Love is a Verb Day 28 ~~ Last post of the month

Well, it is the end of February. Can you even believe it?

I have so enjoyed my "Love is a Verb" posts this month that Deidre hosted. It has been so great to be challenged in this way.

Last week, I didn't keep up my posts so well last week, you see it is getting to be the busy season for my stepson's business, and I answer the phones for him and make appointments, and I get to watch Sir Cuteness full time. It is so fun, but it certainly keeps me busy.

But I wanted to finish strong. So today I am showing you some things I've been working on this month. I love to Scrapbook, but I've had a hard time fitting it into my already busy life, but it is something that is very relaxing to me, so I've started doing it a lot more lately and wanted to share with you some of the things I've been doing, and how I've been loving on others through it.

Let me start by saying..... I am NOT a photography like RJ and so many of you fantastic photographers out there. Nope, I snap and shoot. I know nothing about lighting or adjusting or things like that....so please bear with my lack of picture taking abilities =)

My dad's birthday is tomorrow. He will be 72. I don't see him much, but wanted to send him a little something to let him know that he is thought of and loved.

I used an epoxy sticker in the actual content of the card and thought it turned out so cute. And bonus....got a whole package of epoxy stickers at the $1 store.

And then this card I made for my dear friend T who lives in MN.


I thought it turned out really cute. (Sorry for the yellow lighting).
More flowers from the $1 store.




And then over the weekend, I came across some youtube videos on Scrapbooking.
Who knew?!! So I watched a tutorial on how to make these adorable paper flowers.
They turned out SO cute!! I will be making a lot of these.




This was the first one I tried. It looks blue in this photo, but it is really green with some patterened paper in the outer middle section. Very cute!!



This flowers are made totally by hand.
You start with squares of paper in 3 different sizes, and cut flowers out, etc.
I'll post the link at the end of this post.
So cute!!

This one is a smaller version.
I know you can't tell in the picture, but it is smaller.
It turned out so cute too!!






This one looks a little funky, but in person it is so sweet.
These pictures really don't tell the whole story here.
I have really LOVED this project!!

And one more picture of the orange one.
Love it!!
I'm working on some very special CHRISTmas projects (yes I know it's February),
And these will probably be a part of that.
So cool!!
It is a labor of love, I assure you.


So this is a monogramed card I made for my friend T in MN and will be sending
it to her this week.
I love the way it turned out.
I bought a book of card sketches and this is my interpretation of one of the sketches.
I'm loving this book!!!



Here is the inside of the card.


So I have been working on some cards and Scrapbook projects and hanging out with Sir Cuteness.

Here is the link to the flower project: here

I have a doctor's appt today with my Orthopod. We'll see what he says about this bone pain I am having in my knee. Hopefully it will subside soon, but I press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. I press on!!! I'm NOT going to let it get me down.

I will also be participating in "Haven" week over at The Homespun Heart. I'm looking forward to that. I'll be posting more about that tomorrow.

Also tomorrow is our new SSMT verse. So here is my verse for this past month:

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but wordly sorrow brings death." II Corinthians 7:10



Oh one more thing: Sir Cuteness has a play phone of one of his daddy's old phones, and he just told me he was checking his e-mail. Oh my, need I remind you he's 2.
Hahaha!!!

Have a Blessed day,

Sunday Letters ~~ Oh How He Loves Us ~~

Dear Dak,

Okay, so I'm not even gonna kid around even a little.....Senior year is kickin' my boo-tay!!! You are lovin' it, I must say, except for freaking out a little over college, but you came in the other day from school and said that you really wanted to check out MSU (in Springfield) and MSSU (Missouri Southern, in Joplin, about an hour away). In both instances ,you would like to live on campus. You have such an independent Spirit I think it will serve you well, either way.

You had your model call-back on Thursday evening, to which you got to walk the cat-walk. You were thrilled!! You haven't heard back from them yet, but either way, your mama loves ya =)

You got 1st place last weekend in S & D tournament in the Improv Division and then yesterday you medaled in both Improv and Duo (took 5th place in both). You told me last night you felt so special with two medals around your neck at the same time (hahaha), and then you told me a funny story about a girl asking you to dance at the spontaneous dance party that broke out in the gym before y'all left for home.

She came up and asked you to dance and you said, "I don't even know you...." (smooth son =) to which she replied as she stuck out her hand, "I'm Sarah" you said, "Umm I'm Dakota..." She said, "now we know each other, let's dance." And you, being the you that you are, grabbed Liza (your duo partner) and off to the dance floor with Sarah and Liza you went. Probably not what Sarah had in mind, but you my son, dance to the beat of your own drum. You always have, that's one of those things I dig about you =)

So this week, is all about college. We have a college visit on Thursday for MSU, and then the one for Joplin will probably be next week. I'm so happy for you and a little sad for me, all at the same time!!! That's just the way mom's of Senior's roll. Trust me on this!!!

