Ch-ch-changes

If you haven't noticed, I changed my url from appliquegirl.blogspot.com to life-keeps-getting-better.blogspot.com. Tell your friends. ;)

Also, I am in the process of merging my devo blog with this one. It may take a little while, but I will have all my devo posts published here. This, I think, will help my sanity, and give you more reading material! Again, ;) I am hoping this works better for everyone, and I am sure it is going to make things a lot easier for me. Stay tuned for updates!

Singin' on Sunday v. 2

Thank You, Lord, For Homes
Huey P. Hartsell (Arr. Craig Roberts)

Thank You, Lord, for in creation man was lonely, incomplete;
From his rib You made a helper suited for him kind and sweet.
"Leave your father and your mother, go and cleave unto your wife."
What a beautiful relation; two becoming one for life.

Thank You, Lord, for faithful fathers, loving, giving, strong and brave;
Leading happy households onward, praying for their homes to save,
For their daily needs providing, willing to correct and stand.
Oh how precious are our fathers! How we need them in the land!

Thank You, Lord, for loving mothers, godly hearts and hands to serve,
Priced above the precious rubies, having virtues all observe.
Children rise and call them blessed; husbands give them praises due.
Who can tell of their adornment, inward beauty, pure and true?

Thank You, Lord, for little children, how they fill our hearts with love!
Humble, innocent, and trusting, like Your children up above.
In our hands, as clay they're molded, ever learning morn and eve.
What a heritage we're leaving; precious children who believe!




Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord."

Sharing Some Inspiration

I wanted to share a couple of posts from other blogs that inspired me and made me think this morning. I hope they will do the same for you!

A Plea To Christians by Lynnette Kraft at Dancing Again

I Wonder by Candra Georgi at Curious Georgi

Thankful Thursday 5

This week's thankfuls...

1.  Rain to make our garden grow.
2.  That even though Audrey woke up last night, she went back to sleep without nursing!
3.  Seeing the joy on my boys' faces over a new movie. :)
4.  Watching my kiddos snuggled up with their daddy.
5.  Juice boxes.
6.  That I finally got caught up on my Bible reading!
7.  Garanimals.
8.  That we got our pool up!
9.  That so far Jeremy has had jobs coming in.
10. Finding a backpack FULL of pictures from junior high and high school and reliving some memories.


Linking up with Curious Georgi.

Where I'm From

Just found this great idea from Mary over at Owlhaven. If you want to join in on the "Where I'm From" fun, click here for the format and some more information about how this started. :)

Where I'm From

I am from hay fields, John Deere and Massey Ferguson, and Chevy trucks.

I am from Bowers Hill, where there was volleyball on Saturday nights and chicken stew on the Fourth of July.

I am from lightning bugs on summer nights, beautiful fall maples, and fruit trees and grape vines on the hill.

I am from church on Sundays and sticking to your guns. From Bowerses and Holts, Abernathys and Raneys.

I am from the singers and the music makers, the cut-ups and the storers of useless information. The baby-lovers and respected elders. The flash and fizzle tempers, and the peace-makers.

From "Remember who you are" and "You can do anything."

I am from loving God and following His Word. From loving your neighbor as yourself, doing what you can when you can, always telling the truth, and forgiving your brother.

I am from small town, USA, with Moma Kat's home cooking, and home made ice cream on hot summer nights.

From all those surprise "over the hill" roasts at the clubhouse, swimming and a picnic every Thursday with our friends and family. From learning to play softball in the yard with my dad, and Moma Kat reading "The Monster at the End of the Book" complete with Grover's voice. From playing Ninja Turtles with my brother, and kicked in doors.

I am from spiral bound, sticky paged photo albums, and pictures in frames all over the house. Pink shelves with birthday girl figurines and Grandsam's handmade treasures. I am from singing favorite songs in beautiful harmony with those you love. I am from knowing there was always someone there, and hugs and kisses from everyone when it is time to say goodbye.

Random Fun

We have had a lot going on the past few weeks. We got a new (to us) above ground swimming pool. We now have 2 horses. And that's not even counting all the other stuff that keeps us busy. Here is some of the fun we have been having!

Playing in the mud on the swimming pool pad.



Ty didn't much like getting his hands dirty!


Audrey and Daddy on Cash



The boys watching Daddy drive the skid steer working on the pool pad.


Audrey loves being outside!


And playing in any little puddle of water she can find!
(excuse the mud on the shower floor...my boys get nasty! lol)

Polling

So, I decided to add a poll to my blog. See if I get any response. Just for kicks. Check it out to the left. I'll change it around in a week or so. :)

Happy Father's Day! (and a New Feature!)

I just want to wish my dad and my sweet husband a happy father's day! I grew up knowing that I was loved and I know that my children will learn the same. I am so blessed to have these 2 wonderful men in my life. :) Love you guys!


Also, I'm starting a new weekly feature on my devo blog called Singin' on Sunday, where I will be sharing some of my favorite songs with you. Check it out. Hope you enjoy it!

Singin' on Sunday v.1

I wanted to share some of my favorite songs with you, those that comfort, inspire, and uplift me, so I decided to make it a weekly feature. I hope you enjoy!




Sing Me A Song About Jesus
G.T. Speer

Sing me a song about Jesus,
Sing me a song about His love,
Sing with all your might, Ev'ry day and night,
Make the hallelujahs roll;
Sing out the blessed old story,
Tell how he gave the victory,
Dying on a tree, All for you and me,
How He came and made me whole.

Sing me a song about Jesus,
Sing me a song about His love,
Sing with all your might, Ev'ry day and night,
If the way is bright or dim;
Sing me a song about Jesus,
Sing me a song about His love,
Sing about His grace, Till you see His face,
Sing me a song about Him.

Jesus the wonderful Savior,
Guides me along the rugged way,
Never lets me fall, Hears my feeble call,
Makes the way so bright for me;
I will forever adore Him,
I will forever sing His praise,
He will take me home, Never more to roam,
Then His loving face I'll see.

Sing me a song about Jesus,
Sing me a song about His love,
Sing with all your might, Ev'ry day and night,
If the way is bright or dim;
Sing me a song about Jesus,
Sing me a song about His love,
Sing about His grace, Till you see His face,
Sing me a song about Him.





Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."

Just A Mom

I don't know how many of you are stay at home moms, like me, but do you ever feel like people look down on you because you are "just a mom" and haven't really "done anything with your life?" I do. I "threw away" a full paid scholarship to college to get married and start a family. I had heard my whole life, "You can do anything you want to do, be anything you want to be, if you just set your mind to it." I went through stages just like any kid, wanting to be a doctor, a teacher, a famous singer...but in the back of my mind, I knew I always wanted to be a wife and mother. And here I am however many years later. Wife and mother of 3. And you know what?

I'm happy.

I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. I'm not the perfect, model Proverbs 31 woman. There are things that I wish were different sometimes. I wish I had more support and more courage to act even without the support.

But I love being Jeremy's wife, his help meet, which entails so many different things. That and being a good mother to our children is a full time job. I love doing it. I love knowing that God gave me the direction and the desire to want to serve Him in doing my best to make our home a happy, loving, safe place for us and those we love. That He gave me the direction and desire to be hospitable and kind-hearted. That He gave me the avenue and ability to use this blog to reach out to others and try to be an encouragement even to those who I may never have met.

Am I "just a mom?"

No.

I am a mom. But I am also a wife. A friend. A Christian. A child of the King. A servant of my Lord.




Lord, help me always to remember that everything I do is for Your glory, whether it is blessing my home with cleanliness, instructing my children in righteousness, supporting my husband in his place of leadership, or encouraging others with Your love. Let me always strive to continue do to so. In the name of sweet Jesus, Amen.

Thankful Thursday 4 (on Friday)

This week I am thankful:

1. That Audrey is finally getting over some of her gag reflex and starting to eat more big people food!

2. For good ol' quartet singing to keep my spirits up.

3. For 800mg ibuprofen.

4. For a mom who willingly stays up with me the night before every one of my kids' birthday parties to help me finish their cakes.

5. For the rain that came just in time for our garden before we had to start dragging out the water hose.

6. That the rain is just a thundershower and no tornadoes!

7. For a sweet teenage girl who was sorry she is going to Six Flags tomorrow and couldn't babysit for me...and I mean truly bummed. lol.

8. That my sweet lifelong friend delivered her second baby girl safely last Friday!

9. That even though I am even farther behind in my Bible reading than I was last week, I have still been able to read a little bit every day and I know that all it will take is one good sit down to catch back up (if that is ever possible!)

10. For an understanding husband who has not complained too much about the basic house work falling behind as I have been cleaning out....more on that later. ;)



For more Thankful Thursday, check out Curious Georgi. :)

Party!!

We had Troy's 4th birthday party Saturday. Since most of you didn't get to be there, I thought I would let you in on the fun! ;)

The birthday cake....That's another post in itself.....


Troy loved his cake with the Justice League theme (and his shirt to match!)


Excited about his new kiddie pool!


Opening presents


He is so silly.


Being a good host and handing out goody bags.


Enjoying the new pool!



(My) Grandeddy and Audrey


Snuggling with his "stuff" - his usual baby, "cow" (that is really a bear), and monkey, and his new Woody.


Also tired after a long day.


And here's the Sleeping Princess.

True to Myself

You ever have someone tell you the "right"way to do something? Then when you try things their way, it's like wearing a shoe that is too tight (which is even more uncomfortable for someone who wears shoes as seldom as I do!) Now, you realize I'm not talking about commands from God, or doing those things that are required in our walk to live the Christian life. I'm talking about personality differences, "marketing yourself" if you will.

When I decided to start a devotional blog, the first thing I did was do a little research on what makes a "good" devo. I found I was "supposed to" start with a Bible passage, say my bit, then end with a prayer. So this is how I started. And I will admit, it is a good format. But it just hasn't been flowing well for me. At least not to use the same format for every post. So I have decided to loosen up a bit. Be more...well, me. Not try to be so philosophical or whatever it is I have tried. Be myself, and not try to do like someone else because it's "right." Just be open, using my own life and my own words to minister. Share my own shortcomings and how I am trying to overcome them. I don't mean be negative, but constructive. Weaving Scripture and prayer throughout. We will see how this goes. ;)

Troy is 4!

Wow. I can't believe at this time 4 years ago I was holding my 4 hour old baby. Time flies.



Along with the love, I was feeling relief. Troy was born 4 weeks early. After having such a hard time with Ty when they induced me 2 weeks early, I was worried that things weren't going to be okay. Just goes to show you God knows better than the doctors. At 2 weeks early, I had a hard labor, with complications, with Ty, almost resulting in a c-section. He hit all of his milestones late. Several factors lead me to believe he just wasn't ready. But Troy, at 4 weeks early, came all on his own, had no complications, pushing was easy-peasy, and he has thrived ever since.



Troy is my dramatic child. Quick-tempered, but quick to forgive. He is my snuggler. A little bit shy. And funny. You never know what he is going to say. Example: This morning, he told Jeremy, "My moma is a big moma. She didn't cry when she had her baby, like that lady on Justice League did. Booster Gold couldn't help her and she cried. But my moma didn't cry." Or when I was pregnant, "Moma, you need to quit eating. Baby sissy is getting too big." He is also my singer. Ty likes to sing, but Troy always has a song ready to fall from his lips.



So, Happy Birthday to my little boy who's not so little anymore. I love you, sweet T-roy!

Me and God

Me and God
Josh Turner, feat. Ralph Stanley



There ain't nothing that can't be done
By me and God
Ain't nobody gonna come in between me and God
One day we'll live together
Where the angels trod
Me and God

Early in the morning talking it over
Me and God
Late at night talking it over
Me and God
You could say we're like two peas in a pod
Me and God

He's my Father
He's my friend
The beginning
And the end
He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

I am weak and he is strong
Me and God
He forgives me when I'm wrong
Me and God
He's the one I lean on
When life gets hard
Me and God

He's my Father
He's my friend
The beginning
And the end
He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

He rules the world
With a staff and rod
We're a team
Me and God

We're a team
Me and God



My Prayer is....

Is God your team captain?

