Smithology101

The birth of our 4th

2011-09-24T12:25:00.000-04:00

I know this has been a long time coming but it has been a crazy 8 weeks. Yep thats right our little baby boy is 8 weeks today. Its wild to think that all of the craziness took place only 8 weeks ago but it did. So here is how it all went down.

On Saturday July 30 went into the labor and delivery room just like I always did for the past 6 Saturdays. I had to go in for non stress tests due to the fact that I was a gestational diabetic and then the last couple weeks of the pregnancy I found out that I had preeclampsia. I told Ken that morning that we should get there early so we had the rest of the afternoon so he could work and I could sleep since I didn't sleep good the night before. We got there a little after 9AM and got hooked up to the monitor and got settled in for the next hour or so. Well we were suppose to get the lab results back from a 24 hour urine draw that I had to do a couple days before and that was suppose to tell us if my liver and kidneys were functioning. When we asked our nurse about the lab results she had no idea what we were talking about but said she would check, well to make a long story short, the lab lost a gallon of urine! So they had to come in and draw blood and take another sample. We were told it was ordered STAT so they will be up soon and then have the results in a half hour. Well three hours later they finally came up to draw some blood and in that 3 hours they lost my other sample. So not only are Ken and I getting annoyed so are my nurse and my midwife. Thank God for my nurse because she was just so fabulous during this whole process and she kept telling me that it is highly unlikely that they will deliver me on that day since it was a Saturday and they try not to call in all the Doctors unless it was an emergency. Well at 3PM my midwife came in because I had been have some contractions and every time I did my previous C-Section scar would hurt tremendously. The midwife and nurse went to talk to the Doctor to see what he wanted to do after looking at the labs. In the mean time Ken is about to walk out of the room to get something to eat and I stop him and say "we will be going home soon, Jeanne will be back here and they will send us home and have us come back on Monday like they previously talked about" and not even 5 minutes after I said that all the nurses come rushing in with their arms full of God know what to prep me for surgery! They kept yelling "Section in 30 minutes" So all the craziness took place (prepping) and a half hour later I was in the operating room and at 4:58 pm Urijah David was born. He came out screaming like I have never heard a baby scream. I was so happy because to me it meant his lungs were great (I was worried since they had to take him at 36 weeks) and that is really when all the craziness went down. At first he was in the nursery trying out their oxygen but that was not working so they came into my room at about 8pm and told me they were moving him to a different hospital because they had the best NICU around. Well, I am sure you could imagine the emotions that one goes through when you are told this and well that is what happened with me.
This will be continued for another post cuz this is a WHOLE other story!

Our Miracle baby!

2011-09-24T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here is the video of our little miracle boy Urijah David!

Video #1

Video #2

Check out this website please!

2011-09-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

Please check out this website. This is our community parent website and has some very important information on it! Click Here

2011-05-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

Wow what a day! It is beautiful outside and I am looking forward to walking the hood and shopping at some of the garage sales! What is really exciting is 12 weeks from tomorrow ( if all goes as planned) we will be bringing in another Smith Boy int the world! 3 months does not seem so far away!

To blog or not to blog!

2011-05-10T12:48:00.001-04:00

That has been the question that has been going through my mind for weeks now! I know many people do it just for themselves and others do it for others to read and well I am still sitting here wondering who I blog for! Of course I love when otherstead what I have to say but I do not think anyone is reading my blog anymore so here I am, wondering what to do!

God shows me such great things almost everyday and I would love to share with everyone but without a home computer sometimes it's just too hard to type everything on this little key pad on my phone!

So question is: should I stay or should I go!

2011-03-28T12:11:00.001-04:00

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. http://bible.us/Gal1.10.NIV

2011-03-11T11:38:00.001-05:00

Baby Update!
Had an appointment with the midwife yesterday and baby is doing good! I lost 2 pounds and I scheduled the ultra sound. Which is March 29th! I am still trying to find my energy but I'm sure it will be found soon! Thought it went away with my appetite but that came back to me a few weeks ago. Now I get to deal with the nice little cold that is going around.

2011-03-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

Just thought I would update my blog a little. I do not have a home computer right now so doing everything via mobile so please be patient with me please.

For those who do not know by now the Smith family will be welcoming our 4th edition on August 21 of this year. That means I will be 16 weeks tomorrow. We are all so excited for this blessing.

Worship part 2

2011-01-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

I know I have blogged about Worship before but this week it has just been so heavy on my heart and then I turn on TV and a few different ministers are talking about it and then I read a blog today that changed the course of my day. After reading about a friends passing and then watching a beautiful video that was put together for him I just felt like there was only one thing for me to do today. That is to dance with Him. I know that sounds so weird to some but it is such an intimate time you have when you are dancing with someone. Worship is such an intimate time that we share with God. It is a time that we let our self just go. We open up our hearts completely to Him and we surrender everything we are to Him. I am a firm believer that this should not just happen when there is music going and its a Sunday Morning. Worship is an attitude of the heart. Worship should be going on in the midst of even the darkest point of your day, not just when all is going wonderfully Worship is about the words that come out of our mouth as well. If our heart is always worshiping our mouth could never speak negative or untruth. Worship is something that we need to wake up every morning with as soon as our eyes open. I have to say there is nothing like sitting in a room where it is just me, God and a worship CD playing. That is when I feel so deep with God that not only am I opening myself up to God but He is pouring His love and affection on me. Its a feeling that you can never describe, it is a feeling that should never have to be described, it is a feeling that needs to be felt by each and everyone of the people in this world. I have been listening to the song Dance with Me, the Jesus Culture version today over and over and over. It is a simple song but it is such a powerful song.

Dance with me oh Lover of my soul, to the song of all songs

romance me oh Lover of my soul, to the song of all songs
Be--hold You have come, over the hills, upon the mountains

to me You have run, my Beloved, You've captured my heart!

With You I will go, You are my Love, You are my Fair One

winter is past and the spring-time has come!!!

I have heard so many people say, "Oh singing is not for me", "when I go to church I just want to sit and be ministered to" "the singing takes up half the service time" and I just have to say to those people that you are missing out on the most important part of going/being the church. When you are at church and you are in the middle of your worship time, your heart is open and you are saying OK God, do with me what you will. I believe it makes the "word" time easier to soak in. When your heart is just open and you have been sitting there marinating in His presence the word just seeps into you and it goes straight to the heart and can do such great things. I also hear people say, "Oh I have my quiet time with God, I read my Bible in the closet and meditate on it" and I have to say good for you, alot of people don't think that it is necessary. But those same people also do not see the importance of Worshiping at home as part of their "time with God".. Now I have been told that since I am a worshipper that I will never see it the way that these people see it. Which I am sort of glad about but in the same sense I really really want people to see how Worship on a daily basis can change your life literally. It allows you to deal with situations in a different way, it makes it easier to walk in love and not in flesh, it becomes such a life style that if you miss a day you feel like something just is not right (familiar) and I most importantly it changes your relationship with God on a daily basis. You are getting intimate and getting to know Him and His voice and start to trust in Him more and then all of a sudden when you are hit with what could be the worst day of your life (cuz lets face it I am a woman and I am very dramatic) you know what Gods word says and that He does not lie and that He will take care of you because He will never leave you or forsake you.. And when there is an intimate relationship there is a trust that comes with it. I would just like to encourage anyone who reads this blog to Worship our God and saviour on a daily basis. It could seriously change your life.

CHRISTMAS 2010

2010-12-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

I have to say that this years Christmas was by far the best Christmas I have had. My kids told my husband and I that they will never forget this Christmas and it was the BEST ever. The reason that makes me so happy is because we took the focus off of presents this year. We actually spent less money than we ever have and this was the greatest day ever. We decided as a family that we were only going to buy the kids 3 gifts each (reason being is because baby Jesus only received 3 when he was born) we also agreed that we would throw a big birthday party for Jesus and give Him gifts, and not gifts that we purchase but we give Him the gifts that God has blessed us with. So we had some beat boxing, singing, drawing, poetry and well I do not know what my brother did but it was sweet.
It was so great to spend Christmas with our new family (my bff and her 2 children) it was so great to cook together and hang out and just create new memories and even traditions. God has truly blessed us and it was so great to look back at everything he has done this year for us..

at the nursing home, after handing out the cookies and magazines

Her and her new boots and coat, so stinking adorable

She loves this stroller so much, she will not let anyone else put a finger on it

can not believe how big she is getting

This is what happens when you let a woman drive and try and park.

Glad there was someone who could come to the rescue

This is my favorite part of Christmas day!

Some call him Prince, some call him El Dabarge, I just call him my wacky brother

This little man melts my heart

Christmas Eve

They really do love their Uncle Sean, even though he picks on them non stop

Holiday Season

2010-12-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

I have had quite a few people ask me why I have not blogged in awhile and to be honest I have no excuse. Yes it has been quite busy in our house but really blogging is what I feel keeps me sane. So I will do my best to keep up with my blog.

A lot has been going on in our house so I just really don't know where to start to catch everyone up. We are still homeschooling and there are many days when I think to myself what was I thinking? Why did I decide to do this? It has been very hard and everyone keeps saying it is so worth it and the benefits out weigh everything else. Well I am still waiting for that. It does have its pros for sure but it is hard for me not to get frustrated when it is not going the way that I think it should. I guess I still have some control issues.

The kids are awesome to watch and when we look back to a year ago it is great to see where they were a year ago and where they are now. I love Kennedy's heart. I love that she can not even eat with out saying a prayer. I love that she has a genuine love for God and she loves to tell Him everyday. I love to hear her talk to her brother and tell him he should not do something because that would not put a smile on Jesus' face. Riley reminds me a lot of myself. He is definitely the middle child but its great to love on him and to raise him the way I wanted to be raised, which means all I wanted was to be heard and to feel like what I did or said mattered. I see that with him so it is great that I can look back and remember what I felt like and then I am able to deal with him in a better way and I have to tell you it sure does work... There are sometimes where I just want to correct him and that be that but then he gets this look on his face that is all too familiar with me and it reminds me that I need to take some extra time to love on him. I love his heart as well, He has such a giving spirit and all he wants to do is bless people and that just makes my heart smile. Now Harmony, she is something else I tell ya. She is for sure my girly girl and she has this personality that is just so bright and loving. She loves to love on people and she also wants you to watch all the crazy stuff she does at all times. If you are not paying attention to her while she is showing off, she will make sure she gets your attention somehow. Its usually by calling your name a few times at the top of her lungs. Once she has your attention she will either be dancing, twirling or singing. She has definitely brought so much joy to this family.

Well Ken and I are doing really well. We had a bit of a crazy month last month. I had my gallbladder removed and was not planning on it so our household was kind of crazy for a few weeks. But this month I know will be great because we are trusting in God to do many things and show us many things.

Press Play - Great group

2010-10-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

Change

2010-10-14T11:05:00.000-04:00

I hear so many people talk about how they need to change (i.e. their heart, thoughts, financial situations) and I remember how I would say it everyday also. Then one day it hit me. I am not going to change until I actually want to and I surrender absolutely everything in order to have complete and total change. I can stand in front of a door and wish for a long time for it to open but it will never open until I walk to it, put my hand on the door knob and turn it. So it order to change it takes action on our part not just sitting there wishing it would happen but actually getting up and purposing in our hearts and following through no matter how hard things get. If you keep doing the same thing and getting the same result don't you think its time to stop lying to yourself and start surrendering to Him so He can change you?

Blogging

2010-10-13T09:38:00.000-04:00

I remember the days when I could actually get on the computer and spend an hour or so just doing what ever I wanted to do, especially blogging. Now between homeschooling and a 17 month old those days are so few and very far between. I am only blogging this morning because sweet baby Harm is enjoying her breakfast so much that she doesn't really want to get down from here chair.

A lot of people have been asking how homeschooling is going and all I can say is it is going. It has been pretty tough to homeschool while the baby is a wake because she is such a big distraction. I would love to be able to send them to their rooms or away from the baby but that only gets them in trouble. So most of our schooling is during her nap time. I am still so happy that I have decided to homeschool them because i have seen such a growth in them, spiritually and academically. Wwe have had our really hard days but I think that the good ones really out weigh the bad. If we do have a bad day we dont linger on it we forget about and thank God for the next day.