Love you for always ~~ mom

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My Sweet Sir Cuteness,

What can I say? Life with you is so fun and exciting!!! We have had many outings this week and you have done just GREAT for gamma. We had to get taxes done, drop taxes back off, go to the grocery store and various other things, and you have been such a trooper.

It was so funny, you told me that you wanted to go to Calister's (McAlister's) and get a hot dog and sweet tea. Oh.my.stars. And then on Friday Daddy gave you $$ for McAlister's to which you told me weren't eating lunch, well, until it got lunch time and then you were ready for (M)Calister's. So funny. So we ate there again, and you just loved it, and I love you so much!!

Before you left for church this morning you came in to give me a hug (I was laying in bed a little under the weather with allergies), so you gave me a big hug, and kiss and then came back for "nosers" ~~ You make my heart sing little one. I love you so!!!

This week, we will be hanging out a lot and going to the doc on Monday for my knee. That will be an adventure, but in true Sir Cuteness fashion, you will make even that fun and exciting!!

I love you to the moon ~~ gamma

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My dear Mr. Winslow,

You are RIGHT NOW spraying the carpet because Sir Cuteness got a little dot of washable marker on it last week. You have cleaned the whole kitchen and living and vacuumed and worked hard all morning. You've let me sip my hot tea, do my Bible Study, ice my knee and do my PT all while you have slaved away, never ONCE complaining!!!

You are my hero.

You want to buy a motorcyle. tear. And that's all I'll say about that.

I love you Sweetie ~~ Petrii

Stinkin' "Thinkin' ~~ Love is a Verb Day 21

So I must tell you that lately I have struggled with pain. These knee is kickin' my booty, to say the least. I guess I am just tired of hurting every.single.day.

So this morning, me and my bad mood, got up. And I CHOSE joy!!! Please hear me clearly on this ~~ I CHOSE JOY!!!!! ~~ this morning it was a choice. I woke up and the Lord put this verse on my heart: "This is the day the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!!" Yep, He was asking me to choose joy in my pain.

Well, as you can imagine, I didn't sleep good, so my mood was VERY stinky, but God was very near me today. As I got in my car to go pick up Sir Cuteness, I put my Playlist on entitled "Wonderful" and I pushed "Shuffle" and one song after another was a Praise song. God was intent on me CHOOSING joy. So I SANG AND SANG loud and raised my hand and I'm sure that if you passed the silver car with the lady raising her hands and singing at the top of her lungs, I wasn't waving to you; sorry. Nope I was praising my Jesus and CHOOSING JOY!!

So what in the world brought all this on? Well, this weekend has been a difficult one for me and my Dak. I don't like hard weekends, but I know they are necessary and inevitable when raising a teen.

This child of mine has the sweetest heart, but he is given to "stinkin' thinkin' " A-LOT!! It drives.me.crazy. He knows better....but his mind will go crazy on him and he will get caught up in thinking ALL the wrong things. So as this was happening yesterday, I stopped him and told him that what we think is SO important and that "stinkin' thinkin' " gets us in SO much UNECESSARY trouble. He agreed. It was a break through for sure.

As I was explaining to him how it works with our thinking and how it becomes actions, I was reminded of days past, where I would have to explain things on much simpler terms, and now that my boy is transitioning into a man ~~ tear. ~~ I can speak plainly to him, and he gets it, because I KNOW the LORD is at work in his heart.

So this morning when I got up after a difficult night of sleep, and chose joy, God started working on my heart about my own "stinkin' thinkin' ". What we think is vitally important to how we act. So I picked my little bad mood self up and got about my day and even delivered some cinnamon rolls to someone I knew would need a nice, sugary breakfast =)

And then I stopped and got Dak a Frapp on the way home, and again was SO glad I did. He was very appreciative. And I was choosing joy!!!!!

So, CHOOSE JOY!!!!!!!!!

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Bible Study ladies ~~ I will be putting the questions up today and sending you an e-mail with a link. I am so looking forward to Bible Study tomorrow evening.

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Have a Blessed day,

A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place.....Questions for Weeks 5 & 6

Hello ladies,

Can you believe that we are getting ready to study weeks 7 & 8 in our study over the next two weeks. We're learning SO much!!! My heart is so full!!

So let's get started:

In Weeks 5 & 6 we are beckoned beyond the 1st curtain and into the Holy Place. Remember that the earthly Tabernacle was a pattern of the heavenly one. That is such a Blessed thought to me, but it is also what we need to keep reminding ourselves of as we study: Holy God wanting to meet with and have a relationship with sinful man. For that to happen, the pattern that God set out had to be followed exactly according to HIS plan and pattern, and when it wasn't there were grave consequences, which we encountered in week 6.

So let's come into the Holy Place ladies. He becons us to come near and learn.....

