Happy Easter!

Around here there is no bunny.

There are no baskets filled with eggs and candy.

Easter is completely centered around Jesus. It's a really big deal if you take a moment to think about it.

Our kids get a new book about Jesus or Easter and typically a small toy or craft to make. That's it. I mean, God sent Jesus to die for your sins.... is that not a big enough gift? Exactly.


Happy Easter to all of you! May God bless you and your families this weekend!

My 2012 Resolutions

The more blogs I read, the more I realize most people really hate new years resolutions. I get it, I mean, you make them and then don't keep up with them and then... you fail. Who likes failing? No one likes to fail. However I am a firm believer that goals keep you grounded and focused. I am one who needs goals. I need that "keep your eye on the prize" effect. So this is me saying I really like resolutions, a lot. I make them each year and actually keep up with them through the year. I still fail sometimes, but I still feel like I have tried. So for all you "I refuse to make resolutions that I don't intend to keep"... here are mine! I may be the only person left who makes resolutions, but I don't care.

My 2012 Resolutions

*Financial Goals*

- Increase debt payoff
- Pay off one debt by December
- Continue to work on living debt free
- Plan ahead this year an be prepared for for holidays, taxes, change of seasons for new clothes for the kids, etc.


*Spiritual Goals*

- Find an accountability partner
- Memorize 1 verse per month
- Commit to walking up an hour before the kids for longer quiet time
- Pray for others more


*Other Goals*

- Encourage someone everyday
- Show grace towards my kids
- Set a better example of Christ for my kids
- Be joyful in all things

A few other blogs I read did this thing where they replaced resolutions with a word. It's neat really. You pick one word to help describe how you want your year to be. I like that! So, along with my resolutions I want to pick a word to help me stay on target this year.

My word is: Content.

Amazing when you think that one word can really impact your year. I am excited for 2012. God could do some amazing things this year, and I hope He uses me!

The Weeping Angel

The preschoolers at church did a little Christmas play last year. They had no lines (thank goodness!) and basically just had to walk on stage and sit or stand in their respective places. It was a live nativity done while listening to a Christmas version of Mary Had A Little Lamb. It was precious. Lula Mae was an angel (fitting, huh?). It was close to perfect. So what went wrong? Oh just guess. Just guess which child showed out? Yep. Mine. Just mine.

Enter the weeping angel.


Okay, she isn't crying right here. She only cried while she circled around baby Jesus in the manger. Weeping, completely sobbing on stage. Sigh.

The good news... we have 2 services. Sure she choked during service 1, but service 2 went smooth. You think she had stage fright don't you? Nope she was crying because one of the other angels did not want to hold her hand backstage... my girl, the bossy drama queen. Perhaps next year will go a little better. Oh and don't you worry, we captured Lula Mae's star performance on tape so she can relive it over and over again ;-) As soon as I load it to the computer I will be sure to share it with you all!

A Goodbye & A Hello

Goodbye 2011. You were an interesting year. I am sure if I sit here long enough I could "review" this year in month form, but I also no the longer I sit here the sooner nap time will be over... so I am gonna skip on that. It was a good year, God provided for all of our needs.

Hello 2012! I love the new year. It is one of my favorite holidays. It is a chance to start over, in a way. It gives my brain a chance to say "let go of last year and focus on the future". I know that as a believer I am able to do that each and every morning... but my brain sometimes grasps that better on January 1st.

This year I am excited to see what God has in store. I haven't made my goals yet, but I am working on them. I think resolutions are important, but I feel they have to be realistic. It is much harder to come up with realistic goals. I am hoping to have my goals set by my birthday. It's coming up quick by the way.... way too quick considering which birthday it is *shivers*.....

So how is 2012 treating you so far? Any interesting resolutions?

Christmas Fabric Wreath

I have really been busy making things these past few weeks. I go through phases where I just love doing projects and this is one of them. First I want to show you my fabric wreath that I made. All you need is a cut up pizza box and some fabric.


Trace your bowl and cut out a wreath shape.