Ok well my time is up. LOL

2010-10-06T11:50:00.001-04:00

Be quick 2 4give others, u will need the same mercy when u need 4giveness..

2010-10-02T09:46:00.001-04:00

Real love stays with you thru ghe highs the lows and the in betweens..... True love will never give up.

Been Pondering

2010-10-01T14:21:00.000-04:00

SO I have been pondering if this should be my first blog in months but I know that this is something from God and I just want to share.

Luke 4:18-19 18

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

Has your heart even been broken and I mean really broken for those who are lost, hopeless, or broken? I never understood why my hearts breaks so much for people who are so broken and lost or people who have already given up or about to give up. My first instinct when I come across people like this is to swoop in (with a cape on my back) and rescue them and then I get frustrated when I think I cannot do anything to help or that how would I help I’m just me little ole Dawn. But I have learned something and that is I can help, I mean I cannot be super woman and fly in and save the day but I can pray, stand in faith believing for these people and just share what God has done for me.

These past few weeks and even months I have been dealing with such heavy issues (which I took them on as burdens) of things going on in my family and friends lives. I have been consumed with so much that I had to cry out to God and say “ if this is what you have chosen me to do you have to take these burdens and carry them” and after I cried out to him I heard Him speak to me and say “ I did not send these people to you so you could carry the burdens, those burdens are mine to deal with, I have sent them to you for you to speak life and not death, love and not hate, and to show them love and not condemnation, and healing and not sickness.” I then had to ask God that question that has been burning inside me for so long and then I asked, “Why me God?” and this is what God said to me,”because you were in their shoes and you needed Me, you cried out and I sent the right people into your life to show you life, love, healing, and forgiveness. And now I am sending you.” I believe God has chosen me to stand in faith believing for the broken and the lost and to show them where their hope comes from. I know that God gives hope to the hopeless but I asked God “how is it that I can give them hope?” And then this is what I got from God, “I am still giving them hope but I have chosen to work through you to do so.” And to be honest with you I had to sit for a long time and just think about that because first I wanted to know if this is a responsibility I was ready to take on and if I am ready to take it on am I really capable of do so. So after thinking about it for a while I had to ask God this question, “Okay God, BUT why ME? I am just Dawn who is still dealing with my own issues, how can I be used?” I waited for a while for him to answer me, because I did feel that we had a really good conversation going on and I didn’t think he would leave me hangin, so after awhile when I didn’t hear anything back from him I started to think and pray and then meditate and as I did, flashes of my past started popping up in my head and right after that thought was gone a person’s face popped into my head, and that person was going through the same thing. (the reason I knew they were going through the same thing is because they had come to me for prayer or just to talk) and when all of these flashes/ visions, or whatever you want to call it, were over the first thing that popped into my head was something I was told at a young age and that was, God will always take the evil and turn it into something good as long as we let him. Now after the conversation with God and then the flashbacks and then the revelation of it all it was like I had a whole new not only look but a whole new victory over my past. Like I had reached inside my head and heart and just grabbed everything by the roots and ripped it out. I then went to women’s ministry on Monday and listened to Julie speak about Queen Esther and since I didn’t get to stay for the whole thing I had to come home and learn more about her and that is when another light came on. I know it was not Gods plan for me to go through all of the hell in my past but thank God I did because now I have a purpose in this life. I know that may sound crazy to a bunch of people, I mean to be thankful for the bad that took place in my life sounds crazy to some people but to me it makes a lot of sense. This is God taking the bad and making it good and with that being done He is healing me from the inside out. As I was dealing with all of this the song came to mind, it is by Tim Hughes and it is called Holding Nothing Back. The beginning of the song talks about I am chosen, I am free, I am living for eternity, I’m free now forever. In the chorus we sing: My chains fell off, my heart was free, I’m alive to live for you………. With me being alive to live for Him means that I am free to live, free to give , free to be, and free to love Him. The word free meaning: cleansed, made whole, forgiven, washed white as snow.

With God doing so much in my life it is not right to just sit back and keep it all to myself. He has called me to share with people who are hurting, broken, lost, struggling and people who are just ready to give up. When ministering to these people it is not my responsibility to take their burdens and carry them, will my heart be heavy for these people, yes, but it will not be burdened. I am there for them to help them give their burdens to God and let my past be a testimony to them. I am here to show them that the God we serve is a God of love, of peace, of patience, of kindness; He is not an evil God, but a God that despises evil. He is a God that will always take the evil in your past and use it for good, as long as we allow him too………….

2010-06-14T22:07:00.001-04:00

Kennedy and I just got back from an awesome girls night out. The best part about it was it was free. We went and saw Shrek in 3D, and that was a birthday gift from my brother, free popcorn thanks to signing up for their newsletter, and then it was off to applebees to use the last $10.00 on our gift card on half price appetizers. Ww had a great time laughing and giggling and just talking about whatever. I really do cherish the time I get to spend with my kids.

Sweet Home Chicago

2010-06-13T16:05:00.000-04:00

I cant help but think of "home" during the summer time. Home for me is back in Chicago. For those who do not know I moved to Michigan from Chicago 6 years ago. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago but when I became an adult I moved into the city of Chicago. One of the things I loved about it was all the cultural diversity that was there. I met so many different and interesting people every single day and I loved it. I loved the fact that Lake Michigan was only a quick El ride (subway) away. Ken and I spent so much time together, exploring all kinds of different museums, coffee shops, wine bars, art galleries, bands, and ball games. I loved being able to walk to the lake shore and just lay on the grass/sand and soak up all of the wonderful aromas that the city had to offer. To be honest I really only get home sick in the summer, winters not so much because I will always remember trying to walk to the El in a ton of snow to get to work. Which would mean I would have to get up extra early because it would take longer... So I am home sick right now, I would love to be able to take a stroll down Lakeshore Dr. or go walk down North Ave. where they are having one of their art festivals, oh and I can not forget the festival on Randolph St. that Ken and I enjoyed going to and just enjoying the music, food and of course the different cultures that you would see there. I miss being able to shop at whole foods all the time and I miss just being able to walk everywhere. I feel like I am in the car so much here if I want to go and do anything. I loved the little mom and pop grocery stores that we used to go into to do our grocery shopping. We had a great Thai Market and a great Latina Market that we would visit almost on a daily basis. One of the biggest things that I miss is my family. I miss being close to my family and eating together and just laughing and remembering the old days.

So today yes, I am very home sick. Thinking about all the joy and fun that the great city of Chicago has to offer. I will cherish these memories often.

2010-06-12T13:27:00.001-04:00

I was just called the best mom ever, it only took me making a very easy snack but i will take it. I took chunky peanut butter and mixed in carmel sunday topping and served it with apples. Im a rock star.

2010-06-10T09:56:00.001-04:00

Ok so I Am going to do something that I swore I would never do again.... I Am having a garage sale, don't know when yet but on order to get a curriculum for the kids i figured this is the only way.

2010-06-09T10:19:00.001-04:00

I am doing something 2day that I have been dreading: putting all of the baby stuff up. :(. Why is this so hard?

Devotional

2010-06-09T08:44:00.002-04:00

And He Who searches the hearts of men knows
what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will. — Romans 8:27
Many people follow their own desires or other people’s advice instead of following the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is given to each one of us to lead us into the fullness of our destiny, and into the fullness of what Jesus died to give us.

Your faith in Jesus gives you the promise of heaven, but God wants to work all things together for your good in this life too (see Romans 8:28). Don’t be satisfied with receiving half of what Jesus died to give you. Follow the Spirit’s leading so that you will get all that God has for you. Seek God for clear guidance to remain right in the center of His perfect will for every single day.

Man I love that man.

2010-06-09T07:27:00.000-04:00

It was so awesome to hear my husband speak last night at Life Group, he spoke about healing and WOW what a great message. I knew it would be when he hid in a corner for about 3 hours working on it and when he was finished he just had this glow about him. I wanted to peak at his notes but decided it would be better to hear it with the rest of the group and SO glad I did. This man has come a long way and I am so proud of him I cant even put into words how proud I am of him.

Its funny that he spoke on healing. This family has gone thru some rough times of being sick lately and to hear him speak about this just brought a whole new light to everything. Before we knew what he was talking about (before we got the Pastors notes) we took quite awhile praying over our house because we have just been absolutely fed up with all the attacks that we have been under. We opened our front door and kicked everything out that was not of God and we spoke to everything to flee and not come back because this house has been anointed (Ken anointed our doorway with oil) and let me tell you the peace that I had when I went to bed that night was amazing.

I love you Ken and I love you God for giving me Ken and being with us through this journey.

2010-06-08T12:58:00.002-04:00

Courage is fear that has said its prayers and decided to go forward anyway....

Harmonys 1st Birthday!

2010-05-16T08:50:00.000-04:00

Picture overload

2010-05-14T08:12:00.000-04:00

HER 1ST BIRTHDAY!

BEYOND GORGEOUS NITE.!.!

JUST HANGIN OUT!

DOING HIS SCHOOL WORK, SUCH AN ANGEL!

READY TO PARTY !

LOVE HER! (and him)

JUST A DAY AT THE PARK!

SPRING BREAK!

KALAHARI ON SPRING BREAK!

GETTIN CLEAN!

BIG undertaking

2010-05-12T13:28:00.000-04:00

So I am about to start a HUGE project that God placed on my heart years ago and I just thought it was a crazy thought that I had, but the more and more I pray about it the more it all makes sense and the more it becomes a burning desire. What I am about to do could be a taunting task (if I let it) because it involves a lot of creativity and it involves me being vulnerable. For anyone, being vulnerable is a very scary issue. I know that through this project my life will be changed and I pray that others will be too. So please keep me and my family in your prayers through this project, because I know it will be long, painful (but in a good way) and it will be eye opening. I also know that there will be lots of attacks that will come my way and want me to give up but I will not let that happen. I am excited about this and will share in detail when He wants me to, but as of right now my lips are sealed..................
Thank you in advance for the prayers.

So here is another post today.....

2010-05-10T21:10:00.001-04:00

Ok so a lot of people having been calling, texting and emailing us to see what happened. Well, I figured the easiest way to let everyone know is to put it on facebook for all to read. So that way I do not have to write these really long texts or emails, 50 times a day. I love you all but just dont have that much time in a day.

It all started Monday night as I was at Womens Ministry, I was talking to my friend Jess and all of a sudden the whole room went black, when I opened my eyes ( I was still standing) everything was blurry and the room was spinning and then I felt my heart beating really fast and it felt like it was right in my throat beating that fast. I tried laying down, sipping on water, taking some deep breathes because I just thought (along with everyone else) that I was having a panic or anxiety attack (even though I have never had one before) I let the women around me continue to pray for me but deep down inside I knew something was wrong. My wonderful friend Alise took action and called the husband and they devised a plan, (which really guys I am not THAT stubborn, I really would have listened to anyone at that point) they decided to get me to the Urgent care across the street from the church and we would go from there. So ALise and I got out of the car at the Urgent care and made it inside. The only thing I remember after that is getting on the stretcher and being wheeled out to the ambulance and thinking "Please dont let my children be out there, I really did not want them to see me like that". After that I dont remember anything until I hear them tell me, "Mrs. Smith we are going to stop your heart and then restart it again, you will feel like you are going down a hill on a roller coaster and it just took all your breather away" Sure nuff that is exactly what it felt like. As I am laying there, I realized they cut off my favorite shirt that I only wore 2 times and something else that was my favorite (and girls you will know exactly what I am talking about) and here I thought that it was the worst thing ever. LOL Until I found out that I arrived at the Hospital with a pulse of 175 (when normally it should be around 70 ish) and a blood pressure so low they could not even get a reading. So after realizing how serious that was I was not too upset about my favorite articles of clothing. I was also told by everyone that they even got the paddles out because they were about to shock me since I was not responsive at all. Thank God I came to before that.........
SO after many tests and being there for almost 24 hours we were told that I have SVT ( http://www.emedicinehealth.com/supraventricular_tachycardia/article_em.htm)
SO please just pray for complete healing, which I know He has already given to me....

