Easter

This is the true meaning of Easter. Jesus dying on a cross and rising from the grave 3 days later.

Watching this video I can see my sin nailed right on that cross. How great is the love of Jesus to take my sin when He is perfect. Thank you Jesus for your love.

While I was watching this it brought a flood of emotions as I thought about how Mary must have felt watching her son on that cross.
The Lord reminded me of all the times I have cried out to Him saying, God this isn't "fair" why is this happening to me, Lord I don't understand, or Father this doesn't make sense.
O how Mary must have felt like saying Lord, this isn't fair, please take your Son and my earthly son off of that cross.

I loved the Resurrection eggs (you can find them at Lighthouse Bookstore or Hobby Lobby) this year to help us explain the Easter Story to T.

We also enjoyed dying eggs, going to egg hunts and spending time at Grand's house.











The Easter Bunny always leaves a trail and this year he left a trail of camo eggs leading T to his basket.

The things children say

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We spent time with my family at my Grand's house (my Grandmother). We had fun with the Easter Bunny coming but we really enjoyed teaching Tuck the true meaning of Easter. This is the first year he has really understood. When you ask him why we celebrate Easter his response is, "He died so we could live." He doesn't quite understand the part about Jesus raising from the dead but we are getting there.

I just love the things that come out of my 4 year old little boys mouth. He is hilarious. He takes everything very literally and it's so funny what he hears.

We were listening to VeggieTales and one of the songs is "God is Bigger than the Booggy Man".
There is a part where the child is whispering and says, "I think we need to call the police." Tuck knows the song word for word (well almost) and loves singing it around the house. He was singing it when he got to the above part he says, "I think we need to call the puppies." I died laughing. I told him I thought it was saying police and he informed me it was puppies. We had to listen to the song at least 3 times just on that part to confirm it does indeed say police. He said, "Okay, okay Mommy you are right it's police."

The other day he told me all the noise was driving him headaches.

I love the way he says I need to read the constructions (directions) when he gets a new game so we will know how to play.

Lastly, I have been working on teaching Tuck the books of the Bible in the Old Testament. I love how at first he said LuvLeviticus and it makes me sad that he has already corrected himself and now says Leviticus. I love the way his says Deauterominy but it is quickly sounding more like Deuteronomy.
The funniest was when we were learning first Samuel and he just wanted to say Samuel. I said baby it's First Samuel not just Samuel. He looks at me with those big brown eyes and says (half frustrated, the other half sarcastic), "What's next last Samuel?" I died laughing. (Again very literal, First Samuel and Last Samuel. I had never thought about it that way.)

He keeps me on my toes. What an accountability partner he is too. We have been working on saying O my goodness instead of O my gosh. He nails me every time I say o my gosh. The other day he told me... now Mommy we have talked about this, we do not say that word we say o my goodness.

He is a mess and such a blessing!!! I don't know why God chose to bless us so with this precious little boy but I am so glad and thankful He did.

Another Oasis Moment

Another great chapter in Oasis was Eyes, the window to the soul. Psalm 101:3 says, "I will set before my eyes no vile thing." Eva Marie Everson talks about how we all have a best asset and hers are her eyes. She shared several tips on eyes but we will get to that in a minute.

I love what she had to say from a spritual standpoint. She learned the importance of what she exposes her "eye" to. She said, "What good are beautiful eyes if they drink in only ugliness of life?" Wow is that true. This totally hits home with me about watching trash on tv. Chance and I have become even more aware about what we watch and listen to with T-man understand more on tv now. He keeps us on our toes. Chance and I have realized that if he doesn't need to watch it really we shouldn't either. If we can't all watch it as a family then it isn't good. One of my weaknesses are the Housewives on Bravo. Chance told me one night if I was going to watch it I would need to go and watch it by myself. T now calls it trash too and knows he doesn't need to watch it. When we are even flipping through the channels and Bravo pops up he immediantely says, "Momma Bravo is trash and we don't need to watch that." Talk about accountability.

On to the beauty tips...This is so true, Eva says, "Stroking on a little mascara (and a touch of lip gloss) makes all the difference in the world, and you own't look like you're heading for the mortuary. That said, applying eye makeup is the trickiest of all cosmetic feats. Do it right and you'll be admired for your natural beauty; do it incorrectly and you'll be thought a clown. The main things with eyeshadow are shading, highlighting and countouring."

