Because He Gave

Things Ive Learned in a Summer full of 100+ degree Temps

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

According to this website we are on our 24th consecutive day of 100+ degree temps for the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
I am currently 31 weeks pregnant in my 5th pregnancy and very hot.

And, that's probably an understatement.

But, trying to look at the bright side of this current situation, I've been mentally thinking of things I've learned through this heat. I thought- ya know so I can look back and remember this summer in all its hot glory- that I would write them all out here as a simple reminder that it's not that bad.
Right???

1. A $200 initial {ahh key word there} investment in an above ground pool is worth every.single.penny.
2. If I thought it was hard being pregnant any other summer {this is my 5th pregnancy and 5th time spending the Summer pregnant} I was wrong. This one is by far the hottest and hardest with a 3 year old and almost 2 year old.
3. Leaving the house to hang out with friends was much more appealing when I was 40 pounds lighter and it was 30 degrees cooler. {sorry guys}
4. I can get a lot more laundry done when I'm home instead of out hanging out with friends and having playdates. :) {shhh dont tell Derek}
5. The kids really do survive weeks on end without playing with friends.
6. Surprisingly, when we're home more the kids all get along better. Go figure.
7. A trampoline with a sprinkler spraying on it provides HOURS of uninterrupted fun for 4 kids ages 1-10.
8. I discovered Pinterest. Enough said.
9. We spend a lot less money eating out when the desire to stay home, in the cool air, over rides the desire {read: laziness} to not cook.

And the 10th thing I've learned this Summer full of 100+ degree temps is......

10.The Lord is changing my heart towards home again. Even if it took over 30 {non-consecutive} days so far this summer to give me the desire to stay home more.

Somewhere Along the Way

2011-06-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

Somewhere along the way....I lost my way.
Actually, I lost His way.
I don't mean I lost my faith or anything similar. I just lost sight of what I am supposed to be doing in this life. What He has called be to do.
To be.
As a wife.
A mother.
A teacher.
A homemaker.

This past year I think I just felt the burnout of being a homeschooling mom. It was only our 4th year but it started off rough. With Audrey's eye issues and my dads sudden death our fall wasn't too great.
But the Lord did show His faithfulness through it all.

I know I have been just going through the motions of everything. I've been homeschooling this year because I know that's what I'm supposed to be doing. But, I had no passion or vision in doing it.

Then, all of sudden, some time in May this renewed energy and excitement about being home with my kids and homeschooling them and training them came back to me!
Maybe its the fact we have a new baby on the way. Maybe the Lord is using that to remind me of this important thing He has called me to. But, whatever the reason I am grateful.

I am so excited for our new school year. I'm so excited to get back into a routine of having purpose in our daily musings. To not just go through the motions of getting things done because that's what we're supposed to be doing. But, instead doing everything while being mindful of what I've been called to do and be. And aware and intentional about training these kids the Lord has entrusted to us.

I've really missed blogging. And, Im well aware very few will actually read this post after such a long absence but it just feels good to be writing out some of the thoughts going through me head. And to share with ~~no one~~
maybe someone what the Lord is doing in me right now.

So, I hope as part of my renewed passion for this calling of mine that I start blogging regularly again!

Slacker+Pictures+A Big God=Post

2010-11-11T10:59:00.000-06:00

Man, I've really slacked off on the whole blogging thing. I have pretty good reason though.

No no, I'm not pregnant :) {you moms of many know thats the first thing that came into your mind!}

I've been working on starting a little photography business.

It's been something I've wanted to do for a long time. And this is the first time in 4 years that I'm not pregnant or nursing a baby every 2-3 hours so we figured I should give it a shot!

I started out in hopes of making some extra money to pay down some debt. {read: the car loan}. I was listening to Dave Ramsey {love that guy!} and he suggested taking photos on the side to a guy trying to get his debt snowball rolling. So, I thought.... hey I need to do that!

I got some stuff together and started advertising on Facebook and to friends. I figured Christmas is the perfect time to get this started since everyone wants Christmas photos!

Then, we got the bill for Audrey's eye surgery she'll be having on Nov 17th {keep her in your prayers please!}.

WOWZA!

So....that's what all these session fees are going towards right now.

Its so cool because we prayed for the provision to cover all these medical fees and between photo sessions, homeschool school picture sessions, family and our local corporate fellowship {that would be the Church} the Lord has provided and met those needs above and beyond anything we could imagine!

{wait...isnt there a verse that promises that somewhere!?!?}

But, enough babbling from me....just check out my photography blog at:

LindsayLanePhotography.blogspot.com

or become a fan on Facebook here

or by searching Facebook for Lindsay Lane Photography.

Heres a few shots of my sweet kiddos I did last weekend!

Give a Cup of Food

2010-10-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

This is a repost from last year. I thought it was worth reposting and reminding everyone that 1 click will give a cup of food to a hungry person. And, it wont cost you anything except a few clicks.

I just ran across a way you can help give 1 cup of food to a hungry person around the world.

All you have to do is click the link above. Your simple click will donate that cup of food. We so easily click links to online celebrity gossip or the most current sale at our favorite store. So, I don't think its too much to ask you to click the link to help give food to the hungry. You can click everyday and make sure give that hungry mouth a meal.

Coming out of hiding....

2010-10-17T18:20:00.000-05:00

So, here I am. Coming out of hiding. I've been planning on picking up the blogging again once life settled down a little.

And...

we'll here's hoping it has!

I'm excited to start our Christmas giving goals again. Remember last year and why I originally started this blog?

Well, its that time again!

My friend Stephanie over at Life As Supermom was inspired by this last year and has already started blogging through their plans to Give Christmas Away this year! So cool!

As a kick off to coming out of hiding and rejoining the {consisten} blogging world again I've entered a contest that could change the course of our families lives! If I won we could use the winnings to pay off our car and other small debt and become 100% debt free!

How cool would that be!?

Can you imagine the giving opportunities we'd have with the cashflow released from becoming debt free??

And...how fun would it be to get to be a "Good Mood Blogger"!!!

So, can you take some time everyday to cast a vote for me?

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Raw{e} Girly

2010-09-27T19:11:00.001-05:00

I decided to join this weeks Raw{e} theme over at Sailor and Company. I had the perfect picture for last weeks theme but with everything going on with my dad I didn't have time to get it off my camera and onto the computer....much less my blog. Oh well. This weeks theme is girly. What could be more girly than playing outside on a swing set dressed as a princess?! This is Audrey a few months ago. Its also one of my favorite pictures of her. I think one reason I love it so much -- other than the fact that it's an adorable picture!-- is because the colors are so vibrant straight out of the camera!

Please continue to keep her in your prayers. We have her MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning. I really have peace that everything will come back fine and her eye problem is just some freak thing. Once the results are back we can set a date for surgery and get her taken care of and back to normal! God is good!

In Memory of My Dad- Mark Fredde

2010-09-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

Derek and I put this together in memory of my dad.

Two Weeks Ago

2010-09-23T07:05:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I lost my dad.

He had had a massive heart attack the previous Sunday and was on life support.

After running a CT scan, a base line test for brain activity and talking to the nuerologist to get an idea where everything stood with his brain we made the decision to withdraw the machines that were keeping him alive.

I believe he was probably already gone on Sunday. The paramedics had to resuscitate him at the house and again at the ER. It was estimated he was without oxygen for 20 minutes in the ER alone. That wasn't counting the time without oxygen at the house before the EMTs arrived. I believe they brought his physical body back to life with machines.

Even though I felt like he was already gone having to actually be apart of making the decision to have the machines withdrawn- the machines that were keeping his body alive- was one of the most awful decisions of my life. One I hope to never again have to make.

Lots of people have asked if I was close to my dad. Regardless of how close or distant you are from a parent when their death comes you're still losing a mom or dad. But, to answer the question; yes and no. There have been times in my life that I have been closer to my dad. Unfortunately, the last 2 1/2 years have not been one of those times. Partly by our (Derek and my) choice and partly by his. But, whats done is done and you can't change time. Previous to that my dad has been in and out of my life by his choice.

When I look back at my dads involvement, or lack thereof at times, in my life I feel an amazing amount of grace and forgiveness for him. Two things only the Lord can supply me with. Without the Lord holding my hand, in my relationship with my earthly father, through my life I could have developed into a bitter woman from the experiences with my dad. But, the Lord has given me his eyes to see my dad through and grace to see that my dad was just a hurting person.

That Sunday morning, before I had gotten word of my dads heart attack, I was standing in the shower having this conversation with God. Derek and I had been reading a book that prompted our conversation the night before as to why, if our faith is really that important to us, aren't we screaming from the rooftops and banging down the doors of our friends and family members that we love making sure they get their relationships right with the Lord. There were 3 people who came to mind as I was standing in the shower talking to the Lord about this. Wondering why I haven't made sure these people know what the Word says about where they possibly stand with the Lord. My dad was one of them. One person who accepted the Lord as a child but bore no real fruit as an adult. One person who, out of shear love for him and Him, I should have made sure he knew how much I loved him by making sure he knew how much He loved him.
But I didn't.
And, I know that ultimately that is the Holy Spirits work. But, I also know that as a believer and follower of Christ its my job to spread His truth.

And, I failed with my own dad.

I don't know where I stand theologically on the whole once saved always saved. Or can you lose your salvation. Or anything like that. But, what I do know is that we don't know the number of days the Lord has ordained for us or anyone we know. And how important it is to make sure we're right with the Lord always. And to make sure we're carrying out our responsibility here on earth to share the gospel.

And, I hope that I one day get to see my daddy again.

My dad wanted to be cremated so we put off a memorial service for a few weeks. This Sunday is the service. Please continue to pray for my family. Please pray for my boldness when it comes to the 2 other people the Lord brought to mind that morning. Because my faith is important enough and I do love them enough to make sure they're aware of what the Word says.

Audreys Eyes

2010-09-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Many have asked how Audreys eye appointment went this afternoon so I thought the easiest thing was to write it all out on here and share it via my blog....rather than over and over again on an individual basis.

The opthamologist diagnosed Audrey with something called Cyclic Esotropia. She said it is very rare and often caused by trauma, which is not the case for Audrey. After reading up on it a little apparently some opthamologists can go their entire career and never have a patient with it. Another site said 'its extremely rare and poorly understood.' Her CT scan in the ER on Friday came back clear but this Dr wants to do a MRI to see if there is something else going on that the CT scan wouldnt/couldnt pick up on. She mentioned looking at the smaller tissues and checking for brain leisions. Needless to say the fact that she wants to do a MRI kinda freaks me out so we decided we want a second opinion. We have a scheduled appt with another Dr on Friday. Praise God they had a cancellation and could get us in so quickly! So, we'll see from there. THe Dr today told us the only way to correct this is surgery so we shall see.

Basically Cyclic Esotropia means a cycle to the eye(s) crossing inwards. 24 hours straight, 24 hours crossed. This is EXACTLY what is happening with Audrey. Around nap time (before and/or after) her eye might try to straighten on a crossed day or try to cross on a straight day, but thats momentary and doesnt last.

The Dr told us to patch the 'good' eye a few hours a day on the crossed days but everything we've read online (either from the very very limited studies we've found or from parents themselves) says that can make it worse. So, we'll be happy to get a second opinion, and possibly third, and be able to go from there.

So, thats where we stand with Audrey. Please just pray for her appt on Friday and some more answers from that Dr.

As if this week couldn't possibly get any worse....

2010-09-06T11:46:00.001-05:00

I wanted to put a quick update on my blog to let our friends know whats going on and how they can pray for us.

We have our first scheduled family vacation (ever) scheduled to start THIS Friday. The plan is to go to Orlando to visit some friends and spend a week at Disney World. The kids have been looking forward to this for months. The past 2 weeks have been brutal for them because of the anticipation and excitement.

I'll start with yesterday since that was the worst day and work my way backwards. This might be long so bare with me.

Yesterday morning, right before we go to church, my brother called to let me know my real dad had a massive heart attack. Without all the gory details hes basically on life support and theyre trying to get him stable enough to do a CT scan to check for brain activity. It is believed he was without oxygen for 20-30 minutes. He was worked on for awhile at the house by the EMT and then again worked on for awhile at the ER to get him back. As of now hes not breathing on his own at all and is in a medically induced coma to let his body rest. He was having seizures yesterday until they could get those under control with meds...which then caused some different problems. They had to stop the seizure medication and get those other issues taken care of and reintroduced the meds at a slower pace. As of right now we're waiting for them to get the CT scan done to be able to know what all has happened/is happening.
There is so much more to the story but those are the basics. Please just keep my dad and my family in your prayers.

This past Friday Audrey woke up and about an hour into the morning her eyes went crossed. And, she couldnt uncross them. We have never noticed her eyes crossing before and this was very sudden. We took her to Childrens Medical Center ER and after a CT scan to rule out any kind of nerve damage or anything else causing interferance with the nerves controlling the eyes it was determined she has Strabismus. Lazy eye is commonly called Strabimus but they are not the same thing. There is a difference. From everything I have read Strabismus can cause Lazy Eye but Lazy Eye is not always Strabismus.
This was very very sudden and pretty much freaked me out. Even the Childrens Dr was stunned about the suddenness of its appearance. Since its a holiday weekend we couldn't get into the Pediatric Opthamologist until Tues. The eye obviously bothered her because she was holding it closed, either with her hand or winking it closed, all day. I ran by the store and picked up eye patches. Once I patched her 'good' eye it made the 'bad' eye go straight. She woke up Sat morning with her eyes back to normal, which was wonderful. She woke up yesterday with her eyes crossed again. We had her patched all day so she didnt have double vision, holding her eye closed with her hand or by winking, and could play normally. She woke up this morning with her eyes back to normal again. Everything I've read says this can come and go but (obviously) still needs to be corrected.

So, please pray for that appointment tomorrow as we'll get an official diagnosis and a plan of action.

