Jackie from Indy

Needing An Update

2011-01-24T20:55:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a long while since I have updated my blog so I added new pictures of the kids. I know I haven't posted much since John was born but things have been so so busy. Jada is loving school and doing great. She is reading now which just amazes me. JoHannah is Mommy's little helper and she is so good at it. She really is my funny kid. She has me laughing all the time. You wouldn't believe some of the things this girl comes up with. John is now 6 months old and as cute as can be. He is usually a very happy baby and very easy going. Since Christmas we have had sickness sweep through our house, my husband was first and then both girls, and then me and little John was last. Thankfully I think we are at the tail end of it. The Lord has had great mercy.

It's Been A While

2010-10-11T21:52:00.004-04:00

Just a few pictures from the last couple months! Life is busy these days! God Bless All!

John Robert

2010-07-26T20:44:00.003-04:00

John Robert Schoolcraft

July 23, 2010

8lbs 2ozs

21 1/2 in.

God has truly blessed us, thanks for all your prayers.

Today is the Day!

2010-07-23T09:23:00.001-04:00

Well we are going in this afternoon to meet our new little addition, please keep us in your prayers!!

Getting Close

2010-07-21T00:47:00.002-04:00

Well it looks like we have about a week left until we welcome our little boy into the world. I am getting really anxious I have been having trouble sleeping because for one I am just physically uncomfortable but I also have been having trouble shutting off my mind. One good thing is that I have had some quiet time with the Lord which is always nice. We have a really busy month ahead of us little John should be making his appearance by the 30th of July and then Miss. Jada starts kindergarten on August 11th. JoHannah is really excited to be a big sister, tonight she was having trouble sleeping and she said "Mommy I need to ask you something before I go to sleep" she says " When is baby John coming out of your belly?" She is just too cute for words sometimes! Well I will close for now, as always keep us in your prayers and hopefully I will have some good pics to post soon!

This and That

2010-05-24T17:18:00.003-04:00

Well things have been just a little crazy the past few weeks. We had the ceiling redone in the sanctuary of our building and then the brethren pitched in and painted the whole room. It was fun to be with the brethren and see everyone working together. The day after we got the sanctuary finished Jada got sick and became very dehydrated and her sugar dropped really low and it took a couple days to get her back to normal. Praise God for his mercies on my little girl. During all of this both of the girls finished the preschool year out and Jada is ready now to start kindergarten in August. They just grow way to fast. The girls are really excited about having a baby brother JoHannah is especially happy that she is going to be a BIG sister. She says she is going to help take care of the baby when he comes. I do ask that you keep Jada in your prayers she seems to have had a set back with her stomach flu and has been sick today this time she is running a fever but it doesn't seem to be as bad as the last time. I am so thankful for that. I say that one of the hardest things about being a Mommy is not being able to just take away their sicknesses and boo boo's. I hope that you all are well and I enjoy reading the posts on all the blogs I just don't always comment. God Bless!

Thoughts

2010-04-26T21:59:00.003-04:00

Well things around here have been pretty quiet lately. I have just been taking it one day at a time waiting for the arrival of our little boy. The girls seem to get more excited as the days pass. We are planning to go in for a c-section on July 29th. That is if I make it to 39 weeks. I only made it to 38weeks with the girls because of complications with my blood pressure. Preschool is almost out for the year for the girls. Jada will be starting kindergarten in the fall. I am really not sure that I am ready to let her go, I will be leaning on the Lord to help me through that time. It is so hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. JoHannah gets cuter everyday. She is my little spunky one. She has me laughing all the time with some of the things that she comes up with. I am truly blessed with 2 beautiful children and 1 to come. I have the greatest husband that a woman could ask for. All of these things are undeserved blessings from God for sure. I still have trials from time to time and I look forward to Heaven some day soon but I am very thankful for the joy that God allows us while we are waiting for HIM to send HIS son for us.

Pregnancy

2010-03-29T13:26:00.003-04:00

OK so I am almost 22 weeks pregnant and I am getting very excited about the arrival of our new little one. When we were wanting to have a 3rd child I said that if I got pregnant again I would try my very best to enjoy the pregnancy. I do love that fact that I am pregnant and that I have started feeling the baby move (that is one of my favorite parts of pregnancy) however I am not one of those people who says that when they are pregnant they feel great. This time has been totally different than when I was pregnant with the girls. I only has morning sickness in the morning for about 3 weeks with both of them but this time I was sick all afternoon and into the evening from the very beginning even before I knew I was expecting. When that sickness started getting better I got a horrible cold and when that got better I started having pains in my lower abdomen and the tops of my legs when I would walk. I have tried not to complain but that can be hard sometimes. The pain has gotten a whole lot better and I am starting to feel better but I have been strongly warned by my older sisters that I need to take it easy. At times I have felt as though Satan has been trying to steal my joy about having another baby. With the Lords help I am not going to let that happen. I truly look forward to holding our new little baby boy!

100th Post

2010-03-05T23:23:00.002-05:00

I logged on to blogger and seen that I had 99 posts so I thought I would make it and even 100. We are still really excited to find out that we are having a boy and just Praise God for His blessings. Today was my nieces 14th birthday which makes me realize how fast time goes by. She is growing up way too fast. This is a busy weekend. We had cake and ice cream for my niece tonight at my house and then tomorrow I am going to have brethren from Kentucky staying the night and then after church we are having a little dinner. I am very excited about it all. I am feeling pretty tired these day I think this pregnancy has been the hardest on me. One of the sisters here says that boys really take it out of their mommy. I am just thankful for the energy that the Lord has given me today.

We Are Having A......

2010-03-02T13:23:00.002-05:00

We went for our ultrasound this morning and we found out that we are having a boy! We feel very blessed! Praise God!

What Makes You Happy?

2010-02-22T12:34:00.002-05:00

True happiness has really been on my mind lately. I was thinking the other day about a time in our life when we had some money problems and how it seemed like if we had money and we were spending money we were happy but when the money ran out it really upset everything. I feel like we are on the other side of this trial now and have done alot of growing. Don't get me wrong we are not perfect and the want to spend can creep in every so often but with the Lords help we can over come. Yesterday the preaching really made me think. What makes me happy? Is it my worldly possessions? My House? My Car? My Clothes? Money? I really hope that these things do not define me. I know that I have a lot of work to do in this area. Sometimes I find myself wanting more or wishing things were different when really I should be thankful for what I have. My goal is to learn to be content with what the Lord has given me.

The scripture that was read yesterday was: Philippians 4:6-9. I am thinking of printing verse 8 and hanging it up in a place where I can read it everyday.

Virginia Beach 2

2010-02-11T15:20:00.003-05:00

Well we had a really good trip to Virginia Beach it was very peaceful and I think we all enjoyed ourselves. We had plans to go to Washington DC on our way home but we looked at the weather and decided that we should head home so when Johnny got done with his final meeting we got in the car and drove 14 hours straight thru. We sent word home that we needed prayer to try and make the trip so quick with 2 little ones and a pregnant woman. The Lord truly blessed us and we made it home with no trouble. When we got home though I was totally wore out. We had to get groceries the next morning and that took all of my energy. When we got home from the store I went to bed and slept the rest of the day. My husband was so good about my need of rest. He unpacked the suit cases, separated the laundry and started washing it. He also took care of the kids and cooked 2 meals that day. He is a wonderful husband. There are a few pictures of our trip above. I am not the worlds greatest photographer but I think they show some of what we were able to see.

Virginia Beach 1

2010-02-02T21:59:00.003-05:00

Here we are in Virginia Beach. Johnny was in a meeting and we went out looking for shells. It is cold and gloomy here but we are trying to make the best of it. Thanks for all your prayers we had a safe trip with no problems at all. We are heading home Thursday and will be taking it slow with maybe a few detours. I will post more pictures soon.

Another Week

2010-01-24T21:16:00.001-05:00

Well things are pretty good here lately. I am finally past the sickness in the pregnancy which I am very thankful for. Now I just have a hard time finding things to eat that sound good to me. I had the same problem when I was pregnant with both girls. This is going to be a very busy week for me because we are leaving next Sunday after church to go to Virginia Beach and I have a ton to do before we leave. Really just the usual laundry, packing, and all the other normal stuff. I am really looking forward to the trip I just dread 13 hour drive. Well hopefully next week I will post some pictures from the beach. God Bless and have a good week!! O yes if it comes to your mind please say a prayer that we would have good weather for the trip. I know it will be cool I would just like to be able to take the girls to the beach and let them see God's creation.

Kentucky

2010-01-18T21:11:00.002-05:00

Well we took a very last minute trip to Kentucky this weekend to spend some time with the brethren there and we had a great time. We were able to hear some beautiful singing and have some beautiful fellowship with the brethren there. I am so thankful we were able to go.

