Threes My Crowd

He Never Gives In

2011-12-04T11:26:00.001-06:00

On of my favorite songs is by David Crowder Band, He Never Gives Up. I am constantly being reminded that My God does not give in. No matter what obstacles seem to rise from the muck and mire of this world. this last week I was given yet another opportunity to prove to myself where my faith lies. I am pregnant and I am diabetic. Because of the combination I not only have a regular OB, Dr. Tadvick,( whom Mick and I absolutely love), but I also go to a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine, Dr. Maberry. We love both of our Dr.s and trust them with out hesitation. Two months ago Dr. Maberry told me that he felt that I should see a pediatric cardiologist juts to be on the safe side. My appointment was this last week. Callan got an over all A for structure and flow, but Dr. Day did find a small issue. The septum between the chambers of the heart are thicker than they should be. This makes it more cumbersome for the heart to pump blood in and out.

I will admit that i held together really well as he was explaining things to me. I smiled at the desk on the way out and said hello to the people coming into the building. I then picked up my phone and called my mommy. When I heard her voice a slew of emotions flooded me and I began to weep. I explained everything that Dr. Day had told me and she sweetly began to remind me that we kn ow the facts but we also know His truth. The truth is that I am the daughter of Lazarus and not only that I am a daughter of the king. He is in control of this life and there is nothing that I can do but trust Him and know that I know that I know...He will take care of my child and Callan will be born healthy and strong.

In other fronts Dad is doing better every day. he going to be moved to a special hospital that will prepare him for rehab. We are all excited and a little scared. The move is a huge leap forward, but then look what Dad and our God have accomplished already!! God is good all the time and I know that we will be seeing even bigger things to come. He never gives up on us and I we must make the choice that we will not give up the battle.

WOW!

2011-11-23T15:03:00.001-06:00

So it has been...I have no idea how long it have been since my last post. This last summer and fall have held tremendous trials, surprises, and blessing for us. Some much so that I will admit to being totally overwhelmed and blogging has not even been on the stove less alone the the back burner.

To make a very long story short my Daddy has been fighting for his life since May and my husband and I have taken over the business, their personal bills, and my grandmother. You can follow what has been going on at my facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/keri.davidson . Please look at it the Journey that the Lord has led us on is like no other!!! Because of that I have had reevaluate what I am doing in my family, my life, my blog, and everything that I am a part of and touch. Nothing can be the same in my life and the life of my family ever again.

To add to all the fun that we have had , we found out in June that we would be making an addition to our family. In February we will be adding a boy, Callan Joseph and we could not be happier about it. It has been a difficult pregnancy and without the support system that we have had in the past, it has at times stretched me to lengths that I never thought were possible.

So with all of that in background let me share with you what I am hearing today and have through out this week. "What's it to you?!" There has been more stress and unorder in our lives this month alone than I can ever remember. We have had health issues, financial issues, and relationship issues. At times I felt that it was more than I could bare, but God has been abundant in grace and for the first time in my life I rely completely on Him. The What's It to You part has been really hard to deal with. If he chooses to take the life of my father what is it to me? If He chooses to stop the extra income that we have ( and when I I say extra I mean a couple of houses that I clean and that help us make ends meet.) what's it to me? If we have complications bringing Callan into the world, what's it to me? The reason I say what's it to me is what can I do about it? He is the one who holds my past, present, and future. He is one on control and this is His show. I am simply an instrument that He plays for His purpose and my prayer is that my sound is sweet and pleasing to Him in every way.

Working Through Trust

2011-05-23T11:08:00.001-05:00

There have been times over the years that I have said, "I will trust God in this matter." I really thought that I was being sincere about it. I thought that I had a handle on it. The truth is that I had no idea. I am learning that to say one thing and then put it into practice are two very different things.

One of my favorite verses has always been John 13:15 "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face." I always thought that I had a handle on it. I thought that I would be one of the first to stand and praise regardless. The truth is this though. I am a wreck a mess a complete and utter shamble of what I thought. How do I know this? Because He is teaching me what it means to really trust.

Websters say this of trust:

-NOUN

1. RELIANCE ON THE INTEGRITY, STRENGTH,ABILITY, SURETY,ETC., OF A PERSON OR THING; confidence.

2. CONFIDENT expectation of something ; hope

3. confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit; to sell merchandise on trust.

