Technology Hiatus

I have discovered something....I don't like me sometimes.

The Lord has taught me that I am nothing without Him...absolutely nothing.  I have realized that my sin nature is coming out and I can be selfish, arrogant and prideful.  I sometimes (more than I want to admit) attempt to do "life" on my own without the Lord's help and every time I try, I fail miserably.   One of major faults is being a control freak and thinking I have everything under control, but I don't nor do I want to.  I need the Lord's grace today as much as ever before...and I don't have it all figured out.

I have become too reliant on technology as of late.  In a world where everything technology is at it heights, I have fallen in with the masses.  With facebook, twitter, blogging, I have lost touch with what is truly important.  Although I love social networking, I hate it too.  I love keeping up with people that I otherwise might not be able to, yet I have become reliant on it in place of others things.

I need to get back to the basics.  I need to focus on what is truly important, people and my relationship with the Lord....my family and my friends, being a Godly wife and mother, and spending more time with the Lord.  Because that is first and foremost what God has called me to do.  I need to take a step back, for me, to readjust.

Times such as these are not fun.  Pruning is never fun but oh so worth it in the end.  I will be taking a technology hiatus for at least a week (blogging, twitter and facebook).  I am going to work on shifting some priorities.

The Lord is good.  I am thankful for a heavenly Father that is gracious and loving to His children.  He continues to show me kindness and mercy although I so don't deserve it.

I challenge you this week to get back to the basics too...let's focus on what is truly important....Him.  After all, if our relationship with Him is where it needs to be, everything else falls into place. every. time. without. exception.

And He WILL receive glory for that.  Because He alone deserves the praise.

Bloggie Award

I received this blog award from Summer today, thanks Summer!  I like your blog too!  Your little man is precious...always grinnin'!

I nominate Lindsey, Katie, Audrey, Jackey, Jennifer, Lashona, Megan, Meg, Rachel,  Jeri Ann, Brittany,    Candace J.,  Angie,  Paige, Renae, Lori, and Candace!

Post it on your blog and link up anyone that you want to recognize their blog "just because you like their blog!"  This is a great way to share with one another the blogs we love!

We wear hair bows at our house...

...because if we didn't, we would look like Cousin It.  See?

Ahhhh....now that's better!  She can actually see now!

Does it work Thursday????

YES!  It does and I am SOO excited!

What in the world could I be so excited about you might ask?  Well I hope once I tell you, you will be as excited as I am!  Get ready...this news will...ROCK. YOUR. SOCKS. OFF!  Ok maybe not.

I am excited about these....

Why would be so excited about these?  And what do these dryer sheets....

...and this shower have to do with one another???

Well I am SO glad you asked.  I recently read on my friend Candace's blog (a friend now but I used to babysit this girl...man I feel old!!!) that she had heard dryer sheets clean soap scum off of shower and had tried it.  I have been meaning to try it for a while but tonight I decided to give it a whirl and it works!  At first I tried just taking a dry dryer sheet and rubbing it on my shower doors and it immediately rubbed off the soap scum but then I tried to wet it, and WOW it rubbed that soap scum right off!  I used 3 or 4 on my whole shower (all the way around top to bottom) and my shower is spotless and I didn't even turn on my shower!  It is like a natural exfoliant and you can feel when it comes off (it starts off rough and within a  few scrubs it becomes slick).  It did leave a soap film so after I cleaned the whole shower I took a wet wash cloth and just did a wipe over the whole thing.  My shower was GROSS before and within 10-15 minutes I had a sparkling clean, white shower.  I will definitely use this trick again!  It worked!