Random Thoughts

2010-01-13T14:57:00.003-05:00

I am gonna try really hard to start blogging atleast once a week even if I don't really have anything to say. Things have been pretty quiet around here since the holidays which I am very thankful for. I went to my first official appointment for this pregnancy and got to see the baby's heartbeat in and ultrasound. So far everything looks good. God has truly blessed us. Lately I have been thinking about being content with what God has given me. I really want to be content and not always want more or something different. We heard some teachings on this lately and I have been trying to keep it in mind. The weather here has been so cold I hear that it has been that way everywhere. In the next few days they are saying it is going to warm up to around 40 degrees which makes me very happy. I am so tired of cold snowy weather. The first week of February Lord willing we are going to be going on a trip with Johnny for work to Virginia Beach. I am so thankful that we are able to go with him and he doesn't have to go alone. Sis. Sondra is going too to keep me company while Johnny is working. A few months ago Johnny had to go to Montana in a plane and he had never been on a plane and it was really hard on him. He got sick and didn't like flying at all so when his boss told him he was going to have to take another trip he asked if he could take us with him and drive and they were fine with that. God really worked it our for him. Well enough rambling on with all these random thoughts. I hope you all are well and look forward to reading your blogs.

Happy New Year!!

2009-12-30T20:14:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I have blogged I have been trying to keep up with all the blogs but I don't always comment. Facebook seems to be taking the place of the blog for many of us but I still love the blogs and how it has allowed us sisters to get to know each other. Things have been pretty quiet here lately. We had a really nice Christmas and now awaiting the New Year. Sickness seems to be hitting the brethren here pretty hard as I am sure it is everywhere. My girls have really been passed by by the sickness except a sniffle here and there and I thank God for that. JoHannah seems to be having a problem with here eyes lately they look pretty bad today almost like pink eye. Other than that they are growing like weeds and while I am thankful for that I get a little sad that Jada just turned 5 in December. I find myself wondering where the time has gone?? She will be starting kindergarten around the time we are expecting the next little one. This child will be very blessed with 2 great big sisters. They both say that they want a girl but Daddy really really wants a boy. I have been praying that if it is ok with the Lord that he will allow us a son this time but a healthy baby is enough for me. Well I will end for now and I hope you all have a safe and blessed New Year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T22:56:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and may God bless you all!!!!

Expecting....

2009-12-09T11:54:00.002-05:00

Well as I posted before I recently joined Weight Watchers and have really been doing good with it. I weighed in for the last time last night and have lost 20lbs. The reason why it will be my last weigh in for a while is because last week we found out that we are expecting baby number 3. It seems like everytime I go on a diet I end up pregnant. We are so so excited we really thought that we wouldn't have any more but the Lord saw fit to allow me to get pregnant. I totally want the prayers of my brehtren the first trimester always makes me nervous but the Lord is with me so I am sure that I will make it through.

My Grandma

2009-11-19T14:57:00.003-05:00

I was sitting with my girls watching a cartoon called Little Bear and it was an episode where Little Bear was at his grandparents house playing with his Grandfather Bear. It made me think of my Grandma. I am so thankful for the years that I had with her. She passed away when I was 21 years old. She was never a wealthy woman and didn't bye us alot and that was fine. She gave us what was more important than material things she gave us her time. Grandma's door was always open. She sat at the kitchen table all the time and when we would go visit her which was often that is where we spent most of our time except for in the warm weather and then we were out in the yard. Grandma was really my only grandparent she was my Mom's Mom. My Grandparents on my Dad's side passed when I was young. Grandma loved playing games with us we would spend hours at the table playing cards or Yahtzee she loved that game. She taught me to cook and always raved over my cooking if I made something. We worked in the garden and she let me help her can. My Grandma was a good woman I knew that she had faults but that never stopped my love for her and I truly miss her. I could talk to her about anything she always had an ear to listen. She shared my joys and sorrows. I had lost my first pregnancy before she passed and I wasn't sure that I would be able to have children. She loved kids and I really wish that she would have been able to see my girls. I am so thankful that God allowed me such a great Grandmother.

Another Day

2009-11-13T19:14:00.002-05:00

Not a whole lot going on in the Schoolcraft household these days. I can't believe that Christmas is coming so fast. It seems like every year the year seems shorter. I haven't started any shopping and Jada will be 5 on the 16th of December so we have shopping for that too. I am still doing Weight Watchers and I really enjoy the program. I wish that I would have signed up years ago. I have lost 9lbs in 4 weeks. I doesn't seem like much but I really feel good about it and I hear it is better to lose at a slow pace so that the weight will stay off. Here lately we spend alot of evenings at home which is good we have had some real quality time together as a family. Life in general is going great there are always room for improvements but if life was perfect then what would we have to look forward to in Heaven. Well I hope everyone who reads this is well and I hope to hear from you all soon. God Bless!!

JoHannah

2009-10-30T14:10:00.000-04:00

I love this picture this is totally JoHannah at her best!!

Thank God!!

2009-10-26T23:34:00.002-04:00

So today we met with The Other Schoolcrafts (I am calling them that because it is just easier than naming them all) at a park over by their house and ate our dinner out there and let the kids play. The play ground wasn't very busy at all there were a few other family's there though. Frankie and I were talking and I was watching the kids, well I turned around for a minute to look at her or look at the guys playing football and when I turned back around I didn't see JoHannah. I called her name no answer so Leah, Frankie and I spread out on the playground and looked for her she was no where to be seen. I yelled for Johnny and was really beginning to panic. I was really getting frantic I was yelling her name and no answer. This man seen me and said " If u are looking for the little girl with pigtails she was headed that way." That way was toward the car so I took off in that direction by this time probably only a minute has passed but it felt like an eternity! Johnny was looking Jimmy too all of us really. When I started walking toward the car around some trees she heard me calling and stared toward me. I was really freaking out. I had millions of thoughts going through my head none of them were good and I had to correct her for wondering off and had a really stern talk with her but then I just wanted to squeeze her and not let her go. This has got to be the most frightening experience that I have has thus far as a parent. I just Thank God over and over that she is safe and none of those millions of thoughts were a reality!! Thank You Lord!!!!!

Here Lately....

2009-10-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

Here lately not a whole lot going on just the normal the girls are both in preschool and they are doing really good. Johnny and I are well just one day at a time trying to serve the Lord and take care of our family. I recently joined Weight Watchers Saturday actually. Its only been 3 days but it has been pretty easy so far. Johnny is doing it with me so that really helps. He is not going to the meetings but he is trying to do the program. I just really hope that we can stick with it. I hope everyone is well and I still love reading all the blogs I don't always comment but I still check in.

Neglecting the Blog

2009-09-24T22:44:00.002-04:00

I am sorry that I have been neglecting the blog lately. I do sign on every few days to catch up on everyone but I have been using Facebook alot lately. Things are pretty boring around here lately which is not a bad thing. JoHannah and I have both had a cold but we are getting better. The girls both started preschool at the beginning of September. They are doing really good. JoHannah really likes it I think it gives her some time away from me and Sissy who mothers her too. There are only 6 children in her class and that makes me feel better about her going. We did take a vacation in Ohio in Amish country at the beginning of September too and it was just beautiful. I have to say that it was the best vacation that we have ever had. Our cell phones had no service and we had no TV or Internet and it was great. We had a very peaceful time and got to enjoy God's creation. We went on a wagon ride over 800 acres of land where we were able to feed all kinds of animals right out of our hands. I didn't want to go at first but it was awesome. The girls loved it and so did me and Johnny. Well I hope you are all well and look forward to reading your blogs.

Update on the Funk and Other Stuff

2009-08-04T11:52:00.002-04:00

Well I do believe that the funk is lifting and I am feeling a whole lot better. I have been praying about it continuously and have had a lot of good talks with sisters. I feel so much better and I know that with the help of God things will continue to improve.

We were able to go to Kentucky and be with the brethren there this past weekend and we had a beautiful time. We really didn't do much but just visit and be together and that was very nice and peaceful. They all seem to be doing good and I was glad for that.

Not too much going on here at home. We are looking for another vehicle for Johnny to drive back and forth for work. Frankie was taking him to work on the days that Jada has school but her hours have changed so that really wouldn't work anymore. We had planned on getting another one after the first of the year but it has just been pushed up a little. We have been praying about it alot because I don't want to get something that will not be dependable but our budget is pretty small so we have to get an older car. I just pray that the Lord will send us to the right one.

Funk

2009-07-24T15:49:00.002-04:00

I guess i will probably just be rambling. I have kind of been in a funk lately. Funk is the only word that I can think of that describes the way that I feel. I have such a beautiful life a good family and the Love of God what more could a person want right. I am blessed with 2 beautiful children. I am not really sure how I have gotten to this point. I think that my blood pressure is up and I feel like my blood is boiling all the time. I am sure that it is just a trial but I will surly be glad when it is over and I hope that I come out on the other side stronger in the Lord. I was talking to an older sister today about all of this and she really had some good advice. I realized that I don't go to God with things that I should. I also have realized that I just plain do not pray enough. These are all things that i can fix with the help of God and I hope that with a lot of prayer and reading the Word that I will be able to get through this time in my life. I need to slow down and enjoy my children while they are small and I need to be thankful for the things that I have and be sure to take the time to pray and let the Lord know how thankful that I am and I know that He will help me through.

