Bible Verse Friday

"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". ~Isaiah 40:31

My NLT Life Application Study Bible Says the following:

Trusting in the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in his Word and strengthen us to rise above life's difficulties.  Do you believe God loves you and wants the best for you?  Can you relax, confident that his purposes are right?  Are you convinced that he has the power to control all of life---and your life as well?  Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept his provisions and care for you.

Let's take this line by line and engrain this concept in our hearts.

'Trusting in the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in his Word and strengthen us to rise above life's difficulties'.

Just last week I was talking about 1 Corinthians 10:13 and how God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can handle.  Do you think temptations are the only thing that God protects us from?  Surely not.  I can read that above line and simply believe it.  If he brings us to it he will bring us through it.  I know that being a Christian is not a pathway to the easy road, in fact it can be harder being a Christian at times, but I know that God is with me and he protects me.

'Do you believe God loves you and wants the best for you?'

Um Hello, John 3:16 "For GOD so loved the world (i.e. us) that he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believes in him, will not perish, but have ever lasting life".  If that doesn't prove that he loves us and wants the best for us...I don't know what else would.  Now that I am a mother I can't imagine giving my child up to die for everyone else's sins.  I selfishly would want to keep my child from having to endure that, fortunately I will never have to deal with watching my child crucified on a cross for all mankind.  I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that GOD loves me.  Do you?  Where do your doubts lie?  Maybe if there are doubts we can dive into more scripture that will show us why we encounter the struggles and doubts that we do.

Can you relax, confident that his purposes are right?

First off can you relax?  I can.  I know a lot of people who can't though.  They aren't able to just breathe, let life work itself out naturally.  They have their hands and fingers on every aspect because without that 'control' they are afraid of the outcome.  We must find confidence that he has a plan for our lives and that it is perfect.  I didn't know what kind of mother I would be before I had Bitsy.  Now that she is here I see my developing motherhood and I like how God is molding me.  I don't worry about her like some parents.  I know that God has his hands around her.  I know there is NOTHING I can do that will keep her safe from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE good, bad, or in between.  So even if parenthood is not in your realm I'm sure that there is something in life that you feel in charge of, be it yourself, a family member, etc... How do you handle that on a daily basis.  Do you micro manage and worry...try to take a day and worry about it less.  Pray more.  Trust God.  At the end of that day...you might see that your muscles aren't as tense, you sleep better, and you have more hope for the next day.

Are you convinced that he has the power to control all of life---and your life as well?

When I was young I used to think of the world as GOD's giant doll house.  I didn't know how he could possible move each of us through out our lives without having a million hands.  Oh the mind of a child.  I know now that we all have the ability to care for ourselves.  We all have free will.  But I know now that GOD does hear us.  All of us.  It's like in the movie Bruce Almighty...when he starts hearing all the voices praying.  I think that's what God hears, except I think that he has a better grasp on it...he has been doing this for longer than we can imagine!  So yes, I am convinced, are you?  If not where do you struggle with this?

Though your faith may be struggling or weak, accept his provisions and care for you.


Simple as that.
Accept.
Relinquish YOURself and Accept HIM!


I hope you have a Blessed Friday!

Gallery Wall...Completed!

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I showed you STEP ONE of our Gallery Wall.

Where does the time go?

Having a baby who is learning to move and groove probably didn't help...

Unfortunately, I can't blame her this time.

It was all me and my indecisiveness!

I was so concerned that I wouldn't get the layout right.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

Here are a few of the layouts I played around with.

I am only showing you 3 even though there were about 50!

At first I really wanted the "H" to be near the center....

...then I was trying to figure out if I could make a nice rectangular shape...

obviously not.

Finally after tweaking and adjusting I settled on this layout.
I thought this layout did a good job of balancing the sides equally not only with size, but with color vs black and white pictures.

I know, I know, I've heard many tutorials that say you should do all color or all black and white, but I couldn't do that.

I love both styles and I knew there had to be a good way to mix them!

Once I had the lay out it was time for hanging.

Remember we are military and we are renting and we will probably be renting or living in government housing for quite sometime over the next 20 years.

That being said if you paint or put holes in the wall you have to repaint and fill holes when you leave.

The house needs to look like it did when you moved in.

That being said, we decided that it would be wise to use these Command Strips (No I'm not being paid for bragging about them, but if they wanted to send me a check or free products...they can feel free to hit the contact me button *wink*wink*).

The great thing about the strips is that they will stay with our pictures when we move and all we have to replace is the easy release strip that attaches to the wall.

Only one of our pictures (The TX one) was unable to use this type of strip, and that was my fault for choosing that frame...oops...I guess one nail hole will be a lot easier to fill than 18!

If you haven't used these strips yet...you should!  

Are you afraid they won't hold?

Don't be...there is a handy guide that tells you how many to use based on the size of your picture.

