Day 12 - Self Control

Pray that your husband will yield his sexual drive to the Lord and practice self control. Pray that your sexual intimacy together will be fresh, positive, and a reflection of selfless love.


Proverbs 5:15
Drink water from your own well—
share your love only with your wife.

Proverbs 5:18
Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

1 Corinthians 7:3
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs.


Song of Solomon 7:10
I am my lover’s,
and he claims me as his own.

Happy 15th Anniversay To My Favorite Person In The Whole World

Today Steve and I are celebrating 15 years of marriage. We have officially been a couple for 19 this October. We met in high school when I was 16 and he was 15. I would like to say it was love at first sight but that would not be the whole truth. I do remember the first time I saw him on the first day of school. He was standing against the wall, one leg propped up, arms crossed and I remember thinking "What is he so mad about?" He tells me all of the time that its just his face, he can't help it :) I quickly learned after a couple of weeks of school that he had been dating a girl that I was becoming friends with. They had broken up over the summer and she wanted to get back together with him. So... I made it my mission to do so. Over the course of a few weeks, Steve and I would talk some at school, ride the bus to soccer games and sometimes even on three-way(remember three-way?). One night we had hayride after a game and Steve asked if he could ride over with me. Now, I had a sporty purple 1969 VW bug and I was so stylin'. I said "Sure you can", thinking we would talk about my friend on the way. What I quickly realized though is that I wanted to date Steve. It was not my problem if she broke up with him this summer, he was a catch and I wanted him!! So...at the hayride, uncharacteristically Steve asked to sit by me. We sat close because it was so cold, looked up at the stars for the big dipper and even slowly started holding hands. Well, that night, we were both smitten! We went on our first "date" about 3 weeks later and have been together ever since. We dated for 4 years before we were married at 19. Don't worry, my friend was not upset. She was my maid of honor at our wedding!!

I love him more today than ever. We have definitely had our good times and bad. But something I know today that I have not always known is that we are perfect for each other! He is my best friend and I would not want to be with anyone else for the rest of my life. He is exactly what I knew he could be 15 years ago.; a loving husband, a terrific and playful dad and a man that is passionate about his faith and his love for his Savior! I could not ask for more from him!

I love you Steve with all of my heart and I am looking forward to the rest of our lives together! Happy Anniversary!

I made a slide show of our life together. I have been planning this for some time but it did not turn out exactly the way I planned. My scanner was not working and so I had to take pictures of the old pictures. Some came out way to blurry but you can get the idea!!

Mom My Van

This is so funny! How many of you can relate to this? I know I can!

The Underground Church

I wanted to post about this last week but I didn't have a camera to photo document and so I didn't. As I was blog hopping this morning, I noticed that my good friend "Aussie Deb" has taken some great shots and so I stole them from her sight! Thanks Debbie, you rock!!

So... while Ethan was at drama camp singing and dancing his until his heart content, Isaac and about 10 of his friends attended a VBS at First Presbyterian Church! The theme was the "Underground Church" and the setting was Rome. This church is about the only one in the area that has basement so they decorated it up as an underground cave where the Christian could hide as well as a prison where Paul was held in chains. The gym was decorated like a market square where the kids could buy and make goods. Isaac loved this VBS. He could hardly wait until Friday so he could bring his "family sash" home. He promptly talked my mom into making him a robe to go with his sash and he wore it all weekend!! We will definitely do this VBS again next year!

Day 10 - Integrity

Day 10

Pray that your husband will cultivate strong integrity, and not compromise his convictions. Pray that his testimony will be genuine, that he will be honest in his business dealings, and will never do anything that he needs to hide from others.


Proverbs 20:7
The godly walk with integrity;
blessed are their children who follow them.

1 Timothy 1:5
The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

1 Timothy 3:7
Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.


Ephesians 6:10-12
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Day 9 - Finances

Pray that your husband handle finances wisely, will have discernment concerning budgeting and investments, and will be a good steward of his money in regard to giving to the Lord’s work. Pray that money will not become a source of discord in your family.


Proverbs 23:4-5
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.

