For Our Nine Year Anniversary

To Troy Cowan, the one who stole my heart then and continues to steal it today.

You've laughed at me...when I told a joke that no one else got.

You've told me no...to protect me, sometimes from myself.

You've watched me throw up over and over again...because you blessed me with a life growing inside my womb.

At times, you've just stood there...and was my rock during our home birth.

You've yelled at me...when the kids were so loud we couldn't hear ourselves think.

I've watched you leave...to go to a job you hated so you could provide for us.

You've woke me up every morning...to tell me goodbye, kiss me, and pray for me.

You've watched me cry...and held me close when I've had enough and my heart was breaking.

You've even made me cry...with sweet declarations of your love.

And you've rushed me...back to a place of peace when I thought all hope was gone.

And so I thank you for all the times you've laughed at me, told me no, watched me throw up, just stood there, yelled at me, left me, woke me up, watched me cry, made me cry and rushed me. For those are the times I really needed you and you've shown me what you're made of...

fun

protection

sympathy

strength

patience

endurance

love

compassion

adoration

hope

Nine is the number of choice, so for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part, as long as we both shall live...I DO...choose you. Everyday, over and over again, forever and ever! 

Happy Anniversary Honey, I love you.

On Giving Birth Naturally & Other Things

Because of the invitation the Lord extended, our courage to say 'yes', our faith in His ability to keep us, and His grace and strength to see us through, I was able to accomplish something I never thought possible. Give. Birth. Naturally. And in MY home no less! With God ALL things are possible. And I can't wait to see what He has planned for us!


Things I learned:

1. The Lord extends invitations to us everyday. Some days they're big. Some days they're small. But they all lead us to intimacy with the Father and His will done for our lives.

2. We have to have the courage to say 'yes'. God wants to use you to accomplish great and mighty things, but He can't do it without your yes. You have free will, but what amazing things will you miss out on if you say no??

3. You have to trust that He will keep you. Don't back down when things don't go exactly the way everybody thinks they should. God loves you and will keep you! Take a risk for Him!

4. He will give you grace and strength to see it through to completion if you stand fast in Him. If He brings you to it, He will see you through it.

Now, what is it that God has invited you to do??

Sukkot 2011/5772

Sundown tonight marks the beginning of the Jewish feast of Sukkot. (Also known as Tabernacles because we are to "Tabernacle with God").

For forty years, the Jewish people traversed the Sinai Desert, following the Exodus from Egypt. During this time miraculous "clouds of Glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. Ever since, we remember God's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches--for the duration of the Sukkot Festival (on the Jewish calendar Tishrei 15-21). For seven days and nights, we are to eat all our meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as our home.

Sukkot is also called The Time of Our Joy; indeed, a special joy pervades the festival. People fill the synagogues and streets with song, music, and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

This time also represents our becoming one flesh with God (through Jesus Christ/Yeshua our Messiah) and is a "dress rehearsal" for the wedding feast when Jesus comes back for his bride!

Sukkot Blessing (in traditional Hebrew, Transliteration, and English Translation.)

Blessing for dwelling in the Sukkah

Baruch ata Adonai Elohanu melech ha-olam asher kedshanu b'mitsvotav vetsevanu leisheiv ba-sukkah. Blessed are you Adonai, king of the universe who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah.

This is how we celebrated Sukkot in our home today. We did this instead of our traditional workbooks for homeschool. Hannah was glad for the break!


Our Sukkah:

 Inside the Sukkah:

Crafts we did to decorate:

Hannah relaxing and enjoying her homeschool day:

Caleb having a blast:

Here is a good picture of a "traditional" outdoor Sukkah:





I hope you guys have enjoyed this look into our day and maybe learned something new!


To learn more about Sukkot/Tabernacles visit this website:
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4457/jewish/How-is-Sukkot-Observed.htm

Scriptures that reference Sukkot:
Deuteronomy 16:13-15
Zechariah 14:16-17

Saying "Yes" to Pappa

One of my prayers lately has been for God to break my heart for what breaks His. To give me the eyes to see people the way He sees them and to love them the way He does. Basically, just to have His heart and love for those hurting, suffering, and seeking anything of meaning in this life. I have also been telling God that I am an empty vessel open and willing to be used by Him.

If I am being completely honest there are a few things I didn't expect...
For one, I didn't expect to have to make good on my promise so soon. Two, I didn't expect to have to die (to self, sometimes daily) and how truly hard that would be. Even if it meant doing something I am excited about but still having to give up something in return. And finally, as we humans are so notorious for doing, I think I completely underestimated what God has planned for me.

I've grown quite accustom to this life and I'm more than a little apprehensive about change, but I feel like I am standing on the edge of a precipice. I have the choice to stay safely on the ledge loving my life, refusing change, and trying to peer into the future God has prepared for me, but never being able to see it clearly. Or...I can let go of everything I have ever known and dive unabated into what God has created me to be and destined me to do. Yes, it will be an unknown and maybe a little bit scary at times, but I also know it will be exciting, exhilarating, and all together glorious! I have a feeling one of my frequent sayings will be, "You can't make this stuff up!".

I have made my decision. Have you?

They won the victory over him because of the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life so much that they refused to give it up.
-Revelation 12:11 (God's Word Translation)

I leave you with two songs of inspiration...

Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the one's forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

Hosanna by Hillsong United

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

Sowing Seeds Through Prayer

I recently had someone tell me that I should find someone who was doing something similar to what I am trying to do with making and selling jewelry and to pray for that person. He said that through those prayers not only would that person be blessed, but I would be as well. I had never thought of it before, but I now see how praying for people is like sowing seeds. And you know what they say, right? "You reap what you sow." Is there something that you need to come forth in your life? I encourage you to find someone with a similar need and pray it into their life. Then watch and see how the Lord blesses you both!

Happy sowing!

New Jewelry Supplies!

Some one very special to me sowed a seed into my Jewelry business! Love you Nissi. :)


Bead mat and ring mandrel (sizer):

New glass beads and key charms:



Happy beading! :)

Getting Creative with Creation!

For Hannah's science we had been working on the days of Creation. To make it easier I figured I would only cover one of the days of Creation each school day. Well....after a week and a half, she still didn't know what was created on which day. (Partly my fault because science was always the last thing we worked on and by that point she was ready to be done.) So today I figured I would mix it up a bit and we would do science first. We were reviewing what was created on each day but still weren't really making much progress in the way of remembering. So I had to get a little creative. I decided to have her paint what happened on each of the days. Of course she thought this was a great idea but wanted me to help her paint. So she painted days 1 and 2, I painted days 3 and 4, and she covered 5 and 6. Now she has a much easier time remembering each day. She still gets a few days mixed up (especially day 4 since I painted it), but much better than before! Here are a few pictures of our paintings...


Day 1 & 2: 1-Light and Darkness & 2-The sky (heavens)

Day 3 & 4: 3-Land, sea, and plants & 4-sun, moon, and stars

Day 5 & 6 (with added captions so you know what everything is!): 5 Birds and fish & 6 animals and people

This is how we did a little of her math today. Magnets!