YES

2010-05-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

I am still blogging..... I know it doesn't look that way but OH MAN has life been crazy the past few months. I have many great things to share and I can not wait to be able to sit down and write down all the things He has done. God is amazing and He never leaves us or forsakes us. Nothing is too big for God. Just some quick prayer requests. I can explain these later but I am believing God for Healing with my Heart so I do not have to be on heart meds the rest of my life and also to be able to have our forth child. We were told by 2 doctors not to try again and I know the only one I listen to is the one who died on the cross for ALL my sicknesses and my Father does not have a heart condition so therefore I do not have one. (since I am made in the image and the likeness of Him) and I know on January 25th I heard His voice when he promised me that I will have another child. SO I stand on His promises not on what the Doctors tell me. My body is whole and healed in Jesus name.

Reason to be Proud

2010-03-31T10:02:00.000-04:00

So my husband and I have been married for 10 years this year and in that 10 years we have never bought one piece of furniture..... That includes beds, couches, tables etc.. We have been blessed by family and friends in that department. So I thought I would just share with you the very first piece of furniture Ken and I have bought as husband and wife.

2010-03-26T18:38:00.001-04:00

Guess who has finally got a new cell phone? Now i have no excuse not to blog.

How to WOW your husband!

2010-03-26T18:29:00.000-04:00

Put together a bookcase!

Well Im doing it

2010-03-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

I am doing something that I swore up and down I was not going to do. I will be homeschooling both kids starting next week. YEP!!! After an incident at Kdy's school, that I wont get into now, my mind is made up. I know some of you are wondering how in the world I am going to go to school and homeschool my kids all while raising a 8 year old, 6 year old AND a 10 month old. Well the only answer I have for that is GOD! I said from the beginning that it would have to be Him to put this in my heart and it would have to be Him that shows me what to do, when to do it and how...
So please be praying for this family as we are taking another step our of our comfort zone. I am also taking suggestions and advise from anyone who has it to give..

Believing and Standing

2010-02-08T10:38:00.000-05:00

Romans 4:18-25

¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."^[d] ¹⁹Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.²²This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." ²³The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

When everything was hopeless Abraham believed anyway..... He decided to live on the basis of what God promised He could and would do, not on the basis of what he saw. We could use this example for so many things that are going on in our lives right now. We have been hit from so many different angles the past few months (I would say years) but I have learned not to be moved by what I see or hear.. I love that Abraham knew he was too old and his body didn't work right along with Sarah's but he knew our God was bigger than that and he knew God promised him something and he was going to stand firm on the promise. I know there are so many people going through sicknesses and horrible things in their marriages and just feeling like there is just no hope to be had but God promises that He will make all things work together for the good... He did not promise us that our walk on this road would be an easy one, he did not promise a world with out heart aches and sickness, but He did promise that if we have faith in Him all of His promises would be Yes and Amen.

Psalms 118

2010-01-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

Psalms 118:

⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say:

"His love endures forever."

⁵ In my anguish I cried to the LORD,

and he answered by setting me free.

⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

This is just what I was reading this morning and if you continue to read the whole chapter it is

just so great and its just what I needed to read this morning.

Hey

2010-01-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that God is doing amazing things in my life, my husbands life and my children's life. What is funny is there is someone out there that is not too happy about it. He has been trying to come into my family to steal from us, kill (babies) and destroy our lives and I refuse to let him do so. He is finding that a miscarriage is not going to knock me and my family off course so he tries a few other ways, Even though it all hurts tremendously and my heart has been broken, God is still God and will always be God. As long as I am still living I have a purpose and a dream to live out, and his promises still remain. I refuse to let the enemy win twice and all I can ask for those who read this to never give up, even if you are on the ledge and you are saying it is better to give up than to go through the fire. TRUST ME, it is all worth it. Going through the fire means you are being refined, and you will come out beautiful and more precious than before. Yes walking through the fire hurts but the pain is temporary but his promises are forever and your beauty will never fade. Choose to never give up, choose to walk in love and choose to never let the enemy win twice.
This is just what has been on my heart all morning and I just had to share..........

A Smith Family Update

2010-01-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

I think we are long over due for an update on the littlest Smiths and all that they have been accomplishing.

Harmony will be 9 months in 11 more days (wow how time has flown by) and she is working on her 6th tooth. She is almost walking with out any help from objects.. She walks along furniture with ease and then she has gotten so daring and tries to go from our chair to the fireplace with out any hands. She is so mobile and getting into EVERYTHING, she has learned to open up all the cabinets doors in the kitchen and she is slowing figuring out that she can take stuff out of them and play with them. I do believe that one of her favorite things to do (besides standing in front of the mirror growling at herself) is to stand at the piano and play. She is just tall enough to reach the keys as she is standing up to the piano and she plays with such excitement,it is for sure a great site to see. She has learned how to climb the stairs. One of the sweetest things was yesterday she climbed the first two steps and saw that the kids bible was on the stairs, so she sat down and opened the bible and was just looking at all the pictures. I really can not believe how much she is growing up. She definatly takes after my side cuz this girl LOVES to eat. She is eating alot more of the foods that the rest of us get to enjoy. So it is so fun introducing her to all kinds of new things. As soon as I get my camera fixed I will be posting a ton of pictures.

As far as the other Smith children goes, they are doing very well also. Kennedy really is enjoying school this year. As a matter of fact, they had a long weekend off of school and she was pretty disappointed (so does not take after me) and did not like that she had 4 days off. I do believe that 3rd grade is for sure a challenge for her but it is a good challenge. I think she got really bore in first and second grade and therefore she was talking all the time, and just not concentrating. Now, she is learning so many new things and it is harder than the other grades so she has calmed down and is really doing very well. This is the grade where they start to grade her and so far all A's and B's (again so does not take after me). She is so fun to watch and so fun to talk to at this age. Tonight is our mommy/daughter night where we lock ourselves in my bedroom with a bunch of finger nail polish, lots of snacks, some great hair accessories and we sit and watch American Idol and chat about whatever is on her heart. I truly love those times. I love seeing her heart and seeing how much she truly loves God and it just makes my heart smile when something is not right and the first this she thinks to do is pray. I want her to stay 8 years old for a few years longer.
Now, the littlest Mr. Smith (Riley) is not so little anymore. Literally not so little, he is really trying hard to catch up with his sister in height. He is loosing his blonde hair (sad) and now it is turning brown. He has been attending speech at school 2 days a week and it has made a world of difference. He is doing so well in school also, again another one of my kids that gets upset if they have to miss a day of school. He asked me yesterday if he could go on to first grade now.. I asked him "why?" and he said "I am already smart with all the Kindergarten stuff"...... I really could not stop laughing for a while. I just had to let him know that "there is still so much for you to learn in K-garten that you will need to know in order to make it to the first grade, so just have patience and enjoy all that you are learning now" and his response was "Oh OK" and then off he went to play. One of the things that I have enjoyed with him going to afternoon kindergarten is being able to sit together in the morning and read our bibles together. With out fail he always has me read the story of the birth of Jesus everyday. I love this little man with all my heart and thank God every day for the children that he has blessed me with........

I continue to stand

2010-01-18T16:36:00.003-05:00

Despite what some people might think, I am not sitting at home in anger and hating God. I do believe I am far more mature in my walk with God to think that the trials that we have been going through come from God. I know the saying God does not give us more than we can handle, but the enemy tries to give us situations that seem so huge, but one great thing about God is He is bigger than anything that the enemy puts in our path. I said he tries to, he will only succeed if we let him. I believe I would have let him win this past week if I would have sat home, not getting into the word, getting angry, and asking "God why would you do his to me?" Thank goodness I know better. I know that God is the giver of life, not the thief of life. I know that God would never take a baby away from its mother. So to tell me that it was all part of Gods plan, sorry its not true. I know he will take this awful situation and turn it around for good.

Romans 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Do you remember the poem 'Foot prints in the sand'? No God will not give us more than we can handle but when the enemy is there attacking us God is the one who is carrying us through these times. I have been sitting at home this past week not in anger towards God or asking God Why.. I have been at home continually putting on the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18 ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in

mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

I have been letting God love on me and I have just really enjoyed being able to sit in His presence. I know that the fire that I am going through right now will only make my worth so much greater. Greater than Gold, rubies or even diamonds. I am a co-heir with Christ which means all of His promises are for me. I know when I am empty He will fill me, I know when I feel like I can not go on He will pick me up and carry me. My faith and trust in Him will never waiver, it will be tested (by the enemy) but it will only make our relationship stronger. There is a great video out there that I am going to share. The song is just an amazing song and I never saw this video until today. I went back and listened to this song after watching this video and all I could do was cry. This song is so true and it is truly what God is all about.

The Desert Song By: Hillsong United

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is the God who provides

And this is my song in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror adn co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow.

Prayers Answered

2010-01-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I still had a ton of bleeding and and was still in a lot of pain, so my midwife told me to go right to the hospital and they will have to do a D & C......... I was scared out of my mind when she told me that and so I had to get the kids taken care of and then head off to the E.R. Before I go any further I just want to thank everyone that helped out yesterday. Thanks to my Mother in Law for keeping the two older kids and thank you to C. S. for taking great care of Harm. Also, that you to the Steiners for coming to the hospital and being there with us and for us the whole time. That meant so much to us. Thank you to everyone who prayed, your prayers were answered.
To make a long story short, I did not have to have a D & C, everything passed through with no complications and I was not anemic (which I normally am) so they sent me home (8 hours later). Someday I may just have to tell you about my experience that day. The day that I wanted to punch a few nurses in the face.

Thank you

2010-01-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you God for:

giving me a brand new day tomorrow
for 3 of the most beautiful children in the world
for the most amazing husband that any woman could ever ask for
for loving me no matter what
for fighting for me
for friends who are there for me through some of the worst times
for my family who is always supportive
for the freedom to be able to worship you
for the Bible so I can gain understanding
getting me through the hard times
for everything that you have done in my life

Our day yesterday

2010-01-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

~ ~ ~ ~ WARNING: This may be to graphic for you ~ ~ ~ ~

Well, the theory that I had a Blighten Ovum was proven wrong yesterday. If you didnt read that post you can do so HERE. Just when I thought none of this could get any worse it did. I guess I really had it in my head that there was no baby there and for some reason that made me feel a little more at ease. But yesterday morning when I woke up it was proven that there was a baby in there for sure. Yesterday, I was extremely angry at everything and everyone. I decided it was better for me to be in my room with no one around me, that way I would not say something to someone that I would regret or that would hurt their feelings. So, my bedroom was a very safe place for me yesterday. I am so glad that yesterday is over and that today is a brand new day. I am so thankful that his mercies are new everyday and that He loves me even when I can not open up to Him. I was never angry at Him, I never doubted Him, I however did not run to Him in my time of need.. However, Thank God for a husband that does not waiver and who turns to Him right away in times like this. I did come downstairs for a little while yesterday and he had Bill Johnson on the whole entire day, so I came down and sat with him and the kids and listened to him. Thank God I did because that man is truly a great man to listen to.
Thank you again for all the prayers. I can really tell people have been praying for us. Thank you for the food that some of you have dropped off and especially the Starbucks. Thank you

She loves her cookie

2010-01-10T09:54:00.003-05:00

Got the call

2010-01-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

We got the call a few hours ago from the mid wife and my levels dropped. Which to me was no surprise since I have been in extreme pain and hemorrhaging all day long. It just hurt to actually hear her say the words. Our next step will be more blood work next Friday and then on to the Specialist. So we shall see what is going on inside this body.

Off to the Dr.

