12 reasons to read your Bible

I just finished reading 10 P's in a Pod by Arnold Pent III. Its a story written by one of the children of a family that traveled around the country evangelizing, and performing songs and dramatizations of Bible stories. as well as reciting long passages of memorizing scriptue. I was really astounded and convicted by the amount of time the family spent reading the Bible and the affect that it had on them.

In the book the author lists his sister's 12 reasons to read the Bible, here they are (the book uses KJV for the references, I will be using ESV)
1. The Lord commands it 

"Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that all may see your progress.  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:15-16

2. I want to be fruitful 

 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5

3. I want to know true doctrine. 

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

4. I want to be clean

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. John 15:3

5. I want my prayers answered

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

6. I want to prosperous and successful

 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

7. I don't want to backslide

The law of his God is in his heart;
    his steps do not slip. Psalm 37:31

8. I want my soul fed

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word[a] that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3

9. I want to grow

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 1 Peter 2:2

10. I want understanding

I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your testimonies are my meditation.Psalm 119:99

11. I want real life

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63

12. I want to be thoroughly furnished to every good work.

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

French Onion Crock Pot Roast

This has become my husbands favorite food. I make it a little differently each time, it always comes out amazing. it came about when I had a roast that I wanted to cook in the crock pot, and I didn't have all the ingredients for a traditional pot roast. When I was in college the restaurant that I worked in served their French Dip sandwiches with French Onion Soup instead of the traditional au jus.  So I decided to make a roast cooked in a sort of french onion soup in the crock pot.

ingredients
2 onions halved then sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1- 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp basalmic vinegar
4-6 tbsp butter
water (or beef stock/broth)
bay leaves
3lb eye round roast.
 salt and pepper to taste.
steak and chop seasoning.

Since I make this differently each time the cooking directions are pretty versatile. If you want to you can just put everything in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.  I like to cook the onions first, with the crockpot on high, I melt the butter, then place the sliced onions, garlic, brown sugar and vinegar in the crock pot, and cook them on high for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Then I add the rest of the ingredients. I usually cook on high for about 4 hours, or it on low for 8 hours. Remove the roast and slice or shred. Ladle the soup into bowls, you can melt cheese over top if you like, I like to make a sandwich with the meat and some cooked onion in a crusty roll and dip in the soup.

February 12s

Progress

Gabe has an appointment next week at Shriners. His PT did some evaluations to write a progress report to send to his doctor. The good news is he is not really behind! He does some things differently but he is able to do pretty much all of the age appropriate tasks that she asked him to do. Some of the ways that he does stuff makes her think that he doesn't have complete sensation in his hand, but we know he has some, because the other week she had him playing a game where he had to pull stuff out that he couldn't see.The PT was surprised that he was doing so well with fine motor skills, but he has made a tremendous improvement in that area in the two months since we switched from PT to OT with early intervention.

He's so...one

Last Wednesday Gabe's PT told me how wonderful it was to see him acting like a typical one year old. Its so true. She also said that he is the most strong willed little boy she has ever seen, I had to laugh at that one, since I know two that have stronger wills. I don't know why I didn't think he would be a rambunctious toddler. I have heard stories about laid back kids who don't get into stuff, but I'm starting to not believe them. He was a really laid back baby, I think some of his brother and sister must have rubbed off on him. He has his struggles with his arm, but he doesn't let them hold him back in anyway. I gave me a new perspective. Whenever I get frustrated at him for climbing or making a mess, I think that his limitations could be worse, and I am so glad that he is enjoying being a toddler, and am just trying not to spoil him too badly.

15 months and 2 months

taken on the 24th, I can't believe how much my babies are growing and changing. Gabe is starting look like a little boy and Sophia is losing her newborn-ness, and holding her head up when she lays on her tummy!

Kisses

I am not a fan of makeup on children, I don't wear it myself (nothing against it, I'm just too lazy) So when Isabelle got a makeup set for Christmas I fully intended to throw it away. I never got around to it and they found it today. When they found it today and asked to play with it. I hesitated for a bit and decided that as long as they could keep it on their faces they could use it.  They had a blast. Isabelle painted her nails and I think she did a better job then I usually do. It is cold and rainy and Gabe is sick so we're stuck at home, the perfect day to play something we aren't usually allowed to play.

and of course what is more fun then making lip marks when your lips are bright pink? Gabe got decorated and I even got a kiss. 

now where's that makeup remover?

12s

I saw this on an online forum that I frequent. Simple enough, take 12 pictures on the 12th of each month.

Thursdays are our day that we don't have to go anywhere, so we often stay in jammies as long as we can. It was a rainy dreary day, so we were stuck inside as well

Sophia is 7 weeks today, she is chunking up nicely, she still seems so tiny to me though

she is starting to smile

tummy time

wearing Sophia

Slinky

fun in a box

Gabe and Izzy drawing... she moved the paper on him, and he drew on the table, good thing they were washable markers.

lunchtime, its getting harder and harder to keep this monkey contained, time to switch to a booster seat at the table.