Puppy, Pool, and a Birthday

2009-07-01T22:23:00.003-04:00

Well we have been busy as usual. We recently got a new puppy her name is Lola and she is about 8 weeks old. She is a really good puppy and I am glad that we got her. Also we got the pool up and going here at the house we are in now. It needed a new liner and between Sondra, Johnny and I we got that done and have been enjoying the pool. The only thing is that now the weather is in the 70's. The week before we opened the pool it was in the 90's go figure. I also had a birthday. I turned 29 on Sunday and my Dad had a sign put in my yard. He has been teasing me about being 29 and holding. I will attach pictures of the puppy and the sign and hopefully the next time we go out to the pool I will remember my camera and I will put on some pics of that. I wish I had done a before and after but I guess I didn't think about it until after the fact. Well I hope everyone is well and I look forward to reading all of your blogs.

Maybe A Bear Ate It.......

2009-06-18T20:39:00.003-04:00

Here is a video of JoHannah reading a library book that we checked out last week. I think that it is her new favorite book and I will be looking to buy it and maybe she can pass it on to her kids someday. She is just 2 years old and I think she does a great job. I read this to her once and her Mamaw read it to her once and that was all it took and now she is reading her version to us.

Blessings!

2009-06-16T13:36:00.003-04:00

We have had so many blessings lately but there is one that really sticks out in my mind today. Last week I got a call telling me that we had to come up with a large sum of money in a short period of time. Well when I got off the phone I started praying and I felt like the Lord told me to check the mail so I did. There was nothing in the mail that day and I thought well maybe it was just my mind and not the Lord talking to me. We had the money that we were going to have to pay but it would make thing really tight for the rest of the month. We were leaving to go camping on Friday and this was Tuesday and we had already payed for camping and there were no refunds. So we went on our trip and when we got home Johnny checked the mail and there was a check in the mail that was totally unexpected. We are truly thankful! The Lord really watches out for us even when we really don't deserve it.

Update on Busy Times and Our Anniversary!

2009-05-26T08:47:00.003-04:00

Well we had a great trip to Shipshewana. I really enjoyed myself and had a very peaceful time. It is really a beautiful place and I look forward to going back there again someday. It is a very religious community and all the people that we encountered were very nice thank God for that. Now I will have to say that the only hard thing about the trip was being without my girls and Johnny. I missed them and I am sure that they missed me. I think it will be a long while before I leave them again.

Well now we are in Aurora, IL. We are staying in a really quiet hotel with a pool and right now Johnny is gone to his classes and we are here alone. We plan on going swimming later and just hanging around here. Before we came my girls both had a round of the stomach flu and thank God it didn't last long because JoHannah came down with it the evening before we left. But with the Lord's mercy it all worked out and here we are.

Now today is our 8th Anniversary. We celebrated Friday evening with dinner and a movie and we had a really nice time. I am so thankful for the life that the Lord has blessed me with. We have had a really wonderful 8 years and I hope for many more. I have told Johnny that I want him to take me somewhere for our 10th so we have that to look forward to (if the Lord dosen't return first and that would be wonderful).

Busy and Getting Busier

2009-05-09T22:43:00.002-04:00

Well things have been really busy lately, good busy though. We have truly been blessed over the last few weeks. Last week my husband was told that his company was getting bought out and would be under new ownership as of May 1st. We were a little concerned but all in all we know that the Lord will help us through what ever so we just prayed and we have been truly blessed. The company that Johnny is now working for seems great and they have big plans for him and we are very thankful. They have assured him that his job is safe and they have far better benefits which is something that we have been praying about along with out brethren here for a really long time and God has truly blessed us. We have a desire to have another baby if the Lord is okay with it and all of this has seemed to come at the best time. We do need prayer in this so if you think of us we would love to have your prayers.

Now to the busy stuff. A week from tomorrow Lord Willing Sis. Sondra and I are going to take a trip to Shipshewana (this is the first time I have really been away from my girls). We will be leaving on Sunday and return home on Tuesday evening. We are really excited to go if and hope that we are blessed with good weather and a nice peaceful trip. Then when I get home I am going to be packing up and heading out on a trip with Johnny and the girls to Aurora, Illinois. We will be gone for a week Johnny has to take some classes for his job there and his boss said that we could travel with him so that is what we are planning. So we are going to be busy in the next few weeks not to mention our 8th Anniversary is the day that we leave for Illinois. So lots going on here and I hope that I will still be able to read the blogs and if we do anything exciting for out Anniversary I will post about it later. I hope that all is well with anyone who reads this until next time.........

Pictures from the Park

2009-04-17T12:28:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I went to visit a friend of mine who lives a couple hours away(she just had a baby) and I left the girls at home with Daddy. Well him and Mamaw took them to a park and took some great pics. Here they a

Settled In

2009-03-31T13:35:00.002-04:00

Well thing have settled down a bit here and we are settling in good in our new home. There really has not been a whole lot to post about lately. I have started potty training with JoHannah and she is doing great (Praise God). She says that she makes beautiful tinkles and that just cracks me up. We have had alot of sickness here with the brethren and we could use your prayers for our congregation. Sickness keeps quite a few out of meeting here lately and we surly do miss them. Like I said there really is not mush going on here so I will end for now. I hope that everyone is doing well. Love and Prayers.

Johnny's Deer

2009-03-13T15:49:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of Johnny's deer head. He got it back last week.

All Moved In

2009-03-11T23:14:00.002-04:00

Well we have moved and we FINALLY have the Internet again!! I have alot to post about but I think I will have to spread it out over a few posts. We got moved in a couple weeks ago and I was super busy the first week and I think that I have everything unpacked now. The Lord has been so good to us we feel truly at home here and the kids have adjusted really well. I was worried about JoHannah but she actually did better that Jada. Jada is doing good too especially since her bedroom is right across from ours and if she wakes up in the middle of the night she can see our bed with the doors open. I hope that everyone is doing good and I look forward to catching up on all the blogs. I will post more later. Bye for now!!

Just Sharing A Little

2009-01-19T15:05:00.003-05:00

Things are still pretty busy around here. We did get the water heater in finally at the other house and we have hot water now which is great. There is a story behind it though the water heater that one of our brothers gave us didn't work because it leaked (we were still thankful for his heart). We went and bought a new one and got it all hooked up and it was doing fine but later on that night we went back by the house to check it out and make sure there were no leaks and such and when we pulled up we could see down the side of the house and it looked really wet. Johnny ran inside and sure enough a pipe had busted and the house was flooded! It flooded the utility room, the kitchen and the master bedroom so we did what we could to get it cleaned up and called the insurance company and thank God it is all covered. So now we are in the process of picking out new flooring and for those three rooms and when all the work is finished we plan on moving in. We are hoping to move in the next few weeks.

Today I got a really surprising phone call. My cousin called me today and was asking me about church and said that he was wanting to get him and his family into church. Now none of my family are in the church and I was just thrilled that he called and is showing interest. I would like prayer about this if you think of it because he has had a pretty rough life and says that he has gotten his life straightened up and wants to make some changes. He says that he knows that God has helped him and he wants to do something for God. It seems like he is searching and I really hope that he can come to know the Lord.

Well I guess that is all that I have to share for now. I hope that anyone who reads this is well and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Blessings!!

2009-01-07T13:24:00.002-05:00

We have has so many blessing lately that I need to share them. We are moving as you all know and we need a hot water heater for the house because the old one is cracked, so last night my husband was at Men's Meeting at church and a brother told him that he has one that we could have. We feel so blessed in this because water heaters are very expensive. The one that he is giving us is smaller than we are used to but I am sure that with the help of the Lord we can make some adjustmens so that it will work out. Also a few weeks ago some brethren sent us a check out of the blue we were really shocked and when my husband asked the brother about it he said that he felt like the Lord put it on his heart to send it to us. We have been able to do alot of work on the house and not feel so stressed about money. We are so thankful to the Lord and the brethren for their love. Also I am very thankful how God has answered prayer so fast because Jada has done so much better with school this week. Monday she did cry but as soon as she sat down with the other kids in class she was fine and today she didn't cry at all and the other mothers even commented that she had a smile on her face when she walked through the door at school. God is so good and I just wanted to share what he has done for us in the past few days.