I love that she mentioned this in her book too. "Don't 'pump' your mascare before applying it. Pumping inserts air. If you think there's too much mascara on the brush, use a clean tissue to wipe it down a bit and then apply." Since I am in the cosmetic, spa, anti-aging, etc. industry and my mom is too, and was while I was growing up, I have always know not to pump mascara. It's one of those things you know and take for granted so I am so glad she reminded me to share that info with you.

Of course you know if you need eyeshadow help I am always here to help. I can help you find the perfect color to go along with your eyes. Even though it is fun to match your eyeshadow to your outfit you want to focus on your eyeshadow complimenting your eye color.

Check out BeautiControl's fabulous mineral shadows here. Our BC mineral intense shadows are here and our great mascara is here.

Oasis

The Lord revealed to me in this book, Oasis A Spa for Body and Soul by Eva Marie Everson, how my feet can be used for His will or satan's will.

When I'm not in God's word daily my feet can't be walking for Him. If I'm not walking for Him I am either lukewarm or walking for Satan. What a scary thought that I am walking for Satan. Brother Steve shared this morning that when we are walking for the Lord is when Satan will try to knock us off His path. When we are living in sin Satan is pleased and we are walking for him and he isn't concerned with us.

Romans 10:15 says, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace." KJV

Back to Oasis, Eva had several dreams that showed bad things happening to her feet. I am going to take this directly from the book about what God revealed to her in these dreams. "In His beautiful way, God had reminded me of my calling and of His hand over that calling. He also told me that, to Him, my feet are beautiful. But, to Satan, my feet and the Gospel of peace message they bring is an ill-fitting shoe! Of course the "original" beautiful feet belonged to Jesus. His feet walked mile after mile, day after day, for three and a half extraordinary years, to tell humankind that God loved them. In a society of anything but peace, Jesus brought a message of internal, uncrushable peace. Our feet must follow in His footsteps.

Just as we should care for our physical feet, we must care for our spiritual feet as well. Again, 3 words: soak, smooth and soften.

Soak. One of the best things we can do for our physical feet is to rest them. Same goes for our spiritual feet. There are times we are called to rest. Even God rested, both on the Sabbath day and when He lived on earth as a man. As we rest, we allow God to repair us, thereby restoring us in our ministry- whatever that ministry is. Some of us are called to minister in the traditional sense; others are called to what I believe is an even higher call of ministry: raising children.

Smooth. Just as we slough away the calluses on our physical feet, so we must do so on our spiritual feet as well. What, in life, has made you "hard"? Bitternes can set in like a seed in fertile gruond. Allowed to germinate, it will sprout like a weed and begin to choke out that which is fruitful. It must be dealt with appropriately- be pulled out by the root.

Soften. As we massage away the cares of the world that seem to twist into knots in our feet- softening and soothing the skin in the process- we can do the same with our spiritual feet. Allowing someone to rub your feet is very intimate in nature. Allowing Jesus to "rub your feet" will lead to a deeper intimacy with Him as well. Anoint them with time spent in God's Holy Word. Soften them with prayer. Restore them completely as you engage in intimate moments... your feet in His lap, His hands applying His Word, His truth, His presense."

I just love how makes is to relevant!!

On a side note, if you need something for those physical feet for spring and summer time check out BeautiControl's BC Spa Pedicure collection here.

Nightstand Nightmare

This is what my nightstand looked like 2 weeks ago...



I know, out of control and our bed isn't made. I don't know how my book collection has gotten so out of control. I usually check books out from the libary because that saves money and space plus it holds me accountable to finish the book in a timely manner.

The Lord has been conviting me of the trash I watch on tv. After taking this picture it confirmed what I already knew. I need to be reading at night instead of watching some trash before bed.

I have already finished 3 books and my nighstand is looking better. However, it's not anywhere near ready for an after picture.

One book I finished was....

It was a great book on miseducating our preschoolers. Thanks to my mother in-law for letting me borrow her book.

The second one I finished was...

I found this for $3 in the bargain section at Lighthouse Bookstore. It was a great read showing the balance of taking care of your body and your soul daily. Check back Friday for a highlight from this book. The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the author didn't mention BeautiControl but I am contacting her so BeautiControl while be on her lips. LOL. (BeautiControl has a challenge right now to put BeautiControl on the lips of everyone woman. I am going to do my part.)

The third one I finished was...

Isn't this a pretty cover?!? The side is pretty too. I received this book for free with points I earned listening to Christian radio stations. I love Praise 88.7 and you can listen for the artist of the day, songs at different times, etc. Check it out here to cash in your points for prizes. This was a great book showing how we are all stained with sin but God our Savior looks past all of that when we ask for His forgiveness. More to come on this book later.

