His Mercy is New

Memorization

2012-01-27T09:35:00.003-05:00

God has really been impressing on my heart the importance of memorizing His Word for the past few weeks. We have always been big memory work people around our homeschool, but I have been re-energized to keep going strong in this endeavor.

There have been so many great and inspiring reads regarding memorizing God's Word lately...

How the Word Transforms - with printable cards for memorizing James
Memorizing Scripture: Why & How - from John Piper
A Habit More Important than Quiet Times? - with printables for memorizing Sermon on the Mount
The One Habit - more encouraging words from Ann Voskamp
Memorize Titus with Becky
Encouraging Words for memorizing longer passages
Benefits to Memorizing Scripture - from John Piper - if these reasons don't inspire you, I don't know what will. :) I want all of these things for my own life so desperately!!
Great tips for memorizing - scroll down to bottom of post {I love some of her tips: write it, speak it, set aside time for it, study it, be TRANSFORMED by it}

John Piper speaking on Scripture Memory...this is so good! (thank you to Ann for sharing this link!)

Well, these links have certainly inspired me! My children and I have memorized quite a bit of scripture over the years, however, I haven't been great about reviewing ALL of it. So, I'm going to work on reviewing some of our older passages.

AND, we have started memorizing James chapter 1 together!! I'm so excited about this because we have already memorized up through verse 7!! If we can do this, YOU can do this too!!

I want to encourage you and pray for you in this endeavor. What are YOU memorizing right now? I'd love to hear from you! And if you leave me a comment with what you are memorizing, I commit to pray for you as I pray for my family as we memorize!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T13:21:00.001-05:00

{our sponsored child's home}

American History: Ben Franklin

2012-01-24T18:19:00.003-05:00

I need to catch up on sharing our american history happenings. :)

In December, for our group time together, we focused on Benjamin Franklin. (We meet with 2 other families weekly for science and history.)

First, we brainstormed on the white board: what do you know/remember about Ben Franklin? I was impressed with how much these kids knew!

Then, we got to work on our own almanacs.

I let the kids have a little bit of "creative freedom" with this project. After we listed the items on the board that they remembered, I told them to choose a few to illustrate in their almanacs! They did a great job with this!

I just put out colored paper, markers, scissors, glue and tape and let them get to work!

Books we read:

A Living History of Our World - Vol. 1 - our main "core" text this year

What's The Big Idea, Ben Franklin? (Paperstar)
Who Was Ben Franklin?
Ben Franklin and His First Kite

**disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post

Blessings: Belize on my heart

2012-01-22T16:39:00.005-05:00

Thank you so much for praying for my trip to Belize. Prayer warriors were a huge part of our work there AND the results. God is so very faithful. Why do I ever doubt Him or doubt what I am doing when I have heard His call?

I wanted to write more about my trip. But right now I am overwhelmed. Exhausted. Broken. Humbled. Grateful. It's so very hard to sum it up.

So, for today, I'm focusing on the gratitude...

I got to visit with my sponsored child, Astrie, and her family. (I met her for the first time on my trip in August 2010.) I took her gifts and also we delivered groceries to her house. This truly is one of the highlights of my entire life.

One thing I love about Belize is that there is always a baby to be held. :) We all got our share of baby lovin' while the ladies were here for Bible Study!!

Beautiful, beautiful children.

Sweet and powerful worship. There is nothing like it.

I can't even begin to describe the gift I received in leading worship with these ladies. We had 64 ladies at the beginning of the week. By the end we had 85 women. To hear them praise God, hands raised, singing with all their hearts...though they live in a poverty indescribable. Well, it leaves me speechless, humbled and amazed.

The ladies absolutely LOVED the tote bags we brought for them to decorate and take home!! They loved decorating them and showing them off.

On our last day there we washed the ladies' feet. They came out to one of us, we asked them how we could pray for them, then we poured water over their feet and prayed specifically for them. It was powerful and heartbreaking at the same time to hear so many of their stories.