Question 1:

The Golden Lampstand:

The lampstand was hammered out of a 75 lb. piece of pure gold. AMAZING!!!

I love how Beth Moore ties the lampstand into John 15 on pages 99-100.

Read John 15:1-9. The pruning process hurts and is difficult, but why is it necessary?

Can you tell a time that God pruned a branch in you so that it could be even more fruitful?

Question 2:

On the top of page 103 Beth Moore states:

"We are the heavenly lampstand of this age to show Jesus to a dark world. He is no less present when we hide our lamp, but when we do this, we make it harder for those walking in darkness to see. Christ was the Olive Tree pressed to make available the pure oil of the Holy Spirit to fuel our lamps continually."

This paragraph was very convicting for me. I do not want to hide my light under a bushel. I need to ALWAYS display it for others to see.

We are lights in this dark world, but that came at a very high price to our Savior.

List 3 tangible ways that you can show your light to others that don't know Christ.

1.

2.

3.

Question 3:

I love how we can get such a visual, from the Word, of the Tabernacle and all the pieces. In Lev. 24:5-7, we get the picture of the bread on the Table of Shewbread. Notice that each loaf was to be made from the same amount of flour for each; 2/10 of an ephah of fine flour, so they would have been all the same size.

How were they arranged on the table? (vs 6)

In verse 7, what was placed along side the bread?

What was its purpose (Lev. 2:1-2)?

Question 4:

The Altar of Incense:

God has spoke to me so much through the Altar of Incense.

The Altar of Incense was as deep in the Holy Place as the priest could go on a daily basis.

I love how Beth Moore ties the Altar of Incense in with prayer through the Word.

On page 118-119, we read Luke 7:36-50, and the five points she makes there after.

Which of these speaks to you the most and why?

Question 5:

Where do you find yourself; are you a prayer warrior?

Or do you struggle with prayer?

If so, why?

Question 6:

As stated in the intro: Holy God wanted(s) to meet with sinful man, so He designed a plan that had to be followed exactly for that to happen.

What happened when Nadab & Abihu did not follow God's plans to spec?

What did they do that was not to God's specifications?

Where was the fire to come from?

What was the real issue with Nadab and Abihu?

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I always feel like I should apologize for the lack of questions. There is so much we could discuss, but please know that I ask God to lead me and to write these questions through me. I pray that we discuss what He desires us to discuss.

If you have questions that we do not cover, please e-mail me. I will do my best to help.

Stay in His Word my dear girls ~~ I'll "see" you tomorrow evening over at Chatzy ~~ I love you so,

Sunday Letters ~~

My dearest Dak,

How do I even start this Sunday Letter to you? I love you so much, and yet we find ourselves in a difficult season. A time when you are trying to grow up and I'm trying to let you and yet I don't want it to happen so fast. It.is.hard.

So, sweet boy, know that no one loves ya like your mama!!..... Well, except for God of course, and He loves you THE MOST!!!

You received first place yesterday in the "Improv" section at the Speech and Debate Tournament you went to yesterday. You and T beat everyone.....over a hundred other kids. You even beat the kids from Carthage, which I understand is a VERY BIG DEAL!! And today you told me that you would've been happy with 6th place, which is what you thought you got. You're teacher didn't tell you that you got first. He couldn't tell you, so you were just thrilled when the kids kept dwindling. It was down to you and one other school and you turned to T and said, "T, we got 2nd!!" And then they announed that 2nd went to Carthage and Clever 3A got 1st!!! You couldn't believe it!!!!! You even have the medal to prove it!!! GREAT JOB SON!! 1st place ~~ WAY TO GO!!!!!

This week you also made your mama cry. You got your invitations for graduation and called when you got home and said I would be sad, but that they were beautiful. Well, when Sir Cuteness and I got home, Kayla was playing Pomp & Circumstance on the piano and I thought that was weird. So I go and lay Sir Cuteness down and when I come out from the bedroom she starts playing it again and out you walk in your cap and gown. GASP!! You were all smiles and I was all tears, but it was a beautiful moment ~~ you rotten kid!!! =)

I know the day is fast approaching (less than 3 months away now) and all the preparations have started: guest list for both invitations and your graduation party. I am making your party invitations and you seem happy about that. Our dear friend Kathy will be making your cake (hopefully), and I'm gonna start looking for something nice to wear. I feel a trip to Branson coming =)

Love you for always, mom

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Sir Cuteness,

This week, we found out that you are going to have to go to a Cardiologist to get further testing on your sweet heart. We are praying and crying out to God to heal you and that they find NOTHING wrong at all!!! I'm believing my sweet baby, I am Believing!!!!!

You are the sweetest thing!!!!! We made cookies last night, ya know, the little squares that are already made and you just put them on the pan. I got some on clearance at the store because they were Valentine cookies. They were chocolate chip with pink hearts, and you kept picking the hearts off and eating them. You didn't want ANY on the cookies!!! It was SO funny!! I think we ended up with one or two on one or two cookies. HILARIOUS!!!

