Rewards and Challenges

I gotta get my questions answered huh? Thanks to those of you who asked these great questions. If you'd still like to ask me a question - any question - please feel free to still do so.


I will try and make these as short as possible so that you don't give up on me and move along.


Anonymous asked: "So far, what has been your most rewarding experience in raising E?"

Well, the rewards of raising a child are certainly too many to count & she is not even 3 yet. I can't imagine how it will be to look back on her life when she is grown and married and raising children of her own.

Right now, the one that stands out to me by far is watching her grow to know the Lord. "What do you mean? She is only 2?" You would be amazed how much she already knows about her Heavenly Father at her young age. Does she understand it? I'm sure not. But, she knows that He hears her prayers, cares for her and lives in her heart. It is so rewarding watching her learn the power of prayer and learning to talk to Jesus, as her best friend. No memorized prayers to be recited, no same ole', same ole'. But, that she can just talk to Him...when she is scared, when she feels bad or when one of us is sick. She knows she doesn't even need anything in order to talk to Him. All she has to do is talk.

She has been dealing with a head cold for a few days and right in the middle of the grocery store isle last week, she said, "Mommy, I weally don't feel good. Can you pway for me now?" I could have easily said a prayer under my breath and still been heard by the Lord, but I know that what will stand out in her memory in years to come is that her mother stopped what she was doing to lay hands on her and pray for her. Did I do it for attention? Not at all. There were people around, but I am not even sure they saw. But, I am not ashamed. These times can also be used as a witness of my faith and what my 2 year old knows about prayer to others around.

So, at this point, I feel like the biggest reward is knowing that we are raising her right in the light of eternity. To love the Lord. Serve Him. Talk to Him. Know Him. Feel Him. Touch Him and be touched by Him. If we strive to do this everyday, we will be rewarded with children that spend eternity in heaven with us.

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D (Donya, is this you?) asked: "As a stay at home mom, what are some of the major challenges you face? What would you change?"

Being a stay at home mom is the "job" I've always wanted to have. It is wonderful, but so challenging. I know a lot of folks that work a full-time job will totally laugh at this and think I am insane. But, bear with me.

Being a "stay at home mom" would actually imply that we stay at home during the day, which we don't. I thought I'd have devotions done, breakfast ready, candles lit, house cleaned, play time with E, books that I've been wanting to read - read, and then dinner on the table when hubby walked in. I dreamed of putting June Cleaver to shame. I would be Beaver's worst nightmare of a mom!

E and I take care of my grandmother 4 days a week in the mornings. So, my day as a "SAHM" doesn't officially begin until early afternoon. In the meantime, I have a candle business that I work from home, which is a blast and I love!

So add a 2 1/2 year old to the mix - with an 81 year old grandmother - breakfast that is at times (I hate to say..."almost forgotten") when E sleeps in - a strewn house - unread books that keep stacking up - and dinner...can you say "Kelloggs?"

Candles lit and playtime with E - got it covered!!!! Oh and yes, I do get a bath - EVERYday!

All of this to say - sometimes I think I'm just flat out underqualified for my "JOB" as a stay at home mommy & work at home mommy. But, nobody said things have to be perfect. These are only challenges if I make them that way. Some women have it all together - and then energy to spare. Lord knows, I will never be one of those women. That is okay.

Thankfully, I was blessed with a husband that is not demanding about his dinner being ready when he walks in the door or his house being spotless. Child fed, played with, naptime done, fed, cleaned and off to bed. He could care less about our schedules during the day. That is great - because all he wants to know is if we had a good day and if I took care of her and loved her. After all, isn't that why I'm home anyway?

What would I change? Hmm...I need a maid (don't we all?) to match up our clean socks and put 'em in their places. I can do laundry all day, but I.don't.wanna put it up. Uggh. I need a chef to cook the Steak & Potatoes that my husband deserves whenever he pleases. I need a speed-reader that will attach their eyes to the back of my head so I can read while I am working and playing and feeding and bathing. That way, all those books I'd like to have under my belt will be.

But, I'd settle for my not-so-perfect days in a heartbeat!

Smell Good Stuff, Giveaway #2

Here is giveaway #2:

Your choice of a pack of Melts OR a Cinnamon Bun candle.

To enter this contest, all you have to do is go here and tell me what scent you think would be your favorite. As a bonus, if you can guess what our Signature Scent is, I will enter your name 2 times!

Make sure you leave a way for me to reach you, whether through your blog or an email address. You must be a resident of the U.S. to participate. Oh and I will announce a winner on Friday, Feb. 1st and then contact you.

To check out hundreds of other giveaways, just click on the button above.