Are you ready for this? We ended the week with FIVE baptisms!! This story here is one I have to share. Her name is Priscilla. At the beginning of the week, we had each lady fill out a little card with their name, where they lived, etc. We also asked on this sheet how we could pray for them. And every night we prayed for EACH lady and her requests. Well, Priscilla's prayer request said that she wanted to believe in Jesus but had so many questions and did not understand. So, Friday during the feet washing, my dear friend, Rebecca, had the opportunity to wash her feet, answer her questions and pray with her to RECEIVE CHRIST AS HER SAVIOR. Oh what a precious, precious moment for all of us. To have prayed for her all week...and have our prayers answered WHILE we were still there - in front of our very own eyes!! Oh, it was just awesome!! God is so good!! She was one of the 5 baptized on Friday. Look at that smile...it says it all.

Please continue praying with me for these precious women. The majority of the prayer requests they shared were for husbands/boyfriends to come to know Jesus. The lives these women live is just plain hard. Harder than anything we, as Americans, will ever know. Yes, we struggle...but these women carry so much more than we even have to deal with in our comfortable homes. It is heartbreaking. And their men don't love them well. Please keep them in your prayers!

Pray especially for the women who made decisions. We had a few other decisions (other than the baptisms) and we so desperately want these women to find a church, to find mentors, to find Godly people who will walk alongside them and help them grow. They need this desperately. Many of them are going to be turning from a life of prostitution - a life they led to simply put food on the table. Many are turning from other things like drug dealing and gambling. It simply is more than my mind can fathom. And the attacks from the enemy will be fierce. I so covet your prayers for them!!

Thank you, friends, for walking this road with me. It isn't easy, but it's so worth it. God is faithful!!

Bible Study in Belize: Day 1

2012-01-18T09:53:00.001-05:00

God always exceeds my expectations. Once again I am wondering why I ever doubt or have fears. Our first day of Bible Study with the ladies in Belize was nothing less than awesome.

Hearts of Christ is a children's ministry and there are around 1000 children sponsored through them. But no team has ever come to do a Bible Study for the ladies. We wanted to serve them, lavish them, love on them. We have prayed for months for them.

We had around 62 ladies come and 20 children in child care. Most of these women have never had opportunity to leave their children with people so there was a lot of crying going on. :) These were babies and preschoolers as the school age kids were in school.

As the women kept coming, we kept pulling out more chairs and setting up more tables and God even multiplied the good because we had tried to estimate for around 50 ladies, not having any idea how many to expect.

Worship was beautiful. I had a hard time knowing what songs to sing, wondering what they would know and like. They knew most of the songs and the one they didn't know they sang out loud and clear anyway. Their singing blesses more than I can even describe. They sing out so much more than people back in America. I mean these ladies were belting it with hands raised and tears streaming. Worship is one of the things I love most about Belize. They have nothing and worship so freely and so loudly because Jesus truly is their all.

We had 2 ladies come and pray with one of our team members to receive Christ. We had several ladies come and pray with our ladies for various different things.

One of my favorite parts of the day was serving them lunch. We hired one of the Belizean women to come in and cook some really good lunches to spoil these ladies with each day of the Bible Study. Our first day we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and fruit. We let the ladies stay at their tables and we brought them their lunches and served them. It was a special time.

Another blessing for me was after lunch when I sat down with a few ladies and out of the blue one of them asked me how to pray. Prayer is something God has been working in my heart about so I was very excited to share some practical tips for prayer with these precious ladies.

God is so good and so faithful!!

Books I'm Reading in 2012

2012-01-18T06:26:00.001-05:00

I would really, really like to keep track of what I'm reading. So, instead of just keeping a list of my favorites (which you can find here) I think I will keep an ongoing post on my blog of books I've read.

Books I've Read in 2012

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3)

Books I'm Reading Now

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (for the 2nd time)

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord: How to Release the Hidden Power of God in Your Life
Heartfelt Discipline: The Gentle Art of Training and Guiding Your Child
Reading God's Story: A Chronological Daily Bible

Project Life: My Title Page!

2012-01-17T06:29:00.004-05:00

**I set this post before I left for Belize! I was so excited to share my title page with you! :)

I love how my cover/title page turned out this year! I really didn't spend *that* much time on it! But just a few little things made a BIG difference in just personalizing the page a bit!

I love that I was able to incorporate the year, my word of the year, the verse God gave me to start this year AND a new-ish picture of our family! I love how it turned out!!

