Entry way fun and an update on life around here.

I am finding, in the last year or so, that I love being creative! Redecorating and making somethings from nothings has been in full swing for a while now. It is fun! Making spaces more functional and more beautiful at the same time is sort of becoming an addiction of mine! It is helping this pregnancy, which is on the more difficult side, to pass more quickly. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that I am pregnant! I can't wait to meet this girl! But, some of what my body goes through isn't so wonderful and exciting, ya know? But, I would take it all again if it meant, Sydney, Calvin, Jaclynn, Gregory, Silas or Evangeline were at the end of it all....Precious gifts.

Back to the Entry way... =)
Here it is all redone, and I am loving it! And then, upon driving home from dinner with family and friends last Friday night I found a beautiful headboard on the side of the road for FREE! I immediately threw it in my van! I was so excited! I know, I am weird. I didn't need a headboard but I knew It was going to be used for decorating, not sleeping, that is what made it so exciting! You see, free decorations are very high on my list of things that make me all giddy. If you really want to know how deep this joy runs, take a tour around my house with me next time you come over. You will not believe me when I show you all that was free! (or at least extremely cheap from garage sale or thrift store!)

Back to the headboard....
Upon happily loading it into my van somewhere just shy of 10 pm, I was totally convinced it was a beautiful buttercream yellow. I had lot's of little thoughts of where it would fit perfectly in my living room. I got home, put the kids in there beds and went to bed my self. I fought hard the urge to pull it out and begin redecorating mode that night. But, I was wise and went to sleep, all my friends and my Mother are happy I did, I know. =) ( I have a problem with making myself rest =D) Anyway, the morning dawned and I was ready to unload! And you know what!? When I pulled that headboard out it wasn't a beautiful buttercream yellow bu the most perfect creamy orange to match my entry way! Yay!!!! Score!!!! I was thrilled. Again, I know, I am weird.


So, now, this is what it looks like...


 It may change again, who knows!? But for now I love it! I think it welcomes you in! I hope you do too!


And now onto date night!...



 Seriously, dating this man is so much fun! He is a great planner and we always have a great time out! It doesn't happen as often as we like, but when it does we are so thankful! Speaking of dates, I have to mention that this is date #2 in a series of 6 weekly dates that we were so lovingly gifted!!!!
A wonderful friend, who shall remain anonymous =), called the other day to let me know she had been praying for weeks about where to spend some extra money the Lord had blessed them with that they knew was to be gifted away... Her conclusion, 6 date nights for us!!!!!! Can you believe it!? It truly came at the perfect time! Steven and I are still in total shock at the way the Lord provides for us EVERYDAY. He even cares about the little things like date night for two tired parents about to welcome their sixth baby into the world. =)


Speaking of baby...
Here she is! 29 weeks pregnant with Evangeline! Jaclynn was so excited to take belly pictures of mommy, her choice not to include my head! =) Oh well, the belly was what was important anyway! Only a few short months left! It is getting so close!
Now, if belly pictures don't make you smile then this next photo surely will...



 I LOVE this!!!!! The warm weather has been so wonderful for my kids! Getting outside and into the pool has blessed us in so many ways! Silas has always enjoyed the water, but now, He is more than excited for a chance to swim! He will not stop jumping and diving in every time he swims! It is so fun to watch! He does so well swimming to the side too to climb out and do it all over again! It is hysterical! These little ones are hard to rear, but oh so fun! I am so thankful for times like these when we can laugh and play and be thankful for what the Lord has set before us!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever!!!!

