Glorious Resurrection!

He is risen... He is risen indeed!


Over the weekend, we have listened to the story of Jesus' death & resurrection from Adventures in Odyssey, we made Resurrection Cookies, went through the Resurrection Eggs, & read our favorite Easter story re-telling in The Very First Easter.




Most importantly, we have had some precious time in God's Word, the true and exact account of Jesus's ministry, sacrifice and resurrection.




Today is a magnanimous day! Today is the day we celebrate Jesus' power over death! He is risen... He is risen indeed!




Easter is also a blessed day because it marks the anniversary of Ava's salvation. Two years ago, she received Christ as her Lord and Savior. I remember her praying to God thanking Him for Jesus' death on the cross that paid for all her sins; past present & future. I remember seeing tears stream down her face and Ava asking me, "Mommy, where are these tears coming from?... I can't stop crying for some reason." Her little heart was touched greatly by God's redeeming spirit and it was truly a joyous day we will always thank God for.



Jesus said in John 11:25-26: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."



What an amazing gift of grace! Because Jesus conquered death, and was raised again to reign ALIVE in Heaven on the throne... we are promised that same eternal life when we place our faith in Christ alone.



Thank you God for your indescribable gift of Salvation! We serve a risen and glorious Savior!



Have a blessed Easter!


*Before watching "On Christ Alone", remember to scroll down and pause my "Music Playlist" (red box found on the right-hand side of the page)

Happy Pesach!

Today is an amazing day... the celebration of Passover (Pesach)!

In Exodus, God saved the Israelites from their bondage of Egyptian slavery with one thing: the blood of a lamb. (Exodus 11-12)

God had previously used 9 plagues upon Egypt to glory over Pharaoh and prepare the freedom of His chosen people, Israel. The plagues not only showed God's power and sovereignty, but proved Egypt's false gods to be a mockery.

The 10th and final plague was to take the life of the firstborn sons in Egypt. God spoke through Moses and told the Israelites that in order for their firstborn to be saved from this plague, they had to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and cover their door frames with the blood of the lamb.

That's all: just the blood. When the angel of death saw the Israelite's house covered with the spotless lamb's blood, he would "passover" that house knowing it was set-apart for God's salvation. Thus, they were saved by their faith in the blood covering the door frames of their homes.

Over 1,400 years later, God sent His fulfillment of Gen. 3:15 to be the Passover Lamb for all who put their faith in Him. In John 1:29, John the Baptist acknowledges Jesus as that Passover Lamb when he declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Just like the Israelites were saved when they covered the door frames of their homes, we are saved when our faith declares that Jesus' blood covers our sin and gives us right standing before God in Heaven.

You see, the Israelites could have thought, "I'm sure the blood of the lamb isn't going to work... so, let's do something else" OR "I'm sure the blood of the lamb isn't enough, let's add something to it." But, that's not how God arranged it. The ONLY thing they had to do to be saved was to cover their door frames with the blood. That's all!

Jesus, (the spotless Lamb) being the perfect and sinless Son of God (Rom. 1:4), died on the cross for the sins of the world, rose again (Mark 16:19) and now sits ALIVE at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven (Heb. 12:2). The ONLY thing that saves us is faith that His blood covers our sins and gives us salvation. (John 3:16)

Some will say, "I'm sure faith in Christ alone isn't going to work, I'll just do something else like try real hard to be good" OR "I'm sure Jesus' sacrifice isn't enough, I'll add something to it to assure my salvation".

But we have to remember who we are: We are "dead in our trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1) "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23)

What was the same for Israel's Passover then, is the same as it is for us now: Christ's blood (like the spotless lamb) is the ONLY atonement for our sin. Our faith in Him is the ONLY security for salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

And Ephesians 2:4-9 says: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So, as we think about Passover and the mighty miracle God bestowed upon the Israelites who put their faith and obedience in the blood of the lamb, I have to ask:

Have you put your faith in the mighty miracle that God bestowed upon the World?: Jesus' sacrifice... his blood... will cover all your sins and your faith in that alone covering you will be your salvation.

Sunday we will celebrate His glorious resurrection... He is risen indeed!

Praise God for His perfect plan of salvation... Thank you Jesus for your death on the cross that paid the penalty for my sins. You are truly Mighty to Save!

Be Blessed by putting your faith in Him! Happy Passover!

