Christmas

 Christmas was a delight this year. I always love Christmas with my family but this year was extra nice.
The kids and I made loads of cookies for about a week before Christmas. We made Rugelech, Sandies, Sugar Cookies, Macaroons, Mint Dreams, Molasses Cookies,Pecan Pie Bars, Lemon Bars, Butterscotch Bars,Coconut Pecan Candies and Lemon Shortbread.
 Christmas Eve was our movie time with lots of snacks and cookies. Everyone got to open their new Pj's and we added the stockings to our "open early" tradition. It was great to see the kids so excited and really appreciating the smaller things that usually get ignored after opening a pile of gifts.
This year we didn't have any in-laws or company. We had peace and the joy of not worrying about anyone else's opinions, schedule, moods or criticisms.
 We had our early morning rush to the tree and gift excitement and then I was able to take a nap! It was wonderful to be able to go back to bed! Even after napping I was able to have our ham lunch on the table by 2 ,and without rushing.
 I didn't make pies or butterhorn rolls. I actually got two frozen cream pies for dessert and nobody felt slighted. :) I had made several loaves of bread for the Christmas party two days earlier so we warmed up some of that.
 For supper we had more of Christmas eve's feast and enjoyed a sweet and relaxing evening together.
 I am truly blessed and happy. I have never been more satisfied with life than I have been this last year. I sometimes fear that being this happy will set me up for a disaster but I know that comes from a lifetime of sudden traumas and a fear of shock.
 Today, I will enjoy today, and tomorrow I will enjoy that day; each one is precious. <3 p="">

Wreck Dream

 So, it's been almost 30 years since I was in a serious car wreck and last night I had a very vivid memory dream. I call it a memory dream because only when you have a memory can you actually feel the shock of the impact, the mental  shock, the heat where you are cut open and the blood is pouring. A regular dream just doesn't bring back that terror. To add to the pain of it I also went to the front and picked up my baby sister, just like I did in reality, at first thinking she was dead, but then seeing her alive and rocking her and comforting her again and again before I woke.
 In my dream she was a baby, rather than a 4 year old, and I was thinking that it's my sister Heidi. The mind plays crazy tricks on you. Perhaps it was because I have felt so much sadness for my sister over the last several years, and so badly wish I could make things OK for her.
 At any rate, I woke  up and prayed. I prayed for my sisters and brother and I prayed for my children and husband.I also took ahold of my husbands hand and pulled him closer to me.
 It was  a reminder of how much safer I have felt since having my husband to love me. I am so grateful for my family and for life.

To Shelter is to Protect, to Protect is to Love

Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light,
and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

In these wicked times of deception almost everything good is being called a bad thing.
While we Christian’s may recognize this in large and obvious areas such as the sanctity of life and marriage we often miss it in areas that have been more subtly engrained into our thinking.
Today I have been thinking about how this has been done to the idea of “sheltering” our children.
What is sheltering? What does it mean to shelter something? When we take “shelter” from a storm or an onslaught of bullets in battle what are we actually doing?
As a gardener, the idea of sheltering young plants comes to mind. We are especially concerned about protecting the small tender plants from strong winds, flooding, excessive heat and hail. We want them to survive the harshness of this world so that they can grow to be strong enough to resist these attacks on their own.
To shelter something is to protect it.
We do not try to protect ourselves or others from good things. We don’t “shelter” ourselves from peace, happiness or joy anymore than we would shelter ourselves from pleasant weather, good health and financial stability.
We protect ourselves from things that do harm and we SHOULD also protect our children from things that do them harm.
To protect (shelter) our children from sinful attacks, dangerous people, abuse, lies,temptations beyond their years and dangerous influences is NOT a bad thing any more than protecting them from an oncoming car, a fire or poisoning would be a bad thing!
Don’t let satan do his reversal trick on your mind. Just because we swap the word “protect” with the now negative word “shelter” we have NOT changed the true meaning.
If we do not protect our children who will?
I for one am very grateful that our father God considers “sheltering” His children to be a very good thing.
By all means parents, PLEASE “shelter” your children,
it is your sacred duty and responsibility.

Psalms 32:7 "You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Psalms 18:35 "You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way."