You are such a joy and delight to my heart, dear Grandson!!

Love you to the moon ~~ gamma

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My Dear Mr. Winslow,

You have helped me so much this week. You challenge me to believe and you challenge me to know more. I am so thankful!!!

Thank you for guiding me and loving me like Christ loves the church. You are my hero.

I love you ~~ Petrii

When Love is Bold in Wal-Mart.... Love is a Verb Day 18

Okay let me start by saying that it is 5:19 pm Friday here in MO and at 5:30 I am to be at the High School because our Project Grad Parents (all 5 of us) are suppose to be selling pizza slices at Homecoming ~~ HOMECOMING ~~ Did I mention this was HOMECOMING?!!!!

I would love to be able to tell you all the fun I had today complete with a picture of where G took me to today.....but as I've said ~~ it is ~~ HOMECOMING ~~ and I DO NOT have the time!!! Other than to tell you it was so fun and nice to get out.

Well, after our outing (of which I will blog about ummmm hopefully tomorrow,) we went to lunch and then Aldi's and then Wal-Mart. While a Wal-Mart I noticed a woman eyeing me. I think she even said "hi" at one point like she knew me. I did NOT know her, of this I was certain. Well, we moved on with our grocery shopping lives until we were standing in the laundry detergent aisle, because girlfriend was out, and this lady, whom I have never even seen before, comes up and asks if she could pray for me. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAL-MART LAUNDRY DETERGENT AILSE!!! Please let me say here that this woman must have been paying attention, because I had left my cane in the truck, as often I will do, because I can hang onto the cart and the cane is just an added distraction. So she had to have been watching me walk.

She commented about G's shirt which was a FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athlete's) bright pink shirt with black lettering and then said that she believes in the healing power of Jesus Christ and had seen that I was limping and wanted to know what had happened. So I told her I had a TKA in October, and so right there in the laundry ailse at Wal-Mart this very nice lady prayed for me. It wasn't loud and intruisive, it was beautiful and insightful. She didn't pray for me to have more faith, or for God to show me what I needed for healing, she just cried out to our Ever-Present Help in Time of Need. It was so beautiful. I hugged her. Her name was Robin, and we proceeded to go about our business.

Well, when we were checking out, there was Robin, leaving as we were, and she came up to me and said that she didn't just pray for healing, but that God would give me NEW KNEES!!! Do you know how sweet that sounded to me. I mean I'm pretty much figuring that the new knees will have to wait to the other side of heaven, but this woman has some AMAZING faith. So I told her that this latest surgery was actually my 7th and my first surgery was at age 7, to which she replied: "Well, you are ready for some new knees then!!" Amen my new friend Robin.

I can't tell you the boost this gave me, and I am so thankful that God meant for our paths to cross today.

Love in action ~~ Love being bold ~~ right there in Wal-Mart!!!

Well, I can't even proof-read this, because it is 5:30 and I need to get myself over to HOMECOMING!!! Did I mention that it is HOMECOMING TONIGHT ~~ MY SENIOR'S LAST HOMECOMING AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT?~~ TEAR. (yes I meant to put that in ALL CAPS!!)

Have a Blessed evening,

Please Pray ..... When Love is most definitely a Verb .....

This is Love as a Verb at its finest my dear blog readers.

I have a very special prayer request.

A month ago my stepson took our precious grandson - Sir Cuteness - to the doctor for a recheck on his iron levels and the doctor thought he heard a heart murmur. This was new to us, because it had never been heard before. So they had us make an appointment for a recheck of that which was today.

So Sir Cuteness and I headed out to the doctor this afternoon, because mommy and daddy were working. We got there and the nurse came in and his pulse-ox was a little low and then the doctor came in and listened to his heart while Sir Cuteness was in several different positions: lying down, sitting straight up, sitting a little bent over etc., and said he could still hear something in the top part of his heart, so he is sending him to a Cardiologist. I asked him what could cause the low pulse-ox and he said it could be a virus, but could also be his heart. He also found an enlarged lymph node on the back of his head, which is actually visible without even touching to feel it.

So.....

This gamma...... (picture taken courtesy of Sir Cuteness with "The Pod" =)





















Would LOVE AND APPRECIATE your prayers, for the player of these toys .....



















And the reader of this Bible............ OH how I love him!!!!! .....




















And the wearer of this Superman Hat .....




















Together with his Uncle KoKo.....




















OH MY STARS ~~ HAVE YOU EVER?!! ~~ CAN YOU STAND THE CUTENESS?!!!






















We would SO appreciate your prayers for our sweet little dude. They will be setting us up with a Pediatric Cardiologist (so hard to type) within the next 10 days.

Thank you for loving us so much to pray for our Sir Cuteness!!!!! (His name is Skylar =)

My friends, love never looks better than it does when we pray for each other.