That is trust as a noun. I had never really thought of the word as a either a noun or verb.

-verb ( with out an object)

1. TO RELY UPON OR PLACE CONFIDENCE IN SOMEONE OR SOMETHING(USUALLY FOLLOWED BY IN OR TO): to trust in another's honesty; trusting to luck

2. to have confidence, hope: Things work out if only one trusts.

-verb ( with an object)

1. TO HAVE TRUST OR CONFIDENCE IN; RELY OR DEPEND

2. TO BELIEVE

3. TO EXPECT CONFIDENTLY; HOPE

When put this way I have found that I am very far off the mark. I too often say I trust you Lord, but do I CONFIDENTLY EXPECT? Have I simply learned enough of the religious gargin that I just spew it out just so everyone knows that I am on the same page with them? I have to answer YES.

For me I am learning trust. I am learning that I can expect and that I am not some step child that the Lord took in because he felt so sorry for me. He wanted me. He desperately fought and claimed me. Because of that I can trust. Because of that I can confidently expect.

Proverbs 13:12 tells us that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

I must chose. Will I worry about what I can not change or will I gain confidence in knowing that it is beyond me and frankly, it's not my problem. I'm going to try to go with the not my problem...I am going to focus on what I can do and should do, which is to take everything with prayer and supplication before God. I am going to pray that He will place His desires in my heart and that I will be able to let go of the things that I once felt important. I am going to TRUST!

2010-10-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

I am planning on getting some fabric next week to start a few new projects. Until then, here is my take on Matilda Jane. I love it so! The close are effortless to make and yet they look so expensive. The pattern took me a while to figure out, but once I did It was really more simple than I had thought.

Until I start my next project...Make It Work Mama!!!

Lunch: Cheap and Easy

2010-10-23T16:24:00.006-05:00

So have to admit that I have been one of those moms who relies entirely too much on hot dogs and PB & J. I really wanted to make something for my little ones that they would eat and I would know was nutritious. So I looked in my freezer, pantry, and fridge. This is what I found:

Parmesan, Diced tomatoes, Margarine, Frozen chopped spinach,
Bacon ends, and angel hair pasta

I simply prepared my pasta as usual, drained it and tossed it with a little oil. I then put the tomatoes,
half of the bag of spinach and cut up bacon ends in a skillet. I let this cook on medium and put a load of laundry on. I came back and let it cook for around 15 minutes. I added water as needed.

To my surprise, Emma and Jack loved it!! Keep in mind that they are a whopping 22 and 9 months old. I never thought for a second that either would like the spinach, but they did!!

Jack even had seconds!
I promise to eventaully get better at documenting pictures and I will hopefully have a better camers soon as well.
Have fun making it work y'all!

Reality

2010-10-19T10:20:00.002-05:00

My sister who lives in Apple Valley has recently helped open my eyes. I have become pretty diligent lately in trying to stretch dollars and still keep my cutie pa tutti in the most recent styles. Trace really encouraged me to start sharing what I am doing even when I am simply trying to figure it out. So for now on, not only will I be writing about my family, but how we make it from day to day. I will include sewing, crafts, and food. Of coarse anything else that has opened my eyes, helped set a coarse, or simply made things easier!
Right now what I am loving are the designs of Matilda Jane!!
I Love the simplicity and whimsy.

Making changes

2010-09-02T06:54:00.000-05:00

My husband has recently decided to enroll in college and get his degree. I have to admit that as daunting and scary it may be, I am very excited! For years I and many in my family have told him that he is very smart. He has never believed us.
As he begins this journey I have become very aware that I owe him the duty of making our home a safe haven for him to come home to and a place where he can relax and still get his studies done. So today I begin trying to organize and get my home under control.

2010-08-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

2010-08-24T11:50:00.000-05:00

Jack is now 7 months old and we are a mere 4 months from Emma's 2nd birthday. Time has flown by. The days seem to be getting shorter even though the heat is still unbearable and I find myself in a quandary. There is a fire beginning to stir in my belly and simply being happy with getting by isn't doing so much for me anymore. I see it in Mick as well. For so long we have been simply making it and I think that we both see that we can and need to do better, if not for ourselves, for our children. I recently posted on face book what I wanted to do when I grow up and among those things was to run a marathon and finish a triathlon. Although I have no experience in running, biking, or swimming, it would be a great accomplishment for me. I want to do it I just need to come up with a game plan. First and foremost just simply starting to exercise again is at the top of the list. We shall see how it goes!
I know this. If I never start I will never finish.

