Following Christ for real, not just showing up for church on Sunday

This last month of our lives has been a little crazy. But from it all, feels like I finally see a path to becoming a real Christian. I was baptized in Sept of 2009, but after that point, I was like, now what? I am a list person, so you tell me what to do, I do it, but in a spiritual journey it doesn't work that way.

My husband is an amazing man, full of so much information to Christ. He tells me though, "he who knows much is accountable for much." So, I know he felt like he needed to get back on his own track back to God as well. He tells me of the promissive will and unsubmissive will of God. I mean Jesus died on the cross for our sins, certainly not his, because he had none. It's a pretty amazing thing that God let his only son die for us because we are sinners, and God lets us continue to be sinners because he gives us the choices and it's up to us to make the right ones. Then also sometimes, God lays things out in a way to make and end result he needs. I love that He has this kind of power. Its amazing.

So in all we have been through in the last month, I feel like it has a reason,set up by God to give me the answer I needed on now what?. By all that has occured, we have come closer as a couple and closer to God. We have a new found desire to know more, to do more. I bought my first devotions book for couples to give us a focus everyday, hoping that will be a good start, and so far, so good. I bought my husband a new Bible from me. He told me I could not buy myself one because it's something so very special, with so much meaning that having one given to you is an amazing gift. I got him a beautiful Bible. I find the book to be the coolest thing. I mean layered in leather, paper that feels like it can rip so easily that you want to be so careful. And in the last month we have talked more then we ever did. Become even more open with eachother, then I thought possible. The thing is, I love my husband, he was always my best friend. I thought we were really open and honest, and had a great relationship. I mean how many people really have a desire to hang out with their spouse all the time. We did, so I thought we were good, but since we really took God into our lives it has been a more powerful relationship between us then I thought possible, and I owe God for that.

I truly love my husband and through everything, I know with God on our side I can see the future, hanging out in our rocking chairs. sitting on the porch, him with his DS5000(no its not a real one, but I am sure there will still be video games around in another 40 years) and me with my book in a little handheld touch screen, watching our grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up to be amazing people.

I learn so much everyday and look forward to it. I feel like I am finally ready to make good decisions to be a good Christian, and be in imagine of God, like we are meant to be. And, to raise children who can see that leading a life with God brings happiness.

Noone really reads my blog, but I do it for me, a place to put all my crazy jubbled up thoughts. This is a new beginning for us and well I need to write about it!

My newest read

So, I became totally obsessed with the Twilight series, all thanks to my parents, who on my birthday bought me the first 3 books, and within 3 days, I had read them and had to buy the 4th. Stephenie Meyer is an amazing writer and the movies in no way give her justice, to say the least. So I then read them all a second time, and officially became a Twilight nut even after so long of refusing to do it.

Well, I was about to start reading them a third time and Jeremy suggested I get a new book, especially because he was supposed to do cq duty(Army duty where he gaurds a specific place for a 24 hour duty). He knows that I hate being home alone and thought it would help. After going to couple places to look for books. I finally broke down and bought Stephenie Meyer's new book "The Host." Now I was against this book because it did not have my precious Edward in it and all I want really is a 5th book(not a book about Bree Tanner). But after the first few kinda confusing chapters I couldn't put it down. Another amazing book!

I do find it interesting that her characters always are so selfless. In "Twilight" Bella is always willing to give her life for others that she loves, even willing to die for her vampire family who could at any chance turn on her. In "The Host", Wanderer also behaves in the same ways, more then willing to do anything to please others in human family she has grown so much to love, even though she is not sure of how much they really love her or just the person's body she is inside of. That is of course the only similiarity in the books.

I actually ended up buying this book for my mom now for Mother's Day. She loves to read as well and it's been far to long since she has read a really good book. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did. And for all you out there who are like me and don't want to read a different book from Stephenie because it's not about vampires, well give it a try. I was pleasently surprised.

That's it for today, gotta check the mail and see if my Team Edward sticker came in the mail today...lol

Stephenie Meyer's Website!! Check it out

Pictures from Erin's 2nd Birthday Party~Tiki Style

Easter Island

The Easter Island Tiki!

