Jer-Bear's Prayer

Jeremiah de-railed my plans for the day today in the most wonderful of ways!!!  He kept asking about heaven and saying he wanted Jesus to forgive his sins.  He may be only 4 and a half but he has an older sister who has been preaching the Gospel to him for a couple of years ever since she came to faith.

We have no greater prayer than that our children would live for the Lord and love Him with all of their hearts.  This is an exciting first-step in that process!  Little did I know 16 years ago as I practiced my Wordless Book for practicums that someday I would have the AWESOME priviledge of putting those skills to use with my own little children!

When he called his various relatives to tell them about his prayer, his aunt Kianna said she has been praying for him specifically this month to be saved!  How neat!!!  

Happy May Day!!!

Lathey Potts (my Ali girl) and I put together these May baskets yesterday

 She enjoyed the "ring and run" part of delivering them immensely

 Look at those pigtails fly! 

We even got one ourselves from our dear friends and neighbors a block away who brought the whole family of 6 over to deliver this pretty basket made from a scrapbooking paper and ribbon!

Interesting E-book

I'm excited to read this e-book, 31 Days to Clean, "Having a Martha House the Mary Way" and am taking advantage of the author's freebie offer today for blogging about it.  If you do miss this freebie, it looks like it is only $4.99 to purchase and looks well worth the cost!  I'll let you know what I think of it when I read it!

The Gift That Came on March 30th

On March 30th, God blessed our family with a new member! My little nephew Jedediah David! Yes, the name David is not in short supply in our family as I have a brother Colter David who goes by David in Latin America, a son Jeremiah David, and another nephew named David as well as cousins and uncles with that name too. They wanted to name him Jedediah Colter but considering that Latin Americans cannot pronounce the name Colter, the name Jed, or their last name, they wanted him to have one name that Spanish-speakers could pronounce.  Jed is such a sweetie and I'm absolutely desperate to hold him! They live overseas where they are missionaries and I can't wait to hold him for the first time this summer when they go on furlough. There is something surreal about seeing your sibling's kid!

 My brother, and his sweet little family

My favorite photo they have sent us of Jed thus far.  His mama, Anna, who is half-Honduran, is soooo pretty and he looks just like her and has more hair than any newborn I've ever seen!  However, I'm not sure I can stay friends with her after hearing her natural childbirth story, which includes phrases like, "Only a couple of hours of pain" and "Not that bad" and "I want to have 12 kids!" All joking aside, she is very sweet and makes my brother very happy!

Meeting Money Saving Mom

My husband accuses me of acting like a teenage girl about meeting Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom.  But can you blame me?  She has been one of my biggest inspirations in blogging, couponing, living frugally, and "making my home a haven".  She challenges me to grow, and even though she was only an online acquaintence up until a week ago, her thoughts, via blogging, were a part of every weekday for me for the past 4 years!  I learned couponing and working the Walgreens deals from her!  Her "Big, Huge, Audacious Goal" of paying cash for a house inspired me to do a BHAG too and save for a really nice camera!  I'm a better wife, mother, homeschool mom, manager of my money, and blogger because of her influence, so I was unbelievably stoked to be able to meet her!  When we made plans to visit our friends who live in her state and only 40 minutes away from her, my hubby told me I should write to her and ask her to meet me for coffee.  I did, and held my breath wondering if she'd have the time as she is busy completing a huge book project.  She did want to meet!  I tried not to get my hopes up and only told a few friends about my plans in case they fell through.  Up until the day I walked into that coffee shop I was afraid our plans would be cancelled and I would be royally disappointed.  But they weren't!  And as I sat down in the crowded little Starbucks, reading a newspaper, juggling my baby, pinching myself to see if I was dreaming, and watching the clock, she walked through the door, holding her darling little son, right on time! 