With all this we thought....ok, another bump in the road for our trip. Even if we cant get her glasses in time for our trip we can just patch her eye on the days theyre crossed and she'll have to enjoy Disney World that day. Kinda sad but still doable.

Thursday I was having issues with my new blackberry my brother had given me. So, I took it to the Verizon store to see what was wrong. She suggested a software upgrade and when she did it it crashed my phone. Her response was basically 'ohh, the white screen of deaht. Sorry.' And sent me on my way. I didnt understand how I could walk into Verizon with a working phone and walk out with a phone they crashed and not be given a replacement phone...or something. I figured since I wasnt the one who actually bought the phone that was the reason. So, I was without a phone for several days. (If you called or texted and I didnt respond, that is why)

Last Sun (Aug 29) Derek was playing flag football with some guys from church and he slipped as he was running (full speed, he wanted me to add), fell and cracked his collar bone in 2 places. 11 days before we were supposed to leave for Disney. Inconvienent but manageable.

So, this is where we stand. Its been an awful week and hopefully tomorrow we'll have a better understanding of everything going on with Audrey and with my dad.

I have a phone again so I can recieve texts and phone calls again.

Thanks in advance for all the prayers!

Edited to add: I have an amazing amount of peace about everything right now (thank you Jesus!). I'm praying that no matter the outcome God will be glorified through all the circumstances and it will all work together for good. Im clinging to His promises and constantly reminding Him of them ;)

$50 GAP gift card for $25!!!!

2010-08-19T15:49:00.001-05:00

GROUPON

Have you heard of Groupon?

They post unbelieveable daily deals for your city or in todays instance for a national brand.

TODAYS groupon deal is a $50 GAP gift card for $25!!!!

Thats half off people!! You can use it for sale stuff too....so that makes you're sale purchase even sweeter!

Click here and go grab the deal as soon as you can! This morning their website crashed because of how popular the deal is....you don't want to miss out!

{Don't click the google ad if its Groupon ad. Click any of the above links so I get your referal ;) }

Raw{e} Vintage

2010-08-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

This weeks Raw{e} theme is Vintage.

This is a picture of an old childs bike that sits in the yard on my husbands grandparents land.

Here is the straight out of the camera untouched shot.

The Lindsay Files- Middle School years

2010-08-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

I've really dropped the ball over the past 3 weeks with blogging. Especially with The Mommys Piggy Tails meme of recording my youth. Since I didn't write my 6th or 7th grade years I thought I would just smush 6th, 7th and 8th grades all together and do 1 big happy {or maybe not so happy??} middle school post. {I'll have to come back and add the embarrassing awkward middle school pics}

Sixth grade started out well. We were in a new school with lots of new faces. Four different elementary schools fed into my school that year. We were the Griffin Middle School Griffins. I was still in LEAP {what they called the gifted and talented program} and that was the first time I remember realizing one of my teachers thought completey differently than I did. {Read: she was a liberal with a completely different worldview} Not only was my LEAP teacher different but so was my History teacher. One of my other sweet innocent friends and I had this teacher for history and he made no secret of the fact that the Bible was nothing more than a good history book. Wow, welcome to middle school Lindsay.

That year I experienced mean girls at their finest. I still had my close circle of friends but the need to be cool as the lowest girls on the totem pole really took full force that year. I guess being a good girl wasn't the coolest thing anymore.

My friends Tiffany and Amy both moved off that year, making me one sad girl. I guess my mom decided she had had enough of the public school system and that ended my school career in The Colony.

Seventh grade was my first year of homeschooling. Looking back on it I really appreciate that period of my life. My mom was trying to make enough money to stay at home as a single mom and some of the families of our church stepped in and would help homeschool me during the day.

That was also the first year that I was old enough to be apart of the youth group at church. I remember getting on the bus for our very first year youth camp and wondering what I had gotten myself into! Fortunately, I made quick friends with kids I only sort of knew before. I don't remember much about that first year at camp other then the van ride there!

Seventh grade was also the year I was introduced to Christian Rock. No, I'm not talking about Micheal W. Smith or Steven Curtis Chapman. I'm not even talking about Petra or Styper. I'm talking about Five Iron Frenzy and MXPX. {What you've never heard of them??} I have to say those bands changed my life....

Eighth grade brought about more changes in my life. Big changes. I started off continuing to homeschool but after Christmas break my mom put me in a Christian school. She was getting married and we could actually afford a Christian school. {well, I assume thats why I got to go there! ha!}

The school I went to was a Fundamental Baptist Church which meant skirts only for this pants wearing girl. I actually kind of enjoyed the skirts only thing until it came to play sports. Yes, my friends, we were required to wear coulottes for sports. We played softball, on-the-field-against-other-teams-softball in coulottes. We had our baseball socks up to our knees and sported cute navy blue skirt shorts. We were quite the sight I tell ya.

With the end of my middle school years brought the biggest change in my life to date. My mom had gotten remarried and we were moving to Colorado. I was leaving everything I had ever known in my life so far and moving several states away.

Leaving the only house I could remember living in.

Leaving the town that I had spent my life living in.

Leaving the church that I had grown so much in and had shaped so many of my life values.

We were leaving Texas and moving to Colorado.

Welcome to the summer going into high school.

The summer I spent knowing no one at all but learning to really love the Colorado landscape.

Can you pull it out?

2010-08-02T23:12:00.000-05:00

Over at Sailor & Company a new meme has started and I thought it would be fun to include our most recent funny from Audrey. (She shares them with us alot!)

Audrey is constantly walking around with big 'ol wedgies stuck up in her hiney. She never said anything to me about them and never complained. But, one day last week I called her over to me and said 'Audrey, you have a big wedgie in your bottom' and I pulled it out. And then she went on her way playing again.

Last night she came up to me and said 'mommy, I have a wedgie. Will you pull it out?' and she lifted up her dress.

I was cracking up as were her big sisters. It was so hilarious coming from such a little thing!

Rain

2010-07-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling a little blue lately.

I'm kinda worn out.

Burnt out.

I dunno....just tired.

Sometimes we forget to stop trying to do everything on our own and just rest in Jesus.

Why am I always forgetting that?

Back after I had Owen I was going through a really down period and I would play this song over and over and it really ministered to me during that period.

I ran across another blog the other day where the author is having a really rough patch and I shared this song with her, in hopes that it might minister to her like it did me.

I decided since I'm feeling kinda blue again lately there is probably someone else out there who this might bless too.

We are blessed to be led into worship by these guys every week at corporate worship.

New Stuff...BABY stuff!

2010-07-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

....in my Etsy shop!

I decided to list some baby items.

I've been making baby sets as gifts for friends and since people always say I should be selling these sets I decided it was about time I did.

We're saving for our vacation so any sales will go towards that.

After that we'll be saving towards Christmas and finishing our bedroom addition.

We're trying to give in an even bigger way this Christmas.
Once August hits I feel like it means we should star getting serious about how we're gonna give and what we're gonna give to this Christmas season.

Anyways, visit my shop and buy some items :)

And refer your friends.

If you refer someone and they purchase something have them mention

Because He Gave and YOUR name

and I'll knock $5 off their order

and you'll get a $5 credit.

That means refer 3 friends who place orders and you'll get 3 FREE burp cloths!

You can do free, right?

I can also do custom orders.

Like this: 2 burp cloths, guitar bib, tie onsie and initial onsie.

Or a custom order like this:
Ruffle back (not pictured) appliqued onsie, matching chenille bib and chenille burp cloth.

Or custom clothing orders like this:

If you're interested in anything I pictured but don't have listed in my shop email me at Lindslane82@gmail.com and put ETSY in the subject line. And we'll talk prices and setting up a custom order for you!

Visit Homegrown Bows On Etsy!

The Lindsay Files- Part 7

2010-07-23T15:17:00.001-05:00

If I thought 4th grade brought good and bad experiences I never would have expected what 5th grade would bring.

A new school.

More death.

And, the realization that sometimes being cool trumps friendship.

My 5th grade teacher was Mrs. Auer. I really liked her. She was tall, thin, elegant and had really good handwriting. She was also a neighbor of my moms best friend. When we'd visit my moms friend I'd pop down the street and say hello to my teacher. I thought that was pretty cool.

We were the first 5th grade class at Morningside Elementary.

Once again I was in the same class as my good friends Tiffany, Amy, Natalie and Katie. I was still in LEAP and loving it. I ran to be President of our student council and made Vice President (the principles daughter won for President. I'm sure it had nothing to do with her last name or anything. Just sayin'.... *smile*). My mom started working from home that year so I got to spend alot more time with her.

Im in the white shirt on the left. The girl leaning over is my friend Natalie.

We also started going to a new church. A church that would change the course of my life. {more on that later}

My brother Corey joined the Navy and was shipped off to Chicago. Before he left he bought me a pair of K-Swiss. Those shoes meant the world to me!

That was the year that I began to realize that sometimes being cool means choosing not to do what was right or good. Some of my close friends (not the ones mentioned above) decided I wasn't cool enough to be good friends with anymore because well, I was a good girl. It wasn't too bad and I didn't really suffer any bullying because fortunately being good girl was still a good thing in the 5th grade.

In 4th grade I had been Mrs. Claus {as in Santas wife}, a lead part, in our school play. In 5th grade my friend Amy {she was the one with the matching outfit in 4th grade} and I tried out to be extras in a production of The Music Man that our local high school was putting on. We both made the cut and we got to perform in the high school productions as 5th graders. That was a great experience!

My oldest brother Shawn {well, his first name is Mark but since he's a junior the family calls him Shawn} had moved back home and gotten a dog that year. He picked this irresistible bouncing black lab pup and named her Hannah. The personality that at first was irresistible turned into a the dog from...well you know. She chewed everything. Ruined lots of my brothers shoes and books. He was done with her and wanted her gone. By this time though I had fallen in love with her. So, I convinced my mom she couldn't go anywhere. And she didnt. Hannah did have a problem with getting out the yard though. She would jump our fence and get picked up by animal control. At one point Hannah was found by a sweet woman. She fell in love with Hannah but soon realized we were her owners. My mom had told the lady she could keep Hannah because Hannah caused so much trouble getting out constantly. And, she was an extra expense my mom didn't need. The lady asked my mom if we wanted Hannah and we did, she just cost a little too much to keep. So, instead of keeping Hannah the lady arrived at our door one day with a few HUGE bags of dog food and a specially made dog house just for Hannah. What a sweet woman she was!

That year wasn't all good though. My dad, step mom and step sister had moved back to Dallas. My step moms cancer had been in remission but in August they found out it had returned. My step sister was only 4 months older than me but a year older in school. My step mom faught the returning cancer until December when she lost her battle and died on December 5th. My 11th birthday. Since she had passed away in her sleep I remember wishing they could change the date so that the date of her death was not my 11th birthday. My relationship was never the same with my dad from that point on. It took until I was 16 for him to even acknowledge my birthday again. But, really, that didn't even matter. I honestly didn't care too much. I believe the Lord allowed my heart to not grow bitter and even at such a young age to understand the hurt of others and to heave forgiveness undeservingly, just like our Savior has done for us. I had just wished my step sister didn't have to lose her mom and that my dad didn't have to lose his wife. My step sister ended up moving in with her real dad and her step mom and we pretty much lost touch for the most part. {Not anymore thanks to Facebook though. :)}

I look back on my years through elementary and can really appreciate all the things I experienced. The good and the bad. I was so outgoing and involved in everything at school. I had lots of close friends and a mom who put an Eternal focus on life.

We left 5th grade being the big kids on campus and entered the world of 6th grade. A grade full of experiences that changed my life. We entered the world of middle school.....

The Lindsay Files-

Part 4

9 years

2010-07-20T06:20:00.000-05:00

Last week our biggest baby turned 9 years old.

Really, 9 years??

It seems like just yesterday she entered the world and forever changed our future.

The Lord used that little life to change the course of 2 big lives all for His glory.

Like the song says 'a baby changes everything' and so it was for 2 young parents starting their lives together.

We could have never imagined 9 years ago that the Lord would draw us closer to Him through the birth of our first child.

A girl.

Our Miss Liss.

From just a little thing she has always had compassion and encouragement for others and been full of life! She seems to excel at everything she pursues and even at a young age showed a love for the Father.

She is a huge helper and makes the perfect oldest child in our family.

We thank God that He chose to use her little life to change the course of our big lives.

She is our first blessing and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Photo Challenges

2010-07-19T23:44:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in the Iheartfaces and Paper Mama photo challenges for the very first time! This weeks theme is "over the head" and "action" so I thought this picture was perfect for both of them!
Here is Derek throwing Owen up in my parents swimming pool on the 4th of July.

Raw{e} Mirror Images

2010-07-19T18:02:00.000-05:00

This weeks Raw{e} theme over at Sailor & Company is Mirror Images. My first thought was the obvious; a mirror. But, then I thought there are other surfaces that make mirror images besides mirrors.

So, here is a picture of Owen when he was about 6-7 months playing on my parents hardwood floors. I love how the floors reflected the toys and him as he was sitting there.

My Flower Girl

2010-07-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

Saturday Ava was the flower girl in Derek's cousins wedding. I've become good friends with the bride and when they asked Ava to be their flower girls she was beyond excited!

I know some wondered why we would let Ava if Elisa wasnt included (assuming Audrey wouldnt know the difference) but we felt like this was a perfect way for Ava to feel special. Being the second girl, and the middle child for awhile, there are few times when she gets special attention for just her. Elisa has had many opportunities in her life to be the star, whether it be through excelling in sports (when she played them) or just being the oldest child in general, so this gave Ava her chance.

Getting dressed up like a princess is right up Ava's alley so she had such a memorable experience! Dereks cousin, who is 4 months younger than Ava, was the ring bearer and they just made such a cute little duo!

