A Time For Every Season....

Tonight Drew's prayer went like this: "Thank you Jesus for my room, Thank you for the movie that mommy watched with me about Joseph and his dreams. I love movies, maybe mommy will let me watch another one tomorrow? (Said with hands folded, eyes peeking open to see my reaction.) Thank you for my books, for the grouchy lady bug and for mommy who read me 2 stories because she said only 1. Thank you for my mommy and daddy and brother gabe , oh and dog kitty. A...men!

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. Psalms: 31:19 Our family spent the day thanking the Lord for His "indescribable gifts." While many spend this holiday mourning the loss of loved ones we are simple thankful to be together for another year! We loved waking up late, talking together as a family, reading the Thanksgiving story (part of it anyway!), eating a yummy brunch, and taking our family photo's. Oh, we can't forget loosing Gabe outside in the backyard tonight too! So here is the Williams 2008 family thanksgiving list: Drew is thankful for Jesus, his church, his school and his wonderful teachers Andrea and Misty. He is also thankful for his friends and for cookies! We're thankful for the wonderful home the Lord has provided where we can raise our two boys and truly enjoy fellowship together. I am especially grateful that we converted the dining room w...

My boys have the worst time getting their teeth! The past week Gabe's front upper gums have been all swollen with a black and blue hole in the center of the gum. Poor thing, finally this morning the top right cut through. Gabe is noticeable happier, but I'm sure his top left will now start to come down. So if your keeping track, we're 1 year old and now have 3 teeth! If Gabe teethes like Drew, we're in for a long year!

Daddy is home and we celebrated Gabe's 1st Birthday today. Gabe loved eating his cake and playing with his Mayflower boat and pilgrims. I am so embarrassed, Gabe fell in the bathtub on Thursday night and ended up with a tiny scratch on his eye. It really didn't look too bad and he only cried for maybe 10 seconds, but now he has a huge shiner. All his birthday photo's look like we beat him. So sad! Gabe went in for his 1 year checkup and weighed in at 22 pounds 12 ounces (50%). So big! He is 27 1/2 inches tall (-5% ). His head circumference is 18 inches (25-50%). His tummy issues hadn't gone away so the doctor suggested removing milk from his diet and replacing it with soy. Yes, it worked! He is back in his crib. He should only be off dairy a month or so, just to give his tummy and intestines some time to heal from the nasty stomach bug. I'm so relieved he is back to sleeping 12 hours! It is so nice having Daddy home! We all missed him so much! John surprised me on F...

One year ago tonight I sat in bed cuddling my little man, kissing on him and talking to him while he gazed up at me. I memorized his face, prayed for his faith and future spouse! John was there too, sleeping away on the uncomfortable plastic cushions they call a fold out bed! Thank you Lord we only had to stay 1 night! Tonight, its late and I'm exhausted. This whole "Mommy by Day, Accountant by Night" has me very busy and exhausted. I love both of my jobs, but being a mommy takes the cake. I'm so grateful for the Lord providing me a work from home, challenging, dependable job of almost 10 years - my I sound old! But, today I just wanted an evening to myself. No numbers, no reports, no reviewing checks and applying cash and finding those pennies that somehow wander off. I wanted to go back to 11/19/07 and cuddle with my little man. Oh, for Gabe's cuddling days when he peacefully slept in my arms or next to me in bed. Tonight I tried getting cuddles, but Gabe would...

John and I were eating breakfast at IHOP talking about how our life was about to change! Then we drove across the street to the hospital and Gabe was born at 3:33 pm. Oh, how our lives did change! Those times went by too quickly. I can't believe it has been a whole year. Now my little baby is walking all over the house!

Tonight I sit, alone, wondering, What would my life have been, Had grace not swooped down, Covered this heart of sin Changed me from within? One year ago tonight I sat, Alone, wondering, What will my life be like, With the blessing of two sons? A quiver full of young hearts Soon to become men, Will it change me? One year ago I didn't know, How one little life of joy, Could bless my heart, Change my life of structure, Through deep soul searching, Deep pressures, Only God knows the growing, wrestling, praying, stirring within my soul. You, my son challenged my faith, You put pressure where I needed to grow, Growing from 3 to 4 was more than painful, That pain, more than just birth pains, Forced lives to change, Forced habits to change, Forced my mind to change, Forced holiness to sprout from within. Thank you Lord for grace and life , the grace only you can give, the life only you can create, the love of raising this child, Brings me to my knees. May I Shepherd this little heart, Ma...