Where Country Chic and Vintage Meet - My Etsy Shop

Here is a link to our little Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AFrugalBoutique?ref=si_shop



We open up just over a year ago and have had lots of fun with it! I want to expand and do more but, as usual, time is my enemy. It has been so much fun finding treasures and offering them up on our shop for a fraction of what others are. The Lord has lead me to some great finds at very low costs which allows me to offer very low prices! =) I couldn't dream of charging high prices like some I have seen when I myself couldn't ever justify purchases like that. That's how our little frugal boutique was born! I am truly hoping to take some more inventory photos and go on a few more treasure hunts in order to fill my shop back up. To date we have sold 43 items in one year! Now, in reality I know that is nothing...but we are excited! Click on over and check out the shop. Hopefully soon we will have more decorative items and maybe even a handmade item or two! =)

While you're there, "Like" us on Facebook too! Thanks!
https://www.facebook.com/WhereCountryChicAndVintageMeet

Finally posting again... and baby #6 on the way!

27 weeks pregnant with the newest little blessing, sweet Evangeline!
I cannot wait to meet her! It is so exciting to think that in just a few short months we will be welcoming a new baby girl into this busy household!


 I am attempting, yet again, to blog. I read through my blog a bit from the last five years and loved seeing old pictures and reading old stories! I realized I am letting a lot of precious memories slip away and I am determined not to lose anymore! So, blogging again it is. I am sort of grieving the years where so few posts were written and so many wonderful things happened.



Her are the five of them  just a few short weeks ago at Easter. Oh, how the time flies! I think I have said that a hundred times! I don't like flying time. I want slowing time. I think that's why I am focused on preservation right now. Preserve the memories. I honestly don't even know what I am going to say. I used to talk a lot about saving money. I still do that. I used to post things that inspired me and challenged me. I am sure I still will. I have gotten a bit more creative. ( thanks to my crafty 9 year old, Sydney) Maybe some DIY posts? A room re-do or two? What I do know for sure is that I will always post about my love for my Lord and His awesome power in my life. I can't go a day without relying deeply on Christ and saturating myself in the truths of His word. That is one thing I know for sure I will continue to post about...

All About Silas

Today is Silas' First Birthday! Wow! Time sped up this year. Since I haven't really posted about him I figure I will give a bit of his birth story and such. That's always a popular read, right?

One year ago our sweet Silas was born! But his story starts much earlier than that...
Three months after we were blessed with our second son Gregory, I was pregnant again! I know most of you think we are nuts but this isn't a post about the number of children we have or the frequency in which we have them or if we will have any more but a post about the actual child so we won't get into those other "hot" topics. (just yet)

Anyway,  pregnant again, and truly not terrified! We were excited and ready to welcome another blessing! My midwife joked that I would be her first client with "irish twins"!  Gregory was such an easy baby so it made the first trimester a little easier. I did suffer through awful nausea but made it past 12 ish weeks and was feeling the glorious rush of second trimester energy!

Then, at 15 weeks along, after an attempt to hear the heart beat with my midwife and her doppler and a rush to the emergency room for an ultrasound, we found out that our baby had died.

We were crushed. It was hard. Such a sad time and yet God gave us the strength to rejoice in His will and the hope for our future.  We missed our baby but trusted God and remembered the truth we read in scripture that  "God causes ALL things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose". As we still grieve the loss of that baby we can see clearly now God's perfect plan. Although I would not choose to lose one or the other, with the loss of that precious soul, we gained another that we would have never known.  That was August.

After the pain of loss during the summer months the new season  brought with it the joy of new life!
By the end of October we were pregnant again and once again thrilled that we had been blessed with another precious little one! I was due in early July with our sweet baby Silas! It was a very exhausting first trimester. The boys have all taken so much energy out of me those first months of pregnancy. The girls always make me sick.=)

Fast forward to June where I was contracting constantly and dilated to 3cm four weeks before my due date. We were all convinced He would come very early! We were also slightly concerned he would come very fast as Gregory was born in just under two hours!