Most of our smaller frames were only 1, the middle sized ones 2 and the large ones 3-4.

Once all the strips were attached Bud & I got to work.

Measuring, with very advanced mathmatical equations!

 (i.e. 3 fingers spaces between most picture frames and eye-balling the rest)

We had a few pictures we were waiting for the prints to arrive...but I teased the almost finished product on instragram earlier this week.

Drumroll please

HERE IT IS!

What do you think?

Does it look even enough?

I was going to put 'est 2004' under our family photo with black vinyl, but I learned that the vinyl I have is STRONG and it likes to take the paint off with it...so I nixed that idea.

I think I might get Bud to cut me a piece of wood to fit that spot and then I'll paint it white and add the 'est 2004' and hang it.

Let me just say that when I come out of our bedroom the door to the great room (where these wall is featured) is open and this is the first thing I see each morning.

It makes me smile.

Those bottom 4 shelves...yeah I know they look empty.

I have 2 of these that I'm trying to paint black to blend in better.

Depending on how that goes I may teach you about painting baskets.

If it fails those baskets will get put in a closet to help organize something OR covered in fabric.

I am considering make 4 fabric boxes in varying black and white patterned fabric to go in those spots.

This is after all my crafting area of the house...so it might be a good spot to hide some fabric...

Or just a good spot to hide away Bitsy's toys.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed seeing my completed gallery wall.

I hope you feel inspired to create your own.

They are a great way to showcase a large number of photos and remind you of all the people, places, etc in your life!

(I'm linked up here today!)

I hope you have a Blessed Thursday!

Baby Diaries #46

Another month has flown by and I now officially have a 9 month old.

Do you know that tomorrow June 28th...Bitsy will be out as long as she was in?!

Kinda crazy to think of it that way, but she will be technically 39 weeks and 2 days.

We had Bitsy's 9 month Dr. appointment today and here are her stats:

Today she weighed in at 25 lbs and 2 oz = 100+ Percentile

She is just short of 29" = 95th Percentile (Can you tell yet that she is the child of tall parents?)

And her head circumference this time was 75 cm which is in the 99th Percentile.

I could only get one picture of her full length on the rug.

She's such a wiggle worm.

All the rest I'm holding her down with one hand, which she thought was somewhat funny!

Also you may or may not notice that I'm one pink flower short on my '9 Months' cutouts.  

Bitsy decided this would be a good time to attempt to eat a paper flower.

Silly child.

This has been quite the month for Bitsy.

She has started pulling up on the side of her crib.

We lowered it one level, it can still go down 2 more times.

I feel like we will be lowering it again soon as she gets more and more confident in her 'pulling-up' skills.

She has also started pulling up on the coffee table and couch.

She still only pulls up onto her knees, but before we know it she'll be getting those feet under her.

We officially broke the habit of Bitsy needing a bottle to go to sleep.

It was quite a bit of work.

There were some tears shed, but in the end it mean that we were able to kick the habit.

She still wakes at night to eat, but I think we are both still getting the rest we need.

A new habit, that we actually enjoy, come bedtime is that Bitsy will fall asleep on us.

She goes down for her 1st nap almost exactly 3 hours after getting up, sleeps for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

She goes down for her 2nd nap almost exactly 3 hours after that and sleeps for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Finally, she goes to bed between 8:30-9 depending on her nap.

Each time it's nearing her 'bedtime' we scoop her up and she proceeds to place her head on our chest.

We rock and sway, bounce and pace.

Sometimes she fights it, but most often she calmly rests her head allowing her eyelids to grow heavy.

Once she is asleep we savor the moment for 5-10 minutes and then we bring her upstairs to her crib.

We gently lay her down and she rolls over and continues her nap.

We love the quiet baby sleeping on us feeling.

On June 4th we noticed that Bitsy was seriously rocking in the crawling position. 

We knew that it wouldn't be long before she began crawling.

Father's day was the big day.

While Skyping with Bud's Mom and Step-Dad we sat the lap top on the floor and all of a sudden Bitsy took 4 crawls towards the screen!

Oma & Opa saw it first hand!

I nearly cried.

Now she is much more mobile and if she sees something she wants she will go after it.

The dogs aren't sure what they think of this, they look at me and I can hear them saying, "Mom, you didn't mention the mobility clause...we thought she was going to stay in one spot forever and ever".

Another development this month is her love of dancing!

We noticed it first in the car.

We would be buckling her into the car seat and she would start to push out her chest rhythmically.

The next time we noticed was while watching Sesame St.

All of a sudden our daughter started bouncing to the music.

We started to watch her every time there was any kind of music or beat and sure enough she started to bob her whole body.

At church on Sundays she will 'sing' and bounce to the worship music.

Sometimes I swear she is even raising her hands for the praise music.

This child loves music and she loves to move!

I am also happy to announce that Bitsy is 100% able to get herself from a laying position to a sitting position.