Matthew 6:13 "And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

2 Timothy 4:18 "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed
and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.
To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

2 Samuel 22:3 "My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge, my savior;
you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord,
who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

John 17:15 "I do not ask that you take them out of the world,
but that you keep them from the evil one."

Beautiful Things

BEAUTIFUL THINGS
I know you believe it is important to have a foundation of “sound doctrine.” You want to teach your children “sound doctrine.” You are not one who is “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.”

Therefore, what is the sound doctrine the Bible talks about? In Titus 2:1 Paul writes to Titus: “Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine,” and immediately proceeds to tell the older and younger men, the older and younger women, and the servants how to act in their daily lives! This is what the Word of God calls sound doctrine--living godly in our daily lives.

Sound doctrine is practical living. In your home, in your kitchen, and mothering and training your children. That’s why Paul immediately follows the message of sound doctrine by telling the older women to teach the young women how to live. They are to be “teachers of good things.” The Greek word is “kalodidaskalos” and means to be a teacher of beautiful and valuable things

What are these beautiful things? You remember them. To be self-controlled, pure, to love our husbands and to be submissive to them, to love our children, to be keepers at home, and to be kind. These are all BEAUTIFUL things in the sight of God. No wonder the J. B. Phillips' translation says they are “a good advertisement for the Christian faith.”

What a privilege you have in your home today. You have the opportunity to practically live out sound doctrine. You have the blessing of doing BEAUTIFUL things all day long.

Have a BEAUTIFUL day, Nancy Campbell

image: http://imagecache6.allposters.com/LRG/68/6847/LRLY100Z.jpg

image: http://www.tqlkg.com/image-7519128-10691612-1394750518000

 

My ministry is in this home
I'm keeper here; I need not roam.
My hands are busy washing pots.
I'm ironing clothes and scrubbing spots.

My service to the ones I love
Flows from the heart of God above.
Through me, His vessel in this house,
He loves my kids, He loves my spouse.

My love is glue that holds us tight.
The nest's secure both day and night.
I'm always here to dry a tear.
To rub a back or calm a fear.

My "house band" makes an iron band
Around our hearts, our house, our land.
Secure, surrounded with His care.
We frolick in the love we share.

And in this circle I'm the heart.
I pump the blood to every part.
God's love flows out from me to each.
Then rebounds back from every reach.

Let others go their dreams to build.
My place is here; I am fulfilled.
I'm loved and praised; my heart is set.
By giving, all my needs are met.

Written by Mrs. June Boisseleier

Read more at http://www.blessedhomemaking.com/#J3VDz4Yv7tCjiD4f.99

Teymoor and Noah's Birthday, 2016

Emma's 10th Birthday ( week)

Her favorite spicy Chicken

Shopping with her birthday money from Isaiah

Mommy daughter movie (Ghost Busters)

Sitting pretty

Fun with Daddy on the way home

Her new Barbie Beach House

Fun with cousins 

Sweet Ana was worn out

In love

 I am so very blessed in love. I was raised in an environment of fear and stress. I didn't know what it was like to trust that someone will love you, even after you mess up. I spent the first half of my life in fear, of either hell or rejection. 

When you learn that all kindness and love must be earned, and that you can never be consistently good enough,you eventually quit trying.

 I say all that because it plays such a huge role in how much I appreciate and relish all of the love and joy that I have in my life.

 I am not even close to perfect. I can be impatient, critical, selfish and ungrateful. I usually try to be as good as possible and to work hard, but I often fail.

 With all,of my failings, I am loved.

 I have a husband who sees me as so much better than I could possibly be. He forgives me when I need it and never makes me earn his affection.

Because of his love it is easier for me to believe that God can love me. I know God can see all of my failings, and that's a scary thought, but If my husband can love me through imperfection I think a God can too.

 I am so very blessed to be in love.

Oct. 23, 2014

Siblings, Oct 21,2014

Those Eyes, Oct 20 2014

Judah Has Some Scary Lovin, Oct. 19th 2014

Hi Dad!, Oct 17th 2014

Isaiah's first shave, Oct. 16th 2014

He had to start by testing his knife.

Judah, Oct 16th 2014

Me And My Judah, Oct. 13th 2014