*Scroll down and pause my "Playlist" music on the right toolbar before watching this video of Hillsong's Hosanna*

Advent Study and Christmas Tree Choppin'

Advent... what a beautiful time to prepare our hearts for the Christmas Celebration of Christ's birth! Christmas-time feels different, smells different, looks different than any other time of the year. As Christians, we need to focus on celebrating Christmas differently than the world. We need to be set apart... for Christ.

Mrs. Miiko Gibson has a wonderful free Advent Study on her blog. We went through it day-by-day last year and just loved it.

I pray that studying God's Word in preparation for Christmas not only deepens our understanding of how His Birth has redeemed those who have trusted in Him for salvation, but also brings us to celebrate Christmas in a Christ-focused way, rather than conforming to the World's-way of over-spending, over-indulgence, holiday "stress", etc.... "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2



The day after Thanksgiving, we drove out to Wintergreen Farms in Van Alystyne. They have a HUGE tree farm that you can stroll through, pick out and chop down your own tree. We just love it!



Caroline, Mommy and Ava getting chuferred by the tractor ride out to the tree farm.





After searching, and searching... we find the "perfect" tree!





Of course, we have to pose cutely in front of it before we chop it down.




Ironman is choppin' it down. He was going to use his bare hands, but he didn't want to blow his cover. I complained that I couldn't see his cute face...




There it is!!!!! LOL! :)


TIMMMMMBERRRRRRRR! (My camera takes great action shots, doesn't it?!)




Nothin' like a man's work of choppin' down and haulin' off your own Christmas Tree! Fun times!

So Thankful...

I have so very much to be thankful for...

My husband who is such a Godly leader, my precious children who give me such joy to teach, my wonderful friends and family that give me such wonderful memories, and my God who has given me blessings beyond measure in my eternal salvation and security through Jesus Christ.

Isn't Nicole Nordeman's song Gratitude just perfect for Thanksgiving?! I just love her lyrics!

In lieu of the upcoming holiday, last night we made our Pumpkin puree from organically-grown pumpkins. It was so fun... messy, but fun! You can look at The Pioneer Woman's blog for more details and pictures of how to make your own pumpkin puree. She also has lots of Thanksgiving Recipes that look scrumptious!


Here are the soon-to-be carriages, I mean, soon-to-be pumpkin purees. (Our Fairy Godmother was busy, so we had to make a plan B)



Singing "The Farmer in the Dell"... "we chopped off their tops with a carving knife"



Caroline and Ava scooped out all the yummy (or should I say yucky) insides. We saved the pumpkin seeds so we can roast them later to eat. Yummy recipe here!



Ava showing off her hollowed out pumpkin. (she really wishes it had been a carriage)



Caroline showing off hers, too. (she's not thinking about carriages... only the pumpkin pie)



We then cut the pumpkin into quarters. Ironman (aka Daddy) had to use his brawn to get the job done. (Isn't he cute?!)




We roasted the pumpkin quarters in the oven on 350 for 45 minutes...



Then peeled and cut off the skin...



And chopped it up in the food processor to make the yummy puree. (Of course, Ava had to eat some of it immediately)



We measured out the puree in cupfuls, and bagged them up. (Notice Ava's dish-washing gloves she's donning).

Next, we will make homemade pumpkin pie with our purees... oh, and I have to go make the crust. I guess it would defeat our purpose of making all the ingredients from scratch and then pour it into a pre-made crust. We're going to try Mrs. Klause's recipe for the crust. Whew!... more baking fun upahead. (how did the Pilgrims do it all?!)

I found out that Mrs. Fuentes has a precious recipe for the cookies pictured below. This will be the girls' fun project while I finish brining and preparing the turkey.



This morning, the girls and I awoke to finish our Thanksgiving day preparations... we pulled out our recipes, started making a plan of action, and then I said:

"STOP!"

"We are trying to prepare for Thanksgiving without preparing our hearts first!"

So, Caroline grabbed some pillows and we curled up by the blazing fire place and read 1 Thess. 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

We discussed how we can be joyful, prayerful and thankful... always. Ava, who is our voice of reason, kept telling us that we can't do it always. But... we CAN!! We are AmeriCAN, not AmeriCAN'T!! (rip off of Beverly Hills Chihuahua... lol!)

So, we made a list of everything we are thankful for. I won't publish the whole list here, but I'll recap a few of them:

Some of Ava's thankful list: Mommy, Daddy, Caroline, ability to read the Bible, Jesus, home, dogs, friends and family.

Some of Caroline's thankful list: Mommy, Daddy, Ava, Jesus, pets, a mommy and daddy that teach her the bible (Awwww!), a mommy that homeschools her (double Awwwww!), food, safety, home, friends and family.

