Souls saved and pizza

Its finally Friday
I'm free again
Got my motor running
For a wild weekend


Not really but it sounds good doesn't it!


Well, it has been a pretty awesome week. We just finished up our Amazing Wonders Aviation vacation bible school.

And

I

Am

Tired

There were lots of seeds planted and 4 souls saved (3 kids and 1 mom)! How good God is!


A mom!


At VBS!


Too cool!


I told my BFF that I just don't get how VBS wears us out more than normal everyday life. Pretty crazy.


Can I be honest about something?


It wouldn't hurt my feelings if I didn't see, smell, touch, taste, or think about pizza for a long time.


Pizza for supper Tuesday.


Pizza for lunch Wednesday.


Pizza for baseball party Thursday.


Pizza for VBS celebration today.


Pizza offered to take home.....NO THANK YOU.


I'm afraid I may turn into pizza.



I have to admit that I am looking forward to some good old ball park food at the Hot Rods game! I can guarantee it won't be pizza!

Fearless

Thank you so much WaterBrook Press for providing me with copies of the book Fearless. 

Jeff was able to take the copies to his unit and pass them out after his chapel service.  The Soldiers were very appreciative to receive the books.  One Soldier in particular that had extra duty and couldn't attend service approached Jeff later and asked if he had extras. He had read a couple pages from some one else's book and was very interested in it. Jeff was glad to have enought to share with him as well.

Thank you, WaterBrook Press!

If you would like to find out more about this book, check out my book review, the trailer, or visit the official webpage.

His First Wedding

This weekend, Jeffrey officiated his very first wedding.  The groom is a Staff Sergeant at his unit, and he and his bride are absolutely wonderful.  Their family made us feel so welcome.

The church was a small, one room Presbyterian Chapel on the grounds of Montgomery Bell State Park.  It was simple, yet beautiful.

 The wedding party was comprised of friends and family.  Over the years, the groom has taken in kids who have had a rough start to life.  The bride joined in when they met, and now they have a large extended family.

We wish Don and Jen the very best.  It was a blessing to be a part of their special day.  I have to say I am a proud wife.  If Jeff was nervous, he never let on.  The ceremony was beautiful. The bride and couple basically let him have free reign. 

LIVING a Thankful Life

God's Grace....how amazing! 

It is so easy to be thankful and appreciative for daily gifts when life is blue skies and sunshine.  Not so easy is finding those small gifts when you are ready to get trash bags to "clean up" toys that the kids refuse to touch or feeling the need to pull your own hair out when the day just seems....gross or blah. 

But I try. 

When my kids are wild, when the house is a mess, when I feel like I am at my wit's end, I've really tried to find the blessings in the chaos. 

Much of the time I realize that I am feeling "miserable" because I have made the situation about me.  The kids aren't obeying ME, these boys I live with keep dirtying  dishes, clothes, and towels for ME to clean up and put a way, the cat keeps making a gross mess just for ME to take care of, nobody will help ME, everybody wants ME to do everything for them. 

Life goes so much smoother when I realize it is NOT about ME. It is about HIM.  I have to remind myself that I should do everything I do for God.  It is, after all, because of HIM that I have the health, children, pets, and "stuff," all of which He can take away at anytime. 

So since last week, here are some of the things I've listed in my own gratitude journal:

~ Calvary Baptist Church t-shirt ~

~ full moon hanging over a late night baseball game ~

~ contagious laughter ~

~ Carter dumping socks out of the basket: aka payback for big brothers ~

~ a long chat with Cheryl ~

~ saying good bye to friends ~

~ John 3:16 ~

~ watching our wedding video ~

~ his first wedding ~

~ newlyweds ~

~ feeling like family amongst strangers ~

~ VBS ~

What are you thanking God for this week?

Happy Birthday!

Saturday was Jeffrey's 37th birthday.  We had a quick morning celebration: chocolate chip pancakes (mine were plain), coffee (milk for the boys), and gifts. 

I LIVE to give thanks for the daily gifts

Since starting my one thousand gifts journey, these are a few of the things I have recorded in my journal:

~ how he serves our country ~

~ gray, bubbly storm clouds ~

~ sleeping in with 5 children in the house ~

~ hanging out with an old friend ~

~ how he talks with his eye brows - like his mama ~

~ the medicine that helps him breathe ~

~ teachable moments ~

~ a cool beginning to June ~ 

~ sweatshirts and jeans at the ballpark ~

~ baby feet ~

~ Happyland kids ~

~ helping a friend ~

I decided to start my one thousand gifts journey after reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts.  I crave to find the "ugly beautiful," the gifts I take for granted, and the unsurpassing joy found in my relationship with my Heavenly Father. 