2010-01-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

Well, not really the Dr. but we are going to the lab this morning to have our blood drawn again to see if my levels have doubled or if they are going down. There was a sack but no baby. Which when I looked at the ultra sound screen I thought of a Blighten Ovum right away, there was nothing but a round sac and from experience I know that if it is a miscarriage it is a flattened sac so to be honest with you, I was praying that I really wasn't 8 weeks along, maybe I was only 4-5 weeks (really it would be impossible, but I was still believing) Last night before I went to bed, it all started. The horrible, excruciating cramping, and the non stop bleeding (sorry for too much info). I did not sleep much at all, I was laying awake praying for the pain to stop and just praying for me to handle this so differently than I have in the past. I do not want to go to the ER to deal with this, I want to deal with it all at home. Something about going to the ER and their lack of compassion and their secrecy that gets me so mad. To them in the ER you are just another person and just because they don't have any emotions toward your situation, they make it seem like we shouldn't have any emotions as well. So I am asking that whoever is reading this, please be in prayer that this pain just stops. I know it sounds crazy to go thru this with out pain, but that is what I am believing for. I know that thru Him ALL things are possible to those who believe. So if I have faith then it can happen right? Right!!!

To those who have called and texted, thank you for your words and prayers. I will return messages when I am up for talking. It is still really hard to talk about this, easier to blog about it, so please just be patient with me.

Thank you

Nightmare or Reality

2010-01-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning just hoping that I was having a bad dream and that all was ok. Then reality hit me and the emptiness that I felt at that moment was gut wrenching. I can not believe that I have to go through this again. Again, while going through this one, I still had the stupid thoughts come into my mind. I know that God does not cause these bad things to happen. I know that this is not of God. But I do have to say that I still think that if I did not do certain things as a young adult, that non of this would have happened. Non of the women in my family have gone through this so it is hard not to think, Why me? Was it what I did when I was 18, and I was told it was such an unforgivable sin? Now, I know that a every sin is forgivable by God, now some people may not be able to forgive you but the most important person does forgive you. I know God does not punish me, but the only question I have is, why? Why 3 miscarriages? Why does it get harder with each one? and the big one. WHY ME? I know I will not get an answer here on earth, and I can deal with that. Now, I just want to have another baby and now I know that I will not because I really do not want to go through any of this again. Some would say that it is living in fear. I say it is just keeping my heart guarded.
Now was this one planned? Absolutely not. Was this one really wanted and were we all excited about it. ABSOLUTELY. I fianlly got used to the fact that we would have 4 children, and another baby meaning no more sleep EVER. I was so ok with it too. People thought we were crazy being pregnant right after Harm, but a child is a blessing and such a gift from God so I guess I dont mind being crazy.
I just pray that this emptiness goes away fast along with all of this pain.

Take My sadness, turn it into joy

2010-01-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

This was my verse for the day!

2010-01-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Great Verse!

Today's Verse

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We all like "do-overs" or second chances. God does much better than that! He allows us to become new again. Being the "God of new things" he can even make us new. Beyond forgiveness, beyond cleansing, he makes us holy through Jesus. Let's use the opportunity of a New Year as a springboard for living a life fresh and new and alive for God!

New Years Eve

2009-12-31T20:08:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in my family room with all the lights turned off except the Christmas tree lights and about 10 candles. The smell of all the different scented candles are warming the air and I can not help but sit here with a Huge smile on my face. We are all cuddled on the couch, bowling on the Wii and just snuggling in between each of our turns. This is seriously the best New Years Eve we have ever had.
Also, this has been the best year I think we have ever had as well. Financially it was the worst, but this year we learned that no matter what, as long as we have faith in God we will be taken care of. We were blessed beyond what we could have ever thought or even imagined this year. I look forward to everything that He has for us in 2010 and I can not wait to see my friends and family blessed in the next coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEARS to all of you and may your year be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

My rant on Marriages.....

2009-12-31T11:08:00.001-05:00

I am gonna go off on a little rant right now but trust me it is a good rant....... LOL
I have to tell you that I have never been more upset at the enemy for what he is putting in peoples heads about their marriage and second I am so upset that people dwell on those thoughts and turn them into actions... The enemy knows that a Christian marriage is a powerful force. Think about it, if 1 can put one thousand to flight, then 2 can put ten thousand right? To the enemy that is a very scary thing. BUT the enemy being the enemy only does what? steal, kill and destroy, and what irritates me is that he is doing it to so many people, marriages and families right now and people are letting him... Letting him by making up excuses of "why" they are better off single, and "why" it has to be this way. My thought is if you think of two good reasons your marriage is worth saving for every LIE that the enemy is telling you, you would see that your marriage is important and that God wants to work through all of the hurts and pains that so many marriages face. In my own personal opinion (I can say this because my marriage was here) people think it is so much easier just to give in and divorce than to stick it through and work it out, that was my thinking too, but it is so far from the truth. I think of the shambles my family would be in right now if we would have gone through with a divorce, but because we decided to work through everything and NOT let the enemy win, our family is being blessed on a daily basis. My love for Ken is at a place that I never thought it would be 4 years ago. I really get annoyed that people dont see an attack as an attack. They see the attack as a legit reason to be upset, and a reason to walk out the door, so therefore you are giving in to the attack and letting the enemy win. I know some of these people going through this situation do not want this at all for their marriage, they are standing in faith for their spouse. Their spouse has "fallen out of love" with them, and here is my opinion on that. Dont tell me that your love for God is so great but your love for your spouse is no longer there. That is just impossible. As your love for God grows (which it should on a daily basis) your love for your spouse should be growing right along with it. So, if you are in love with God still then there should be no reason you are falling out of love with your spouse. Now, if you are falling out of love with God, than WAKE UP, and know that God is the Way, the Truth and the Life, with out Him, you have nothing. You may think you have happiness but it will only last for a short time, you may think that you have it all figured out, but trust me it will ALL come crumbling down. For the spouse who is condenting for their spouse, please dont give up hope and dont turn your eyes from Him, be faithful to Him and he will take care of you. YES, I know it is so much easier said than done, but now is the time to utilize your family (church family) and friends. Call on those who can stand for you when you can no longer stand.
This is not for any one person in particular, this is just what has been on my heart for so long and I decided to finally put it down "on paper". Some may ask, why worry about others peoples marriages and why get involved?? Well, because I hate to see people robbed of something so wonderful by the one who keeps using the same stupid tricks over and over again. I hate seeing the enemy win and according to the statistics he is winning right now, and I believe that God has called all of us to stand in the gap for these people.
So I am asking all of you who read this blog to take this month (January) and stand in the gap for all of the marriages out there that are going through the fire.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that these marriages will make it through the fire with out being burned and with out smelling like smoke. I thank you that these marriages will stand through the worst of times. Father, I thank you that these people surrender their marriages to you and know that you are the only one who can heal them, they can not do it themselves. I pray that these people will just surrender their lives completely to you and know that it is no longer them that live but you live and move and have your will through them.... I pray that these people stop listening to the voice of a stranger and will turn their ears to you and listen to your words and Your truth, and they will no longer dwell in the past but know that as long as they have a future with You than their future will be a blessed one. You never promised us our lives will be easy, but you did promise us the desires of our hearts. We know that just as much as you love us and want nothing but the best for us, there is someone out there who does not want us to succeed in anything, and I speak against any attack that he tries to put on any of the marriages in this world. I pray that these people will be able to notice an attack as an attack and start to speak against it as soon as it shows its ugly head.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-28T09:50:00.001-05:00

Christmas Day

2009-12-28T09:36:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day was one of the funnest days we have had in such a long time. Opening up presents this year took on a whole new meaning for me. I was just amazed by God this year and everything he has provided for us. The kids were glued to the TV the whole entire day, well I should also add that Ken is part of the ''kids".. We was more excited about our Wii than the kids were.

This year we really wanted to focus on making someone else's Christmas Brighter. We came up with lots of plans but they all got shot down, whether it was not being able to go to the Children's Hospital because we did not have the H1N1 shot, or not being able to go to a local shelter because of privacy issues. Well we were not about to give up so we decided to go to the local assisted Living home and pass out cookies, candy, cards and pictures (all made by our children)

My brother was able to go with us and it made such a big difference. He was able to make people, smile, laugh and even cry. One of the ladies there would not even let him go, she just kept kissing him and holding onto him really tight. It really did break my heart to see all of the people there on such a happy and glorious day, with no family, just sitting there staring off into space. My kids also talked about how sad it was to see people alone on Christmas, but then they quickly turned around when they saw how many people they blessed that day.

They learned that they were the light that day to people and that the unselfish act that they did showed Gods love to people. To be honest with you I am so glad my children no longer believe in santa. I believe that since they have learned the true and real meaning of Christmas their hearts have been more open to the whole giving aspect than the getting. One of the ladies that was a nurse at the home said to me, " wow, I love what you are teaching your kids" and all I could say to her is, "we are not teaching them anything, they are the ones teaching us right now, teaching us what faith is and what Love really is" I am truly proud of my kids for taking time to make so many cards and cookies and to spend their Christmas morning finishing up the pages that they were coloring, instead of playing with all of their new toys. I am truly blessed with an amazing family.

12-22-00

2009-12-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

9 Years ago today I married the man of my dreams, my knight and shining armor, my greatest friend in the whole world. I really never thought it was possible to love him more than I did on our wedding day but I do think my love has tripled for him in the past 9 years.. Now as many of you know we have not had an easy time during many of our years, but I tell you what, I would not change a single thing that we have gone through. Yes, our marriage has been put through the fire, but we have come out refined.... Yes we both have been stupid in the past, but we have learned a lot about each other through those stupid mistakes. Yes, we have had to conquer a lot of hurdles that were put in our way, but with Faith and Patience we got through those. I am looking forward to the rest of my life with the man of God the He has put in my life. I have been over joyed watching Kens relationship with Christ grow and in turn watching our relationship grow as well . God you really knew what you were doing when you joined our two hearts. Ken I love you more today than I did 9 years ago and I can not wait to faller deeper and more in love with you in the years ahead.

p.s. Thank you to Miss R. and Mr. J for the gift certificate to Luckys steakhouse and the babysitting last night. I ate like a queen and we are so grateful for you and love you guys...

So Blessed

2009-12-21T07:46:00.002-05:00

We really did not want to make a big deal about Christmas this year.. We were only going to get one present for the kids this year (to split) and then we were going to go and pass out Christmas Cards and Cookies either at the Childrens Hospital, soup kitchen or an Assisted living home. After a lot of run around we decided to do the Assisted Living home. Well, this past week we were blessed beyond what we could have even imagined. So need less to say we will be able to get a few more gifts this year and we will still be able to bless other families at the Assisted Living Home. After a HUGE surprise yesterday at church we get in the car and the first thing out of my daughters mouth was, "Dad, can we not get what we want this year for Christmas? Can we just buy what we need? Like food and pay our bills? " That just made our day even brighter.....

The lesson that I have learned right now is that no matter what things look like, as long as you have faith in Him he will be faithful to you. All He wants to do is bless our socks off but if we do not have faith in Him, we do not let him bless us. I stood yesterday trying to sing but just could not, as I was balling my eyes out all I could think about was WHY us? There are so many other people out there that is worse off than us and MORE deserving. Why not bless them, but then it hit me......... Because He loves us and he wants us blessed. Just because we are being blessed does not mean someone else isnt. Our God is big enough to bless every single person all at the same time. He has blessed us because He loves us and we love Him.

Thank you Jesus for your love and your grace and mercy! You are truly an amazing God that never lets us down. As long as we have faith in you we have everything.

During my time with God today.

2009-12-14T11:06:00.004-05:00

Today Riley and i sat on the couch together and just opened the Bible and read the first thing that we saw. OK I never do this. I always laugh at people who tell me they do this. But whos laughing today.. This is where we read from:

1 Peter 1:3-9 (The Message)

A New Life

^3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.

^6-7I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

^8-9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.

Today this is so true in my life.. Thank you God so much for everything you have given my family and thank you for saving us from a life of destruction....

Free Huggies

2009-12-01T09:50:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day for the Free Huggies Give away. To learn more visit here: HUGGIES

Thanks

Is this really happening?

2009-10-29T14:17:00.003-04:00

So a little update on the littlest Smith. Harmony is not even 6 months old yet and is crawling all over the place. I never thought I would have to have my house baby proofed this early but it looks like I need to get my butt in gear. I have noticed that she is a very determined child. She sees something she goes right for it, she doesn't let anything (like pillows, toys, remote controls) get in the way. She is the most happiest baby I think I have had. You look at her and she just gives you this big huge smile and it just melts your heart. When ever her daddy walks in the door her legs start kicking and she starts shaking because she gets so excited. She already has 2 teeth and she is getting another one, I would say in about a week or so it would be in. She has brought our family such joy and so much more love it is so great. She giggles so much at the kids and her laugh just stops you in your tracks and makes you start laughing no matter how you are feeling that day.