I was so excited to have my own camera to get to capture her all dressed up and not have to rely on the wedding photographer to get some good shots.

The Little Things

2010-07-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

I am constantly amazed and awed at the Lords care and provision for things in life. We can go to Him with a need and He's there to meet it. Whether it be providing a job for someone without one or providing comfort for someone hurting.

But, sometimes, its the little things that He cares about that amaze me most.

Ava is a flower girl in a wedding this weekend. We've had the dress for a long time but I've needed to get her some shoes to match the dress. Because we're saving for our vacation - we've never taken a family vacation just because, its always had a purpose - we've put ourselves on a very tight budget. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on shoes she'd wear once.

I also had put of getting shoes because, well, shopping with 4 kids by myself is kinda hard and often times a bit stressful. Especially when I'm looking something very specific like ivory colored dress shoes that would match her dress.

Since the wedding was this weekend I figured I had no more time to put off buying the shoes. So, off we went to shoe shop before the rehearsal dinner last night. A friend had told me Target had a bunch of shoes clearanced so I thought I'd start there. Honestly, I had little hope of finding a pair a shoes that would be perfect for the dress at Target but I wanted to give it a shot. And, what do you know? I found a pair of Ivory sparkle dress shoes in Ava's size! Unbelievable! The first store I was at!

And, ready for this? They were marked down to $3.24!!!! I could not have been happier! I was so excited to have found the perfect shoes not only at the first store I looked at but also clearanced down to less than $4!!

As I packed everyone back in the car I was reminded at what faithful God we serve. No, in the grand scheme of life the shoes really dont matter. They have no Eternal value but the Lord heard the muttered prayer of a stressed out mama (and apparently a Mimi who was praying the same thing!) and saw fit to answer it in a big way!

Thank you, Lord for sparkley ivory colored dress shoes in a size 12!

The Lindsay Files- Part 6

2010-07-15T23:38:00.001-05:00

Fourth grade, oh fourth grade.

You were a good and bad year.

That year I developed friendships I still carry on to this day and experienced death closer than I ever had before.

Ms. Fry was my 4th grade teacher. That year our classroom was actually a portable building in the back of the school. The very last and furthest portable building mind you. That pretty much nailed in that we were part of the oldest kids at school. Because, you know, the older kids were in the portables. :)

Do you remember the show Coach?

Well, Ms. Frys dad was the real life coach that that show was written about. Yep, believe it or not {and you should believe it} its true. So, we all kinda felt like our teacher was famous...in a roundabout way. Her dad was friends with the writer behind the show idea.

That year in my class were my friends Kerri, Katie, Tiffany, Amy and Natalie. And that year I developed a really close friendship with Tiffany, Amy and Natalie. {On a side note, TIff and I are still friends. We dont see each other very often due to distance but we still keep in touch. And Amy, well I just found her on Facebook after not having talked to her since 2004!} All 3 were Christians and being raised in homes where the Lord was put first. Natalies mom was our principle and Tiffany and Amys moms worked in the office...so I was kinda the odd man out in that department.

I remember playing a class game {around the world I think} one day and Tiffany laughing so hard she started snorting. From then on we called her Snortin' Thornton. At another point of class games during the year someone started coughing really loud and Tiffany stood up and yelled 'hurry someone do the hiney remover!!!' What she meant to say was the Heimlich maneuver. {yes, I totally searched on swagbucks for the correct spelling there!} TIffany was such a cut up and you couldn't help but love her! From then on every.single.time I would call and have to leave a message on her answering machine I would say something about looking for some hiney remover. We would kill ourselves in laughter. Actually, thinking about it makes me laugh even now. {Yes, Im aware its probably one of those 'you had to be there' type of situations}

My second oldest brother was a senior in high school that year. Our school had a program that had high school students come and befriend and mentor kids in our school. I remember one of the girls who would come was friends with my brother. I also remember thinking that everytime she came I was wearing the same outfit and feeling embarrassed about that. Apparently I was aware of the lack of amount of clothes we were able to afford back then because I remember being self concious about it. Being raised by a single mom meant not having a huge wardrobe with tons of clothes over flowing. I think subconciously that contributed to my clothing addiction when I started having kids. And still, to this day, why I have a clothing hoarding problem. {There, I admited Mom and Derek, happ?? lol}

In this picture I am wearing the outfit I felt like I wore all the time. My friend Amy had the matching outfit so we planned to wear it on the same day one time. The girl in green was my friend Katie. Her mom babysat me after school that year.

Amy and I are inside the tube here. The girl to the far right is my friend Kerri. Her and I had been in the same class every year so far. Her mom made all her clothes. It was back when fabric painted clothes were all the rage. She also had matching hairbows for every outfit. Her mom also always had her and her younger sister matching. I remember wishing I had clothes like her. I am certain those feelings have affected me as a mom dressing my girls. I love them to match and wanting them in cute, boutique outfits is what got me started sewing.

I'm on the far left here. The 2 boys right in front of me were my first good friends that were boys.

That year was the last year attending Peters Colony Elementary. A new school was being built and that's where I was zoned too. We had the option of staying at our current school but all my clothes friends, except Kerri, were going to the new school. I'm pretty sure Kerri's mom tried to get a job at the new school so she could send Kerri there, with all her friends, but for some reason that didn't work out. That year was pretty much the last year of close friendship with her.

Since we were leaving the school and ending friendships and leaving classmates we had spent school with over the previous 4 years Tiffany, Amy, Natalie and I decided to sing a song for the talent show. Can you take a wild guess what it was? Friends are Friends Forever. {Again, if you were a Christian in the early 90's I'm sure you still know all the words to this song) I had sang in the talent show every year up until this point. I had a name to live up to {ha!} so when we were standing in front of the whole school and I hear our song start with the singer singing along {vs. just the music} I had a look of horror on my face! I was so upset! I knew we could sing it with just the music and some teacher had put the tape on the wrong side! The expression on my face was priceless when we went back to watch the video.

This was the day of the talent show. I'm the one standing in front with my leg up. The hand print shirt is the shirts we made to wear for the talent show. A random fact...the girl who looks like shes wearing all white, her great great, who knows how many greats, grandpa was President Van Buren. Her name was Jessica Van Buren and I thought it was fascinating that she had a famous relative like that. {Apparently, I had lots of famous connections that year}

In 4th grade I encountered death of a close family member for the first time. We were in Colorado for Spring Break visiting some friends and I remember my mom getting a call that my Uncle Slade had died. It wasn't some awful car accident or an expected death due to health.
No, it was a murder/suicide.
It was my dads half brother, who also lived in California. He was the cool Uncle who was building his acting career and would always take us to the movie theater when we were in Cali visiting my dad. He'd point out all the names of the people in the credits that he knew. And we thought that was super cool. He was close friends with the guy who played the green Ninja Turtle in the movies. {ha! another famous connection, lol} My brother Corey and him had a pretty close relationship. He had planned on spending some time that summer after graduation with my Uncle Slade so that death was really hard on him.

I think this was also the year my step mom got cancer for the first time. They were still living in California at the time but moved back to Dallas some time that year.

I have such mixed emotions when I think back to 4th grade. On a whole it was a great year with the building of life long friendships. But, there is the sadness that comes up when I think about the death of my uncle.
It's also kind of weird to think about the fact that Elisa will be starting 4th grade this year. To think about all those memories and know I was about the same age as her is kinda of a weird feeling as a mom.

The Lindsay Files
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

What do you do? {Wordless Wednesday}

2010-07-14T06:22:00.005-05:00

What do you do with a baby who has REALLY enjoyed his dinner?

Take him outside and hose him off of course!

{Happy Birthday, Tiffany!}

How easy we grumble

2010-07-13T22:03:00.001-05:00

At corporate worship on Sunday we were reminded of the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt. Once out of Egypt they were really craving some meat and grumbling and complaining about their lack of good food. So, our wonderful God, in His great mercy gave them quail to eat. He then told them He would provide Manna from Heaven for their food. As they wandered year after year, for 40 years, they often fell into the same grumbling and complaining.

It's so easy for us to look back at their story - our story - and wonder why on earth, after many miracles and provisions from the Lord, they would even have the nerve to complain!

But, their story - our story as adopted sons and daughters into the family of God- really just represents our hearts. We are so blessed in this nation, in our every day lives. But, how often we fall into the grumbling and complaining trap! Time and again we catch ourselves complaining about the things in our lives which are actually blessings.

We don't like what we have available in the pantry to cook for dinner. What most of the world would give for a hot meal.

We're sick of our clothes. We want new ones. I'm sure there are plenty who would like to replace the rags they're wearing on the other side of the world.

Our car isn't new or nice enough. At least we have a car that can get us from point A to point B.

We don't feel like cleaning {oh...maybe that's just me!} the house. Most people in the world would love a house to live in.

Our family, yet again, has rubbed us the wrong way. How about the orphans around the world? I'm sure they long for a family to 'rub them the wrong way'.

How shameful it is to know that I actually think these thoughts! Oh, Lord, forgive me!

It seems like year after year people get the 'think of others' mentality around Christmas time but by this time of year the majority of us have fallen back into the me me me trap.

Grumbling.

Complaining.

Wanting more, more, more.

So, I've decided every Wednesday I'm going to try and start listing some of my blessings. That way, when I find myself falling into the trap of grumbling and complaining about blessings from the Lord I can look back and be reminded that I have NOTHING to complain about. For out of the mouth the heart flows......

Today some of my blessings are:

1. Getting to stay home with my kids.

2. Having a husband who willing goes to work everyday to provide for us.

3. A God who has chosen and adopted me into His family.

4. Four precious babies who are healthy and happy {most of the time}.

5. A paid for small 2 bedroom house that comfortably holds all 6 of us.

6. A life that allows my 2 year old to wear a Snow White dress all day. To where her only concern need be the matching shoes. Not whether or not she'll get to eat the next meal or whether or not her mommy or daddy will come home.

How many of your grumlings are actually blessings?

Raw{e} Desserts!

2010-07-12T23:13:00.001-05:00

I decided I wanted to try and become a consistent blogger again. {Yes, I have high hopes for myself with this unreliable internet we pay a ridiculous amount for and for trying to maintain a blog worth reading while managing a home and raising 4 kids.}

So, I'm jumping back in and joining the RAW{E} photo challenge, over at Sailor and Company, for this week!

This week theme is desserts! The only rule is the shot has to be straight out of the camera. No editing allowed.

I was trying to figure out which picture I wanted to enter and then I remembered this picture from a friends baby shower back in March (or maybe Feburary....?) I loved the little 'robins eggs' sitting on top of the chocolate cupcakes!{Great job, Kalina and Rhonda!}

Don't they make your mouth water!

The Lindsay Files -part 5

2010-07-11T14:43:00.002-05:00

I know you're probably wondering what happened to part 4. Well, I've been a slacker blogger and havnt touched this blog in almost 3 weeks. I figured I should go ahead and talk about 3rd grade life, since its the most recent part of Mommys Piggy Tails, and then go back and blog Part 4 about 2nd grade.

The summer between 2nd and 3rd grade we spent a few weeks in California visiting my dad. That year we went to Disneyland again and spent the week at a lake with some family friends. The wife babysat us when my dad and step mom were at work so we were pretty familiar with the family. They only had 1 child, a son, and I remember thinking he was soooo cute. Total California boy! His mom was your typical early 90's California girl as well. Dark tan, the bangs and pink lipstick. We really enjoyed her watching us that summer.

My step sister Jackie, brother Corey, John David and me.

If only I could be this tan again.....

While at the lake we went on a banana boat. Let me just say I am REALLY scared of lake water. Still am to this day. The thought of swimming from the boat to a tube, or falling out a of tube, pretty much sends me into hyperventilating. No lie. Anyways, we'd all pile on this banana boat and they would drive all crazy and do everything possible to throw everyone off the banana boat. This picture, my friends, is what happened every.single.time. They could not get me to fall off. I would hold on for dear life. I was not letting go and falling into the lake. Into the unknown!

Some pictures of us getting autographs at Disneyland.

Driving the boat with my brother and step sister.

My 3rd grade teacher was Mrs. Beard. Shes the teacher I wanted and my mom had requested. My requested my teacher every year. I didn't realize that until I was older and she told me. I just assumed I was super lucky to be getting the teacher I wanted every year! ha! I remember distinctly walking up the steps of school, a couple weeks before the first day, to see who my teacher was going to be. I noticed my friend Cassie- remember the one I walked to school with in Kindergarten- was in my class that year! When I called to tell her she informed they were moving. About 30-45 minutes away. Still in the Dallas area but far enough not to see her everyday or even every week. I was bummed.

Third grade was the year I learned to skip count- ya know besides 2's, 5's and 10's- and multiplication. I can still sing some of the skip counting songs she taught us that year and I taught them to Elisa when I was teaching her multiplication!

Two years later, when I was in 5th grade, Mrs. Beard was standing on a ladder painting in her house. Somehow she fell off and the fall killed her. I remember thinking it was so weird knowing my 3rd grade teacher had died.

The Lindsay Files-
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Lindsay Files - Part 3

2010-06-24T21:57:00.002-05:00

As I sit here and eat some cookie dough I am racking my brain trying to remember some significant happenings of my 1st grade life. And.....I'm having a really hard time. I've tried all week long because I was thinking I don't remember too much of 1st grade life.

I do remember getting the baby doll I wanted that year. It was a Cabbage Patch doll that could go in the water. It was super cool! {I tried to find a picture of the doll online to give you some eye candy but I couldn't find one. Sorry.}

I also do remember my teachers name was Mrs. Brown. She moved at the end of the year and I never saw her again.

I didn't try out for the talent show again that year. {You'll see that this is odd for me as the future weeks unfold}

I was in the same class as Kerri again. And Ginger, Chris Horn, Chris Wolf and....there was someone else I can picture but can't place their name.