Schoolcrafts Happenings

2009-01-04T20:10:00.002-05:00

Well I haven't been able to post for a while but we have been so so busy. We have had Jada's birthday party and then Christmas and we are preparing to move. We are moving into the house that Johnny grew up in and we have been painting a getting things ready over there. We finished the painting on New Years Day and then the next day we went to Kentucky for the weekend. So things have been a little crazy around here. We did have a beautiful Christmas though I think that it is one of the best that we have had in years and for that I am thankful to the Lord. New Years we really didn't do anything me and Sondra and Frankie all sat on the couch and watched the ball drop and just visited because Johnny went to bed early and we were the only ones that were still here. Bro Jimmy had to work early so they had to leave and that just left us. Our trip to Kentucky was great we were able to visit with the brethren there and be in meeting with them this morning and that was nice. Bro. Marvin from down there needs prayer he hurt his back on Friday before we got there and has been in terrible pain and also Bro. Brad has been having some bad spells and he needs prayer too.

That is really all for now we are going to start packing soon and tomorrow Jada goes back to preschool so she will need prayer she is still not wanting to go but Johnny and I sat down and talked with her tonight and she seems to be some better about it so we will see. I hope that every one is well and I look forward to reading all the blogs.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-23T15:31:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

Jada and School

2008-12-15T14:38:00.002-05:00

Jada has really loved preschool from day one until the last couple of weeks. About the last 4 or 5 times that she had school she has cried for me when I left and said that she was going to miss me and that really broke my heart. Well last night I was talking to Chelsea and mentioned school and Jada started crying and saying that she didn't want to go to school anymore. I had questioned her about school to see if anything was going on but I tried to do it in a way that she would tell me and I wouldn't give her any ideas of reasons why she should stay home but last night I out right asked her if someone was being mean to her and she said yes and told me a little boy was being mean to her. Well I assured her that I would talk to the teacher and I sent a picture of me and Daddy to school with her so that she could look at it if she missed us but she was still crying this morning when I dropped her off. I did speak with the teacher and she said that they were having a problem with this child and that he was mean to all the kids not just Jada which I might add did not make me feel any better. Last night Jada and I prayed that things would get better and we even prayed for the little boy and he was not at school today. I do not wish any harm on him but I was kind of relieved that he was not there today. I know I am rambling but if you think of Jada please pray for her. My husband and I don't want to take her out of preschool because what will happen when she is in school later on and someone picks on her then she will want to quit that but I also really would like this problem to be resolved so that she can start enjoying school again.

Snow!!!!

2008-12-06T22:16:00.002-05:00

Today I was out for a while and when I got home this is what I came home to (a snow angel). Jada has been really really wanting snow and she finally got some. To bad her little sister was napping when her Daddy took her out and she missed the play time. That is probably for the best though because she doesn't like to get anything on her hands or clothes and I am not sure how she would handle the snow. But little sissy did get to enjoy the hot chocolate when she got up from her nap so she did get to take part.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:24:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a beautiful holiday!

The Big Buck!

2008-11-16T21:12:00.003-05:00

OK ladies I know that you all may not be into the deer hunting thing but my husband shot an 11 point buck yesterday and I was really excited for him. He was also really excited too and he asked me if I was going to post about it so I am. Yesterday morning I was awaken out a peaceful sleep by the phone and it was Johnny calling to say that he had just shot a huge deer. I thought he was kidding and then I heard Bro. Jimmy (Sis. Leah's husband) in the back ground saying "He really did" so I got all excited for him and he didn't have a camera so I got up and got me and the girls ready and Sis. Sondra and I headed down to where they were to check out the deer and take some pictures before they took it to have it processed. So here is my favorite. (This is my favorite because Johnny in smiling and that is a surprise because he hardly ever smiles for pictures.)

Now I do have some funny pictures of the guys trying to load this deer in the back of Bro. Jimmy's SUV because they didn't have what they needed to strap it to the rack on the car but I will not subject you all to that.

Boring is Good......Sometimes

2008-11-06T20:03:00.003-05:00

Well not a whole lot has been going on around here lately which I guess is good because boring in good sometimes. I will share an experience that I had the other day though. We do not have screens in our windows and we haven't found the ones to fit our windows so we have been using those slider screens. So the other day I went into my bed room and tied the curtain back and went to open the window and just about had a heart attack when I looked down and there was a preying mantis on the window seal. If it was a baby that would not have been so bad but this thing was huge. It was almost as long as my hand. I was a big baby and I called my husband and I really wanted him to offer to come home and get it out of the house but instead he told me how to get rid of it with out touching it which was still a little scary for me. But I did take a picture of it before pushing it out the window so here it is.

I am not usually scared of bugs but this one really freaked me out!! That is the most excitement that we have really had around here so there really isn't much to post about. I hope that everyone who reads this is well and keep the posts coming because it is really encouraging to hear form everyone.

Jesus Loves Me

2008-10-25T21:26:00.003-04:00

This is JoHannah singing. She gets a few of the words mixed up but you can still tell what she is singing. You will have to excuse her hair hanging in her face we just pretty much spent the day hanging around the house and she doesn't like hair ties so today I just let her be. Enjoy.

Don't forget to turn the music off at the bottom.

Cottage Cheese & Pickles

2008-10-20T15:20:00.002-04:00

I guess I am posting about this for lack of better things to post about. I think that my husband has lost his mind. He has been craving pickles and that isn't so bad but he has been eating them with cottage cheese, mixed in the cottage cheese and to me that is just strange. I think he is having pregnancy cravings or something. He is really a picky eater but he likes his pickles and cottage cheese. Has anyone out there ever had this or is he the only one???

Life's Uncertainty

2008-10-13T15:02:00.002-04:00

Well things are a little uncertain in life for us right now. We are usually pretty prepared for what is coming and what we may face but now things seem uncertain. As of right now we are going to be moving in probably the next 6 months or so. This is a new experience for me because we have lived here since we have been married. It is a little sad and kind of exciting at the same time. I say exciting but I just wish it were under different circumstances. I wish it were our choice and not because of financial reasons. I will not get into all the details but we could sure use prayer because we truly desire to go where the Lord would want us to be. I know that the Lord could change things for us but I also know that sometimes the answer is no so I will try to be at peace with what ever He has in store for us. Change is good sometimes so I will hold onto the positive and try not to dwell on the circumstances.

I have enjoyed reading all the blogs they give me strength and a much needed uplift.

Vacation Pictures Finally.....

2008-10-03T14:41:00.004-04:00

Well I said a while back that I would post some pictures of our mini vacation and I have just now gotten around to it. We went to Shipshewana, Indiana and stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. Let me just say that I don't really get excited about alot of things but I was actually giddy when we got there. I read alot of Amish fiction and this is truly Amish country. It was beautiful there and the B&B that we stayed in was great we had a beautiful room and a great host. She served us a gourmet breakfast and she even asked God to bless the food which I thought was really nice. OK enough of my going on here are the pictures.

These are the pics of the room, we had a garden tub with jets and it was very relaxing!!! The host even put up a roll away for Jada and put 2 Clifford dogs on it for the girls to play with. (At no extra charge!!)

These are a few pictures that I took while we were taking a walk on the property it was a really nice place and very nicely decorated.

These pictures we took in the city. They have a carosol that the girls rode and me and Johnny stood next to them. I get motion sick so this was not so easy for me but I made it through. And the buggy picture I took at a gas station I tried to be really careful not to take any pictures of any Amish people because they do not like to have their picture taken. There were buggy's everywhere which I think is truly fascinating.

Church?

2008-09-25T23:56:00.002-04:00

I was just wondering what church everyone out there attends? I was looking at the light blue church directory and I was wondering where all you sister go. So if you don't mind let me know and I will put my little blue book by the computer and take a look. We go to the that says Indianapolis-Southport Road. I look forward to seeing where you all go.

Vacation

2008-09-23T16:49:00.002-04:00

Well we are on vacation this week. We have had a pretty good week Monday we went to the apple orchard and then today we went to a $1.00 movie (Kung Fu Panda). We have had a pretty peaceful few days. We were going to go to the Zoo today but Jada has hand foot and mouth it is blisters on the hands feet and in the mouth. We were not sure if she would be up to all the walking because she has not been eating and she is kind of puny so we did the movies instead. We are thinking about driving up to northern Indiana to Shipshewana and spending the night but we still haven't decided for sure. Momma Lou was able to be with us for the past few days but she went home today. She has been staying with us and it has been nice to get to spend some time with her. We were supposed to go camping but we postponed that until next summer so we are just trying to do somethings with the kids and enjoying each others company. Hopefully later in the week I will be able to post some pictures.

Pics That Go With the Previous Post

2008-09-07T21:21:00.007-04:00

This Jada with her bucket that she has to take to school. They use these instead of back packs because they bring home messy crafts sometimes.

This is me and Jada walking out to the car after school she is wearing her cow girl hat that she made in school.

This is JoHannah's birthday cake and her looking at the cake and trying to figure out why I am sitting it in front of her. She did try to blow out the candles but she didn't have enough air so I did it for her.

Preschool & A Birthday!!