Book Review: Hurting With God

Throughout our lives, we often wonder why things happen, why we have to go through certain seasons.  Many authors focus on the whys, but Glenn Pemberton does something a bit different.

In his book, Hurting with God: Learning to Lament with the Psalms, Pemberton wants to demonstrate how we live and relate to God during life's less than ideal circumstances.  He does this by showing that the Psalms do not cover up or deny the hardships of life.  Throughout the book, the author defines lament, explores the connection between the Psalm and Protestant Hymnals, and uses the Psalms to support the fact that people of faith can and should lament.

This book is ideal for those who want to be able to help others (or themselves) live through the storms in life.  It is a great reference to using the Psalms when believers struggle.

I received a free copy of this book from Abilene Christian University Press for the purpose of an honest review. 

GIVEAWAY! MY MEMORIES SUITE SCRAPBOOK SOFTWARE

I am SO HAPPY to announce that I am GIVING AWAY the MY MEMORIES SUITE 3 SCRAPBOOKING SOFTWARE!!!!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking is pretty cool.  Click HERE to read about it.  If you purchase this software, it is $39.97,  but you have the chance to receive it FREE!

If you have been to my blog much, you may have seen some of the things I have created using the software....

 Blog Headers:

My current blog header was created using My Memories Suite.  I love changing up my backgrounds and then creating a new header to go along with it.

I also used the software for displaying the boys' pictures in the right side bar.

 

Scripture Cards
I love these!  What better way to display your favorite scripture!
 

 Scrapbook Pages
Who doesn't like making cool pages to show off favorite photos?

 And more recently, my beloved chore chart!

There is SOOO much you can do with My Memories Suite.  What you see here is only a small sample of the possibilities.

One of the best things I like about using My Memories is the fact that when the kids need me, there is NO mess to clean up.  All I have to do is press SAVE and my projects will be there waiting for me when I get back.  

What do you think? 

Would you like to win the My Memories Suite 3 Software? 

To help you have more chances to WIN this cool prize, I'm giving you 5 ways to enter!

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow my blog. You can click on Google Friend Connect in the right sidebar. Leave me a comment on this post to let me know you are a follower.

2. Search my blog for things I have created with My Memories Suite 3.  Leave me a comment about which is your favorite.

3. Go over to the My Memories webpage and check out what they have there.  Then come back and leave a comment about something you found that was pretty cool.  You can leave a link to it so we can all check it out if you want.

4. Create a post on your own blog to tell your readers about my giveway.  Be sure to link back to this giveaway page and leave me a comment with your blog post so we can check it out. 

5. Download a FREE SAMPLE from here or here. Create something, post on your blog, and then leave a comment here telling us all about it with a link to your blog so we can see. 

Sound like fun?  Come on! Enter today! 

The contest will close on Friday, June 8.   

GOOD LUCK! 

The WINNER will be announced on Sunday, June 10. 

Disclaimer: I received a free My Memories Suite 2 package for the purpose of an honest review and giveaway as part of the Share The Memories Program. I was then given a free upgrade to Suite 3.  For hosting the FREE giveaway, I receive a coupon code for my readers to use. If they use this code, for purchases from My Memories, I can receive a small payment. 

If you decide later to make your own My Memories Software purchase, I would love for you to use my coupon code:  STMMMS34203.

MVP

Carson received the Game Ball for hitting a double in his game last night. He thinks he can get a triple in the championship game!

One Thousand Gifts

For Mother's Day, the boys gave me Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts. 

I have to say it is perhaps one of the best books I've read. 

Thought Provoking.

Self Reflecting.

Challenged.

Blessed.

Thankful.

This book has challenged me to be thankful, to look for the gifts in the ordinary.  Sure it is easy to pick out gifts on the mountaintop, but what about gifts in the valley? Gifts in the mundane? Gifts in the chaos? Gifts in the piles of laundry, messes that don't stay cleaned up, screaming, fighting kids?

Yes, it is possible to find those gifts.

A long time ago, we had Colin start a Thankful Book.  Each night we would write down something we were thankful for.  In our own way, we were finding the gifts of God in our lives. For a small child, the gifts were very concrete: my stuffed animal, my tv, my bike.  But the older we get, the gifts become "deeper:" the quietness of a blackout, the warmth of towels fresh out of the dryer, the lone cardinal perched overhead.

Since beginning the book, I have also begun my list of one thousand gifts. 

 Life isn't easy; God never said it would be.  He did promise he would always be here with us.  So each day, each sacred moment, I will try my best to remember....

I will rejoice and give thanks for the gifts My Father has given me.