Winter Wonderland!

Today, while at church, it started to snow! It was absolutely beautiful, with huge snowflakes! I will post a few pics later once my computer gets over its virus -- I'm using hubby's computer now. If the local schools are closed tomorrow, we will not have school either so DD can enjoy the long-awaited, hardly-ever-seen snow!

P.S. We might do a little "school" by making some snow cream -- yum-o! =P God bless!

Missin' my punkin head!

I am so, so glad that DD is coming home today! We didn't have school this week because of Winter Break, and she went camping with some friends from church. She has had an absolute blast, and I'm so glad she was able to go -- I just miss her! We're together 24 hours a day, and to not have her for four days is just plain hard! She makes the house have "life," and her laughter, and yes, even her poutiness, has been missed for sure! She will be home in the next couple of hours, and DH is bringing home some pizza and salad - yum-o! Actually, we kind of had a date night last night -- we made steak, baked potato, and salad. It was perfectly yummy, and we enjoyed just being able to talk without being interrupted -- it was very nice. We actually are planning on doing this once a month, maybe letting Granny keep her overnight. Anyway, I really should get into the kitchen and put away the dishes and get some clothes into the washer.

Back to homeschool on Monday! Yippee! God bless!

P.S. I might be adding another blog about menu planning and meals. It's something I'm very into and just might do it! =P

The year is going so fast!

I can't believe it's almost halfway through February! This year is going by so fast! DD just turned 11, going on 16! She is such a firecracker! She has unending energy, which I wish she could share! =P She enjoys her free time outside as much as possible playing with the next-door neighbors, which I'm really glad about! I used to LOVE playing outside when I was a kid -- playing basketball or riding my bike all around the neighborhood, exploring the glorious world around me. Oh, to go back to the carefree days of childhood! I love watching DD laughing and enjoying her days of youth. It makes me realize just how few days we actually have on this earth. Remember to go where you can, when you can, how you can because you never know when you won't be able to! I'm so thankful for all the experiences I've had in my life, and I hope to be able to let DD experience some of those for herself so she can look back in her life and be happy. God is so good, and I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunities He has given us.

On another note, I am working on getting back to cooking dinner every night at home. I believe I'll try some bacon-wrapped chicken with a sweet homemade BBQ sauce over it. This sounds totally yummy! I'll let ya know how it turns out!

Have a great day at church tomorrow -- I'm looking forward to hearing what God has in store for us! I'm going to have to teach Sunday School for DN tomorrow, so I'm nervous about that -- I better go study! God bless!

Oh the joys of homeschooling!

There are definitely plenty of pros to homeschooling, not the least of which is being able to spend tons of time with my daughter. However, sometimes it can be quite overwhelming.....I mean, the spending tons of time with my daughter! =P I do love the fun times we have, the times when she "gets it," and the joy of overhearing her tell a friend about how, when, and why the Boston Tea Party happened! There are certainly trying times when the ADHD rears its ugly head and, therefore, brings out the worst in me! I try to stop and pray at those specific times, but other times, sadly, I don't. I am learning to trust God and pray fervently about this specific issue, and I know that God will continue to help me in this area. I am so thankful that I do have such a loving, sweet, wonderful daughter who truly loves God and wants to please Him. This truly makes my heart happy! Here's to many more days of happy hearts and the grace to get through each day with His help! God bless!

New year, new challenges!

It's now January 8th, and there have already been major financial challenges. God is giving us the grace and the strength to deal with these issues, and it's so awesome that we can take all of our troubles, worries, and stresses to Him! There is no way we could do this on our own!

I pray that your new year is going well and that God's blessings continue to flow for you. As the children's food blessing says, "God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food" and health, and family, and church, and friends!

Love to all! God bless!

Welcome to 2009!!!

Hello 2009!! God is so good! He bestows upon us so many blessings that we can't even count them all! He protects us from things we know not of! Hallelujiah! Even when there's no money in the bank and not much food in the pantry, God is still good! Even when our health is not good and our mood is down, God is still good! God allows things to happen in our lives that we don't understand for our good.....He is giving us a chance to become closer to Him and increase our faith. These times are definitely hard but well worth it if it brings us nearer to Him. Like it says in the Bible, give thanks in all things.....ALL things!

I look back on 2008 and see the death of my grandmother in early December, financial troubles, worrying about the right way to raise our adopted daughter, me quitting my job, and beginning to homeschool my daughter. Many things have changed over this year, but God has been with us through each and every one.

As far as resolutions this year, I just ask that God will help me to be a better me. I want to be a better Christian in reading my Bible more, praying more, and witnessing more. I want to be a better wife to my husband -- to make more dinners at home, to kiss him more when he comes home from work, to have a clean house, to have the laundry done, to have Sunday clothes clean and ironed and ready for Sunday, to do the grocery shopping more, to handle our finances better, to work a part-time job at home during the night, and to continue to support him in his many ministries he's involved in at church. I want to be a better mom to my daughter -- to be patient, to be more understanding, to be more loving, to discipline her lovingly, and to correctly correct her. I want to be a better daughter -- to go see my mom more and help her do things she can't do. I want to be a better sister -- to call my sisters more and be there for them. I want to be a better friend -- to send cards when friends are sick or if they're feeling down, to call them more and find out what's going on in their lives, and to not be so wrapped up in my own life. I want to be a better me -- to lose weight so I can go places and do things with my family that I've never been able to do. I want to be a better Sherri.

There are many things I want to be and do this year. With God's help, I can do them all.

I Philippians 4:13 -- I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I urge everyone to look over this past year and see how you can be a better you, and with God's help, you can! God bless!

Christmas Eve Eve

It's now December 23, 2008. One year ago today, my mother-in-law passed away. This is a hard time for my husband -- please pray for him. He will be home soon, and then we will be going to my Mom's to pick up a few things -- she is giving us the desk that DD used when she was @ Granny's house, an electric keyboard that DD was using to learn the piano, and Mom's old stereo component system. Hopefully we'll be able to get it fixed and have surround sound using the speakers and be able to listen to Christmas music!

We are very excited about DD opening up her presents. She is going to be so surprised and excited!! This year is a little discombobulated because of different family members not being able to come to Georgia this weekend, so we're not getting together on Christmas Eve like every other year in the past. This is a bit sad for me because we'll not be getting together as a family until after the New Year! So weird! It will be neat in a way because it will be just us 3, and we will be having a fire in the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate and eating popcorn. Then, on Christmas morning, DH and I will make Christmas breakfast! This will be a first and will hopefully become a longstanding tradition! I will all of you a very Merry Christmas, and I pray that we remember Christ's birth as the real reason for the season! God bless you!