Have fun! Can't wait to hear from ya!

Smell Good Stuff, Giveaway #1

Yippee! I am so thrilled to take part in this giveaway again so here goes:

My first giveaway is for your choice of one of the following:

Natural Soy Based Bath & Body Bar OR Natural Body Wash (Cantaloupe Kiwi).

Listen to the yummy scents that our soaps come in:
Sweet Orange and Chili Pepper
Japanese Pear
Slate and Stone
Grapefruit & Lavender
Mystic Melon
and Juniper Breeze.

All you need to do to enter is to leave a comment with your name and a link to your blog or email address. Otherwise, your entry will not be counted. You must be a resident of the U.S. to participate. I will leave the giveaway open until Feb. 1st and I will randomly pick a name and email you if you've won.

Have fun! There are loads of giveaways here or you can click on the button at the top.

My Perfect Day

So, here is the answer to the first question I received. I'll answer in the order that I received them in.

Tarrah @ My Blue Eyed Babies asked - "What would the perfect day out... with your hubby look like? With your children look like? With your girlfriends look like?"

Well, this one actually is not all that easy for me...in some ways anyway.

See, my hubby works so many hours that we rarely get anytime "out" with him so really any day out with him is a perfect day for me.

It also really depends on what mood I am in. When it comes to time with Kevin, some days I wish he were home with me so that we could just laze around on the couch and watch movies and eat cookies all day long. Other days, I would love nothing more than to get up early and go to breakfast (sit down breakfast), go shopping together, come home take an afternoon nap (and anyone that knows him knows that the napping would be the best part of the day for him (wink)), go out for dinner and a movie and then for some ice cream or coffee after. I love that feeling I get with I'm "out" with him...even after almost 8 years of marriage...that feeling of being so proud to have him with me - by my side. You know when you are dating? You want to run into people so that they can see your hot date? Cuz you are proud? Yup...I still feel that way.

~~~~~~~~~~

When it comes to a day out with my girl, E - anyday that she is happy and not whiny is a perfect day for me. I love getting up early some mornings with her and going to get breakfast (food again I know) and then taking her to a local bookstore to play in the toy section. That is a good day for me. She knows she gets to go there or a toy store as a privilege for being good. Whether it lasts, well that is another story.

When she has been good, it thrills me to get to reward her with a treat. Sometimes it consists of going to her favorite place to play, going to the park, getting ice cream, visiting with a friend. It is these days that get you through the "other" days.

~~~~~~~~~~

And my girlfriends - It depends on who those girlfriends are. There are those that I enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee with...morning, noon or night...and talking about everything from A-Z...or talk about nothing but "apples and bananas" haha. There are those that I love to shop with, or should I say try to keep up with their shopping, or pray with or play games with. And those also that I can run boring errands with or sit and flip the channels with while we complain about nothing being on...and still it's fun. I write this with a few particular gals in mind. But, there are lots of girlfriends in my life that are a joy to be around and are all true gifts from God.

Any time spent with each of them is a great day for me. I tried to find a good quote on spending time with your girlfriends and couldn't. But, the fact is that sometimes you go through things and face times when all you need is a good dose of your girlfriends to get you on your way.

So, obviously you can see that I am a simple girl. I don't need to do anything special to enjoy the "perfect" day with my husband, daughter or buds. As long as they are here to enjoy, I just want to make every minute count.

Until the next question is answered...have a great day!

And if you have a question for me, go here to ask anything you want.

**Ask me some questions here. Let's talk!!**

Kisses for the Soul

Bury Me With a _____!!

My dad preached the funeral today of a sweet little old lady that has belonged to our church for as long as I can remember. She was almost 100 years old and I'm sure she is dancing the streets of heaven as you read this.

Her son spoke at the funeral about a story he'd heard before. A lady met with her preacher and told him that she was ready to start planning her funeral. She said there were a couple things that she knew she wanted done when she died and she wanted him to promise her that he would take care of them.

Of the things they discussed, one of them was what she would be buried with. She told him that she wanted to be buried with 2 things, one in each hand.

1. Her Bible...He thought that was a pretty common request so he didn't think too much about it.

"Okay and what do you want in your other hand?"