Next I took a long scrap of white fabric to wrap around the cardboard ring first to give it some fullness.

After a few times of wrapping the fabric around I secured the fabric with a dot of hot glue. I went around the wreath twice with my white fabric because I had plenty and I wanted a nice full wreath.


Then, when I was done with the white fabric, I started with my Christmas fabric, using that same method.

And here is my finished project! I took some of my left over fabric and made a bow to tie on as well. You could really have fun with this project, making it all your own! Easy!

Oh and I made a table runner to match it.... and a hanging ball thingy to hang off the light fixture... I may have gotten out of control.... what can I say, I am finally hosting Christmas and I want it to look nice. The good news is I am not spending a fortune on pre-made decorations!

Christmas Card Holder

In this house I realized we really don't have anywhere to really "set out" all of our Christmas cards this year. So I did some searching and found a quick, simple and frugal card holder I could make. Here is what I made!




I took one sheet of foam board, 1/2 yard Christmas fabric, Christmas ribbon and quilting tacks. I used packing tape to do the entire project, but a glue gun would have worked too. It was a very easy project!

*Cut out the tree form
*Cover tree in fabric (tightly)
*Crisscross the ribbon on the tree (tightly)
*Insert tacks at each crossing
*I also flipped it over after inserting the tacks and covered all the exposed tacks with a swatch of fabric, securing it with tape.

Ta-da! Done! How easy! I also thought it would have been neat to leave the foam board in a rectangular shape and made it look like a giant gift instead of a tree. No cutting the board then so that is an even easier option. I would say get some big fat ribbon to make a big bow for the top if you make it that way. Cute, cute, cute!

Who is feeling crafty?

Happy Birthday Jayce

The day before we went to Magic Kingdom in September of 2009 I get the positive test. I was so excited to tell Charlie in our favorite place. And this is how you began Jayce.

Then you grew and grew and grew. You gave me no sickness (sweet boy!) but nearly ruined my bladder with infection after infection (shame on you!). Overall my pregnancy was great. Sure towards the end I had trouble getting off the couch and had nothing that resembled ankles, but still it was great!

At 8:41 on May 4, 2010 you were born. Jayce Moreland had arrived! All 7 pounds (even) and 19 3/4 inches of you were perfect. Your labor was fantastic and your birth was even better! I enjoyed every moment of it! I also loved that every doctor and nurse that walked in the door wanted to know if you were a c-section baby because your head was so round. Nope :-) I just got you out fast!

Our family of 4 was together after 8 and a half long months of waiting.

Your sister was intrigued by you. She was pretty in love too (secretly).

Once we were home I began preparing you for your birthday trip to Disney World. Your blood cells are probably shaped like tiny Mickey Mouse heads.

I began taking a million pictures of you... and I haven't stopped!

When you have something so sweet to photograph why would you want to stop?

You and your sister bonded well.

And you began to grow....

... and change. And you began to look just like your momma.

You just kept getting bigger. We finally got your reflux under control and you were a much happier little guy.

Your first vacation was not so fun for you. You are your mothers child... the beach is not your favorite place in the world (mine either darling!).

Is it possible that your sweet face got cuter?

It was not long before you were attempting to get on the move. Scooting around came naturally to you. This is when your adventurous side came out :-)

Your best friend is your sister.... or at least you think so. She is starting to wonder about you getting into her toys and other things. She is rethinking this whole "big sister" job all of a sudden.

Crawling didn't last long and you went for the upright position. Standing up and cruising was so easy for you. Not to mentioned it was your favorite thing to do!

Your poor eczema kept getting worse and worse. Then, your dandruff started up. You are going to be my sensitive child for sure.

You just got so big so fast, looking like a little man. Could it be that my baby was really about to be walking?