My friends whom we were visiting can attest to the fact that I was goofy, nervous, and over-analytical about the visit.  I worried that I'd say something really stupid or not have anything to talk about with her, and I made sure to have cash on hand because I felt like I was buying coffee for Dave Ramsey.  I didn't dare buy her coffee on my debit card, because my debit card goes through as a credit card and you don't want to buy someone who's anti-credit card something on credit!   I brought her a gift of a few groceries (aren't groceries the perfect gift for a couponer?) I knew she liked from reading her weekly menus, hoping she didn't think I was a stalker because I knew her preferences so well!



From the minute she sat down at my table, we hit it off and talked nonstop for over 2 hours!  In fact, my friend Shiloh came to pick me up and I wasn't ready so she had to come back a half an hour later after taking a picture for me, bless her heart!  Thanks Shiloh!  We had gazillions of things to talk about and we probably could have gone on talking for several days if time had allowed!  I was blown away by how authentic and "real" Crystal truly is.  And though I had anticipated her being very nice, she's far more sweet and soft-spoken than I had pictured!  It's clear that Crystal loves the Lord and wants to glorify Him, but not in a preachy or holier-than-thou way.  She is humble, and she is patient, and God has clearly chosen to use her as a vessel to reach many.  She's a real woman and real mom with real struggles and challenges just like you and me. 

 Crystal and Silas, who joined us for part of the time until his daddy picked him up

 Katrielle was a bit fussy but Crystal offered to hold her for me and got her to sleep for me!  A Frugalista and a Baby Whisperer!

My parents asked me if Crystal was standing up in this pic.  She is!  =)  I'm only 5'6" but she does make me look tall!  

What a special blessing from the Lord it was to be able to spend some "in real life" time with someone who has had such a big impact on me!

Thoughts on Suffering

It's been said that sometimes when the night is darkest, the stars shine the brightest.

In the midst of my darkest days with PPD, when I felt like God was far away and ignoring me, He truly was holding me.  Though He seemed silent, He kept me alive when I was feeling beyond overwhelmed by life and wanting to die and led me to just the right solution thanks to my very-wise doctor.

I never realized the depth of my husband's love for me until I felt completely unloveable and broken and needy, only to have him tenderly care for me and provide for all of my needs, showing me the most profound example I've ever seen of Christ's love for His church.

God has provided meals unexpectedly, through sweet friends, on some of the hardest days.  And older women in my family and in church who care enough to ask, "How are you really doing?" and share their own experiences with postpartum depression and rearing 4 little ones.  What a blessing it is to have their encouragement and to have them hold my baby for me at church, and have their older children help me carry diaper bags and corral kids!  What a blessing it is to talk to friends my own age who have experienced PPD and offer tips and promise to pray.

According to "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" by Paul David Tripp, a book my aunt recommended to me, suffering:

*Gives us the opportunity to make truth concrete for people.

*Encourages us to depend on Christ, rather than on ourselves.

*Encourages humility and honesty.

*Redeems my story.

*Makes my life a window to the glory of Christ.

*Results in worship of Christ.

Suffering is not easy or fun.  But, according to page 145 of this book, "Suffering is not only the common ground of human relationships, but one of God's most useful workrooms."  And every one of us will suffer.  "Our experience differs only in the degree of the pain." (Page 143.)

The paradigm of purposeful suffering, taken from Paul's example in 2 Cor. 1:3-11 leads us to see that we suffer to lead to the experience of God's comfort, producing the ability to comfort others, resulting in a community of hope. (Page 154.) 

Suffering---comfort---comfort---hope

As I think about the trials we have been through, and the stories I could tell of God's faithfulness in those trials, I am inspired to comfort those who are in the situations I have been in, in the same way that loving people have ministered to me.  I don't want to waste my life or my suffering.  Whatever God has given me is a platform for His glory and I know He can use my sufferings, however small in comparison to the great sufferings of many in this fallen world, to bring comfort to others.  So, someday, I'm going to be buying pizza gift cards for moms going through intense pregnancy nausea, and offering to babysit a mom with small children, and sending a helpful book to a young mom desperate for tips on getting her baby to sleep at night, and paying for a busy young mom to have a nanny come for a few hours once a week, and offering to hold the fussy baby, and bringing a meal by unexpectedly, or sending an e-mail asking if she is truly doing okay.  And in doing these things, God will bring hope and comfort to those who are suffering.