June came and went. No new baby. The first week of July passed and still no baby. Not worried though because I wasn't due until July 11th, just surprised.  Then Sunday evening around 10:30 my water broke. Sort of. We weren't sure, I know this is something I should have been sure of having as many children as I do but we weren't. =) Contractions were happening so we called the mid wife assuming it would be quick and he would be born before the clock struck mid night. We also called all the invited birth guests and doula like sisters ( actual sisters and christian sisters) who would be there for the big event. =) Yes, another weird one for most of you,  that there were lots of ladies invited to his birth. A brief explanation and then maybe a post in the future. =)

The reason for my birth party was simple. I was horribly confused and very scared during my pregnancy , labor and birth of Sydney. All was well and there were no complications but in my mind I desperately wanted to know what in the world was going to happen to me during labor. I wanted to deliver naturally with her but I had never seen it done nor did I have anyone who could give me the information I was longing for. I wanted to see a woman in labor go through the whole process naturally. But, I didn't  so I ended up laboring, then getting an epidural at transition with my first three kiddos! All have beautiful birth stories, all were well, but I knew I was missing out on something. Just a note for fellow mamas who have opted for the epidural. I want to make sure that it doesn't seem like I think you shouldn't have one. =) I just really wanted to experience all of my birth and knew after I had Jaclynn that I would need to have my other babies at home to get what I thought was right for me. It is a personal choice. =) My pregnancy with Silas found me with lots of friends hoping to birth naturally and  a few dear friends who I am sure were curious about homebirth so the birth party was born. =)

Now, back to the potential broken water.  After the mid wife arrived and I was contracting, but not progressing at lightening speed like we all thought I might,  she began to wonder if my water really did break. After a simple test it was confirmed that it had but was just a "trickle".

By this time it was somewhere around 3 am so we all, ( yes the majority of the friends and family too) went back to bed. We woke up in the morning to dull contractions that could be made stronger with regular walks around the block. I had a one minute long contraction every three minutes on the dot endlessly on my walks.  No pain just consistent but still not progressing into anything. So as the day went on we decided to try some other methods of labor induction. We made chiropractor appointments for the next day and called a very dear and wonderful friend who is a massage therapist to come over and try to massage me into the second phase of labor. All the while, my friends and family happily hung around the house encouraging me, serving me and my husband and kids, and google searching every method of labor induction they could find! It was fun! 

The next morning we woke up with one goal in mind, get labor going! I had a foot massage and my toenails painted and all sorts of extra special care. It was the perfect picture of support for a laboring woman. I was so incredibly blessed by that time. We had wonderful family friends take Calvin, Jaclynn and Gregory for the day because we knew it was going to be our baby's birthday! Sydney was able to stay and be there for the birth and I am so happy she was!  

Around noon I had my final pressure point massage to try to kickstart labor. I fell asleep almost immediately on the table! At 2 pm I woke up with a contraction. They kept coming so I opened my door and told everyone that I was pretty sure it was finally happening! Yay!

I labored for a few hours with everyone walking around and talking. Then as things got more intense I headed into my bathroom to relax and focus more. Right when transition kicked in I was able to get into the shower then switch to the tub. I switched back and forth one more time then ended up where he was born just before 9pm.

It was a wonderful experience! So humbling and amazing! We had no idea that it would be such a long early labor. But, God did. And He had prepared such a perfect plan for our baby's arrival. I am so  thankful!

It is crazy to think about that day exactly one year ago. It goes by so quickly. There is nothing anyone can do about that. I am just thankful. Thankful for another year with another one of my precious blessings! Thank you Lord!

So the first day of my littlest man  being a one year old has ended well. All are asleep now after endless rounds of "Happy Birthday to you", lots of snuggling the birthday boy and his first piece of cake! 

And, as if he knew today was the perfect day to stand up and walk, he did. =) He had been trying for a few weeks now to take a step or two and then would lunge out straight in front of himself. But today he can officially be called a walker! He really amazed us all. Now he just stands up and walks like he'd been doing it all along! 

Happy Birthday Silas! What a gift you are! You are always smiling and clapping and happy to be doing whatever everyone else is doing! My prayer for you is that you would grow to be wise and bold like your daddy. And to always seek first how God would have you live this one life here on earth that is but a vapor. I love you baby boy! Love, Mama

Sydney is helping the midwife get him ready to be weighed

Big sister holding Silas just minutes old =)

Oh they are so cute!

Such a sweet birthday boy!

