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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Snow Days 2014

I remember growing up getting lots of snow. I just want my kids to experience a huge snow like those that we got several times. But we have to settle for 1-4 inches. It doesn't stop the fun though. Here are some pics from our snow days this month.

Snow days week 1: 
Mattie doesn't do snow. 

Mollie doesn't do shoes. 

It was cold enough to freeze snot!

Waiting on her BFF to get here. 

We made a movie. These were their costumes.



Snow days week 2:

Gathering snow for snow cream

This sled is older than me. LOL


Praying this is our last winter here. Gonna miss the hills though.

Perfect road to sled. 

Great day to mend Teddy.
We are still out, but the sun is out, snow is melting off the grass, even though it's still on the roads. Maggie is gone to a friends and Mollie has a friend here. We've decided we probably should wash sheets and clean a little today. We just wish Daddy hadn't went to work yesterday and could have stayed and played. Hope you are enjoying your winter wonderland!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Bible In a Year--Review and Giveaway


The cover of this Bible just draws me in. It says pick me up and read me every time I pass by.  I received a copy of this Bible from Tommy Nelson to review as a Tommy Nelson Mommy. It is a New Century Version and is a Bible in a Year. It is set on a fifth grade reading level so all of my kids can read it, no matter their reading level. It's easier for some and a little challenging for others. It is divided into daily selections from both Testaments, Psalms and Proverbs. It also has extra insert pages. We are currently using this Bible for our daily reading. It is great for our evening Bible reading and helps us fulfill our schools daily reading requirement.

I would love for you to join our family as we read through the Bible in 2014. Will you join us? Enter below to win a copy of your own for you and your family.











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Every Day a Blessing--Review and Giveaway

Every Day a Blessing is a wonderful book of short devotions for elementary aged children. Although I would also recommend it for younger children. You can even get it for kindle. It isn't dated and has daily and weekend devotions, scripture and ways to see blessings in your life or to be a blessing to someone else.

I'll be honest with you there was a little argument when this book came. We looked through it, read a few of the devotions to see how we liked it and then two of the kids decided to take off with it. They finally decided they could share it and both of them could be blessed. But then we had younger visitors who got really excited about the cover of the book. So we added this book to their collection. We hope they are blessed and bless others every day because of it. And I'm going to purchase a copy of it for those two kiddos who know they did the right thing but really want that book.

Would you like to bless a child today with this book? Just enter below!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Tommy Nelson to review. All opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was given.

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My Friend Jesus--The Gospel for Kids--Review and Giveaway




I received a copy of the book My Friend Jesus-The Gospel for Kids by Kathryn Slattery to review. My kids loved it! All four of my kiddos have asked Jesus in their heart and have been baptized. 

This book is written in such a way that children can understand. It has no denominational affiliation so no matter what church you attend this is a great book to tell the gospel story about Jesus. It also has a prayer at the end that helps guide children in their relationship with Jesus. 

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. My kids decided to share this book with a younger friend who knows about Jesus but hasn't asked him in to his heart. We hope that this book will help him out.

Would you like to share this book with a child you know? Fill in the entry form below. One winner will be selected randomly. Contest ends Friday, January 31st.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book to review with my family from Tommy Nelson because I'm a Tommy Nelson Mommy. Opinions are my own and I received no monetary compensation.


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One God, One Plan, One Life--Devotional Giveaway

I have four books from Tommy Nelson to give away. I'm behind so I'm posting all of them this afternoon in separate posts. Be sure to check out all the new posts from today and register to win!

Max Lucado has a new devotional for teens. This is his first devo for teens. One God, One Plan, One Life offers teens 365 days of guided quiet time. It also includes two Bible reading plans in the back of the book. As I've read through some of these devotions I love the questions that follow each day's reading. It really encourages teens to pull God into their everyday lives.

