Marvelous Monday

Hmmm I'm not sure if you'd call this a Marvelous Monday...

Babysitter called at 6am and she's in the ER with severe muscle spasms - she's actually got 4 ribs out of place. So guess I'm staying home with Miss E today. Told babysitter to take some muscle relaxers and rest. I have a few days of sick time so it's not too big of a deal. Feel  bad because work's going to be busy tomorrow, but what can you do.

So I'm here with my baby girl - but need to get reading done for school - I'm playing catch up. We had so many chapters to read the first week (8 chapters in 3 different books in 2 classes) uggg! that I'm having behind and trying to catch up. So I'm in the bedroom while she plays gonna try and at least catch up on my reading and notes so I can be current.

I did have a great weekend. It was absolutely gorgeous weather here. Saturday we had a girls day and went and saw Tangled.

Loved, loved that movie! So gonna have to buy it when it comes out on DVD. Mom, Miss E, & I then went to the McDonald's and ate lunch while Miss E played on the playground, and then grocery, shopping and home. Yesterday we had a lazy day at home, well as lazy as it can be with cleaning, studying and laundry. We had all the windows open because it was an absolutely gorgeous day. 

Ok - well my chapters aren't getting read playing on my blog. Soooo...back to studying with a little girl providing the background music with her jabbering in her room.

Happy Monday!!

Wordless Wednesday

ok - Maybe a few words on this wordless Wednesday. With it being so cold here for the last couple of weeks, I'm dreaming of warmer weather, sunny beaches, and little drinks with umbrellas.

Ahhh...our cruise to Mexico last year....brings back some fun memories

God's Fingerprints

Found another amazing blog to follow http://www.blog.therustedchain.com and one of the topics this week to share is The Fingerprints of God.

Well I can look all around me and see the fingerprints of God.

My husband...it was an absolute miracle we met. We never ran in the same circles, we just happen to cross paths one day and the rest is history. He helps to make me better and gave me our two wonderful kids.

My two kiddos that help me everyday to see the good things in this world when sometimes all you hear about are awful things. They make me laugh, give me hugs when I'm down, and I'm so glad God loaned them to me from Heaven.

My family..we've had our share of troubles like everyone else, but instead of letting it tear us apart it has built us up and carried a wonderful spirit into the world. We lost my cousin to an accident way too young, and instead of letting it tear our family apart, my aunt and uncle have created http://www.nikicoversthecold.com/  and it has grown so quickly and helped so many.

The other day I ran to my truck early in the morning. The frost had covered the grass and in the light of the street lamp it looked like diamonds covering the ground. It shimmered and I know it was just frost, but it was so beautiful.

Hearing my girl laugh, tickling my son just to hear him giggle, receiving a warm, comforting hug from my husband. Those are all fingerprints of God...

Thankful Thursday

I have found several different blogs that I've started following and one is http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/

She has challenged us to a 25 Day Praise Plan Marriage Challenge to praise your husband till Valentine's day.

So in honor of the the Marriage challenge and Thankful Thursday I'm going to share all the ways I'm thankful for my hubby.

5) He is funny and makes me laugh. I'm a worrier, and my husband is a lot more laid back. He brings out the
"just roll with it" side of me

4) He is  a great work ethic and supports us faithfully through his work. I'm thankful for someone that supports our family steadily financially.

3) He will go above and beyond for his friends and even some strangers. He will help with whatever he can.

2) He is an absolutely wonderful father that jumps on the trampoline with the kids, watch cartoons, cuddle in bed, or gets down on the ground and rough-housing with a lot of giggling.

1) He's a great husband to me. I may not get flowers or jewelry, but I get a warm house to come home to because he's built a fire, he'll take the kids to play so I can study, put up food from dinner when I cannot keep my eyes open any longer and fall asleep in the chair, my truck or other fix-it jobs around the house get fixed,  and takes me out to lunch on Fridays for a "day" date.

He's my hot hubby!!

Marvelous Monday

Well it's another Marvelous Monday. (I'm really not being sarcastic, promise. :)


I'm thankful on this marvelous monday I have just one more day before classes start tomorrow. It's going to be a wild semester. This is the first semester I'm taking two grad classes instead of just one. It's going to be an adjustment trying to get everything done. 