May this post encourage you readers, in whatever you are facing today.  One of my favorite quotes is, "Be kind, for every man you meet is fighting a hard battle."  Whatever that battle is today, I pray that you would suffer for the glory of our Lord Jesus.

Pretty and Unique Table Decor

We recently visited our beloved friends who moved back to Kansas.  You may remember an interview I did on my blog a couple of years ago with my friend Shiloh, who is the world's tidiest housekeeper on how she manages to keep her house perfect with twin preschoolers.  Now those twins are 5 1/2 and they also have a 2 year old.  Her house is still the cleanest I've ever seen and not only that, but one of the most tastefully decorated homes too.  My husband and I concluded, after staying in their home, which they decorate on a budget, that we are country bumpkins that know nothing about style and elegance in home decor.  Maybe when Shiloh visits us this summer we will ask her for tips on how she would decorate our home if it was hers.  I thought this simple, but interesting centerpiece was worthy of a blog post. 

 While you could probably make these paper balls from scrap newspapers and modge podge, she purchased them from Pier 1.  I absolutely LOVE that store, but don't get the opportunity to shop in one very often.

Fun, artsy, and modern!

The Manners Pig

A few weeks ago our Pray n' Play devotional was on teaching your children table manners.  The lesson suggested using a little plastic pig to play a game during each meal to remind kids of their manners.  I found a little pig at the local dollar store and wrote some of our family's table etiquette rules on it with a permanent marker.  He sits on the dining table and whenever someone is caught breaking one of our family rules, the "Manners Pig" as my little ones call it, gets put in front of the offender's plate.  The last person to end up with the pig has to clear the table.  My kids love this game and I'm loving how it is helping their manners tremendously!  But I will say that if you implement this in your home, be prepared to be caught forgetting your own manners by your children!

What rules do we have for our children at the table?
*Say please and thank you
*Sit up with your feet in front of you
*No elbows on the table
*Chew with your mouth closed
*Speak quietly, no shouting.
*Ask to be excused when you are done.
*Stay in your chair for the whole meal unless you are asked to get something or have permission to leave the table
*Don't speak with food in your mouth
*Don't throw food on the floor

Justus and Katrielle's Dedication

 Our "little" kids.  The second brother-sister set of kids in our family to have a dedication.

Alathia and Jeremiah were 2.5 and 6 months when they were dedicated on my golden birthday 4 years ago.  Justus and Katrielle are the same ages--2.5 and amost-6-months!

 Our family and my parents on the left, Pastor Richard, and Pastor Matt and his family on the right

Katrielle and Marius slept through the dedication.  Camilla is a good friend and one of our pastor's wives.  She had Marius 5 days before I had Katri.  She is one of the strongest women I know--having given birth 3 times at home and having had to push for 3 hours with each one of her kids!

Girls and Shoes

What could be better than dark chocolate with almonds or a Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Mocha?  How about finding a darling pair of your favorite kind of shoes in your favorite brand on a really good sale?  I don't know what it is about girls and shoes......I just know I love these!

You're Going to See a Lot of Pictures Here

Cute Crafts

I'm so blessed to have a really creative friend!  Actually, I have LOTS of creative friends, but my friend Amanda is especially creative with paper/cards/scrapbooking type stuff.  The other day my mom asked me if I wanted to make some little gifty things for some volunteers at her school and I immediately called Amanda, because she is the queen of all things gifty and crafty.  Here's what she came up with!  We had so much fun making these!

 We took tiny paper sacks and glued a half circle on each side and then strips of paper for handles.  To make a large circle pattern just trace around a large bowl in your kitchen.  Jazz them up with ribbon and buttons.

 The local plant shop didn't have small flowers in bloom so we filled them with chocolate candies.  But you could put a petunia or pansy or anything in them for a mother's day gift or make them for May Day baskets to  leave on your neighbor's doorsteps.