2008-09-07T20:59:00.003-04:00

Well I posted earlier about us putting Jada in preschool and we did. She started Wednesday and tomorrow is her second day she is so excited. Before her day started they had all of us parents meet with them to let us know about picking the kids up after school and other information. In the meeting the teacher said that if our child was OK with us leaving to please go on out so that there would be room for the parents of the kids that were having some trouble letting the parents leave. Well Jada did great actually too great for me because she went straight in the class room and got a toy out and started playing and didn't even say bye to me. :( I almost cried. But anyway she did great and loved it and I am so thankful.

Also we celebrated JoHannah's 2nd birthday yesterday she was so cute. Her birthday is actually tomorrow but we had a get together yesterday. I wish we had video taped her opening her gifts because she would pull out clothes and say "pretty" or "so cute". She is so animated for a 2 year old and has a great vocabulary.

Now there will be a another post with the pics because for some reason I can't get the pics on here so I will try on another post.

Trials

2008-08-29T12:02:00.002-04:00

I had told you all about the prophecy that my husband received while we were visiting Kentucky earlier this month saying that when he got home he would be facing a great trial. Well I think that prophecy has been coming to pass lately. We have had a few trials to face lately but not just us it seems like our whole body of brethren has been going through some trials. I am just very thankful the it seems like the Lord is carrying us through. We all do still need your prayers. But just talking with a few we are so thankful for the Lord's mercy through this all. I hope that everyone is doing well and I will be thinking of all you brethren who are at Sky Camp this weekend and who knows maybe some day we will be able to join you there.

Crazy Day!!

2008-08-27T14:20:00.002-04:00

This morning my husband called me and told me that he thought it would be good to sign Jada up for preschool so I got up and filled out all the paper work, got me and the girls ready for the day and left the house to go run errands and drop off her registration papers. Jada went into the class rooms and looked around and met one of her teachers and she even got to play with some toys. And they have a little play ground outside and she is soooooo excited because they have 4 sea saws!!! So we left there and went to get some other things done and came back home. Well I pulled in the garage and parked and went to turn the car off and the key wouldn't turn all the way off so the radio and the lights and stuff were all still on. Well we had this problem a few weeks ago and Johnny drove the car around the block and parked again and it worked just fine. So I tried that and it didn't work so I called Johnny at work and he told me to drive it to his work and he would take a look at it. He couldn't get the key out either so we took the car down the street to a little garage and the man that looked at it said we would have to take it to the dealership because the keys have those security chips in them, so we took the car to the dealership and they said that if they had to replace the key and tumblers that it would be about $300-$500 dollars but they said to go get a new key and try that first and if that worked it would save us alot of money. We did that and Praise God!!!!!! the key is working fine!! $20 compared to $300-$500 is a huge blessing. I am praying that it continues to work fine and that it is not just a quick fix!! So today has been a pretty crazy day. And to top it all off poor JoHannah is getting sick and I felt really bad dragging her all over town while she is feeling bad but she was a good sport and didn't even fuss at all. I am thankful that the Lord allows me to see the good even when it seems nothing is going right.

Preschool!?

2008-08-26T12:36:00.003-04:00

Well we are trying to make a very important decision, weather to send Jada to preschool. We went to check out a preschool last night and we really like it. There were alot of positives concerning the place but we don't want to be to hasty in making these decisions. The teachers both have over 13 years of experience. We were concerned about how they handle the holiday's and they do things the same as we do. They celebrate the birth of Christ for Christmas and the Resurrection for Easter and we were very pleased with that. The price is reasonable and they do alot with the kids. There is a field trip once a month and they require that the parents go which is great because I would want to go anyway. And she would only go 2 days a week to sart so that is great. The one thing that makes us nervous is that it is in a church that is not The General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn. We did ask alot of questions about what they taught and it is education based not religious based and the only thing that they do concerning religion as far as teaching is they read 1 Bible story a month and they color a picture that goes with the story. And we feel like that would be OK but we just want to be sure so we have been praying about it and discussing it and tomorrow we have to decide because we have to get her enrolled so that she can start on Sept. 3rd. if we decide yes. So I will try to post again in the next few days to let you all know the decision that we make.

Happy Birthday!

2008-08-21T14:48:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday!!

Sis. Stubby!!

My Thoughts

2008-08-20T14:21:00.002-04:00

Well things have been a little stressful in my household lately but I have truly seen the Lord in all of our trials. I am so thankful that the Lord can take a bad situation and work it all out. I would love to get on here and just pour my heart out about all the things that have been going on in our lives but I don't feel like that would be the right thing to do. So I will just say pray for us, because the Lord knows all. I do have so much to be thankful for though we have been spending alot of time with the brethren lately and we have really enjoyed it. We have also been trying to learn from the experiences that we have faced and I think that it has helped us to be more humble and maybe even more compassionate to those who have been where we are or maybe even may face the things that we are going through. I guess I will share a little of my life with everyone. My mom was an alcohlic and she also used drugs. She was drinking or using most of my teenage years and into my life as a young adult and the one thing that helped me through this was knowing that maybe someday if there was another sister who has to go through the same things that I would be able to be supportive and help them through. I guess I need to look at my trials now that same way that it is all for a reason. In just sitting here typing this the I feel like the Lord has reminded me of a few things and I already feel better. I hope that everyone is doing good and keep on posting because it really helps to encourage and uplift me through the days. Love and Prayers.......

What A Day!

2008-08-15T12:02:00.002-04:00

Well it is only noon and everything I go to do is just not happening. This morning I went out to mow the grass and when I got the mower out and went around to the back yard to pick up things before I started I realized that the grass was soaked. We had some rain yesterday and the temperature is really dropping at night here so there was still dew on the grass so I didn't get that done. So I came in the house and started taking apart a bassinet that Leah just gave back to me so that I can store it for later use (maybe) and I couldn't get the first screw out that I tried so I thought well I don't want to strip the screw so I will go start laundry. I was thinking I would get a few loads done before the weekend so that I won't have so much to do on Monday. I got all the clothes separated and got ready to start the washing machine and I have no laundry detergent!!!!!! So I have decided that maybe this should be a day of rest! So I just sit down on the couch and listened to the girls play in the bedroom it was very relaxing to just stop and sit for a while but, I am now fixing lunch and hoping that everything goes ok with that. So I guess we will see how the rest of the day goes.

We Are Back!!

2008-08-05T21:11:00.002-04:00

Well we got home from KY late Sunday night and I have just now gotten the opportunity to sit down here at the computer and post about the trip. We had a wonderful spiritually uplifting trip. Our purpose was to go there and uplift the brethren but we truly received a blessing in it. We were in meeting with the brethren there a total of 4 times in 4 days and every meeting was great. We had meeting at the church in Liberty 2 nights and then Saturday we had a pitch in at Bro. Marvin and Sis. Jan's house and then a church meeting in there yard after, it was beautiful. The main topic of the preaching seemed to be "Are you ready??" and it was beautiful how all of the brothers who taught were on the same page. It was very evident that the Spirit was working!! Another blessing was that JoHannah usually doesn't sleep when we are away from home but she slept great and we didn't have any problems. I do have a prayer request though my husband received a prophecy telling him that he had received a great blessing and that he would have a great trial awaiting him when he returned home. I would like prayer that we can handle (With God's help of course) what ever this trial may be with the grace that God expects us to. I say we because any trial that my hubby faces I face too because we are one. Well I am glad to be home and I am sorry that I don't have pictures to show you but I am not a great picture taker I forget that I have my camera and also I am leery of posting pics of others with out their permission. Well I hope everyone is well and now I need to get busy reading all of your blogs. Love and Prayers!!

Going to Visit Brethren

2008-07-29T14:03:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow or Thursday we are going to head to Kentucky to be with the brethren there. We plan on being in meeting with them and hopefully getting around to visit with some. It has been a while since we have been down there and we are excited to see the brethren there again. We will be returning either Sunday night or Monday but we really are not sure when. I would love for the Lord to use me in some way while we are there so pray that if He is speaking to me that I will listen and do what He has for me.

Thank God For A Busy Day!!

2008-07-24T23:46:00.002-04:00

Today turned out to be a really nice busy day. When I got up this morning I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders and I really just wanted to crawl back in bed but Momma Lou called and asked me if I wanted to meet her over at Krissy's to go swimming so I loaded the girls in the wagon and we were on our way. We had a really good time and I enjoyed spending time visiting with them and just relaxing. Then when we got back home we had lunch and the girls went down for a nap. When Johnny came home and got cleaned up I was off again. I had to run by the store and then I went to do a survey/taste test for a research company. It only took about 30 minutes and we had to give out opinion on 4 different grilled chicken sandwiches. It was really great because not only did I get free dinner I also was paid $50 for it. I say you can't beat that. Then I was off to do yard work at my Dad's and it took alot longer than I thought it would but I enjoyed the time to myself to just think and pray. I had a blessing while I was there, the mower would not stay running and I prayed that the Lord would touch it and wouldn't you know He did because it stayed running the rest of the time. I didn't get home until around 9pm and then to my surprise Johnny wanted to have a fire in our little fire pit in the back yard. This hum drum day really turned out to be good and I say Thank You Lord because I know it is His handy work that made it happen.

