fabulous! The scent is a bit strong, but if you like vanilla you'll love it. I get it at Target. Enjoy!

Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes

Sorry for the break, but I'm pondering some changes for the blog.
Hopefully for the better and hopefully more purposeful.
Stay tuned.

Mama's Got a New Do

I've been wanting a drastic change, something a little more trendy, and I think I found it.
I was the kid in elementary school with half of her hair making up her bangs, so I've been a little skiddish to say the least about going back to bangs. Turns out, I love it and Lindsay did a great job!

Before












After

Christianity by birth rate alone

Something to ponder when you think about God's command to "Be fruitful and multiply".
Especially when you consider many other religions, specifically Muslims, having 6 or more children per family on average. This is from from my niece and her husband's blog.


In 10 generations a family tree with:

2 children per marriage will only self propagate (which is common sense)

3 children will grow to about 40,000

4 children will populate to over 500,000

5 kids per family will result in almost 4,000,000 in only 10 generations.

Hmmm......

Yearbook Sweethearts

Don't we make a great pair?












And just for kicks...the year I was born.












Oh, and in case you miss Hangin' Tough....












O.k. I 'll stop. Go enjoy it yourself, yearbookyourself.com

How does this work?

I operate better on a schedule. In this season of my life with little ones, that is a very loose and flexible schedule. My only problem is I have more things to do than will fit on my schedule!

Where do you go from there?

I think I need a personal retreat for planning alone!

Trials and Tribulations

After a morning full of phone calls and work on the computer, I decided to go workout and let the girls play in the childcare area. Then afterwards take them swimming. They were pumped!

We went over to the facilities and when I went to pick them up from childcare, B had to potty. We were in a race to the bathroom, singing our ABC's along the way for distraction. We get to the bathrooms where we were changing into our swimsuits and I see the look on her face. "Mommy, is this the one that flushes all by itself?" "yes, B, but it won't flush as long as you are sitting on it." Disbelief. I told her she'd be fine and I'd stay with her, but nope. After giving her the choice to go potty and swim or not potty and no swim, she said she wanted another choice. I got Em and I changed and she still had not decided, so I said "o.k., come with us we're going to the pool, but you'll have to sit on the side till you're ready to use the potty."

Then it happened, right there in the women's locker room. She wouldn't move a muscle toward the door. I went to take her hand and 3...2...1....tantrum! Full on flailing arms and legs tantrum. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'm NOT going! I want to go home and use OUR potty and then comeback and swim!" After a few moments of "You will not talk to me that way" amidst B trying to get the last word, I informed her that we are going home for some discipline and bedtime.

Oh the drama! I'm still in shock we just had a huge public tantrum. Thankfully all that time praying on the elliptical must have given me the grace not to lose it right there. We happened to have read the 10 commandments last night, so I was able to discuss honoring your mother and father all the way home.

So Fun Swim

That is what Emery said today on the way home, "So Fun Swim, mommy!" We spent the day at a friend's pool with my sister and her best friend and grandson, who is B's age. They had a blast. All of them couldn't wait to jump off the diving board and Bella even did it WITHOUT her floaties on! She is learning so much so fast. She is swimming without floaties underwater too!

Emery is right their behind her. She can not be convinced that she doesn't float without her arm floaties on. So she pushes off and ....sinks. Only to be picked up out of the water in wide-eyed amazement. Then she pushes off again. She'll get it eventually I guess.

They both loved wearing the gobbles (aka goggles) too. I still remember the fascination with being able to see clearly underwater myself. Those were fun times and I'm so glad I can be there to see my girls enjoying it too. I love these girls and today was wonderful.

2 steps forward.... one step back

We've been potty training Emery. We spent a few weeks in pullups and she was 80% there. We decided last week to switch to the panties thinking it would motivate her to go the distance. Most kids get the #2 thing first and then #1, but not so much for Em. After a weekend of accidents, today was the day of retreat. I just couldn't handle another poopy clean up, especially another one like today.
I was just so over it. I cleaned her up and the bathroom, threw away her clothes and put her to bed for a nap. We needed some space....both of us. She slept for 3 1/2 hours! I was at the point where I even e-mailed my hubby to tell him ever-so-kindly that we were done with potty training for now and I would CAUTION him from expressing any difference of opinion for at least a week.

Just be glad I didn't post a picture with this one!

Hives

It's been awhile, but we've been in and out of doctor's offices, ERs and Immediate Care centers. All to find out B had some kind of reaction to something. Brilliant, huh?! That was my thoughts anyway after we saw her pediatrician for the final diagnosis. Her she is showing me her muscles in the urgent care. She was so brave and did awesome. The most traumatic part was the shot of epinephrine they gave her in her leg. It was horrible for like 10 minutes. She got to go pick out a Wonder Pets video after that. After an ER visit the next night and a trip to the pediatrician Monday, she is better now and we are thankful.

Today my mom has the girls and I am getting to clean my house...all of it..in one day! That hasn't happened since I've had kids. Hence my excitement. I got to have lunch with my man and I am now listening to John Mayer live in LA on his ipod. Lovely!

Camping with Nana and Pawpaw

The girls and I went on a little road trip this week and visited my mom and step-dad camping up above Cleveland, GA. It was oh so fun and filled with first times for the girls. The campground, Trackrock, was beautiful with a little lake and surrounded by the mountains.
The girls got to sleep in the motor home which seemed to go well for everyone except me. I slept with Emery and she likes to fling her arms into your face every 5 minutes. So I slept defensively, much like the position they used to tell you to take in school when they lined the halls with students for a tornado drill...only I was laying down.
Their favorite part was horseback riding. My mom and B road together on Clancy. Em and I rode on Lefty (or Wefty as Em called her) Everytime we trotted Bella had uncontrolable giggles and Emery would say, "Mama, I wike bouncy-bouncy! YA! Wefty Wun! Wun!"

Mom and I took the girls fishing. The fish weren't biting, but Emery just wanted to reel it in over and over. Bella just wanted to hold the worms.
It would not have been complete without riding around in the back of Pawpaw's truck, a trip to the local store where we ogt some fabulous blue suckers, and seeing some of the wildlife. The best part was spending time with Nana and Papaw though!(thanks guys)
Tons O fun we had.
We even got to visit with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Gene while we were there. I stopped by a local fruit stand on the way home and got fresh peaches. I believe we'll be having us some homemade ice cream this weekend. Yummy my favorite!