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

2010-06-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Time To Catch Up!!

2010-03-19T07:26:00.000-05:00

I woke this morning with my husband telling me he was off to work and would see me tonight. That was at 4:30. I tried to go back to sleep and decided that the effort was futile and that the mountain of laundry in the corner of our bedroom needed to be tackled. As I was sorting the laundry the Lord began to remind me of my many blessings. I am often amazed at how I begin to feel that we don't have much when in reality...I have everything. There is nothing that could possibly fulfill me more than my family.
Emma is possibly the most animated, precious, and beautiful little baby girl that I have ever known. I know I am prejudice, but even when we meet strangers she draws them to her. She is one of a kind.
Jack is amazing and Mick and I already see his little mind ticking away, taking in everything around him. He is changing by the hour and already turning into such a big boy. Lord my cup runneth over!!

Snow days!

2010-02-16T22:25:00.000-06:00

Emma had been in the house for days so when it snowed I decided it was time to let the girl go wild!!

Watching It ll Take Place

2010-02-15T10:20:00.001-06:00

I have for many years told myself that God is sovereign and that He remembers His words to us. he does not for get or put us on the back burner till He has more time. I have told my self this because I had great difficulty not believing it. Over 19 years ago I sat in Abilene Community church and listened as a profit spoke "God's word" to me. I was amazed how this man knew things that I had not shared with anyone else. I was moved when he spoke of deep seeded desires that I had tucked buried in my heart. For five years I held to those words and then realised that I was holding onto nothing. Nothing was going to happen for me. I would not be the family woman that this man had said I would be. I was to be alone and that was simply my plight. My sister, Heather also received words through out the years and waited and watched, praying without ceasing. I must admit that there were times I would look at both of us and question our sanity at holding on to "God's Word". I began to question if He cared anymore that He had promised me anything or Heather as far as that goes. Then slowly 8 years ago I began to see the plan unfold. I mat a man, I asked another man to join a wedding party The beginning had begun. I cried out when it looked like I had missed it and then our sweet Emma was conceived....Another miracle four months after her birth, Jack was conceived, and last night I got see the most wonderful completion that was literally 15 years in the making...Heather was asked by the man who has held her heart all that time to be his wife!!!!!!!! Oh how humbled I am now. How great is my God!!! How awesome are His plans and how thankful that He and not I control the future. He makes all things perfect and completes all of His works!!! Praise be to Hi who sits on the thrown!!

I can't believe it's been six years!!!

2010-02-11T23:28:00.000-06:00

Around this time six years ago, I was frantically trying to work wicked hours, plan a wedding with a shoe string budget, and get Mick and I's house ready to be lived in. He arrived in December and we had 90 days to get married. So we did just that. The wedding that I had planned my whole life was going to put on the back shelf and we were going to make due with what we had. I was greatly blessed with an aunt who was a wiz at decorating for weddings and even with all of our limitations, she pulled it off and it was beautiful. Now we are approaching the mile stone of six years and we have been blessed with two beautiful children, Emma and Jack. God is so god and I am so blessed.

2010-01-26T11:31:00.000-06:00

So here we are. It's two weeks after his birth and As overwhelmed as I feel, it's nothing com paired to the wholeness I feel. My entire life I have wanted a family. People who I could love and treat with unconditional love and in return receive the same. I can remember when Mick and first got married. We knew we wanted a family and that time was not on our side. We began the process of planning a family and it just didn't seem to happen. At the time Mick was working nights and when he was gone I would lie in bed at night and beg, plead, and cry out for a child. I had no idea why we weren't getting pregnant. Some how in m y mind I was having to pay for all the things that I had done in the past. All the sin that I willingly allowed into my life, all the decisions that I made that I knew better than....I was paying for falling and turning from the creator. Then out of the blue Emma, the wonderful creature that she is came into our lives. Now we have Jackson Boyd who I can not even express my feelings over is here and now I know, it's not what I do or don't do. It's His grace that supersedes all.