My Supplies

**Project Life was created by Becky Higgins and is a very simple, but creative and beautiful way, to document your family's everyday moments. The simplicity of it is why I love it so. You can click on my Project Life category to see all my posts on this topic. If you would like to see more inspiration for very creative ways to add to your Project Life album with embellishments, look at this list of links. To purchase Project Life, you can go to Amazon and look around at the options. Remember, I am not an affiliate for Project Life, however I do get a few cents from each purchase on amazon. The new kits for this year are the Clementine Edition and the Cobalt Edition. When I can, I try to link up with Jessica at The Mom Creative for her Project Life Tuesday posts! You can look here for lots of inspiration, too!

Hello from Belize!!

2012-01-16T23:12:00.001-05:00

Greetings from HOT Belize!! :)

Thank you so much for your prayers! Please continue, tomorrow our Bible study for the ladies will begin at 9:30am.

Today we went to a village and passed out bags of beans and rice. It's hard to put poverty into words. It's hard to see it, smell it, hear it and taste it. But it is my joy and honor this week.

I just pray that we can share the hope that can be found in Christ to these precious, precious ones.

InstaFriday

2012-01-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

A little glimpse into our week from pictures on my ipod touch.

Sick children. all week. you feel sorry for me, don't you? :)

Today is the first day we have woken up with NO FEVERS in our household!!

I am going to try to keep better track of what I'm reading this year. Post coming next week while I'm in Belize...it's all set and ready to go!

My Buddy.

Sweet Ellie. Her favorite spot on my comfy chair.

Our first snow of 2012!! Yay! Not much, but the kids love it!

My little snow bunnies.

The year of faith

2012-01-12T06:52:00.002-05:00

As soon as God spoke the word "faith" to my heart, I remembered this picture I had taken on a mission trip to Alaska a few years ago. These snow covered mountains were gorgeous.

And they reminded me of this passage that I know I struggle to believe...

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,

you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there'

and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

Increase my faith, Lord.

Prayer Requests for Belize Trip

2012-01-10T10:33:00.000-05:00

{a picture from my last trip - August 2010}

It is almost time!! I can hardly believe it is nearly here! I leave Saturday morning at 3am for our mission trip to Belize! Thank YOU for joining me on this adventure through your encouragement and especially your prayers! It is a huge comfort to me to know so many are praying for our team and for God's perfect will to be done while we are there!

I am going to Belize with a ministry called Hearts of Christ. I went to Belize with this ministry (through my church) in August of 2010 and saw first hand what a wonderful ministry this is.

The children of Belize cannot attend school unless they can afford to do so, which leaves a lot of them uneducated. Hearts of Christs, through your sponsorship, pays for their school fees, uniforms, books and other materials they need. At this date over 1, 000 children are sponsored through Hearts of Christ! Because of Hearts of Christ, the future of Belize is changing!

Last time I went to Belize I helped in August when Hearts of Christ was registering the kids and passing out all their materials for the new school year. This trip was awesome! (I also got to meet my sponsored little girl, Astrie!!)

This time, we are going for a different purpose! To encourage the WOMEN of Roaring Creek Belize where Hearts of Christ is located. The women of Belize are treated poorly. They have very hard lives. They live in poverty and most of them have many children to care for with much in the way of supply.

Our team of 10 ladies is doing a Bible Study based on 1 John 3:1 and the LAVISH love of God. Please pray that we can show these ladies how LOVED and CHERISHED they are.

{one of the homes we visited and took food to while in Belize in August 2010}

Here is our schedule for you to be praying specifically:

Saturday - travel to Belize
Sunday - church service with the local people, preacher Frankie Wade, who has been up to our church for our mission expo!! This church service was a highlight of my trip last time!
Monday - taking beans, rice and other groceries out to the villages - I will also be taking groceries and gifts to my sponsored child and her family!! CAN'T WAIT!!
Tuesday - Friday - our Bible study begins!! Please pray for the hearts of each woman who attends - and her children that will be ministered to as well!
Friday - a special Praise Celebration - we are bringing tote bags with the theme verse on it FULL of goodies to LAVISH these ladies with on our last day!! Pray that we can truly be a blessing and encouragement.
Saturday - travel back home

As a personal prayer request, I will be leading worship each morning for our Bible Study. I am SO excited about this blessing, but do so covet your prayers! I have a tendency to worry about the details and since I am unsure of all of them at this point, I have been worrying a little bit. I'm trying to leave it in God's hands and I KNOW He has a plan for this week and for each and every song I choose!

