Encouragement for Mothers!

If you still have not checked out Above Rubies and requested a free magazine subscription, i encourage you to do it!! I have a link on the right side. You will not be disappointed. I am always so blessed and encouraged every time i read the magazine or the emails. Here is the most recent email Nancy Campbell sent out. I hope you are blessed and encouraged too!

HOLD ON TO YOUR CROWN

Revelation 3:11, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

When God appeared to Moses as I AM THAT I AM out in the backside of the desert, He commissioned him to deliver the Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt . But Moses was fearful to take on such a task. He had no strength of his own to accomplish it. God then said to him, "What is that in thine hand, Moses?" (Exodus 4:2).

What was in his hand? A shepherd's rod. Nothing fancy. Nothing powerful. Just a simple rod he used each day to guide, prod and protect his flock. God took that plain shepherd's rod and made it a mighty weapon in Moses' hand. Whenever he stretched forth the rod mighty miracles happened. It released the plagues upon the Egyptians. It showed forth God's mighty power.

Sometimes you wonder what you are doing in your home. Your friends have high-powered careers and are raking in the money. You are trying to make ends meet from day to day. Your family remind you that you are wasting your life and your education.

But what is in your hand? It is the rod of motherhood. It may look insignificant, as Moses' rod did, but it wields a mighty power. Motherhood is the most powerful career in the nation. As a mother, you determine the course of the nation. You are in God's hands preparing your children for the purposes God has laid out for them before the foundation of the world. This is a top notch job. It is high powered!

Mothering is your crown. It has been invested in you by God himself. It is your anointing of womanhood. It is your authority. Do not take off your beautiful crown of motherhood to allow someone else to mother the children God has given you. Never let your crown go. Hold on to it. Lift your head high and be proud of your divine calling.

You may be going through circumstances that cause you to feel like giving up. You feel an utter failure. This mothering business is not working out. Your children are giving you heartache. Do not give up. Do not take off your crown. Rise up in the anointing and authority that God has given you as a mother. Do not let your circumstances rob you of your crown.

Do not let other people rob you either. Do you notice that this Scripture says that man will try to take it from you? Those who are ignorant of God's heart for children will speak negative things into your life. Those who are deceived by this world's philosophy will try to lure you away from your high calling. Do not be swayed by what people say. Do not let them take your crown. Hold on to it tightly.

Do not for a moment be intimidated by your antagonists! (Philippians 1:28)

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Lord, I thank you that you have given me the crown of mothering. Help me to see that it is a crown to wear and be proud of. When I wear this crown I am walking in your perfect will. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

Mothering is a crown I wear with dignity.

Can you help???

I am looking for a Fail-Proof Bread Machine Recipe and Sunday Lunch Recipes!

Ok-I have been making bread on and off for several years now but have never found a successful bread machine recipe. It never fails for the loaf to rise so beautifully in the machine and then at the last minute, before it sets, it craters several inches. Well, we haven't made bread in a while, due to a really cute little girl, and i have decided it's time to start up again. But, this time, Cody is going to be our bread maker, well, really just an ingredient dumper, hence, the use of a bread machine. I have been giving him more "big kid" responsibilities lately and he kind of likes it! So, if you have a bread machine recipe that doesn't seem to crater, please pass it on. It could just be my machine too???

Also...

We typically eat out on Sundays after church so i can have the day off of cooking that meal. However, since food prices keep going up and our family isn't getting any smaller, eating out regularly is getting expensive. I want to do some kind of Pot Roast that i can throw together Saturday night or Sunday morning and put it in the oven to cook and be ready when we get home at lunch time. Have you ever had the Pot Roast at Cotton Patch, yum! I know i can use a crock-pot but the roast never seems to come out as tender when cooked on the faster setting to have ready by lunch. Also, i always make a crock-pot meal on Saturdays for dinner. Or maybe you have some other kind of recipe that would be a great Sunday lunch. So after a big, filling lunch, everyone will be ready for a Sunday Siesta!

Another Boy!

We have a new cousin!

Ethan Tyler Davis was born July 3, 2008 on his Daddy's birthday. His proud parents are Kenneth's brother and sister-in-law, Eric and Janie. We haven't been able to get down to meet him yet, but hopefully soon!

July 4th in New Braunfels

May & June 2008

Here are a ton of pictures from May and June all on one slide. I had intended to separate them out by events but... it didn't work out that way. I know how to do it for next time though! There are pics from our trip to Sea World, swim lessons, Cody's 7th birthday (I can't believe we have a 7 year old!), and lots of other random things.

As you can see Kate is growing and looking not so newborn anymore, she's 4 and 5 months old in these pictures. She is a little Owen look alike but her dark hair has not fallen out like the others did. So maybe she will have brown hair with her blue eyes, just like her Daddy! We'll see. She is just learning to sit up on her own but figured out a month ago how to get up on her hands and knees like she's going to crawl or pushes up on her hands and toes with her heiny in the air like a push-up, sort of, as you can see in the pictures.

The boys just finished swim lessons and are loving the pool this summer. Cody also got to go to a Cub Scout Day Camp for a week which prompted the request for a BB Gun from PawPaw for his birthday, which he got. Owen is perfecting his "101 Ways to Aggravate My Siblings" book but only receiving lots of sessions with the "rod" as payment!!! Claire still loves to change 50 times a day into her "tutu ballerina" or princess costumes and lots of random selections of clothing in between. She is so animated when she talks. Maybe one day i will figure out how to get a video clip on here so you can see it. Maybe not, my head is hurting just thinking about it using dial-up!

Enjoy the pictures!