Big Girl

Cori Walking from Holly Neaton on Vimeo.



God bless!

Sixty Seconds on Tuesday

"...look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here.

~Ezekiel 40:4

I find it too easy to not pay attention when interacting with my little ones and then I catch those glimpses that bring me back to the important minutes.....the minutes that go by too fast.

Head over to Jenny's to join in for Sixty Seconds on Tuesday.

God bless!

All About Miss Charlie

There is something about this first born of mine. She makes me laugh and smile and scream and cry.....sometimes all at the same time.

She is learning to be gentle with her newest playmates.

She can go...go...go and then fall asleep at the drop of a hat. And don't ever wake her up from a nap, you will regret it.

She changes clothes a million times a day and loves to wear mama's shoes around.

She is beautiful!

She says the funniest things and she says them often.

We were at a wedding Saturday night and she made herself right at home on mom's friend Sarah's lap and proceeded to ask a ton of questions, all followed by more "why" questions.

What's your name?

Why are you here? 

Who is that guy?

Why are you not a mom?

While in the restroom, she asked a couple of bridesmaids.....

What's your name?

What's her name?

Those are pretty dresses!

Why did you go potty?

Did you wash your hands?

When we got in the van to head home, she says.....

That sure was a cute wedding!

We are also working on better listening and behaving with Charlie. All of which has improved in the last couple of days after I changed my attitude and practice in some things. I'm saying things once, rather than repeating myself a dozen times and just hoping and praying that she will listen.

I was all about to brag her up about how well she has behaving.....which she had been. And then.....as I was typing this.....she peed all over the couch because she was too lazy to get up and go to the bathroom. That was the end of her evening and she went straight to bed after that.

We are also dealing with a skin rash that has been coming and going. I'm pretty sure it is an allergic reaction to something she is eating, maybe something that she is touching or playing with. I thought I had it figured out.....milk (which she had issues with when she was younger, but was seeming to tolerate now). The rash had been pretty light this morning and this evening was horrible again. Do you know how hard it is to remember everything she had eaten today?

My thought now, Yellow 5 food dye.....which really bugs Joe and I had eliminated from our house.....but she had a yellow sucker when we were at the coop picking up some things for Joe today. I was explaining to Charlie that I thought the yellow sucker was causing her rash and that it was the Yellow 5. The conversation went something like this.....

Charlie: Mom, I will have a pink one next time.

Mom: I don't know that a pink one is any better.

Charlie: Pink suckers don't have yellow 5. They just have pink 5 and that won't make my skin red.

Always working the system that little girl of mine!

God bless!

Thoughts on Marriage

The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes. ~Amy Grant

You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.

~Sam Keen

Love is not something you feel. It's something you do. ~David Wilkerson

Do you view God's Word as a command or a suggestion? ~Perry Noble

 Am I living in sin with no desire to get out of it? You may make a mistake in your checkbook, but an affair is no mistake. ~Perry Noble

So, I compose blog posts in my head all the time.....while I weed the garden, while I mow the lawn, while I wash the dishes, while I change diapers, etc, etc.

And most of the time they never make it to the screen. I've been running this one over and over in my head for about a month and I think it is time to get it written out now. It has changed quite a bit since it was first forming. I have let go of the anger and tongue lashing that this started out as and now I hope it has hope and encouragement for myself and for other marriages.

I think about and pray about my own marriage often, but also spend quite a bit of time praying for other people's marriages as well. More so when I've heard of someone struggling, having difficulties, talking about divorce and the likes.

The reason for marriage on my mind lately.....someone very close to me and my family has decided to divorce his wife. Besides the fact that I love this couple deeply, it always saddens me to hear of the end of a marriage. We are still praying here for a complete restoration of this marriage. I see God working in the situation and am praying that the couple can see it too. There are some court filing technicalities that are holding up the actual granting of the divorce, so there is still time to redeem this marriage.

I could not imagine ever being in a position where I would want to end my marriage. Part of it is that I went into marriage with a clear understanding that it would be hard and it would be work and that it is near impossible to pull off with out Christ as the center of your home. I also took my vows before not only Joe, but before God very seriously.

Marriage was intended to be a sacred union between husband and wife!

I would not be a good wife or a mother if I did not humble myself everyday, did not ask for forgiveness often and did not turn to God for guidance and strength. Don't get me wrong, I fail often but I never have thoughts of throwing in the towel. I would not want to go through this life alone. I would not want to raise my children only half the time. I would not want to take my children away from their father. Our marriage isn't perfect.....impossible with sinners involved.....but we both work at it and put 100% into it.

Here are a few verses on marriage.....

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.  Ephesians 5:22-33

Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

Ruth 1:16-17

My lover is mine and I am his...

 Song of Solomon 2:16

There has been a lot of great marriage thoughts out in the blog world lately..... Surprise, surprise but I included some Ann Voskamp stuff.

5 Ways To Make Marriage Last - Ann Voskamp

           *Marriage is a long maturing

           *The worst always comes before the better

           *Begin a conversation well if you want to end a conversation well

The Making of a Marriage Bed - Ann Voskamp

           *Famililiarity breeds boredom only to the blind and the real see-ers know the worth of vows worn polish smooth with all the days.