2. A fork. "A fork?!" "Why in the world is that?"

She explained how she always liked it when she went to a restaurant and the waitress came by to pick up the dirty plates and said, "Keep your fork."

~~~You know where I'm going with this don't you?~~~

When you get to keep your fork, that always means something else is on the way!!! It's not over. The best is yet to come!

She wanted to be buried with fork in hand...symbolizing that her life - as her mortal body lay in that coffin - her life was NOT over! The best was yet to come!

Are you tired of looking at your dirty plates and wondering..."Is this it?" "Is this all I'm gonna get from this meal called life?"

Let me tell you ~ "You can keep your fork!" Your BEST is YET to COME! It's NOT over...this isn't it!

No matter what you are going through today, tomorrow or months from now...hold onto your fork and get ready to DIG IN to eternity!!

Oh yeah, bury me with a fork.

Apple Raisin Betty

*I will be answering the gazillion questions (haha) that I've received in a day or two. By the way, thanks to those of you that have asked. Great questions too!

Hubs and I had a treat for dessert tonight...Apple Raisin Betty.

I was actually going to post a picture of it right when it came out of the oven. But, I thought you'd get one look at it and move on. It honestly looked just like a mexican dish, which doesn't look too tasty when you are expecting apple anything! Pictures just don't do things justice.

I saw Sandra Lee on Semi-Homemade make this a couple of days ago and thought it would be something different to try.

So, for anyone interested, here is the recipe:

Apple Raisin Betty

(2) 20 oz. cans of apple pie filling

3 packets of Raisin Spice instant oatmeal (I used Quaker)

1 tsp. cinnamon

6 tbsp. butter

Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and put in 1 can of pie filling. Sprinkle 1 1/2 packets of the oatmeal on top of the filling, then add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Crumble up the butter into small pieces and add half (3 tbsp.) on top.

Then repeat again. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

The only thing missing was the vanilla ice cream. We certainly won't make that mistake again!

Let's Talk Folks!

I am stealing this idea from someone else's blog...who stole it from someone else's blog. But, it sounds like fun to me.

It is not always easy-peasy to come up with stuff to talk about on here. And I wanna mix it up a bit.

So, this is a neat idea and a chance for any of you readers...whether you know me or not...to ask me anything you want. Anything at all. You can ask me deep questions or silly stuff. You may think you know me good enough, but I could surprise you! (smile)

Of course, depending on the question, I have the choice of not answering. But, I am confident that I would want to answer them all. Please pass along the link so that others can ask too.

Just leave your questions in the comment section of my post. Then, I will be quick to post my answers.

And, if you have a blog, please be sure and leave a link to it so that I can ask you a question too.

Oh goodness...why do I feel nervous? Ask away!

How silly am I gonna feel if I don't get any questions...?!

Precious Moments

First of all, driving down the road this week, we were listening to Veggie Tales songs and they mentioned God. We talk so much about Jesus that I wondered if she would know who God is or how she would describe Him.

I asked her, "E, do you know who God is?"

She concentrated and paused for a moment while she thought.

Then, she said, "Yes, God is...Um God is...He is da whole world." Later on, I asked her again and she replied, "God is my fwend and He is da King!"

...let me tie this in now...


After all of the praying that goes on at our house, E has picked up really quickly on it. She knows how to pray. I don't mean just the "God, Our Father" prayer either. She has a few different prayers. She does pray the aforementioned prayer when it is time to eat. But, at bedtime or when she is praying for someone that is sick...or when she gets hurt, she automatically knows to pray for her boo-boo's (after we kiss 'em first, of course.)

In fact, my friend, Amber, called the other day and said that her 6 month old was sick for the first time. I put E on the phone with her and she prayed - all by herself - for her to be healed and told Jesus that we "gib you all da pwaise and all da glowy."

When I was putting E to bed lastnight, I told her it was time to say her prayers. Some nights, we say them and she repeats and some nights she says them and we repeat as she leads. I told her that I wanted her to pray this time.

"Lord Jesus, tank You for da bewwy (very) God. Oh and (spotting a spot on my finger) heal mommy's boo-boo Fader God. In Jesus' name, Amen."

(pressing on the boo-boo on my finger) "Mommy, do dat hurt? Can you feel dis?"

"Yes I feel it. Don't hurt my boo-boo E!"

"Oh God, gib mommy peace and pwotect her boo-boo. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Then, after I quit laughing, she moved onto a "real" prayer. Why would I even say "real" like that? Any prayer she prays, gets the attention of her "Fader God!" He listens. And He answers.

I love - I cannot tell you how much I love the fact that my 2 year old prays for peace over her family and friends when they are sick. It's amazing that she knows that Jesus is her Father God and that He is King and that He is "da whole world." That's right! What better way is there to explain Him? We can't. He is the whold world! He just simply..."IS."

