Take note!

I’m starting to realize that this blog is becoming the place that I think to go when something is burning on my heart. When I feel like I need to tell somebody but don’t necessarily want to blazon it on Facebook or calling up a friend…either for fear of sounding too preachy or offending someone or coming off as if I think I’m better than anyone. I can assure you, anyone that may read this in the future…I do not feel as if I am better than anyone. Most of the time if something is burning on my heart it is because God is working on ME! He has spoken a message to my heart meant to change me and it just feels like such a huge revelation to me that I just HAVE to share it with others. Which, is exactly what has happened today.


Earlier today I read a small post on a fantastic website. The author, Nicole Cottrell lists 10 “churchy” phrases that Christians spout out that either make no sense or are just over used and have lost their meaning. The article is called,  Top 10 Christian Phrases I Never Want to Hear Again. As I was reading it I laughed a little to myself because there were a few statements that I could understand her frustration with (you just have to read the article!). But, one in particular spoke very loudly to me. Telling someone “I’ll pray for you”. How can that possibly frustrate her?!

Nicole (such a clever name…kind of just roll’s off of the tongue, doesn’t it? ;) ), explains that it is not the phrase that she is frustrated with. As Christians we should all be in prayer with our amazing God. The Bible is FULL of examples of Godly men and women praying for others…Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Paul…He was constantly praying for someone! We should pray for others. When others are blessed, we too should feel the blessing. So, to pray for others is absolutely necessary. The frustration comes when someone responds with that phrase and never follows through in prayer….ouch! This hit me right in the heart…as it should have!

While we may have the best of intentions (and I do always mean it when I say it!), intentions are not going to intercede for our friends in need. We are to fall on our knees before our merciful God and call on his grace and ask for His blessings to flow upon them. If I tell my friend, I will watch your children on Friday night so she can get your hair done, she can bank on the fact that I will be there on Friday night. I rarely back out of my commitments and then it is only when absolutely necessary. I would write it in my planner, program it in my phone, and sometimes even ask for a reminder from my husband. How can I think that it is any less important to intercede on her behalf and pray to my Father for her? I’m sure, whatever the situation may be, it is definitely more important than her hair appointment!

I’m sure we all really do intend to pray for the people to whom we say, “I’ll pray for you”. But, with life’s busyness, we get…well, busy. We would forget our heads if they weren’t attached, at least I would! So, as our failsafe, we’ve all developed a system that works for us to remind us of the things. Some use their smartphone, some a planner, some a good ol’ calendar and, for some of us, all of the above! I know you know where I’m going with this…why shouldn’t we do the same for our prayer list. We don’t all have to keep a prayer journal. I try but I am horrible at routine. But, I do think it is important to keep track of those that need our prayers and those that we have committed to praying for. I know a man who is a high ranking military officer but first and foremost is an incredible man of God. He and his wife have raised some of the most incredible, spirit filled children I’ve ever met. We were all speaking in a group after church one day and someone asked us all to pray for them. We all agreed and this man pulled out of his pocket this small, tattered, leather covered spiral notebook (the flip kind that detectives use in the movies). He jotted it down and stuck it in his pocket. I noticed but didn’t say anything. A few weeks later, I was talking to his teenage son and mentioned a younger kid that was in need of prayer. He reached into his pocket and began jotting in his small, not-quite-as-tattered, leather bound spiral notebook and jotted the request down. I knew exactly what he was doing. This 16 year old boy had been taught by his father how important it was to take the prayer requests of others seriously. I KNEW that he would be in prayer for that boy later on.

Apparently, this is a lesson like so many others, that I didn’t quite get the first, second or third time God presented it to me. BUT…I am going to try my hardest and pray that I get it this time. I do take others needs seriously. I do feel like we are here to help each other along in life until we are dancing at the feet of Jesus. I want others to know that I am serious in my commitment to them. So, if I ever tell you that I will pray for you…you can believe that I WILL pray for you! You may just have to remind me to jot it down!

Bringing prayer back into our schools is easier than we may have thought!