I don't know about yall, maybe your bathrooms stay sparkling clean and you never have to scrub them, but I feel like mine stay gross.  And there is one thing I can't stand...a dirty house and especially bathrooms.  So I clean them often and usually just sweep and mop the floors.  But even doing that, I still feel like the floors don't get as clean as I would like for them to be.  So every now and then, I get on my hands and knees and SCRUB them...I'm talking bowl, rag and scouring pad.  As I was doing this tonight, my kiddos came in and said, "We want to help!!!"  So I gave them a rag and let them go to town!  I don't know how much "help" it was, but nonetheless, I loved having them help and teaching them about how to properly clean.  And they loved helping momma.  And NO, I didn't make them do this, but YES I am all about having kids have chores and help in the cleaning process.  But this was strictly voluntary!

Karis was having so much fun that she said, "Mom I am having so much fun cleaning this!  I am going to let you teach me how to do more of this and I am going to listen to you now when you teach me.  Mom can I do this just anytime I want to???  It will just get cleaner and cleaner right???"

I actually thought my floors were relatively clean before I decided to scrub them, but apparently not!  GROSS!

And since Lucy wasn't in on the fun...(Hey I have to draw the line somewhere!)...I have to throw in some pics I have taken of her the last day or two.  One of her favorite things is to get into the pantry and play with the random stuff that she can reach.  Today she found some oranges and I found her doing this....

She acts like she was starving but guaranteed...she was NOT!  She had just eaten 2 jars of food AND 6 oz!  She has been a little pig lately!

Oh and what a sweet grin...I could kiss those cheeks all day!

Lots of cleaning done today and more tomorrow...I wonder if my helpers will last through the kitchen floor as well?! 

I am not holding my breath.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Wow!  What an honor!  I received the Kreativ Blogger award from my friend Terri and I am humbled, honored and happy to accept!  Terri is a friend of mine that has a very cool blog showcasing her life including her beautiful teenage daughter.  She is a Godly woman and very positive about life.  Go check out her blog...you will love it!


The rules for accepting this award are:

1. Post the award.

2. Thank and mention the person who gave you the award.

3. Pass the award on to seven bloggers whom you think embody the spirit of the Kreativ Blogger Award. 

4. Name seven things about yourself that others do not know.

5. Don’t forget to notify the seven Kreativ Bloggers about their award and post a link to their blog.


Here are seven things that you might not know about me:
1.  I am allergic to shellfish so I have never had shrimp or any other type of seafood.
2.  Me and cooking have a love-hate relationship.  I love to cook if I plan ahead and am prepared but I hate to cook at the last minute.  
3.  I can tend to be a home-body sometimes although my kids and I are on-the-go doing, doing doing when possible.  I like to go and do things, however I like my time at home.
4.  I can't stand dirt touching the bottoms of my feet, so regardless if my floors are clean, I wear house shoes ALL DAY LONG.
5.  I have a major fear of choking....OMG!
6.  Most of my families' clothes come from yard sales or thrift stores.
7.  I have never had beer, nope not even tasted it.




I nominate the following 7 people for the KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD...


1.  Heather-  An incredibly talented writer (and friend) that has truly cherishes the South and the simple things of life.  I love reading her posts!  They are so full of wit and charm!


2.  Ashley- A wonderful Godly friend who blogs about her two little ones and her incredible journey that got her there.  She loves a good picture (as do I) and you will find her blog intriguing!


3.  Leslie- She was a neighbor of ours when we first got married (they married a week before us) and she and I share some of our OCD tendencies, I mean organizational habits.  She is a working mom, minister's wife and we are very much alike in our ways!  She blogs about her two sweet girls and their life journey!


4.  Joy- A precious long-distance friend that we went to seminary with (our hubbies are also friends) who is also a stay-at-home mom of 2 (former teacher) that shares wonderful things on her blog...recipes, funny stories, and wonderful pictures of her two sweet boys.  


5.  Faith- A very good friend of mine that I personally taught with that resigned the same year I did.  She has two little children that are precious and we share some very similar personalities as well.  You will love her blog so go check it out!


6.  Ellen- She and I went to college together and I love keeping up with her through her blog.  She is also a stay at home mom of 2 and her blog is hilarious!  She is a very talented, honest writer and you will be very entertained by her!  


