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Saturday, August 30, 2014

The day I finally lost it!

Have you ever had a day when you thought you literally just couldn't take it anymore? That was me a couple of days ago.



It's funny because I still cannot pinpoint what the problem was exactly.

Maybe it was coming off of a week where my sister and her awesome family had been in town visiting and we had gone from fun every day to feeling a bit shut in with a sick 2 year old.

Maybe it is my subconscious knowing that we are starting homeschooling up again next week and that summer will officially be over?

Maybe it is the fact that I put a lot of pressure on myself to make things perfect in my life which of course I fail at completely.

The kids weren't listening. I couldn't stay on top of the house cleaning. Life is busy and Tom can't use any vacation until at least December (with a new job that we are so blessed with!).

All I do know for sure is that they other day, I was ready to quit! Seriously. I was ready to find a job, find childcare and enroll the older two in school rather than continuing with the home school route God has clearly called our family to.

I have an amazing husband who is forever patient with me when I have days like this but I cannot expect him to fill me up. I cannot expect that the kids will be perfect and that will keep me content. I cannot even expect that if the house was perfectly clean, I would be happy.

I ended up spending a great deal of time in prayer (eh hem...probably should have done that sooner) and then reading my Bible.

Of course that always helps but then I picked up a book that I love to turn to by Lysa TerKeurst. Sometimes it is scary to me how much I can relate to this woman but what I love is that I am always pointed to scripture that really speaks to my heart. I highly recommend this book to any mom!


Psalm 73:26
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of 
my heart and my portion forever."

This is a verse that I NEED to live by! I can read the Bible every day and spend time in prayer but if I am not allowing the Lord to be my portion and fill me up, than I will never be full and I will always feel unsatisfied. 

I can have every good intention to get up before the kids and spend time with God but the reality is, it doesn't always happen. Sometimes they wake up earlier than expected. Or I didn't sleep well...or...well...the snooze bar looks too appealing, haha. 

What I do know is that I need to let God fill me up completely, not the things in this world. I need to wake up each day and say. "Lord, be my portion today. When my flesh and heart fail, be the strength of my heart."

Will you do this with me?







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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Feeling Crazy....a post on essential oils


I am not a naturalist. I am not saying there is anything wrong with being one. It has just never been for me. My take has always been that God gave us modern medicine, so why not use it.

However, I have allergies that usually cause me to get no less than 10 sinus infections per year. I easily get bronchitis from any and every cold I have and have been recently introduced into the wonderful world of migraines.

That is a LOT of medication and I have even developed allergies to many of the available antibiotics to treat said things.

So, when I was invited to attend a class on essential oils, I thought, sure, why not go and learn. While there, it all sounded great but still, I was hesitant to believe that these things could actually help me!

But, I bought a basic kit of oils and a book to help know when to use them and started "playing" with them.

This Book is absolutely amazing! It literally gives you every ailment and what oil(s) can help you! I have found it to be spot on!

They have changed my life and I feel like a crazy person. I feel like when I mention them to people, they are thinking, "yeah...right". I think that, because that is how I was...exactly how I was..

It was the "thanks...but no thanks" attitude.

I feel like I need to share this because I have already seen oils work in amazing ways in my life and I would like to share that with others.

I have used them AND SEEN THEM WORK for the following things: Allergies, Sinuses, Bug Bites, Cuts/scratches, Cold Sore, Sore Muscles, Healed Dry cracked heels, Wart (that they doctor couldn't get to go away), Headaches, Anxiety, Increased Energy....etc.

The thing I am most amazed at is that I have not needed to take allergy medicine for 2 weeks! If you know me, you know that it is a miracle! I also survived a cold without it turning into a sinus infection which has not happened in at least 5 years if not longer.

The thing is, I am not opposed to using modern day medicine but if the oils can help me cut down on how often I need them, it is saving my family money AND probably healthier for me in the long run!

For example...when I get a headache now, I use some peppermint oil. It works immediately about 90 % of the time. When it doesnt work, I take Ibuprofen. I like that difference!

I am using a line called doTerra and I love it. I personally wouldn't trust any other brand...you will NOT get the same results from oils you find in the grocery store.

If you are interested in learning more about how they work and what kinds of things they can help with, let me know...I'd love to teach you what I have learned!

But for now...I still feel a little bit crazy for even saying any of this out loud!

If you interested in taking a look This is my website however, I highly recommend chatting first before ordering anything. It can be completely overwhelming at first but there are small things you can start with that will change your life forever!

Yep....I'm still sounding a little bit nuts!

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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Are you conforming?



So, this post has been swirling around in my head for a while but I wasn't sure how to write it down in a way that makes sense, so here goes!

I often hear people say that they would not want to be a "Christian" because it means they would have to follow a strict set of rules. They would have to "conform" so to speak to live life a certain way. It has come up a LOT lately and being the person that I am, I never have the right thing to say in the moment. However, it has led me to spend quite a deal of time thinking, praying, reading and listening on the subject.