Romans 12:13
When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Hebrews 13:5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

Drama Camp 2009

No... I am not referring to the drama going on at my house! Not because there isn't any, but that's for another post.

This year was Ethan's third summer to participate in our church's summer drama camp. It's a week of fun, acting, costumes and the end result is a wonderful performance by so many amazingly talented kiddos!! Lead of course by my awesome friends Kara, Ginny and Alisha!! They take about 50 3rd-6th graders on Monday and by Friday they have produced a great show! I am amazed at their talent and patience with the kids! Ethan looks forward to it every summer! I was even told that he has great energy and inflection and his timing is perfect!! I couldn't be more proud of him!!

This year's play was called "American Ideal" based on the show "American Idol", the kids learn that life is not all about them. That it is all about Jesus and that there are no other Gods before our God. It was a great message that was funny as well!! The kids did awesome!!

I wanted to add a video of Ethan's lines. He was "Johnny Parson" the comedian that is sent out to "warm up" the studio audience of the show. He was so funny and cute!



This video is of Isaac talking about what happens when he gets in trouble. This was just before the play and he was already not sitting still!






Here is a quick slide show of the play.....

Day 8 - Provider

Day 8

Pray that your husband will work hard to provide for your family, to the best of his ability. Pray that the character qualities necessary for a successful career and ministry will be a growing part of his character—persistence, decisiveness, strength, an analytical mind, organizational skills, positive relationships with people, determination, etc.


Romans 12:11
Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Day 7 - Safeguarding His Heart

Pray that your husband will safeguard his heart against inappropriate relationships with the opposite sex. Pray that his heart will be pure and undivided in his commitment to you.

Proverbs 6:23-26
For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

Romans 13:14
Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Day 6

Day 6

Pray that your husband will love righteousness and hate wickedness, especially the evils of the culture. Pray that he will recognize and avoid wickedness in his own life, and if necessary, take a clear, strong stand against evil.

Proverbs 27:12
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

John 17:15
I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Car Gone??

Several of you have asked for a car update. I totally forget that you don't live in my home and don't know the inter workings. Actually I am glad you don't... you may run away screaming in terror :)

Well.... I added up the days and our car has been gone exactly 63 days today. It is still in the shop getting fixed!! The dealership had it up until last Saturday. They fixed all of the wiring and mechanical damage. In case you forgot what happened to the engine, click here. It took them forever! They really didn't think it would be able to start. But finally last Friday we got the call that all of the wiring was working properly, the interior lights had been replaced and they had replaced the tires. We picked it up last Saturday and promptly took it to my BFF's husband body shop for all of the body work that needs to be done. I will say that the Chevy service department was really great. They were friendly and worked so well with us and our car is running smoothly.

So... now we wait for the body work to be done and then we will get our car back! In the meantime, I had been borrowing friends cars. I have great friends by the way!! But we felt weird about it. I was always worried something was going to happen to their car too!! We have been going through the Dave Ramsey book and have committed to getting out of debt. We decided that this car being stolen good be a jump start to getting out from under our car note. So, we took what little cash we had tucked away and bought another car that we own out right. We had a friend that was selling his wife's SUV. We knew that he had taken great care of it and had been the only owner. It's been a great car and has been deemed "The Dave Ramsey Mobile". It may not be pretty. It may make a few weird sounds. It may have only two working speakers but its all ours. So what will happen to our other car. When and if, we ever get it back :) we are going to promptly sell it. We don't owe that much on it and we know we can get a profit for it. Just one more step to living debt free. Yeah! Maybe there is a blessing in this somewhere!!

Anyone want to buy a car???

Day 5

Day 5
Pray that your husband will be faithful to his wedding vows. Pray that he will have a desire to cultivate your relationship as a sign of his loyalty and commitment to you, and as a picture of Christ’s love for the Church.

Proverbs 20:6
Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Genesis 2:24
This explains why a man leaves
his father and mother and is joined
to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Fa-what-fel?