Each day also has a daily verse. These are great to work on memorizing verses, because most of them are short. Not only can teens spend time with God even with their busy schedule but they can also increase their memory bank of verses too.



Do you have a middle or high schooler that you would like to share this book with?  Just click through the rafflecopter below and enter to win. 


Disclaimer: As a Tommy Nelson Mommy, I receive books for my use and to review at no charge to me. All opinions are my own and I receive no monetary compensation.

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2014--My Word of the Year--Live

I've prayed for the last year that God would show me ways to not regret. Not regret the past, not regret lost time, not regret saying yes or no, not regret decisions made. I've searched for a word, was simplify it? Was it "No"? No to extra things taking my time, no to people, no to ministry opportunities, no to extra school activities. But the answer, the word, wasn't no. Last Friday the Lord dropped it on my heart. I wasn't sure exactly what the word was but I knew He was telling me to get off my phone, limit my time on social media, protect my family time, reserve Sunday for Him, family, friends and fun, say no when my heart tells me, yes when He does and put Him and family before others and extras even if it means I'm not in charge of something or can't help someone do something. He wants me to pray before I say yes or no, quit planning every minute of every day and LIVE.

So that was it, that was my word? Live...to be alive, to maintain oneself, to attain eternal life, to remain in human memory or record and finally to have a life rich in experience. Wow, those are just a few of the definitions I found in Merriam-Webster's wonderful book of words, the Dictionary.

What does live look like in my life right now? Um, boring. It's more like the antonyms, deactive, ineffective, asleep, stagnant, unproductive. But what can I do in 2014 to make live look like it's true meaning?

Sundays--
God, Family, Friends, FUN--No Internet, no phone except in case of emergency and I will decide whether your emergency is my emergency too.

Everyday--
Hubby and Kids and family first after God. They are my life. More time with them. I often put other people's needs or things I think need to be done before my family. I'm not apologizing for telling people no. Look people in the eye when I talk to them, especially my kids, in the same room, not from across the house. I even miss out on family time with parents, siblings and our niece and nephews because I'm busy doing something someone else thinks I should have or make time for.
I'm not saying I won't do things to help people. But I will pray and seek God's will and take into consideration my families thoughts and needs before I commit.

Let Go--
I made my own planner/journal in December. I know God was preparing me to live as I worked on it. It has a calendar for each month, but no hourly schedule. It's more of a journal to record what we do each day after it's done. I want to remember these times, but I'm not going to be tied to a schedule, or to journaling everyday. Live in the moment. Even behind my camera I can live and the kids and I can record our year of memories in our Project Life Book.

Simplify--
Schedules, basketball ends next week. Other than Mattie running track and field sports are done until next basketball season. The kids are pretty athletic, but our lives aren't going to be run by sports. We hope to move this summer. A big yard sale will follow. Mikie spends every day off remodeling, the kids and I fill our off days with things that don't always help our family or fit into our family mission statement.

Social Media--
None on Sunday and limited time the rest of the week. I have some sponsored posts for the blog coming up. Time spent on social media needs to honor God and help my blog, not my nose problem.

Health--
I can't live if I'm not alive. Healthier eating, more exercise, less crap, less stress. In the words of Dave Ramsey, "Live like no one else, so that later you can live like no one else." I know he is talking about budgeting, which we already do, but it applies to my whole life.

So in 2014, I will live, live for God, live for now, love for the future, live for my family, friends and fun. Live like there's no tomorrow. Live with no regrets.

What's your word?

Disclaimer: I didn't take time from my family to post this. I'm enjoying a second sick day this week, thanks to strep and a fever. So other than sleep, no one was neglected.



Saying goodbye to the old and looking forward to the new!



Thursday, January 2, 2014

In Progress

I'm currently working on updating the blog layout and the post themselves. I have several books to give away from Tommy Nelson Books. The kids are going to the Grands for the weekend so hopefully by Sunday I'll be done. Thanks for your patience, browse awhile and then come back to see what's new!