It's a Golden Life

Many ask me how I get by with not breaking the bank when I go grocery shopping each week. There is a little secret, well at least my secret! I simply sit down at the beginning of each week-usually Saturday or Sunday afternoons-and glance over my 4 week rotation menu. I make a list in each category of what I need to buy. For example, Dairy, Meats, Canned, Fruits/Veggies, Misc. With breakfast and lunch, we have a very strict schedule of what we eat, so we know exactly what to buy and how much of it. As far as dinner goes, I sit down and write out what I will make for each night with the inclusion of an eating out night (Usually Friday or Saturday) and small group (we eat dinner there). There are thousands of recipes to choose from that are simple and taste great on Kraftfoods.com or Allrecipes.com. There are certain foods that we don't like, fish, seafood, liver...so I don't ever include a recipe that has any relation to those foods :) But there are a ton of recipes that are usab...

It is amazing what God uses to get to your heart. I had hit rock bottom for a while now. I was thirsting for something and didn't know what it was. I had a genuine desire for something more, but didn't know where from, who from, what from. I have searched and searched. I've looked in the church community and couldn't find what I needed. I've looked in more non personal ways such as blogs, advice columns, books-but still the desire burned. I even decided that it was something I needed from my husband, but was consistently disappointed and still left with this need. I would make excuses to myself why I didn't do my consistent Bible study and quiet time. I'm too tired was the persistent answer that permeated and clouded my vision. I had been caught up in the everyday nonsense that felt like a weight on my shoulders. There is always laundry to be washed, folded and put away. There is an unmeasurable, unending amount of dishes-loading, unloading, loading. And the...

I can't believe how much my little Valentines have grown this year! Song of Solomon 2:16-"My lover is mine, and I am his!" Aside from my two sweet little Valentines, my heart belongs to my husband this Valentines' Day. The Lord has blessed us this year. We have grown closely to Him and therefor, together.

It is 66 degrees here in NWA and we are loving every minute! Malachi has short sleeves on with no coat! It feels SO nice. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the park! We were there for a record time of an hour and a half. It's so much fun now that Haly is big enough to play. She runs around, climbs on the jungle gym, slides down the slides and follows Chi everywhere! She learned something new today that made me so excited! She wanted to swing, so I put her on...and she pumps her legs back and forth! She actually has balance and doesn't fall backwards! It's amazing what they learn just from watching~ She has also learned to open doors! :( Here's some pics of our fun day! Haly Swinging! Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law, Leah. She is a beautiful lady. She loves Jesus with all her heart and it shows in everything she does. Malachi and Halynd are in love with her and enjoy spending time with her so much! It is such a blessing that Donovan's...

It's hard to believe that Halynd is 18 months old. She is still so little in my mind. Her body may be tiny, but her brain is growing! She is becoming so smart. Some stats about Hbug at 18 months: Wears 12-18 month clothes still Size 4 diaper-I am starting to think she's ready for potty training! I tried it last week and she told me whenever she was wet! After we did that for a day, she tries to take her diaper and pants off now when she's wet :) Size 4-5 shoe Has a handful of nicknames that she is often called: Halybug, Buggers, Hbug, Monkey, Haly B, HB. She STILL weighs 19.6 lbs. The girl eats like she's starving, but doesn't gain weight very fast! She's in the 6th percentile for weight right now! Still has 6 teeth on top and 4 on the bottom. Those teeth should be coming in any day now! Says anything you ask her to. She talks in sentences now. A couple weeks ago on a trip to Walmart, she was in her carseat and was whining because she wanted her slippers off. We...

I realized yesterday that when I was younger, I viewed my life as a circle. January-December was my life in full circle.Everything started over on January 1. Now that I am older, I see everything in a linear fashion. I've been reading "New Year's Resolutions" all day. This has made me think tremendously about what I'd like to set as goals to accomplish this next twelve months. I honestly think most important only goal is to stop having unrealistic expectations in life. There are numerous, uncountable areas of my life where I am living in the clouds. I am expecting way too much from everything and any situation. When this happens, it is very difficult to swipe aside those expectations that cloud my sight. When this happens, little lies knit themselves into my daily life, causing me to struggle from disappointment. I don't want to live this way. By dropping those expectations, I know I will leave room for whatever happens on a day to day basis. Lif...

Chi and Haly are getting so big. I love when Haly brings me a baby and wants me to play with her. I love that Chi often goes in his room and gets specific toys and makes up an entire scene with them. I love when Haly draws back from a hug and pokes my eyes, nose, mouth and ears-telling me what each of them is in her little voice. (I's, noose, mowt, ers). I love when Chi wraps his arms around my neck and gives me a "big kiss" without me even asking for it. I love that every time the door opens during the day, they both run yelling, "daddy!" So, the past couple of months have been trying. Doesn't it seem like every time you feel comfortable and have a groove, something throws you for a loop? I forget this happens often- far to easily. I have prayed about this much and come to the conclusion that nothing is ever going to just be. Our lives are constantly changing and evolving into what is from what it was. God doesn't want us to have a perfect life w...