I forgot to mention in my kindergarten entry that that year I was tested for the gifted and talented program. I passed and was admitted to the program but 1st grade was the first full year being apart of LEAP (Learning Enrichment Academic Program). I remember getting to leave class once a week to go to LEAP and getting to do really fun projects and stuff. And thinking we must have been really awesome. {har har}

As an adult -in part of my reading up on some of the whys we would homeschool {besides the most important - the spirital reason}- I discovered why the gifted and talented programs were even developed for the public education system. Let me just say, go read the deliberate dumbing down of america - A Chronological Paper Trail: A Chronological Paper Trail VERY VERY interesting and mind opening. But, that really has nothing to do with my first grade year other than that I became part of the grand scheme to control the minds of the children *insert big scary laugh here*.

One thing I do remember that year was that I cut my hair all off. It was really long. Like, down to my hiney long. And one day I decided I wanted short hair. And, my mom agreed to let me get it cut. So cut it I did! So much so that the following school day I was walking down the hall before school and my teacher and friend Ginger walked past me and didn't even recognize me!

This is the year I became a Christian and got baptized. I remember this was the year I realized that not everyone went to church. Yes, in my little innocent mind everyone went to church and knew God and His Son. I remember sitting one day and asked my friend Ginger where she went to church. She said she didn't. Then, I turned to Chris Horn and asked where he went to church. He said he didn't. I remember thinking....huh?

I also remember seeing one of the afore mentioned people picking their nose and sticking it under their chair. {I am cracking myself up right now with this memory! Elisa is reading this and telling me how disgusting that is!} Since the person could some day google their name and this blog could possibly pop up I would hate to call that person out on the um....world wide web. So, I wont.

I do have a picture of my 1st grade year but its packed away in a box I can't get to just yet. I think this was a year my mom forgot about picture day. Just sayin'........

Want to read the other parts?

Part 1- I was born.

Part 2- Pre K- Kindergarten years

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T00:01:00.003-05:00

My honey and his Grandpa {aka Pappy}

Doing what they love to do best.....pickin' with each other!

A Twist to the Matching Game

2010-06-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

I can't remember where I got this idea-or if I came up with it on my own? But, for what it's worth I thought it was worth sharing!

This can help turn the monotonous task of sock matching into a game for your kids! It also helps preschoolers with their matching skills {bonus points!}

Whenever I have a load with socks I typically throw them into a basket. Once that basket gets pretty full-or we run out of socks *wink*- I put my kids to work!

First, I grab a handful of socks and start laying them across the living room floor. Then I tell them to pick a sock and find its match. This is an especially good chore for my 6 year old. Still, after doing this 'game' for a couple years now, she is pleased with herself when she finds new matching pairs!

You could even go as far as making it a competition for your older ones. See who can match the most pairs and then award them with a prize. My girls like an extra .50 or so. Nothing like a little money to kick that motivation into gear ;)

Another great sock tip that I learned from my Uncle Jim is this; every time you take your socks off grab a safety pin and pin the pair together. They can be washed like this and will save you the time trying to match them once they're dry! {obviously this wouldn't work if you're having your kids play the sock matching game!}

And, since I can't get the blog button to work on here I'm participating in the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival!

Have you joined yet???

2010-06-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

Swagbucks that is!!!

Its an online search engine that scores you points just for searching the web like you already normally do!

You can then redeem your points for

FREE

stuff! Did you read that correct?! FREE STUFF JUST FOR SEARCHING ONLINE! My personal fav is being able to redeem the swagbucks points for Amazon.com gift cards! I have a friend whos goal is to have a completely free Christmas this in part thanks to Swagbucks!

Heres what you do:

Click on the picture

Come back and let me know if you joined through my link today so I can tell you thank you!

Owen- 9 months

2010-06-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

Owen is nearing 11 months *gasp* and I still haven't share his 'offical' 9 month pictures I took. In all honesty I wasn't that pleased with them. I took them at a bad time of day {lighting wise. I'm still learning} and my camera was giving me a hard time focusing. {Still not sure of the issue there}

But, I played around with a few of my faves and edited them to my liking. I can not believe in just 6 short weeks how much older he looks now than he did then. It makes me want to cry. In 9 days my little guy will be entering his last month of his first year. Can.not.believe.it!

He's walking, climbing {everything!}, jabbering, kissing and just being an all around adorable boy!

My fav

So serious. He was D.O.N.E by this point. I'm sure the poopy diaper didn't help ;)

Lighting is bad. Its too bright, but I love this picture.

proof that he was standing on his own at 9 months :)

The Lindsay Files- Pt 2

2010-06-18T09:54:00.006-05:00

There's not much I remember about my pre-k life but some things do stick out. Like the time I was in a Psalty play. If you were a Christian during the 80's surely you remember Psalty the big blue song book?

Well, my mom worked at the FIrst Baptist of Carrollton daycare center and my uncle was the chaplain and in charge of the older kids. He had the older kids put on a big show and yours truly got to be the 1 lone little girl in the play. My big line consisted of "even 3!" So wait....maybe I wasn't even in pre-k yet. Maybe I was still 3.

My dad had moved to California by the time I was this age. He had remarried a woman with a little girl 4 months older than me. So, we now had a step-sister. At one point they had come back to Texas to visit me and brothers and my dads dad and step mom down in San Antonio. I remember staying in hotel in San Antonio and my dad ordering Dominoes pizza. I remember sitting there eating that pizza and when someone picked up one of the very last pieces to eat there was a dead bug under the pizza. YUCK! We had eaten almost the entire thing before anyone discovered that nasty thing. Dominoes left a bad taste in my mouth for a very very long time after that.

I have a lot of memories of my kindergarten year.

Me and my neighbors Sabrina and Lisa.

That was back when kindergarten was still half days. I was in the afternoon class because I was older. I guess maybe the younger kids went earlier because they figured they still needed naps in the afternoons?? My Aunt Gail babysat me back then and I would walk half way to school alone. I would walk down the street to my friend Cassie Clevengers house and we'd walk the rest of the way together. It wasn't a long walk at all but thinking about letting a kindergartener walk to school alone nowadays makes me cringe! Those were different days....even just over 20 years ago.

I had my first boyfriend that year. His name was Jay.....and now that I'm trying to I can't remember his last name! {for the record it is not ok for my girls to have boyfriends in kindergarten! HA!}

That year I wanted to be in the talent show. I decided to sing Somewhere Out There from An American Tale. And, I did. Just to the accompaniment, not even with words. I was pretty darn cute if I say so myself ;) Watching the video I can't believe someone that little was brave enough to stand in front of all those people and sing! I ended up winning 2nd place overall.

I also had my first sleepover at my house. It was with Kerri Felderhoff (ha! I remember her last name!)

That year I formed friendships that could have lasted a lifetime. There's something about starting kindergarten in the town you're going to spend your entire school career in. Kerri ended up being in my class every year until 5th grade when I moved elementary schools (because a new one opened up and I was zoned to it). There were also several others in my kindergarten class that ended up being in the same class as me through 4th grade.

I have several good memories of kindergarten. I really loved school when I was little and that started my school career off on a good foot. I always say that kindergarten teachers have to be called to teach that age and I must have had a good teacher since I remember it so fondly.

I also must have visited my dad in California for the first time the summer following kindergarten. He took us to Universal Studios and Disney Land that year.

me, a carebear and my step-sister Jackie.

{and some girl who got in on our picture!}

I remember quite vividly taking some kind of tour around Universal Studios.

Jaws

My dear sweet brothers, who must have been about 14 and 16 at the time, told me that Godzilla- in all his firey glory- would be on one side of the tram, so I should sit on the other side. I did because I did not want to be scared! Surely my dad was oblivious to all of this because as we were driving through the part with Godzilla I turn and look and there he is! On my side! I was screaming hysterically while my sweet brothers were laughing hysterically.Obviously it made quite an impression on my 6 year old mind!

The Lindsay Files- Pt 1

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

2010-06-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

I found this super cheap and frugal meal on another blog, Getting Freedom From Debt. (Sorry no picture from me) I modified to the recipe to fit what our family likes. I added taco seasoning instead of Italian and I ended up having to remove the foil, turn the oven heat up and cook it quite a bit longer than her instructions. BUT in the end it turned out to be really yummy so I thought I would pass on our modified version of it!

Our family likes bread of some sort with every meal, we feel empty without it. Remember my bread withdraws? So, I grabbed of bag of tortilla chips to scoop some of the casserole on. If you're looking for something else to make while you're on a Beans and Rice diet this would be it!

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

3 cups broth (I used vegtable because thats what I had on hand)
3/4 cups lentils (dry)
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 grated carrots
3 tablespoons taco seasoning *
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix everything together and place in casserole dish. Bake at 400 for 1hour.
Serve with tortilla chips.
*I estimated how much taco seasoning I used. Honestly, I put in a couple tablespoons the felt it wasnt enough and so I just sprinlked it all over, stirred and repeated about 3 or 4 times.

Cancer Sucks.

2010-06-15T18:28:00.002-05:00

I dont typically like using the word sucks.
But, I thought it the best way to describe how I feel about cancer.
At least the most mild way I feel.
Cancer has taken many people from my life but most recently my Aunt Gail.

This a picture of my Aunt Gail and cousin Megan.

It was taken back in 2006. My Aunt and cousin had come down to Elisa and Ava's 5th and 2nd birthday party, kind of as a way to celebrate my aunt being cancer free.She had just finished her final round of chemo and had been pronounced breast cancer free!

Fast forward 2 years.

My aunts breast cancer had returned and metastasized and spread to different parts of her body and her bones. Our last visit with her was Thanksgiving 2008. We all, my mom and step dad, brother Shawn, his wife Judith and their children Ethan and Jayla and my other brother Corey all went to Ohio to spend the holiday with my aunt, uncle and cousins. There was the lingering thought that year of whether it would be our last with her or not. We all hoped not. We all prayed not. But, we had to rest in the fact that God is sovereign and all things work together for good.

All things?

We have to believe so.

My aunt Gail, my moms sister and my closest aunt, lost her battle with breast cancer in June of 2009. She was 55 and I was 34 weeks pregnant with Owen. I was too pregnant to fly and too miserable to drive. Derek, I and my Dr decided that it was best that I not make the 18 hour drive to Columbus, Ohio to her funeral. This was a very difficult decision for me but ended up being for the best. I ended up getting extremely sick the night before we were supposed to leave and that would have made for an even more miserable trip. Elisa and Ava drove up there with my mom and brother so they could be with the rest of our family during the awful time of loss everyone was experiencing.

About a month ago my mom and ! decided to go up to Columbus to participate in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure race in Columbus in my aunts honor. While we do not support Race for Cure {because of them funding planned parenthood} we wanted to support the team that was formed in my aunts honor. So, me, my mom and Owen flew up there for the weekend.

I felt this would be a weekend of closure for me since I didn't get the chance to experience that at her funeral.

Uncle Jim, me, Megan and my mom

As we sat at the race....watching all the people that were touched in way or another by breast cancer I couldn't believe how far reaching this disease is. It was estimated that 50,000 people participated in the race that weekend.

50,000.

It was the 3rd largest race in the country. Most of the people were there racing in honor of someone. You could tell who they walked in celebration or in memory of by little pink papers pinned on their backs.

These 2 signs were the hardest for me to look at.

My uncle Jim.

My cousin Megan.

There were ladies walking around in pink shirts. This showed they were survivors. They beat their breast cancer. I sat on the side walk just watching people walk by. As I saw the survivors I couldn't help but think

'its not fair. It's not fair they survived but Aunt Gail didn't. Its not fair their husbands get them for more of their lives and Uncle Jim doesnt get his wife. Its not fair that they'll get to see their daughters or sons get married and Aunt Gail didn't get to see Megan and Mandy walk down the isle. It's not fair Aunt Gail never got to meet her future grandbabies. Its not fair she died at such a young age. Its just not fair'

But, lifes not fair and God is still sovereign.

I held it all together until my mom asked if I was crying. For the record, I wasn't crying...yet. I was trying my hardest to hold it in. But what is it about someone asking you if you're crying that makes the flood gates open?

So, I sat and cried.

And then we walked.

And I felt refreshed.

Later that day we went and visited my aunts grave.

Then we visited her favorite park, Innis Woods Park. Theres a place called the Secret Garden that my uncle said was her favorite place in the park. On Saturday mornings they would go pick up Starbucks and take their coffee and go away and just sit in the Secret Garden together enjoying nature.
I want to devote an entire post to the Secret Garden and Innis Woods Park. It was beautiful there. But, here is a glimpse.....

I'm so glad I was able to make the trip up there that weekend and to just remember my aunt. I'm so glad that some day we'll see each other again. And I'm so glad that through the loss of someone close dieing to cancer I have a God who I can still say 'You are good.'

The Lindsay Files- part 1

2010-06-10T14:32:00.002-05:00

At the encouragement of this precious lady, Debi, I am joining in on the Mommys Piggytails to tell my story.

The story of my life.

While, this may not be interesting to everyone I hope that one day my kids can look back on these entries to get a bigger glimpse into the life I’ve lived thus far.

I was born in a small East Texas town. Kilgore Texas to be exact. Population 1100{ish} back in 1982. I was born to 2 big brothers, 8 and 10 years older than me. I was the unexpected surprise if you will. My parents had a very rocky marriage before I was born. My mom often wondered why my parents had stayed together all those years through the awfulness that was her marriage. Two years before I was born my mom had recommitted her life to the Lord and looking back she says she realized that had she not stayed with my dad through all those years I would never have been born. Through the years that followed my parents divorce, and my brothers growing and leaving the house, my mom and I had a very special relationship. Had they gotten a divorce years earlier my mom would never have had a daughter to share those years with. My dad cried when he found out I was girl in the delivery room. Both my mom and dad had hoped I would be a girl so they were thrilled to find that I was! (I mean it was me, who wouldn’t be thrilled!?! Har har)

My mom had me naturally. A decision I think she regrets since I weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz. My mom is a small lady. Only 5’1 and probably 100 lbs before she was pregnant with me. {When she found out I was wanting to try for a natural VBA3C with Owen I think she thought I was nuts!} I was born at Laird Memorial Hospital.