            *Isn't it this alone, the one skin that halloows and sets marriage apart sacred? This intimacy that alive makes this the only of its kind in all our wanderings.

            *Control and false propriety can struggle love right stiff.

People need to be reminded that, together with prayer and the sacraments, a main key to success in conjugal love (the love that binds together two persons with defects) is learning to forgive and asking for forgiveness. Each time husband and wife acknowledge their defects to each other, they become more human and therefore more loveable.

~Covenanted Happiness~ (Thanks Jenny)

Perry Noble - NewSpring Church

             *Maintaining a great marriage and raising godly children takes work…LOTS of hard work…but the Scriptures are SO clear as to how we are supposed to do this. I’m so glad God didn’t leave it to me to figure it all out!

             *Most people don’t actually have marriage problems…they have JESUS problems!!! We can’t truly have a Christ – centered marriage until we are completely submitted to Him!

             *Foundations for the Family sermon

Please pray for suffering marriages and for restoration. God can do anything!

God bless!

Multitude Monday - Travis and Teen Challenge

This morning we went to see the MN Teen Challenge Choir again. We have seen them numerous times and at different churches, but this morning was different. It was extra special because just 15 days again my baby brother, Travis entered the program.

He has a story, but it is his story to tell. What I will say is he has a checkered past full of addiction, arrests and depression.....just like everyone else that has been at the end of themselves and taken that leap of faith and hope and entered a 13 month long treatment program.

There are so many noticeable changes in Travis in the short amount of time he has been there. It is so evident that God's Hand has been involved and protecting him and bringing him to this place for His Purpose.

The choir group he was with was only 15 miles from our home, so it was an easy decision to go this morning. It was great to see him, but the best part was he shared his testimony during the service we attended.

I am so proud of him and can't wait to see what God all has planned in this whole thing.....not only for Travis, but for our entire family.

384. New life in Christ

385. New influences

386. Hand-clapping, heart-pounding worship music

387. Broken ropes.....miracles

388. Believers in the right places at the right time

389. Asking for help and getting it when you need it

390. Being a light in the dark

391. Answers to prayers and knowing nothing is beyond God

392. More endless prayers yet to be answered

393. Thirst for God's Word

394. Visiting hours

395. Welcoming churches

Head over to Ann's blog for more gratitude lists.

Have a blessed week!

The Garden is Growing

Cucumbers

Sweet Corn

Zuchinni

Tomatoes, Peppers and Green Beans

Lettuce

Potatoes

This is the best looking garden we've had since living here.

We have already eaten from it.....zuchinni, radishes and lettuce.

The weeds are under control.....not normal for us at all.

The bunnies are eating the broccoli, but leaving the lettuce alone.

No photo, but the strawberry plants are looking awesome and already spreading like crazy.

The rhubarb I transplanted (and thought I killed) is growing wonderfully.

I can't wait to to start harvesting more goodies. 

God bless!

Favorite Links, Sites and Such

She inspires me and encourages me often. Here some of my favorites from Ann Voskamp......

How to Really Write a Love Letter

The Work of All Kids: How to Forgive Our Parents

A though provoking post from Jezamama.....

It Feels Like Church

My dear friend, Amy turned me on to Perry Noble and Newspring Church. I have spent many hours listening to his sermons. Here are a few of my favorites.....

A Wife Worth Finding I always need reminders of what it means to be the wife my husband needs and desires.

Washed Why baptism as a believer is important. Actually this whole series from Exodus was good.

Don't Allow Your Past to be Your Prison

Chip Ingram is in the middle of a great series right now.....House or Home? Eight Essentials for Becoming a Close Knit Family.

I really liked the What's a Man to do? and What's a Women to do? talks.

Have a blessed weekend!

My Little Bakers

The girls and I made cinnamon rolls last week.

We all had a blast.

We made a mess.

The girls ate their weight in dough.

God bless!

Multitude Monday

It's been too long since I've posted, but that doesn't mean we don't have things to be gratiful for...just too crazy to put them to paper.

365. Cori taking little steps all by herself

366. New stages

367. MN Teen Challenge program

368. Answers to prayers

369. Doing the hard-but-right thing

370. Forgiveness

371. Redemption

372. New life

 

373. New summer babysitter starting

374. Uninterrupted office time

375. Catching rain in the barrel

376. Joe building me a rain barrel

377. Growing, growing garden

378. Saturday night movie with the family

379. Popcorn with lots of butter

380. Homemade ice cream

381. Days of feeling better

382. 13 weeks

383. Sisters playing

Have a blessed week!

Cori - 10 Months Old

Cori Fun Facts:

* Has 4 teeth and 2 more coming in

* Will eat anything you put in front of her...including beets and asparagus

* Loves following her big sister around

* Stands all on her own and seem close to walking

* Would rather eat grass and rocks than play with toys when outside

* Sleeps through the night when she feels like it

Happy 10 months little girl!

God bless!