1. I love thrift store shopping and am starting to really love garage sales! Here in Florida we have garage sales all year which is awesome! I am absolutely amazed at the deals that you can get. It is totally amazing :)

2. I have realized that I have a huge addiction to love for hummus and tortilla chips. Yumminess! I have also realized that I need to start making my own hummus because it is an expensive addiction love.

3. I love watching Food Network shows on the internet (because we do not have a tv).

4. I am have been convicted about the way we eat (because of my diet a few years ago I was sick for over a year you can read some of that journey by clicking HERE)  and am attempting to switch over to a more healthy/natural life style. I have found some amazing blogs about more natural living and have them listed to your left on my side bar. They are pretty inspiring! :)

5. My amazing husband and I got married EXACTLY one year and two months to the day that we met. I absolutely adore him. He truly is the greatest gift God ever gave me! The funny thing is that we have not even known each other two years yet (it will be two years March 28,2012 a day before his 22nd birthday)! It is amazing to me how so much can change in so short a time and I am SO THANKFUL it did!

1. When did you become a believer? I became a believer when I was very young at six years old. I didn't understand what it meant to build my life around Jesus until a few years later. To read my salvation story in more detail click HERE. 
2. What has been a very influential book in your spiritual walk? How? I would have to say a book called "Sacred Singleness" by Leslie Ludy. It really challenged me to be content and complete in Jesus Christ instead of constantly looking to fill that void with other things or people.
3. What is your favourite store to shop at? Grocery store is definitely Aldi's. Any other regular store is definitely thrift stores!
4. Do you wear your hair up or down in general? Mostly down because my love likes it like that :) His favorite is when I pull back the top part of my hair in somewhat of a poof.  Example:

5. What city would you like to live in? Honestly, I would never want to live in a city. I am a country girl at heart and LOVE having space!! :)
6. Who is one of your spiritual mentors? I would have to say here in Florida a lady from our church named Darla. She has just taken me under her wing and has shared so much wisdom with me. It is such a blessing to have someone like her here!
7. If someone gave you a large sum of money, what would you do with it? Give some of it away then go shopping for bargains and do some landscape work around our little white house :)
8. Are you a night person or a morning person? Well, I would tend to be more of a night person but then it depends on why I would have to wake up early cause if it is worth it then I am a morning person.
9. Starbucks or Caribou Coffee? Why? I do not like coffee. There, I said it. Please don't shoot me. I love tea instead :)
10. Do you enjoy long trips or dread them, whether in a car or a plane? Well, long trips are a whole lot easier to enjoy in a plane time-wise but driving in a car is a lot of fun too because you can stop and see places and people a long the way :)
11. What's your favourite genre of music? I absolutely LOVE sound tracks and instrumental scores. Maybe it is because I have played piano since I was six but yeah so inspiring! :)

1. Do you like salty or sweet better?
2. What are three words you would use to descibe yourself?
3. What is the neatest things that ever happened to you in your life?
4. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why.
5. Would you rather read a good book or watch a movie to relax?
6. What is your favorite color?
7. Who is the person who inspires you the most?
8. What is one thing about you that people don't usually know?
9. Would you rather be hot or cold?
10. What is your favorite type of food?
11. What is your favorite classic old movie?

Julia at- Julia's Journal
Rebecca at- Butterfly Days
Christiana at- My Life For Christ
 Lauren at- Lauren Rae Photography

Hey all!

I am so excited for my first give away ever! Notice I said my first give away ever! A few months ago I was contacted by a lady from  My Memories digital scrapbooking software about doing a review on my blog. I downloaded the software and started to play around with it.

There are so many things that you can do with it that honestly it was a little bit overwhelming to me at first! I did get a chance to make a new blog banner and I was really happy with how it turned out!
My friend Callie over at Through Clouded Glass did a giveaway last month and she used it to re-do her blog design! I am excited to play around with that and remaking my banner was the first step towards that goal!

The neat thing about my memories is that that really are ENDLESS options for designs! And the neat thing is that their store carries a lot of free packages as well as other packages that, while they are not free, are at a reasonable price.