Yogi Bear

2008-07-23T14:49:00.003-04:00

Well we have planned a camping trip to Jelly Stone park in September so I have started having my girls watch a few episodes of Yogi Bear so that when we go they will know who he is. Johannah really seems to like the show which is really surprising to me becasue she is not a TV watcher. She is so cute becasue Sondra taught her to say "Hey BooBoo what ya got in that pinic basket." It is hilarious!! I think I may try to get her on video and post it later. All you can really understand is BooBoo and Basket but she tries. The weekend that we have planned to go is BooBoo's birthday and they will have a bean supper and a desert contest so I am going to try to think up a desert to enter in the contest. Any ideas??? We wanted to go to Gatlinburg TN for vacation but with gas prices the way they are we decided against it. We are planning on camping for the weekend and then taking a few day trips the following week. We want to go to the Zoo and the Apple Orchard but that is as far as we have decided.

Forgetting Johnny!!

2008-07-16T12:35:00.002-04:00

I know that I have posted alot in the past 2 days but Sis. Stubby told me I should post about this so here it goes. Yesterday I gave Sis. Stubby a ride to a class she is taking so that Bro. Stubby could stay home and wait for a delivery. Well we only have one vehicle so I had the car and planned on picking up Johnny from work. Johnny called me at about 3:15 and he gets off at 3:30 well I was sitting out back with the kids while they were playing in he pool. While I was on the phone with him JoHannah had just woke up from her nap and I was just putting her in the pool. Well Jada done something and I needed to get off the phone and correct her so I told him I needed to go. I was sitting there waiting for him to call me back because he always calls me on his way home. Well he didn't call...... I was telling Jada that Daddy would be home soon and I kept watching for him to walk through the house....... Still no Daddy and no phone call. And I am thinking that he got caught up with something at work at the last minute. A few minutes later he comes walking around the house. And I still wasn't thinking much and I said "Why didn't you call me?" Well he says " I had to walk home! You forgot me!" Well yes I had forgot him but he didn't have to walk home. He works with a brother and he gave him a ride home. They were joking and saying that Johnny should have threw some water on himself and made it look like her was really sweating and make me believe he walked home. I really didn't think much of it until this morning when I was telling Sis. Stubby about the girls swimming and Johnny calling and she started laughing because even she remembered that I was supposed to pick him up. Shame on me for forgetting my poor husband!!!!!

Video??

2008-07-15T22:27:00.003-04:00

I hope this works. I have to say that I really do not like videos of myself but this is the most recent one that I have, so I am going to use it.

The Pool

2008-07-15T22:12:00.002-04:00

We recently bought the girls a small pool. Well this is JoHannah with her swim suit on and this is where she stayed the first time I took her out to get in the pool. Jada was like a little fish and was loving the water but JoHannah would have nothing to do with it.

So this is the next time we tried and this is what I had to do to get her in the pool. She wouldn't get in or even put her fingers in so I put my suit on and sit in the pool. She was still unsure but she finally got in and started having a blast!

Now JoHannah is like a little fishy too and she is having so much fun with the pool. I need to learn how to put a video on and get her talking about the pool. You can only understand about every third word that she says but she is so cute!!

No More Caffeine For Me!!

2008-07-10T01:16:00.002-04:00

Well I haven't posted about this yet because it is a hard thing for me but I have been trying to lose some weight. I have pretty much complety changed the way that I eat and have now lost 11 pounds. I used to go in "diets" alot and never really done to good at that and I basically told myself that I wouldn't go on another "diet" because they dont work for me. So about a month ago me and Johnny decided that we needed to make some changes and we have been making subtle changes. Well anyway about the caffeine. Tonight on the way home from church I told Johnny that I really wanted a fountian coke so we stoped and got me one and I drank about all of it and now I am paying it is 1:23am and I am still up but not because of the caffeine keeping me up but because I think it is affecting my heart. See over the weekend at a cookout I drank half of a coke and I started having heart palpatations and I am having the same thing tonight. And before I changed my eating habits I was having the palpatations almost every day and they quit when I stoped having all the caffeine and sugar so I say no more caffeine!!!

Update 4th of July

2008-07-04T22:18:00.003-04:00

Well the 4th of July party went really good and I am thankful to God for his mercy. This is a picture of my Me, my brother (Jimmy), and my Dad. They kind of both look mad but sometimes I think men don't like to smile for pictures but I am glad to have the picture and that we all got to be together today. I also received a phone call today from a my friend Jennifer (we have been friends for over 2o years) and she told me that she is expecting her first child. She is nervous and wants prayer because she has a miscarriage a few months ago so if you think of it please keep her in prayer. And I am thankful for the brethren who prayed for us today and we were able to have a peaceful day with wonderful weather.

4th of July........

2008-07-02T13:25:00.004-04:00

O my! This week has flew by. I don't really know where the days have gone and it is already Wednesday!! I am looking forward to the long weekend, Johnny is off on Friday and we are going to my brothers house for a birthday/4th of July party he has it every year and most of the time I really enjoy myself. See none of my side of the family are in the church and sometimes I get nervous going to parties and such because I am used to the brethren and I know they are family but it is not the same. I try to always ask the brethren to pray for us before all Holiday's and get togethers and usually everything turns out just fine. The Lord is so good to us. There will be some other brethren there because the Stubby's usually go too because they are close to my brother too. The 4th is my Dad's birthday and my nephews so I have to figure out what to get them and that is especially hard where my Dad is concerned because what do you get the person that has everything???? I usually try to fix him his favorite meal or something but with the party that is kind of hard. My Dad lost his wife just over a year ago and he lives alone. I try to take care of him but he is self seficiant and sometimes I just get on his nerves I think. Well any way I hope everyone has a good long weekend and a safe one too.

Pictures!

2008-06-29T22:41:00.006-04:00

My wonderful husband fixed the problem we were having getting our pictures off of the camera so I am going to try to put up some pictures that I have been wanting to share and some new ones that we took today of the girls.

These are some pictures of the flood waters that I posted about a couple weeks ago. These pictures were taken from the car while I was driving down 65 South.

These are some pictures that we took last weekend when we took the girls fishing and to the park. I left my camera in the car when we were fishing and Jada caught her first fish it was a cat fish and she tells a really good story about it. JoHannah conquered the slide by herself and she was really excited about that!

And these are just a few pictures that we took today in my dads back yard. JoHannah was not very cooperative she wouldn't pose at all for us she still need some practice.

Date Night!

2008-06-27T21:51:00.003-04:00

Well tonight my wonderful husband took me out to dinner for my birthday (which is tomorrow I will be 28). We had a great time he took me to a restaurant that i have been wanting for a long time. It is really out of the way for us to go to but he took me anyhow and I really enjoyed myself. And then we went shopping and I spent some of my birthday money that I got from my Dad. I was really excited I got 2 pair of shoes and 2 shirts and a pair of capris. I really got a good deal on my shoes because Kohl's was having 55-60 percent off of their sandals and I got some really cute shoes!!! Tomorrow we are having a cookout out at the church and I am really looking forward to spending some time with the brethren since I have been stuck at home so much lately. The cookout/singing just so happened to fall on my birthday and I couldn't think of anything better to do on my birthday.

Cleaning!

2008-06-24T22:43:00.002-04:00

OK most of the time I feel pretty good about the cleanliness of my house but this past week I have only been doing the necessities. I feel a little burnt out for some reason. Maybe it has to do with being sick all week last week and being stuck in the house. I really don't know. But anyway I need to get it in gear and get some thing done. I need a huge boost of energy or something. I am thinking that I need to rearrange the furniture or something. I heard years ago if you feel like you need a vacation rearrange your furniture and you will feel better so that will be my goal and maybe that will give me the boost I need. I guess we will see...............

Bored!

2008-06-18T19:28:00.002-04:00

Well it is Wednesday night and church here is getting started and I am sitting at home reading blogs. Well yesterday I thought I was getting over this sickness and I really thought today would be a better day. Well it is better in some areas but this morning I woke up with pink eye so I am missing church again. :( I don't want to pass this around so I thought it would be best if I stayed home so here I am. I am hoping to be doing alot better tomorrow so I can get out of this house!!!!!! I have been trying to get things caught up from being sick but my energy level is not back up yet. I had planned to go to the library today to check out the summer reading programs they have here for the kids. (Sis. Lori inspired me) However I didn't make it so maybe another day. I want to take them to story time but they are different ages and I don't know how that works out here. They both love books, and to be read to. They are in this program called Success by 6 where they each get a free book a month until they are 6 years old. It is a really good program they get really nice hard back books. Well any how I am rambling now so I will sign off and I hope everyone has had a good Wednesday!!!

Thankful!