So, I share this with you as an encouragement to pray out loud in front of your children. They listen to how you speak your Best Friend, Jesus. They will learn that there is no right or wrong way to do so - as long as you do it. Most importantly, they will learn to call on His Name!

These are such precious moments! God bless!

Missin' You

Every day when E wakes up, either in the morning or from her nap, she does one of two things:

a) Immediately starts singing and talking and saying all sorts of cute stuff
OR
b) Immediately starts whining and screaming and saying all sorts of not-so-cute stuff

I can usually tell what kind of morning or afternoon we are going to have by the way she wakes up. The first whine gets me saying, "uh oh" and the praying begins.

This weekend, E was waking up from her nap and started singing "Je-dus Love Me" & "Go Tell on Mountin" and I just decided to sit back and listen. Her sweet songs turned into, "Mommy, can you come get me out?" "Mommy, I need get out my bed." "Mommy, puhwease!"

The sweet "puhwease" did it so I started making my way to her room and when I get to the hall, she says, (I am not exaggerating by the way...it was just like this)...

...are you ready?

"Oh mommy, I miss you so bad I don't know what to do."

Yup, it worked, I couldn't get in there fast enough.

Kisses for the Soul

Taking the Initiative
(This is taken, in part, from "The WORD for You Today" - daily devotional that our church is reading.)

You can only pray, plan and prepare for so long, then you must step out in faith and act.

The Chinese say, "He who deliberates too long before taking a step, will spend his whole life on one leg." The reason we never get started is because we focus on tomorrow instead of today. The only time over which you have any control is the present. James wrote, "Look here, you people who say, 'tomorrow we are going to a certain town...We will do business there and make profit.' How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone." (James 4:13, 14 NLT)

Edgar Guest wrote: "The greatest of workers this man would have been - tomorrow. The world would have known him, had he ever seen - tomorrow. But the fact is he died and he faded from view, and all that he left here when living was through, was a mountain of things he intended to do - tomorrow."

(Added by me) So what is it that you have been putting off until...tomorrow? Take that step of faith, whether it be at your job, in your marriage, friendships, ministry, etc. Don't be afraid. Trust God and He will guide your way.

Remember, He has called you "for such a time as THIS!"

*Important* Post!!

Attention shoppers!!

Head to Old Navy right NOW!! Drop what you are doing and G-O! They are having an amazing sale, while supplies last, of fall & winter clothes, as well as great gifts for next Christmas...do what you say you'll do every year..."I'm gonna start my Christmas shopping earlier this year." yada yada yada...that is me every December 26th.

Now is your chance to at least start on it. I just bought some great house shoes ("slippers" sounds so 'girlie') for my hubby and father and I'd like to go rack up on a few more pair.

Guess how much they were y'all!! A whopping $1.75!! Can you believe it? They may as well just be passing them out at the door don't-cha-think?

OOPS - dad & hubby, forget you read any of that!

So, being as most women are just like me and never want to miss a deal - get...scoot...hussle your way on over and maybe I'll "see" ya there. or not. I may beat ya to all the good deals.

You can also go here to shop online for women's goodies.
or here to shop for your lil' angels.

Race ya!!!

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This

Y'all, I can't even lie - today was tough!

Our little E has been a little under the weather with a bug for the past few days. Actually, when she is sick, she gets extra loving and wants to cuddle and gives lots and lots of kisses all day long. She has been doing that this week.

Oh - but NOT today!

It was just one of those days - I have them too - where nothing seems to go your way. Whine, Whine, Whine, Cry, Cry, Cry, Pout, Pout, Pout!

She cried when I turned the t.v. off because she wanted to mash the button. She cried when I got the spoon out of the drawer for her yogurt because she wanted to get the spoon. Her daddy kept asking her before bed tonight to pick up her toys and she cried because she didn't want to. So - the nice daddy he is - picked them up for her since she felt bad...and...yes...you guessed...she cried - because she was "gonna" do it.

Finally, I said, "Mommy loves you, but tonight I just can't wait for you to go to bed." She sort of laughed because I don't think she understood.

We made it through and the day is at its' end. SHHH the bear is now asleep, resting her bottom lip. I have seen more of that bottom lip today than I cared to!

...but what a cute bear with a cute lip she is!

(Is that not the cutest picture by the way? She honestly doesn't look that cute when she pouts now.)

Man I just said "cute" way too many times!

Chuck E. Cheese = THE Bank

“Mommy, where is daddy?”
“He’s gone to work to make some money.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
“He makin’ a quorta (quarter), penny & necklace (nickel)?” (I love this!)
“He sure is.”
“I gonna take it to Chuck E. Cheese.”

Now, every time she sees any money lying around, she puts it in her pocket. I say, “Don’t we need to put that in the bank?”