The Lord has blessed my time reading so much more that watching trash on tv. I can't wait to share with you!!

Trip to MeMe and Papa's House

A few weeks ago we went to visit MeMe and Papa. While we were there, we celebrated Savannah and Trent's birthday (post on that soon) and went fishing.

T loves to fish!!
As you can see, this was before his haircut.

T and Daddy



T and Meme




T pulling F


T and F on one of the horses (don't worry, MeMe was right by the boys and my sister-in-law was holding the horse)

Precious little girl

About 2 weeks ago T and I got to keep this precious little girl...


T and I loved keeping her!! She is a precious little angel.
Thank you L.A. for allowing us to keep her for a bit while
your cousin was at her appointment. We will be glad to play
with her again soon!!

T loved every minute with Miss P. He loves a baby.

The Latest with Joanna Smith

3 Secrets to the Freshest Lip Look

I found these 3 secrets in September's issue of Health. (Yes, I just got a chance to read it not long ago.)

Secret #1 Soften Up First
Perfect application starts before you even pick up your 'stick. To create a smooth base, massage on a lip scrub for 10 seconds, then wipe it off with a tissue or rinse with water. (Blakely loves BeautiControl's Lip Apeel. Check it out here.) Don't slather on balm before lipstick because it allow the color to adhere to your lips.

Secret #2 Stay Within the Lines
Somehow lip liner became synonymous with lip outliner, but that's not the prettiest way to use it. Instead, with the side of the pencil point, gently sketch along the edge of your lips. You don't want a perfect line, you're just shading to define lips and keep color from bleeding. (Blakely loves BeautiControl's new Lip liners here.)

Secret #3 Keep Application Simple
This isn't from the magazine since lip color apperance has changed for the spring. Shine is in for spring and to get that shine apply gloss or lipstick with a brush to add shine. I love the brush applicator with BC color lip shimmers here.

Chili's

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Radical Manicure Treatment

Hey Everyone..and Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having an AMAZING week!


The warmer weather is just the inspiration that I needed to get outside and catch up on a little yard work (see my previous post about planting flowers). Now while I don't mind getting my hands dirty, it is no secret that working in the yard can be rough on the hands. So, I decided to put our products to the test and give myself a Radical Manicure Treatment...a Spa recipe that was suggested by product development guru, Gary Jones and one of my Product Marketing Managers, Lindsay Layne.

So, whether you are working in the yard, have a job where you work with your hands or in jobs that require you to wash your hands frequently, this treatment will be just what the Doctor ordered. Enjoy!

New Plants for Spring

We are loving the warmer weather and hope you are too.

I love plants (even though I tend to have a hard time keeping them alive since I forget to water them). Chance majored in Horticulture so he knows much more than I do about planting them.

I select the colors and he instructs me on how to get them to grow. When you are picking your plants -Chance informed me- you want a thriller, a filler and a spiller.

For the thriller I selected these Snapdragons. I love the orange color with our brick and thought the white mixed in their would be pretty too.

For the filler I selected the herb called Snow in Summer.

For the spiller I selected Creeping Jenny.

Now


2009



T and Chance planted some flower seeds by the mailbox so they should be coming up soon!! T LOVED planting them!!

Coffee-Mate Coffee/Game Night

I won this amazing prize pack from Coffee-mate!!
It arrived with coffee, creamer, napkins and cups, CRANIUM game and coupons!!

It was awesome!!

Chance and I shared this Coffee-mate event with our Sunday School social group. (God has so richly pleased our Sunday School Class with continues new couples and some of us "old timers" thought it would be good to mingle in smaller groups. We randomly drew out of a hat 3-4 couples per group. The first month we did a potluck at the Thomas' house and this month we did game night at our house with appetizers and desserts.)

Everyone enjoyed their Coffee-mate and the CRANIUM game!!

Thank you Coffee-mate for a fun game night!!

Enjoy the pictures....








Coffee-mate info
Coffee-mate has a facebook community! It's a fun group of poeple-who share drink recipes, and get news frist about new flavors and promotions.

Not only can Coffee-mate customize your coffee, but you can also use it as a flavoring ingredient in baked goodies (like yummy Mocha Cream Cake), breakfast items (Honey Valilla Creme Stuffed French Toast) and more! Check out Coffee-mate.com- it has a wonderful selection of recipe and drink ideas for you to try out and share with others.

My favorite is reduced fat French Vanilla!! What is your favorite? Hazelnut, Original, Italian Sweet Creme? There are over 25 flavors to choose from!!!