It's a Golden Life

I have been trying to find ways to keep the kids out of the cabinets without using those pesky baby proofing items! Not only are they expensive (when you have a lot of cabinets to do), but they ruin the cabinets. Since kids typically grow more fascinated in their books and toys as they grow older-I just needed a temporary solution to keep the kids out of the crackers, breads, canned goods and snacks. I was growing tired of Pax bringing me the entire loaf of bread as of he'd found a gem. So here it is-the tools: Velcro, hot glue. Simply hot glue the opposite sides of Velcro. One to the cabinet door or drawer, and one to the base of the cabinet. Works like a charm :) The best part-once the Velcro wears out-its cheap to replace it. The other best part-it won't ruin the cabinets with silly holes.

25 things about me 2012: 1.) I like sleeping on top of the sheets, but under the comforter. It drives Donovan crazy. 2.) I hate sleeping with socks on. 3.) I love watching animal planet-Animal Cops is my fav show on there. I know, I'm weird. 4.) I love reading and watching love stories. (That aren't filled with crap, rather a more "real" picture of love). 5.) I like the twilight series, but didn't even get into it until the 2nd movie (new moon). 6.) I love cooking, and have to limit myself to 2-3 new recipes a week. 7.) Pinterest is probably my favorite website. 8.) I love crafting, but rarely have time. 9.) I still think about my Nanny everyday. Often forgetting she's not here anymore. 10.) I am dying (a tad dramatic, I know) to play soccer! 11.) I want to be an elementary school teacher when my kiddos are all in school. 12.) I have an Associate of Arts degree and am almost finished with my Bachelors. (I just recently realized how much I love t...

Happy Birthday, Paxton! I can't believe you're one. You're walking & climbing & running. You love to sleep, eat anything, and love to play. One year ago today, we met you for the first time & instantly fell in love.

This is a little personal, and it stung. A lot. My husband doesn't care if he hurts my feelings. Let me explain. He cares more about the condition of my heart. He knows that he is probably the only one that could be so brutally honest with me (if he is being truthful) and I will mull it over and think about whatever it is he was trying to convey. I am thankful that I have him in my life. I'm stubborn and just a ball of emotion, but he takes the time to know me and knows when (he thinks) my intentions are off or my character is out of place. Even when I think I'm one step closer to being like Jesus-I realize how easy it is to be consumed with all the wrong intentions, without intending to. I'm just thankful that he cares more about my sanctification and the condition of my heart than my emotion.

My brother and I have always had a special bond. We were buddies growing up. He's turned into a fun guy and can always make me laugh hysterically. He is the epitome of hard work and I admire him for that. My bro in law is such a sweet guy. He is always looking for ways to help out! He is an awesome uncle and the kids really look up to him. It's been fun watching him grow up :) I am thankful for the blessing of brothers.

Sisters, sisters, sisters. There were never more devoted sisters. I am so thankful for my sisters and the relationship I have with them. My sister, Shannan, is always, always there when I need her. We have such a busy life right now-although we only live 5 hours away from each other, we have a hard time meeting up! They are renovating their house right now and have horses, so it's kind of hard for them to get away. Nevertheless-we talk on the phone almost daily. I can be completely myself with her. She has taught me so much and is one of the most giving people I know. I love her so much and am SO thankful for our relationship. It's such a blessing. When I married Donovan, I knew what I was getting myself into with his 10 1/2 year younger sister. To say she did not appreciate me "stealing her brother" (her words) was the least of my worries. That little stinker has turned into a beautiful young woman now, and is such a blessing in my life. She is so in love with Go...