“Yeah, we need to put it in Chuck E. Cheese.” I guess that is all the bank they know at this age.

Candle of the Month

Sweet Fig & Wildberry

"A sweet, dark, fruity accord with rich, impactful notes of fig, sweet blueberry, raspberry and juicy black plum on a base of patchouli and musk."

I must say that I got this candle yesterday and the color is gorgeous and so rich!

You can go here to learn more about the other products/scents or the business. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have. Just leave a comment with your email.

I Won't Be the Cowardly Lion!

This was in one of my devotions last week and is a great one for the start of a brand new year! Enjoy!

"Be strong and courageous." Deuteronomy 31:6

Without courage, you're not living, you're hiding! Courage is what moves you forward; it's the muscle that makes your faith work. Faith by itself can be nothing more than a set of beliefs. Courage is what activates your beliefs. Every Promised Land has 'giant' problems, and you have to face them and defeat them before moving in and taking up residence. Notice 3 things in Deuteronomy, Chapter 7, that God said to Israel about taking the Promised Land:

(1) "Your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God" (v. 21). Be assured, God is greater than anything you'll face this year!

(2) "Will drive out those nations before you" (v. 22). God will go ahead of you. He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself, but you've got to show up for the fight.

(3) "Little by little" (v. 23). Whether it's conquering your Promised Land or your character flaws, you can't do it all at once. So God works with you in one area after another. Life is not one big battle and then you march in the victory parade. No, it's a series of small, daily struggles required to defeat the enemies of your spiritual growth.

Twenty-three chapters later, God is still telling Israel to be courageous. That's because courage is like oxygen, you can't survive without it. Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the conquest of it. Courage means doing it afraid - until you're no longer afraid. It means - trembling your way to confidence! God promised to go with then and before them. Who does God walk with and work with? Who does He go ahead of and fight for? Those who show COURAGE!

Jesus!

He is Jesus.

The One and Only.

Transcendent over all else.

To know Him is to love Him.

To love Him is to long for Him.

To long for Him is to finally reach

soul hands into the One true thing

we need never get enough of.

Jesus.

Take all you want.

Take all you need.

Till soul is fed.

And spirit freed.

Till dust is dust.

And Face you see.

Jesus Christ.

He's all you need.

This is from Beth Moore's 'Jesus' - 90 Days with The One and Only Study

Happy New Year to you and your family!



I am so excited about this 2008 year...I've recently found out that the number 8 means "New Beginning" and I don't know about you, but that sooo excites me!

I personally am ready for a new beginning, a fresh start. Sometimes we tend to get so bogged down with just "life stuff" and we feel like we just can't get a break.

Well, forget the break. I think I'm just ready for that new beginning. And you?

I don't know if you are one to make resolutions each year. I've never really been big on them since most of them aren't kept for long. But, I thought this was interesting:

Top New Year's Resolutions: (in no particular order)

* Lose Weight * Pay off Debt

* Save Money * Better Job

* Get Fit / Eat Right * Better Education

* Quit Smoking * Reduce Stress

* Take a trip * Volunteer More

Save Money - I'm all about the saving money...but, that is much easier said than done!

Take a trip - We are going on our very first cruise in a few months so that will cover one of those. Check!

Reduce Stress - People, I have a 2 year old! Enough said?

Better Education - E (the 2 year old mentioned herein) educates me every single day! Check!

Better Job - Hmmm. Mommy is the job I always wanted. Who could ask for anything more? Check!

~~ Okay, so I won't call these "resolutions" just goals I have for 2008:

#1 Be a Better Blogger. I know I've been a slacker lately with the blogging. As I've said before, sometimes I wonder who all is out there, since people don't regularly comment, but then people start asking me why I'm not blogging. So, I'll do better. Promise. Hopefully. Maybe. Ugh. (smile)

#2 Work, Work, Work my business with all that I have. Y'all, my youngen is starting Pre-K this year. oh.my.goodness.gracious! For plenty of reasons other than that, I need a successful business and that is up to me!

#3 Get up earlier. I have a tendency to let myself sleep until E wakes up a lot of mornings - not all mornings, but a lot. I realize that since she is not an early-riser, there is so much that I could get done each morning if I'd crawl on out.

#4 Become a woman after God's own heart. This should not be down at #4, so these aren't in the right order, but I just finished Beth Moore's 90-day study on the life of David. I feel like I know David now. I highly recommend this study. What a legacy he left. Was he a perfect man? Certainly not. Did he love God? Absolutely and he left us a lot to learn from. Oh how I want to know God like David did.

Okay, so that is enough right now. I pray that your 2008 is filled with happiness, love, laughter and peace...but most importantly a burning desire to live for and serve the Lord, the King of all Kings, the ONLY God like you've never imagined.

God bless!