Amanda also makes gorgeous cards, which she sells at craft fairs and things.  When I'm looking for extra-special cards I go to her, because they are so much prettier than what I can find in the store, and cheaper too!

I'm Back!

Wow, hard to believe I went 4 weeks without blogging!  Where have I been?  I'll explain!

The last year has been a very tough one.  God has definitely given us some enormous blessings (a home and a sweet new daughter and safety and health and grace and mercy and all that really great stuff!) but we've had lots of stresses.  If you've been reading here you already know that.


I've felt less energetic and less motivated since Katrielle's birth but I thought it merely had to do with having 4 kids, or homeschooling, or having tons to do, or the holidays and company, or the many trials and sad things going on in people around me. 


But after Katri got Influenza A and we ended up with a week of very little sleep (including 3 nights where I was up the entire night and all day with her barking like a seal and struggling to breathe) it's like my body just broke.  Trying to get rest to catch up and trying to sleep in the guest room and trying to take vitamins, eat healthier, and lose baby weight didn't help me recover.  Trials that would come into close friends lives would crush me, the constant mess of the kids would cause me to fall to the floor weeping uncontrollably and I felt unable to deal with their constant neediness and need for discipline.  I was becoming an angry and sad mom.  I lost interest in blogging, sewing, scrapbooking, and even hanging out with friends.  I had very little energy and patience.  I struggled to even just keep up with the simplest regular household chores.  After talking with those who have "been there" and praying much for God's help and direction, I knew I needed to see my doctor.  I'm not sure if Dr. is her official title, but she specializes in Women's Health and Nutrition and runs her own women's clinic in town.  We knew I needed some professional help as I was struggling so much just to get through the day.  At first my doctor tried an experiment with an all-protein diet and nutrients and hormone cream to see if I responded well.  She also ran full bloodwork on me.   After much talking with my doc and going over my lab work, she concluded that I have very low hormone levels, and very low Vitamin D levels, which can cause depression.  We worked out a nutritional plan, which is very similar to what I've read here, and a plan for some temporary low-dose medication to help me recover from Post Partum Depression while my body flushes out toxins and tries to become more balanced again.

I feel so wonderful now, and it's ironic that I'm losing more "baby weight" eating meats, butter, regular cheeses, drinking whole milk, etc. than I was in the previous weeks when I was dieting and eating low-fat everything.

I'll share more here as God leads in the hope that it will encourage and help those of you who read here.

Blessings to you blog reader friends!

Where Have I Been?

My husband checked my blog last night and said, "You know Lindsey is a burnt-out mom when she hasn't blogged in 2 weeks!"

Indeed, I can't remember a time when I've gone so long without blogging in the last 4 years of having a blog.  I'm fighting a lot of depressed and overwhelmed feelings right now and trying to focus on my health and just making it through the day with all of these little ones to care for. 

Blogging is therapeutic to me and so I'm not giving up.  Just taking a little break!

So, check back sometime and see what we're up to!

A Faithful Servant

A woman doesn't easily forget someone who serves her in her darkest hour.  I just found out last night that one of the godliest ladies I know went home to be with the  Lord.  I rejoice for her because she will have many rewards in Heaven, but I am heavy-hearted for the loss that many, many people will feel at her passing.
Becky R. was more than our midwife, she was our friend and mentor and one of the most beautiful examples of Christ I have ever seen.



As we, a young, newlywed couple with no experience, prepared to deliver our first baby, she came to our home to do prenatal visits and spent hours with us, talking and answering questions, recommending books, and encouraging us to grow in the Lord through the process of pregnancy.  The morning before I went into labor I was very, very sick with a stomach virus and was terrified for my baby's health, and she reassured me over the phone and helped me get through the day.  When I knew I was in hard labor, she came from an hour and a half away on icy roads, on a MN winter night when the temps dipped to negative 20.  She stayed up the entire night with us, rubbing my back hard and coaching me through contractions that were only a couple of minutes apart.  Even though I was unable to have my last 3 babies with her because we had moved out west to my hometown, it was her voice in my head that I recalled when I was in labor with all of them because she knew exactly what to do and how to soothe a laboring woman with reassuring tones.  She not only lost a night of sleep for us, and for hundreds of other women, but she fasted and prayed throughout the duration of my labor.  She cleaned up the birthing pool and our home, left us homemade wild rice soup she had brought, took photos for us when we were too wiped out to think about it, made a photo CD for us so we could share it with my folks via e-mail across the miles the day of our daughter's birth, and came back the next day to check on Ali and I even though she had a long drive and had lost a night of sleep. 