Romans 12:9-13 (NIV)

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Another First Last ..... Love is a Verb Day 15

Okay, so let me start by saying that the original title to this post was "Love is a Pity Party Today". And no, I am NOT kidding. That is what I entitled it before I went over to Deidre's to grab my "Love Month" button (see above =) Well, when I got over there, she had posted, and what a post it was!!! She posts today about there being "No one like our God"!! And then that is when this post COMPLETELY fell apart, PRAISE HIS NAME!!!

You see, this particular post finds me struggling. I'm having a hard time with me knee, and the enemy is trying to discourage me, but I am pressing on. Sometimes chronic pain is so constant that I can't get away from it......hence the pity party........ but I am choosing Joy today and knowing that there is "NO ONE LIKE OUR GOD!!" NO ONE!!!!!

Well, last night was another first last for me this Senior year. Do y'all realize that my baby, my BABY is graduating in less than 3 months. What in the blue blazes is going on?!! It has happened so quickly. I am, however, finally starting to get a handle on things a little bit, anyway, that was until last night.

Last night was my LAST Parent Teacher Conference EVER!!! It was really nice, for it being the last one and all..... All the teachers LOVE my son and they love me too which is really nice. There is one class that he is kind of struggling in, and because the teacher likes me he was careful in how he worded the problems, etc. It is so nice to be respected and loved by your child's teachers. So nice. And don't worry all is well and Mr. H assured me that Dak's grade is only reflective of one paper and the bulk of his grade comes with the final assignment. This is a college course and that is the way he teaches and grades it. Besides that class, his lowest grade is a 94.4% in CHEM 2. Wow he didn't get his smarts from this chic-a. And then besides that his lowest grade is 100% and he even has a 110%. Now how does that happen?!! When I was in school and did extra credit and exceeded the 100% mark, it was like there was a cap on it or something. Weird I know. And I digress....

Anyway.....

I was at school for probably close to 2 hours just talking and hanging out with some of the coolest people in the school system as a whole. Fantastic teachers and just really nice people. They all told me how much they were going to miss Dak and just what a great kid he is. Does this mama's heart good to hear that. Really good.

But wow is it moving fast!!! Tonight is Project Grad meeting and then Friday another First Last..... Homecoming!! I may hyperventilate!!! Where is my brown paper sack for crying out loud?!!!!!!!!

I love him so!! He is dealing with a lot right now with trying to figure out what he wants to do and just school in general, but wow in less than 3 months he's out of school and a whole new chapter begins.

I think we need to buy stock in the brown paper sack industry.

Well, I have pictures and a funny, cute story for you about Sir Cuteness and I on Valentine's Day, but I haven't the energy to download the pics so it will wait another day.

Love you all and thanks Deidre for holding my hands up in the midst of the fury today and not letting me throw that Pity Party afterall. I feel MUCH better!!

Psalm 27:13-14 "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart, and wait for the LORD."

SSMT #4 ~~ Now if that Isn't Love.....

The ocean is dry.....

There's no stars in the sky.....

And the Sparrow can't fly.....

If that isn't Love.....

Then Heavens a myth.....

There's no feeling like this.....

If that isn't Love.



So y'all remember that old song? I used to sing that quite a bit with my mama at the piano. Sweet memories.






















It is time for SSMT #4, and I must tell you, this is where the rubber meets the road for me.

The Father LOVINGLY gave me this verse last week, remember confession is good for the soul.

As the Holy Spirit was convicting my heart to do the right thing, this verse was in my study of The Tabernacle. I had already written SSMT off to the side even before I knew what last week would hold for me confession wise. Isn't God just amazing?!! He knew I would need this verse last week, and He knew it would be my SSMT this time. He is so cool.



So without further ado:



2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."



Off to the side in my Bible, I have these words written (from a long time ago): "Godly sorrow changes us. (Georgia)" G is my dear friend and at one point she had written this verse in a card for me I'm sure, because she used to send me cards quite frequently, and she'd write a verse in it that she felt was for me at the time, and then I would mark the verse and write her name and words of wisdom off to the side. Notes like this have Blessed me immensely over the years.

That "leaves no regret" was the part of this verse that really stuck out to me last week. God was telling me that Godly sorrow will always bring about repentance that leaves you with NO regret. My heart was so longing for that, and He is faithful. After I repented I felt so clean. Amazing!!

So this verse is near and dear to me of a great lesson learned. Praise You Jesus!!!

So what are your verses? If you aren't memorizing this year, it is never too late to start. You can go here and read all about it and join us.

I Love how the LORD loves on me. He started this post by putting that great old song on my heart. And has reminded me at the end of the post that He loves completely. I am so thankful!

