The beauty of {Fall}

It's my favorite time of year again! Christmas is always a favorite, but in all honesty, fall is my favorite time of year. I love the changing of colors upon the trees, the crisp autumn air, cozy sweaters, cute boots, and the lingering smell of a newly baked treat. Eating that goody is not so bad either! =) 

I love the way my house looks and feels during the fall. As you walk through the front door, you are surrounded by coziness! I took a few pictures so you could have a small taste of our home. Enjoy!

The last picture posted above are place mats from Wal-mart that I turned into throw pillows for our living room. Such an easy craft (took me about 10 minutes per pillow) and is a super cute addition to anybody's fall decorations. Not to mention, it's cheap! I waited until fall decorations were on sale last year, and then I snagged them from the clearance isle. 

I have another favorite thing that I have discovered this fall. It's the wonderful invention of the Keurig! From its cappuccinos to its chai lattes, everything that I have tasted so far has been SO yummy! Bonus- The holiday coffee creamers are out which makes even my regular drip coffee taste divine! Pumpkin pie spice has been my favorite so far out of all of them. I have a whole corner in my kitchen just for my coffee makers. I am so spoiled...I know! =)

I hope you enjoy your fall season just as much as I have and continue to do so. Enjoy every minute of it, because as we all know, time flies by so quickly! I will be blogging about Christmas before I know it!

 

Where did it go?

     Remember when you were a child and time went by so slow? Well, now that I'm on the adult side of life, I'm wondering why time has to go by so fast. Today was my daughter's nine month "birthday". It feels like I just had her, and now I'm beginning to think of what to do for her first birthday party. Many people have told us that the next 18 years will go by just as fast...

     Gracie has been such an amazing addition to this family. She brings so much joy to our days. Ethan thinks that she is a great wrestling buddy. =) Daddy thinks that she is a little princess that needs a pony for her first birthday, and he would serve her baby food on a golden platter if he had one. I have never seen a tough soldier turn to a pile of mush so fast. She has him wrapped around her little pinky for sure! (She has mommy around that little pinky too though)

     Things that she is doing now: 

1. Sitting up

2. Rolling everywhere

3. Feeding herself

4. Eating table food

5. Talks none stop (baby talk of course) ;)

6. Gets into things that are off limits

     I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of right now! I have enjoyed every day with her, and I look forward (by God's grace) getting to spend many more days with her. I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned with our baby girl. Mommy and Daddy love you so much, Grace Lynn! =)

No matter what the future holds {we are still blessed}

     Right now our future is such a mystery. Will we stay in the army or get out? If we get out, where will we go? There are so many questions that are yet to be answered. It's so hard to be patient sometimes. God works on His own timeline, and we are confident that He will show us what to do in His timing. A few things from my heart to you...No matter what happens, I will still love and serve my Savior. I will still love my husband and be the helpmeet to him that I was created to be. I will still train up my children in the way that they should go, or at least attempt to! =) 

     For now though, we are here in Missouri. We love each other more and more everyday. I might add that after three years, I am still amazed that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  We have two amazing children. We have the most wonderful church family anyone could ask for. A steady income, a roof over our heads, food on our table, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet, and a car for transportation. We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams! God is so good to us even when we don't deserve it. =)

I see you and a juicer

So the other day, we were out running some errands and Ethan looks at Craig and says, "I see you" out of the middle of no where. He is learning how to talk and says random things at random times. It's so much fun and so cute to watch and listen to him. It's also a reminder to us that what we say will eventually come out of his mouth too. Matthew 12:24 tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (paraphrasing of course) Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on honest, just, pure, and lovely thoughts that are of a good report. (paraphrasing again) It's so important for us parents to have our own walk right with the Lord so that we may lead our children to do and say the right things. What goes in will eventually make its way out.

We have been wanting a juicer for a while now, and we finally broke down and got one. It was a little expensive, but totally worth every penny! We have started making our own juice every morning. It's SOOO good!! Right now, being sick with colds, we have been juicing fruits that are high in vitamin c. Our favorite mix so far are oranges, apples, and mangoes. It's hard to describe, but the juice is not really a runny juice like you would buy at the store. The mix of juices makes more of a juicy smoothy. I cannot wait to go to a farmers market and buy organic strawberries and some bananas and make a real strawberry-banana juice smoothy! =)

For God's glory

    I write this with a heavy heart. Yesterday, many of you read statuses and postings on facebook of a missionary couple who were killed on the mission field. I have met Bro. John and Mrs. Wanda Casias before while we were still living in Washington. Although we were not "buddy buddy", we were still brothers and sisters in Christ. They were doing what God had called them to do and they were willing to pay a very high price for that calling. To God be the glory that they were able to reach souls while here on earth, and that they were able to plant churches in a country that many of us may not ever get to go to. I am sure that much fruit remains from their labor, and that through this tragedy God will receive the glory.
    Growing up as a missionary's kid to the land of Russia, I am aware of the hardships that missionaries have to go through. While we sit in our padded pews, air conditioned/heated building, with all the bells and whistles here in America, it is not so in many churches around the world. We must all remember to pray for our missionaries DAILY, and to give them the support that they need so they are able to do the job that God has called them to do. My heart goes out to the Casias family, and my prayer is that they never forget that Bro. John and Mrs. Wanda did not die in vain. We will see them again in Glory! For those who are saved, this is not a goodbye but merely a "see ya later".
   

The ever changing world

     We live in a world that never stops changing. Those changes aren't always for the best either. The new movie "Courageous" put it into words perfectly...We are responsible for how our children turn out! Now more than ever, we have to be on guard at all times. Even within our homes where we feel the safest and most relaxed... Almost more so in our homes for there the T.V. sits, the internet is, and the garbage that continually bombards our front door. Satan so badly wants to destroy our families, and to be honest, he is doing a great job!

      Craig and I have decided that we will be apart of the minority. A family who desires to serve God as much as we can, keep our vows that we made to each other and to God (til death do us part), teach our children the truths of God and His word. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

     I have said all of this to build up to what I am about to say now. If I do not post for weeks or months at a time, I am busy raising my family. I am busy being a help meet to my husband, being a part of my children's lives (teaching them right from wrong, playing with them, and taking care of their daily needs), and attempting to be a Proverbs 31 woman. Which I believe with my whole heart that God intended every woman to strive to be like her. If you are not aware of what this woman is like pick up your bible, look her up, and study her! I will try to post every now and then and keep you updated on our family, but if I do not get to it for a while, you know where I am and what I am doing. I hope everyone has a blessed year and that you too strive to raise a godly family!