I am really excited to continue to experiment with blog design as well as things like cards and photo arrangements especially after Elijah is born! :)

And one of you will be able to experiment with the same things because I get to give away a my memories suite to one of you!
To enter, please use the rafflecopter form below. It is super easy! Just make sure to push the green enter button when you have finished each requirement :)

This giveaway will end next Friday, Febuary 17th, and I’ll announce the winner the next day Febuary 18th!

(Source)

Pondering this: How can I make much of my Savior in every part of my life today?

It is easy to think "I am not making a difference anyway I am just at home while Jason is at work." But that is not right. But it is how the subtle mindset I have had these last few weeks which in turn has resulted in wasting time and energy on things that do not matter.

"God created us to live with a single passion...: to joyfully display HIS supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of HIM in every part of our life." -John Piper

It is so so easy for me to waste time at home. When I do not have someone behind me pushing me or motivating me I tend to have a hard time actually doing what I need to do and not wasting time doing things that have no lasting value.

The last few days I have really been convicted on how easy it is for me to not accomplish what I know I need to at home and the Lord has been helping me. To-do lists are absolutely amazing and
have really helped me prioritize my day and yet-I still stumble. And then I think "Wow, If I can not get a handle on this now what about when Elijah gets here?"

I so desire to live for my Savior and to be the wife and Mama that God calls me to be in His Word. Sometimes it just is easy to wonder does it matter? I am not a nurse or a missionary or a lawyer. I am just a stay at home wife and mama-to-be. But can I bring glory to my Savior in that? Yes! I can! A friend told me about this song by Steven Curtis Chapman and wow did it speak to me! I included it below but I wanted to focus on the first verse and chorus (granted I am not quite there yet but I will be soon with the baby):

"you’re picking up toys on the living room floor
for the 15th time today
Matching up socks and sweeping up lost
Cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip and color on your lips
and head out the door
And while I may not know you I bet I know you
Wonder sometimes does it matter at all
We’ll let me remind you it all matters just as long as you
Do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you
Cause He made you to do
Every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face
And tell the story of grace
With every move that you make
And every little thing you do"


Wow! I hope that encouraged you the way it encouraged me! What a reminder that WHATEVER we do it does matter as long as we are doing it for the right reason-bringing honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ!
Any thoughts on this stay at home wives and Mama's or anyone else for that matter? :)

Dear Little Man,

Yesterday Mama went to see Karen (your midwife). I drove about two hours. You may be thinking that is pretty far but Karen is a christian and your Daddy and I absolutely love her! She loves you already :)

Before I went to see Karen I had to stop at a Denny's and eat a specific breakfast so that once I got to the office I would be able have my blood tested for gestational diabetes. Because I had to go by myself this time (your Daddy has been working at a job so hard the past few days he is such a good provider) I decided to go on a much needed date with Jesus. Why you ask? Well, Mama has been struggling lately in her walk with Jesus and two  nights I had some repenting to do and after that today was like a fresh start. It was wonderful! I want so badly to be a godly example to you baby boy. I pray that when you look at me you will see Jesus shining through me and you will become a mighty man of God Elijah boy!

So, got to the office and while I was waiting this super nice lady came with her 14 month old daughter. She is a pastor's wife and so her baby is around people all the time. All the sudden her little one came right over to me and lifted her arms wanting up. I picked her up and sat her in my lap and just got so excited thinking that soon SO VERY SOON I will have my own little baby boy to cuddle and love on. I can hardly wait Elijah! I am so excited to meet you!

Speaking of meeting you. Last night I dreamed that I got to see you! Then when Karen gave me a quick peek at you yesterday I GOT TO SEE YOUR FACE! You are so adorable! You have the cutest little button nose that slightly turns up and your cheeks are already starting to get pudgy! You were opening and closing your little mouth and even sucking on your umbilical cord. The last two times I have seen you had your little arm up next to your face. That is exactly how your Daddy sleeps so pretty sure you got that from him :)

Speaking of your Daddy: