What a Happy, Nice, Beautiful Surprise.....

So yesterday, Dak text me after he got out of class and said he was coming to Clever

to see some friends, and wanted to know if I'd be home.

I was SO excited!!!

I'd already put chili in the crockpot, 

so I didn't have to make supper.

All I had to do was enjoy some time with my boy.

That and wait for him to get here =)

So I was working on some scrapbook goodies,

and I hear the door open.

I came bounded out of my room,

and there he stood,

and as soon as he saw me,

the BIGGEST smile came across his face.

We hugged and hugged.

It was terrific!!!

I know it hasn't been that long since I've seen him,

it's just that, 

it seemed so long =)

He hadn't been home since school started.

It was so good to see him.

I love him so!!!!!

*****

Now I have to tell you.

Dak got a new computer.

Well, not a new computer.

In fact, he got a broken computer, last semester from a suite mate.

But since it was a Mac, Dak agreed to pay $20 for it,

and take a chance.

Well, he's been trying to get it fixed,

but hadn't been able to get it figured out,

until.....

he decided to take it to the MSU Bookstore.

They said they'd evaluate for free and then he could decide if he wanted to fix it.

It turns out with his student discount,

he could get it fixed for $230 some dollars =)

And when I say fixed.....

IT NEEDED A NEW HARD DRIVE!!

They put a new hard drive in it and gave him a new battery,

and Microsoft Office 2011.....

all for $230 + dollars!!!

And did I mention it's a 

MAC?

This computer is sa--weet!!!

And fast!!

Here is a picture that he took on it's camera.....

I LOVE IT!!!

My boy LOVES mustaches......

except for real ones =)

Cracks.me.up.

 I love this sweet man so much!!!

I am so proud of him and SO happy I got to see him last night!!!!!

I wanted to add this picture from last semester of both of the kiddo's.

I LOVE this picture!!

Aren't they just pretty people?!!

*****

Well, I have SO many posts running around in my head and heart to get on here,

it just seems since I got my iPad (which I still LOVE..... =) that I don't get on the regular

computer much to post.

I downloaded a blogger app to my iPad,

but it's not a great app, and then when I try to post from Safari,

it won't let me post pictures,

because it says I don't have the most updated version of Safari,

but I do.

Anybody got any ideas?

But I need to just jump on this computer more and get more posts up.

I hope you all have a beautiful day....

Grace and Verse.....

I am planning on taking some pictures of my "Grace" 2012 One Little Word album.

I am absolutely LOVING my Word, that God gave me for this year, Grace.

And right now I am in an interesting study on "Common Grace",

and as I have read and meditated on it, my heart has been OVERWHELMED

with the Grace of our God.

Let me define Common Grace as it is defined in this study.....

"Common grace is that benevolence which is poured out upon all men, regardless of their spiritual condition."

Let me give you an example:

Matthew 5:44-45

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you; in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.'

Writer of this study also says:

"God is gracious in making provision for the salvation of all men, and in commanding its universal proclamation.  He is also gracious in delaying judgment, thereby giving men, ample time to repent. (II Peter 3:9). One might also imply that God is gracious in not revealing more than He does to those who reject Him, since greater knowledge brings greater judgment. (Luke 12:47-48)."

I am so thankful that God has patience with His children, even when we are "afar off" and have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior yet.  He extends "Common Grace" so we can even live at all during the time before we accept Him, because sin is such an affront to God. 

And even after I was saved, I went through a very long season of disobedience and sin in my younger years.  

God seriously should have flicked me right off the face of His beautiful planet,

but He didn't.  

He was extending Grace, and the writer of this study may call it "Common Grace", but to me,

a recipient of it, it was anything but "Common".  

Yes, this part of the study has been very meaningful to me,

a girl who longs to be in the exact center of her Father's will.

And fails, I know, daily.

But I am SO thankful for Grace.

God's unmerited favor, that saw a broken down girl and chose her as His own.

I am eternally grateful!!!

*****

January 15th Verse:

Isaiah 43:18-19

"Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

God gave me these verses, about a week ago.

I am SO excited!!!

I feel like this is EXACTLY what God is doing in our lives:

A New Thing!!

I feel like we are starting a new season and I am SO exacted for all that God will do in us and through us for His Glory!!

Do you have a verse for the last two weeks of January?

If so, please share, or post it on your blog, let me know and I'll come for a visit.

Have a Super Blessed Day ~~

From Steadfast to Grace.....

In 2011, I felt the Father give me a Word for the year.

And then I found Ali Edwards class, "One Little Word" 

that kept your Word close to your heart through scrapbooking.

I didn't excel in this class by any means, but I was able to build a small scrapbook around my word.

I definitely knew that "steadfast" was my word for 2011.

I found myself being steadfast in many more ways in 2011,

and one of the BIG ways was with 

SSMT.

I stayed steadfast, immovable when it came to that,

and WOW has God used it in my life for good!!!

Anytime you memorize Scripture, God moves.

every.single.time.

He uses it in your life to bring help and healing and in stressful situations,

it calms you down.

I have LOVED every moment of it and continuing on in 2012

to the Praise of His Name!!

If you'd like to join me,

on the 1st and 15th of every month I will be adding a new verse to my SSMT for 2012,

and I am committing this year to publishing my memory verse.

I didn't do so great last year at getting it on here,

but this year I will do better at this.

So my first memory verse of the year is:

Proverbs 4:23  "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

And God has already laid on my heart my next Scripture for the 15th.

I will post it on the 15th =)

*****

So what about my Word for 2012?

I wasn't sure I would have one, but Father placed it on my heart around October,

and I've been SO excited about it and I'm learning SO much.

It is:

I have already started my scrapbook for 2012 for my One Little Word:

GRACE.

I will be sharing more about how I am documenting and how already, it has changed me,

and we're only on January 10th.

So if you'd like to join me on this journey,

Pray.

Ask God for your Word for 2012,

and then start by looking it up in the dictionary,

do a Google Search,

read about it,

open your heart to what God would say to you concerning it,

and open the Word of God.  

He has MUCH TO SAY to us.

I love Him so.

I will be sharing more on 

this year,

and find myself in a beautiful study on it.

So what is your verse for 1/1/12 and what is your Word.

I long to hear it!!

I love you so ~~

Christmas Part 2 ~~

We had Christmas a few days early because of scheduling conflicts.

We had ours on Friday evening ~~ Christmas Eve Eve....

We had Christmas with Leggs earlier in the week, because she spent Christmas in KC.

So it was just Dick and I and Chase, Sir Cuteness and Dak.

Here is Sir Cuteness opening up his Nerf gun.

He LOVED it!!

This is so funny to me, because when I wrapped this poster, Sir Cuteness saw it and said that he got a stick.

He was speaking of that present, so we made a deal.....

Dak could have what was inside the "stick" and Sir Cuteness got the stick.....

Success =)

Dak enjoying some Christmas fun.....

Dak got an iPhone dock and Sir Cuteness was helping him out =)

Sir Cuteness got to help me too =)

Dak got me the sweetest candle holder and candle for Christmas.

It was snowmen.

I LOVE snowmen!!!

So sweet!!

My Mr. Winslow got me the Big Shot scrapbook embosser and die cut machine.

It is SO cool!!!

Look at our little babe.....

Daddy told Sir Cuteness it was time to start picking up.....

so he got right in there and helped.

It was SO sweet.....

So sweet.....

And you can't really tell, but Mr. Winslow is holding his Christmas present from Chase and I.....

A Kindle Fire.

It was terrible.

You couldn't do hardly anything without touching the screen multiple times,

and even then it just was slow and wouldn't work right.

He took it back, and the guy at Best Buy said they'd had a lot of returns on them.

Bummer.

And here is Sir Cuteness all dressed up for Christmas Eve.....

I love this boy so.....

He is getting SO big!!!

Ok.... so there is part 2.

Just one more part to go =)

*****

I love you so!!!

Christmas Part 1 ~~

Yes I do realize it is now after New Years and I'm just getting my Christmas posts up.

I am slow.

Anyway..... :)

So lets start with a few days before Christmas.

My mom wanted us to come over and bake for her.

It was So fun!!

But before that......

These are the cookies Sir Cuteness and I made together.

Aren't they cute?

Here is Dak at Grandma's.

He had so much fun.

He was making the funniest faces.

I sure do love having my babies home =)

 Here is Leggs and Sir Cuteness.

I love this picture.

 Me and Sir Cuteness.....

Would you like some Divinity?....

Yummm!!!

 I know this is blurry, but for some reason I LOVE this picture!!!

And this girl.....

A mama and her boy.....

A boy and his grandma.....

A girl and her grandma.....

Sir Cuteness got to open a present early.....

I absolutely LOVE a Grandbaby at CHRISTmas!!!

Look at this face.....

It was a fishing pole and here is PaPa showing him how to cast.

Love.

Then he got to open one from Gamma and PaPa.....

Cars slippers!!!!!

 They make him EXTRA FAST!!!!!

Or so he tells us =)

Yep it's true.....

Just look at him go!!!

Sir Cuteness and his Gamma.....

I love this boy so!!!!!

So there you have it,

the first installment.

There is so much more to come!!!

Stay tuned.....

New Every Morning.....

HAPPY Happy new year!!!!

I hope your holidays were lovely and Blessed with the light of our Savior Jesus Christ.

God did something unique for me today, well actually today and Friday. The same special wonderful kind of uniqueness. I love it when God does this.

On Friday, I woke up with a verse on my heart. I knew it was in Proverbs, but wasn't sure where. So a few minutes after I woke up, I turned on my iPad and thought I'd check FB, and there it was, as a verse of the day: Proverbs 4:23, so I decided right then and there that it was to be my first verse in 2012.

Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life."

And then this evening, I was pouring over my notes I took at church this morning and writing in my prayer journal for 2012, and doing a little web surfing. And as I was surfing I went to a blog and she references a verse that our Pastor's son quoted during prayer this morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness."

As I meditated on those words of Grace it struck me deep that that is how I am to approach this New Year. Understanding that His mercies are new every single morning. So no matter what I am facing that day, I am doing to with a new dose of mercy, how cool is that?
And then the verse goes on to say that God's faithfulness is GREAT!! So not only do we get new mercies every single day from the LORD, we are also reminded that Great is His faithfulness.

So I don't know what you are facing today, but remember you had a fresh dose of mercy to face it with. And ALWAYS remember that His faithfulness toward you is GREAT!!!!

I love you so and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!