Call me when you get there....

my recent conversation with Sophie (4)

sophie:*singing a song she learned at vbs over the summer* "God is watching, watching over you. 24-7 watching over you......"
"mommy, is there more than one God?"

me: "no, honey. there's only one God."

sophie: "how can He watch over everybody all the time?"

me: *singing a song we had learned the night before at family bible time* "cuz  my God is so BIG, so strong and so might. there's nothing my God cannot do!"

sophie: "He must have a lot of faces. i wonder what they look like."

me: "the Bible says that God doesn't have a face. not like us anyway. he isn't human. he doesn't have a body. we won't know what he looks like until we're in heaven."

sophie: "well when you get there, could you call and let me know what he looks like?"

me: "i don't think there are any phones in heaven."

sophie: "well as soon as you get there, just make one quick call on your cell phone to tell me really quick, then hang up!"

me: "i'll see what i can do ;)  "

I WON!!!

Remember my post about all of the awesome blogs that were giving away gift cards for the fabulous Vision Forum ?

I WON!!

A $200 one from Kimberly's blog .

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! to me :)

Some things I'm planning on buying:

ABC's of Thankfulness

 
A: Austin. My firstborn. He is such a big help, I'm not sure how I'd get along without him most days.
 
B: Black Friday! Yes, I am one of those nuts that stands outside in the cold with strangers for hours in the dark with no sleep. In fact, this year, I didn't even need anything and I still went out just because it's my tradition.
 
C: Chris. My awesome hubby. My partner. I really and truely don't know how people raise kids or keep a home in tact without a spouse. I'd be hard-pressed to do anything without him!
 
D: Dough. Cookie dough, pizza dough, pie crust and homemade biscuits and rolls. I love baking and it really ramps up this time of year.
 
E: Elijah. My sweet baby boy. I never thought I'd have any more kids. Chris had "cut me off" in the baby department. God had other plans. And I'm so glad He did!
 
F: Feldkamps. I love the family I married into. They taught me what family is really supposed to be like.
 
G: God. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. God is good all the time!
 
H: Homeschooling. I can't express how much of a blessing it is to have my children with me all day, learning how to "do" life.
 
I: Indoor plumbing. Running water. A toilet. The little, everyday things that we take for granted.
 
J: Jesus. My redeemer. My Savior. My King. I met Him on Christmas Eve 2003 and my life has never been the same.
 
K: Kindle Fire! The only thing on my Christmas list this year.
 
L: Love. I am surrounded by love on a daily basis. I am striving to show it more often to everyone around me.
 
M: Maggie. My little Maggie. I thought she was my last and I spoiled her accordingly. She still turned out to be a great big sister! She is so sweet and I will always have a special bond with her because she was my first long-term nursed baby.
 
N: Naps. (which I don'y get often enough, but I'm very thankful when I do!)
 
O: Our home. It's not much, it needs lots of TLC and it's pretty small for 7 people, but it's home. It keeps us dry and warm and safe. As long as my family's in it, there's nowhere I'd rather be.
 
P: Pastors. I'm thankful for the pastors, leaders and members of our church. It is an imperfect church, filled with imperfect people. So I fit in nicely ;)
 
Q: Quiet times. They don't come often, which makes me cherish them even more. You know that point when all the kids are first settled into bed for the night and you sit down and there is just silence? I love that moment.
 
R: Running vehicles. Like our home, they aren't much; but they get the job done. Out van can fit our entire family and has never left us stranded somewhere. What more could I ask for?
 
S: Sam and Sophie. My little partners in crime! I think they were supposed to be twins. LOL!
 
T: Tully's, Green Mountain and Folgers K-cups for my Keurig! I couldn't make it through the day without my coffee!
 
U: Understanding. I think to really learn anything (from academics to theology) you have to really understand it. If you have the knowledge without the understanding, it's basically worthless. I am thankful for the understanding God has allowed me to have and to pass on to my children.
 
V: Video games. For 2 reasons....first, they are a good way to keep the kids busy in between meals and school and if the games are carefully chosen, they can be not only fun, but educational. The second reason is that it is a really fun way to spend family time. The wii has been a great way to get the whole family to interact and enjoy an evening with one another. Just for the record,,,,I still hold the high schore on bowling!
 
W: Word of God. I am still working on my goal of reading through the bible before I turn 30. I have really learned to love being in the Word regularly. I am gleaning so much. It's amazing how His Word is like a living thing, meeting you where you are.
 
X: I can't think of an X word, so I will cheat and use a word with an X in it: excitement. I have always been the overly excited person in the group. I get loud and giggly and happy when I'm excited. It used to bother me because everyone else was so much lower key than me. Now I am really thankful for this excitement the Lord has put in my heart and I embrace being known as the cheerful one :)
 
Y: Youth. My kids are teaching me to value their youth instead of wishing it away. "I can't wait until...." barely escapes my lips anymore. Instead, I'm learning to be content with right now.
 
Z: Zoos. Along with the farm park, the playground, the lake and all the other fun places my family can go as a field trip together. It reminds me of the fact that my children are being raised to enjoy time with their family over time with anyone else. For that I am most thankful.