2008-06-17T11:46:00.002-04:00

Today I am very thankful! I have been sick since Saturday I am pretty sure I have had strep throat. It has not been fun at all. I missed church on Sunday and have just felt awful. Well today I am feeling much better (Praise God). I am not 100 percent but better. I wasn't able to do anything for my Dad or my husband on Father's Day and I was really bummed out about that but they both were very understanding. I am thankful for all the Sisters that called and checked on me and I know some were praying. I am also thankful for my husband, he came home from work early yesterday and allowed me to rest and he brought me chicken noodle soup. He is a great husband and father. I felt bad because he had to leave early but I am thankful that he was able and willing. Now I just have to play catch up on laundry and house work. So hopefully I will have things back in order in a couple of days. For Fathers Day I was going to make my dad lasagna so I will be trying to get that done this week too. I am thankful for my Dad. He has been a good Dad he pretty much raised me and my brother by himself. I am also thankful for the father of my children and how he takes care of us and tries to be a good servant to the Lord.

Prayer Request

2008-06-14T19:48:00.001-04:00

Bro. Stubby needs our prayers. I will not get into all that is wrong but he is in alot of pain and needs the Mercy of God! Thanks!

New Sisters!

2008-06-12T21:35:00.002-04:00

We have some new blogging sisters. Sis. Frankie aka Momma Lou has started a blog she is my Mom by law and also a good friend. Also Sis. Leah she is my sister by law and also a good friend, she is married to my husbands brother. They are really excited to be blogging and I know they would love to hear from all you sisters out there. Us that are blogging talk about all the sisters we have met on here and I am glad they will get to know everyone too!

Weather!

2008-06-09T12:41:00.003-04:00

We are having really crazy weather her right now. Over the week end we had a ton of rain!! I was going to post some pictures that Sis. Sondra took on my camera while I was driving on Saturday morning but I can't get them to download off the camera so maybe when Johnny gets home I will be able to. But anyway in some parts of Indiana not to far from us they got around 11 inches of rain. There is devastating floods here. We were trying to go to southern Indiana on Saturday morning for a graduation party and we turned around and came back home because the water was so high on both sides of the highway that we were sure that it was going to flood and we would be stuck down south so we came back home. And sure enough about 2 hours later they closed the highway. We were both praying before we left and when we got to a certain point we were both feeling uneasy so we came back home. Also another blessing is that the road just past our church building was flooded yesterday and all the yards around us but our church lot was completely water free and we were able to have church. There are brethren here that need prayer form other assembly's because they are in the counties that were hit the hardest. But as far as I know everyone is doing OK. Praise God!!! We are expecting more storms tonight and hopefully they won't be bad and add the the flooding problems.

Catching Up

2008-06-06T11:50:00.002-04:00

Well I haven't posted all week and I first want to start by saying that last weekend was wonderful. We had brethren in our home over night and the anniversary party turned out beautiful and we were very thankful. We were also able to go celebrate a graduation with brethren and that was nice too. I haven't posted before now because I have not had a great week and didn't want to find myself complaining. I haven't felt well and I have kind of let it get me down. Today is a little better and I know that it is just the mercy of the Lord and I am very thankful for that. I hope everyone is well and has a great weekend.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2008-05-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

Well today I have been getting my house ready for the brethren that are coming to stay with me this weekend. I am really excited. Tomorrow is the 50th Wedding Anniversary party that we have all been working on. I have pretty much got my house work done and now I have to start working on potato salad for around 100 people. I love preparing food for my brethren so I am kind of looking forward to it. We also have Chelsea's open house for her graduation this weekend too so we are going to be very busy.

Flower Pictures

2008-05-28T14:27:00.004-04:00

These are the flowers that Johnny and Jada got me for our anniversary. Jada picked the purple ones because she knows that purple is Mommy's favorite color.

Our Story!

2008-05-26T12:05:00.002-04:00

Today is our 7th anniversary so I will share the story of how we got together. The Stubby's moved in down the street from me when I was 11 years old and soon after that I started meeting their family. I am sure that I met Johnny before but the first time I noticed him was when we were about 14 and I secretly had a crush on him. I think that he had just gotten baptised and I was not even going to church at that time. Well time went on and when I was about 16 I started going to church pretty regular with Sondra and her family and soon the three of us me, Johnny and Sondra started hanging around each other. I was crazy about him but I would never tell him because that just wasn't my way, I would let him make the first move. Well I was baptized when I was 17 and we were all still really close. My home life wasn't the greatest and we did kind of drift apart for a while. I graduated high school a year before him and we kind of went a summer and didn't really talk much. Well Sondra moved out of state for a while and I was really upset about her going and I thought that I would be really lonely but before she left she told Johnny that I needed his friendship really bad and when she left we started doing things together. We would go to my Grandma's house or to the Stubby's on the weekends and just visit and it seemed like we were always together. But friends is all that we were. I was beginning to give up on the idea that we would ever be anymore than that and one night I was driving home from my Grandma's house and before I got in the car I prayed that if it was meant for me to hold on and wait for him to reveal his feelings to me that a certain song would come on the radio. Well I got in the car and started driving and second guessing having prayed this way because I thought I was being silly. I turned that radio on and that song was on the radio so I knew that the Lord was working things out and one day we would be together. Sondra moved back home and we were all still really close but I noticed that Johnny was calling me now directly and Sondra was no longer the middle man between us. Probably a few months later we were at the Stubby's house sitting on the couch and Johnny took my hand and with is finger traced the words I Love You, Marry Me in my hand. Well I just about had a heart attach because remember we were just friend and never had even dated. Well it was late in the evening when this happened so I (still being in shock) got up and went home. I called my mom and told her that I thought that Johnny had asked me to marry him. She laughed and said what do you mean you Think! Well I relayed the story to her and told her I was going to find out what was going on tomorrow. So the next day I told him I needed to hear these words come out of his mouth and of course we talked about our feelings and we were married 4 months later. We were 20years old. He was waiting on the Lord to tell him when the time was right and I am so glad that he did because so far we have had a beautiful marriage and I hope to have many more years together.

My Day!

2008-05-24T00:32:00.002-04:00

I feel like I have lost a whole day! I woke up this morning with a migraine and really couldn't do much at all today just the necessities (taking care of the kids). But it did get better about 12:00 I talked to Johnny at work and he told me to try to get some rest and I was kind of joking and said well you could come home and I can go to bed and he said yeah maybe. I really didn't think he would be able to come home but a little while later he was coming in the door. I was very thankful because we had a Lord's Supper and Foot Washing tonight and I really wanted to get some rest so I would be able to make it. I was in bed by 1:15 and slept until around 4:00 and when I got up I was much better. Praise God!!!! I was able to go to church and I was so thankful. Also my kids were good in church and I know that is only by the grace of God and nothing of myself. I have been really praying that the Lord would help me to teach them to do better and church and tonight I felt like things are getting better. Also while I was in bed Johnny and Jada went out (JoHannah was sleeping too) and got me an anniversary gift I got 2 pots of flowers one he picked out and one Jada picked out. He also got me a really sweet card and a bouquet of flowers. I will try to post some pictures later but I didn't get around to taking any today. Monday is out 7th wedding anniversary. Sis. Stubby says I should post our story so maybe sometime this weekend I will sit down and share that with you all. But until then I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday weekend!!!!

I'm a DORK!

2008-05-20T11:53:00.002-04:00

I am new to blogging and I have been reading blogs and comments and I wondered what somethings meant and the other day the light bulb came on and I get it. The things I didn't get were the little smiley faces. I have seen this one :) but not the other creative ones like :D and =D and ;D. I guess the D confused me and I thought it was some kind of inside code for something. I admit I am a huge dork. But like I said I get it now it just took me a while.

Tired?!!

2008-05-16T13:03:00.002-04:00

I have been so tired this week especially the last two days. I am sitting here reading every ones blogs and I can hardly hold my eyes open and it is 1pm. I don't know what is wrong with me. I thought it may be the rain but today is a sunny day maybe I need to get out in the fresh air. I am so thankful that spring is here I just wish it would stop raining for a few days or I will never get flowers planted and my garden out. Enough rambling I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend and I must say again how I am so thankful for these blogs.

Needing Some Advice?

2008-05-14T12:41:00.002-04:00

OK well I guess I am going to tell on my self a little and hopefully I will get some good advice to help me with this situation. My daughter is a little on the spunky side. She has a very strong will and she is very determined. She is not always well behaved although I don't think that she is a terrible child I think that she just likes to test her boundaries. Well anyway some one has told me a few time how I have my hands full or I am going to have my hands full with her and this kind of hurts my feelings and even makes me a little mad. I feel like they are saying that she is a heathen or something. Maybe I shouldn't be so sensitive. I am trying with her and she is learning. I just think that she trys things out to see what she can get away with. I thought this was normal for children her age. I would love some pointers or advice on how to handle this with my daughter and for myself.

Blessings!