You have grown so fast little one. You are such a boy. You love to explore, nothing seems to stop you or hold you back, you adore hats, baths make you giddy and being outside is your very favorite. You love to watch your sister play and love even more for her to play with you. Your laugh is musical and your smile is mystical. The fact that you can whistle is hilarious. I love to listen to you snore over the baby monitor. You are reading more words than you let on, but I'm okay with that.... you can be shy about it if you want. You love to play rough with your Daddy and to hug and snuggle with your Mommy. I am so blessed to be able to call you my son. God has given us an amazing year with you and I pray that he gives us many more. I pray that your heart is focused on God and you learn to serve others. I pray that you walk the path God has laid for you. I am excited to watch you grow and see what God has in store for you. I love you more than words can say.

Happy First Birthday Jayce!

I can't believe it has been a year....

I'm Alive 'Cause Jesus Lives!

Happy Easter everyone!

Lula Mae's Acting Debut

The children at our church put on an Easter play this morning for the congregation. It was so cute and they all did a great job! The two younger classes (2 year old class and 3 and 4 year old class) had a little line they were each to present right before the play began. Lula Mae has been memorizing scripture for almost a year now so we just assumed she would be fine. She had her line memorized really quick and loved practicing her "part in the play". She would scream it at the top of her lungs and tell us that she was going to get on stage just like Pastor David and Mr. Jay. We were thinking she was really excited and was going to do great. Before we left for church I grabbed the video camera and had Lula Mae practice one more time.





Then we got to church.

Then she saw all the people in the church.

Then she told her Daddy and I that she didn't want to be in the play and that she just wanted to go to her class.

Could our vibrant, smart, strong willed child really have stage fright? The child who loves to be the center of attention has butterflies in her tummy?

So naturally.... we bribed her with ice cream after lunch if she just went up and said her line. She began to see it our way and said that she would go up and participate. And then the moment came.....




Yep that is her... trembling and clinging to Aunt Heather.

Kids. When you want them to talk, they freeze. When you want them to zip it, their mouths run at a constant pace.

Dearest daughter, acting may not be your calling.

I love you, you little stinker!

January 12th

I know the subliminal messages I posted before were so subtle that you probably didn't even know I had a birthday coming up, but today is my birthday.

Today I am 24
(don't hate me because I am young... hidden inside me is a 45 year old lady, just ask anybody who knows me)

I plan on spending the day enjoying my family
(as we are still semi "snowed in"... not that I wouldn't want to spend it with them anyway!)

I am slightly jealous that my kids get to spend their birthdays at Disney World
(but no too jealous because I will be there too.... it just won't be my birthday.)

Oh, really quick and totally off topic.... Lula Mae told me the other day that she was going to see Jesus at Disney World and give Him a big hug. Everything she loves she thinks will be at Disney World.... even Jesus!

Anyhoo, so today is my birthday. Not sure there will be a cake, party, fancy meal or presents
(because I did not make a cake, buy ice cream, plan a fancy meal or purchase a gift. Plus our town shuts down in this kind of weather so we won't be going out or anything.)

I am totally okay with that.
(Sort of)

So go enjoy this beautiful January 12th! I know I will! I am grateful for the wonderful 23 years God has given me. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my 24th year! My birthday wish is to be grateful for everything.... the blessings, the trials.... everything that is to come, and to be prayerful in ALL things.

New Year Resolutions For 2011

Happy 2011 everyone! I can't believe that another year has come and gone. I think 2010 was a great year. Our family was extremely blessed this year and we have so much to be thankful for. Not only was God in the big things this past year, but He was in the small ones too. 2010 taught me so much. Mostly, it taught me that God is in control and I have nothing to worry about. Funny, I feel like I have to learn that lesson over and over... I guess I am a slow learner. 2011 is going to be a great year, I just know it. Here is my list of resolutions that I hope will help make my year great!


1. Continue to strengthen my relationship with God. Pray without ceasing. Work on scripture memorization.

2. Read my one year chronological Bible

3. Read 5 books

4. Come in under budget in at least 3 out of the 7 categories each month

5. Devote one hour each morning and one hour each afternoon during nap time to myself.

6. Keep my heart focused on being a godly wife and mother

7. Enjoy every day to the fullest and cherish moments with my children and husband

8. Increase our giving

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you are all celebrating the birth of our savior and enjoying your family!