Getting Ready

2010-01-07T11:39:00.000-06:00

It is always funny to me that I think ahead on everything I want to get done and then I don't do. On Monday Mick and I will welcome our second great gift from our Father and I am running crazy to get everything done. I can't help but think of Mary and how she must have felt about having Jesus. Yes He was the Son of God, but He was also hers and she must have so desperately wanted every thing to be perfect which it was far from. It can definitely humble a person when put into perspective. I have a cradle to lay my son in with warm blankets and central heating. I have an endless supply of support from my wonderful family, and I am sure that Mary struggled with her situation on so many levels. I am a blessed woman beyond all measure!!

Reality

2010-01-01T21:09:00.000-06:00

So 2010.... I know that there are lots of people who get really excited about a new year, new beginnings...blah blah blah....I am not one of them. You could say that my new year has begun with a stinging does of reality. The reality that this is it. I had in my mind really worked up this picture of having girl friends who wanted to bless me and have a shower for our new baby boy coming. The reality hit me today as I was filling out some of Jack's new baby book and I ran across the "shower" page. There will be none. My mother offered to have a couples shower, but again reality bit deep into the fleshy part of my heart and I realized that we flat don't have any friends that we would invite. There would be no long list of friends and family to invite and know that they would come because they want to bless us. It makes me that much more thankful that family is close and I do know this...They care even if no one else does. Mick and I have talked so many times about this subject. Do we stink? Is there a sign on us that we can not see? Are we simply so awkward that no one dares venture in our direction? I don't think we are any of those things. In fact, I would dare add that we are very cool people, even if it is in our own minds.

Fingerprints

2009-11-25T10:10:00.000-06:00

CSI is one of my very favorite shows on TV. I am always amazed at all the information that they can get from a small fiber or smudge of something. I recently saw that they could actually retrieve DNA from a finger print. It is amazing to me that God in His wonderful imagination not only made sure that no two finger prints would be the same, but that we would also leave an essential part of who we are every time that we leave a fingerprint behind. I think that is how we should be as Christians. We should not only leave a print on the hearts and lives of those who we come in contact with, but we should also leave an essential building block of Christ behind as well. I see it as a seed.

That leaves me to ask myself how many prints am I leaving. Am I teaching the girls at church what love really is. Do I exemplify what a servant is? Are they learning from me what seeking first the kingdom really means? At this moment I don't think so, but I sure do want to get to a place where they see His DNA in my life so that I can pass it on to them and they to others.

What a Big Boy and Tired Mommy!!

2009-11-20T23:27:00.000-06:00

So if I had know that by this time Jack would weigh 3.5 lbs I would probably be a bit more restrictive! Good news is that it's not too late. So now I must hunker down and make sure that I watch it closer. Every time that we go to Dr. Maberry's, I find that a little more of my heart belongs to this little boy. I can't wait to see him face to face. I wonder, will he look like Emma? Will he have fat little checks or will he be long and lean? Will he be sweet and gentle or wild and rough? There are sop many things that I am curious about and it makes me look forward to meeting this little guy who has been doing crazy flips in my belly.

On a totally different subject...I have never felt so tired in my life. With Emma I was tired, but with Jack I feel like every ounce of energy has been drained from me. I am blessed however, I have a wonderful husband who is always helping me and Emma could not be a better baby. Everything she does simply makes me smile and I never knew that being a Mom would be so wonderful. I truly blessed!

New Happenings

2009-11-07T20:55:00.001-06:00

Emma loves it outside. It is without doubt her favorite place to be. When the wind hits her face she squeals and laughs almost as if God himself is playing with her. With this mind Mick and I thought that a day in the park would be good. We loaded up a lunch and took off. We ended up at Nelson and it was such a beautiful day that we decided to go on to the zoo. She had a blast! The spider monkeys were great and put in a show for us and the black bear was right up at the fence. We fed it crackers and watched it stick it's tongue out and get food from our side of the fence. Last but not least were the giraffes and she was completely tickled with them!! Their long tongues lagging around looking for food was just amazing to her.

She had such a good time that she decided to perform for us. Emma surprised us as she got down on Grannies carpet yesterday and took off walking!!! Not just a few steps but ,Mommy better get a move on walking!! She is amazing and every day is a new happening with our sweet baby girl!

Our first Halloween

2009-11-03T18:41:00.000-06:00

We can now say that we have had our first Halloween and what a Halloween it was. We knew that we had to go see certain people that we had made promises to. The unfortunate things was that we missed all our church activities. I don't think that it was appreciated very much. At least not by some.

