Wordless Wednesday: My Vacation Destination

Stay tuned for more tomorrow...

Three Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

Well, this should be easy I thought when I heard about this blog hop theme!

And then I read the disclaimer...

To keep from getting alot of the same obvious answers, try to be specific and let's bypass some of the obvious: be honest, love your parents, love God, be kind to others, accept Jesus as your Savior (Christian parents will feel obligated to list some of those).

Yep, those were my answers. Along with respect.

But then God showed me a different direction. And I know these things are at the top of my list.

So here it is...

1. 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. Psalm 139:13-16

2. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

3. Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Words to live by...for all of us.





Special thanks to Shoplet.com-Purell Hand Sanitizers for sponsoring this blog hop.

I Heart Faces: Blue

Blue - the color or the mood.

Both seem to work for this photo this week.

Guess who didn't want to get out of the pool?

I look at this and can't help but sing...

"I'm so blu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-ue, I'm so blue I don't know what to do"

It's official. Veggie Tales has taken over my brain.

Anyways...

I Heart Faces has a ton of blue-inspired photos this week so check them out!

Not Me Monday

Well, it's Not Me Monday again. This time I can't come up with much because...

I did not go away for four days and not let you know about it.

And I most certainly did not leave the blog to fend for itself during that time. No, I did not leave without any posts ready to auto-post. Not me - I am much more organized than that.

And I did not have such a blast while I was gone that my brain may need a few days before I can put together any more coherent thoughts than what you see on this post right now. No, I am not that tired.

Ok, maybe I am...

To find much more entertaining "Not Me" posts, head over to MckMama's magical blog and check out stories from people not trying to keep their eyelids open with duct tape.

And stayed tuned for more from me - after I get a nap. Don't hold your breath.

Our Little Visitor

Stephen came home Tuesday and saw this guy in our yard...


Upon some investigation, he and Jeremiah discovered that this baby bird (I know he looks huge here but he was TINY!) had tried to fall out of his nest and fallen. The nest had another baby bird in it and no mommy.

That makes me so sad. I didn't want anything to happen to him before his mommy could get to him! We were all enthralled by our little visitor.

Well, he ended up on our driveway where Stephen took these picture and tried to feed him - but NOT touch him.

He kept hopping closer to our house and we could hear him tweeting quite loudly - and of course, Jeremiah started tweeting too :)

After a lull in activity, the mama bird showed up! She landed next to him and then flew toward the nest, trying to coax him along. He flew after her but the wind caught him and he landed in the driveway. I think I gasped.

But, that little thing was resilient. Momma bird flew by again and this little guy...

flew back to his nest, where I am sure he enjoyed a worm and hug from his mommy.

And what did that mama bird teach her little man - never give up. And mommy is always there for you.

A note to our boys - Never give up. Mommy & Daddy are always there for you. We are your #1 fans!

Thanks for the reminder little bird family!

Wordless Wednesday: My Beautiful New Time-Waster

Blog Hop: Why Read My Blog?

Why read my blog?

Because I am just like you. Nothing special or out of the ordinary here - just a stay-at-home mom of two boys and wife of a med student trying to live each day for Jesus.

Because, with two little boys, things are rarely boring around here.

Because I love sharing our lives and our faith with you.

Because I love reading your comments and visiting your blogs.

And because I have some fun giveaways every once in a while.

Is that enough?

Why should I read your blog? Join in on the Blog Hop fun today!

Thanks for visiting and hope to see you back again!



Special thanks to Grace Jacobsen for sponsoring this blog hop.

I Heart Faces: Completely Candid

Being a mommy, most of my photos are candid so this week was perfect! Lots of choices, but I just love the look on Little J's face! Once again, I wish I knew what he was thinking!



Check out more candid photos over at I Heart Faces!

I Heart Faces: Fix-It Friday #29

I love the picture this week because this cute redhead reminds me of a good friend's daughter. And you can't make a picture black and white with that gorgeous red hair so here is the original...

And here is my edit...

Still using free editing! This was done with FotoFlexer.

Want to see more? Head over to I Heart Faces!

Have a blessed Friday!

Everything you ever wanted to know about Nebraska...

...and more!



I love this song. I truly love it.

We have this on CD. I think I enjoy it even more than the kiddos.

A couple of notes:
*Yes, I have actually been to the rollerskating museum. More than once. Sad, I know.
*There is a small herd of buffalo (bison?) in a park near our house. They're not all gone.
*I have never been to CarHenge but I have heard it is quite the sight!

One week from today...

I will be headed to this convention...


...and I am beyond excited!

I'm ready to start packing today, but I don't think Stephen would appreciate the suitcase sitting out in our room for the next week!

For those who don't know, MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers (infants through kindergarten).

The MOPS International mission statement is this...

MOPS International exists to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

To many it is a lifeline - a chance to laugh, talk, cry, talk, eat, be crafty, talk, pray for each other, talk and feel supported in the journey of motherhood.

To feel like they aren't alone on "Planet Mom."

I am co-coordinating our group this year and we have an AMAZING group of women. And the best part is we all know what one another is going through.

We're all on the same planet. That's a great feeling.

So, even though I will be missing our regular meeting, I am super excited to be with 5,000 other inhabitants of "Planet Mom" next weekend for three days and I'm just wondering...