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So Here It Is....

Lula Mae's cow ornament, bell and all!
Although this picture doesn't show the lovely utters. It also doesn't show you just how BIG this ornament is! It is one of the biggest on our tree for sure. Lula Mae loves her some animals!

What Is To Come?

It is hard to believe that 2010 is almost over and that we will soon be ringing in a new year. What does that mean for you? Another year of resolutions that are written with best of intentions and slowly forgotten by Feburary? Another year of trying to break bad habits only to hit Thanksgiving and realize all you have broken is a few fingernails along the way? I hope not. I hope that each one of you will make resolutions (very realistic ones) and work towards them. I am a firm believer that if you have goals, both big and small, you accomplish so much more. However, goals should never be unrealistic. Now I am not saying you shouldn't dream big and reach for the starts. You should. Just realize if you are unable to reach that particular goal it is fine. Look back and see the progress you have made towards that goal and be happy with that. Let that motivate you to keep trying. Also, don't let your goals for yourself get in the way of God's plan for you. Be willing to make adjustments when you feel like He is leading you in a different direction. He always knows best, so try your hardest to listen! I suggest not having too many resolutions. Remember, less is more! Also, I like having a few resolutions that are actually measurable (for example... save money, organize something, read x number of books...) I think it helps to be able to say "Yes, I really did that". You can't always do that with some goals (like find time for myself, eat less junk food, stick to a routine....). Overall I would say just have fun with it! Go back and read this post about making your resolutions list appealing. I used this method and it worked great for me! I am going to be posting my resolutions for 2011 on January 1st and I hope you all will do the same! I would love to check out your resolutions!

Before we stay up way past our bedtime, say happy new Year and kiss the one we love though, we must celebrate the birth of a really swell guy. You may know Him.... His name is Jesus!!!!! So, off you go to enjoy this very quickly passing holiday season! Just so you are aware, we set to close on our house in 12 days!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! The lady wants to possibly move that up if we can!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!! THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING!!!! Sorry for the yelling. Anyhoo, that means we are 18 days away from our move!!!!!! So please excuse me if I am not pouring out the comment love these days. Just know that I am keeping up with all of you and can't wait to get back into the blogging routine *sigh* as soon as we get settled into the new house!!!! It is going to be great!!!!

Family Tradition

You were expecting Hank Williams Jr., weren't you? Well sorry to disappoint you but this seriously is about one of our family traditions.... so please continue....

Okay, it was a family tradition. All year long we fill up our jar with pocket change. Then, we cash it in to buy our Christmas tree. For the past three years Charlie and I have taken Lula Mae to the local Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree. It is so fun! They have some animals, a fire to roast marshmallows over, hot chocolate and a little ornament shop. We pick ornaments out and write the year on the back of them. This year was the first year Lula Mae got to pick her own ornament. All the pretty little ornaments and what did she pick? A cow. Not a cute cartoonish cow, oh no, a big fat realistic cow... with utters. Yep, a big fat cow. That's my girl. She loves animals. Then she helped me pick Jayce's first ornament, a little bell that says "Babies 1st Christmas" with a snowman on top.

So then we went to look at the trees. We always go back to the "clearance" trees. You know, the ones they hide way in the back because they are cheaper. They are smaller and sometimes have a few gaps in the limbs and such, but that is fine with us. Then it happened.... we saw the price.

WHAT????

You are kidding????

That is almost double what we paid last year... and this one is SMALLER!!!!

And this is when our new tradition was born.

From now on we will be visiting the lovely little tree farm, petting the cute animals, roasting marshmallows, sipping the hot chocolate and letting the kids pick an ornament. Then we will drive 2 miles down the road to Food Lion and get a tree for $29.99.

I'm totally okay with that. Traditions sometimes need to be tweaked, but they are still special. I hope you are all starting to enjoy all those little family traditions of your own!

