Week 4 - Making Your Home A Haven

 It is week 4 in Making Your Home a Haven.  Hopefully your candles are burning, your home is slightly more decluttered, you are praying for peace, and music is playing! 
This weeks challenge is to give your children a Happy Childhood filled with tender moments.  Tender moments are not always the quiet, snuggle in the chair moments - but just those great family memories.  We take time every evening before bedtime to play on the floor as a family - with cars, trucks, blocks, and books.  I also work each day to make sure my boys have loving memories that they can carry with them forever.   We also hug on our boys a lot :-)  Kids need that affection without a doubt!

Check out Women Living Well and read the devotional that Courtney has posted around this topic. 

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 15

Day 15 - A Bible Verse

Romans 8:37-39 - Yet, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Check out Katie's Journey for some more verses today!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 14

Day 14 - A Picture You Love

Wow!  How do you pick "a" picture you love?  Well . . I couldn't.  I had to pick two.  There are actually hundreds of pictures that I've taken that I truly love.  Some because they just are the perfect shot, some because they show family time, some because they show a great expression and some, just because they make me laugh. 

I love this picture because it shows what a thinker Josh is - there is always something going on in that head of his as he tried to figure out the hows and whys of everything!

This picture I love because it shows Nate right now, getting ready to do his favorite thing - eat anything and everything that he can find :-)  Just too cute!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 13

Day 13 - Goals

Wow, Katie at Katie's Journey had no idea what she was getting into when she wanted me to list goals :-)  I'm a goal person - my whole life is based on goals!

First, you can check out my 40 goals by the time I'm 40 over here.  There is a post that lists all the goals, plus a few updates.  I also track the completely goals on the side bar of my blog. 

Here are some other goals I'm working on also:

1. Do the final decluttering in my house which is my basement and garage.

I started this goal in January and am so close to being done!!2. Getting current on Scrapbooking.

This is also on my 40 list - but it is at the forefront of my goals.  I want to be able to enjoy pictures of my kids now, now 10 years from now.

3. Read.  Set a Plan and read some good books

In Aug. I picked 5 books to read by Christmas.  I'm reading # 4 right now.  I have put together a list of books to read Jan-March to challenge myself more.

4. To fill the hole in my "Bucket" (my bucket is money)

I'm a spender so money falls through the hole in my bucket without me knowing it. I'm working very hard through lots of prayer and telling my husband to keep me accountable to fill that Hole so nothing falls out!

5. Spend as much time with my kids as possible.

I'm a stay at home mom with a purpose - to make memories with my kids, not keep a clean house!  I sometimes forget this but am working on it.  I am planning activities for all of us to do each day so that we get that time together.

I think that's enough to keep me busy :-)  I love that feeling of accomplishment when I finish a goal but I also know that not all goals get completed.  I just keep working on it! 

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 12

Day 12 - What you believe

Katie, at Katie's Journey is hosting this really great blog Challenge.  Today's topic is on what you believe.  I was kinda stumped on what to write; more of what people would be writing than on what I believe.

So here goes :-)

I believe . .. .

1. Jesus is the my Savior

2. God created the world and all things in it, including me!

3. The Bible is 100% true

4. I married my "kindred Spirit"; my true best friend

5. My kids are amazing

6. God will supply all of our needs, even when we can't see it happening.

7. That the sun really does come out tomorrow, even on gloomy days.

8. That animals are great stress relievers

9. Being a Stay-at-home mom is my perfect job

10. God has a plan for each of us, if we let Him lead

I could list more but I wanted to list the top 10 things that came to my mind and this is what they are - in order.  So I think that the order of importance is probably pretty accurate too.

Show Us Your Life - Nurseries and Kids Rooms

This week, over at Kelly's Korner it is Show Us Your Life Friday!  Today we are looking at the Nurseries and Kid's Rooms. 

So here we go!  I hope you enjoy this little tour :-)   We will start with Nate's room.  Before Nate was born, this was our office. 

This is the view from the door.  The crib and dresser/changing table were actually free through a blessing day at my parents church.  They have been such a blessing!  I love the color on the walls - it is called Stadium Tan :-)

This is his closet.  Nothing fancy.  Oh and a little picture storage for me until I can get caught up!

This shelve holds Nate's special stuffed animals plus a framed prayer our Pastor's wife gave us at his shower. 

I love this Creative Memories Frame.  It is a great way to display pictures.  I'm not as good as I would like to be at keeping it up but I'm getting better!!

And his certificate from his baby dedication.  We like having it on the wall as a reminder of how important each day is with Nathan.

 Josh's room is next!  This was our spare room prior to Josh.  We had painted it just a few years prior and I still loved what we had done so that was one less step we had to do!

This is the view from the door.  The crib my mother-in-law got for us at a Church sale and it is just awesome.  His dresser we got on clearance at a furniture store and that changing table is actually a breakfast rolling cart that we bought when we got married.  It has been many, many things over the years but for now, makes the perfect changing room.  You may have noticed a fan in every bedroom too :-)  We like white noise!

Josh's closet - nothing fancy again but it does make a great place to keep our "tearable" books away from little hands :-) And Storage for the vacuum cleaner - when you live in a house without a lot of closets, you use the ones you have for many things!

A few favorites - the stripes on the walls!  I love stripes :-)  He also has a memory board with pictures and his Detroit Tigers Hat.  And don't you love that desk? My niece found it at a garage sale for $20.00.  He loves it!

I loved this Vinyl saying when I saw it.  It fits perfectly!

A few of his favorite things - a quilt that his grandma made him, Teddy, Gor (Gorilla), Road Kill (the Teddy Blanket).  I love his bedding.  I searched and searched until I found this set!

His dresser with his special stuffed animals and his Dedication certificate hung up behind it.

So, that's it! 

Have a wonderful day :-)

Happy Birthday! (with a little weekly song thrown in!)

It is hard to believe that this little guy

October 22, 2008

Now Looks like THIS!!

October 13, 2010

Joshua loves matchbox cars, trains, trucks and airplanes.  He also loves his Teddy, Gor (Gorilla), Roadkill (a blanket with a bear head on it) and his bankie.  He has an incredible sense of humor, is a thinker, an organizer, and a sleeper.  But most of all, he is loved by his family :-)  Such a great kid!!!

So, here's my song of the week :-)
A little Happy Birthday Via the Chipmunks!