Life with FIVE

I am busy. Obviously. I haven't blogged or even thought about attempting to blog in  a looooooong time. =)  Lately I have had some nudges ( or actually maybe some very loving shoves ) back toward the direction of blogging.
I have a lot of catching up to do. The kids are growing. God has blessed us with another one, Silas. He hasn't even had an official introduction in here, right? The Lord is moving in me to depend on Him. For real though. Not sometimes, not when I remember. Constantly. He wants me to have peace with him because of Jesus. To rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! Like it says in Romans 5. 
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—"
(Romans 5:1-12 ESV)  

I have been thinking about  this verse for a while. Also thinking about what it requires. I like that  I am being challenged to really think on these scriptures instead of reading through them and not pausing to apply them. Sometimes it's painful and VERY difficult,but it is so worth it. I have to remember " suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us"


I have also been thinking a lot about what it means to be a living sacrifice as described in Romans 12. 

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness."
(Romans 12:1-8 ESV)

My spiritual worship...hmmmm? Makes me think often what my spiritual worship looks like, Is it really a "living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God?" Well, thankfully, by God's amazing Grace I am holy and acceptable to God! Whew!!!! Because of Jesus' sacrifice I look perfect in His eyes! ( Although in actuality I am not) AMAZING! I don't think I can describe with words the freedom in that. And yet, I feel a DEEP, longing desire to change. To grow more in Him, to sacrifice more, to be more like Christ. To suffer more if for the sake of His name. To turn my life upside down if that's what it takes. It is a hard life. But, because God loved me more than I can imagine and sent his Son to die for me, I can have so much joy! A life filled with abundant blessing! True happiness and contentment! I can feel full and loved all the time. Even when life gets crazy and kids seem endlessly sick. Even when the load seems too heavy to bare and the needs that surround are more than five people should handle but the responsibility falls on me. Even when someone comes to me and can't see when they will ever climb out from under the weight of their sin. I can confidently say that He can sustain!
We have been saved! Why wouldn't we be constantly claiming the glory and mercy of Christ? I am challenged to remember Ephesians 2
" And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

(Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)
We all are or at one point in time following the prince of the power of the air (Satan).  Praise God for releasing me from my sin and bringing me to life! Now, I know I am called to claim Christ and share the good news of the Gospel with EVERYONE! My children, neighbors, family, friends, YOU! There is hope in this world. There really is. 


When we don't remember what God's word says we stumble, or at least I do. I forget. I don't want to, I want to grow.
 God has stretched us and refined us and is constantly working to grow us more. There is a lot to write about and to say.  I want to write, to update, but it can be hard for so may different reasons. The question is will I or can I? We will see. =) For now that is it. Stay tuned....I think.

Inspiring...humbling

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

A life truly dedicated to service.

Repost from Pastor Mikes Blog

I loved this post today. I had to share.

The Story of Us: My Man

The Story of Us: My Man

Don't really know what I am doing with the blogging thing still...thought I knew how to re-post something but apparently not so here is a link to an old post instead. Enjoy!

An update in pictures.

Spring has sprung and we have been out having fun with more Zunigas! Mark and Joanne had the kids over for fun and fancy Easter egg decorating while Steven and I got out on a date! Yay! Thank you so much for that special treat! The kids and the parents were very happy campers!

Gregory is growing soooo quickly! Just in time to take on the role of BIG Brother!

He is 17 months and catching up to Jaclynn! He still feels like my little baby though. I am sure in just a few short weeks he will look like a giant compared to our newest little boy.

Showing off their creations.

These kids are super snugglers! Jaclynn calls him "My Baby" all the time! It is pretty cute! He loves her to pieces too! Sometimes I wonder if he is confused about who his real mother is! Between the kisses and hugs he gets from Sydney, Jaclynn and myself, I am sure he questioned it a time or two. The new baby is sure in for an adventure! Hopefully he's fond of hugs and being held constantly. I doubt I will be able to pry him from the arms of all the others! 

