Too Much??

Alright, this is how my Saturday started out... yeah.. that would be my daughter playing peek-a-boo with me using her croissant. We are some Panera Bread lovin' fools.. well let me correct that statement... I AM A PANERA BREAD LOVIN' FOOL and my poor family is sometimes just along for the ride.

My husband had to go and give a few estimates before my son's soccer game so I was fully intending to head straight home and just chill out for a while. Well, wouldn't you know that I passed a yard sale sign on my way home and decided to stop.. which lead to a moving sale and then yet one more yard sale.. oh and my kids were super happy about all of that... but can they really complain with a DVD player in the van and a belly full of yummy panera bread??? I don't think so!

Then Braydon played soccer at noon with his team from last season as a fill in b/c one of their players was sick... Well, he was smokin' and scored the only 2 goals for his team and was even invited to stay for the "end of the season" party for a team that he wasn't even on. At the party they were giving out trophies and of course they didn't have one for Braydon b/c he's not even on the team but they gave him an "honorary" team member medal and he was super happy.

After the soccer game and party my sweet husband said, "Hey, honey why don't you go have some Mommy time and do a little shopping".. God love him.

Off I went fully intending to go to Target and TJ Maxx, BUT.. I made what was supposed to be a quick stop at the thirft store to just look at their furniture and this is what I ended up with...



So.. is it too much????

I'm divin' in

Official member of the famous "Mistreatment" Club






Alright my Nester friend... this one's for you. I'm officially divin' in and becoming a member of the mistreament club. I've lived in my house for almost 6 1/2 years and have never done a single thing to my bathroom that is downstairs in the basement. It was hideous with its striped wallpaper and just bland overall appearance.

So.. when construction was going on in the house after the fire I decided that I was going to start stripping the wallpaper off and make some changes. How I wish I had taken before pictures b/c the wallpaper was awful.. I think I've mentioned that already. So in Jan/Feb of this year I began the painstakingly tedious task of removing the wallpaper.

BUT with life and children and living in a rental house that was 15 miles away... I didn't quite finish. Then at the end of March we were able to move back into our house so at that point I was more concerned with other areas of the house.. not to mention unpacking hundreds of boxes.

WELL... here I sit in late October and I am finally getting off my butt and finishing the bathroom in the basement. And I must give all the credit to my adorable and precious friend the Nester who has completely inspired me to make my home a place that I actually want to live in... thanks dear friend.


SO... here's my first official window "mistreatment"






Below is the shower curtain that's not complete yet but I had to add this picture b/c it's one of my most favorite fabric choices... and it was on sale (50% off) yippeee!













These next project isn't completed yet either but I'm needing some advice on color choice...



This is the boy's room and yes.. this is the way they left it last night b/c their mother was busy cleaning out the garage ALL day and so I had no idea of the devastation that awaited me when I climbed those stairs.



Anyway... back to color choices... they have lots of blue with splashes of red.. do you think this stripped blue fabric on the right blends into the wall too much?? Should I change it up since their other window treatment is the darker blue?? Any suggestions??

My Wooden Pumpkin

My surprise!

Well, I walked out onto the front porch a couple of nights ago to water my mums and to plug in my pumpkins and I found this... my husband made me a pumpkin from an oak log that was bound for the firewood pile but my thoughtful and creative husband decided to make me this cute little wooden pumpkin.

My creative middle child

Alright.. my middle child's name is Braydon and when he was a baby my husband gave him a nickname... Bray Bray.. well yesterday when he was having his snack after school he decided that while eating his pretzels he would spell out his nickname and this is what he came up with.. is that not the funniest thing you've ever seen??? a nickname spelled out with pretzels that my son so creatively crafted... this was too good not to share.

Boo At The Zoo

Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the zoo was fun but we couldn't fully experience the whole thing b/c the price for the rides (haunted train, ghastly carousel, ghost roller ride & hay ride) and the Planet of the Apes Haunted House experience was just a little too costly for our family of 5.. bummer!

But it was a great excuse for the kiddos to get to wear their costumes and do a little trick-or-treating on a smaller scale.

Then there were some photo opps that created some memories with friends.

This had to have been the most voluptious Snow White character that I've ever met.. Emmie had to have her picture taken with her and I don't think Gilby really hated it too much!

We had dinner at our friends house before he headed to the zoo, so I took this chance to get a few pictures with my characters.. but my black spiderman didn't really feel like taking a picture b/c he was too upset that he couldn't play his friends DS before we left for our fun-filled evening.

Our cast of characters

A Must Have...

This is a great magazine that Kraft sends out every season... Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer!

It's easy to sign up and receive these for free..

Go to: http://www.kraftfoods.com/share and simply sign up and they'll send one to you.

These magazines are full of great recipe ideas related to the current season. I've used them often and there recipes taste great. Some have lunch box ideas for the kids.. they have great snack ideas for when the kiddos get home from school too.