Another great Christmas idea

Edited~ these are the blogs where you can find this giveaway going on: (i'll add more as they pop up!)
the modest mom
generation cedar
smockity frocks
raising olives
a wise woman
in a shoe

Anyone who knows me knows I love Vision Forum.

They have products to help with homeschooling, bible study, raising godly children, toys for rough little boys and feminine little girls.....and a plethora of good ol' Christian books.

As soon as the catalogue comes in the mail, my kids and I fight over who gets to look at it first! Then the hubby comes home and he gets it. There really is something for everyone here.

Visit one of the blogs listed above for a chance to win 1 of 3 gift certificates AT EACH ONE!
One for $100.

One for $200.

And on for $300!!!

If you win, post here. I have a wish list all ready for you ;)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I just love the holidays.

All of them.

Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years Eve.

With one behind us and another in 3 days, it's time to start thinking about the next one that's right around the corner.

The one with gifts.

As a family of 7 with one income, I try to be creative with gifts each year.

My favorite thing is when I win something online that I can use as a gift.

This comes in many forms.

Physical prizes, gift cards to buy gifts, online codes to redeem for gifts and the ever popular "earn and redeems".

Swagbucks. Harris polls. Mypoints.

I save my points all year long and then use them for gifts at Christmas time. It's fun, easy and results in free stuff! Interested? 

Join swagbucks

Join mypoints (be sure to put me as your referrer!)

Join Harris online polls

Join bzzagent

Got any more? If you have a free easy way you earn points for gifts and gift cards, leave the web address in the comments section and I will edit it in!

Merry Christmas!

Biblical Submission

i've been spending a lot of time at a forum called prairie homemaker . today i came across an excellent post by Jess that iwanted to share (with her approval, of course!).
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Basically, submission in a nutshell is this:


You still have opinions.

You still have rights.

You are still a partner with your husband.

You do not nag, manipulate, or otherwise "push" to get your way if your husband disagrees with you on an issue.

You can offer suggestions and ideas to your dh, but if he says he'd rather do it such-and-such a way, then you follow his lead.

You recognize that not always having your way doesn't mean that you are a doormat.

You do not take submission to the point of allowing your husband to abuse you.

You recognize that submission is not handing all of the responsibility over to your husband and saying "have fun with the bills honey!". For some women submission means doing as her husband asks and handling all the finances. For some women, submission means letting him handle the finances b/c that is what he prefers.

You realize that to be submissive doesn't mean that you cannot work inside or outside of the home. It is an issue between you and your husband, and whatever he prefers is in your best interest.


It means if you are discussing a new car and you want the blue one and he wants the yellow and you've stated all the reasons that you think the blue is a better choice and he still disagrees, you drop it, and let him get the yellow, even if you don't think it's a good idea or just plain don't like the yellow one.


Submission is easier for some women who have husbands who greatly value their opinions, but we are all told to submit.


The Bible tells wives to submit to your OWN husband, not just any man, so it in no way means that you act inferior to men. The idea is to recognize that your God calls your husband your "head", that he is your leader, when push comes to shove.


The Bible tells men to "love your wives as Christ loves the church", also, and that's a really good picture of how it should be...submission shouldn't leave you cowering in a corner, and if it does, your husband is being abusive, and that's not okay.


Now, as for the "equally yoked" thing, it's simple. Most will agree that God was talking about marrying an unbeliever, b/c he follows that verse with "for what fellowship hath darkness with light", and talking about righteousness. The basic idea is that as a believer, it's gonna be harder if you marry an unbeliever. The unequally yoked comment immediately brings up the image of a donkey and a bull trying to pull a cart using the same "yoke". One is going to be way ahead and one lagging behind and they will struggle much before getting where they are headed.


So you hear that, and you're a believer and he isn't, does that mean you divorce him? NO. In fact the Bible also tells us that if any wives have unbelieving husbands, that we are to "win him with our actions" or something like that. Basically that we are to show him God's love, and live our lives above reproach so that he respects us and wants the joy that we have in our lives.
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thanks jess! i couldn't have said it better myself!

Bible in 6-ish months (day 36)

So my current goal is to read through the bible (front to back) before i turn 30.

to some, that's nothing. thousands of women read the bible in 90 days and (blog about it!) every quarter or so.

to many others, though, it's a big goal to have. especially if you're me. which i am.

i tend to not finish things i start. often. in fact, i've attempted to do the bible in 90 days group. twice.

it's okay. God isn't finished with me yet!

i made it through leviticus AND numbers. that's gotta count for something, right??

today was day 36.

judges 13-21 (i missed yesterday's reading, so i read 2 days worth today).

i've learned that i really like gideon and i'm more like the israelites than i'd care to admit.

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD.....

over and over and over...............

it gets a little monotonous. until i realize it could read like this:

again jeanine did evil in the eyes of the LORD....

oh. right. that.

and He continues to work on me thorugh His word.

what about you? have you ever read through the bible? are you currently? if so, what book are you in?

linking up with