Pray that all the details fall into place - the keyboard and microphone I am depending on that are already there, a CD player to use, pray that the Holy Spirit guides me to choose songs that will minister to and encourage the ladies there. Pray for unity for our team of 10 ladies. Pray that this week will be a week of encouragement to the ladies of Roaring Creek, Belize. Pray for any that don't know God's lavish love, that we can show them...tell them...give them Jesus.

**You can read all my posts on Belize by clicking here.

Project Life Tuesday

2012-01-10T07:23:00.007-05:00

My Project Life pages in all their simplicity: (these are all from my JUST FINISHED 2011 album. I should be getting my new album to get started for 2012 any day now in the mail!!)

I like to add in a few love notes when I can. :) Usually they are from Emily, she is my note writer and affirmation girly. Love her. I just took a regular paper sized plastic sheet protector, put her love note on Project Life paper that came with my kit and put the date on it. This will be a page I cherish forever.

More simple pages:

I love that Project Life includes the pretty filler cards so that you don't feel you HAVE to journal for every picture. Notice the 2 cards below that have no writing, but they add lovely color to my page!!

Several of you asked for pictures of my layouts from my 2011 album. So, here they are! I must tell you, if you want inspiration, go to these links. Some VERY creative people who spend a LOT more time on their albums!!

I want to add that the simplicity of Project Life is WHY I love it. I do NOT have to spend hours on just a few layouts. I do not have to find matching papers or the perfect embellishment. I can embellish if I choose, but with this year's album I did NOT do any of that! And I still LOVE it!! Thus, why I love Project Life! :)

My Supplies (for my 2012 album)

speaking to my soul...

2012-01-09T08:41:00.005-05:00

This morning as I read my Psalm for today God gently nudged me with His sweet voice. In Psalm 62, David is making a proclamation that his soul finds rest in God alone! This verse is one of my favorites, a huge encouragement to me to find my rest - my everything - in God ALONE.

"My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Psalm 62:1-2

But, this morning, as I read on, I noticed something new about this Psalm...if you keep reading, at first glance verse 5 seems to be nearly identical to verse 1. But, it's not.

Here, David is speaking to his soul:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.

He is telling himself to find that rest - that everything he needs - in God ALONE. He is reminding himself. He is speaking to his soul.

God told me that I need to be doing that more often. I need to speak His very words outloud to my heart. I need to remind myself to find rest, find everything, in God alone. Oh, how I wish I didn't need those daily (or moment-by-moment) reminders. But, I do. I need to remind myself so often that this world is not my home. I need to remind myself that His grace has been poured over my life in so many ways. When I speak these truths to my soul, I am boosted, I am encouraged, I am finding my rest in Him. Truly.

This works with gratitude too. The more I list, the more blessed I feel. The more I count these gifts, the more I see His hand of grace everywhere I look. Everywhere!!

Still counting...

Psalm 62 - just what I needed this morning

packing for Belize

David cleaning up the kitchen

rainy days of watching tv/movies

playing Apples to Apples with the girls - lots of laughs! (Thanks Uncle Jon & Aunt Karen!!)

favorite worship songs

hugs and prayers from friends

seeing the enemy at work for what it is - and not letting myself worry over it!!

slowly getting back into a school routine. slowly. :)

praying towards a year of faith

watching the body of Christ worship

the birds at our feeders

#2176 - 2187

2012: The year of faith

2012-01-08T07:01:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I was unsure about having a word or theme for the year. I prayed about it some more and felt the Lord was giving me a word. But, it was a word that I didn't know I wanted to focus on. :) I thought it was actually too elementary for me! HA! (doesn't that show the ugliness of my pride?) That may be exactly why He wanted me to have this very word!

I started the year off memorizing Isaiah 43:18-19.

"Forget the former things.

Do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up, do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wastelands."

Isaiah 43:18-19.