And we ended our devotion by praying to God thanking Him for all He has given us, as well as asking Him to help us when we complain or are ungrateful about things we want and don't have. We asked for help to replace those thoughts with a thankfulness for everything we do have!

What an Awesome, Loving and Giving Father we have... may we choose joy, prayer-fullness, and a heart of thanksgiving... in ALL circumstances... ALWAYS!

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Fall is here! (at least it should be despite the warm weather)

Can you just hear the "Little House on the Prairie" theme song as you look at us?



We went to the Pumpkin Patch to get our pumpkins (which ended up being rotten, but never mind that). I'm thinking Ava was hoping that pumpkin would turn into her royal coach and whisk her away to the ball.



Mommy and her two precious girls!



Daddy, Caroline & Ava on the Hay Ride. (We had a "lurker" in the picture, but thanks to "photo shop", his face is removed. You can still see his legs poking out... he must have turned into the "Headless Horseman")



My sweet hubby and me. :)



FYI: Erich was originally cast to be the star of "Ironman" before they picked Robert Downey, Jr. You can see why in this picture. lol!



Again, amazing brute strength displayed... those pumpkins must have weighed 250 lbs. each!!!

We went on a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum. It was pretty weather at first, but we ended up getting rained out. Here, the girls pose in a cottage window.

It's Pumpkin Land!!!

The girls in the Pumpkin House

Caroline and Ava amongst the pumpkins

Gotta love that missing tooth! :)-

Sitting pretty...

Here are all the cousins! It's so nice to be a part of a large family.

Ready for school (and proof that we don't school in our pajamas... lol)

OK... this is our dog Fly... he is a boy... what a shame that he allows Caroline & Ava to dress him up otherwise. :)

Happy 11th Birthday Caroline!

I can't believe it's been 11 years since God brought you into this world and blessed our family! Whew... time flies when you're having fun, right?! Here are some fun memories of your birthday celebration:

Ann-Marie, Abbey and You at the movie theater ready to see "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"! (Obviously, we have an onlooker who wanted to be in the picture, too. )

Flashing your "11 sign".

All the girls crowding around the cake and hoping to eat it soon. You all are so cute!

You and Ann-Marie pose for the camera. Shopping money is awesome!

You and Abbey smile for the camera, too. Love that purse!



Surprise, surprise... now you can be speed racer, too! :)

(That look on your face is priceless)

You all had fun swimming in the spa. You also had a blast jumping into the pool despite the cold temperature... daring and brave souls you are. :)

"AHHHHHHH!!! The flash is hurting my eyes!"

"Much better now... night, night!"

You had so much fun with your dear friends that night. We also had a family birthday dinner at Chili's, but I haven't gotten the pictures from Emily, yet. (hint, hint!)

Caroline, you are such a bright and fun-loving young lady. Your enthusiasm for life is truly a joy to be around! God has gifted you in so many areas... you are so artistic and have the sharpest memory out of anyone I know (besides Poppi, of course). May God continue to use you to bless others and may He grow you strong spiritually to be used to further His Kingdom!

I love you so much, Caroline... it is an honor and a joy to be your mother! I am so blessed by you!

Happy 6th Birthday Ava!

6 years ago, God blessed us by your birth! You were such a sweet and precious little baby! Here are a few fun pictures of your 6th birthday celebration:



Waking up to yummy birthday pancakes!



For your birthday, you had your choice of ice skating or going to the park... you picked the park. We even brought Fly and Rocket along! :)



You were so excited to get a new soccer ball... Fly better not chew this one!





Excitedly opening up one of your presents (this was a doll apron that matches yours)



Going on a scavenger hunt to find your present...




After several clues... you found her!! You named your "Life of Faith Doll", Addison. You were so excited to get her! You are always grateful for gifts received, but you were "extra" happy about this one!!!



Caroline and you pose with your dolls!



Opening up your new roller blades... watch out Speed Racer!




Of course, you picked a pink & purple cake with a soccer ball!




We had fun at your roller skating party! Daddy and Caroline are working up a sweat! :)




Posing with Rachel while opening your presents!



What a busy and fun day! You've dressed Addison for bed, and you're ready to hit the sack yourself!

You are such a sweet and kind-hearted young lady. God has gifted you with so many abilities, but the strongest gift I see is your heart for Him. You are always sensitive to His leading, whether it is through bible study, prayer or serving others, your love for Christ is evident in all you do. I am so blessed to be your mother... may God continue to use you, Ava, in mighty ways for His Kingdom! I love you! This was a blessed day!