So... I have heard of Falafel but have NEVER been brave enough to try it. Our neighbors lead a Messianic Jewish church here in town. They follow Levitical law and eat kosher. I have often thought I that I could not live without pork but the few things I have tried that the Gililan family have made have been wonderful substitutions for pork.

Ethan came home from drama camp last night and asked to go over to his friend, Beth Rose, house. He came home with this absolutely yummy smelling pita stuffed something. He said, "Wanna try Falafel?" My reaction, "Fa-what-fel?" He said "It's some kind of bean rolled up in a ball and fried." I said "Fried? I'm in!!" What it actually was, was grilled chicken, sauteed eggplant, falafel and lettuce wrapped in a pita. And it was scrumptious!!

I had to look up the recipe. So, if like me, you want to know what the heck the Falafel craze (is there such a thing) is, check out this yummy recipe. Maybe I can actually get my husband to eat some variety of bean with this one!
Ingredients:

• Falafel * See recipe below
• Tahini Sauce* See recipe below or store bought ( or I was told you can use ranch dressing)
  
• 6 pita bread loaves
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finey chopped
• 1/4 cup sandwich pickles (optional) ~ Like it said, they used chicken and eggplant
  

Preparation:

Wash and chop vegetables according to recipe. Set aside.

Prepare falafel or use falafel mix.

Heat large frying pan or griddle to medium high heat. Spray with cooking oil or coat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat pita for 2 minutes on each side. The pita may begin to brown a little.

Stuff pita with falafel and vegetables. Drizzle with tahini sauce.

Enjoy to your heart's delight or until your belt busts!!

Day 4

Day 4

Pray that your husband will grow in leadership skills in your relationship—protecting and providing for you. Pray that he will lead you wisely and love you sacrificially, so that God will be glorified in your marriage.

Ephesians 5:25-29 (New Living Translation)
For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.

Colossians 3:19 (New Living Translation)
Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

Day 3

Day 3
Pray that your husband will be humble and quick to agree with God about his sin. Pray that his heart will be tender toward the voice of the Lord.

This is so important!! Men are faced daily with temptation. Sadly a lot of times just walking down the street!! I am in fervent prayer for my husband on this matter, my sons and myself as well!! Pray...pray...pray

Psalm 51:2-4 (New Living Translation>
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.

Micah 6:8 (New Living Translation)
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Day 2 - Praying for Your Husband

Day 2
Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord.

Proverbs 3:7
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 9:10
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.

Katy Lin has started a new challenge on her blog... 31 Days of Praying for our husbands hosted by Revive Our Hearts Ministry. I love.. love.. love Nancy Leigh DeMoss and I think her biblical view of womanhood is right on. She has started this challenge and I am in.

This time of year is so hard for my hubby. Construction is in full swing because of the dry days. They are frantically bidding new jobs in an economy not wanting to build right now. Stress... stress and more stress in the theme in our lives right now. He needs my prayers more than anything else. This challenge could not have come at a better time for us!!

Join me in blessing our husbands by committing to pray for them for 31 days. I can't wait to see what God can do through prayer.

Introduction from the Revive Our Hearts website
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

“She does him good . . .” (Proverbs 31:12a)

Bless your husband by praying for him! The Apostle Paul instructed all Christians to pray for one another (Ephesians 6:18). This includes wives’ responsibility and privilege to pray for their husbands. Earnest prayer for your husband is good for him, for you and the spiritual health of your home (Proverbs 31:11-12).

Satan desires to destroy your husband, especially his character and his leadership in your relationship. Trust God through prayer as you daily surrender your husband and marriage to the Lord’s wise, loving care.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Day 1
Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc.

2 Peter 3:18 (New Living Translation)
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.


Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)
Guard your heart above all else,

for it determines the course of your life.

My Hubby Rocks....why you ask??

Because we can be goofy together! I call this picture
"Fun Steve square head"

He also rocks because he actually likes to see my half eaten food :)

Everyone needs a fun, crazy, goofy husband!!

Right ?!?

FOOD FIGHT!!!

What else can I say other than I live next to Stephanie Forringer!! She is so much fun and totally brings me out of my comfort zone!!