I'm not a big Christian Rap fan... who am I kidding, I'm not a rap fan at all. But, I wanted to brag on my very talented Brother-In-Law and post his most recent music video production. Ruben produced the entire video! The song is doing well on the Christian Rap charts so maybe he will get to go to the Dove Awards if the music video does well? So, forward the link to anyone you know who is into Rap! I'm very impressed with the quality - Ruben is so professional! Wow!

We survived the weekend and had some fun! Drew and I made a Thanksgiving Can out of an old oatmeal container and our own hand prints. Drew loved it and really got involved - which is unusual for him! He loved helping trace Gabe's hand print and then gluing the paper hand prints onto the can. When it was time to write down what we are thankful for Drew said, "Jesus and God, wait, Jesus is God.... so I'm thankful for Jesus!" I love watching his mind wrap around God's truth; he was remembering the Catechism that says, Q. "How many God's are there." A. "There is only 1 True God." Q. "How many persons are there in the Godhead?" A. "Three - Father, Sons, Holy Spirit" We baked pumpkin bread this weekend! Drew loves it so I think we'll have to make another batch for when Daddy comes home. We also cleaned out and organized the pantry and fridge. Most of the weekend we were home, we went over to my mom's a few times and h...

Goal #4: Simplify by getting out of debt and learning to live with less. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:7, “ Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.” God doesn’t want his people enslaved, so it’s crucial that debts get paid off. Here are some add itional ideas to simplifying your life as well as save money so you can get out of debt: :: PETS - Here are some statistics on how much our loving pets cost: small dogs cost on average 800.00 per year, medium dogs 1,115.00, large dogs 1,500, Cats are 640.00 per year, guinea pigs 645.00, rabbits are also 645.00 annually. So here are some cost saving tools: Give your pets their own shots, medicine; flea control can even be ordered online at a fraction of the cost that vets charge. Take advantage of the city’s cheap vaccination program – I think I paid 5.00 for a license and a rabies vaccine for our dog this past Spring (good for 3 years), through the Fort Worth vaccination program – they have them quarterly. Also...

Goal #3: Give above and beyond the tithe (first 10%), through offerings and other fun ways to give of our time and materials. Luke 16:11 says, “ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” :: With the savings from our groceries we’re now able to bless others! The rest we’ ve put towards paying down my husband’s student loan & our mortgage. Those extra payments really add up! :: Many hygiene products (toothpaste, toothbrushes, lip gloss) I get for free so we have Christmas boxes that we’re making to send to Mexico on November 15 th . Christmas boxes are a great way to get the kids involved in the real meaning of Christmas. It is a fun family exercise on giving and it doesn ’t have to cost you a lot. These Christmas boxes we’re sending cost around 5.00 each, some of the items like the toothbrushes, soap, and toothpaste were free! I think the shipping will cost more than what we paid for the contents. :: With so...

Goal #2: Drop our dining out costs from 125.00 per month to 50.00. We haven’t quiet mastered this one, but are getting close (75.00) :: Friday family pizza & movie night (5.00 pizza’s from Little Caesars’ or 7.00 pizza’s from Papa Murphy’s, free movies from family video)! :: Cooking batches of Breakfast burrito’s for those crazy mornings when tempted to stop for fast food, convenience is the #1 reason we eat out, so by making things more convenient at home it cuts down stopping for a quick bite. :: Use coupons from the mail, or sign up online! When we go out we always find coupons for BIGIF or 20% off your total meal. If you have the press pass it works at many different restaurant. (Spring Creek BBQ mails out a monthly BIGIF coupon). :: Limit Television, studies show that the more television you watch, the more you consume. Instead turn on a worship CD or listen to a sermon online. Better yet, get rid of cable altogether and save some serious $!

We tried making our own laundry soap about 4 months ago. I am excited to say that it has worked beautifully and saved us some money! I thought I'd pass along the savings and show you just how easy it is. A 5 gallon bucket of liquid laundry soap should make about 100-120 loads and costs about 1.50. Here are the three easy ingredients: 1 bar of soap - any will do (I use Fels Naptha because I've heard its great on stain removal and with little boys we have a lot of stains!) Washing Soda - the box looks a lot like baking soda, but bigger. It is found in the laundry cleaning section of the store, normally on the top shelf. Not to be confused with baking soda! I had a friend try this recipe and she accidentally used baking soda, it didn't turn out the way she had hoped! Borax - Borax is a "natural mineral: Sodium Borate." It is a white powdery substance that will turn your soap to "goo" as my son calls it. Borax will act as a whitener and deodorizer for your c...