Izzy and Isaac got to watch some videos on the i-pad, Sophia joined them. Izzy loves to hold her which is great since she always wants to be held. 

went to target for diapers, came home with...well a few extra things

Gabe modeling the wig we found on clearance at target

my clean laundry to be folded, this pile almost always exists in one form or another here. I'm convinced that all moms have piles of laundry.

. 

precious

Life

Sophia is 6 weeks old already.  She loves to be held, does not like to be put down. Thank goodness for my sleepywrap.

Gabe has hit toddlerhood full force. He is running everywhere, and starting to say a few words. He has learned how to go down the stairs, and is climbing on everything. He is also learning how to use utensils.

Isabelle and Isaac have been keeping me busy as well. I love seeing their imaginations at work. Today they made their pegboard a birthday cake. They even pretended to bake it in the box. Then we sang "happy birthday" and blew out the candles.

Party Planning - things my kids say

Source: 79ideas.org via Crystal on Pinterest

I love the enthusiasm of four year olds. Izzy has been planning her birthday party since October. "I want a princess party with pink cake and pink icing" I have recently found the pinterest love, and have been browsing on it while I nurse Sophia. Today I asked her what kind of party she wanted, so we could look for pictures on Pinterest. "I want a princess party! and I want it to be pink, and everyone must wear pink... or blue, and bring a pink toy or blue or purple"

A new year...

... a new beginning. I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, they seem to get broken in a few weeks anything. but I think of the new year as a sigh of relief, the holidays are over, our routines are so broken that we might as well work on new one's. Its been interesting looking back on this past year, as I feel like its been a year of growth for me.  A year ago,  we were still very uncertain about Gabe's recovery, and Sophia wasn't even a thought in the back of our minds. God has faithfully led us through this year. I am looking forward to this next year, as another year of growth.
There are a few things I would like to accomplish this year. We'll call them goals since I don't like resolutions.
1. Read my Bible every day.
2. Memorize scripture, and teach the children to memorize scripture.
3. Cook more meals, using whole foods whenever possible
4. Spend more meaningful time with the children.
5. Simplify. reduce clutter, get rid of the extra stuff in my life that causes me stress.

she is here!

Sophia Claire, 11/24/11 8:39 am, 7 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches long.

my house may be messy...

and the kids may be tired and need a nap, but it will have to wait. We were blessed with beautiful weather today, all the snow has melted, and we have been spending way too much time inside in front of the TV lately. So I kicked them out. All of them, and me, too, I've been needing some sunshine. Usually I keep Gabe in the kitchen with me. He had so much fun out there with his brother and sister, I love seeing the relationships between them develop.  Hopefully they will sleep well tonight, too.

my big boy is taking steps!

Who's children are they?

Well obviously, when they are good they are mine, and when they are naughty they are my husbands. Realizing what we are raising children for is an important part of how we deal with them.

Before we had children (feels like forever ago) I was in a ladies Bible study, the teacher, a dear friend of mine, was teaching on this very subject. Giving our whole lives to God, and realizing that our children are not ours, but His, he gives them to us to raise and nurture, but ultimately they are his, to do with what He wills.

 I was reminded of her teaching as we dealt with the early stages and uncertainty of Gabe's injury. I did not want to see him suffer, or for things to be difficult for him. In praying for him in the early stages, when we did not know how much use of his arm he would recover, all I could do was rely on the fact that this was in God's plan for his life, and that He would use it for His glory.

I have been feeling weary lately, and like I am not doing a very good job of raising my children in Him. I cried out to the Lord, that He has given me these blessing, and to please give me the strength and the knowledge to raise them according to His will. The scriptures were my answer

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. - Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. -Ephesians 6:4

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16

Promises

I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. Gen 8:13


I was driving home today from a doctors appointment after a tiring day during a tiring week. Then I saw the rainbow, and it was just a pleasant reminder of God and His promises to us. 

Out with the old

We've been talking about re-doing our bathroom since we moved in two and half years ago. This presented some problems as we wanted to make some plumbing changes and none of the plumbers in the family wanted to touch it with a ten foot pole. We also were wary of losing our only bathtub/shower for who knows how long. We finally found someone with the willingness to do the project at a time when we actually had funds for it. So today the deconstruction began. I'm going to save the before pictures until the project is finished, but instead going to grace you with the progress pics.

All the fixtures and the first layer of flooring have been removed, there is still a little bit more deconstruction to take place though.

 This is where the tub and surround were. Love the peach and green color scheme. lol.

Where the sink was.

Where the toilet was

math on the wall.

This is a common finding in this house, rip up one layer of floor to find several underneath.

Everything out of the bathroom and on the porch.