So... yes... we had a neighborhood food fight!! I know that sounds weird and random but with Stephanie around, its a typical week in the hood!!

Here are the highlights....

This was so gross and smelly but so much fun!! I love my neighbors!!

Come Thou Fount...

I heard this hymn this morning as I was cleaning my house. I have heard it a thousand times in church. I grew up in a Church of Christ where this song was heard at least 3 times a month. It was so beautiful and I have always loved it but for some reason it really struck me. I did a little research and learned that the author of this hymn was Robert Robinson. He was born in England in the 18th century. He was sent off to work at 14 by his widowed mother. He eventually became a Methodist minister and wrote several hymns. One day, he en­count­ered a wo­man who was stu­dy­ing a hymn­al, and she asked how he liked the hymn she was hum­ming. In tears, he re­plied, “Madam, I am the poor un­hap­py man who wrote that hymn ma­ny years ago, and I would give a thou­sand worlds, if I had them, to en­joy the feel­ings I had then.”

I was extremely touched by the last two verses:

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

I am so "prone to wander; prone to leave the God I love". Why? I am not sure!! Why do I worry so much about "what to do" and not "what does God want me to do"? I pray now that God "takes my heart and seals it for His courts above."

Enjoy .99 Sonic Chillers Right Now
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LOVE...LOVE...LOVE Sonic

Meal Plan

Cheeseburger Pie

I love to read weekly meal plans on blogs. It so inspires me to cook! I love to cook, read recipe books, look up new things to bake online, etc.

I have never posted my weekly plans but I do have them. I subscribe to Menus 4 Moms to get my weekly menus. They supply me with not only the ideas, recipes and sides, they also give me a detailed shopping list. The best part is the grocery bill. I spend an average of $65 a week on food for my family. The bill includes breakfast, lunch and sweet snack for the week. The menus only give you dinner recipes but the website gives you yummy breakfast and lunch ideas for free. Its great! Now, I pay $5.00 a month for the new recipes but you can search recipes in the menu archive. I pay the fee because I also get sent coupons and local grocery deals in a weekly email. Its very much worth it! Every meal that I have cooked has been great! I have not gotten any complaints from my kids!

So... on to the this weeks menu

Monday -
Breakfast - Biscuits and Jelly
Lunch - Sandwiches, chips and carrots
Dinner - Cheeseburger Pie, salad and bread

Tuesday-
Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Soup and crackers, grapes
Dinner - Apricot Glazed Pork Chops, Broccoli/Cauliflower, Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday -
Breakfast - Hot cereal
Lunch - Spaghetti and meatballs
Dinner - Chicken Rice Divan Bake, Broccoli, Peaches

Thursday -
Breakfast - Cinnamon Toast
Lunch - Quesadillas
Dinner - Lasagna, Green Beans, Garlic Toast

Friday -
Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Chinese Chicken Salad, Fruit

I Am An Aunt.....

Okay.... so technically I am not but when your BFF has a new baby, its a good as, right?

I don't want to give away of the goodies so you will have to hop and skip on over to Stacey's blog and check out all of the stats. I will tell you that her name is Charlotte Kate aka "Charley Kate" and although I did some begging and pleading, I am forbidden to call her "Chuck". Boo :( Maybe I will just whisper it in her ear and Stacey will never know {evil laugh}. I will also tell you that she is beautiful and in typical Neal tradition, has a look all of her own! Her hair is a little lighter so will we continue to pray for a head full of curly red!

I am in awe of Stacey and so proud of her. She is such an amazing woman and an inspiration to me! She is so resilient and determined and has babies like a champ! I live vicariously through her in that way!!

So..... congrats Neal's on another baby well done! I will leave you with some pictures that I took this morning.....

Isaac was instantly in love with her. He didn't want to let her go!

Ethan was so excited, he said he would wash his hands for a full 40 seconds for permission to hold her!

Jack... the proud BIG brother!

Molly Beth was so giddy she even did a few twirls for us!

Suzannah took charge right away. She mommies with the best of them!!

Charlotte Kate Neal - Charley Kate