reasurrance

Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

This is the verse I have been meditating on today. 'Chewing it like a cow chews cud' as my pastor would put it. I love that visualization by the way. I read this verse this morning and it just sunk into me. I can't get it out of my head. It's so amazing to know that nothing can or ever will come between me and my Jesus. He is with me through thick and thin, through the stressful times and happy times, through the uncertainties and without-a-doubts. Right now is one of those times when we are just hanging on to the fact that Jesus has us in His hands. He knows our every thought, every need, everything...we have to trust in Him and that He will make provisions for us, as long as we live by His will. The hardest part of that, is actually letting go of our own will and allowing God to work in and through us.

I told my husband earlier this week that I wanted to try something new. I want to try to go this whole week without worrying. For those of you who know me, this is a very difficult thing for me. It shouldn't be, especially since worrying hinders blessings. sigh. I try, I really do, but for some reason, worry takes over at some point or another during the day. So...this week, is no worry week. Give it all to God and LET IT GO week. So far...I have failed a couple of times, but I am trying really really hard. I just have to keep in mind, that no matter what happens in life, from day to day, with my family or friends, work or school, none of it matters if I don't keep my faith and trust God, and put it all in His hands. I mean it's already in His hands to begin with, I just have to submit and give full control to Him. No matter the outcome of our current situation, nothing can take me away from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...and that's the only thing that matters when all is said and done.

my daughter's quotes of the week

This morning my daughter was running around the downstairs saying "Where is it?...Where it go?"...she then says, "Mommy! Where my bible bag go???...Where is my bible?"...I tell her it is hanging on the back of her blue chair like it usually is. With great urgency in her voice, she says, "Oh ok! I need go tell some people about Jesus!" ...love it.

We were driving in the car the other day. My daughter was in the backseat reading her bible, the sun was shining right on her. She's reading and reading, then out of nowhere she says, "Thank you Mr. Sun, but that's enough...".

coocoo for coupons

Okay, I have to say it, after watching that extreme coupon show...I have been collecting, scouting out, rummaging through everything trying to find coupons that could potentially save me lots and lots of money. Well...it's not as easy as it looks. First off, I can't do the math involved...how they even calculate the coupons to make money off of them is way above my math ability. Secondly, some of these coupon websites are so hard to navigate. You find the awesome deals and then you have to sign up for all these things you don't want and then you end up with tons of spam in your inbox. Third, the coupon inserts in the Sunday newspaper don't always have the items you actually purchase on a regular shopping trip. I do not plan on buying bags of chips and boxes of cereal we don't eat, just because we have a coupon. Not happening. So, with that said...I am not a "coupon diva"...but I am a mom of two who will take a good deal when it comes my way. Here are a couple of my favorite sites to find good deals.

Online Target Coupons

My hubby works here, so if we pay in cash, we actually get an additional 10% off our whole purchase. So when the coupons are factored in, it works out quite nicely.

The Frugal Girls

I love this site, they post daily deals and coupons. They even have a facebook page. This is where I go to find freebie Pampers Gifts to Grow codes. Not to mention they have super cute party ideas for your kiddos!

*Another good idea is to visit your favorite brand's website and see if they have any coupons or deals you can print out. This is great for those organic companies that don't tend to publish coupons in the regular circulars. Also, visit places when they are having a huge clearance or blowout sale. This is great with places like Carter's, Gap Kids, or Children's Place for kids clothes, especially when you add their email coupons to the total.

*The best thing to keep in mind is, wait until something you have a coupon for goes on sale, then you get the sale price + the coupon + the discount (if applicable)...you would be amazed at how much you save.

father's day

Today was the first father's day for my hubby with two kiddos. It was a great day, super way (as our daughter says). We had church...family time...and a nice dinner to round it out. Our daughter made him homemade gifts since our budget is a bit tight, but daddy loved them so much. When it's from the heart, it is so much more precious than anything you could buy. This was the first year she could write "daddy", so of course his gifts had "daddy" written all over them. It's so sweet. I love to see how much our kiddos love daddy and just how much daddy loves them. We are so blessed.

Psalm 127:3-5
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them..."
Psalm 128:1-4
"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord."

daddy & his girl

summer

...is in full swing. The weather man said the highs all week are going to reach the hundreds and then he proceeded to say, "I wouldn't be surprised if we reach a high of 109 this summer...". Eeek! Thankfully my hubby successfully put up the pool this last weekend, just in time for this crazy Texas heat. I plan on spending a majority of the summer in that pool. I don't know about all these commercialized posters and billboards with people in neon sunglasses floating the river and water skiing and such, but let me tell ya, nothing says summer like a good old fashion above ground pool in your backyard. Now if only they made a waterproof bible...we could have bible study in the pool!

prayers needed

The Elliot family is in great need of prayers. I couldn't imagine dealing with the trials they are going through. This makes me thank the Lord for my precious children. The things we take for granted each day are precious moments that would be miracles for others. This is a link to their blog. Read it and please pray for them. Miracles are very real and our very big God can make them happen.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Fighting For Jackson

first time at the beach

This last weekend marked the first time my daughter and little man ever stepped foot on a beach! It was so exciting watching their reactions. Especially my daughter...my husband and I have lived here our whole lives and we never took her to the beach in the last 4 years. Crazy, I know. She loved it. She ran into the water, then ran away from the waves. She built sandcastles with daddy and dug holes with her friends. And she collected quite a few seashells. Jakey even loved the beach. He smiled at the water and the sound of the waves. And he took a three hour nap. This boy likes to sleep...ha. My favorite part of the day was watching Kailyn giggle every time the waves came in and broke at her ankles. The whole day was such a sweet memory. We were down there with a group from our church doing a surf camp. It was so awesome sitting in the sand, doing bible study and worship while looking out at this great ocean our awesome God created! My step-sister even got baptized...It was such a good day!

first swim

Jacob had his first swim last week! I know, I know...I'm really late posting this, but I've been so busy lately. You will see in the few posts to follow. Anyway...little man loved the pool. He loved it so much he slept the whole time. I've seen babies scream...I've seen babies giggle...but never have I seen a baby fall asleep within the first 5 minutes of being put in the pool and sleep the whole time. That's my little Jacob for ya. This was even during the high pitch screaming of his sister re-learning how to swim and rambunctious teenagers being very loud. He's so funny.