With the events that occurred this morning, I am SO reminded to be thankful for every single thing that has made my "list" so far. I am keeping in mind the thankfulness for reliable cars. Even though they both broke down this morning. I got a a phone call this morning from donovan telling me that his truck broke down :( he thinks he knows how to fix it and it is going in the shop tomorrow. So, I loaded up all the kids because he had meetings to get to. Thankfully, I have amazing parents of the kiddos I watch and they didn't mind me driving with them. We get home and as Donovan is helping unload the kiddos, I smell an all too familiar scent. Radiator. I chuckle nervously as I tell D, "This is not the best time to tell you...but you may want to come take a look at the Commander..." Upon further investigation, there is a small stream of radiator fluid flowing out of the engine. My super car smart (thanks YouTube) hubby figured out it was the water pump and th...

When I think of the struggles I have endured in my 25 years of life- I have been pretty cushioned. While many events have happened that take my breath away from sadness, my little family of 5 has slipped by so far with no major infractions. We are all healthy,and I praise Christ for that. There have been a few scares with sickness, but somehow we have managed thus far without major heart ache. Today, I am thinking on the blessing of good health and what a gift that really is.

When I was younger, I always dreamed of what it would be like to have little ones, specifically a little girl. I pictured us taking shopping trips together, me doing her hair and make up, painting our nails together, watching sappy movies together...you get the point-anything girly. I found out I was pregnant with a little girl in March of 2009. I cannot even describe the feelings that I felt. At first, I was worried since I only had a little boy and feared I wouldn't know how to take care of a little girl. She has been a whirlwind ever since she was born. First by emergency c section, she fooled us until she was about 1 with her calmness. While she is no where close to calm now, she has many qualities that I just love about her. She is really funny. She had to of picked up on my sarcasm and sense of humor early on. She just loves to make people laugh-by making a funny face, saying something off the wall, or by just acting crazy. She has developed (and is developing) into such ...

It's fun how life turns out. Before I started writing what I am thankful for, I sat down with a pen and paper and wrote down 21 different blessings in my life that I could elaborate on. Day 8: I wrote down friends. I have a handful of very close friends. They "get me" in a way no one else (except donovan) can. I'm talking girlfriends that genuinely care about me and my family. They take the time to chat multiple times a week. These girls inspire me in so many ways. Some of the qualities I most admire about these women are their selflessness, grace and mercy. There are times that I have been a flat out bad friend and said or did something that I looked back on and just shook my head. But they have shown me forgiveness and saw hope in me. They take the time to know my heart and understand when my intentions. They know my character. Another quality that I appreciate so much is the friends that are willing to lovingly walk alongside me in life. They are there in the g...

It is very hard to find a church today that offers sound doctine, good theology, and a healthy community. Before we chose to move to northwest Arkansas, Donovan sent a request to the census bureau to see where the fastest growing area of the U.S. was located. Wouldn't you know-Northwest Arkansas! We moved from Missouri with (what we thought was) a calling to start a church, called Chirho. While that was a failed attempt, we still knew God called us to this area for a reason. Donovan met Andy, (lead pastor at Metro) through our friend, (that we moved down here with), Rodney. From that first meeting, Donovan knew that God was calling us to go to the Metro. We started going on a Saturday in December of 2008, and haven't looked back! Metro has become our family. The community of Metro is something I've never experienced elsewhere in any other church. We've not been at the Metro from the beginning of meeting, but we have been through quite a bit, and seen the church cha...

It's been a whole week. I am enjoying digging deeper and discovering why I am thankful for so many blessings that God has placed in my life. My life nor I are perfect by ANY means, but it is nice to focus on the goodness in my life. So often, I tend to get distracted and be overwhelmed by the bad that occurs. So far, focusing on the good things has helped change my attitude a lot! After all, there is more good than bad, but bad tends to overtake my mind. Today, I am grateful for a warm, comfortable home and reliable car. I didn't think it was possible to own a home. It seemed like that was just a fun idea. When I got married, I dreamed of owning a cute little home, having kids and getting a Honda civic (haha). I haven't stopped to realize that God has given me the desires of my heart. And I haven't taken the time to reflect upon that. I don't think I've ever listed my dreams or goals before. Seeing the list of what aspirations I had and realizing that they hav...

