Thursday Thoughts.......

I am linking up with Jennifer @ Ramblings of a Suburban Mom today and just sharing my thoughts for today!

Here goes.....

I am thinking to myself what a long weekend it's going to be....hubby is turkey hunting this weekend so I'm doing the single mom thing!  Pray for me!

I'm thinking right now that I am so glad it's already 5:30....I am about to feed this crew of mine, bathe them, and put them to bed then this momma is turning it in early!

On a more serious note.....I have been thinking a lot lately about getting off of facebook all together.  I have felt so convicted over the time I spend on there for a LONG time!  I don't want to give up my blog as I feel like I can hopefully reach people in a good way through my blog.......I hope the Lord continues to give me things to write about!   
To take it slow I have taken the app off of my phone so that I am not checking it every two minutes.  Really?  Am I really missing anything important?  NO!

I have thought about and prayed a lot lately about God's will for my life.....not His will for me as a mother or a wife but ME....what should I be doing for his kingdom?  I think he is slowly revealing it to me!  One day if I can come up the right words without you thinking I am a weirdo I will you tell you guys some of the changes I have made just with myself!  The first one is not trading my time with Him for time on the computer, or television or time doing things that really do not matter!

I have also been consumed lately with my oldest son almost finishing his junior year and becoming a senior!  I will literally blink and he will be out of school.  He will be a man.....beginning the work of college to prepare for a real job!  Then having a career and making a living for himself and one day a wife and family! 
My prayer for him is that he knows without a doubt that he can do whatever he sets his mind to.  I pray that he is a hard worker and a blessing to the company he works for or maybe he will have that entrepreneur spirit like his dad!  I pray that God is preparing his wife right now to love my boy the way He intended her to and that God is preparing my boy to be the husband God intended.  The thought of all that makes me smile but also brings tears to my eyes as it seems just like yesterday I was rocking him to sleep!

Weekly Menu.....

Monday- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings, green beans and salad

Tuesday- Date night with hubby!  Kids will have spaghetti!

Wednesday- Italian Shrimp with pasta, french bread and salad.

Thursday- Chicken Alfredo, Cesear Salad and garlic bread.

Friday- LADIES RETREAT WITH MY GIRL'S!  I can't wait....this is my first ever ladies retreat since coming to Second about six years ago!

Saturday- Ladies retreat!

Sunday- Small Group....Pizza! 

Listening!

Over the last week I have spent a lot of time praying and reading the word.  We are doing a great study in small group (Are you a Fan or Follower) that has a little journal with it that you do daily but since we haven't gotten to meet the last two Sundays I haven't picked it up in a while but yesterday evening sitting outside alone I picked it up!  Here is what I read FIRST......

"They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass" (Psalm 106:20)
That's just not a good trade.  Have you exchanged the glory of God for a car that can handle the corners really well?  Have you exchanged the glory of God for a job that you hate but pays really well?  Have you exchanged the glory of God for a house with all the upgrades?  These things are all fine and good, but we have turned good things into God things.  Fans of Jesus hold back because they're afraid the will miss out.  Followers of Jesus go all in and find that when they finally let go, they discover what they really wanted all along!"

Reading that was a huge God moment as we have wrestled with a decision all weekend long.  To back up to last week we were having some issues with the selling of our house.  I mean some major issues with the realtor of the buyers.  On Friday we were asking ourselves if this was meant to be?  BUT....as the seller you are bound by contract to sell after you sign!  We prayed about it Friday and said "Lord, if this is not meant to be stop it!  Let this contract be terminated somehow!"  The next morning our realtor woke up to a termination contract from our buyers!  PRAISE GOD!  That morning I was so happy that I didn't have to worry about it anymore.  We were out! 
Then.....
disappointment set in!  I was sad.....yes we could sell it to someone else.....but I know in my spirit that God is telling me otherwise!  Do I want to listen?  No.  Do I want to be in God's will all the time?  Yes.

Over the past month or maybe even longer these scriptures come to me a LOT!

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come follow me."

At first I didn't really even know what they meant but over the last week He has revealed it to me!  At least the first one.....the second I am still working on!
I would love to have a new, bigger, prettier house but is that what's really important?  Taking up MY cross and following Him is the most important thing in my life.  I have to listen.......because I am tired of being a fan....I want to be a follower! 