A Prayer

Dearest Father in Heaven,

Please be with me in all that I do. Let Your part in my life increase, and my my fleshly desires to decrease. Help me to be a better servant in Your eyes. Be with me as I raise my children, make a home, and do my part to spread your word. Guide my actions and my words so that others may see You in me. Please take away my insecurities and give me peace and strength, for Your glory, not mine. Lord, You are mighty and I am weak, and I know that while I can accomplish nothing alone, there is nothing I can't do with Your help. Please bless me with those spiritual blessings which will let Your light shine through me and guide me, so I can guide others in the journey to heaven. In Christ's most precious and holy name,

Amen.

Snowballs and Suggestions

I know you have heard of the snowball effect. Something that isn't a big deal gets added to something else that's not a big deal, and keep adding, and soon you have a boulder rolling at you.

That's how mommyhood feels sometimes.

Don't get me wrong. It's the best job in the world. I get to spend all my time with those precious little people I love the most. I know that I am doing my best to raise them in the Lord, and not having to depend on someone else and hope they are getting enough.

But then the little things start piling up.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad for me right now if I wasn't on the down hill side of my thyroid returning to normal. I have these little stages I go through, pretty predictably, when my levels are going up and down. Right now we are in the "really emotional and unmotivated" stage.

Audrey still isn't sleeping through the night. She goes to bed fine on her own at bedtime, but is still wanting to get up and nurse at least once every night, sometimes more. (Which Dr. P says is actually not normal. Usually if they get to sleep by themselves at bedtime, they usually do fine during the night. It would be my kid that was in the minority here.) Dr. P said to try nursing her about 30 min before bedtime, instead of right before. Tried that. She's going to sleep fine, but still waking up. He said if that didn't work, to let Jeremy get up with her and give her a sippy cup with water or juice in it instead of me nursing her, and she ought to decide it wasn't worth it. Next step would be crying it out. Here lies my problem. I am supposed to wake up my dear sweet husband, who works long hours in the blazing sun, is dead tired every night, and hasn't been feeling well lately on top of everything (ulcer maybe? gallbladder? who knows), and get him to go take care of a screaming baby when he should be sleeping and preparing his body and mind for the next day at work. Of course, she's not going to let me give her a sippy, because when she sees/smells me, she says "Oh, good! It's time to nurse! Wait a minute, this sippy is NOT what I want!" and proceeds to wake up the whole house screaming. Which is also the problem with letting her cry it out. In the first place, I am just not a cry-it-out kind of mom. And Audrey is not a cry-it-out kind of baby. She cries and screams herself sick, I cry, everyone else in the house gets woken up and ill. So, I have been caving and still letting her nurse in the middle of the night. Which means, too, that I am not getting enough sleep at night, and that makes me tired the next day and then I don't get the things done that need doing, which makes me ill and emotional....and it all snowballs. Sheesh. Any suggestions?

I wold also love any suggestions on helping a bed wetter. Troy is waking up wet a lot of nights. He was doing pretty good for a while, but it seems like it is getting worse again. He says he just doesn't wake up and realizes he needs to go, and then wakes up wet. Today is the second day in a row he has woken up wet. It doesn't seem to matter when he has his last drink before bed, or what time he goes to bed. And we always make him use the potty right before laying down. A friend suggested waking him up in the middle of the night and making him go (I'm up anyway, right?) May have to try that.

Sorry this was kind of a negative post. I really don't like doing those kinds of posts. But I would love any suggestions anyone might have. :)

In other news, more busy-ness here at the Johnson homestead. Troy's birthday party is this weekend, so I will be putting my home purging (which, by the way, is going good when I actually have time to do it - I've got 3 boxes of out of season and too-big-for-the-boys clothes for storage, 3 garbage bags of stuff to toss, and 3 bags of just garbage so far) on hold while I figure out whether or not I really can make a Justice League cake. Wish me luck!

Thankful Thursday 3

So I haven't been too good about this, but here we go...

I am thankful for:

1. Audrey getting a good report at her check up today.
2. Unexpected large quantities of yogurt thanks to a truck-driving friend. :)
3. Our new phones that have
4. Kindle! and
5. Pandora!
6. My brother and his wife expecting a healthy baby BOY (ok, so I was wanting a girl, but we will still love him ;) )
7. My chronological Bible, even if I am a night and a half behind in my reading.
8. Quiet time at night after the kids go to bed.
9. The not-so-quiet time just before the kids go to bed.
10. Volleyball with friends and "family" on Sunday evening.

Link up here with your own Thankfuls!