Just some Thoughts

This week we lost a very close friend of the family, Brenda Schwab. While reflecting on things that different people have said about her, it has made me stop and think about my life and what people might say about me. Would I be called a Prayer Warrior, good friend, sweet lady, encourager, spiritual, close to God? All of these things apply to Brenda. I know there were many times that I would call to encourage her and she would encourage me! Yes, the one who was very sick would say thank you but then ask me how things were going with me and my girls! After that she always let me know she loved me and prayed for me each and every day. She knew the music schedule and prayed for each person on the day and service that they sang. She prayed over the prayer list daily, and especially prayed for our Pastor and Mrs. Tidd daily and during church services too.

Then I got to thinking of Brenda seeing Jesus for the first time and hearing the words Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servant! The song Thank You for Giving to the Lord comes to mind and I know that there are people in Heaven due to her faithfulness in praying. I have seen posts from missionaries reflecting on how they knew Brenda was praying for them! I never heard her complain or question God about her situation. I am sure there were times that she prayed to be well so she could serve like she once did.

Brenda wasn't a missionary, or a pastor's wife BUT she allowed God to use her where she was. As a member of Lighthouse she did all she could to be a help to the staff and members. In my eyes she is a hero of the faith. She did everything she could as a Christian wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend! Brenda had many titles and I am blessed to have called her friend. With the example that she gave us I strive to be more like her. I want to leave this earth and be known as a Prayer Warrior! I thank God that He allowed me to know and serve with Brenda! I pray for comfort for my dear friends family as they walk this road together. I know God will give them the peace of Romans 8:28 and the strength they need to get through the next few days.

We Love You Brenda and will MISS you greatly!

Fall Fun

Fall is my favorite time of year! Thanksgiving being my number 1 holiday! I am in the process of planning a Fall Fling for my girls and some of their friends. We have also decided to host my side of the family's Thanksgiving! I LOVE having a house that we can entertain in! I have many ideas to make it a success! POOR ROB! As Thanksgiving is drawing closer I think back to ALL that has happened in this past year and I have so much to PRAISE and THANK God for!

Another thing I am thrilled with is Hannah has finally clicked with long division!! She even aced her last test!! :)
Rob is going to take a couple of vacation days so that we can get the school completely done! I can't wait to get it done! Julia will be starting K4 at the beginning of December and I am thrilled that we have Haylie that is going to be doing K4 with us too! I am blessed with the opportunity to watch her while my Sis-in-law works and since she is 4 too we will have school together!

Sunday Blessings

God's PERSONAL WILL for me is what is BEST for my life!! Loved this quote from Pastor's message tonight. I need to remind myself of this frequently!

Tonight's message was exactly what I needed! I am blessed to have a Pastor that seeks God daily for the messages from Him! I will forever be thankful for Pastor Tidd. He has helped me through many trials in my life. As a child, a teen, college age, newly married before children, and now married with children. I am thankful for the example he has ALWAYS been! Pastor is NEVER afraid to tell you like it is EVEN when it hurts!! (sometimes the truth HURTS!) He has prayed for me for many years.

I know I can never thank him enough for the love and care he has for my family. I am blessed to serve in Lighthouse Baptist Church under Pastor Tidd!

Flat Paint and Light Carpet!!

Whoever thought FLAT paint and LIGHT carpet was a good idea for a house did NOT have kids!! Come spring I will be repainting the dining room and living room! I love my children and it is not like they DELIBERATELY wipe dirty hands on the wall, but GOODNESS GRACIOUS it seems like they do!!