When I read these words from Ann Voskamp:

What if I will always be this way… (fill in the blank with fear of personal choice: self-centered, overweight, uneducated, unmotivated, debt-ridden, angry, anxious, apathetic, unfulfilled…)

What if our family, this marriage, these children, stagnate, fester, languish? What if all tomorrows are just more of all our yesterdays?

A thousand times I’ve told myself, “I simply must try harder.” Try harder to be more organized, try harder to educate our children better, try harder to be more after God’s heart.

But I know it: trying harder only results in harder trials.

Self-striving nurtures self-hatred. Toiling in the flesh produces foiling in the soul.

Looking back on the trail tromped through other years, I can see that to forge new tracks across this year will needs more than simply sheer effort, gritty determination.

The wind lifts the branches of the spruce trees that tower outside my window. I cannot see the wind, where she comes from, where she goes, but I watch a thin veil of snow, blowing in with her, going off with her.

And the wind whispers with rumors from Home: to track new ways, one needs wind’s hope, His Spirit.

His Spirit wind covers our muddled tracks. The grace of His Spirit, fills our empty spots, intercedes, and gives us a fresh start every day.

God spoke to me. He showed me that there is a fear I have that I don't even know I knew about. He showed me the fear in my heart that I will never change.

When He showed me this fear, He showed me that this fear is a result of a lack of faith. I haven't been trusting Him to grow me, change me and mold me into His image. I have wallowed in the past (the "former things") and felt I was too beyond His hand of mercy to make me into who He wants me to be.

When He told me this, I knew what my word had to be this year. He wants to grow my faith. It isn't elementary. It's where I am.

I pray you will join me this year as I embrace more trust, more hope, more FAITH in my Savior. I'm excited to see what He is going to do.

Increase my faith, Lord.

Homemade Beauty Products: Update #1

2012-01-07T16:47:00.003-05:00

I shared last week how I was trying to make my own hygiene and beauty products with recipes I have found over the web...and here is a short update on those. :)

What is working:

a *thicker* baking soda and water mixture for shampoo (I need MORE than 1 T baking soda in 1 cup of water, which is what I tried the first time)
Castille liquid soap - diluted 50/50 water/castille soap - for body wash and face wash AND shampoo AND hand soap at the sinks
Apple Cider Vinegar - diluted 50/50 water/vinegar - for a hair rinse - this is NOT like conditioner (obviously) and I only have been using it every few days, just from recommendations around the web

What did NOT work:

Coconut oil for deoderant - HA! This makes me laugh. I was so excited to try it. But, I was reminded by a few people who go the "all natural" route that deoderant and anti-perspirant are VERY different things and it would take awhile to get used to not having the anti-perspirant. not sure if I'm that brave yet. :)

Not sure about yet:

The oil cleansing method for face washing (that I mentioned in my first post.) It isn't that I don't like it or that my face is worse than it was, but it just leaves everything so oily feeling, including my hands after washing my face. I have been using just a little bit of the castille soap on a washrag and that has been my first choice thus far.

Anymore recipes or ideas I should try? I am open to suggestions!

sorry, no time for blogging!

2012-01-05T12:53:00.002-05:00

You can blame this short blogging break on my sister-in-law, Valerie, who introduced me to the Hunger Games. (actually, I had seen lots of people raving about these books but was 191st in line at the library. Thankfully, my lovely family members came through for me and let me borrow their copy!!)

I cannot put it down! I already finished the first book, The Hunger Games. And I'm halfway through the 2nd book, Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games). I won't tell you how recently she gave the books to me.

I tell ya, it has been kind of fun, though. I haven't gotten much done around the house, I'm still in my comfy PJ pants, and am totally enthralled with this story. It's been a long while since a fiction story has pulled me in like this!! :) I love reading!!

Have you read The Hunger Games? Did you sleep at all while you were reading them?

Project Life {Not on Tuesday}

2012-01-04T07:05:00.002-05:00

So, it's not on Tuesday, but I wanted to give you a few helpful links that I have come across recently for Project Life!! As of this moment, I am still finishing up my album for 2011. But, I am pretty close. :) I have my December pictures ready to insert and then some journaling to finish up...hopefully I can get that done pretty soon! It feels so wonderful have a WHOLE YEAR scrapbooked with all our family memories preserved!!

I am SO excited that I finally ordered my album and kit for 2012!! I ordered the Clementine Kit, I love it!!