My mom saved the envelope where the ‘girl name’ brainstorm took place. There were such contenders as Tiffany, Heather and Jennifer. You know….whatever they chose I would be only 1 of many girls in my class growing up with the same trendy 70’s/80’s name J In the end they chose the name Lindsay Erma. {now the cat is out of the bag. My middle name is Erma. Laugh away.} At least they went with the less common A spelling of the name ;) Erma they chose after my great great aunt Erma. She was one of the most special people in my life.

Twenty days after I was born we celebrated my first Christmas. My dad had just lost his job working in the oil fields and they were pretty bad off. Both sets of my grandparents came to visit that Christmas. My moms parents from Kansas City and my dads from Dallas. My mom remembers my Grandma Anne {my dads mother} giving them a check for $500 that Christmas and how touched she was at their generosity.

It was less than a year later that my parents marriage would fully disintegrate and we would continue on with life in our family as Mom, Shawn (Mark), Corey and Lindsay.

Owen's Worst Week Ever

2010-06-10T11:15:00.002-05:00

In the past 3 weeks Owen has been pretty sick. He came down with bronchiolitis over Memorial Day weekend but I didn’t take him to the Dr’s until Tuesday following the weekend. By that time he was coughing pretty bad and just miserable :( He ended up having an ear infection and possible pneumonia to make matters worse! Poor little guy!

Thursday all 3 girls woke up feeling sick in various ways. So needless to say that was a very.long.week with all 4 kids down for the count! But, God is good and He provided the strength for me to endure the long week ;)

Saturday everyone was feeling much better and enjoying the day. Owen was outside with Audrey playing when I heard him screaming. Not just my sister took my toy away screaming. Or, I bumped my head screaming. But, bloody murder screaming. When I ran out there- Derek was outside watering the plants but didn’t hear this all happening- I saw that my little guy was swarmed by red wasps! Now I am terrified of anything that stings. In my 27 years of life I have yet to be stung by anything. But, seeing my precious boy being swarmed by those suckers made the mom instinct kick in and I was out there grabbing him up in flash. He was screaming hysterically and with a quick check it appeared as though he had been stung 2 times on the chest and once on the back. I ran in and did what any nursing mother would do…started nursing him to calm him down. At one point he pulled off and I saw it.

His little lip starting to swell!

He had been stung on the lip and I didn’t realize it! As his lip swelledn and he nursed, Derek googled what to look for after a baby gets stung. We thought he had been stung 4 times so that was a lot of poison going into his little body.

Once everyone was calmed down we checked him over again and the places on his chest and back, where we had originally thought he had been stung, weren’t swollen or anything so we now wonder if he really had been stung there or not. We discovered that the stinger had been left in his lip the entire time before we realized he had been stung in the mouth so more poison was just pumping into his lip and he nursed and cried L Talk about feeling like an awful mom for not knowing!

He started sucking on his lip as it swelled and by the time we realized the stinger was still in there (there had been a black dot at the center of the swelling) he had already sucked it out!

By morning the swelling was gone. The only remnants left of the sting was the nasty inside of his lip peeling from his lip having been so swollen.

So, I guess we can mark this down in the family history book as Owen’s worst week ever!

Where have I been??

2010-05-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Our internet has been hit or miss over the past week. So I haven't been able to blog...
or read blogs...
or do anything fun online.
I've randomly been able to check my email and load Facebook.
But, for the most part it *might* connect but wont load any pages. So, with that being said....it appears as though its working now so I will be back to blogging regularly soon!

I have much to share including my trip to Ohio, visit to Amish country, recipe for homemade playdough.....and much more :)

Exciting right!?

Raw{e} In Memory of Aunt Gail

2010-05-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

Raw{e}

This weeks theme is.....

THIS WEEK

the photo must be something that you have taken this past weekend up until

this Friday. Options are WIDE open.

No digging through your archives...take something..

be creative.

Visit Sailor and Company for the Raw{e} theme page!

In memory of Aunt Gail.

This past weekend we went up to Columbus Ohio and participated in the Race for the Cure race up there. My closest aunt passed away from breast cancer last June after it returned for a second time. I was unable to make it to her funeral because I was so pregnant with Owen at the time. When we were up there this weekend we went to her grave to visit for the first time. I captured this shot of Owen crawling up to the tombstone.

I'll post more about my visit later this week. For now, this is it.

Owen Vs. Spaghetti

2010-05-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Owen vs Spaghetti

Drum Roll Please

2010-05-11T19:28:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Going Green Giveaway is lucky #3- Kathryn!

I'll be emailing you for your mailing address and getting these {green} goodies in the mail to you soon!

My 100th Post!

2010-05-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

This was supposed to be my post announcing the winner of the Going Green Giveaway.
Then, I realized this would be my 100th post!
I didn't want it to be spent on just making a giveaway announcement. {Although, Im sure you want to know who the winner is!} So, I'll post the winner in post 101 :)

For this post I thought I would do a review of the last 99 posts on this blog.
Aren't you super excited!? *grin*

My very first post explained the whys of this blog. Why did we start it? Why were we doing it? Why did we decide to give Christmas away this past year.

We kicked off the blog with a giveaway!

We listed different ideas and ways to give the Gift of Christmas away.
The gift of food by clicking a simple blog button.
Give a shoebox full of goodies (and the love of Jesus) to a needy child around the world.

How about giving a cup of coffee and encouraging someone else to pay it forward?

And the gift of forgiveness, prayer for our troops and a joyful noise?

What about all your excess stuff?

And giving away the simple things like a smile, good parking spot and saving a trip for the cart pusher {yeah, thats they're official title in my book!} by returning your cart.

Or baking an extra dozen to giveaway and make someones day.

How about saving all year to give something big and meaningful in Christmas 2010!

Give your kids a reality check.

We took a challenge of cooking from the pantry and not spending any money for 2 weeks!

I've been stretched and learned new tasks like baking bread from scratch, making my own baby food and cooking a whole chicken. {that last one was traumatizing!}

Received visits from Murphy.

Made some fun new blog friends.

Shared some lessons from our family like learning about the Trinity and a peanut butter cookie.

Purification.

Patience.

Self-control.

One word- Cleansing.

Shared some recipes I love or have recently discovered.

Crock-pot applesauce.

Crock-pot Barbecue Chicken and No Need to No knead Rolls.

Resurrection Cookies.

Coconut flour Pancakes. (According to Hollie they're disgusting but when I was cleansing I thought they were wonderful!)

And some ways to be Jesus to the world.

Whew!

Although that isn't an entire list of all the posts on this blog, that sums up quite a few of them. If you're bored take a look and read some of the posts you've missed. Hopefully you'll be blessed and encouraged to give of yourself to others!

Not Me Monday- A muddy mess!

2010-05-10T10:49:00.002-05:00

The Not Me Monday buttons are not working for me today (ha!), so to read more Not Me! posts head on over to MckMamma's blog and check them out!

Dont forget: today is the last day to enter the Going Green Giveaway. with $57 worth of green cleaning products!

This week I did not let my kids run free with the water hose on a warm day. I did not go outside to find my 5 year old,

you know the one who is certain she is going to grow up and be a real princess,

like this.

I did not go grab my camera, snap a picture and then pretend I did not see it.

I did not walk back outside several minutes later and see this.

I did not cringe, walk away and laugh to myself at the thought of my princess girl being covered in mud. Even her teeth! Yuck!
I did not continue to let her play in the mud for a little while longer which resulted in this.

And, this.

Nope, not me!

I also did not wake Audrey up from her nap right before church on Wednesday afternoon. I would not let her sleep that late. I did not remover her diaper (from nap time) take her potty and go about getting the rest of everyone ready. She did not announce to me IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT "mommy, I have no panties on." To which I responded "what, you have no panties on?!?!" I did not think really hard to see if I could remember putting panties on after taking her potty after her nap.
I then did not realize I indeed did not put panties on her after taking her potty and before getting in the car!
Nope, not me! I am far more organized than that!

What am I giving them?

2010-05-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

{Warning: this could get lengthy. The Lord is working on me here. Proceed with time...hehe}

I have a confession to make.

One of the first things I do in the mornings is check my email and Facebook.

I should be embarrassed to admit that. But, its true.

I get my kids (an easy) breakfast and sit myself at the computer.

Last week, one night while nursing Owen to sleep and praying, {on a side note, I've realized that some of my best prayer time with the Lord is when I'm nursing my little guy to sleep. It's moments that I have to stop and be still. There's no other choice. So, I take advantage of that time to talk to the Lord and pray for my husband and kids} Anyways, the Lord really impressed on me that I shouldn't be making the computer one of my first stops of the day. So, I went to bed fully intending on not sitting at the computer first thing the next morning.

I was doing good until Elisa told me someone was talking to me through Google chat. So, instead of ignoring them, I sat down to answer the question and chat. The conversation quickly went downhill and I had a choice to make. A) Continue in the conversation and let it ruin my morning or B) draw the line and walk away from the conversation. I chose option B because I could see exactly what was happening. I had purposed to skip the computer that morning, therefore giving that time time undivided to my kids, but instead the enemy used my weakness to try and steal that time away. I should have never sat down and once I realized what I had done I took the steps to obey what the Lord was prompting me to do. {On another side note, once our master bedroom addition is complete the computer will be moved into our bedroom and out of the dining room. Therefore making this MUCH less of a temptation!}

Fast forward to today.

Today we celebrated Mothers Day with my husbands family (mom, dad, brother, sister and her family). Last year my mother in law ended up helping my husband cook part of the dinner. This year I told him he really needed to try and make sure she didn't do that. He needed to encourage his dad and brother to help out so she didn't feel the need to. Needless to say, my husband cooked our dinner today.

He also cleaned my kitchen, but thats for another post.

While I saw my husband so selflessly and joyfully serving me, his mother and sister through cooking a dinner in honor of our holiday I realized something.

I am so blessed with this life the Lord has given me.

Without a second thought this man goes to work at the crack of dawn everyday to make a living for our family. He works over-time and handles stress all so that I can stay home to be with our babies. He comes home from work and plays with our kids and gushes about what a good dinner I made.

A dinner that I haven't always put much thought into making for him after he's spent the day working hard for me.

No matter how tired he is he still helps me bathe the littles and lead our family in devotions. He patiently {well, most of the time!} sits and listens when a 5 year old wants to pray but can't think of what to say. He comes back downstairs from putting the girls to sleep and instead of wanting to veg out in front of the TV or play some video game system to "unwind" he just wants me to come sit with him on the couch and tell him about our day.

When I saw my husband gladly cooking our dinner today my little life flashed before my eyes. Although this motherhood journey did not start out how either Derek or I had envisioned, here we are. And, I wouldn't trade this for anything.

This Mothers Day I am so grateful for the fact that I get to be these kids mommy. And that I get to be this mans wife.

Then, as I was sitting here at the computer {do you see a problem here??} I ran across this (click that) blog. And, the Lord reminded me of what He was impressing on me last week.

Am I giving my family table scraps? Am I joyfully and selflessly giving my all in serving them? Or, are they getting my left overs?

To be continued......

The Tongue

2010-05-05T22:53:00.001-05:00

{...for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45}

I'm emotional today.

I've come a long way, climbing up out of the muck and myer, to be here.

A place where I have left a grumbling heart behind and try daily to embrace all that brings glory and honor to my King.

Today I grieve for something I believe grieves the heart of God.

The tongue. The all powerful tongue.

It can be sweeter than honey or dripping with poison.

{but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of dealy poison. James 3:8}

It holds the power of life or death.

{Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21}
{a gentle tongue is a tree of life, but the perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4}

And yet, we, as believers, don't tame our tongues.

{If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but decieves hi heart, this person's religion is worthless. James 1:26}

We let them go without a thought.

Without caution.

Without thinking of consequences.

{So also the tongue is a small member, yet is boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell.....but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. James 3:5-9}

With the same mouths we sing praises, raise prayers and bless others we bring forth death.

{From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers (and sisters!) these things ought not be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. James 3:10-12}

This ought not be so.

My heart aches when I hear other believers tearing down sisters and brothers with their words, thoughts and hearts.
I am not exempt. I still fall victim to this sin. But, I put forth a strong effort to keep my tongue pure. Bringing forth life. Not death.

This isn't some 'cant we all get along' plee.
If I think myself religious {God loving} but do not control my tongue then my religion is worthless.

Worthless.

Wow.

Lord, please help me to rise above. Help me to be a tree that brings forth Life.

WW- I have a boy.

2010-05-05T15:20:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

I have a boy.

Sometimes I can't believe we actually have a boy now.

Then, we let him roam around the yard and he plays in the dirt and mud and tries to to climb up the slide.

Then, we remember, we really have a boy!

Dont forget to enter the Going Green Giveaway! $57 worth of Shaklee cleaning products!

How About a Jewelry Giveaway!?

2010-05-04T23:02:00.001-05:00

My friend Stephany, at The Mommy Place, has a wonderful giveaway going on.
And, just in time for Mothers Day. {Think of it as a present for yourself ;)}

Hop on over to her blog and check out what you can win from Screaming Mimi'z!

And, dont forget to enter my Going Green Giveaway for a chance to win $57 worth of Shaklee products!

Raw{e} Running

2010-05-03T23:43:00.003-05:00

This weeks Raw{e} theme over at Sailor & Company is running. Rules: Show us your best "RUNNING" straight out of the camera shot.