Have a Super Blessed day,

Love is...... Love is a Verb Day 14

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Truth be told, my man and I generally don't do a lot for V-Day. But this year has been a little different. He took me to lunch on Saturday (and bought a new blender ~~ yay!!) and then yesterday he ran at the Battlefield and then called me when he was almost back to where I sat (at a picnic table in the snowy sunshine doing my Beth Moore study....pure bliss) and then had me meet him so I could walk a little. SO GREAT!!

And then this morning......

When he kissed me goodbye he whispered in my ear, "Happy Valentine's Day!! I Love You!!!" He made me feel SO special. I know it is such a little thing, but isn't love in the details?

I also get My Mr. Winslow a card for V-Day, or make him one, and this year I decided to make it. I'm not into spending $5.00 on a card, and since I'm a scrapbooker I always have LOTS of supplies lying around, and I have fun projects going this year, so right now I have extra fun things in the stash, so yep, a homemade card it shall be....

Patient.....Help me Lord to want things in YOUR time, and not my own.....



Kind.....Father, may my kindness show from the Holy Spirit's residence in my heart.....



Does NOT Envy.....Jesus, help me to be satisfied with what I have and not want someone else's Blessing.....



It Does NOT Boast.....May I only boast in the Cross of Christ.....


It is NOT Proud....Oh Father, help me on this one for sure......NO PRIDE!!!


It Does NOT Dishonor Others.....Let me be a person who loves others.......


It is NOT Self-Seeking......Let me Seek YOUR Kingdom FIRST and YOUR Righteousness.....


It is NOT Easily Angered.....Help me keep a cool head about me.....


It Keeps NO Record of Wrong......Father, NO checklists of what others have done to me.....


Love Does Not Delight in Evil.....Never let me delight in evil Father, please always convict my heart........... Keep that check in my Spirit ALWAYS.....


But Rejoices in the Truth......Let it be LORD, that I will ALWAYS be a girl that REJOICES in YOUR TRUTH!!!.....

It ALWAYS Protects.....ALWAYS Trusts.....ALWAYS Hopes..... & ALWAYS Perseveres.....
Father, help me to ALWAYS IN LOVE Protect the ones dearest to me and the ones dearest to YOU Father (You want ALL to come to Salvation!!), Please may I ALWAYS Trust, because that is what LOVE does..... May I ALWAYS Hope in YOU, Jesus, and Oh Lord Jesus, Help me to ALWAYS Persevere, even especially when it is hard, and help me to do so with LOVE and not complaint.....


LOVE NEVER FAILS.....


And that my friends, is real love, TRUE LOVE!!! LOVE NEVER FAILS!!

1 John 4:10 (NIV)
" This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

Sunday Letters ~~ I Love My Family ~~

My Dear Sweet Dak,

This week, at times, has been a tough one for us as mom and son. As times goes by, you my dear, have to learn to fly. And that first step, so often, is hard. Really.hard. But you are learning. You told me that you will be doing Scholarship stuff tonight. I'm so proud of you.

Okay so I must interject here.....Dak RIGHT NOW you are cracking.me.up. I wouldn't cook your lunch because I just got back from a walk and the knee is threating to fall off the body (yes, it could happen =) You wanted brats with peppers and onions, so I encouraged you to cook it for yourself, and guess what? You did it. Hilariously, but you did it!!! =) Although, you did just have me come over and make sure they were done, and during this process you couldn't get it cut and this is what insued:

Dak: Mom, you do it.

Me: No, grow up 18 year old. I am NOT carrying you on my hip anymore.

Dak: I have a knife woman!!!

Me: hahahahahahahaha

Son, I love you so much and afternoons like this make me smile and laugh. You make me happy. I love it when you sing The Sound of Music. "The Hills are alive.....with the Sound of Music...." Just sayin' =)

Son, this week will be exciting for you. We have two first-last coming up this week. One for me and one for you. Double tear.

Thank you for loving me and thank you for the joy you bring to my life.

Love you for always ~~ mom

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My Dear Sweet Sir Cuteness,

You are growing up so fast. Your new thing this week has been you wanting a backpack. You have walked around with an old purse of mine trying to carry it on your back and calling it your backpack. So I went out to the garage and found one of Dak's from when he was in elementary school. It is a Pokemon backpack, and you are SO happy with it. You have filled it with blocks and toys and you carry it around and want to "run". It's so cute though because if the blocks shift, so do you. It is so cute!!!

But your new affection for backpacks make you look so old. Your daddy said you look like your ready to go to school, to which you replied: "I am ready go to school." Your daddy told you to slow down. And I told him that he will blink and you will be filling our Scholarship applications. It happens just.that.fast.

You are such a joy and delight, little one. We have fun stuff planned for this Valentine's week. You have made Valentine's for everyone and couldn't wait to get to church this morning so you could give your Grandma Cindy her Valentine. You LOVE to give. It makes me so happy to see you so happy to do for others. You have such a tender heart even at such a young age. You understand so much.