The Bible is explicitly clear: we will face trials. James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds". Many people have the false belief that once you become a Christian, all the trouble goes away. That is the furthest thing from the truth. What is true is that my relationship with Christ gives me hope. Without Christ, there is no hope. I know there will be many trials I am faced with because we live in a fallen, sinful world. This world is full of sickness, death, malice, anger, hate....Jesus paid for all those sins with His blood. Without the trials I have faced, I would most definitely not be who I am today. I am more loving, stronger, more forgiving, more merciful, gentler, and more understanding-because I've been there too. For whatever reason, God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, has allowed me to endure trials of many different kinds. He has used them to shape me into the person I am now and will use trials to develop the...

If you asked me if I would be a stay at home mom when I was younger-my answer would've been, no. I never had the desire to be at home before my kids came along. I was under the assumption that we couldn't manage financially without me working and bringing in some income. In fact, when Malachi was born, I went back to work when he was 5 weeks old. I missed him very much while I was at work, but that mindset that I had to work outside my home was set in. It didn't phase me that I could be at home with him. When we moved from Missouri down to Arkansas, Chi was 8 months old. I had been working 40 hours a week at Walmart. I took some time to figure out where I could work. While Donovan already had a job, I decided I needed one too. I would go deliver newspapers at night and take care of Malachi during the day while Donovan worked. This was a bad idea, to say the least. Eventually, I couldn't keep up with that pace. I went to work for Walmart instead, since it was liter...

My two oldest started consistently taking showers now. It's very shocking to me. Malachi washes his own body and only needs help washing his hair out. Halynd washes her body, but needs quite a bit of help washing her hair. It's so weird not to be "as needed"! But helpful all the same :)

I am amazed at how being a mom has changed me. I've always had a heart for children, ever since I was a child myself. While I still have a passion for children, my focus has shifted into my own children. Being a mom is hard work, but I love, love it. I am blown away by the desires I have in my heart for my kids. It's amazing that I am so taken with them because looking back before I had kids, I was a really selfish person. I was constantly worrying about myself. I am so very thankful that God chose my three children for me. I love them and count them blessings in my life. I love the desires God has placed in my heart for my children. Protection, that they will learn who Christ is at an early age, do well in school, be a good friend, be a good example, be helpful...I have a mile long list.

I am overwhelmed when I think about what Christ has done. He didn't only die for me and my sins, but for every single sin that anyone ever committed or ever will commit. That is very tough to wrap my mind around. Every day that passes, my sinful heart shines through the work Christ has done. There was a time where I didn't believe in the fact that when we were given the choice, we would choose wrong most of the time. I had myself fooled that I was any kind of good without Jesus. I am learning more about myself and my character traits to realize that I am nothing without Jesus. I will lose my temper. I will say things out of anger. I will have ill feelings that are totally unnecessary. Without Jesus. I am just a mess. Paxton got a hair cut today. Making it #3. Before he's one. In only 18 days....where did the year go?! While I am thankful all year through, I'll bet it'd get pretty annoying if I were to post all the things I am thankful for everyday ;) I enjoy...

November holds Thanksgiving. While this generally means food and family, it is also a good reminder of what we have in life to be thankful for. I have never been able to keep up with the 30 day challenges I've taken part in, but I want this to be different. Each day, I want to spend time in prayer and thought about what God has done in my life that I give thanks for. These may be simple details that are very obvious or things that have been overlooked. Day 1: I am so thankful for getting to FaceTime with my mom. The kids talk to my mom on the phone often, but it was nice to see her face to face. The kids showed her their rooms and were excited to "spend time" with her. Technology is amazing and can be use or such good. Day 2: I am so very thankful for a hardworking husband. He always puts us first and works very hard! I love and respect him so much and am so grateful for his heart. He is the perfect partner for me in this life. God knew.