Todays prayer

2009-10-28T08:38:00.002-04:00

Father my prayer today is that you restore to my family what is rightfully ours. Father I will not let the enemy steal my family away. We are all children of the most high and are loved so much no matter what we have done in the past. The past is forgiven and I pray right now that there is no guilt or condemnation about our past. Father I thank you that our hearts are open to your love, our ears are open to hear what you have to tell us. Thank you that our ears will no longer listen to the lies and thank you that our hearts will listen to all that you have for us. Thank you that you send the right people at the right time and that nothing is ever a coincidence, but you have a plan and purpose for our lives and you know what is going to happen before it even does. Father, I thank you that relationships are mended and that people would love the person and hate the sin. Father if you can love someone through the worst thing that they have done, than we should be able to as well. I thank you for loosening the grip that the enemy has placed on the relationships in my family. The enemy thrives when there is bitterness so I command that bitterness to be gone right now in Jesus name. I thank you that selfishness, pride, anger, greed, and unforgiveness is gone right now in Jesus name. I break the generational curse RIGHT NOW. My children and myself will not follow in the lies or the deception that 'this is just how it goes, this is how the family has been so we accept it'. NO WAY this is not of God so there fore it will not be accepted in this house. Father I ask that you live and move and have your way with this family. It is not my will but it is your will that is to be done. Father thank you that our hearts will be your heart, our eyes become your eyes, our feet are your feet and that we will listen to your voice and STOP following the voice of the enemy. I refuse to let the enemy have ANY part in this family, he can not have my family, we were bought with a price and that price is far greater than anything of worth or value in this world. I am taking back my family and even when they can not (or will not) stand anymore I will stand in the gap for them and trust in you with all my heart.

I love you Jesus with all my heart

Amen

My prayer this morning

2009-10-26T08:17:00.003-04:00

Thank you God for giving my family another beautiful day to be able to honor and worship you. Thank you for your protection over my family as we go in different directions today and thank you that my children and I have a roof over our head, heat, hot water and food in the fridge. Thank you for supplying our needs according to your riches and according to your plan. I know there are families out there that are struggling and who have alot less than what we have and Father I thank you that they know to call on you and reach out to you and they find comfort in you thru their hard times.. Give them hope Father.

Father I ask that I never take a day for granted. Each day that we live is a precious gift. I thank you that you lead and guide my footsteps to where ever you want me to go and do. Father I thank you that whatever I put my hands to prospers. I thank you that you put people in my path that you want me to reach out to and you give me the strength to do so.

This is the day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.... No matter what happens I will trust in you and I find my strength, hope, and patience in you.

I love you Jesus....

Where are you God?

2009-10-21T10:20:00.003-04:00

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (The Message Version) I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 13-14"When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."

Have you ever thought "WHERE ARE YOU GOD"? Has there been so much chaos in your life and you feel like you are searching and searching for God? How are you searching? Are you praying and seeking his will for your life? Do you have that daily prayer time with him where you are creating an intimate relationship with him so that when chaos arises in your life he is the first person you turn to and since there is that intimacy between you two, you know not to fear or you know to trust him and more important you know His voice? Well, I sure wish it was always that easy for me. Dont get me wrong I have my "quiet time" with Him, but not how I would like it. With kids it just seems to be so hard to have that intimacy with him. So much chaos has been going on in my life and I finally blurted out those words "WHERE ARE YOU GOD?", "How could you love me and yet still let this to continue?" I knew once I said it aloud that I was in trouble. I thought to myself, I could either go right away and get alone with God and pray and hear him or I could just sit there and have a pity party for myself and focus on all of the crazy things that are happening to us.... AND guess which one I chose?? Yep, I chose the pity party. Guess where it got me? Absolutely NO WHERE.... I felt more miserable, I was more angry and I was more disappointed in God after. So, I thought that God still was not there for me cuz after that pity party I still felt horrible.. WELL OF COURSE I DID! I have to admit it took a day or two to do this but I finally just opened up to God and started giving him my heart, I shared the desires that I have in there, I shared with him all the fears and then told him that I give it all to him so he can take care of it. It was too heavy of a burden for me to carry and I knew once I gave it to him he would take care of it. Since doing so I have felt alot better but I do have to admit that in doing so, the enemy has attacked harder in some other areas. So the one thing that I want to encourage you (whoever you are) to do is, before your feet hit that floor in the morning to stand up and start your day, you should start putting on the Armor.

Ephesians 6:10-20: 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

One thing I have noticed that if I get up and just hurry and start my day with out acknowledging Him and praying then the enemy immediately tries to come in and attack. I have started waking up and before getting out of bed just praying. I lay there and thank Him for another wonderful day that he has given me and my family and let him know that I am trusting him and whatever he wants me to do that day I will. I bleed the blood over my children as they go to school and over my husband as he goes to work and thank God for putting angels around them and around me and Harmony. I believe that if we are continually in prayer we will continue to see God work so therefore that would eliminate the thoughts of WHERE ARE YOU GOD? Because we would know that he is there and that he has never left us nor will he ever forsake us. So, Trust in the Lord with all your Heart and know that He knows the plans he has for you and when we call on him he will listen.

A little longer

2009-08-28T12:33:00.004-04:00

What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
What can I do for You?
What can I bring to You?
What kind of song would you like me to sing?

Cause I'll dance a dance for You
Pour out my love to You
What can I do for You beautiful king?

Cause I... can't thank You enough.
I can't thank You enough
All of the words that I find... and I can't thank You enough.
No matter I try... I can't thank You enough.
Then I hear You sing to me

you... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer

I hear You say...
You... don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
Cause they can wait another minute

Wait... this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here with Me
And love on Me a little longer
I'd love to be with you a little longer
Cause I'm in love with you

I have been playing this song over and over again today.... The meaning is so simple but so powerful to me. Here we get caught up in trying to make God happy by serving, or volunteering, and so on, which is all great but some times we get caught up in it and all God wants us to do is spend time with him doing nothing but letting him love us. I picture it in my head like this. God and I are sitting on a front porch swinging on a swing sipping a glass of sweet tea and just talking, my head is nestled so tightly on his shoulder and neither one of us have to say a word to each other we just sit there and love on each other. Letting all the thoughts, cares, fears etc go because all that matters for that moment is sitting there loving on Him and Him loving on me..

Free Dunkin Donuts Coffee

2009-08-10T14:11:00.000-04:00

Thank you Keri!

Hello World

2009-07-16T08:11:00.004-04:00

OK it has taken 10 weeks but I am starting to feel "normal" again... I have never been a depressed person but for the past 10 weeks I have been in some sort of funk... This week I am finally feeling like myself again and that makes me so happy. I was feeling so awful that I could really careless about the way my house looked (for those who know me, know that is not right) I didn't really care about what i ate, what I wore, how I looked, or even how I talked. Really it was beginning to get frustrating. I wish I could say that I have this great revelation and then all of a sudden I was cured but I really think it was all "Postpartum". Which for me is strange because I have never had to deal with it... I mean don't get me wrong after I had the other 2 I was hormonal but nothing like I was after this past pregnancy. I remember with Kennedy I had a little of the baby blues but nothing crazy, and after Riley was born I was just so excited and happy that he was here and I did not want to take anything for granted since having the miscarriage before he was born. SO not only was Harmonys pregnancy and delivery WAY different than the other 2, but the whole recovery and postpartum was as well.

Well Harmony will be 11 weeks tomorrow and I just cant believe how time flies once they finally arrive. I really wish all of these days would just slow down so I can soak everything up.. This week has been huge for us......... She is finally sleeping thru the night. Her bed time is 9pm and she wakes up at 7am and last night I was in bed pretty early so I got some great sleep. Which is great because I needed alot of rest since I have a full weekend and need to do a ton of cleaning for it. Well, I am off to clean.

I must say this

2009-06-30T10:32:00.002-04:00

I was going to try and hold my feelings in about this but I really can not. I think it is so unfair that people coupon shop and then hoard their stuff and just brag about how big their stock pile is. I went shopping yesterday and almost EVERYTHING was gone (and the sales just started on Monday) and then I come home and hear about people who got the last one of this and got 20 of this. It really makes me mad. I know it is their right to do whatever they want to but this is what I would like them to know. Not everyone who shops with coupons can afford to go shop every week... And some people who coupon shop HAVE to shop with coupons to in order to put food on their table. Some people who are shopping with coupons are not doing it just to get things for cheap and then add to their stockpiles, they actually have to because they don't have more $50.00 (and not even that much at times) a week to spend on groceries. So when I go to the store and I see everything is gone (especially baby wipes) and then I hear people bragging about what they got and half of them don't even need the wipes (they just wanted to get them because they were .25 cents) I just have to say shame on you. I know this sounds like I am passing judgement on people and I am sorry if you think that I am but I am only getting this out before I explode. Ken was just reminding me yesterday "don't let this upset you, just have fun and thank God for what we are getting" and I did start to have fun with it, but when I look at the stuff that I really needed (wipes, glass plus etc) today and could not get last night, it just brought back the frustration. So people who use coupons, I understand that everyone likes to get stuff for free or really cheap, but just in the future can we please start thinking about others out there that really need the stuff and don't get the privilege of going grocery shopping every week?

Finally an update

2009-06-15T11:18:00.002-04:00

I do apologize that it has been so long since I have blogged. Life has been so crazy as a family of five. I thought it would be a lot easier since my other two are older and they could be such a big help. Well, what I have found is that they need a lot more attention too. So it has been crazy recovering from a C Section, feeding Harmony ALL THE TIME, and spending quality time with Kennedy and Riley, all while trying to keep up with the daily routine of laundry, dinners, cleaning etc. Thank goodness it is summer vacation though.

Harmony had her check up on Wednesday and it went very well.. She weighs 9 pounds 10 ounces and is 22 3/4 inches long. So that puts her in the 50% for her weight and 90% for her height, just like her big sister. The kids absolutly love their baby sister and they want to constanly kiss, hold and hug her. I love that and it just makes my heart melt.

We are finally getting on some sort of a schedule so it is making life a little easier. I love being a family of 5.

been awhile. I know :)

2009-05-17T16:04:00.002-04:00

OK so i know it has been a long time since I have been able to blog, well there is a good reason and her name is Harmony Grace and she was born May 1, 2009. She has been the best baby. She is an awesome sleeper and she is so content and peaceful and bright eyed. The only time she cries is when she is really hungry but when she does cry WATCH OUT........... She has defiantly been such a blessing to our family...

As blessed as our family has been we have also been going through so many attacks and this just makes me wonder what God has in store for this family. Our family has been attacked in every area in the past 2 years (and I do mean in every area) and at this point I know it is not even worth giving in. We have learned that the only thing we can do is give it to God and and trust him and not to fear. I have seen Gods faithfulness so many times in the past 2 years it is unbelievable. Just this past weekend we had a huge miracle take place in our family (when/if we are ready to share I will blog about it) and I can not take any credit for it at all,it was all God but I do have to say that it makes a difference when you go directly to Him and tell him that you have faith in Him that He will take care of your family/you,as soon as you come under attack and that you stand on what the word says.. Trust me it is a hard thing to do but it is more important to have the outcome be great and letting your emotions get the best of you will not get you through it, He will. I have had a few friend tell me I should write a book about my life and I just think that is just a crazy thought, I mean its just me.... A nobody who lives in Michigan, who would care what I have to say? Well, I do believe that peoples tests will be their testimonies and if everything that I have gone through in my life could help people out there well then so be it, I would love to help anyone get through their attacks. One thing I have learned is that the God that I serve does not punish us. So all the attacks that we go through is not because of something that we did in our past. That is like me punishing one of my children today for something that they did 5 years ago, where is the love if I do that? God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us, does that mean it is going to be easy breezy serving Him? Absolutely not, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but He came to give us life. So the enemy has his job and that is to steal from us, kill, and destroy but God will (as long as we let him and call upon him) give us life and he will take care of us. Will it be how we planned it? NO, it is in his own timing and his own way, that is why we need to trust him and give everything to him so he can take care of things. I know this stuff a lot of us already know but I feel like I need to be reminded every single day that he does love us no matter what we have done and no matter who we are.