Mommy to Drew, "Are you glad Daddy is home?"Drew replied, "Oh yes, I'm sooo excited!" Drew to Daddy, "Gabe doesn't know how to play on my level." "I'm making a castle (out of cans from the pantry)!""Who will live in that castle" Mommy asks?"Well, Jesus lives in my castle, silly mommy!""Mommy, will you kiss this can, it fell off and got a boo boo?""No, Drew that can is dirty, I'm not kissing it." Mommy stated."It's not dirty, it belongs to Jesus! Please kiss it!"So... I kissed the can, I couldn't resist Drew's cuteness! "Mommy, my tummy is grumbling... that can't be good!" "Mommy, I think your swell!" "Mommy, my eyes are raining!"

While Daddy is away camping and enjoying a guys week in the beautiful NW, we're at home trying to keep things together. I'm filling all my "free" time trying to read the owners manual for my new Nikon D80 and practicing some photography on the kiddo's. The temperature is very chilly which has made the day drag on, little Gabe has also developed a cold and ear infection... or something like that. He has a faucet for a nose and a high fever. Presently he is sleeping in his car seat, in my walk in closet, with the noise machine going -- whatever works! He woke up over 5 times last night and didn't nap this morning. So, for his afternoon nap I tried the car seat and "tada!" he slept. Whenever he is sick he has a hard time sleeping horizontally. (Drew giving up the motor cycles we bought for our Christmas boxes to Mexico. I'm so proud of him for doing it with a joyful heart.) I must admit the house is not quiet so boisterous without Daddy coming home ...

The Glocal Story. This is a great video our church showed on Sunday about the effects of using the church as the missionary. It is so awesome to see how when Christian's are obedient and have faith - God can change a church as well as nations!

Gabe is now cruising! I think he is done crawling, he loves to go anywhere his big brother goes. Today he fell twice and has a black and blue forehead to show for his hard work. He also started to say Mommy - well actually it comes out " Maa ," but it still counts! Drew is still in school two days a week. We go around the table each night and ask what the best and worst parts of everyone's day was. Tonight Drew said the best part was going to school, the worst was coming home. So sad! Our little social man loves to be around children! I am so excited to say I've finally taken the plunge and bought my first SLR camera! I've been waiting for 2 years for the price on the Nikon D80 to come into my price range. It will be here tomorrow and I can't wait! John is substituting and loving 4 th grade! He was asked to be a long term sub for someone going on maternity leave the end of January. He is very excited that his face is well known around the school and that all...

My husband and I created 3 financial goals that were "problem" areas in our budget. We slowly add ed different cost saving ideas into our daily lives, here is our first goal - tackling the grocery budget! The other two areas: dining out, and having excess funds set aside for an offering to God will be posted soon! Goal #1: - drop our grocery budget from 450.00 to 250.00 per month (includes: Diapers, formula, & hygiene products). At the time we radically add ressed this, it was early 2008, grocery costs had increased so much that we often went over the 450.00 budget, the final month before our fast we spent 480.00 on groceries! I'd heard of a site where the mother claimed to feed her family of 4 on 35.00 a week! The website is called Money Saving Mom and it has been universal in helping me get our grocery costs down. I also stopped spending 100-150 a month at our favorite wholesale store – Costco. I've learned that bulk is nice, but by using coupons I can stretch ...

Before you get started physically saving money, there are a few basic tools you will need to work out: :: Learn to live simple, on a spending plan (budget) – the issue isn ’t that we don’t make enough, God’s given us exactly what we need, it’s that we haven’t learned to live frugally on what God has provided. If you don’t know where to start to get on a budget, go to http://www.crown.org/ and set one up, they even have budget coaches that will hold you accountable, or if interested in learning more about what God says about handling money, check out a local church that offers the Crown Bible Study. My husband and I have taken the Crown class twice and found it encouraging and crucial to having a healthy view on money! To give you a place to start, begin recording every penny that your family spends for 30 days. That will give you an idea of how much your family is spending and where you can make adjustments. Knowing where to start is the hardest part! Dave Ramsey also has a class if y...