Here is the binder:

And then you need a Core Kit, which includes all your journaling cards, date label cards, all the PRETTY stuff. :)

This year, they have introduced different page layouts, so you just order whichever pages you want to put in your album, there are lots of options, a few of which have already sold out! (there will be more in stock soon, I'm sure!)

So, by the time I post again about Project Life I hope to be able to show you my first few pages!! YAY!!

Here are some great links from around the web concerning Project Life:

The Mom Creative's 2012 Project Life plans
Ali Edwards' blog is a HUGE inspiration for Project Life! (look at her title page, isn't it awesome??) **also notice she uses Project Life with WEEKLY layouts instead of of a picture-a-day...this is similar to how i do it too.
Project Life available on Shutterfly now - here are all the details from Becky Higgin's blog!
Becky's post from Tuesday was just fantabulous: Project Life in 2012! Click over for lots of inspiration, links, info and Project Life love.

**Full Disclosure: Just a reminder that I do not work for Project Life. :) However, if you purchase through any of my amazon links I do receive a few cents from each purchase. And I do sooooo appreciate the purchases that have been made from my blog! That is NO extra cost to you!! Thank you!!

In 2012...

2012-01-03T07:04:00.002-05:00

"I am a complete sucker for a fresh start. The new year is like manna from heaven.

I’m overwhelmed with list-making and dream-seeking and soul-searching . Hope swells and washes the memory of past failures clean.

I couldn’t care less that I’ve made this list 20 times before and didn’t follow through with it.

As a matter of fact, this tendency toward renewal and resolution wasn’t even our idea.

We borrowed it from our Father who promised new mercies every morning and fresh starts ‘seventy times seven’ times."

~Edie from Life in Grace - emphasis mine. (I mean really! just read her post on New Year's REVOLUTIONS and tell me you aren't inspired by her!!)

So, I haven't given up on finding a focus...One Word for 2012. I'm pretty sure I have heard my word. :) Reading posts like this and this sure do give me lots of inspiration and things to think about. I've been thinking about my words from years past: compassion, abide, rest. Those words (and searching the Scriptures for them) have special and meaningful memories for me. I know God taught me a lot of things even if I didn't finish the entire year out posting regularly about my word.

I'm going to spend another day or two praying about it and then I'm going to DIG IN!! :) (oh and of course I'll share here on the blog what my word will be!!) I also like that it will give me a focus for the Lent season.

Also coming in 2012...

A series of posts on mothering and how it has changed me. These posts will be honest, raw, and prayerfully encouraging. Hopefully not too depressing. :) But, it's something I've been thinking about for awhile...I've shared little bits and pieces of how motherhood has been the hardest thing I've ever done, I've shared that it's not been what I expected...but I hope to share a little more in an attempt to find JOY and CONTENTMENT in this huge calling and role that I find myself in at this time!! I hope you'll join me!

And, of course, I cannot leave out the fact that January 14th I am leaving for Belize!! I plan to share our daily schedule with you so that you can be praying for our team!! I so covet your prayers for this trip and for the ladies we will be ministering to!! Your prayers will be such a huge source of comfort and encouragement to me!

Lastly and most importantly, in 2012 I want more Jesus. I want to look more like Him. I want to think more like Him. I want to act more like Him. I want others to know that I know Him. I want to know Him more. May it be so, Lord, may it be so.

Happy New Year, friends!! :)

Grateful for a New Year!

2012-01-02T07:07:00.005-05:00

I mentioned that I love a new year. I have continued praying about a focus for 2012 and so many things have come to mind. (??!) I have so many things to work on. But, I don't want my walk with God to be be about me doing more. Sadly, I have walked that path before. Me being better, being more will never work...because I am nothing without Him. His grace is my sustenance. Nothing I can do can change my standing before Him. Praise Him!! I would love a focus, though...still seeing where the Lord is leading. A few words that have come to mind are: CONTENT, GRATEFUL, and PEACE. Hmmmm...sensing a theme. :) We will see...