I will leave you with this.....
"No matter what following Jesus costs us in life, in the end we won't see it as a sacrifice.  Rather we will see it as a privilege and honor."  -Kyle NAF Study



Have a blessed day!!!

My Marriage Testimony!

I have been asked a few times about our marriage and how we got married so young and have been married for so long!  I had thought about sitting down and writing it all again but I have already shared it so if you are interested here it is........

MARRIAGE MONDAY!!!!  (Click on those words.....)

That was almost two years ago since I wrote those words and even in those two years we have learned MORE.....we have added another child, which isn't always easy but thank God He has been with us the whole way!

Here is another good MM post by my good friend Christy!!!!!!

CLICK HERE!

God Bless your marriage and have a great evening!!!!

Sold!

We signed the contract today and have officially sold our house!  (there is a 10 day back out period so maybe officially isn't the word!)
I felt a little sad signing all those papers.  This house holds a lot of memories and represented a new beginning!  After Marc and I went through a hard time in our marriage and decided that we were not going to divorce we decided on a new start and this house was the first of those changes!  I love this house....I have since the day we walked into it!  I KNOW that God sent us here.....this is where we met our best friends, who later moved away, but it's in this house that we formed a friendship that is more like family!  (they know who they are!)  It's in this house that we brought home our baby girl.....another gift from God......a gift from God for us working so hard to put our marriage back together and putting Him first!  I love her pink room!  It's this house that is Vensly's first home ever!  I am happy that in our new home he will have his first room ever!  He is so excited to have his own room....ALL HIS!
It's this house that we have had many small group meetings and many prayers have been said here!  The couple that is buying it are a young couple that will be getting married this summer and I hope and pray this house makes them as happy as it made us!

I can't wait to show you our new house......there isn't much that has to be done once we move in but you know me.....I'll find a few things!!!  The first thing I will do is paint the cabinets in the kitchen.....I want it to look like my kitchen now.  I can't wait to move in and get it all done!

This is what the kitchen looks like now!

Flashback Friday......

These are just some random favorite pictures of mine!  I love to go through old pictures and remember the good times that went along with them!  Enjoy!!!!

This one is really old but one of my favorite pictures ever!  This is me with my little brother on his wedding day!
You can see his wife and her little brother in the background!

Me and Emily going shopping together!

Getting to go backstage last year at the Lady A concert to hug our friend Hillary's neck!  The kids were so excited to get to meet her!  She is as sweet as she is beautiful!

One of our many trips to the Farmer's Market last year while homeschooling!

Hubby with the Easter Bunny at the event for his run for Constable!

My kids love to play kissie face!!!!

Taylor's 16 birthday celebration!!!!!

Me, Taylor and Jared hit the big Apple this summer for Taylor's 16th!!!

Watching my babies sleep!  This was Vensly's third day home!!!

Our little island boy hated the snow!!!!!

Noah's Baptism Day!!!!!  What a proud day!!!!!!

House Hunting and Selling, OH MY!

I told you guys before that we put our house on the market!  We are kind of like that.....we get it just like we want it then sell.  Actually, we've only done that twice!  :)

Ours is still for sale as the right buyer just hasn't come along YET!  I hope they do soon....I'm antsy to know we were are going to live next!
We have looked at EVERYTHING online that is for sale.  We have driven around and covered a lot of areas and we can't find one house we like!  At least not ones we can afford.  And that farm house I want is just not available here!  :(

We thought about buying a friends house this summer and then just backed off because the time wasn't right but we are certain now that it is!
We THINK we may have decided to go ahead and buy that house......it's so beautiful that I don't want to get to excited yet!  I have already decorated it in my head and looked at the pictures a hundred times.
Everyone will have their own bedroom and we will have plenty of storage!  A girl can dream can't she....maybe....just maybe this isn't a dream!  :)

Here is a sneak peek.......

I am going to wait to share the front of the house after it's a done deal.....if you know us Estes'.....we can change our mind daily!

Wouldn't that be a neat place to watch the sun rise and set!

Who wouldn't love that pool!