Emma was a fairy and she was wonderful. She was happy to have the costume on and I was surprised that she didn't even try to pull things off of it. She was precious. Aunt Heather has already helped us out with the ideas for next Raggedy Anne and Andy will be perfect.

Honesty

2009-10-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

So honesty, It is something that we hear a lot about and it is something we like to think that we are, but the actual honest truth is that we are all liers. Whether it be telling a bold face whopper or simply telling ourselves that no one will find out, or that we can handle a situation ourselves with any out side help.

With that in mind I am going to be VERY HONEST to the point of being scary! Today a man was found in his home. Two days ago that man shot himself in the head. This was not the first time he had thought about this nor was it his first attempt. He was different, some would even say peculiar. Because of this he was also very alone, misunderstood, confused, conflicted, with out hope. he chose the only way that he could think of to deal with all of this and stuck a gun to his head and he was found today. I think it so very sad that he felt all of this and even sadder that I know that I had a few chances to reach out to him and did not.

What makes it this story even sadder (at least to me), is the fact that there have been times that I have felt this way at times. I have felt like no matter what I did I just didn't seem to fit. I have sat in a room all by my self and cried and wondered, "What is it about me that is so repulsive that no one would even give me the time of day?" I am sure that this man felt that way many times. The fact is this; and this is honesty, it isn't me and it wasn't him. The people we come in contact with are the problem.

Don't people understand that regardless of size, shape, or economics...We are created in the likeness of GOD? Not just a god, but the living GOD!? I would just simply ask everyone to be honest with themselves. Have you unfairly judged someone for any out word reason and haven't stopped to think about how your snubbing has left others feeling rejected, alone, and unworthy?

And They're Off!

2009-10-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went and saw Dr. Maberry and saw Our Jack again. I am constantly amazed. Every time that we get to see him, I am amazed that he has grown so much. He is now at 13 inches! As I get ready for his arrival I find my self starting to get a little worried. Will I be able to handle two that are so close? Will I be able to keep my cool? Will I be the Mom that Emma and Jack deserve and the wife that Mick should have? If I think too much about it I simply go into shut down.

It is too much for me to even think about. I gather myself up and begin to call out. Lord I know that in myself I will not be able to be all that I need and want to be for my family, but I know that through you I can be all this and more. I know that you have timed our children and that you have placed here we are. I know that you are in control and that if will keep my focus on you...I can not fail.

Birthday

2009-09-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

I can say with out doubt that my birthdays simply get better every year. I always thought that somehow I would come to dread them, but somehow I have a great piece and I know that it is because God has done something in my heart. He has also blessed me with a great family. This morning when I awoke, it was to the bright shinning faces of my husband and baby daughter. Emma gummy smile makes everything worth it.
Now waiting for Jack to make his grand appearance I find my self looking forward to the coming years. Emma has already started to take baby steps and I can't wait to see the other steps in life that she will have to take. In some ways it scares me and in other ways it invigorates me. I only hope that I am preparing her for those steps.
It was a great birthday and I am so blessed!

Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

2009-09-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

I had always seen myself as the mother of boys. If anyone had asked me three years ago I would have told them boys were my preference. That was the case until we had our beautiful Emma and I totaly fell in love with all the glitter and frill a girl brought into our lives.
Now we stand at a new mark in our lives and our second child is four months away from making an appreance. Yesterday we went to the Dr. to find out what were having. Al the time that Dr. Maberry was putting gel on my stomach I was secretly saying over and over, "come on girl!!" and the he began the sonogram. He moved around and showed us the perfectly formed head, the strong leg and arm bones; I marveled at God's handy work!! He then said, "Let's find out what we are having." Spread eagle big as Dallas....Our BOY showed us with pride what he was. There was no hiding. Mick was so proud that a city could have been lit by his smile. Dr. Maberry finished the exam and told us that everything was perfect...I should have been so happy, but I wasn't. I was disappointed. I wanted a girl! I wanted another little princess to spoil and play dress up and and and....
Last night as I slept the Lord dealt with me. Not only do I have the great honor to raise a beautiful woman who will lead the nations to the kingdom, but I now have the great honor and tremendous responsibility to raise the man of God who will lead the nations, Smite the enemy, and heal the wounded. I now see Jackson differently. He is the man of God that may just change the face of the church forever and I will be apart of that!!!
Now there is no disappointment. There is only anticipation to see what God has planned for my dynamic duo!!! I praise the Lord for filling our quiver with such wonder!!!