She "caught" 555 babies in her day.  She believed it was a ministry and accepted donations but didn't charge for her services.  In addition to being an amazing midwife, she lived out covenant marital love like I have never seen before.  She stayed true to her vows even though it meant a lifetime of sacrifice for her.  Such love is unheard of in our world today and reminds me of the covenant-keeping, never-stopping love of Jesus for his bride, the Church. 



Reading her obituary online, it's evident to me that Becky was a Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 woman, through-and-through.  She was industrious, helped those in need, served Christian families, was a pioneer in the homeschool movement in her area, used her gifts for the Lord, trained the younger women, cared for her family well, shared the Gospel, and aided many families in having large families frugally and naturally.  Few women today have her strength and courage.  I'm honored to have had her there with me during some of my most frightening and painful and wonderful and joyous hours as Alathia Joy entered the world.  I can't wait to see her in Heaven.  I wish, probably along with her daughters, grandchildren, and church family that she had lived longer than 62 years, but I know she is exactly where she wants to be right now.



We'll miss you Becky and we'll share your story with the little girl you helped us bring into the world!  Your life was amazing, Spirit-filled, and worthy of imitation.

Hard Eucharisteo

I'm reading the new book that my favorite blogger just released: One Thousand Gifts.

I can't recommend it enough.  Next to the Bible it is definitely one of the top 5 life-changing books I have ever read.  Every chapter captivates and teaches.  There is so much to unpack that I could read this book every year for the rest of my life and still learn from it.  Even if you don't have a lot of money, I'd encourage you to eat some Ramen and  rice and beans a couple of extra times this week and use your grocery money to buy it.  You won't regret it.  Hundreds of women around the world are reading it right now and finding their lives transformed by it.



In the book, Ann talks about "hard eucharisteo."  Eucharisteo is thanksgiving.  As we learn to see God in everything, we give thanks.  But what about the hard eucharisteo?  Giving thanks in trials, big and small?


Sometimes I think I don't have a right to think my life is hard.  After all, some folks have far greater trials looming.  A child with cancer.  A baby who died of SIDS.  A shattered marriage and life.  Poverty in the third world.  An adult child's rejection of God.  Memories of horrific abuse.  The pain of infertility.  A frightening diagnosis.


But as my cousin reminded me, the fact that other people have harder problems doesn't negate the fact that I hurt and struggle.  My life may not be as hard as it possibly can be, but that doesn't mean I don't cry out for grace in the moments that stretch me and fill me with frustration.


The past year has been unbelievably hard for me.  Wondering where we would live, going through 4 months of constant nausea, losing my Grandma, seeing our town flood, buying our first home and fixing it up and the endless work and lack of family time involved in that, moving while caring for 3 children and carrying a baby, having placenta previa, going through chicken pox, 3 stomach flus, my longest labor yet, a newborn, and the busy holidays, having tons of company, and dealing with the continual exhaustion of having many small children.


The past two months have been especially hard.  Just when I think that next week will be easier and soon I will be able to breathe again, we get hit again.  And again.  And again.  And again.  A newborn baby's demands, sickness, holiday events, in-laws coming, Christmas activity, sorrow over friends with dying marriages, excruciating neck pain, the false accusation of a loved one, fueding in the church, working through disappointments and disagreements in our marriage, watching my parents' struggle to help keep her job and ministry (the Christian school) alive as some would seek to close it, misunderstandings, job insecurities, weeks of multiple night-wakings with baby, fighting amongst believers, a car accident where my husband wrecked the front of my mom's car (every Son-in-Law's nightmare, right?),  illness and a trip to the ER with our baby.


