Home with Tracy

Earlier this year our two daughters went to a Cinderella Ball with their dad.  They were so excited.  They each got a new ball gown (which I got for free after selling some of their clothes on ebay - YAY!).  I curled their hair and painted their nails.  They felt so special. (Two of our beautiful princesses!) A couple days ago the girls came out with their dresses, asking if they could wear them.  My initial answer was no.  They are beautiful special occasion dresses.  You can't just wear them on any given day. Why not? As I looked at their disappointed faces, I asked myself why I was saying no.  It is not like they will ever wear them again.  We aren't saving them for anything.  They are just hanging in their closest waiting for them to quickly outgrown them.  Those dresses reminded them of a special day they spent with their dad.  They love reliving that day over and over again.  Why wouldn't I let them wear them?  Why wouldn't I want them to feel special a

Today is my husband's birthday and our ninth anniversary.  As I reflect back on these nine years, I am amazed at all God has done for us. We met on August 22, 2002.  We married on December 29, 2002.  Yep, just four months and a week later.  (If any of my children do this, I will hang them by their toes!) When we met, neither of us had a close relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Honestly, we didn't really have a relationship at all.  We didn't pray about getting married.  We didn't invite God to the wedding.  We didn't include Him in our marriage. But, thankfully, He was still there. The first six to seven years of our marriage were full of heart break, selfishness, anger, resentment, exhaustion (4 babies in 3 years), bitterness, and the list could go on and on.  We weren't joined together as one.  We were two people, living two separate lives, raising four children separately, but living under one roof. I didn't know how to be a wife.  He did

Over the past week I have been writing down goals for 2012.  Next year I am going to make better use of my time in all areas of my life.  Financial - Are our family's financial goals steering us towards being good stewards with the income God has given us? "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8) My husband and I have not always been good stewards with our money.  A couple years ago after my husband lost his job, we realized how wrong we had been with handling our financial responsibility.  We were selfishly spending.  We were greedy.  Last year we paid off over $8500 in debt.  We also paid cash for our storage barn. That was the greatest feeling, knowing that the building was paid for in full.   This year we plan on paying off our remaining credit card debt as well as our vehicle loan. Once the credit cards are paid off, they will be cut up.  We are also planning on building up a 3 month e

If you ask my children what Christmas is about, they will tell you "Christmas is not about gifts, it is about baby Jesus."  But Christmas ... it is about a gift.  A very special gift that was given to us by our Heavenly Father.  It is the gift of eternal life through His son, Jesus.  I can think of no greater gift.  Then the Angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. Luke 1:30-31 One of my favorite songs is Mary, Did You Know?  I like just about every version I have heard.  Mary, did you know that your baby boy ...would one day walk on water? ...would save our sons and daughters? ... has come to make you new?  This child that you delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that your baby boy ...will give sight to a blind man? ... would calm a storm with His hands? ... has walked where angels trod? When you k

This week has been kind of low key.  It is not just because it is Christmastime, but also because the majority of the house is feeling under the weather. Speaking of weather ... did I tell you how weird it was last week baking sugar cookies, making fudge and toffee, all while the windows were open because it was 70 degrees here.  It was odd. Anyhow, since it is a low key kind of week, the kids aren't really doing much school work and our schedule is .... well ... okay, there is no schedule right now.  So, I was in the kitchen this morning doing dishes and preparing dinner for tonight.  My oldest son asked if there was anything he could help with. (LOVE!) I told him that I would appreciate him folding the towels for me and switching over the laundry. As he was starting to fold, he mentioned how boring it was.  His statement got me thinking. My days are filled with what the world would perceive as boring.  I do laundry (2 to 3 loads a day), dishes (about 2 loads a day), s

This is the first year that I have an actual organized reading list and I am so excited! It was difficult narrowing it down to just 12 books, but here they are.   January - What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith February - Kisses From Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie J. Davis March - Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine (available in January 2012) April  - Discipline of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes May - Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald June - A Love That Multiplies: An Up-Close View of How They Make It Work by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar July - One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp August - The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball September - The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkso

I have never been one for writing down goals.  I have goals, I just never write them down. They are all stored up in my head.  My head is getting too old and too full to remember everything.  It needs to be cleaned out. This coming year, in order to become a better homemaker,  I am writing down goals. I am going to make lists.  Not just one list, but several.  I am going to make a list of goals for personal, weight loss, home management, marriage, parenting, financial, homeschooling, and anything else I can think of.  Goal #1 - write goals down! Look, I'm already getting started! I want to become the wife, mother and child of God that I am supposed to be.  I want to live every day to the fullest.  I want to accomplish all that I am supposed to accomplish.  I want to be a better example to my children.  I want to be organized in my daily routines.  I want to have our home be an organized, comforting home for my husband to come home to after a long day of work.  Ov

Growing Home is having a special giveaway in honor of Christian Homemakers.  It is valued at over $200. Click here Growing Home Giveaway to enter! This giveaway is full of wonderful items.  There are books, gift certificates, tea, jewelry, homemade soap, artwork, reusable washies, body scrub.  So many items!  While you are there, take a look around her great site.  Also, you can take a look at all the the great sites of contributors to the giveaway. 

My children have a movie they like to watch, Veggie Tales Larry Boy and The Angry Eyebrows.  This is our family's episode of The Angry Eyebrows.  It had been that kind of week.  I didn't feel well.  I was tired.  I was grumpy.  I just wanted to go back to bed...for the week.  I was listening to my children arguing over and over again.  They weren't even arguing about anything in particular, they were just yelling at each other.  As I watched them, I looked at their normally cute faces and I saw a bunch of angry eyebrows.  Each one of them had their own pair of the angriest eyebrows I ever seen. What is going on? Then, when I had listened to it long enough, I spoke in a soft, kind, loving voice and asked them sweetly to stop.  Oh wait...that's not what happened.  I had angry eyebrows! I was so frustrated with their arguing that I stood up, put on my own angry eyebrows and told them to get along.  Wow, that was convincing.  I'm sure they will liste

Today is weigh in day.  I have lost 10 pounds since the beginning of October...then I stalled. My reason - exercise! I still have 70 to 80 pounds to go.  I am so out of shape.  I try to start, get frustrated because I can't do as much as I think I should be able to, and I stop.  I started exercising earlier this year and ended up with my hip rotating up and then getting stuck.  It was stuck for about 4 months.  It was extremely painful.  Walking was painful.  Sitting was painful.  Sleeping was painful.  Everything was painful! Now that my hip is back to normal, I should be able to start up again.  But I am fearful.  I need to start slow.  I need to be careful.  My problem is that my mind thinks I can go faster than my body actually can go.  I will not quit.  I will keep trying. God blessed me with this life and it is my responsibility to take care of it. 

Today, CBD has the Chronicles of Narnia, Boxed Set on sale for $12.99 (reg. $55.93).  Great deal! Set includes:The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair and The Last Battle . (this is my affiliate link)

Today, Amazon has the Scotch Thermal Laminator on sale for $16.99 (reg $80.49).  This is the laminator I bought last year around this time.  I have used it for so many things.  Scotch Thermal Laminator (click here) The kids love to make placemats according to the season/holiday and have me laminate them.  It is a great arts and craft project.  I also laminate printables so they can be used by all of the children over and over again.  Dry erase markers work great after they are laminated. (this is my affiliate link)

It is not uncommon now a days for a woman to be in the company of a man who is not her husband.  It could be at work, serving on a committee, through an activity involving her children, there are numerous ways. When I worked at a church a couple years ago, the pastor was looking for a ride to work after dropping off his vehicle to be serviced.  I knew that I drove that way, so I offered to pick him up.  He explained to me a policy that the church had.  If you are married, you are not to be alone with a member of the opposite gender.  He said that they do this to protect marriages. It seemed so simple to me, but I had never even thought about it.  What a great policy.  It isn't put in place because of not trusting people, it is put in place to protect.  What starts as an innocent conversation, can lead to a broken marriage, a broken family.  The devil looks for any opportunity he can to dissolve marriages.  This is one way to insure that he wont. When I was over the preschool

I did not grow up studying the Bible.  I went to church all throughout high school.  I would read my Bible at church or church functions.  But I did not study it.  I did not hide it in my heart.  And I did not follow it or live by it. I want to be different.  I want to hide His word in my heart.  I want my children to hide His word in their hearts. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.  Proverbs 31:11-12 I want my daughters to honor their husbands ALL the days of their lives.  I want them to honor their husbands today and every day.  I want them to honor their husbands before they even know who God has chosen for them to marry. I want their character, while they are single, to honor their future husband. I want the words out of their mouths to honor their future husband. All the days of her life... As I read these verses, I thought back to the first few years of my marriage an