This is my favorite, because he did not cost a thing. Thanks to my parents(Thanks Mom & Dad), we got a new tv for our birthdays(both Jeremy and I are in March). So Jeremy cut off the sides and used excess cardboard to make braces inside and hot glued them inside. The layout of the box worked out perfectly. Then he layed it on its side, cut around some other cardboard we had, heading for the recylce bin, and made the sides, also hot glued on and left to set. The outside was then paper mache. The mixture was a bit different to make it more sturdy. The mixture was flour, water, salt, which is the normal kind, but we added clay flour. We had purchased a 50 pound box of this from a taxadermy website last year. By adding it, the constitancy was much better. So, newspaper with the paper mache mixture, and it dried much quicker then other projects we did with regular paper mache. He did coloring with layering of paints. First layer was black, then with a sponge brush and light strokes of gray next. You have to make sure its very dry brush/sponge, not a lot of paint, or the effect will not look as nice. Next added in some med green coloring with dry brush technique and then a darker green.,and we had some moss lying around from the plant that we had bought for clearance in one of the other projects that he added last. This guy was great for backdrop of the swimming pool we filled with sand. Since Erin's sandbox was only big enough for 2 toddlers, we got a pool that we would need anyways in the summer, added 4 bags of play sand and toys and kids had a blast. Erin had to be pulled away kicking and screaming from it. And what will we do with all the sand, well Erin goes through it, and it will last us through fall, so we will just store it for use later. Waste not want not, right?!

More of our Tiki decorations

Jeremy created this fountain. The tiki guy is wood, we got him years ago at a mall in St Louis. He was less then $20 at time. He wasnt even on the bottom so he would never sit up right and would fall over off the shelves and hit kids in the head and me more then once. I had put him up. Jeremy drilled a hole in the back for the tubing and 3 small holes diagonally down his tongue. He added a small line of hot glue along bottom of his tongue to make the water flow the way it needed to so it would go down off his body into the hole you can't see, if he did not do that it would run straight down his body.  The tubing was purchased at Lowes, less then $5 for a big long piece, I think like 5 ft, and the fountain motor was from Lowes as well. It was $10-15, not sure because we bought it last year. The wicker basket was from plant we found clearanced out and we liked the leaves but had no use for basket. He used a cheap bucket from Home Depot inside it with a silver pan(cheap ones from dollar tree) that had holes in it already. (You know, the kind you put in the oven and get for your turkey). Its topped with rocks that we had from one of my previous decorating things, added some baboo grass from the woods and all done. We plan to start taking pictures as we go instead of just the final product from now on, so we can help other do it yourselfers. Jeremy is great at doing everything for cheap. The rocks would have came from around the area and looked just as great but we had the smooth rocks already so we used them.

Now this is something he made when we were stationed in California. The sign itself is plywood scrap and a piece of 2x4 scrap, cut, put together and painted. Jeremy then made a base from a foam piece from the stuff that surronds a new tv when you buy it. It was just gonna go in the trash of course. The foam was cut to shape and sprayed with spray adhesive and some sand out of Erin's sand box, and dried overnight. Add some grass from woods, a coconut, and a green leaf, and we have an awesome sign. The sign also covers up the sandbag that holds down our canapy that covers the back patio. Its nice way to keep that hidden.

Another note, the walls are a baboo like wall that we got at Lowes in the outdoor area with the decorative fencing stuff. It was $22 and it was 20 ft long. It did 2 walls for us and the whole corner looks like a tiki hut. I think it was the best money we spent to make a big difference for not much over twenty bucks.

Decorations for Erin's party and the backyard patio

G-Nome gone Tiki...                                                         Jeremy's gnome is sitting in a bed of irish moss. Since he wasn't doing well in the sun in the front of the house we needed to move him. He didn't fit our theme in the back, so out of piece of construction paper, hot glue, and some wire he made the mask. He then covered it in paint, made for vehicles, cut out eye holes and put red construction paper in behind it. He then added some grass cut from woods behind the house and tada! a really cool mask to make the g-nome tiki cool!!

Canceling Facebook

Recently we watched an episode of Sat Night Live were they did a skit about canceling your facebook account. It was too funny. We have erased ours, among other things, Jeremy got a horrible malware from facebook and messed up the desktop badly, and considering the pictures of the first 3 years of our lives together, we were not very happy. We have canceled, and although I miss being able to contact old friends and family we are now going to blog. Jeremy has some amazing ideas and does projects, so we will also use this to upload that kind of thing too and post family pics. I hope you all enjoy!