You gave G her Valentine on Friday and you have so many to pass out tomorrow. You are going to be SO excited!!!

Love you to the moon ~~ Gamma

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My Sweet Man,

You took us out for a date lunch yesterday. We went to my favorite Italian Restaurant and had such a nice time talking and laughing and hanging out. I LOVE hanging out with you. And then we went and bought a blender. So fun!! You had looked up the reviews online and knew what you wanted to get. I love you. You try to get the most for our money on everything we buy. I love that.

Thank you for such a beautiful day yesterday and thank you for having such a forgiving and loving Spirit.

Today we have had so much fun so far. We went out to the Battlefield and you did your run and then called me and had me walk out and meet you, so you could help me do a little walking of my own. You take such good care of me.

I love you babe ~~ Petrii

Confession is Good for the Soul ..... Love as a Verb Day 12

Okay, so God has been working on me hard the last two weeks. He will NOT let me get away with things at all and for that I am SO happy!!

That has not always been the case. There have been times in my walk where I have not been so diligent to pay attention to that "still small voice" in my life. Dumb girl.

Now things are so different. I LONG for that Still Small Voice in my life. I listen. I obey. I love deeper because of it. Beautiful.

So this week God was speaking through me in conviction. There was something that I did around CHRISTmas time that I didn't tell my sweet man about because it involved him. So I never told him, but it also involved money, and at the time, God spoke to me about it, but I thought, no I don't need to tell him. I felt bad.

Let me interject here, my reason for this post is to let you know that I am a REAL person. I never want to put on a false perception here. I am a real girl, with real struggles, and a real heart that God works on. Beautiful.

So I hadn't thought about this for a few weeks and then this week Dick made mention of something money wise, and I was SO convicted. So last night, I told him. I broke down and cried. I was so broken over it. And he was so kind. He hugged me and told me I was silly and all was well. Have I mentioned how much I love him?

And then he told me about today......... He is taking me to lunch and then we are going to buy a blender. Now he's speaking my love language =)

I feel completely clean this morning. I had already asked for repentance, but I hadn't completed the process by confessing to my husband that I'd spent this money. I'm so glad that God will NOT let me get by with ANYTHING. (I feel like I need to tell you this was not a huge amount of money, but it was enough that I felt like I should have told him and the reason behind it.)

That is my prayer during this season of pruning, that I would be bare before Him and that He has a vessel totally usable for His glory!!

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Thank you for listening and loving me just the way that I am.....a work in progress.

Love is a Verb Day 11 ~~ Raising a Teenager Edition

Sometimes raising a teenager is just HARD work. I wrestle with wanting to do EVERYTHING for him to make sure it gets done. BUT.... he is 18. And there MUST come a moment when they sink or swim.... sigh. We just CAN'T do EVERYTHING for our babies mama's, especially when they are 18. double sigh.

So what in the world am I talking about? Scholarships. It is time for him to get scholarship applications in and some of them require essays. I've tried to get him to do it while he has been off for snow days, but he worked on it for a little bit and didn't get anything really done. I wanted to sit on him and MAKE him do it, but the Holy Spirit just wouldn't let me. This child MUST grow up and it is make or break it time for him. Triple sigh.

I love him so and I could fill out all the applications and then just have him write the essays, but how is that loving him well? If I do it all, what kind of feeling of accomplishment will he really have from having done it himself? Not much. The best lessons I have learned in life have come from me either doing something for myself or me not getting something done. Yes, some of the best lessons I've learned in life have come the hard way. Sometimes the REALLY hard way.

My sweet man reminded me last night of that and confirmed what the Holy Spirit had already been speaking to my heart. I am a well-Blessed woman....well-Blessed woman!!!!!

So having said all of this let me leave you with my dear Teenager whom I am TOTALLY smitten with. Even when we argue and fuss.......... I am still TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY SMITTEN with this sweet man boy (he will ALWAYS be my baby =)

OH RJ PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SCARF!!! LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL SCARF AROUND THIS GORGEOUS NECK!! THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH!! HE LOVES IT!!!!!


So mama's......my best advice on raising a teen is:LOVE THEM WELL THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME THEY ARE IN YOUR HOUSEBECAUSE IT GOES SO VERY QUICKLY AND THEY WILL BE APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND YOU WILL BE WANTING THINGS TO.....S.....L....O....W.....D.....O.....W.....N.....

I have loved this child from the moment I found out I was pregnant. Through all the months of disappointment.....all the pills I had to take to ovulate (oversharing....sorry =) just so I could even get pregnant.....to finally after 62 hours of labor (yes you read that right) and almost losing him..........getting this precious boy into the world........I have loved him every.single.solitary.moment. And I love him still........

And how does he know? Well, I tell him ALL the time, but I also show him and I will be showing him by backing off and watching him fly. tear. double tear. I love him so!!!