Believe It Or Not

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. I love the smells, music, lights, family. I just love all of the Christmas cheer. It warms my heart. However, I am determined to make Christmas (and all holidays for that matter) about Jesus. I don't want my kids to think that Christmas is about a tree, some fun music and loads of presents. Charlie and I want Christmas to be about the birth of our savior. We want our children to understand that it is about giving and not receiving. We want our family to appreciate what God as provided for us. Lula Mae is already learning in school that Christmas is a day when we celebrate for Jesus. She understands that it is His birthday. She is even starting to understand that we give gifts on Christmas because God gave Jesus to us as a gift. She is connecting all the pieces. I am so proud of her and very glad that Christmas is already meaning something deeper to her. With all this knowledge comes a big decision.

Santa or no Santa?

When people ask Lula Mae about Santa she is very confused. She has no idea who he is and what he is all about. Charlie and I both grew up believing in Santa. We both agree that it was fun and harmless. We have still not come to a decision as to if we will have Santa or not. Personally I am leaning more towards no, but I don't know about Charlie. In the end, will it matter? Probably not. My main goal is to make sure each holidays, especially Christmas, is focused on God. Now this might be selfish, but I want my kids to understand that I got them their gifts.... not some made up man. I want them to know I got them gifts because I love them. I want it all to click, if you know what I mean. Lula Mae is excited to give her cousins the gifts she picked out for them. She has a few friends that she has mentioned buying a gift for and I can't wait to take her to the store to pick something out. I love seeing her excited about giving and thinking of others.

Our gift strategy is simple.... I buy each child one toy, Charlie buys each child one toy, then we both get them one more joint toy. So each child will receive 3 gifts each Christmas. We stick to a small budget and try very hard not to go over the top (although this is really hard because I show love by giving gifts so I have to hold back!)

We may decide not to do Santa and we may not get our kids a million presents but we will still have a great Christmas. Our Christmas will be full of time together with family. It will be full of celebration. It will be full of love! I just love Christmas!!!! Although I do adore Christmas music and a live tree with beautiful lights and decorations too :-) All those things help make Christmas extra enjoyable!

So do you have Santa in your house? Do you have any special traditions that make Christmas extra special? I would love to know! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I Smell A Holiday....

Thanksgiving is coming.... it's so close I can taste it! Who doesn't love to gather with the ones you love and eat delicious food? We do! This week in school Lula Mae is learning about Thanksgiving. Nothing too deep, just that we are going to gather with our family and enjoy time together. I am also teaching her about being thankful for what God has provided. November, Thanksgiving and Holiday are three of her new words this week and she already is reading them! Way to go Lula Mae! I felt like this year I didn't really need to go into the whole Thanksgiving story yet. I mean, she's 2. We can wait until next year to work on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria and all the Christopher Columbus stuff. After Thanksgiving we can get ready for Christmas! Super excited about taking Lula Mae to pick out a tree at the tree farm this year! She is going to really understand and enjoy this holiday season and that is exciting! I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy all those calories, but most of all enjoy the time you have with your family! Remember to be thankful for all things, big and small! I encourage you to be thankful all year long, not just at Thanksgiving. We don't need a holiday to be thankful!

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Photo Shoot Time!

Around this time if year I can't seem to put my camera down! Okay, I lied. I take tons of pictures no matter what time of year it is. Although I do think it gets worse around the holidays. I wanted to go ahead and have a photo shoot with the kids for Christmas cards. I know it is early, but sometimes we require multiple shoots to get anything worth editing. Luckily this shoot was a success! I am happy to announce that we will have a great card this year! Here are some of the pictures!

Semi Nude Artist

So, we went to pick pumpkins (more pictures soon!) and decided to get a big one! To carve? No! A 2 year old can't carve! But a 2 year old can paint! So, we got a big pumpkin so Lula Mae would have lots of room to be creative. She had a great time!



I'm thinking we have a Picasso on our hands! Okay, maybe not, but it's still cute!

Santa Baby

Merry Christmas!
Love, Lula Mae Bell