I am having a Pampered Chef party on Friday and hope people ignore the marks on my wall! I am cleaning carpet today and tomorrow so that should be better! It amazes me how much you notice things when people are coming over! I have a to do list that I want to accomplish before Friday, but so far I have 2 things marked off and that is because it was Rob who needed to do them! Moving the Piano today and cleaning carpet so I will get 2 more things marked off :-)

Overnight Trip

Yesterday we went to Fair Oaks Dairy Farm. It was a wonderful treat for the girls since we do not go on many field trips. We got to watch the cows get milked, and saw twin girl calves born!! It was such an awesome thing to witness. the lady who assisted during the birth said that they only see twins about once a year. We got to sample some awesome cheese, and ate some ice cream. The highlight of the trip was Rob got to come with us!! I don't like when he works nights, but it was worth it for the girls to be able to experience the dairy farm as a whole family! I LOVE homeschooling because we get to plan things around our family. When I was looking online to get more information about Fair Oaks I discovered we would only be about 45 minutes from my Mom! After the farm the girls and I travelled up to stay a night with my Mom. Only Elizabeth knew and she kept it a secret! I got a surprise when we got there. Mom took the night off to spend with us! We ate dinner and went to Meijer then back to her house where I got to put a book shelf together:) I did a good job once I got a good screwdriver!!! The girls and I headed home this morning after a great time!

Undying Love

Last night as I was reading my Bible before going to sleep a thought popped into my head. My children can never do something that would make me stop loving them. God instills an undying love in our hearts from the day we as mothers find out we are pregnant. That got me to thinking of marriage and how many people I know that have divorced. Even in our churches it is not unusual for a marriage to end. It hit me last night that I need to pray daily for that same undying love for my husband!! Rob and I have a wonderful relationship, but IF I don't pray for him daily or be the wife that he needs then I am setting myself up for a dying love! I have seen people who make their children their world and ignore their husbands. Guess what happened when children were no longer in the home?!? Yes, unfortunately the marriage dissolved because they didn't keep their relationship in tact. God says we are to cleave to our spouses {Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.}  and train our children. {Proverbs 22:6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.}  Many of us are guilty of cleaving to our children and training our spouse! I know I have struggled with this many times because I want my children to be happy and I want them to think of me as their friend also, but when I do that I slack in discipline and training. I want to raise (train) my girls to be keepers at home and prepare them to be the best wife a man could ask for.  {Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 
 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 
 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.} The way I can do that is by being a LIVING example of how a wife and keeper at home should be. I am so thankful that God put this in my mind last night! It will not be easy, but I am going to strive to be a better wife to my husband and live daily to build an UNDYING LOVE for him. Will he still make me angry? Yes, I am sure he will!!! But I can NEVER allow that anger to turn into hate or bitterness at him! Yes, I know the Bible tells our husbands to love us as Christ loved the church, but we have to submit and obey regardless of how our spouse is! { Eph 5:21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 
 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 
 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 
 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 
 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 
 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 
 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.} 
I know how hard submission is, but I have learned through the years that when I am submitting to what he wants I am a much happier person and he is too. When we are not submitting to our husband we are in the wrong and God will judge us for that. I am not saying that I have perfected this because ALL of you who know me well can attest to the fact that I have failed miserably many, many times! I have been blessed  with a wonderful husband who loves God and strives to follow after Him. I am now daily going to pray for an undying love for my husband and strive to be a better example to my family and my friends.

I love him with all of my heart!! I pray that I am everything he needs me to be, but most of all I pray that God will help me to grow more and more in love with him each and every day!

Home Sweet Home

We are getting settled into our house slowly but surely!! I have not gotten much accomplished the last 2 days due to a sick baby. I am hoping to get some pictures hung tomorrow to add to the prettiness of the house:) I am so thankful for the room that we now have for things! I do not plan on filling every nook and cranny!! Hannah has chosen the theme for her room...... Zebra print and LIME GREEN accessories! We found really cute curtains to hang for her and a cute zebra throw and pillow! I need to take Elizabeth shopping to find what she wants. She really wants Polka Dot comforter and blue curtains so I just need to find it. When I get a chance I will take some pictures and post them.

Off to tend to my family (if my LAP baby will lie down for a few without me holding her! I HATE head colds!! They really make infants miserable!