Soar my baby boy........SOAR!!!

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

"Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

I love you all so ~~ have a beautiful day,

Love in the Real World .... Love is a Verb Day 10

Today I want to make love tangible for us. A way to reach out to others we know are hurting.

There are two blogs I'd like to lead you to today to pray for two very special people in two very different realities in life, but both desperately need the love of the Christian community..... to reach out to our ever-present God with them..... to hold them up ......... to cry out on their behalf and love them right along side their weary families.

They are: Joanne Heim from The Simple Wife. I know that we all are already aware of this situation, but I just read a post from her 12 year old daughter Audrey, that I believe every one of us needs to read. Powerful. Insightful. Real. Very.Real. Please read. Please pray.

And the other one is Kate McRae. Her brain cancer is back. I don't even know what else to say about that, except to pray. PRAY. For Kate. For Holly (mom). For Aaron (dad). For her brother and sister. For wisdom in unimaginable decisions they are faced with. For Jesus to heal her. Pray. Please Pray. Please read. Please Pray.

I know, and am sure, there are so many others, but these two and their heart wrenching stories are all over my heart today. Please Pray. Please Pray. Please Pray.

Thank you so much ~~ I love you so,

Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

When Love Looks Deep ~~ Love is a Verb Day 9

There are moments and seasons in my life that I feel like God is probing my heart, asking me to dig deep, asking me to go places in myself I haven't been. That is the season I am entering. I feel so inept sometimes and so not able to do what He is asking, but I know with God all things are possible. So I press on knowing that He is able, even though I am not.

I share this little bit with you during Love Month, because I believe that doing these posts are one of the reasons that this is coming about in my life. For to love, truly love you must be willing to hurt. God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins. He knew when He placed man in the Garden that His Son would have to come and die for us. In Revelation 13:8 we are told that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. God knew. And yet He came. He loved. Knowing it would hurt. He loved.

And so it is with us. Love hurts sometimes, but love is so worth the hurt. I've been thinking about ways that I can love on people this month and God just keeps coming back with ways that He loves so well and how He wants me to do the same, right here in the season that I am in; in the place right now. And then the gentle nudging, becomes more urgent, until I must heed the Call, because it is what He created me for, so I will heed. I will step out into unfamiliar waters and trust the One who is asking me to go.

I'm sure there will be more on this at some point, but right now just know that I am following the leading and nudging of the Holy Spirit, even into uncharted waters for me, but He is at the helm, and all is well.

Love you so,

Ps 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."

Love is a Verb Day 8 ~~ Super Bowl and Snowman Style

I know that my posts so far for this Love Month have been about my family.

But again, we still have a lot of snow on the ground and really cold.

But I am totally enjoying all the fun we are having and all the ways I am loving on my family and the way they are loving on me.

Sir Cuteness is definitely loving the snow.

He loved sticking the snow on the neighbor's fence.

He loved making faces on it.....

It was so funny.

When I came out with the camera he moved to the side.

Me and Mr. Winslow laughed so hard at him.

I wanted a picture of him, but he wanted me to take it of his "face".

So cute!!

Be still my heart.....

I love these two so!!

See he moved out of the way for the picture.

Cracks.me.up.

And then when we came in to eat.....
He fell asleep in his high chair.
Oh.my.stars. the cuteness!!


Then Sunday afternoon PaPa and Daddy went out with Sir Cuteness to make a snowman.
How cute is this little guy?
Yep, Snowman's not to bad either ~~ heehee


Sir Cuteness and Daddy!!

This picture is SO cute!! Looks like he's telling him "it'll be alright".

Super Bowl Sunday was SO much fun!!

I cooked little mini-brownies.

Dak found the recipe on my Tailgaiting app I downloaded

for Super Bowl recipes.

These babies were delish!! and homemade!!!

And this would be part of the reason I am vegetarian.....

I DON'T LIKE RAW MEAT!!

EEK!!!

I cook it for the fam, but I don't partake......

The wings..... oh and Dak's fingers =)

I.love.you.

My little chef.....

I.love.him.

And me.....

This is the dipping process....

And the cooking process....

And the result?

Stinky.....yummy wings (so they told me =)

Dak did most of the wing work while I went and picked up pizza.

We ate well on SB Sunday!!

But most of all we sat in the living room (all of us) and yelled at the TV.

Dak and I for the Packs ~~ WOO-HOO ~~ just sayin'

And

My sweet Mr. Winslow and Chase for the Steelers ~~ NOT woo-hoo ~~ just sayin'

It was SO much fun!! I love family time and it is not often enough for me.

Dak is rarely in the living room with us.

He's either in his room or at a friends, but lately he is spending more time mixing with the fam.

Bliss.

He also has been asking some interesting questions lately.

I think this whole growing up and graduating is starting to make him really think.

I pray I answer these questions correctly.

I.love.him.

Have a Blessed day,