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To My Youngest Child

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Happy 13th Birthday to my beautiful Adilayia Rose! It's hard to believe my baby is a teenager! Being your momma has been extra special! I've always said God knew that we needed you, when he brought you into our family! When you were little, your joy for life was unmistakable! Your honesty and courage makes me so proud. I hope your determination to always do the right thing will guide you through life You are so much like your daddy. You grew up way to fast! Happy Birthday Baby Girl! - mom You didn’t make me a mama. Your pregnancy wasn't planned. You didn’t get a baby shower, or any type of celebration. Not as many people visited you at the hospital as your older siblings, and very few came to our house when we first got home. You didn’t get a new car seat, or a new baby swing. Most of your clothes are hand-me-downs. Your monthly milestone pictures were late by a day or two, and I have far less bump pictures from my pregnancy with you. Most of your toys come well-loved from

Letting God Take Care Of It

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I'm human.... big shocker, I know.... No, seriously, I struggle with forgiving as much as anyone. But today, 2 Timothy 4:14 stood out to me and it made an impact... I told the hubby and kids, from now on, when ever I feel wronged by someone, I am gonna say "...the Lord reward him according to his works." So many times, we hold grudges against people, fretting over how we've been wronged, etc. When in reality, if we just leave it in God's hands, we can know that God will take care of it fully... "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: You also must beware of him..." - 2 Timothy 4: 14-15a It is a certainty of life, that sooner or later we will be hurt by someone else. Sometimes people hurt us accidently, other times it is intentional. Sometimes they hurt us by their actions, other times it is by their words. At times, the wounds are superficial and heal quickly and at other times they are deep and scar us fo

Red Cookies and Thoughts of a Messed Up Mind

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My 12 year old was to take either a pink or red snack for her Sunday school class. No problem.  Most ' normal ' moms would go buy a snack or make a snack.  And that would be the end of the story. Easy.  Oh, but not me.... You see, I am about the farthest thing from normal you'll ever find! (I really don't mind being "not normal"... I just don't enjoy stressing over every little detail, and all the what ifs make me exhausted on a daily basis).  I live with Chronic Stress ( along with multiple autoimmune diseases and cancer ). I know most people say they are "stressed out". But for me, the term "stress" has a much different meaning. My body is actually unable to process stress.  There are medical terms - but the easiest way to understand it is simply know what the effects of stress can do to a normal person - then multiply it by 100 - that's what stress is like for me. When my body is stressed - it attacks my cells and literally tries

Not Everyone Wants a Hug

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It's Christmas time and everyone, everywhere is giving out hugs.  Some people love it.... some people hate it. I happen to fall in the last category. Don't get me wrong.... I love a good hug with the people I love.... I love hugging my husband, my kids, my best friend Joe, and a few other people that are important to me..... like my father-in-laws, my ex-husband, my little sister, and  my  Grandpa Stump - he gave the best hugs ever! However, I'm really not into hugging most other people.... acquaintances, coworkers, extended family, brothers, sisters, in-laws, neighbors, a stranger, your uncle, the aunt who wears too much perfume, the cousin you only see once a year, etc.... The uninvited embrace from someone you barely knew or used to know — like a relative assuming a familiarity that doesn’t exist.  It seems everywhere you go, all throughout the year, people wants to hug... at weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday church, etc.

The Hope Raisers Book Review

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When Mr. Nihar Suthar contacted me to review his new book, 'The Hope Raisers', I honestly wasn't sure I'd be interested. But I love this book and the idea that all it takes, is for a few good people to do something they believe in and they can inspire and have a lasting impact on so many more people than they will ever know! As, a teen, my Grandparents started a Misson in Kenya, Africa. And I have heard many stories and saw lots of pictures of how the Kenyans live... this book took me right back to watching my Grandpa's picture slides, listening to his stories, and singing 'Nothing But The Blood of Jesus' ('Hakuna kitu ila damu ya Yesu') in Swahili! Ok, back to the book....  This story is told honestly, without tiptoeing around the crushing poverty experienced by the Characters. They have never known life outside the world of poverty and slums they were born into.The hardships of unemployment, scant education, water and food scarcity, gang violenc

Kubota B600 Restoration

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Ok, so thought I'd post some pictures of what's been happening! Only problem is, I don't really know much about tractor parts or rebuilding one. Wyatt had a great week! He received a $100 check in the mail to use towards rebuilding his tractor from a wonderful, generous couple! Wyatt was so excited, he said, "mom, I think I'm getting spoiled!" Stephen is keeping track of the spending... so I don't have the exact numbers, but as of now, we are about $2,000 into it and haven't started putting it back together yet. Parts are hard to find since it's old (1974) and wasn't super mass produced... (the tractor was built in Japan and was only built for 4 - 5 years) and when we do find parts, they aren't cheap! We are trying to keep it as original as we can, but somethings we simply can't find. It means the world to us that folks are willing to help Wyatt with this project! We appreciate you! If you want to help Wyatt with his project, you can do

Introducing Shaklee Bundles

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  They are here! And they are beautiful! Shaklee Bundles target solutions for individual needs.... Ready Set Wellness Bundle  with Vitalizer  Ready Set Wellness- Vitalizer Step 1: Comprehensive Vitamins Vitalizer™ provides advanced nutrition with a full spectrum of clinically supported vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and more in one convenient Vita-Strip®. Step 2: Pick 2 Life Shake™ Flavors Life Shake™ contains: 20 g Ultra-pure, non-GMO protein with precise ratios of all 9 essential amino acids to support energy and satiety 24 Essential vitamins and minerals to support heart, brain, immune, and overall health 6 g Dietary fiber and a proprietary prebiotic from an ancient grains blend to support digestive health and regularity Powered by Leucine® to help build lean muscle, burn fat, and support metabolism# Available in Pea Plant Protein or Soy Protein formulas Step 3: Choose Your Boost Boost your new nutrition routine by choosing 1 of th