I have heard some make the argument that the more kids you have the less attention they get. Not too sure that it's possible in our family of homebodies! We spend all day everyday together. Something tells me this baby will end up begging for some alone time as he gets older! We will see!

We also had some more Grandma Joanne and Papa Mark time recently at the San Diego Zoo!

They were troopers! Steven, Mark and Joanne were pretty brave making the day trip with four little ones and a very pregnant Mama. They were the best zoo navigators ever though! If any of you know this zoo you know it has HUGE hills to climb, often. But, the three of them were so wonderful and meticulously mapped out a route which included very little walking for me and virtually no hills by foot, thanks to the airway tram and the tour bus! The trip was so much fun and the kids had a great time.

We ended the evening at the best Italian restaurant ever! With the best pizza ever! It is called Fillippi's in San Diego.

I have been craving their Margheritta pizza since we had it that night. It is simply not fair to give a pregnant woman a meal like that and not have the ability to retrieve more at a moments notice! I have seriously considered whether or not the drive is reasonable or not just for pizza.  Any takers?

This peacock is literally right in front of the kids. They spent a very long time just watching each other. They were even able to pet its feathers when he walked by them and spread them all out. They thought it was pretty neat. :D

Jaclynn looks as though she is snuggling with this fox ( which she would totally do if she had the opportunity) But there is actually a glass wall between them. :D

Checking out the gorillas. Or as Jaclynn put it, "The Granolas"!

Hopefully there will be more up dates soon. And I am seriously hoping to announce the birth of our 5th little blessing sooner than later! It's in God's perfect will the day and time our son will be born. Can't wait to find out what that is! He will be the tie breaker too for the blondes VS the brunettes. We have two of each, which is so funny to me. Will he look like the 2 oldest or the 2 youngest? Can you tell I am super anxious for this baby to be born!?! :D

Happy Resurrection Day

"What a love, what a cost. Christ became sin for us. Took the pain, bore the wrath, we stand forgiven at the cross..."

What a day to celebrate.

Thank you God for your resurrected Son on this day. Thank you that He became sin so that we might have You. Thank you for accepting us through Him. Thank you that His blood was enough. Thank you for delivering us from our sin through a precious little baby who grew into an perfect, blameless man who bore the wrath of You for the sake of us. Thank you that He is all we need. Thank you for choosing me. 

Attempting to post at Recycling Reformation again...

Go here to check out the most current updates on Sydney's recycling adventures. We truly hope there will be more posts soon. :)

Ann Voskamp

I am loving this blogger/ writer!  Ann Voskamp blogs at Aholyexperience.com. Very encouraging and deep. I epecially love  her recent posts about love and marriage!

A big thanks to Tina for sharing this with us!!!

Convicting...

Watch the video, then reflect on what the Holy word of God says about the poor and needy. 

"And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, render true judgments, show kindness and mercy towards one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." Zechariah 7:8-10

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13

"Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him." Proverbs 14:31

"She opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

"Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse."

 Proverbs 28:27

"Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor." Proverbs 22:9

"Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy." Proverbs 31:9

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him saying, ' Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly,I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For i was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they will also answer saying, 'Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And those will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Matthew 25: 35- 46

"Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with treasure in the heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:33-34

"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one in fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place, ' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?" James 2:1-7

"But if anyone has the worlds goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth."

1John 3:17-18

"Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ' For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or, who has given a gift to him that it might be repaid?' For from him and to him and through him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 11: 33- 36 and 12:1-2

And the list of scriptures could go on and on.

I ask myself often if I am caring for the sick or poor or oppressed. The answer is no. Not like I am called to as a believer in Christ. Are you?