Oh Goodness

2009-04-14T09:42:00.002-04:00

I feel like I have been neglecting this blog. So sorry.
I must say that I am just too tired to really do much of anything. Not getting much sleep at night and really makes for some crazy days, plus I feel like I am still recovering from last week. The kids were on Spring Break and we were SUPER busy all week. WHICH is really funny because I was so worried when I found out there spring break was so close to my due date, I thought the kids would be stuck at home and not having fun. But, thanks to my dad coming in town and then my mom the kids had a wonderful spring break. We were gone everyday doing something and most of the days we would come home eat and then leave again. So I am taking this week to recoup. This morning has been a pretty difficult morning. Waking up in a bad mood, waking up in pain, then throwing up all morning and ad that to a bunch of little things not going according to plan it just makes for a not so great morning. I started to get frustrated until I reminded myself that, Today is a day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad. I will not let the enemy steal my joy today. Even through what seems to be a bad morning, I will call upon him, because I know he hears me and he will make everything great.
As my morning seems to be getting worse, I was reminding to get into the word sooner than what I normally do. So first thing I did was check my Joyce Meyer daily devotional, barely able to keep my eyes open I start to read, and this is what she had to say today:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
—Matthew 11:28-30

Free Auntie Anne's Pretzel

2009-03-31T09:15:00.002-04:00

You can receive a free pretzel if you sign up for Perfect Rewards at Auntie Anne's. It is fast and easy and you get a yummy pretzel. Click here to enter: Rewards

Our God, Our Healer

2009-03-28T09:15:00.002-04:00

When you are dealing with a cold, you may forget that God can heal you.. Ok well at least I did. Here we are, my WHOLE family, dealing with a really nasty bug. We all have had sore throats, really nasty coughs, headaches, fevers and aching bodies. The kids seem to get over it faster than us parents. So we went to the Dr. yesterday and all I was hoping for was some medicine, Yes I know a girl who is so against antibiotics was wanting some, because I figured that was the ONLY thing that could take away this cough that Ken and I have had. So we get to the Dr. and they screwed up our insurance info (really long story and maybe I will go into it later) so needless to say the could not see us yesterday. That is when I had my melt-down. I don't mean a little bit of crying, I mean I got so mad. So we get home and all I can do is go up to my room and cry and cry and cry, ok I know some of it was hormones, but some of it was also just plain frustration. For weeks I am cooped up in a bed, I finally feel better and a week later I am back in bed with more pain and now a stupid cold to top it of. I have not been out of my house for a while and when I do leave it is to go to the Dr. on days where I would rather be outside with my family enjoying the sunshine. SO did I have a right to get so frustrated, absolutely not, I really should have dealt with it a better way. Don't worry already repented........

After my pity party the kids ate dinner and then we went to Target. I had to get some kind of medicine to stop the coughing and something to help my sore throat we get home and all is good........ As I am laying in bed it hits me....... I need to come against this sickness and let the enemy know that it is not allowed in my house and then I asked God to heal all of us. I asked to have a full night sleep (after 3 nights of waking up every other hour) and I asked to wake up refreshed. I also asked that Kens fever would be gone, the the hives would be gone and that he too would wake up refreshed and healed.... So 8:30 this morning we all wake up and I got a full night sleep along with Ken and he looks 100% better. His fever is gone his hives are too and he just looks like he got to sleep for a few days. I feel a lot better but and still believing for complete healing, no more cough.... no more sore throat.......

But just remember that Jesus died on that cross not only for our sins but for our sicknesses and our diseases no matter how big or how small. God cares about our colds and he doesn't want us to have them as much as we don't want to have them so God can even heal the cold.

an update

2009-03-25T09:46:00.002-04:00

I have had quite a few of you ask me about the Jahn family. My friend Josh who lost his wife and 2 children in a drunk driving car accident and I just came across this article and wanted to share it with you guys. To check it out click here.

Joyce Meyer Devotional.

2009-03-24T11:27:00.002-04:00

Oh so when I read this, this morning I about spit my water out. Usually I read my daily devotional and think" oh that is good, maybe it is for someone else though" HOWEVER, today's just really was for me and I know that for a fact... So for those of you who know me, know that I am very stubborn and I do not ask for help and I try and be super woman with things well read Joyce's daily devotional..

March 24

You will surely wear out both yourself and this people with you, for the thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it all by yourself.
—Exodus 18:18

I've learned from experience that it is wise to set proper limits and margins. It is a sign of strength, not weakness. Asking for help is a good thing to do also. God has placed certain people in each of our lives to help us. If we do not receive their help, we become frustrated and overworked, and they feel unfulfilled because they are not using their gifts. Remember that God has not called you to do everything for everybody in every situation. You cannot be all things to all people all the time. You have legitimate needs.

It is not wrong to need help and ask for it. However, it is wrong to need help and be too proud to ask for it. In Exodus 18:12-27, we see that Moses was a man with many responsibilities. The people looked to him for everything, and he tried to meet all their needs. Moses' father-in-law suggested that Moses delegate some of his authority to others. He said Moses should let them make the less important decisions and Moses should deal only with the hard cases.

Moses did what his father-in-law suggested, and it enabled him to endure the strain of his task. And the others had the benefit of a sense of accomplishment for the decisions they made on their own. Many people either complain all the time about what they are expected to do or they end up falling apart emotionally and physically because they won't let anyone help them do anything. They don't think anyone is as qualified for the job as they are.

It is easy to think you are more important than you actually are. Learn to delegate. Let as many people help you as possible. If you do, you will last a lot longer and enjoy yourself a lot more.

From the book New Day, New You: 365 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2007 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

OK so this is really good for me, especially during this pregnancy. I dont even like people to clean up my kitchen after a get together and the funny thing is, we had a get together Friday Night with a couple of our friends and when I got up to start cleaning so did my friend Ms. K. and I was about to tell her to sit down and I will get it, but I did not. I thought that was a huge deal for me. She helped clear off counters and rinse dishes and little does she know that it blessed me SO much. I know this may seem so crazy to some of you but since being pregnant so many people have offered to help out, I actually had a really good friend come all the way over to my house one morning just to make me breakfast and clean up my kitchen. She knows me so well that she didnt ever let me know she was coming, probably because she knew I would tell her know. BUT, it really blessed me so much to have her do that. People always offer to come over and do this or do that and I am just so.... well I guess I am too stubborn to accept help. I like how Joyce said that "It is easy to think you are more important than you actually are. Learn to delegate. Let as many people help you as possible. If you do, you will last a lot longer and enjoy yourself a lot more."

Daily Devotion

2009-03-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

From Joyce Meyer

March 19

For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded and stricken within me.
—Psalm 109:22

Is it wrong to have a wounded heart? No, a wounded heart is not wrong, but you need to get it healed and go on. In Old Testament days, if a priest had a wound or a bleeding sore, he could not minister. I think today we have a lot of wounded healers. By that I mean that there are a lot of people in the body of Christ today who are trying to minister to other people but who themselves still have unhealed wounds from the past. These people are still bleeding and hurting themselves.

Am I saying that such people cannot minister? No, but I am saying that they need to get healed. Jesus said that the blind cannot lead the blind; because if they do, they will both fall into a ditch. There is a message in that statement. What is the use of my trying to minister victory to others if I have no victory in my own life? How can I minister emotional healing to others if I still have unresolved emotional problems from my past?

In order to minister properly, we need to go to God and let Him heal us first. I think we need to wake up and realize that God is not looking for wounded healers. He wants people with wounds that He can heal who will then go and bring healing to others. God loves to use people who have been hurt and wounded because nobody can minister to someone else better than one who has had the same problem or been in the same situation as that person.

If we are still bleeding and hurting from our own wounds, we are not going to be able to come against other people's problems with the same kind of aggressive faith we would have if we had already worked through that problem ourselves. The bottom line is that we need to let God heal us so He can use us to bring healing to other people.

From the book New Day, New You: 365 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2007 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Todays Daily Devotion

2009-03-16T16:05:00.001-04:00

From Joyce Meyer,

Life by the Spirit...

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
—Galatians 5:16

I would also like to share what The Message says,

^16-18My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

When God speaks, He divides the thoughts of our soul from the truth in our spirit and brings to life His purposes in us. When I became a student of the Word, I didn't know when I was operating in the soul and when I was operating in the spirit. I didn't know when I was operating emotionally until I studied God's Word and learned to operate by faith in His promises.

When I wanted something, I just tried to make it happen. I tried in all the wrong ways. If I wasn't getting my way, I pouted and threw fits. Sometimes I wouldn't talk to Dave for days on end, hoping to manipulate him to give in and give me what I wanted. All I cared about was what I wanted. I was carnal, selfish, self-centered, and extremely miserable because I was all wrapped up in myself.

Many people get into a relationship with God hoping that He will give them what they want. Their life prayer is a list of everything they want. Consequently, they remain baby Christians all their lives. They slip in the door of heaven when they die, but they never have victory in this life. They never learned to listen to God and hear what He wants for them. We cannot walk in the flesh and have victory or be truly happy! We cannot spend our lives seeking to satisfy our own appetites and still affect anybody else's life in a positive way. It is not possible. If we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh.

The Potters Hands

2009-03-14T15:58:00.001-04:00

Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.
—Isaiah 64:8

I like the story about the couple who went into an antique shop one day and found a beautiful teacup sitting on a shelf. They took it off the shelf, so they could look at it more closely, and said, "We really want to buy this gorgeous cup."

All of a sudden, the teacup began to talk, saying, "I wasn't always like this. There was a time when I was just a cold, hard, colorless lump of clay. One day my master picked me up and said, 'I could do something with this.' Then he started to pat me, and roll me, and change my shape. I said, 'What are you doing? That hurts. I don't know if I want to look like this! Stop!' But he said, 'Not yet.'

"Then he put me on a wheel and began to spin me around and around and around, until I screamed, 'Let me off, I am getting dizzy!' 'Not yet,' he said. Then he shaped me into a cup and put me in a hot oven. I cried, 'Let me out! It's hot in here, I am suffocating.' But he just looked at me through that little glass window and smiled and said, 'Not yet.'

"When he took me out, I thought his work on me was over, but then he started to paint me. I couldn't believe what he did next. He put me back into the oven, and I said, 'You have to believe me, I can't stand this! Please let me out!' But he said, 'Not yet.' Finally he took me out of the oven and set me up on a shelf where I thought he had forgotten me. Then one day he took me off the shelf and held me before a mirror. I couldn't believe my eyes, I had become a beautiful teacup that everyone wants to buy."

There may be things going on inside of us that we do not understand. But when we finally arrive at the place where God wants to bring us, we will see how it has prepared us for what God wanted for us all along.

Gonna reminisce here for a moment

2009-03-13T11:18:00.004-04:00

I really can not believe how time just flies by so fact. I found a CD of pics today and I am so happy I did because I love these pictures and even though I love the "people" my children are growing up to be, I still miss it when they were younger. So I just wanted to share some of these with you.

Devotion for today.

2009-03-13T08:19:00.001-04:00

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith... —Hebrews 12:2

Do you fellowship with your problem or with the Lord?
The devil wants us to think about our problem, worry about our problem, talk about and try to reason out our problem. God desires for us to spend time with Him, talk to Him, and think about Him and His Word.
Jesus is the One we are to look to in order to have our needs met. If we dwell in Him, our problem has no power over us, but if we dwell on the problem, we magnify it above Him. The more attention we give our problem, the more we feed it, the more power it has over us.
I remember when my husband and I were having financial struggles. I would give Dave the bad report, and he would give me the Word, telling me to cast my care on the Lord. He would fellowship with God while I fellowshipped with the problem. The more I did so, the more upset I became.
The devil starts the problem rolling. The more you think, worry, reason, talk, plan, and scheme about it, the bigger it gets. If you look to Jesus, you will experience the miracle power of God as you trust in Him.