I recently heard a youth pastor (who is also a middle school teacher in the public schools) say that he always got frustrated when he heard people say they have taken prayer out of schools. He said, what has happened is that the kids and the teachers just stopped praying. There is nothing stopping someone from praying, whenever and wherever. He said, if you want the Word back in schools, start bringing your Bibles to school. They can't stop that. It totally spoke to my heart! It may not be organized prayer time like it once was but, maybe the unorganized, spoken-from-the-heart prayers from a child speak louder to God's heart than the utterance of a memorized cookie cutter prayer. It definitely challenged me to speak with my kids and teach them, even more, the importance of a constant and open line of communication with Jesus. We, as Christians, already have the power to bring God, prayer and the Word back into our schools! We just have to be bold and do it!




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Weekly Meal Plan

So, in order to save headaches, time, calories and money I've ecided I really MUST get back into the habit of meal planning. I will start out with a week at a time for now. I change tastes and cravings way too frequently to plan a month in advance. Come on, I have NO clue what my life will be like in a month. It's part of my ADHD lifestyle...and our "never know what next week will bring" military lifestyle doesn't help!

Today, Jaxon was SO out of sorts. He needed something to occupy him and engage his creativity. So, I gave him the task of planning our dinners for the week. I think he did a pretty good job. Here it is. If you would like a copy of any of the recipes, just shoot me a message.

Monday: Pork Chops w/ butter beans and applesauce


Tuesday: Taco Salads w/ all fixin's

Wednesday: Spaghetti w/ salad & garlic bread

Thursday: Shepherds Pie

Friday: Jaxon's B-day Party (BBQ chicken, Hot Dogs, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob and CAKE! )

Satruday: Beefy Bean & Biscuit Bake (Such a great recipe, let me know if you'd like it)

Sunday: Beef Stew w/ rice and vegetables (in the crock pot...super easy!)

 Here is a link to a FaceBook page I created for the purpose of sharing weekly meal plans for the family! Like it and join us!

Jaxon couldn't be left out

Once my Jaxon saw Emma on the blog he immediately needed his picture up as well. Here's Jaxon!

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Android App

I just wanted to try out the app i just downloaded to my phone. Im including a picture of Emma from our NY trip. Want to see all of its bells and whistles. :-)

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This week has been a bit slow. I've been fighting some bug or something and when I take it easy everyone else does too. I have had a little bit of time to start getting my game plan together, so I haven’t been that unproductive! I plan to make several much needed changes for 2011. So many in fact that I am not referring to it as a "New Years Resolution" but instead I am embarking on a "New Years REVOLUTION"! And I'm excited!!

I will be focusing on a few key things. First, my dedication to my relationship with Jesus! I am going to set aside time every day to study the Bible (not just read a Christian study book), recommit to a strong prayer life and reinvest in Him! This ties into the second area of focus...Getting healthy and fit! My husband gave me Body Gospel for Christmas. I will be pairing that with Curves and everyday activity. I will be revamping the way the entire family eats. We're all going on this journey together. Third...I have battled, danced with, courted, and at the moment am being "whooped up on" by my ADHD. I think it's time to consult a Dr. about possibly going back on meds....at least until I can get everything back on track. I have an appointment set and I'm excited about gaining some control over everything again! That will definitely help with so many aspects of my life! It will definitely help with the fourth area of focus...I am going to commit to organizing our house and keeping up with it. We have been so very blessed with this beautiful home. It is my job, duty and should be my pleasure to keep it in order so that my family can feel comfortable and relaxed in it. I am making this commitment to them! They deserve it!

So, that’s it! There are a bunch of mini goals within each area but for the most part I am going to: Recommit to my Savior, my health, my well being, and my family! I am so excited about this journey! I know it seems like a lot. But, last year I was shown just how BIG God is and what he is capable of doing in my life. With him I was able accomplish a few amazing and life changing things that I could never have accomplished on my own. I’ve seen just a small bit of what I can do when I put it completely in His hands. I can’t WAIT to see what else He has in store for me!

Blessings to you!

Welcome to my blog!

Hi, my name is Nicole. Thanks for stopping by. I will be using this space to post some of my creations, post pictures of my fantastic family and just talk about everyday stuff. Stay tuned for more updates!