{{Do read this post from Ann Voskamp as you head into the new year: 5 Steps to Making New Year's Resolutions. It is excellent.}}

This week I am thankful for so many blessings...

continuing to re-read One Thousand Gifts. what a gift this book is to me!

spending New Year's Eve with dear friends - needless to say, lots of laughter. :)

New Year's Day at church with my family - hearing my dad preach

preparing for Belize

pulling out the suitcases

finding capris and flip flops to pack! :)

preparing worship music for our time there (a huge endeavor for my heart, please pray that I will listen to the Holy Spirit as I prepare to lead worship for these precious ladies!!)

a new year. a fresh start. new mercies...

gearing up to get back to our routine (for 2 weeks til I go to Belize! ha!)

my father-in-law coming home from hospital - with no further amputations needed! A praise!

lunch with a kindred heart friend

paper snowflakes

IEW dvd lessons with the girls - it's kind of nice to have someone else do the teaching every now and then! :)

our home - warts and messes and all. I love our home even though I complain and it drives me batty at times - well, the mess drives me batty. I love our home and the people who live in it with me. what a gift!!

#2162 - 2175

A New Year!

2011-12-31T07:02:00.001-05:00

I love a new year, don't you? I think that is probably why I actually like Mondays, too. A new start. A fresh week.

His mercies are new...every morning, yes?

I don't have any eloquent words for you about ringing in the new year. I'm still praying and pondering and asking and wondering where God will take me in the coming year.

I did decide on 1 thing...

I'm going to read the Bible chronologically in a year!! AND with my girls!! I ordered the Reading God's Story: A Chronological Daily Bible for me and this one for the girls: Day by Day Kid's Bible: The Bible for Young Readers (Tyndale Kids). I'm excited about this! I'm hoping if the girls are doing it too, that we can all help each other remember and be accountable!

I think this will be a nice change to the previous years when I've read the Bible in 90 Days! That was an awesome experience, but having done it 2 times in the past 2 years, I think this chronological reading will give me some new insight and a new version will help the Word become new and fresh to me in the coming months!! I'm excited!

I have not felt prompted to do a word of the year this year. I don't know...it seems that I always start strong and peter out after a few months. I am open to God giving me a word to focus on...and am listening for His voice. We will see. :) I like the idea of having a theme to focus on...but am just praying and waiting to see if God would have me go there and if so, how to make it applicable and accountable through the entire year.

As I think about this past year, you, dear readers, are one of the gifts. Thank you for stopping by and sharing with me your ideas, your prayers and your encouragement. I love the blogging world and a big part of that is each of you!!

Happy 2012!!

Homemade All-Natural Beauty Products: UPDATED

2011-12-29T15:40:00.008-05:00

{my recycled bottles of body wash and face wash!!}

There are several reasons I have started looking into more natural approaches to hygiene...some of my reasons are I have just seen some fun recipes and thought I would try it! :)

The main reason I am trying all this is because since May my skin has been breaking out!! So, I know...many of you are saying, "so what?" Well, here's the what. My skin has NEVER really broken out like this. I have had pretty good skin my whole life - even through pregnancy, hormones, etc.

I have tried and tried to figure out the problem...was pretty convinced it was our new water softener/salt, but we've had it off for nearly 2 months (because of my assumption) and I am breaking out. Again.

Maybe it's age? I just turned 35yrs!!! Yikes! Maybe it's a mid-life skin crisis?!

Nevertheless, I started googling and pinteresting and found a few things, so I thought I'd branch out to my blog and find out what YOU have been using!!

I LOVE this list of ways to use Coconut Oil -- but, I'd really love to hear some TRIED and TRUE ideas. Have you done any of the things on this list? Have they worked? Have they bombed?

I've been trying a few ideas for a few days now:

hair conditioner -- 1/2 water, 1/2 apple cider vinegar -- so easy!! so cheap!! So far, so good! I'm hoping this continues to work, cause with 3 girls in this home, hair stuff gets expensive!!
face wash - 80% olive or sunflower oil, 20% castor oil -- I got the idea from here. So far, so good! Are you familiar with the Oil Cleansing Method? I wasn't!!
coconut oil for deoderant - kind of weird to get used to, but so far so good.

Up Next:

Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille soap - I found recipes for shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, hand soap...apparently you can use this stuff anywhere and everywhere! :)

I hope to give an update after I've been using these things for a week, and then longer. I have read mixed reports on using the castille on your hair...but I'm using a pretty diluted recipe, so we shall see!!