Do This:
Forget your problems. Don't think about them, worry about them, or talk about them. Fellowship with God instead, and you will enjoy life tremendously.

verse of the day

2009-03-12T09:12:00.002-04:00

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

— 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV)

When our hearts are tuned to God's will and long to honor him, it is our Father's delight to bless us in mighty ways. So let's first set our hearts to do his will. Then, let's not be afraid to ask God to pour out his blessings on others. Then, let's also share with him the desires of our heart. Finally, let's not be surprised at the ways he blesses us!

My other blog

2009-03-09T16:54:00.001-04:00

Just wanting you all to know I have another blog check it out: http://theblay-smithfamily.blogspot.com/

It is all about this pregnancy but also I am searching for a few things so I just wanted to get the word out there.....

Funny Video

2009-03-06T08:53:00.001-05:00

Explaining a Baby Shower to a 5 year old

2009-03-06T07:50:00.002-05:00

So today is the baby shower for baby Z and Ry woke up this morning with many questions. One of the things I had to explain to him was that it did not involve water. I said " it is when people come and shower the baby with gifts, not when you and the baby take a shower" and here is my 5 year olds response...... "Yeah because no one wants to see you naked mommy".. Love it.

Matthew 6 1:6

2009-03-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

Matthew 6:1-6 (The Message)

Matthew 6

The World Is Not a Stage

¹ "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. ^2-4"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

Pray with Simplicity

⁵"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

⁶"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

Twitter

2009-03-04T19:56:00.003-05:00

So if you did not know I am now on Twitter and to follow me click here!
I love it because I follow some pretty inspirational people and I just love the notes that they leave in the morning. Like this one from Joyce Meyer. "God does not just want to give you strength - He wants to be your strength!" This was so needed yesterday when I read it. I have already had to share it with a few of my friends that are going thru some rough times in their lives. The past few weeks I have felt that I need to be strong, not just for my kids but for me. So I was not really leaning on God for my strength, I wanted to prove that I could do it all by myself... Well, guess what I could not and I needed (and need) God to be my strength. If I call on him he will be my strength.

Sing my love

2009-03-03T09:06:00.003-05:00

I thought I should post the other one too. really I listen to these songs non-stop all day and I am just in awe of God.

Words could never say, the way He says my name

He calls me lovely

No one ever sees, the way He looks at me

He sees me holy

Words could never hold, this love that burns my soul

Heaven holds me

Chorus:

I can’t hold my love back from you

I’ve gotta sing, I’ve gotta sing, sing my love

Verse 2:

You would not believe, the way He touches me

He burns right through me

And I could not forget, every word He said

He always knew me

The earth could never hold, this love that burns my soul

Heaven holds me

Where you go, I go

2009-03-03T08:53:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite songs and today I just wanted to share it with you guys.....

Where you go I go
                       
What you say I say
                        
What you pray I pray
                         
What you pray I pray

Vs:

Jesus only did what he saw you do
 
He would only say what he heard you speak

He would only move when he felt you lead
 
Following your heart following your spirit

Pre chorus:

How could I expect to walk without you
     
When every move that Jesus made was in surrender

I will not begin to live without you
 
For you alone are worthy and you are always good

Bridge:
                               
Though the world sees and soon forgets

We will not forget who you are and what you’ve done for us

Hes still workin on me

2009-02-27T13:53:00.002-05:00

He’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,

The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.

How loving and patient He must be, He’s still working on me.

this is a song that my brother and I used to sing at my dads church (along with other churches my dad used to visit) and it came to me today. I will never reach that point where I can sit back and say " wow he is finished with me, this is who I am and I never need to change anything." I should be changing (growing) everyday. I should not be content or complacent. Complacency is a lair and a thief.

Dr. Appointmet today

2009-02-24T14:47:00.002-05:00

I just got home from the Dr. and first of all I can not believe that I start going every 2 weeks already. Man this has gone fast. Today's appointment was with my favorite Doctor and he really put my mind at ease today. There has been so much talk about C-section and this fibroid that is was just driving me absolutely crazy. I knew I did not want a C-section what so ever and Ken being the loving husband that he is, really wasn't against it because that would mean he would not need to get snipped, I would just have my tubes tied. That right there really did not sit well with me. I could not imagine me getting "fixed" and never being able to carry another child. I mean Yes we have discussed the option of having more children and right now I just don't think I could do it with as crazy as this pregnancy has been, but to make that choice and have it be final is just a little scary to me. Well, anyway during my ultra-sound we were able to see that BabyZ is finally head down and that she has a TON of hair and that she is about 3 pounds 12 ounces at this point. OK for the good news, the fibroid is getting smaller, DID YOU HEAR ME??? I said smaller. can you say Praise God? Now it was not by much that is was smaller but let me tell you, I will take it right now. So all the talk of a C-Section is no longer. They really don't see how this fibroid would get in the way of anything. It is pretty high up in my uterus out of the way of the baby, OK well not completely out of the way, she still likes to kick it and make it painful. So to me this is huge. I have been praying for this fibroid to shrink and I have also been praying against a C-section and today I got such great news. I am still standing on his word for my healing with this pain. All the Ultrasound tech kept saying today was "well you will have this pain until you deliver" and ya know what I don't accept that and I rebuke those words in Jesus name. That is not what the word says and I know that Jesus died on the cross even for things like this pain so I do not have to accept it and I wont. OK for some more good news, as some of you know I still have to go in for my 3 hour testing and I have been putting it off because well, being hypoglycemic it is just not a fun thing to go do this test first thing in the morning and not eat anything and then feeling so dizzy and nauseous basically for the whole day. Well, today I was told that for this test I do not have to "fast" for the 12 hours like I did before... I can eat a very protein filled breakfast and then at lunch time go and take the test. Well, I can do that no problem. So I am so excited about that.

Oscar Fashions

2009-02-23T14:11:00.005-05:00

OK so I didn't really watch the Oscars (because I would rather watch NASCAR) but I did watch the red carpet for the fashions. And let me tell you there were some beautiful dresses. I thought I would give you my 2 cents, since I am stuck in bed and have really nothing else to do.

For best dressed:

This is my choice for 3rd best.

This is my choice for 2nd best:

This is who I think was #1 last night.
The dress was so beautiful and her makeup was fabulous.

Ok and as far as the worst some may not agree with one of them but I really
dont think that it was the best choice.

Ok this one I am sure you can agree with me that it is just all wrong. I mean from the big poofy hair to the 1990's choker, its just wrong in so many ways.

This one some of you may disagree with me but to me it looked like someone took gold leaving and painted (or whatever you do with gold leaf) on to her dress. I really was not that impressed.

need your prayers

2009-02-23T08:07:00.002-05:00

OK I have gotten some emails from some of you wondering how I am doing and what is going on. Well I wish I could tell you that I am doing good. I am usually the person that even if things are not going good I still put on a happy face and fake my way through it, just so I don't have to explain to anyone what is going on. Well, I am not able to put on that happy face and fake it right now. I really need prayers right now. I have never been in pain during any of my pregnancies except well when giving birth. As many of you know I have fibroid and well they are now giving me more pain that I thought they ever could. I was back in the hospital Saturday night where they hooked me up to an IV and they gave me a very gross "cocktail" to drink because they thought it was my gallbladder. After all the test came back negative with he gallbladder they let me know that I have an infection in my uterus and that it is the fibroid that are giving me the problem...... All I wanted to say was DUH, I told you that it was the fibroid. I mean I could feel them and when I did feel them it hurt so bad so but I am glad they ruled out the gallbladder, I should be happy. I also should be happy that they gave me vicodin but I am really not. First, I am very leery of taking anything while pregnant, Second, I have taken a couple and they have not done anything so what do I do in this situation? Keep taking them and feel like I am endangering the baby? Keep taking them and then get hooked on them? Oh wait I know, I can speak against the pain and believe that my "painkiller" can heal me no matter what. You know what it does sound so easy doesn't it? And easy it should be......... So personally I think I have to keep renewing my mind everyday, forgetting what the doctors say (about C-section and about pre-term labor) and remembering that Jesus died on the cross for all sicknesses, diseases and all pain. So please if you all can keep praying for me that would be great.

Happy Monday Morning............

2009-02-02T09:29:00.003-05:00

Well we are back from our mini vacation and we brought some colds back with us... Kalahari was so awesome. I am so glad we had the opportunity to go for 2 nights. I really could not imagine doing it all in just 1 night (almost 2 days)being pregnant. There was a lot of walking involved which I would never ever mind but when you feel like you are carrying a bowling ball around with you in your tummy it was not that fun to walk so much. However, I will not complain about it because it was a blast. The kids got to go on water slides, that last year they would not have been able to , or even wanted to go on and they were so excited about that. We spent A LOT of our time in the wave pool and that was a blast. I also came to realize this weekend that my kids are getting so big. They usually are in the kids play area ALL the time but this time they wanted to go on all the bigger kid things. This kids area was so big and so awesome but they really did not care for it, in fact I asked Riley if he wanted to go play in it and his response was, "no that is just for the little kids in here!" So, from that point on they did all kinds of stuff, but me I went back and forth from the lazy river, hot tub (before you freak out, I didn't stay in them long and I only went up to the tops of my legs), and the wave pool and my lounge chair. And speaking of lounge chairs I never realized how hard they are to get out of when you are pregnant, it really was a funny site I'm sure. So we arrived Thursday afternoon around 3 O'clock and we did not waste anytime getting down to the water park. We did so much in the 4 hours we were down there it was crazy. Then we decided to eat out that night and took the kids the one of the places there in the hotel and the kids really had a great time. They are still talking about the fact that they both won the coloring contest and that Riley won the limbo contest, really it made their night. After we ate we decided to go to this big huge game room and play games for the rest of the night. The kids have been saving their nickles, dimes and such just for this occasion and were very happy to spend it all with in the first 5 minutes we were their..........The next day was another FULL day of the water park and man we did have a really good time, that night my mom came in and stayed with us because the next day we went to see my grandma for her 83rd birthday. That was an eventful day and that all I got to say about that.........................
Sunday, we had church and then a Superbowl party and well today we are all home in bed sick. NICE HUH? Right now it is 9:50 and Kennedy just woke up about 30 minutes ago and Riley is still sleeping so this I think will be a good thing in their recovery process...... We had and unbelievable weekend and we thank God that we were blessed with the opportunity to go.

I now have a reason

2009-01-28T18:45:00.002-05:00

to watch American Idol. Well really like I "needed" a reason before, but I now have some one to vote for. We had a wonderful pastor at our old church whose name was Paul Wilbur and I must say he was the best pastor there. He has two sons and I used to babysit them (wow when I think about it that makes me feel old) well his youngest son recently married and his wife was on American Idol last night and made it through to Hollywood. Her name is Sharon Wilbur and she has a few websites where you can check her out. She is a blogger if you would like to add her to your blogroll. http://sharonwilbur.blogspot.com/ If you would like to hear some of her music, she has an album out, you can visit her page her http://www.myspace.com/sharonwilbur. Please, if you watch the show, keep her in your prayers and when it comes time to vote, please vote for her.

Thanks

I am believing for my healing

2009-01-28T09:10:00.002-05:00

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Psalm 30:2 – O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

My faith makes me whole. I have faith, for I am a believer. I believe I receive my healing, and my faith makes me whole. I receive God’s power as mentioned in Ephesians 1:19. The power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in me. My faith puts that power into active operation in my body. Disease has no choice. There is no chance for its survival in my body.

The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in me. That power is irresistible. It is greater than sickness and disease. That power is flowing in me and makes me whole. I am free. I am entirely free from sickness and disease. I am whole. I believe I have received my healing, and my faith has made me whole!