Resolved2Worship

Wrote this a while back but never posted. Might as well now, right?
I was checking one of my favorite sites and almost didn't read her current post. ( obviously I want you to read that so go and do that first ) It looked too long and I don't have much time to sit at the computer and read. For some reason I changed my mind and dove in. Her honesty is refreshing. She is open about her struggles and I admire that. Although I don't relate directly to the sin issue she talks about in her post I felt it was convicting and true. Keep in mind she is a home schooling mom of 7 ( update: now pregnant with #8!) who struggles with judging others who look similar to herself. I think it is an interesting point to bring up. Judgement comes in all forms. The "christians" judging the "non-christians", and vice versa. The people with lots of kids, the people with just a couple, those who home school, send to private and send to public. EVERYONE is guilty. Anyway, I like her honesty. Main idea... keep yourself focussed on your relationship with God. Where you stand in Christ. How you live and who you are living for. What does your heart truly reveal? Self examination is scary. It reveals a whole lot if you can be honest with yourself.

We must learn to love.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. this is the great and foremost commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 22:37-39

Excerpt from Family Driven Faith Chapter 3 "Learn to Love"  by Voddie Baucham:

"Thus Jesus, referencing Moses, comments on the essential nature of loving people as well as loving God. Therefore, to limit this chapter to learning to love god would have been insufficient. If our homes are to reflect our position as the people of God in the midst of the opposition of a pagan culture, we, like the Israelites, must learn to love.
Our homes must be rife with the aroma of love. Those who visit us should notice immediately that they have left the world of self-serving, egocentric narcissism and have entered a safe harbor where people value and esteem others above themselves. Outsiders should enter our homes and never want to leave. Our neighbors should find excuses to visit us just to get another whiff of the fragrant aroma of love. The brokenhearted should long to be near us. The downtrodden and abused should seek us out. Families on the brink of disaster should point to us and say 'Why can't our home be like that?'
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Far too often professing Christians  in our culture don't love better, more deeply, or longer than the pagans who surround us. At times we bear more of the stench of this world than the fragrant aroma of the people of God. That's the bad news. The good news is that things don't have to remain as they are. We can learn to love. The first step is to rid ourselves of the ineffective methods and ideologies that have led us down the current path."

Imagine what the church would be if we truly clung to what the verse in Matthew 22 is saying. Imagine how we could impact the world for Christ.

The Child Training Bible

Stop by my friends new blog! She has created an amazing resource for training up our little ones! Or, I guess I should say she is using what God has provided, The Bible, and made it very easy to navigate scriptures that pertain to different heart issues that need to be addressed during the training of our precious little ones! I made one of the child training bibles and I love it! I think it is also fair to call it a Mom training bible!

A vision for motherhood.

I saw this on another blog this morning and loved it. Just had to re-post here.

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller

My dear friend's blog featured on Ladies Against Feminism!

My friend Valerie's blog and a piece she wrote about whether or not we are actually pro-life was featured on the site Ladies Against Feminism! She writes beautifully about this topic and doesn't hold back and yet is sweet and gentle with her words. Go check it out. I think it may not be what you would expect. =)

He's walking!

And falling then walking again then falling again. It never gets old watching your babies go through all the different stages. Gregory is just as fun as the rest of them were. I can't believe he turned one already! I'm still in shock! Anyway, his first year has been great. He is a joy and usually has a smile on his face. I am very happy that he is finally toddling around. Although completely walking all the time would be nice seeing as how he is sooooo big and heavy and I am exhausted carrying him!

By the way, my exhaustion is likely from the fact that I am almost 15 weeks pregnant! I know most of you know but I keep getting a very shocked look here and there so I guess formal announcements are still necessary even when announcing your 4th or 5th or so on. =)

I am due July 11th. Exactly opposite of our fall/winter babies. It will be weird to have a summer baby but I am excited! God is good and he has blessed us again with a very special gift! We are thankful and can't wait to meet this new little one. We would like to find out what this one is so look for a post in the coming weeks for the results. I am thinking boy but we will see! The boys room is already set up and ready for a third. If it's a girl I will have to get creative in the girls room. Of course Sydney and Jaclynn are convinced this baby is a girl and Calvin is sure it is a boy. Steven and I have no preference and look forward to the day we look straight into this precious blessings eyes and say I love you. Then, introduce him or her to the rest of the group and the sweet chaos we call life!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Family Pictures

Fun photo session with The Still Picture Company! :)