Our Family Circus

Our little lady loves to bake. She recently made cake and cupcakes. We proceeded on with our day to find that Miss Lydia had prepared a plate for each of us to have dessert. What a woman she will be! Clay's pants got a little chocolate too!

Just an ordinary day in the life of Miss Blake.... Check out those shoes!

Once you are tagged, you are given a letter and you have to name 10 thinks that begin with that letter that you love . My letter is D! 1. Dearings -all of them, as rotten as they come-although my very favorite live under our roof! 2. Darlin's -those energetic little people that hug me on Sundays and hi five me on Wednesdays. 3. Daddy -my daddy could fix anything! Romance to me is watching my man be daddy! 4. Deity -Father, Son, Holy Spirit--who am I without Him. 5. Dominos -play with my husband and friends, great for teaching math, and they deliver for dinner! 6. Digital Camera -an essential ME tool. 7. Dishwasher -I put the dirty in & they come out clean! 8. Debt Free -that is where I want (and am working) to be. Explains our little, old TV. 9. Dodge Caravan -Never wanted a mini-van but it is the only vehicle that we own that holds all of us with room to grow. It is a family friend! 10. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all y...

My husband, Mark is the youth minister at our church. My role in assisting him in ministry changed a little after our first child was born and dramatically after the 2 nd W hen the 3rd came along....well, I make sure he has clean clothes to wear-if you know what I am saying! At first, it was hard to accept my new role. Our church just hosted a Disciple Now Weekend. Because of this, we have met the coolest couple! Matt and Joanna Black do the worship services for the event. (you can Google them or send me a message if you want more info about their ministry!-I am not Blog savvy enough to give you a link to them.) First comes love, then comes marriage, then came Matt and Joanna with a baby carriage! This weekend our children enjoyed playing with their little sunshine. In fact, we decided to bring her home with us for the day to play, eat, and rest while her mommy and daddy worked. I was so blessed to be able to serve God in a NEW way for the weekend. No, the youth,the chu...

As parents, we glean from others, what are they doing to teach their children what really matters. We started a time line when our son was in Kindergarten. In reading children's Bibles and story books, I missed the meat and quite often the truth! I decided to read to our son straight from the Word! I censor what I feel he is too young for (thinking we will probably skip all of Leviticus!) and we go chapter by chapter. If there is a lot for a little guy to grab on to, we split it up. After each reading, I label our line with the reference and a caption about what we read. He then draws a picture to help us remember what the story was about. Our line is adding machine paper-Clay bought it 10cents a roll at a yard sale! Our preschooler, Lydia listens in on the story everyday too. I keep ahead of the game with my own personal Bible study and notes from Bible Study Fellowship ( BSF ) that were loaned to me. We can refer back to what we have already read, look for other examples, and e...

This is a list of possible things you've done in your life...bold the ones you've actually done. I've also decided to color a few things I'd like to do in purple. Look forward to reading yours as well! 1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity- that would been everything wouldn't it? 7. Been to Disneyland/world 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris- KY? 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondol...

Do you know that there are no governmental restricitions for how loud a child's toy can be? Even worse, young children put those noisy things right up to their ears. I heard this trick and it is so working for us. We have used it with many toys! Simply, take clear tape and tape over the speaker. It is amazing the difference. Just might save their hearing long enough for them to damage it themselves in the teenage years.

I always get emotionally when I think of what God has done. There are 2 sets of apartments across the street from our church. Since becoming involved in children's ministry, I have prayed that those children would just walk across the street. Can you imagine,being across the street and missing salvation! No! Nor can I imagine, attending church every week and standing judgement to say I had never crossed the street. About a year ago, a mom needed prayer for her and her young daughter. A week or so later, while signing kids in for AWANA club, a new face came in with her 2 sons. I knew in my heart it was the mom I had prayed for but was too shy to ask-yes, I know I need to get over myself and yes, I can be shy! One afternoon, when leaving a meeting at church, I saw a couple of yard sales at the apartments and pulled in and out stepped Jenny. I was at her apartment! She and I then began to talk. This step began my relationship with this incredible woman. Jenny's daugher Jaydyn req...

In reading other blogs and talking with my friends, everyone is cleaning out! We are making room for the new stuff and hoping to be more efficient and organized in the new year. This is an area of constant work for me. Another issue I have is our "throw-away" society. So while you are cleaning out, keep these ideas in mind to prevent filling our landfills. Toys -check with a daycare, preschool, or church to see if they want them. Clothes -pass them on to someone else, BUT ask if they want them. Our church has a clothes give-away once a year in our community. I keep a bag or box in the basement and continually throw items that no longer work for us in there. Stained Clothes - they make great rags but we are in the rag making business at my house. Drop stained t-shirts and old towels off to an auto mechanic. Stuffed Animals/Bicycles - I was thrilled to learn that a family in our community collects stuffed animals and another that collects bicycles and tricycles (and parts) to...