My Dr.s appointment did not go the way that I wanted it to but I should be used to that by now. I have learned that it is not my timing but it is His. During my ultra sound the technician found that the fibroid grew to about 5 cm and it was only 4 a couple weeks ago. This is the one that they are "worried" about. I do have another one but they are not concerned. They do want me to have an U/S every couple weeks to see how big it is getting because it can stunt the growth of the baby. I have to be honest here, I got in the car and wanted to cry and I did for about 2 seconds but I have been praying for days about this and I was not about to throw it all away and give any glory to the enemy. So I had a choice I could dwell on what the Dr's. just said or I can live and breathe what the Word says. The scripture Isaiah 53:, which has been stuck in my head, kept playing over and over in my mind. I decided to put some worship music on and then started to pray more. The one thing that I kept reminding myself of is that Jesus died on the cross not only for my sins but for my sicknesses too. My sicknesses and diseases were nailed to the cross so they will remain there have they will have no room in my body. To some it may sound so little, I mean a little fibroid, God has bigger illnesses to take care of (ok maybe you aren't thinking about it but I am) right? Well, this is the way I look at it, My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and I prayed against this generation curse a long time ago and I refuse to accept this what so ever. I have learned that if the enemy is given an inch he will take over your whole body. I do not have to accept the pain, discomfort or or any part of this and I wont accept it...

Recipes for your Super Bowl Party

2009-01-26T13:19:00.002-05:00

Or any other party that you may throw or bring a dish to. All of these are my personal favorites and I really only make them for our super bowl parties.

Sausage Con Queso Dip

Ingredients

1 pound Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage Roll or if you dont like hot you can use regular.
1 package (16 ounces) Pasteurized Prepared Cheese , cut into cubes
1 (16 ounce) jar of salsa

Directions

Crumble and cook sausage in large saucepan over medium heat until browned. Drain on paper towels then return sausage to saucepan. Add cut cheese cubes to sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted. Stir in tomatoes.

I will usually then put it in a crock pot to stay warm..

Serve warm with tortilla chips.

*****************************************

Marmalade Meat Balls

2 pounds fully cooked frozen meatballs
1 bottle (16-ounce) catalina salad dressing
1 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Place frozen meatballs in the insert of a slow cooker. In a bowl, stir to combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over meatballs and stir to coat. Cook on high setting for 2 to 3 hours.

******************************************

Buffalo Popcorn Chicken Bites

Vegetable oil (1 1/2 quarts), for frying

2 1/2 cups plain pancake mix

1 1/4 cups water

4-8 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders or skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

Salt

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 cup good-quality refrigerated blue cheese dressing, such as Marie's brand

Directions:
n a deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium heat.
2. While the oil is heating, make the batter: In a wide mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, the water and 6 teaspoons of hot sauce. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl. Arrange the batter and the bowl of pancake mix near the stove. Line a plate with a few paper towels and keep within reach.
3. Once the oil is heated, toss the chicken pieces with the remaining 2 teaspoons of hot sauce, then toss them in the dry pancake mix, coat evenly and shake off the excess. (The dry pancake mix will help the batter stick to the chicken pieces.) Add some of the chicken to the batter (you're going to batter and fry in 3 to 4 batches) and toss with your fingers or a fork. Remove the first batch from the batter, shaking off the excess, and carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. Fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side, flipping once, until deep golden brown. Remove the fried chicken from the oil and drain on the paper towel-lined plate, then season with salt. Repeat until all the popcorn chicken bites are fried.
4. Stir the chopped scallions and pepper into the blue cheese dressing. Serve the chicken with the dressing on the side.

*********************************************

Beer Bread

Ingredients

3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and beer.
Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

This can be served with any of your favorite dips or I love to put it with spinach dip.

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Dawn's Party Punch

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen concentrated white grape juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen concentrated O.J.
1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen concentrated pineapple juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can concentrated Mango or Papaya juice (usually found in your juice isle, if not look in the Spanish food isle)
1 (10 ounce) bag of frozen strawberries
1 pint of raspberry sherbet
3 liters of either Sprite, Squirt, or Ginger-ale

In a large punch bowl add the pint of sherbet to the bottom of bowl. Start adding in in the juices one at a time. You can stir after they are all in. Once the juices are all in add in the strawberries. Now start to slowly add in the soda and pour it onto the sherbet.

God is big enough

2009-01-26T09:39:00.002-05:00

FAITH in God will make me whole..........

A few weeks ago when I had my ultra sound the technician informed me that I had a couple fibroids and to be honest with you I didn't freak out I just got a upset. I have been praying over my body for so long and broke the generational curse of fibroids, see my grandma, aunts, great-grandma and my mom have all had them, everyone except my mom had a hysterectomy to remove everything. My mom decided to go the "natural: route and take an herb called myomin to treat them and well a year has passed and all 17 of hers are gone. For all of you who know me, know that I am not a traditional person and that I try the "natural" route before trying anything else, so as soon as I was told these about my fibroids my first thought was I need to get some of that Myomin that my mom is taking, and can I take it while I am pregnant and if I cant take it while I am pregnant can I take it while I am breastfeeding? I mean I had so many thoughts going thru my head for weeks about these stupid things. I was being consumed with this and so after hearing back from an herbalist on Friday I was quite upset. He told me that i really should not take it while pregnant and I need to wait until after my 6 week check-up to make a decision. Well, to a person that wants things done yesterday I really did not care to hear this.
That night I had M-68 at church (young adults) and during our time of prayer i felt like I should have everyone pray for me but to be honest I really did not want to share all of this info in front of all of the leaders, I had no problem with the girls it was just embarrassing to talk about it in front of guys...... So I just kept quiet and prayed on my own. As I was on stage singing I was reminded that there is only on person big enough to take care of these stupid fibroids. I was shown that I was putting my hope in this Myomin stuff to take care of them and I didn't go to the only person that could heal me first. Here I had no problem laughing in the enemies face when he kept throwing other stuff at us but for some reason I did not go to God first after this ultra sound. I kept being reminded that not only did Jesus die on the cross for ours sins but he also died for our sicknesses and diseases. Also, nothing is too difficult for Him and nothing is to big or petty for Him. As I am standing up there TRYING to sing, I had this peace that came over me and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He could heal me. I just again prayed over my body that everything will line up to what the word says and that my body is whole and healthy and that it is already healed so I will just receive it and accept it.

I was not going to blog about this until after my ultra sound but I would love if you (whoever you are out here) could just be agreeing with me. I have my U/S tomorrow at 10:30 and I am just excited to see what is NOT there.....

Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight

Mark 11:23
For assuredly I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but BELIEVES that those things he SAYS will be done, he will HAVE whatever he SAYS." Words mixed with the real, pure faith can and will move mountains or any other problem that we face.

New President, Same Authority...

2009-01-21T10:53:00.002-05:00

Ok so as you all know we have a new president, and I have heard a lot of people gripe and complain but I would just like to remind everyone of this:

Romans 13:1-7

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Bye Bye Hotel

2009-01-20T11:12:00.002-05:00

I just have to start off by saying that I am so exhausted.. This pregnancy is really starting to kick my butt. I have been on the go for months now and this weekend I was finally able to just sit and well, do nothing. I relaxed in the pool and sat watched TV with the kids, and played some cards as well.. So with all of this rest that I have been doing, I am EXHAUSTED. Why doesn't this make sense to me? Well, I wont try and make sense of it, its not worth it.

I have 45 more minutes until Ken comes to pick Riley and I up from the hotel.. The kitchen floor will be done today which means we can start moving stuff back in the kitchen. It also means the the mold that was in my kitchen is all taken care of as well. Thank God. I really could not stand the fact of my family being in that house when there was mold from the water damage. So, the fact that I get to go back to my house makes me a very happy person, but if you all remember the pics from the downstairs, we have A LOT of work to do putting stuff back. We cant put everything back either because we have to wait for the other cabinets to come in. I am just happy to be going home and doing my laundry and sleeping in my own bed.

Ya know what is so funny is after I blogged yesterday, I just felt like I was attacked from every direction. Last night I just sat and balled, now grant it I am pregnant so a lot of it was hormonal but, I really do miss my husband, my kids miss their daddy and well when you are cooped up in a room with kids you just tend to be more on edge than normal. Thank you God that today is a new day, thank you that kids went back to school today, and thank you that yesterday was yesterday and today is today. There is no need for me to bring yesterdays crap into today...

Thank you God

2009-01-19T09:10:00.002-05:00

For the strength that you have given us. When we feel like we can not go on, you give us strength to get through it all.........................

What Ken and I have really learned in the past 6 months is, The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but the choice is ours if we are going to let him....... The word says that he comes steal, kill and destroy but because we are full of God we have a choice, do we let the enemy take from us or do we laugh in his face and go to God and say, you came to give us life and life more abundantly so we are giving this to you to take care of because this is bigger than us but not you. Nothing is to difficult for God, nothing is too big for God and until Ken and I really learned that in our lives we were miserable.

We have had a lot of things happen to us and the enemy really has tried so many things to steal from us, and destroy us but we knew in our hearts that no matter what things come our way we know there is only one person that can get us through it and so we put out trust completely in God. A lot of people have asked lately, "how are you handling your kitchen ordeal so calmly?". First of all I have not been so calm, I had a morning where I was crazy. I like my house in order and not a thing out of place, so a morning where I have to search for things, well it kind of makes me a "crazy lady" so I would not say that I have been "calm" the whole time. I understand that the water damage that was done to our kitchen sucks, but me complaining and getting upset will not change a thing with my kitchen, however it will change my attitude and it could cause the enemy to come in and steal from my family, so it is my choice... Do I get mad and upset at what happen to my kitchen or do I thank God that he has his hand in this situation and will take care of my family?

So please just keep us in your prayers that all goes smoothly and it gets done quickly and that I will get to see my hubby more soon.

Our house

2009-01-18T12:38:00.003-05:00

So our house in "under construction" now.... As some of you may know we had water damage and we had to redo our kitchen so it all begins. The floor is out and so are the cabinets. Here is what my house looks like:

So now that you have seen the photos of my house, now you can see why we are hanging in a hotel for a couple days.

ITS A ...........................................

2009-01-12T18:44:00.002-05:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So you probably wonder

2009-01-10T08:48:00.002-05:00

Where I've been.......... I have been well all over the state of Michigan (well so it feels)..... We had some water damage in our kitchen and now (thanks to our great insurance company) we must put in new floors, new counter tops, and replace some of the cabinets, oh and what the heck while we are at it lets just take out our island and put in a peninsula and redo the bathroom floor too..... SO, the fun part has been driving around looking at granite and not agreeing, or when we do agree they give us the estimate and it is too high. I have been to cities here in Michigan that I have not even heard of in the 4 years I have lived here... Well we are now done picking everything out and now comes the waiting game, well for me at least. Now Ken gets to do all the work. He is going to start with the painting and trim and then put in the floor.. I am really praying for patience during this because I understand my house is going to be a mess and my kitchen will now be in my living room and life is going to be crazy for a while, not something I care to deal with when I am pregnant but I have been dealing with a lot through out this pregnancy so what is one more thing added right?

Well I must go for now and make breakfast since my children are acting like they are going to die from starvation. Please keep us in your prayers as we redo our kitchen and pray that Ken and I make it out alive, well actually I should say we make it out still loving each other with all body parts in tact.

Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificate for $1.40

2008-12-17T07:10:00.000-05:00

Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificate for $1.40

Enjoy dinner out with your family for a steal!

Restaurant.com is offering a new code for 80% off the purchase of gift certificates through them. Pair this with the cash back deal through Cashbaq, and you can get a $25 gift certificate for just $1.40 (or free if you’re new to Cashbaq – they are offering a $5 signup incentive right now)!

Taking advantage of this offer is easy:

Sign up with Cashbaq and click through their site to get 30% cash back from any Restaurants.com purchase.
Add your gift certificates to your cart in increments of $25.
Enter the code SANTA at checkout.
Use the gift certificate code generated to select and print out gift certificates to the restaurants of your choice.

As I mentioned the last time this deal was offered for Halloween, make sure you look up what restaurants are participating in your area and check to see if they have any purchase requirements. Some restaurants may require a minimum food purchase when using one of the GCs.

However, this is still a fabulous way to treat the family to dinner out on the cheap. I’m thinking these would be great stocking stuffers!

BTW, Cashbaq still has the free Entertainment Book deal going, so I’d encourage you to take advantage of that as well if you have not.