As I've been reading about hard eucharisteo I'm struggling to put it into practice.  It's easy to fill my list and count my blessings when the sun is shining and there is a chocolate dessert in front of me, but what about when I've begged God in desperation for sleep only to hear garbled wails for the tenth time in a few hours?  What about in the little annoyances that make you want to scream, like getting poop all over your hand as you change a toddler's diaper when you are a germ fanatic, and finding out your daughter stole a bunch of computer paper only to spill a whole bottle of Elmer's glue all over it and waste it all and create a huge mess?  What about when four kids are crying, a friend writes a nasty facebook status about you for no good reason, and the fighting seems to never stop and sleep seems like it will never come and you have too much to do, and the house feels like a disaster zone when you've spent hours trying to make it clean day after day after day?

It's in the slowing down to try to see, it's in the humbling of myself and the opening of my hand to receive His grace when I begin to see eucharisteo in the hard places.  He's working.  He's teaching me.  He's showing me His love.

Thankful for:

Medical treatment for my baby.
A baby who's living and breathing.
Wet wipes and soap to clean the filth.
A stronger bond than ever before when we've worked it through.
A gracious Mom.
A Dave Ramsey-inspired emergency fund to cover the repairs.
A child's creativity.
A husband's un-asked-for neck massages.
Healing from neck pain, even without a chiropractic visit.
Dad, whose compliments were rare growing up, calling me brilliant in front of tons of people.
A friends' apology.
Building character from the bricks of criticism.
A renewed belief in the sacredness of marriage.
Knowing I need God's grace to make it through the day.
A greater desire to meet with Him each morning.
New starts in relationships that have been strained.
The miracle of making it through a weekend on just a few hours of sleep.
The opportunity to train my children in godliness.
Needing to step out in faith.
Seeing God provide.
Learning to trust.
Empathy for friends going through trials.
Vitamins, coffee, hot chocolate and orange juice for the extra energy they give on a lagging day.
Chubby baby thighs, cheeks, and elbows.
Baby's wildly kicking her doctor in exuberance.
Dear friends asking if they can come stay with us when they visit.
A belated baby gift: dinner from Dominos!
Seeing her become a Daddy's girl.
The last moments I'll have to nurse a 3 month old.
A tiny girl sucking her thumb and grabbing her nose with the other fingers.
Hearing her little voice try to coo in spite of her rasping, mucus-lined throat.
The warm, hours-long hug of a strong husband when you are spent and just need someone to hold you through the night.
Having a home to share with traveling missionaries.
The kind words of  a sweet mother-in-law.
An answering machine message from our little girl who called from AWANA on my friends' cell phone to tell me she lost her first tooth.
The days ticking down until we see our tiny nephew's new face.  (He's due in April and even if he lives half-way across the world we can't wait to see pics!)
Knowing He has been and will continue to be with us through it all.

Appreciating the Grass You Have

The other day some friends and I were chatting about husbands and gifts.  It seems that a lot of husbands out there like to lavish humongous gifts upon their wives.  Huge bouquets of roses, fancy exercise equipment, large, elaborate homes, new vehicles, electronic gadgets, exotic vacations, diamond jewelry, dates at nice restaurants, etc.

Being that gifts are one of my love languages (with chocolate being my main love language *teehee*), a part of me sighed and thought inside, "That would be so nice!  If my husband was into giving me gifts like that I'd already have my nice camera that I've been working so hard for and saving for months to buy."

I also felt myself wondering.

Is my worth found in the number or cost of gifts given?

Of course my head knows the correct answer. 

No.

But sometimes in our culture of idolatry, where celebrities are exalted and money is treasured above all else by so many around us, it can be easy to think so.

Where many friends spent thousands on engagement rings, mine cost $130.

Where some gals got to go to exotic restaurants for their first date, our first date ever, as in my first date with my first ever boyfriend, who is now my husband, was at Burger King.