Now, I will say, this isn't the best picture by any means. But, I love it none-the-less! I know this is a photo contest and so this wouldn't win the prize but....it makes me smile because,through the picture, you can see the fun these kids were having. We went on a field trip, with a group of moms and kiddos from church, to a local farm and I captured this picture.

Some of the kids had run up ahead of the group and for some reason turned around and all together started running back.

I don't think the size of this picture really does it justice because you can't quite grasp the looks on all their little faces!

Wordless Wednesday- Bluebonnets

2010-04-28T15:56:00.000-05:00

What was I thinking trying to get bluebonnet pictures of 4 kids all by myself......?? They weren't matching *gasp* but I was afraid if I waited any longer they would be dead or overgrown with weeds. So, I stopped that day. Heres what I got.......

Owen- Look at the pretty flowers.

Owen- hmm wonder what they taste like.

Ava- this sun is really bright!

Owen- wow, flowers!

Ava- I'm not smiling, its too bright.

Elisa- Maybe standing Owen up will....help. Ok, maybe not.

Owen- whats on my foot??

Elisa and Audrey- Whats on Owens foot?

Ava- I'll fake smile but thats all youre getting.

Almost have everyone looking at the camera...then Audrey notices something new and just cant take her eyes off of it!

Mom- Oh, I give up! What was I thinking trying to get all 4 kids looking at the same time all by myself?!? Lets move on to individuals..... {see side bar}

Self-Control

2010-04-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

For the past 13 days I have been cleansing. I've given up Dr Pepper, sugar, bread, cheese and anything processed in general. I've gone through some major withdraws I never imagined I would experience.

I had no idea how addicted to certain foods I was.

These past 2 weeks have been a big learning experience.

I never thought I had any self control.
Really, I didn't.
I have never had to control what I eat to maintain my weight. I've never had to work at all to get the baby weight off after each baby.
Until now.
So, this is has been a new experience for me.
A very humbling experience.
I feel like for the first time in my life I can understand how and why people struggle with their weight.
Over the past 8 months when I would complain about my pre-baby clothes not fitting my sweet hubby would respond with something like 'well, if you would just give up Dr Pepper and sugar you would probably lose the rest of your weight'.
I would always agree but end it with...'but, I just can't'. And I really didn't think I could. I depended on my Dr Pepper to get me through the days.

About 4 days into this cleanse, once I was getting over the caffiene withdraw headaches, I began to crave sugar and bread. BAD. I already went over this but in short, I really was going crazy wanting some bread or sugar.

Here are some thoughts that went through my head during this period of cravings:
"Ok Lord, I know taking care of my body and eating right is important because we're made in your image and this body is your temple. ANd, I know eating a diet chocked full of sugar could make me get all kinds of diseases and make me live a shorter, less than full life. But.....so? Is that so bad?? So, what if I get cancer, or whatever, when I'm older. I want some sugar and bread NOW!"

What a temporal way of thinking! As Christians, if we're called to a higher calling and to be eternally minded, we've got to think that way in every area, not just some areas. If I'm not eating well and its causing me not to do the best job in this calling of motherhood then I'm not being eternally minded or doing a good job of 'dieing to self' to serve the Lord!

Through this journey of learning, and developing, self-control (in the area of food) I did some searching through Scripture to see what the Word says about self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 says
A man without self-control is likea city broken into and left without walls.

Do you get how powerful self-control is? This verse is telling us that without self control we are vulnerable to the Enemy (enemies)! This could be applied to so many areas of life where self-control is needed, not just food.

2 Peter 1:5- 8
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Self-control is so important to God that its listed as a quality that, if you are lacking it, can make you ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord. Wow. Just wow. I know I do not want to be either one of those things! If I can't have self-control in the area of food then how weak am I in other areas?!

Galations 5:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Self-control is such a powerful thing that developing self-control is a fruit of walking in the Spirit. In these verses its followed by that fact that if you belong to Jesus, and walk in the Spirit, you WILL be able to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. Um, hello sugar and bread cravings.

While eating sugar and breads isn't a sin or entirely wrong in and of itself it IS a sin and wrong when we begin to depend on these foods (or any food) for comfort or to meet any other needs. When I'm stressed and grab a Dr. Pepper to drink instead of stopping, regrouping and crying out to God then that Dr. Pepper is taking the rightful place of the Lord. Then its a bad thing.

I'm so grateful that the Lord put it on my heart to take this little cleansing journey. I feel I have grown and learned more about myself. All from depriving myself of some foods I really enjoy!

My friend, Abby, and I decided we're cutting our cleanse short by a week. So, we're only going to 14 days instead of 21. I think, for me, doing a cleanse like this for the first time for 21 days was a pretty big goal to set. I've made it most of the way through and I'm proud of myself! I only cheated once *gasp* and it wasn't that bad. (It was a teeny tiny cheat.) So, tomorrow is our last day of the cleanse.

Heres the thing though. I've developed eating habits that I don't want to break! I will be adding bread back into my diet but I won't be eating it with every meal and in between now. A little won't hurt but a lot will.
I'm not sure if I'll start drinking Dr. Pepper again. It honestly doesn't even appeal to me right now. Maybe occasionally I'll drink it. Balance is the key in everything. We don't eat bad around here. Actually, I'm pretty sure we eat better than most families. {I think my extended in-laws think I'm a weirdo because I limit my kids sugar intake and don't let them drink cokes (thats soda or pop for any Northerners reading this)} But, I still don't feel like we eat good enough.

But, I'm working on it and this cleanse has really helped!

If you made it this far MAJOR props to you!

Not Me Monday

2010-04-26T00:29:00.003-05:00

Dont forget to enter the Going Green Giveaway!

This weekend I did not make my kids pirate costumes to go to one awesome birthday celebration.

I did not make 3 skirts for 3 little girls and cut 4 squares for 4 little heads.

I also did not ask my hubby to get a nice, white onsie and draw a skull and cross-bones on it for my 8 month old to sport to this party.

I would not go to that much trouble for something as silly as a birthday party! Nope, not me!

I did not let my girls all wear their good Winter boots, that could have been passed down to a younger sister, to this party. I did not let them go on an awesome treasure hunt in which they stomped through some awful mud,in their good winter boots. That mud was not so bad that as we {me carrying 8 month old, hubby carrying 2 year old and friend carrying 3 month old} were trying to keep up with a huge group of kids on the treasure hunt we stomped through the mud as well. Getting our feet stuck and grabbing tree branches to catch us from falling into the pond. I did not put my 8 month old in danger of mud for something as silly as watching a bunch of little girls find a buried (literally) treasure!

I also did not let my 8 month old down to crawl through a big puddle of water while 4 other 2 year olds splashed through it. I also did not end up stripping him down to his diaper because he was having so much fun watching the big kids splash in the water that he got all wet!

Nope, not me!

Going Green Giveaway!

2010-04-26T00:05:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to announce this fantastic giveaway I have for you today!

Are you ready?

It seems like everyone is on this whole going green bandwagon. And, why not? Whether you share the same faith as me I think we can all agree its best for all of us to take care of the earth, right?

As a Christian I believe it's my duty to be a good steward of what the Lord has entrusted to me. Including my part of the earth. My little section of this great state of Texas. In our home.
I also believe, as a Christian, I'm called to be a good steward of my body. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit after all, right? Same goes with the little bodies the Lord has entrusted to us to raise {read: our kiddos}.
We should strive to take good care of the ourselves and the earth.

With that being said, one big way to do this is by being aware of what we're using to clean our homes with. Think about it. If we spend the majority of our time in our homes, breathing the air in here, then shouldn't we make sure what we're spraying around here is safe for our health AND the environment?

According to a 15-year study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The study concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which are found in common household products.

More than 9 out of every 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products.
Scary, huh? But, I'm sure tons of you reading this are already with me on that. Right? :)

So, here is the big

Going Green Giveaway

My good friend Gina has given me a big lot of Shaklee products to give to 1 lucky reader! Don't know about Shaklee? Click here to discover what they're all about!

Here's what you'll get:

Dish wash concentrate. (liquid)

Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate (16 oz. bottle of this makes 48 gallons!)

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste (this stuff is AMAZING!)

Hand Wash Refill (32 oz)

And last, but not least, and definitely important...

Get Clean 16 oz. Spray Bottle 3-Pack

Grand total worth of this stuff: $57.25 (before shipping)!!!

Heres how to enter:

To enter to win: Visit Shaklee and tell me which of their items is your favorite or just something you learned about their products.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry- follow me through Google connect.
1 Extra Entry- follow me on Twitter. (Im new, and still figuring out the whole Twitter world. So, bare with me and the boringness that is my profile!)

1 Extra Entry - Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway. Link from the tweet or status.

3 Extra Entries- blog about this giveaway linking back to Because He Gave and Gina's Shaklee page. Please leave an address where it can be found.

7 Extra Entries- purchase any Shaklee product through Gina's Shaklee page. I'll verify through her to confirm your order.

If you do ALL of the above thats 14 chances to win!

ETA: If you start following me on Twitter make sure and come back and leave a separate comment letting me know you're following. Following without the comment won't get the entry, you have to let me know. :) Just want to make sure everyone gets all their entries counted!

This giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM on Monday, May 10 2010.

Honest Scrap

2010-04-23T00:48:00.000-05:00

My friend Jennifer (click on her name and you can check out her blog) passed on a blog award to me. Thanks, girl!!

This award seems rather appropriate tonight because I'm realizing that when my opinion is unpopular people don't want to be my "friend" anymore. Oh well. I agree with Jennifer, honesty is the best policy! If its the Truth...sorry!

So the rules for this award is to tell 10 things about myself and then tag 10 people to do the same. Here goes:

1. I ~~have~~ had a Dr. Pepper and sugar addiction.

2. Through breaking the above mentioned addiction {which has just been in the past 10 days} I thought I might die. No, really.

3. I won 2nd place overall in the school talent show when I was in Kindergarten. I sang Somewhere Out There from An American Tale. You know, the mouse movie.

4. I'm not quiet with my convictions and the way I feel about things but sometimes wish I could just keep them to myself. But, I ~~dont~~ just cant.

5. People never believe my real age. They think I'm still a teenager eventhough I am always toting around 4 young kids. Its even more shocking when I'm pregnant.

6. I was a punk rocker in high school. I had short, red spiky hair at one point and pink tipped at another. Most people who know me now would never believe that. {I have the pictures to prove it my friends...}

7. During my punk rock stage I was at one of my favorite bands shows and was singing every.single.lyric. They tried pulling me on stage. I pulled back and wouldn't get up there, during the show. I have regretted it ever since. {well, not really. Actually, kinda}

8. I've flown a plane before.

9. I'm not sure how many children we're going to have and people just can't seem to wrap their brains around that.

10. I played the Oboe for about 6 weeks in 6th grade. I hated it. I wanted to switch to choir and the band teachers wouldnt let me. They told my mom I was too smart for choir, I should be in band. My mom took it to the principal and the next thing you know I was singing an On the Good Ship Lollipop solo.

So, there ya have it. 10 things you may not have known about me.

Here are my 10 picks:

Stephanie at The Mommy Place

Megan at Simple Thoughts

Tessa at A Bundle of Blessings

Annie at The Wetzles

Brandee at Daily Life with the Scoggins Crew

Tina at Four Boys and a Girl

Terrah at The Mommy Effect (you've got tagged twice now girl. You have to do it! ;)

Christina at The Color of Love

Amy at Ramblings of a Christian Homeschool Family

Joy at Howse Family Happenings

Whew, I think thats 10! If I missed some of my close friends, well, I'm sorry! Have fun stopping by these other blogs and seeing if they participated!

Friday Follow

2010-04-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

This week I thought it would be fun to participate in the Friday Follow! It's fun reading other blogs and getting glimpses of others lives so I thought why not!

Raw{e} Water

2010-04-20T23:43:00.001-05:00

I'm joining in the Raw{e} challenge over at Sailor and Company for the very first time!

Here are her rules:

Link up your untouched water photos. Don't edit it in ANY way. We want to see your STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA shot!

Two pictures came to mind when I saw this challenge. One was shot with my old point and shoot {yikes!}. The other with my DSLR. Unfortunately, I decided the one with my good camera was too dark and opted for the one shot 2 summers ago with my old point and shoot. Besides, this brings back good memories!

Cleansing....

2010-04-20T22:17:00.001-05:00

A week ago I started cleansing.

I gave up foods I love.

And now hate.

{But, really I only hate Dr Pepper.}

So, how's the cleanse going I hear you asking.

Well, good...for the most part.

I'm so over my Dr Pepper cravings. But, with moving on from those cravings I encountered new cravings.

Cravings like I have never before experienced.

Scary cravings.

On this cleanse I can pretty much eat any fruit (fresh or frozen), veggie (fresh or frozen) and then 1/2 cup brown rice or lentils a day. I've kept in the protein because Im nursing so I've been eating 2 eggs a day and some days some chicken breast. Overall, that was holding me over pretty well.

Until.....

the cravings for breads and sweets hit.

Oh.my.word.

I was doing really well mentally until I took my girls to a birthday party on Saturday. I couldn't eat the cake. I {heart} birthday cake. I mean like really really love it. It's probably one of my favorite foods in the whole wide world. But, I was strong and had none.

Then on the way home my sweet husband called. This was pretty close to the exact conversation:

Derek: Hi honey. I know this is really mean but um...will you pick up a pizza and a Dr Pepper.

Me: Oh no, its cool. Sure, I'll pick up a pizza and Dr Pepper for you. (I'm not really sure my thoughts were exactly that nice. But, ya know...I was on this cleanse by choice, right?)

Derek: are you sure? I know thats kinda mean. Im sorry.

Me: no, seriously. Its fine. Just call it in, I'll go get it. (whatever buddy. How stinkin' rude! Do you know I just passed up birthday cake?! BIRTHDAY CAKE! and now I have to drive 30 mins home with a pizza in the car!? Seriously!??!)