I'm reading "Reshaping It All" by Candace Cameron Bure. She made a point during the book that to keep our priorities in line, we have to put God first and then the rest of your life will fall into place. I'm trying to follow this principle since my life is fixing to get more crazy. If I follow the Jesus lead and get up in the morning, get a workout in, (most of the music on my shuffle is praise & worship), then get ready for work, and spend time with God before my day gets going 90 mph, my day seems to flow more smoothly.  Many times whatever my devotional covers seems to apply to something that happens that day, or something that happened the day before to get me thinking. 


"Seek first [God's ] kingdom and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33


“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8


"So fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18


So I'm going to try and follow this plan to see how it goes...I'll post on how well it's working in a few weeks. 

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I'm thankful for several things

5) books written on how to combine faith with a healthy lifestyle change. I've read Made to Crave & I am reading reshaping it all by Candace Cameron bure & Darlene Schacht. Both teach & speak of putting faith & God first & The healthy lifestyle will follow.

4) my babysitter offered to clean my house on a barter system, my husband & I do several things for her, but she is absolutely amazing with our kids. I came home today at lunch to find the carpet vacuumed, rooms dusted, floors swept & mopped, & dishes done. It was awesome!!

3) I am thankful for warm clothes & my warm house on cold days. And hot coffee :) for anyone who would like to help those that don't have a warm place or warm clothes, you can go to http://www.nikicoversthecold.com/ to help them. This is a charity started by my family in memory of my cousin who passed away suddenly last year. It's absolutely a blessing how quickly it has grown, praise God.

2) I am thankful for good news for a friend that has had a bad year last year. She found out this week she is 5 weeks pregnant. Prayers for her & her new baby to have a healthy, safe pregnancy.

1) I am thankful for my wonderful husband who is also an amazing father. Tonight he was putting Miss E down for bed & she wanted him to lay down with her & cover up with her Spongebob blanket & she wrapped her arm around his neck hugging him. It absolutely melted my heart.

Thank you Lord for these blessings :)

- Posted somewhere in a small town by a small town girl

Wordless Wednesday

My little princess

Posted somewhere in a small town by a small town girl

O our Crazy Life

Well we are trying to get back in the swing of things after a couple of weeks off because of vacation. We had a whirlwind week back at school last week with things moving along at a crazy pace.  I'm sure this week it will be no different.

We are working on Potty Training at our house. My little Miss E is making some progress on potty training. We work on bribes here. She did so well yesterday we bribed her with ice cream. :)

Mr L has started back to school and works so hard. He gets complimented from his teachers all the time on how well he is doing. I'm so proud of him on how well he does.

I was hoping to view the webcast for Lysa Terkeurst and her Made to Crave book tonight, alas it was not to be. Hubby wanted to go out to eat. So we went out and took the kids and had some quality family time.  I would recommend the book to anyone, I follow Lysa's blog and go regularly to her http://www.madetocrave.org/ website.

I've also recently downloaded the book Reshaping it All by Candace Cameron Bure and Darlene Schacht. I've only got a chapter or so in, but it appears to have some very useful information in it. I'll try to share anything that I learn during my reading of it.  

New Year Resolutions

I've had several people ask me if I've set a new years resolutions. Resolutions are so hard to keep...so let's just say I've made some goals in 2011.

1) Pass at least 12 hours of masters courses this year. If I get more, great, if not just 12 hours will make me happy.

2) Spend more time with myself - I need time alone to recharge and take care of myself. So I have a goal to set back at least an hour of time with myself, just recharging.

3) Spend more time with the Lord in order to keep myself in balance.  That is the only way to do what I do, to step back and allow the Lord to do what I cannot do.

4) Go out on date nights and spend time alone with my hubby. Maybe go out fishing with him every now and then too.  Reconnecting with our husbands is just as important as spending time taking care of ourselves.

5) Take care of myself, work out, eat right, and sleep when I need to. I'm no use to my family if I'm sick and tired all the time.

6) Spend quality time with my kiddos. Not just spending time with them and not really paying attention to them, but actually spending quality time with our great kiddos.

My word to carry with my in 2011 is positive. I will have a positive attitude, positive thoughts, and positive actions to carry me through 2011.

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2011!!

We rang in the new year with friends and some family. My family own a bar and grill in a neighboring town. It's a happening little spot. They had a great band last night and we stayed and rang in the new year there.

Our friend Kim and I having fun

I, Kim, and her husband Clint - Good Friends!!

The handsome hubby & I ringing in the new year

Happy 2011!! Prayers for many blessings!!