Does this mean I'm not worth more than that?

The conversation went on, and I told them that my husband was the kind of guy who will only pay cash for what he buys me.

Surprisingly, everyone began saying,

"I wish my husband was like that!"

  "I wish we were debt free!"

  "I wish I didn't have to get the huge credit card bill at the end of the month

after my hubby has splurged on me."

So, it would seem that everything is a trade-off.

You may have a husband who likes to go all out and treat you like a princess.

But you'll feel the pinch financially.

You may have a husband who doesn't splurge at all. 

But you'll feel secure in knowing there's money to pay the bills.

What if the way my husband shows me love is in being careful with our money so that I can stay home and not have to worry how we're going to pay the bills?  What if the way he shows me love is in seeing that our needs are taken care of first and saving for emergencies? 

What if the sacrifices that seem small to the world are huge to him, when he grew up eating out at McDonalds about once a year?

I'm thankful for the ways my frugal hubby shows me love. 

He may have only spent $6 on me for Valentine's day but he picked out a snack and movie rental that I would like, gave me a little box of conversation hearts and a lovely handmade Valentine with sweet little somethings written on it.  He often gives me shoulder rubs and neck massages and helps put the kids to bed.  And because he is so tight with money and careful, we have food to eat, a roof over our heads, heat in the winter, life insurance, water, health coverage, and money to share with those in need.  This is far more than most people in the world have and I don't deserve a bit of it, or the love he shows me each and every day.

And as I've been saving for a nice camera, he's been doing hours and hours of research for me, even though he isn't into photography, because he wants me to get the best possible deal. I was going to go with the cheapest model but he's convinced I need to get the best deal for the money and spend a little more to get twice the camera. He's planning to give me some tax refund money to help out my own savings and he wants to buy me a nicer lens than I would have gotten for myself.

The world tempts me to believe that worth is found in material expressions of love or amount or cost of posessions.  But I have a husband who doesn't "buy" that.  He shows me old-fashioned, honest, sacrificial love.

I'm blessed!

The grass may look greener on the other side, but I know that it's not.  I have the yard that is just right for me and I'm thankful for it!

6 Years Ago....

6 Years Ago today, on a cold winter morning in MN....

A chubby little girl was born....

....and made a mommy and a daddy of two young folks.

We love our little "Cowgirl" so much!  Happy Birthday Alathia Joy!

She really wanted a Bullseye toy for her birthday so her Jessie from Christmas could ride.  Even though it's the world's hardest-to-find toy, we got her one!

Our tradition is to decorate the table with gifts and themed decorations so that when the child comes up for breakfast they get a "running to see what's under the Christmas tree" kind of feeling.  Then we let them open one gift each time we have a meal or snack so they enjoy their presents all day long. 

The birthday child gets to choose the menu for the day.

Ali picked Lemon Poppyseed muffins for breakfast,

Ramen noodles (uhhg--oh so healthy, right?) for lunch, and macaroni and cheese, rolls and butter, Jell-O, and veggies for supper.

A red hat from the Dollar Store and an iron-on-transfer purchased for $5 online make for a frugal but cute birthday outfit.

Ali remembered me saying that on my 6th or 7th birthday my mom made me a sewing kit, which I and the neighborhood kids used to make tons of little pillows and doll clothing.  So, she wanted one too!  Grammy made her one for her gift.

Auntie Kianna, Josiah's sister, gave her two beautiful dresses, which she needed, as well as some hair clips and make-up.  She was so proud of her painted nails!

A hand-made little apron from Auntie Kandina, Josiah's other sis.  It matches her cowgirl hat!

Got Ali's cake image here, online, so that making her a cake that would delight her was super simple and easy for me and only cost 1/3 of the price that it would have cost to order a store cake.

I got a package of 28 Toy Story Christmas cards on after-Christmas clearance for 59 cents.  I used the Jessie and Woody ones to make a birthday garland to hang in the dining room and saved the Buzz ones for Jer since he is saying he wants a Buzz-themed birthday in November.