So, home I drove. 30 minutes home mind you. With a Dominoes pizza sitting in the seat next to me.

On the the way home my bread and sugar craving kicked in in full force. Ava asked me what was wrong. I said nothing was, I just really wanted a hot, fresh from the oven home made chocolate chip cookie, that was all. {The next morning after church she brought me a chocolate chip cookie from her class. Sweet girl. Of course, feeling like a lousy mom, I couldnt eat it}

I started feeling really down and blue on Saturday night. Not like cant breath so Im turning blue blue but like depressed blue. I continued to fight that until today. And the cravings for bread and sugar havent gone away. I googled the connection between feeling depressed and sugar withdraw and sure enough, theres a connection. {totally could have told you that!} I had no idea how addicted to sugar I am.

The cravings have been bad. Like, really bad.

I feel like a drug addict needing a fix.

Today I felt like I was almost over my sugar craving and just wanted some bread. Just a warm roll from Golden Chick.

So, I found a solution! I found some recipes that use coconut flour instead of wheat (or white) flour. They call for ingredients I can eat! And if I can't eat an ingredient I can modify it to something I can have!!

My awesome hubby {this was his penance for having me pick up pizza! :) JK of course} stopped by Sprouts on the way home and picked some coconut flour up for me. The minute he walked in the door I was on my way to making coconut flour pancakes! The recipe I found did call for honey or real maple syrup but since I can't have those I just left them out. I did think to throw in some mashed banana on the last couple pancakes to make them a little sweeter. I topped my pancakes with {fresh from the crock-pot} homemade applesauce.

My husband says this picture looks really gross. Let me assure you I think I tasted heaven tonight.

Let me tell you. I WAS IN HEAVEN! Totally cured my bread craving! I feel like I can get back on track and stop going completely insane thinking about bread and sugar all.day.long. {Seriously, it was that bad}

One big thing I've learned through all of this is that I do have some self-control! Honestly, I've wondered that about myself before. I mean I can abstain from bad things but when it comes to food {and Dr Pepper} I just eat what I want and don't hold the bad stuff back. Now, I know if I put my mind to it I can!

Well, I can because I have a God who gives me the strength, through the Holy Spirit, to practice self-control! Thank you, Lord!

So, I have 14 more days to go. That's all *smile* Six pounds down in 6 days, not too shabby. I'm pretty darn close to my pre-preggo weight but my old clothes still aren't quite fitting. Now, to figure out what to do about this belly fat......

Coconut Flour Pancakes

2010-04-20T22:13:00.001-05:00

Coconut Flour Pancakes
{with applesauce topping}:

borrowed from this site.

3 eggs

3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted (I used the coconut oil)

3 tablespoons coconut milk or whole milk (I used coconut milk)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons honey or real maple syrup. (or you could use 1 over ripe mashed banana or any other fruit of choice)

Instructions:

1. Using a wire whisk, mix together eggs, melted butter, milk, honey (or your choice of sweetener) and sea salt.

2. Continuing to whisk, add the baking powder and coconut flour until thoroughly mixed.

3. Cook like you would any other type of pancakes :)

4. Top with choice of topping. I chose homeade applesauce.

My Very FIrst Blog Award!

2010-04-20T20:12:00.000-05:00

Today I received my very first bloggy award!

Hallee over at Hallee The Homemaker selected this blog for the

Thanks, Hallee! I am honored!

Crock pot (slow cooker) Applesauce Recipe

2010-04-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

My good friend Stephanie over at The Mommy Place posted a recipe for crock pot applesauce awhile back. Since I can eat everything in it while on my cleanse I decided to make some today.

Here is her recipe:

10 lg. apples, peeled, cored & cut in chunks (we buy organic)

1/2 c. water

3 + tsp. cinnamon

1/2 to 1 c. sugar (optional)I'll be making it without sugar or possibly substituting Organic Raw Blue Agave instead.

Put all ingredients into your crockpot. It should end up being about 3/4 full.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours if you are in a hurry.

Although I'm doing pretty well as far as cravings are concerned I'm thinking this will appease my sweet tooth if/when it shows up.

So, I know you're just dieing to know how my cleanse is going thus far? The short answer: great.

But, if you know me at all the short answer is never enough for me *smile*. As mentioned yesterday I had a terrible headache on day 1. Yesturday was much better. I discovered though I'm going to need more protien then I was eating. I was W.I.P.E.D. out! Being wiped out for me means not being a very nice mommy. So, while the idea of not having much protien sounds good it's just not gonna work for this nursing mommy. Once I ate some eggs I was doing much better.

This morning I woke up with another headache but once I drank a smoothie it was gone. For lunch I decided to make an omlette. Having never made an omlette before it turned out more like scrambled eggs with veggies. It was delish though!! Nothing fancy but....
Heres how I made it:

2 eggs
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1 carrott, grated
sea salt to taste

I just ended up scrambling it all up together. Now I'm wondering why I've never thought to do that before! It was so good!

Last night my sweet husband encouraged me to weigh myself. I really didnt want to, didn't want to get discouraged if I hadn't lost any, but I did. I've lost 3 1/2 pounds since I weighed in on Tuesday night! My clothes don't really feel any looser but apparently I have indeed lost some! Yippe! It makes it all worth it if I'm already seeing some results!

Tonight we're going to dinner at a friends so I'll be bringing roasted red potatos and carrots! I'll post the recipe once I've modified it to something I can have.

Dear Dr. Pepper

2010-04-15T08:31:00.002-05:00

Dear Dr Pepper-

I hate you. I didn't indulge in {what I once thought} was your delisiousness yesterday and all you did was leave me with a headache. A headache so awful I could hardly function.A headache so bad that anytime I moved in the middle of the night to nurse a waking baby my head pounded so hard I wanted to cry. I drank tons of water hoping to help wash you out of my system but my head kept pounding. I believe its one of the worst headaches I've ever had.
I once thought I loved you but now that I've tasted your betrayal through a massive withdraw headache I realize I want nothing to do with you again. {I'm serious, don't think I'm not. Don't think I'll change my mind in 21days when I can indulge in you again.}
Besides, now that I've been informed that you increase my risk for cancer I really want nothing more to do with you. I've lost too many close family relatives to cancer over the past 6 or so years. So, I want to stear clear of anything I know will increase my {already higher due to family history} risk of cancer. And now that I know you're one of them, well that coupled and with the massive headache I got from leaving you, WE.ARE.THROUGH.

my best regards-

Lindsay

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Generations

Meet Grammy. The kids great grandma.

My very first "photo shoot"

2010-04-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

These are some '9 month' shots I took of our nephew. This was my first 'photo shoot' when I got my new camera. I'm still figuring everything out and several of these pics are untouched but I wanted to share them anyways.

When it came to trying to get him to smile....yeah, didn't really happen. My girls {whom he loves} were with me but they couldn't even get him to crack a smile most of the time.

That's ok though. I really tend to love serious pictures. And, this little guys serious pictures take the cake! Super cute! He looks like he's staring you down trying to figure you out.

Tomorrow is THE day

2010-04-13T07:26:00.001-05:00

The day I start my 21 day cleanse. And, Im giving up some things I love.

I know, love is a strong word.

But, there are 4 things I'll be giving up for my cleanse that I do love.

First, I'll be giving up cheese.

I have a dairy intolerance so this shouldn't really affect me. BUT, I can have cheddar cheese and boy do I love it! I have cheese on LOTS of stuff. I eat it as a snack, on sandwiches, tacos...you get the point. But, for the next 21 days I won't be eating it.

The second thing I'll be giving up is bread.

I really love bread too.

Rolls, sliced bread, tortillas, I like 'em all. Especially Golden Chicks rolls. Oh this is making my mouth water.

Actually, this might turn out to be THE hardest thing I'm giving up for my cleanse.

The third thing I'm giving up is sweets.

Breakfast sweets....

snack time sweets....

shouldn't be eating the kids Easter stash sweets...

of all kinds of sweets.

Honestly, this may prove to be the easiest one to give up. With every baby I've nursed I have had an awful sweet tooth. But, I think I can overcome this one the quickest. {Hopefully thats not wishful thinking!}

When my hubby has listened to me complaining of not losing the rest of this baby weight his response is always 'well if you would give up sweets and Dr Pepper* you would lose it'.

Which leads me to the next thing I'll be giving up.

This, my friends, could quite possibly prove to be the death of my cleanse.

This little sucker here is my addiction.

Dr. Pepper.

Ohh, how I love me some Dr. Pepper.

I don't drink coffee in the mornings.

I drink Dr. Pepper.

When I'm stressed....Dr. Pepper.

When I need a pick-me-up...you guessed it. Dr. Pepper.

You get the point.

But, starting tomorrow, for the next 21 days I will not be drinking ANY Dr. Pepper.

And, I've realized something. Besides cleansing my physical body this cleanse will also be helping to purify my spiritual body.

When I wake up in the morning...Jesus.

When I need a pick-me-up. Jesus

When I'm stressed...Jesus.

When I get my 'I need a Dr. Pepper craving it will be a ~~subtle~~ huge reminder to pray.

Pray for my addiction but more importantly to pray for whatever the Lord lays on my heart.

{pray without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5:17}

When I'm tired and cranky and want some comfort food {and a nice cold Dr. Pepper.} I'll pray. As I eat the physical fruit in my cleanse I'll pray for the fruits of the spirit to be abundant in my life.

{But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh........But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:16, 22-24}

My hope in the next 21 days is to come out changed in several ways.
First, I'm not gonna lie, I hope to lose the rest of this baby weight {Yes, its still baby weight! He's only 8 months old!}.
Second, I hope to rid my body of the build up of toxins. With a history of cancer in close family members I need to start doing this regularly.
And third, I hope, through overcoming my need for these foods I can't have, I'll grow closer to the Lord. I pray I'll learn to rely on Him more for even the little things like giving up food I love.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1

Not Me Monday- Stinky Broccoli

2010-04-12T07:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

As mentioned in the post about patience we went to visit Dereks grandparents this weekend.Before we left the house there was an awful smell in the kitchen. Of course there were ~~tons~~ no dishes in the sink so I wouldn't even think that maybe something buried was the culprit. Nor would I thinksomething might be stuck in the drain perhaps. Because, well, there were no dishes in the sink. I would not go out of town for the night and leave any dishes in the sink. Nope, not me!Since, there were no dishes in the sink I didn't feel the need to re-rinse them all just to ensure some food particle was not the cause of such stink. I also did not feel the need to run hot water down the sink for an extended period of time.
When we returned home from our little trip we did not walk into an even stinkier house then we left. Because, of course, I did not leave a sink full of dishes waiting to be washed. I did not proceed to bag up the trash all in hopes of getting the stench out of the house.
While getting ready to reheat some left over dinner my husband did not open the microwave to discover I had left a plate full of broccoli* in there for, well, 3 days. :/ The awful stench did not suddenly consume all the air in the house and as we all gagged we did not yell at him to shut the microwave door. In closing the microwave door my husband did not just leave the plate of stinky broccoli in there only to be awaiting my clean up later. But, since I didn't leave the broccoli in there the plate wasn't waiting for me to clean later. On the above mentioned trip I did not let my 8 year old drive my 8 month old around in the Barbie jeep. Because, well that would be dangerous, right?

I did not run and grab my camera and get a few shots of the action but instead quickly told her to stop the car immediately and let the little guy out.

Because, obviously from the picture above, he was most definitely NOT enjoying himself! Nope, I would not allow such dangerous activities! Nope, not me!

*the broccoli left in the microwave was frozen organic broccoli. I dont normally heat up the broccoli in the microwave, because that just seems a bit lazy and unhealthy. Actually, who am I kidding? For some reason my kids love frozen broccoli and request that it only be heated 30 secs so they can eat it mostly frozen. Well, now the cat is out of the bag....I'm not perfect.

Patience

2010-04-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend we made a little {by little I mean 2 hours away} trip to Dereks grandparents house. We always love going out there. We live in the country but they live in the middle of nowhere. From the road to their house is half a mile. By that I mean they live half a mile in the woods.

Away from everyone else.

Nice, huh?

While we were there we decided to take the girls fishing. This was their first time fish. {Actually, come to think of it, it was mine too}

We all learned a little lesson in patience this weekend.

And, in the end, they learned that good things come to those who wait!

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry

Ps. 40:1

Ultimate Blog Party!

2010-04-08T22:52:00.005-05:00

This is my first year to be participating in the Ultimate Blog party and I'm super excited about finding new blogs and other bloggers finding me!

I'm Lindsay {Hi, Lindsay}.

This is me...without the extra pregnancy weight I can't seem to get rid of after baby #4.

I'm married to Derek {today is actually our 9 year wedding anniversary!} and we have 4 precious kiddos. Three girls- ages 8, 5, and 2, and 1 little guy who's 8 months {and growing too fast, if you ask me!}.

I'm staying home, homeschooling the 2 big ones and, with my hubby, training them up in the way they should go. I've discovered this is not a small or easy job but Because He Gave {hence the blog name} I'm pretty sure we can do this!

We created this blog in December of 2009 to blog our way through Matthew Wests book 101 Simple and Thoughtful Ways to Give This Christmas Away. Our goal was to give Christmas away in at least 25 different ways, or ideas, from the book. It was really cool to see how the Lord used the book to teach and grow us over this past Christmas season! Our hope is that we continue to be open to the ways He would have us give of ourselves to others, even when it's not the holidays.

So, take a look around and join us on this little journey called life!

And, while you're at it {I totally stole this from another blog} we'll play a little game. I'll ask a question. The first commenter answers the question and then leaves a new question for the next commenter. And we'll just keep going.

Make sure and leave your blog address so I can come "meet" you too!

Heres the first question: What's your funniest mom moment ever?

We're Bananas About Bananas!