2008-05-13T23:17:00.002-04:00

Well we bought another car. I am very thankful that we were only a few days without a vehicle and that we had brethren willing to drive us around or let us use their cars. I feel so blessed, in the past couple weeks we have had some trials but the Lord and prevailed and we have come through them just fine. Thank You God for that. Just another blessing Sunday, Jada my 3 year old was having some problems going potty. When she would sit on the potty she would try to pee and she would start crying and just jump down like she was in severe pain. I was really worried about it she did this about 4 times that day. Well we went to visit The Stubby's and we were getting ready to leave and I was changing her into her pajamas and Sis Sondra asked her if she wanted Bro Stubby to pray for her and Jada said yes, so he took her on his lap and him and Sis Stubby both prayed for her and when she woke up the next day she was better and hasn't complained about it since. The Lord truly answers prayer and I am so thankful for God's mercy and for the brethrens willingness!

Car Accident cont.....

2008-05-09T22:53:00.003-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the truck we were driving yesterday. The Lord has truly blessed us, if we were in a small car we would have been in trouble. We still need prayer in buying another car we want to get what the Lord would have us to get!

Car Accident!

2008-05-08T21:05:00.002-04:00

Today Johnny and I had an appointment down town. We were on our way home and we were in the turn lane and when we got the green light we went to turn and a woman ran through the red light and smashed right into us on the drivers side. Thank God we were fine. I was worried about the other driver we thought that maybe she was blacked out or had a medical condition because she didn't swerve or hit her brakes or anything. After she hit us she didn't even stop she ran into the middle median and hit a sign. It was all really scary but I truly felt the hand of God with us. There was a state police officer right behind us in traffic and he said that the lady in the other vehicle was unconscious. But when they put her in the ambulance she was awake so that made us feel a lot better about her. We are pretty sure that our truck is totaled because when my husband went to get out of the car all the oil was leaking out and the and the front bumper on the drivers side was pushed back behind the tire. When I tried to get out on the passengers side the door wouldn't open because it had pushed the front end over. I am so thankful that the Lord was with us and it was no worse than what it was. I am also thankful that my girls were here at home with there Grandma and not with us!

Dinner With An Old Friend!

2008-05-03T21:48:00.002-04:00

Tonight we went to dinner with an old friend of mine and her parents. My friend Jennifer and I have been friends for 20years (since 1st grade). She called tonight and asked me if I wanted to go to a pizza place we introduced her to a few weeks ago when she was in town. It was really good to see her and her parents, I haven't seen them since her wedding nearly 7 years ago. What is so funny is that after we finished dinner her Dad asked me if I ate spaghetti with red sauce on it now. Of all things he remembered that when I was younger I was a really picky eater and I would only eat my spaghetti with butter on it. This really made me laugh that he would remember such a thing. I told him that i am no longer such a picky eater and I do eat my spaghetti with sauce on it now. Its is funny the things that people remember:).

A Night Out!

2008-05-02T13:42:00.002-04:00

I know that this may not seem like much but I am really excited. Me and Johnny are going out to dinner and a movie tonight. It has been awhile since we have had the oppurtunity to go out together just the two of us. We are going to see the new Ironman movie (his choice). I really don't mind what we see I am just excited for the alone time. I wouldn't trade my kids for the world but sometimes I find myself in the real need for an adult converstion. We have been so busy lately and haven't really had the extra money to do anything but I think that is what makes it a little more special now is becasue we haven't been out in a while. Well enough of my ramblings. I will try to post later about how the movie is.

Templates??

2008-05-01T09:23:00.000-04:00

I would like to have a different template and I was wondering if there is some where else to look for a bigger selection?????

My Thoughts!

2008-04-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

This has been kind of a strange week I have kind of had the blahs. I don't feel like doing much and have been really tired. I think I have just let some things just weigh on my mind and effect my whole being. So I guess I need to take my own advice and lay these cares down at the Lords feet and let him help.

Changing the subject a little I am so glad to be able to read all the blogs out there that my sisters write it is so encouraging to me. Today I read about baptisms of some young people and prophecy and prayer and it really helps me to not feel alone in this walk to make heaven my home. I know that sometimes when I am here at home during the day I feel so lonely and disconnected and it is great to me able to just click on the internet and read about my brethren and their everyday lives.

Raking It In!!

2008-04-27T21:53:00.000-04:00

This morning in church a brother was talking about there being two different types of Christians a pitch fork christian and the rake christian and I have heard this before but today it just really turned a light bulb on in my brain. He said the pitch fork christian is the one who listens to the teaching and pitches it out to everyone else saying "THEY really needed that!" or "THEY had that coming." but the rake christian is the one that says "I really needed that." and sees the changes that they need in their life and are willing to try to make those changes. I really would like to be a rake christian. I know that admitting my own wrongs is not always easy but I truly want to be able to look in the mirror and clean my self up and do what God requires of me. I want to have a willing mind and attitude to do these things. This is what is on my mind so I just wanted to I guess share it. I hope everyone has a great week and that God blesses you all!!!!

Prayer Request

2008-04-22T13:33:00.000-04:00

Hey Sisters I wanted to ask you all to pray for Sis. Stubby she is coming down sick with a cold or something. She has asthma and she has really bad attacks so if you all would remember her in prayer we would be very greatful.

Serving With a Happy Heart!!!!!

2008-04-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

We have been having a full week of meetings this week a revival of sorts to help us to draw closer to God and be uplifted. I have had to stay home with my girls for 2 nights but I was able to make it tonight (thank you God)! I was really glad to hear the teaching tonight about how we need to serve God with a happy heart. (these are my words) I know that personally I can let circumstances in my life weigh on me and I don't always seem happy in my service to God or even my everyday life. I really need to seek God and do better in this. I have so much to be thankful for that these circumstances in my life are really so small. I from here on out am going to try and focus on the good in my life and not the trials and tribulations that come my way. I will need prayer in this because satan seems to know how to work on my mind sometimes. I felt like there was a time in my life shortly after I was baptized that even with the world around me I truly felt at peace and I am going to with God's help make and effort to get back there!!!!

2008-04-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

These are some pictures of my girls, they were recently flower girls at my sister-in-laws wedding. JoHannah is 19months old and she did great she just slowly walked down the aisle stopping and talking to everyone on her way it was hilarious. She had to go without shoes because at the last minute we realized her shoes were to small. The best part is when she got to the end of the aisle she dumped the rest of her petals and picked one up and handed it to the groom it was so cute!!!!!! My oldest Jada was very serious about her job and she just walked very properly and dropped a few petals here and there she did wonderful!!!

My Conversion

2008-04-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

OK well I thought I would tell this wonderful story of my baptism and the story of how God called me to be one of his own. I will start all the way at the beginning. When I was 11 years old I noticed that we were getting new neighbors just 2 houses down. Me and my friend that lived just between me and where the new neighbors were moving in sat on her front porch and watched these people move in. We were just nosey and wanted to find out what we could about these new people moving in. Well a few days later we seen that a teenage girl(Sis. Sondra) had moved in so my friend dared me to go talk to her and I did and we were instantly friends it seems like. Well at that time in my life I needed these new friends my mother had recently left me and my brother for my Dad to raise by himself and I was a very lost and lonely child. Over the next few years Sis. Sondra and her family took me in and treated me as one of their own my brother and her brother were good friends and her mom (Sis. Stubby) looked out for me and tried as best as she could to be a mother to me. I was attending Catholic school and church at this time and I always felt like God watched over me and over those years HE led me to the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn. I went to church there for a couple years before I got baptized. I was 17 when God said it is time. I have never had a day of regret. I also met my husband through this family. I married Sis. Sondra's cousin. And that is a whole other story how God worked all that out in my life. But I will end for now.

Just My Thoughts

2008-04-12T00:41:00.000-04:00

OK well here we go. Today has been an OK day. I say OK and not great because I think my girls have had an off day if you know what I mean. JoHannah is teething and she has been grumpy and Jada has just wanted to make messes all day(typical for a 3 year old). One thing that I thought about today is I have been having a hard time getting them to eat what I think of as good meals. One day they will eat fine and the next they will hardly touch anything. If anyone has any suggestions on what toddlers eat I would be willing to give it a try. They drink a lot of milk and sometimes I think that is what keeps them going. I am very thankful for that though!! Well I guess I really don't have much to say today so that is all for now.

Getting Started??

2008-04-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

As you will find out from reading this blog I am not very interesting to some. How ever my goals may just be a little different according to the way society is today. I am a stay at home mother and wife. I really enjoy staying home most days if I said I never have days that I feel like getting out and doing something different I would be lying but in those time I try to pray and rely on God to pull me through. I know that I wouldn't last long at all without being around my girls all the time. God has truly blessed me. I am so thankful spring is finally here and I have truly enjoyed getting out some and breathing the fresh air. I have a hard time finding things to write about because I am not sure I have a whole lot to offer but I will try to post some of the events of my life and how God works with me and all of the blessings I receive. That is all for now.

Beginner Blogger

2008-04-10T12:09:00.000-04:00

Well this is my first attempt at a blog so bare with me as I get started.