She taught herself while attempting to learn to crawl.

I love that she can do this, because it means I don't have to sit her up when she gets tired of laying on the floor.

It's absolutely amazing how you can actually see the wheels turning in her head.

Bud said that tonight while he was changing from work, he sat her on our bed.

He watched as she crawled to the edge.

She stopped, looked down and then sat back.

Then he said she appeared to think for a moment.

The next thing he saw was her rotate on to her belly and start to swing her leg over the end.

Almost as though she knew she needed to go down feet first.

He stopped her of course, for safety purposes, but we know good and well that she will be getting on and off furniture in the blink of an eye.

The worst thing this month and actually it's only been in the last couple days would be her stranger anxiety.

She is really upset if someone other than Mom or Dad tries to hold her.

She also has times of the day when she wants to see us, always!

If she is in her highchair and I walk around to the pantry, out of sight....WATERWORKS!

I'm glad to know that the stranger anxiety is a temporary phase.

Despite not wanting others to hold her, she is very social.

When in our arms she will smile and wave at just about everyone.

I have loved this last month.

I'm so excited to see what the days and weeks leading up to her 10th Month will hold.

What will unfold?

How will she develop?

I can't wait to find out!!!

I hope you had a Blessed Wednesday!

Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Are you looking for a sweet treat, but nothing too sweet?

This bread is wonderful for a special breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Here Is What You'll Need:

-1-1/3 cup white sugar

-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

-2 cups all purpose flour

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 egg beaten

-1 cup milk

-1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375º

Lightly grease a bread pan.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar.

In a separate bowl mix the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Add egg, milk, and oil to the dry mix.

Pour 1/2 of the mix into the baking dish.

Take the mixed sugar/cinnamon....

...and sprinkle a layer on top of the batter.

Cover with remaining mixture.

Finally sprinkle the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick can be cleanly removed.

Now cut 'er open and enjoy a slice of deliciousness.

I liked to spread a little butter on a warm slice.

It melts in your mouth it's so good.

I hope you have a Blessed Tuesday!

Grilled Shrimp Packets

Every once and a while I like to break the regular routine of chicken or beef.

With it being summer I figured this shrimp/grill recipe would be the perfect.

Here Is What You'll Need:

-aluminum foil

-cooking spray

-1 package of baby spinach

-1 cup couscous

-1 lb medium shelled and deveined shrimp

-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

-3/4 teaspoon salt

-1 large mango

-2 medium avocado

-2 small tomatoes or 1 large

-1/4 cup chopped onion

-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Tear about 15 inches of foil off roll, four times, and fold each in half.

Then spray with cooking spray.

Peel and dice your mango.

Dice the avocado.

Chop your onion...

...and your cilantro.

Mix your couscous with 1/4 cup water.

Split your package of spinach evenly between the 4 'packets'.

Evenly distribute the couscouse.

In a large bowl, mix shrimp, cilantro, oil, and salt.

Split it evenly among the packets.

Close up each packet by folding the 3 sides up.

Place on grill, close lid and cook for about 10 minutes.

In another bowl combine remaining cilantro, salt, mango, avocado, tomato, onion, and lime juice.

It's so colorful and pretty!

Empty your cooked packet on to a plate

...and scoop a big serving of that salsa mix onto.

Now enjoy!

There are so many wonderful flavors dancing on your taste buds, you'll think you ordered from a 5-star restaurant.

I hope you find a reason to make this dish this summer.

I hope you have a Blessed Monday!

**PS this dish serves 4 people and each serving is approximately 400 calories**

Book #39: Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus - Joyce Magnin

Harriet Beemer is a widow who lives alone with her Bassett hound.

She is active in her church and community.

She is well liked.

Her life is somewhat predictable though.

One Christmas while waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to arrive from out of state, restless Harriet begins the task of decorating the Christmas tree on her own.

What happens next sets Harriet up to take the adventure of a lifetime.

Because of an injury her daughter-in-law coerces her to move across the country to live with them.

Instead of taking the easy route, Harriet 'rebels' and decides to travel cross country using as much public transportation as possible.

The adventures and people she encounter along the way give Harriet just the spark she needed to feel alive again.

I received this book to review and although it was one I probably would have grabbed off the bookshelf at the store, I was glad I had the opportunity to read it.

I found myself reading through chapters quickly, just to she was kind of shenanigans Harriet would face next.

I honestly wished that Harriet was my own grandmother.

I felt as though she was my grandmother while I was reading.

I was curious to see what other silly conversations she would start or what her next leg of her journey would unfold to her.

If you are looking for a nice summer read, grab a glass of lemonade, find a rocking chair and dive in.

Are you ready to start thinking outside of the box, here is your inspiration for how to get around the next time you take a trip!

I hope you get a chance to find this book.

Enjoy!

I hope you have a Blessed Saturday!

I received this book free.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."