I'd love to do MORE of these things because I know the absence of chemicals in these products would be a lot better for us! I'd also love to save some money by using cheaper, natural products.

What have you tried?

What has been successful for you?

Have any of the homemade, natural ideas bombed at your house?

::right now::

2011-12-29T06:46:00.001-05:00

I have seen several bloggers just do a random "right now" list and I thought I would give it a try! I suppose it's taking the easy way out on those daybook posts that I haven't done in ages! :)

Right now I am...

mourning the end of Christmas.
Too sad to take down my Christmas tree.
Not really motivated to do much around the house at all.
Praying for some motivation to come back. quickly.
Hoping we can get back into our school "groove" soon.
excited about Belize.
praying about where God is leading for 2012 - regarding Bible reading, memorization, new habits, etc. (this post from Ann Voskampis helpful!)
making plans for our upcoming school days
trying to get in lots of water during the day.
praying for motivation to get back to healthier eating now that the holidays are over.
noticing a theme: praying for motivation :)
continuing to pray for my FIL who remains in the hospital
trying to figure life out. ha! (why do I continually do this to myself!?)
learning about George Washington with my kids
trying to find some sort of balance between our American History studies this year and the "old" but fun unit studies we did in years past. I miss the "thematic" learning...for instance, right now I'm wanting to dive in head first with all our WINTER and SNOW books...but we really need to be learning about George Washington and the wars and Declaration of Independence. But I just don't know how to do it ALL.
thinking this is a really long list...
and does anyone really care about these crazy little thoughts?!!? ha!

What's going on in your neck of the woods today?

My Favorite Books of 2011

2011-12-28T07:19:00.005-05:00

As you know, I love reading!! So, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite reads from 2011. These books did not all come out in 2011, but that is when I read them, so I'm adding them to my list. :)

What about you? I'd LOVE to hear what your favorite books were from this past year? I need to start making my list for 2012!!

These book are NOT in any particular order...

1. One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are - so good, I'm already reading it for the 2nd time in 2011. :)

2. Spiritual Rhythm: Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul

3. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World - the best book I've ever read on prayer.

4. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

5. Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food

6. Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

7. The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children

8. The Mailbox- the only fiction book on my list! I do not read a lot of fiction, but I did read several, and this was my favorite of the ones I read in 2011. :) It was a great, quick read!

**If you scroll down through my "Books I'm Reading" category...you can read more of my thoughts on these books, and others I read that may not have made my Favorites list.

Christmas Thankfulness

2011-12-26T06:57:00.002-05:00

My side of the family: my parents, my 2 brothers and their wives, and 3 nieces/nephews...so far!! :)

I can't believe Christmas is over. I wanted it to last longer. I didn't want my family to leave. But, I won't dwell on that...I will take a few moments to thank God for the precious time we did have together!!

So many moments to be thankful for...

sweet worship on Jesus' birthday

my brother and his family coming to church with us (and his sweet baby giggling through the sermon!! love!)

my kids excitement over playing with their aunts, uncles and cousins

lots of family playing Wii together

advent candles - all lit up

Christmas pajamas

chex mix

Christmas cookies

Christmas at our house - with my whole side of the family!! I was so excited that we were all together!!

a wonderful Christmas sermon

Christmas carols

Hannah LOVING the lego kit we got her - and working on it all day long!!

playing games together

the kids singing Happy Birthday, Jesus and blowing out His candles

money for my upcoming mission trips

a brisk after-dinner walk

celebrating the birth of my Savior with those I love...what could be better?!

Blessing Count:: #2145 - 2161

**please say a prayer for my husband's parents...his dad went into the hospital on Christmas Eve with a wound that is infected on his foot. He already has had several amputations...pray that this would not be the case this time and that the infection will not spread. He is a lifelong diabetic and doesn't have feeling left in his feet much anymore. We were sad that they had to spend Christmas in the hospital!!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T22:36:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2011 from Candace Crabtree on Vimeo.

This is a slideshow of some of our favorite moments from December 2011...thus far. :) I already had so many pictures I decided to create the slideshow without Christmas Day. I am sure I will have enough pictures from Christmas Day to form a whole other slideshow. :) Enjoy!!

And, from our family to yours...

Merry Christmas!!