Frugality: Stretching God's hard-earned dollars so you can simplify, save and generously give more! Frugality is not a onetime choice; it is a lifestyle! A way of life, that once adopted, leads to exciting memories and a less stressed family life. The biblical purpose of Frugality is to stretch God's hard-earned dollars, so we can simplify, save, and generously give more to the Lord! Being frugal is the, "practice of economy, the art of being thrifty" — it is one tool the Lord has used in my life to teach self-control. The Lord addresses the handing of money over 2,000 times throughout the Bible – money/possessions are referenced more than any other topic in the Bible. Obviously, it is a very important topic to God, so it needs to be important to us! The Bible says in Deut . 11:26-28, “... I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse- the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of...

Christmas 2008 is fast approaching! What will be under your tree this year? A pig, a goat, a cow, medical supplies, vaccines, blankets, wheel chairs? Go here to pick out your families Birthday offering for Jesus. We will be celebrating Christmas with a Water Buffalo under our tree. Since they are too large to fit through the front door, I thought it would be a great Christmas tradition to make a book with what we are giving Jesus. Then, take the book and get it laminated (thanks Kari!) and then put it under the tree for Jesus. It will be a reminder to all of us that Jesus should be the center of Christmas. It will also be a practical and real way for the kids to see that giving to the needy and poor is just something we do as a family - it is in our DNA. I pray that giving to the Lord will be like breathing for our boys - natural and necessary to sustain life. I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering ...

Sunday is the National Day Of Prayer For The Persecuted Church - will you be an intercessor ? Lord God, we pray for a Your All Sufficient Light to illuminate this city, state, country, and nation. We are all lost without You. Please protect those who are persecuted, do not allow us to safely live here in this place and forget about the suffering, the killings, the martyrs who bare the beautiful scars of testing. Lord, give them peace, comfort the hurting and give them courage to "preach the gospel to the Nations." Your Word will not be silenced, for those you have called to take the harder road, give them courage and peace to run this race. Let them be without fear, because "greater is the Lord who is in us, than he who is in the world." As birth pains are screaming all over this world, Lord remind us that Your hand controls all things. May your peace that surpasses all understanding rest on those persecuted tonight. Give them hope and joy, remind them that we do ...

Friends are amazing! I spoke this Thursday at my Mom's group on frugality. My two best friends were priceless. Bethany woke at 5:30 am just to pray for me and Nicole spent her day off driving an hour up to Keller and then helped me with my props. What amazing and wonderful friends I have! I am so very blessed. (Peaceful Mommy & Son Moment) The talk went very well! I've never spoken in front of people for longer than 5 minutes, so to talk for an hour was very intimidating, but the Lord was so gracious! Everything worked just as planned, except my talk went over by about 15-20 minutes! It was great though, the audience really seemed interested and asked some great questions. I also had a game and a 4 minute video clip which broke things up. God is so gracious, I just can't tell you how nervous I was the night before, but when I woke up that morning the nerves were mostly all gone. I'll be posting in pieces my paper on frugality in the next few days. (Speaking of Frien...

Last night was such a unifying experience for me. I thought McCain's concession speech was well spoken and I hope the theme of his message will be adopted by all Americans. We all need to come together - Black or While, Rich or Poor, Democrat or Republican. I am honored to live in a country that has moved beyond the horrible weight of slavery and has elected our first African American President. Though I did not vote for him I commit to pray for his leadership, his family, his visions for our nation, and for godly wisdom. Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk this earth was given the opportunity to have anything he wanted and his response to God was - Wisdom. I believe every Christian out there should commit to pray for all our leaders - especially Barack Obama - that he may rule with wisdom. A nation will prosper when its ruler is mature....” Pray for Maturity. Ecclesiastes. 10:17 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily; but with honest, sensible lea...

(Waiting for Baby Gabe to Arrive 11/2007) This November I will not..... ... suffer under the weight of my large abdomen ... check my blood pressure daily ... be on partial bed rest ... wonder whether our little Gabe is safe to deliver ... fear spending Thanksgiving in the hospital ... miss seeing Drew in his costume ... be able to cuddle a newborn ... stay awake all night gazing into the eyes of my sleepy son on his birthday ... wake every 3-4 hours in the middle of the night for feedings ... be adjusting to being a mommy of 2 ... be exhausted and unable to keep many of our Thanksgiving traditions ... listen to little sucking noises while my newborn nurses (November 2, 2007 - Gabe's almost here) This November I will... ... enjoy every second of my family because it all goes by so quickly ... enjoy capturing the Thanksgiving spirit and continue with our William's traditions of story reading, thanksgiving lists, and french toast casserole! ... enjoy Gabe's first birthday! ......