HALLOWEEN IDEAS

Included in the fall magazine last year were the cutest halloween food ideas.. just visit http://www.kraftfoods.com/halloween to find these ghoulish goodies.

Another bonus inside includes these coupons that come tucked inside the magazine. Not too bad, huh? I hope you give it a shot and see what you think. I look forward to my newest food and family arriving each season. It's a pleasant surprise when it shows up in my mailbox.

Girlfriends in God

Just wanted to share a free devotional, Girlfriends in God, from Crosswalk.com.

I pray it blesses your heart today.

October 16, 2008

When I Am AfraidMary Southerland

Today's Truth"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).

Friend to Friend

We do a lot of laundry at the Southerland house. There always seems to be a load in the washer that needs to go in the dryer, a load in the dryer that needs to be folded and a load of dirty laundry waiting to begin the process all over again. Sound familiar?
Our washer and dryer have numerous settings for everything from hand washables and fine delicates to cotton and permanent press. In an effort to raise responsible young adults, our children began doing their own laundry at a young age. However, there was a price to be paid for that lesson. After a few loads that yielded pink male underwear and sweaters shrunk to fit Barbie dolls, we decided to wash everything on one setting. Heaven help the man, woman or child who dares to change that setting.
When a life crisis comes, we generally have an automatic setting of fear and anxiety. The good news is that we can change that setting to peace and joy! How? By counting on God.

Count on God to be with you. We battle stress every day, but God is faithful and we can count on Him to be with us every step of the way. Worry is trying to fix tomorrow's problems with today's resources. My husband and I are flying to Charlotte, North Carolina. Dan booked the tickets and reserved seats for both of us. We have packed our suitcases and made every preparation we can think of. However, we really don't need any of those things...until we get on the plane. Grace is much the same. God gives grace in daily doses -- just when we need them.
Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you (NLT).

Count on God for direction. Life can easily spin out of control in a whirlwind of confusion. God offers direction and guidance through His word, through His people and through the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 32:8 I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you (NLT).

Count on God for provision. God goes before us in every area of life. Nothing that happens to us will ever surprise God. We must be careful to stay away from the scenario sickness of "What if". There are no "what ifs" when we choose to trust God for every need.
Isaiah 65:24 I will provide their needs before they ask. I will help them while they are still asking for help (NLT).

Count on God for protection. God will fight for us when we are attacked. When we follow God's agenda, God fights for us. When we follow our agenda, we are on our own.
Exodus 14:13 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (NIV).

I recently saw a bumper sticker that read, "If God is your Co-Pilot, switch seats!" Many of us have good reason to be afraid because we are sitting in the pilot seat of life, determined to be in control. Fear feeds stress. Stress thrives in an atmosphere of fear and doubt when our hand is on the steering wheel of life. We need to move over, surrender control to God and find the peace waiting in His hand.

Let's Pray

Father, my heart is filled with fear. It seems like I am drowning in the uncertainties of my life. Lord, help me to surrender my fears to You. Strengthen me to face each one and walk through it, knowing that You are with me. I choose to trust You and doubt my fears. I choose against stress and choose for peace. I choose You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
What fears are you facing today?
Make a list of your fears.
What step(s) do you need to take in order to find victory over those fears?
Surrender each one to the loving control of God as you pray, "I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Burn the list as an offering of praise and thanksgiving to God's perfect peace enthroned in your life.
Read and memorize the following verses. When you are afraid, pray and speak these verses aloud:
Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (NIV).
Psalm 63: 7-8 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me (NIV).
Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them (NIV).

More From The Girls

The longer I live and walk with Christ, the more I experience the reality that God is the only one I can truly count on in life. He never lets me down. He never leaves me. He is always there when I cry out to Him. Fear was once a very familiar prison to me. Step-by-step, I began to realize just how faithful God is and that realization has changed my life. When you are afraid, He is your complete peace. Need encouragement? Check out the new MP3s now available!

My 3 Superheros

So.. here's what we ended up doing today.. playing superhero! Aren't these capes so cute? They were a Christmas present last year. Such a big hit at our house. And YES those are sequins on Emelia's cape.. so fitting for a little girl with older brothers.. she really stands out now! The boys are starting to feel better so I guess the "bug" has been driven away from our house for now.. thank the Lord Almighty. It's no fun taking care of one sick child let alone 2.. praise God Emelia didn't catch it.

Newbie in town

Well... it doesn't surprise me that as soon as I decide to dive into this blogging world that 2 of my 3 children catch a virus. It started on Saturday and has just yesterday(tues) spread from my middle child to my oldest!?!

I have to give a little background for those who don't know me.. last December 10th we had a kitchen fire that destroyed the kitchen and created soot and smoke damage throughout our house. Thank the Lord no one was injured and we all got out of the house in plenty of time. It wasn't the best timing considering having Christmas in a rental house for a family of 5.. but turned out to be a blessing b/c I got a brand new kitchen, new carpet and new paint. So, with a new palatte to work with I've been inspired to make my home a place that I actually enjoy living.

It's still a work in progress...