7.  Tara- Tara is an extremely creative and talented mommy of 3.  She is a sweet friend who also happens to be our photographer!  She and her husband take amazing pictures so you will never lack for a good pic on her blog!  You can go here for her family blog or here for their photography blog!

Wordless Wednesday

I can't even recall?!

This week has been very routine, nothing too exciting going on. We have been busy, yet I can't recall doing what (besides doing laundry, cleaning, bottles, diapers, more laundry, and more cleaning).

We have had lots of good quality time together as a
family that has been so good!  We have had lots of good talks and I love seeing the "wheels turning" in our little one's minds. God is working on their little hearts.  Lucy, on the other hand, is teething terribly and is having some terrible "acidy" teeth diapers and poor thing, her little bottom is red, hurting and bleeding!  :(  But she is still being a trooper and grinning constantly!

At night, you will find us all cuddling on the couch watching the Olympics...we love it!  So fun!

Although we haven't done anything exciting, you know I took some pics I have to share!  Besides, grandparents will revolt if they don't get their daily fix of the grandkids!

Oh, and Angie had a great blog post this week about ministry opportunities you need to check out here...it is worth reading.

Sweet dreams my darlings

One of my favorite things to do is to sneak in on my kids late at night and watch them sleep.  There is something so precious and innocent about sleeping children.  

I managed to sneak a couple of pics of them tonight without any of them waking up.  We got in bed late so no baths tonight and they slept in their clothes.  I know I am not the only one who skips baths every now and then (go ahead and admit it!).

And yes, that is dirt on his face...haha!

Lately, Brayden and Karis have been sleeping together in Karis' bed.  I love that they do this because I can remember when my brother Matt and I used to make pallets and bunk together.  We listen to them giggle and whisper over the monitor before they fall fast asleep.  They even hug and kiss each other before they go to sleep...precious!  I hope they will always be this close!

They always go to sleep in the same positions...Brayden on his back (snoring) and Karis on her right side (just like her momma).  Oh and check out how Brayden sleeps...he is such a MAN!  He looks like he is giving birth...yikes!

Sweet dreams my darlings.  Momma loves you.

We love bath time!

WHOA Lucy!  Check out that grin!  She is flashing those pearly whites!

Lately, Lucy gets SOOO excited about bath time with her brother and sister.  She just starts screaming when she thinks she gets to get in.  This video shows a little bit of her excitement and she got Karis laughing so hard.  I love to see them playing together and laughing...music to this momma's ears!

Untitled from Amanda Lemonds on Vimeo.

I just can't get enough....

...of the sunshine.  And my kids, of course.

After going to the park, we came home so Lucy could get a nap.  However, we came home and couldn't possibly go inside...it was just way too pretty!  So we played some more...

The girls (and I) jumped on the trampoline for a while and Lucy was laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath.  She does LOVE her sister!

Yea check out her staticky (if that is a word) hair...

Then Karis showed me her cartwheel she has been working on AND landing on her feet!

Then she humored me for a while so I could snap some pictures of her.  Hey...she has had 5 years of practice now...she is a PRO!

All the while, Brayden was doing his new favorite thing...shooting his REAL bow and arrow.  I think he is addicted!  He kept saying, "Dad thanks for showing me how to do this.  Thanks dad."  Melts my heart!

You can tell he is seriously concentrating...

And apparently sticking out his tongue helps!

Love this one.  Check out this grin!

Our Jay's crazy dog, Jackson

Then we decided to take a walk on our property to the playground.  Lucy was along for the ride, bundled up, and in style might I add!  :)

Rock on.

Brayden decided to come to the playground too, but bow in hand.

"Mom will you twist me?"  

I get sick her just asking that question.  Although I used to LOVE it too.  That is until I had her.  And then that everything changed...for the better of course!

Did your kids turn your world upside down?  For me, I wouldn't have it.  ANY. OTHER. WAY.