2010-04-07T22:43:00.001-05:00

We love bananas around here. So, its only natural that Owen loves bananas too. I've been feeding him pieces of cut up bananas for several weeks now but just remembered a really nifty {did I really just say nifty??} trick someone told me when one of the big girls was a baby.

When babies try and pick up banana pieces they just slip right out. This was evident last night by looking at the floor under our table. I thought Owen was having a great time chowing down on some bananas and kept replenishing them for him ~~at an alarming rate~~. Once he was done I realized that more pieces hit the seat, his clothes and the ground then actually made it into his mouth.

{This is where the trick comes in}

Tonight, though, I remembered something BRILLIANT!

When you cut up the banana pieces you can toss them in some baby rice cereal and it makes it easier {read:less slippery} for the baby to grasp and pick up. So....more pieces actually make it into their mouths! And, as an added bonus, their hands are less sticky when they're done!

Look at those grimy little boy hands! Love it!

And, just because I think my little guy is super cute, heres one for the road...

I'll let you in on a little secret though. I don't have any baby cereals here at the house. But, I did have some rice crispy cereal so I just crunched that up and coated the bananas in that. It worked and he l.o.v.e.d it!

And, since we're on the topic of bananas did you know that:

If you peel a banana and stick your finger right down the middle of it (starting at the top) it will seperate into 3 equal parts! Cool, huh? {thanks for the tip, Abby}

If you peel a banana from the bottom to the top there will be no strings. Pretty sure this is what monkeys do. {So now I'm wondering why my kids don't already do this...har har}

And some more fun banana facts {really I'm adding these because I wanted to earn some swagbucks and so I searched for fun banana facts. But, they ended up being worth sharing!}

Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

Providing energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat high blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit t hat can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

When you compare a banana to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

So, our love for bananas with these tips is What Works for Me!

Purification....on hold

2010-04-06T23:11:00.001-05:00

So, last week{ish} I said I was starting a cleanse diet.

Yesterday.

Well, I {must confess} I didn't.

Start it, that is.

I have a friend {or several} who are doing it with me {you know...to encourage each other} and she is going out of town this weekend.

So, she didn't want to ~~be stuck~~ cleansing while spending the weekend -kid free- on a ~~diet~~ cleanse.

So, we'll be starting our cleanse next Wednesday, April 14th.

So, mark your calendars

{because I'm sure you really care} :)

Wow. I just realized I started 4 out of 8 sentences {or fragments???} with So,.

Interesting....random post, I know.

Actions Speak

2010-04-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

Something Derek and I want to instill in our kids is to think of others before themselves. This doesn't come naturally for any of us, so, it's a challenge ~~sometimes~~ most of the time. If you remember our blog was started through the inspiration of giving to others. It seems though, through the hustle and bustle of life, we've lost sight of our goal. Not just through the Christmas season, but for always.

I often think that I would like to serve others via a soup kitchen or pregnancy resource center. But, considering where I am in life, with 4 littles, that just isnt possible right now. I know we could donate money or items to these places but extra funds to do this are sometimes hard to come by around here. We live in a pretty tight budget.

Time, if I had it, would be the perfect alternative to a monetary gift to give. So, when I ran across an article in the most recent Above Rubies magazine I was super pumped because the author listed several practicle ways to show hospitality to strangers with kids in tow.

Adopt a Grandparent
This is something my mom and I have talked about for, well, forever. But, we have never done it. Now that my parents moved 2 1/2 hours away it looks like I'm on my own if we do this.
There are so many nursing homes out there with lonely, elderly people. Many of these people's families put them in the homes and rarely visit. What a delight it would be to them for a family to 'adopt' them as their own. You can make visits, have your kids make cards or pictures to bring and even make special treats for them. (Of course check and make sure they're allowed the food you're bringing before doing so! no brainer- I know. Just wanted to throw that out there) Just call a local nursing home let them know what you would like to do and ask to be placed with one of their residents.

Latchkey Kids
I loved this suggestion because I would have never thought of it on my own! Call a local womens shelter and ask if they have a family you can 'adopt'.This adoption could include many things.
Some of the ideas I've thought of include making some freezer meals for the mom so she can have a healthy meal for her and the kids with having to actually cook it or to eat out. Or, when you make your normal grocery run add a few extra items and help stock her fridge or pantry.
How about offering to watch her kids after school instead of her having to send the kids to (and pay for) daycare. You can help them with homework, feed them a healthy afternoon snack and even have them and the mom stay for dinner occasionally. Take the dinner as an opportunity to show them what the family meal table actually looks like. Speak Life into their lives. You never know, you might be the only glimpse they get of a godly family in their lives.

Stock your car
Ever drive by a person holding a sign asking for work, food or money? Hesitant to actually give them money? I've got a soft spot in my heart (or maybe I'm just a sucker) for those people. I figure if they're at a low enough point in their lives to stand on the side of the road asking for a hand out...maybe they need one. I know plenty of people who won't ever give money because they assume the person will just take it to buy drugs or alcohol. And, the truth is, there's a good chance they might. But, I always feel led to give if I have the cash. (Which seems rare for some reason, lol)
But, that giving still includes money. So, when I read this suggestion I loved it. How about stocking your car with on-the-go snacks or bottles of water you can pass on to that person asking for a hand out? Or the homeless person you see on the road. That way instead of worrying about funding their addiction you can give them something that will actually be used for good.

Open your home
I have to be honest, I dont know if we're ready for this one yet. But, I thought it was a great suggestion on being Jesus to the world.
If you see that person on the side of the road, why not offer them a hot meal? Include them in your dinner that night. You can feed them both physically and spiritually. Chances are if their in the 'standing on the side of the road asking for a hand out' spot in their life they probably haven't had a good, hot, home cooked meal in awhile.

Give someone a hand
This is another suggestion that was not in the article. It's just something we always do now.
If you see someone on the side of the road with a flat tire or needing some help, stop. Yep, stop and offer to help. (I guess this would have to include a hubby though! Well, at least in my case it would *smile*) I know most peoples mindset these days is to just pass by and think 'everyone has a cell phone. Im sure theyve called someone else'. But, what if they don't? I remember us passing a lady, from out of state, with her hood up one day. We were on our way somewhere and had the choice to stop or not. It would have been so easy to just go on our way and ignore the fact that she might need help. But, we choose to stop and Derek offered to help. He wasn't exactly sure what needed to be done but he was able to offer some suggestions and give her some ideas of who to call for help.
My husband hasn't always had this mindset. Its taken time and lots of encouragement. Most people weren't raised to think of others first. But, why not change your family tree?

All of these ideas are ways to be Jesus to the world without actually preaching at people. Remember the old saying 'actions speak louder than words'? Well, take it to heart. I know we need to, thats for sure!
Show your kids what it really means to serve others and think less of themselves.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and yougave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

Matthew 25:35-36

He is Risen!

2010-04-04T19:39:00.001-05:00

Today marks the day we celebrate our risen Savior. How blessed we are to be called one of His! It's almost inconceivable to be loved and chosen by the one who took massive beatings, was crucified and rose again 3 days later. All for us. Thank you, Lord!

Here are some pictures of the kids before church. I plan on taking them to Arboretum here in the next week or two and getting some good shot of them. For now though...this is it :)

Sneak Peak

2010-03-29T23:38:00.000-05:00

Today I took one of Owens little buddies 1 year pictures. Even though we didn't get to take them in the exact location we had hoped for (lesson learned) we got some pretty adorable shots! Thanks for letting me have the privlage of taking your little guys pictures, Kalina! Here is a sneak peak of some of the shots I got this afternoon. Enjoy!

Not Me Monday

2010-03-29T22:23:00.001-05:00

Ive been reading other "Not Me" posts for awhile now but have never been brave enough to post my own. This week I'm sucking it up and confessing all. Well....some at least.

Last night I did not wait until my children went to bed to bake homemade cookies. I did not sit down and eat all but 4 of them last night with my husband resulting in us both having stomach aches before bed. Nope, not me!

And, I did not secretly take a little relief in the fact that my kids had a stomach bug Saturday night through Sunday morning resulting in a lack of appetite yesterday. Their lack of appetite meant I did not have to cook any big meals because they weren't hungry. But, that lack of hunger didn't matter because I did not find relief in their lack of hunger from said stomach bug.

nope, not me. I wouldn't think that way!

I also did not pull the 'its Saturday and I want to lazy' card and leave the dishes in the sink until today. Nope, not me!

Well, see there. That was fun, wasn't it? I might just have to do that again sometime!

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-28T09:55:00.001-05:00

Before I started staying home I worked as a studio manager for the Picture People. Each different event season {Christmas, V-day, Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, 4th of July, Halloween} we'd come up with a new, catchy way to answer to the phone. For Spring one of our favorites was:

Spring has sprung here at the Picture People. Why don't you hop on in for some Spring pictures. When can I schedule your next appt?

Since I don't work at the Picture People anymore and would feel rather silly answering my phone with Spring has sprung here at the Lane household, how may I help you? I decided I'd use my blog to get that catchy phrase, along with new Spring pictures, out of my system!

Yesterday, was a beautiful Spring day and we spent most of it outside enjoying the warmth. It was pretty windy but I'm beginning to realize when you basically live in the middle of a field it's windy alot. Also, everyone looks pretty rough. We had no where to go and when thats the case the kids choose their own clothes. Trust me, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Lane, our nephew.

Purification.

2010-03-28T09:22:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been really feeling like the Lord is prompting me to change some things in my life.

A purification process if you will.

First, the way I spend my time.

I know, I know. I've said this before. But, this time I'm changing this big time. I've been really feeling led to give up Facebook...a Facebook fast of sorts, for awhile. But, I just have ignored that prompting. {Hows that for honesty?} So, starting Monday I'm giving up Facebook. For at least a week. Once that first week is up then I'll see how I'm doing. I'll re-evaluate where I'm at and how I'm managing my time.

Why am I announcing this on my blog? Well, because I feel like maybe telling people on here will hold me more accountable on there. So, if you see me on FB this week...totally call me out :) And, some of you might actually have quiet status walls without all my updates :)

I have several books I'm in the process of reading right now that I'd like redirect my 'free time' to.

{free time...with 4 kids and a husband...whats that?!}

I'm reading Passionate Housewives Desperate for God
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, again, as part of an online book club. I'm also reading The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity
The Mission of Motherhood. Derek and I are reading Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God
>Family Driven Faith together. I'm also in the middle of the Breaking Free Bible study with a group of ladies from church. Wow. Who needs the internet when I have all of those to read...plus some.

I'm also planning a purification for the body.

Starting the Monday after Easter I'm going to start a cleanse diet. A purification of the body.

Inspired by my friend Hannah I'll be doing this diet. I wont be adding in the supplements this time around and since I'm nursing I'll continue to keep protein in my diet rather then eliminate it and reintroducing it at one point.
This is going to a huge deal for me since I am addicted to Dr. Pepper and I LOVE breads. But, I'm excited to rid the toxins in my body and {maybe} lose the rest of the pregnancy weight that just.wont.go.away!

Most of all I'm excited to take this time and draw closer to the Lord. To see what He reveals to me through this purification processes.

*I'll still be checking email and blogging. So, don't forget to keep checking back here for new posts on our happenings.

Natural Home Remedies

2010-03-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

I have a few bloggy friends who have posted some wonderful natural home remedies for various things that I wanted to pass on.

Among other recipes, The Mommy Place posted a recipe for

Banana Conditioner:

1 banana
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

mash the banana in a bowl until completely smooth. Add mayonnaise & oil - blend until creamy. Must be used immediately. Apply conditioner to hair & cover your head with a shower cap. Leave on for 15 - 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water & shampoo as usual.

Check out her blog to see the other food recipes shes posted. Im excited to try them out!

Over at my friend Jennifer's blog shes posted a natural Liver and Gallbladder cleanse.
If you, or anyone you know, has issues with Gallstones this would be a wonderful, natural remedy.

While you're at their blogs let them know I sent you there ;)

A Great Giveaway

2010-03-26T14:40:00.001-05:00

My friend, Stephanie, over at The Mommy Place is running an AWESOME giveaway over at her blog. You can go here to follow the directions and enter.

Thankful Thursday

2010-03-25T13:32:00.001-05:00

This past week I have been ~~dwelling~~ worried a bit about the health care bill that was passed Sunday. I wont get on my soap box about that {for now}. But, with all this worry I have realized I need to focus my attention on not what could be but instead what is.

I need to reflect on what I'm thankful for.

I'm sure out there in bloggyland there is another blog that does this as a blog carnival, and someday I may go look for it, but for now I'm doing it on my own. Hopefully every week!

So....this week for Thankful Thursday I am thankful for:

My husband. I haven't blogged about it, but plan to, but this past week my husband displayed the perfect example of showing grace to me. By the grace he showed to me through this experience he put on display the grace the Father shows to us when we mess up, for our children. The Lord reminded me through this how very blessed I am to have the husband I do.

My kids. I know I know, husband and kids. Of course I would list them on Thankful Thursday right? But, how can I not at least this first time. I am constantly amazed at the life the Lord has given me and the little people He has filled it with. {note to self: come back and read this when everything seems to be falling apart around here!}

My parents: I think I have just about the best mom in the world. A month ago they moved about 2 1/2 hours away and Tuesday my mom came to watch Audrey so I could take the big girls to a girls club theyre apart of. When we came home she had my kitchen cleaned and living room picked up for me. Such a blessing! She married my step-dad when I was 14 and although my world seemed upside for a few years I could not have asked for a better step-dad. He loves me, Derek and the kids just like we are his blood. And he makes my mom very happy.

My church family: through the above mentioned situation where my sweet husband showed incredible grace for me, a family from our church stepped in and met an incredible need we had. They once again showed us the deep need and love of the fellowship of a church family in our lives.

I could go on and on. But, I'll stop for now.....otherwise I might run out of things for future weeks! Wait, I dont think thats possible.