The thing is, believing in the one true God is freeing. I don't and never have felt trapped in some sort of world that doesn't allow me to think or act freely. But I have grace that no other religion out there offers.

God gave each person a conscience to know the difference between right and wrong. Being a Christian doesn't make robbing a bank any more or less wrong. Being a Christian doesn't make murdering someone any more or less wrong. Wrong is wrong. Sin is sin.

I find more and more that NON Believers are the ones conforming. Trying to be accepted by this world, their friends and family.

Romans 12:2 says " Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

You want to fit in. You want to be loved and ultimately, you want acceptance.

So, why does Christianity take all of the slack for following a set of rules? As a Christian, I actually think the goal is to be set apart. Different from anyone else. So....why in this world full of people claiming to want to be different, don't they turn to Jesus?

And besides that. I have yet to meet another Christian who sees eye to eye with me on everything...we are not all the same. haha.

The Bible has been the most freeing thing in my life. It teaches me and is a resource for me to turn to for guidance. I have never felt stuck in a set of rules, but more guided and protected from things that could hurt me physically and emotionally.

If you are reading this and don't know who God is, I urge you to check this out.

I mean...what is the purpose of life without Jesus?

Ok...end of rant.

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Sunday, August 24, 2014

Save This week!



I have partnered up with Savings Angel and am now going to be posting great deals each week! I don't want to clog up this blog with all of the great deals so I will just periodically post on here to remind you to check out my other blog.

It doesn't look too pretty yet but if you want to start saving money every week on things that you need, I highly recommend checking it out!

There is also a link above to The More Important Deals

If you are in the Rochester Area and would like to sit down sometime with me and I can explain how to use coupons or find deals to save on your shopping list (not extreme couponing), I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to help you save money!

Right now, I am posting for the major drugstores (Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid) and also The Dollar Tree and Target.

More stores will be coming soon!


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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Happy Birthday Levi

I simply cannot believe that it has been an entire year since Levi joined our family on the outside! He has been such a gift to us despite my initial shock of expecting him.

There are so many things that I wish I could store in my memory forever (and be able to recall it) and it makes me sad to know that I will forget.

At his first birthday, I always want to remember

How his 5 tooth smile looks when he grins at me


How he crawls on his butt dragging one leg behind him, just like Keira did!

How he LOVES to eat anything put in front of him


How he clapped when we gave him his birthday cupcake at one of his family birthday parties



How he has such an easy going personality

How he outweighs his 2 1/2 year old sister!

How much he looks like all of his sisters....and his daddy!!!

How when I pick him up, he wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes

How he digs through a pile of barbies and other dolls to find a car or a ball!


My labor and delivery with him was so easy and other than the first 2 months of reflux, he has been the most easy going baby I could have ever dreamed of.

We are so blessed to have our little buddy, Levi Daniel.


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Monday, August 18, 2014

Seven Years a Wife!

Seven years ago today, I married the man that God made for me! How special is that to think about? I love it!

In some ways, I can't believe that it has already been seven years but mostly, it kind of feels like longer...in a good way! haha.

We have crammed a LOT into the last seven years.

We have welcomed four children into our lives

We have lived in seven different homes

Tom started AND finished first and associates degree and then a Bachelor's

He began his career

We homeschooled Kindergarten

We have served in our church

We have maintained old friendships and also made new ones

It has been amazing. I am excited to see what God has planned for our future.




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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Learning new ways to Save

I have recently been trying to figure out how to incorporate some coupons saving ideas on this blog. Although I have not quite figured it out completely, I did come across an interesting opportunity that I would like to share with you.

I was told I could review 5 video's in this series, "90 days to Abundance" which is an e-course that teaches how to save every day on so many levels.

When I was first approached with this opportunity, I was a bit skeptical on what they would actually be teaching but I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.

free eCourse money time saving productivity tips tricks grocery savings
 I have often been asked how to "coupon" and I have even taught a few classes. Although I can get into the specifics of my local stores, I really believe that this course (which costs $20 and guarantees that you save $100 your first month) can truly help people save money and also reduce stress from your daily lives.

I am a firm believer that we should be trying our hardest to please God with how we spend our money....I fail miserably all of the time, I'm sure. But if you are looking for some new, basic, simple ideas on how to save, I highly recommend this course.

This is NOT about EXTREME COUPONING....this is NOT about just buying Junk food or things that you will never lose. It seems to truly be about saving on the things that YOU or YOUR FAMILY uses.

For this review, I only watched five videos that were hand selected. They were "intro's" to the rest of the course and I am definitely excited to watch the rest of them. They included, saving on groceries, Saving on Hotels, Being a more productive person, teaching kids about finances and also knowing if your "stuff" owns you! haha.

Overall, they are all topics that I think most of us can improve upon and I have already made some changes based on those.

If you do create an account, you will have access to the first five videos for free. Check it out!

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