Helping promote "Tamar's Closet"

Due to the Christmas holiday I didn't post a Tutorial Tuesdays. So today I would like to take the time to help promote my mom's book "Tamar's Closet". Its a book for women about transforming their lives through transforming their clothing which in turn will clean out their emotional closets. 

Tutorial Tuesday! Designing Little Bud's bedroom.

Today for Tutorial Tuesday, I thought I'd share my project of designing Little Bud's bedroom. Being in military house can get very monotonous since all the walls are white and everything is cookie cutter style. So we decided to paint the boys bedrooms. Amazing what color and decor can do to a room! 

Have you truly thanked Jesus Christ this Christmas?

I heard a great message at my church this morning about being truly Thankful. The speaker put forward a question that I've never thought about before. "Do you know how God feels Christmas day?" He sent his son to earth Christmas Day knowing that this world was going to betray him and nail him to the cross. Have any of us really ever thought about how hard that was for God? He loved us so much that he was willing to let this world do that to his only son. To save us.

The First Tutorial Tuesday with Homemade Hot Cocoa and Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Stirrers

As I forgot to make the cinnamon roll tutorial yesterday (I apologize and will be doing it next Tuesday) for this first Tutorial Tuesday, I decided to make one for making homemade hot cocoa and chocolate covered marshmallow stirrers. I love hot cocoa as it reminds me of being back home in WI on a cold winter night. 

The Real Reason For The Season.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, I find it harder to write as I am starting to get homesick. The holidays were always a big deal with my family at home. Being away from them all I find myself longing for closeness and family time so I've been spending more time with my boys. Writing hasn't ever came naturally for me, a lot of the time words don't come to me. I started this blog cause I thought it would be a great way for me to get closer with my family and friends back home along with making new friends crossed the world.

The one thing I thought I'd never miss was snow. But I miss it so much. Having snowball fights and making snow angels and forts. Along with the traditions of decorating the tree with my mom and making homemade crescent rolls for each holiday. I will be sharing a tutorial on making the homemade crescent rolls on Tuesday (which will be the first post for Tutorial Tuesday). Traditions are what make Christmas easier without family around. But we can't forget the real reason for the season.

Today's sermon for church got me to thinking. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays a lot of people forget the real reason for Christmas. Christ came to earth on Christmas day so that we could be saved from our sins. Without him we could be living a life of darkness and pain. But through him coming to earth to live and sacrifice his life for us, we are made new. God is always looking for people to answer his call, to be the "one." The one to go out and proclaim that Jesus is coming.  The reason for the season! Instead of preparing for the stores and busyness of the holidays, be preparing for the being the "one" for God. Proclaim it from the mountaintops. Jesus is coming! Jesus was born for our sins. Will you be the "one" this Christmas season? Hinne! sh'lacheni! Here I am! Send me!

One of the reasons for who I am.

****** I haven't always had it easy to get my thoughts out on paper. This post was written 3 years after my cancer surgery. There is a better post written just one month after my surgery on My Cancer Journey page. which you can read HERE ***********

Before cancer and surgery

Sitting down to try to write this post for what seems like the millionth time, its hard to put into real words the reason behind me becoming a very "crunchy organic" person. In January 2009, my husband deployed to Iraq just three short months after our first son was born. It was a trying time as many military spouses know. But what made it far worse for me was that just 2 weeks after he left, when my world got turned upside down. For all unknown reasoning, my throat swelled up to 3 times the normal size and I had major issues with swallowing. Little did I know, this was only the beginning of a long,emotional journey.

My Cancer Story

I had written a Facebook post about my cancer just one month after surgery. I thought I'd share it with you all.

As some people know I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer a couple of months ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here writing this for people to pity me or feel sorry for me. I guess its just a way of getting it all out in the open, letting it all go. 

"Crunchy" Cleaning Supplies

Crunchy Cleaning Supplies

Being the "crunchy" homemaker that I am and a mom to two messy boys, I like to make my own cleaning supplies so I thought I'd share some of the recipes with you all for them. I always look forward to cleaning my house when I go to the grocery store and get the ingredients for them along with some soy candles. There's just something about it that makes me so happy that I want to clean! So now I kind of have an addiction to soy candles and lemons. In all honesty I don't usually measure everything out. I just dump it in and use it. So you can always measure and see what amounts work for you. Here are some of the recipes for cleaning your house safely.

A thankful heart with the changing of seasons.

As I sit here reminiscing about the last year, I am anticipating the changing of the seasons as we get ready to retire the fall decorations and place the Christmas ones out. I cant help but think about how there are different seasons in life as there are in the weather. A lot of times, we try to hold onto the way things currently are instead of moving forward with the seasons. But with each season comes new experiences, new challenges and new disappointments. And as we go through each one, we take certain qualities from them which help define our character. 

 Being a Marine wife has kinda made me realize just how many seasons there can be in your life. Learning that nothing is permanent has made me more grateful for the time that I get with my loved ones. I miss my family in WI so much more at the holidays. Miss the snow fights we used to have when we were younger. The decorating of the Christmas tree with my parents. It's so hard to be away from them but makes it all the better when we do get to spend time with them. 

We were blessed when we moved to this Marine base to have such good neighbors that we like so much. We joined our little feast with their family for the meal which helped me with being homesick. I am so thankful that we can find new friends even when we move a lot. 

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my family and friends. Leave a comment and let me know what you're thankful for this Thanksgiving night.

Renewing my strength as Mother.

As a mother of two rowdy boys it is hard to find any down time unless they are sleeping. So as I am trying to write this post, I am also trying to get my 4 yr old and a 11 mo old to sleep in the same room! Baby Boo loves to stand up in his bed and laugh at his big brother who is making silly faces or just being plain crazy. But as I try to have the patience to deal with their naughty antics most days , I am reminded of the scripture verse Isaiah 40:31.

                   "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

As long as I trust God and ask him to renew my strength like the scripture says, I can get through the marker walls, toilet papered bathrooms and crazy things they do :) I love my boys and a lot of the times I do find the things they do funny but at times it greatly tests my patience. Which I need to ask God for help with on a daily basis as no one but him is perfect. Even my crazy boys get impatient with me at times which I am trying to teach them patience as well. 

To conclude my first blog post I would just like to tell all you mothers out there that you are not alone, you are doing a great job!!! Lol, all us moms have had our bad days and feel like we are the end of our patience for the day. Just pray and ask God to give you the patience and help you need. Have a great night and relax!