Are you going? Anybody? Anybody?

Or have you been before? What should I pack?

And by the way, PRAISE THE LORD, all of my money is raised! He is SO good!

Wordless Wednesday: I Can Do It Myself

This Makes Me Smile...

If you've seen this already, watch it again. And if I've posted it before, well, I don't care! We all need to smile more :)



This is what you just saw...

It was a promotional stunt for a Belgian TV station doing a program to find the next lead for the Sound of Music! These 200 dancers rehearsed TWICE and then showed up in Antwerp's Central Station at 8:00am in late March of this year to perform!

I would have loved to be a part of this - seriously.

My husband is rolling his eyes as he reads this.

Happy Tuesday.

Blog Hop: My Budding Artist

Jeremiah discovered the joy of painting recently so I'm showing off his artwork today!

As for me, this is the only "art" I have to show off!

Supporting those Huskers! Go Big Red!

The Apple of My Eye - Winner Time!

I almost forgot to announce the winner for the Shabby Apple giveaway tonight!

But I did remember and I am so excited for commenter...

#20!

And that would be Jess who said...

I like the Vanderbilt Black Silk Dress!! However, I also like MANY others over there!! WoW! I had never even heard of Shabby Apple, so I'm super excited you brought this to my attention! Thanks, Erin :)

Thank you Jess for stopping by and have fun wearing that new dress!

And for everyone else, including me, we'll just have to head over to Shabby Apple and get our own!

Trust in the Lord

So I should know that in times of need, God is not only going to provide what I need, He is also going to teach me to trust Him.

When I wrote this post, I was just thinking about the beauty of the flower and how well it is taken care of its Creator.

Little did I know that this verse would be my lifeline for the next week.

Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:28-33

I am co-coordinating our MOPS group this year which is so fabulous! The other coordinator, another leadership member and I are headed to MOPS Convention next week - SO EXCITED. We have been raising money since this summer to pay for the trip.

And on Sunday, God illustrated perfectly His provision AND asked me to trust Him once again.

One of my best friends and her hubby randomly dropped by after church. That was enough of a pleasant surprise in itself because we love them, but on top of that, she gave me a very generous donation for my trip - just when I was starting to freak out about raising the rest of the money. What a GIFT FROM GOD! I was blown away.

And then, within a few hours, I found out that we need more money than I had planned on for the trip.

Bummer.

But what a perfect opportunity to lean on the Lord and watch what He can do. He's done it before and He'll do it again. And that's how He's teaching me.

So with one week to go, I have about $200 to raise. Sounds impossible but here is what my God says...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

While my own understanding would say "not gonna happen," I am trusting the Lord.

And He will provide.

Are you going through a time where you need the Lord to provide in some way? I would love to pray for you! You can comment here or click on the e-mail link in the column to the right to send your prayer request. Let's watch God provide for us together!

Not Me! Monday

Not Me Mondays are my favorite!

I like them so much, I recently had our MOPS Steering Team share their Not Me moments as an introduction to the whole group MOPS group at our first meeting! It was so fun! We're all human and definitely NOT perfect, so why not laugh about it?!

So, if you need a good laugh today, head on over to MckMama's marvelous blog carnival to read everyone's Not Me moments!

So let's see...

It was not me who had a wonderful evening pigging out on junk food and watching movies with my husband that probably resulted in five pounds added on to my mid-section. And it was totally NOT fun. We only eat health food around here so that couldn't be me.

And it was not me who decided we needed to run to Target (which is a good 20 minute drive from our house) as a whole family after 5:00 p.m. just to get a few things and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. No, I wouldn't do anything like that so close to dinner.

And while picking apples together as a family, I did not let my son carry around slightly rotten apples just because it kept him happy to have an apple in each hand at all times.

I never tell my son that he needs to help his stuffed animals go to sleep in an effort to get him to nap. I would never deceive...I mean, pretend with...him like that.

And lastly, I would never skip dinner so I could snack on Tastefully Simple food all night at our MOPS Convention fundraiser. And I would never eat Nana's Apple Cake for lunch the next day...with whipped cream.

Not me.

I Heart Faces: Contemplative

Contemplative - interesting topic. Here's what they were thinking over at I Heart Faces...

Our Definition: thoughtful observation; full or deep consideration; dreamily or wistfully thoughtful: a pensive mood; expressing or revealing thoughtfulness; quiet modes of apparent or real thought; can be marked by some sadness, but doesn't have to be.

I did a lot of looking for the perfect photo and I kept coming back to this one.

We were at the zoo and Joshua was watching his brother and the other big kids in the sandbox. I just imagine him thinking, "I want to be just like them when I grow up..."

Plus, I just love those chubby cheeks.

Check out all of the other contemplative photos at I Heart Faces and enter your own!

A Glimpse

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 1 Chronicles 29:11

Flowers outside our local children's zoo

Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:28-33

A is for Apple

Some friends from our church have LOTS of apple trees and very generously asked us to come take some apples before they rot.

And we were more than happy to take them off their hands!

We headed out there as a family and came home with some great memories and almost 60 POUNDS of apples!

Homemade applesauce, anyone? Batch #1 is in the crock pot now!

Somebody was a little grumpy because his shoes were dirty :(

And this guy was happy whenever he had an apple in his hand :)