30 Days of Thanksgiving.....November 16th...

I don't really feel like doing this right now because, well, I am going to be real tonight. I don't feel like doing this because my husband and I have been arguing over really stupid things all afternoon! Things have been said and right now I just don't feel very thankful. But, I am going to do it anyway. Because I am, I am thankful. So, here you go:

*my husband, who loves me so very much and sacrifices so much for us. I love him completely and I absolutely adore him for all he is. He is the most amazing Daddy ever. He's never to tired to listen to us and be there for us. He's just the most wonderful man. See, I feel better already! :)

*our children.  They are just the light of my life. Life is SOOO much more fun since God blessed our lives with theirs. Amazing and Incredible...that's my kids!! I can't wait to wake up in the morning and start a new day with them!

*the Word of GOD...it never changes and it never fails you. And, I NEED to go soak some of it up, right now!!

Well, that's it for tonight. Simple and short. I'm not even going to link up tonight! I am going to go and hug my hubby and kiss my babies!!

Love ya'll,

Julie

30 Days of Thanksgiving.....November 15th...

*My Daddy ran his truck off the road Friday night so first and foremost, I am grateful that he is okay!!

* a WONDERFUL weekend with wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ!!!

* watching our children actually enjoy church

*Reading my BIBLE..and the ability and freedom to even own ONE, much less the 12 (yes, 12) that we own!!

*eating out of the pantry and not running up another grocery bill this week. It will be tight but necessary and rewarding!! Thank God for a  plentiful pantry so I can do that. Many times it has not been possible.

*watching GOD work in my husband. It's so amazing and awesome to watch

*well behaved children who love each other and are kind to one another (most of the time) :)

*books, books, books.....I LOVE books!!!

*Gorgeous gorgeous days...this weather has been spectacular...70s all week and sunny!!

*encouraging homeschool moms

*sweet friends

30 days of Thanksgiving.....November 9th

*A great day with my babies!! We went nature walking, we played games, we had sooo much fun with school today and we read books and just had a stress free fun day!

*God's still small voice speaking to me in so many ways.

*Being reminded through someone else's struggle with fertility just how precious our children are and just how easily we forget that through idiotic stupid things like cleaning up the never ending messes! We become so self absorbed that we forget that our sacrifice is love to our children. Every mess we clean up, every boo-boo we kiss, every temper tantrum we diffuse is an act of service to our children and ultimately to our GOD. We should do these things out of sincere never ending gratitude for the gift of their precious lives!! Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the MUCH needed reminder today!!

*for menu plans & Monday Meanderings...... =) They make life run so much easier!

*for this blog. Even though I may not have a huge number of readers, I love the creative outlet it gives me. And, the best part is the encouraging friends I have "met" along the way!! Love you all!

Join us at Karla's for more 30 days of Thanksgiving!


~Julie

30 days of Thanksgiving...November 8th

Okay, I have skipped a few days...I have sick kids and I have been sick! I will try to do better. Sometimes, I post this on facebook so if you want to friend me there, you can read it there! (email me)...anyway...tonight I am thankful for:

Braum's Gingerbread Ice Cream!!!

My wonderful family

Cool nights with a full pantry and a clean house!! YAY!!

30 Days of Thanksgiving.....November 6th...

I skipped yesterday because I went to bed early with some kind of crud. I feel horrible but that's when you count your blessings even more, right? :)

So, today I am thankful for:


*My mom. She took my kids with her today so I could rest. I love my mother so much. You can read more about that, here.

*a husband who loves people even those who "hate" him. He is kind to those who are awful to him. He is such a wonderful person and I am truly BLESSED to be his wife.

*Nyquil.....ah, it's great stuff!!

*wonderful family & friends

*pizza (it's what's for supper tonight!!)

Okay, I don't feel well so I am through for today. I will try to be back later to write.

30 Days of Thanksgiving.....November 4th

I am thankful for:

*a GOD who loves us immeasurably. A God who never leaves our side even when we doubt and push Him away from us, HE always remains, HE never gives up.

*my God who answers prayer. I know he does. My marriage and my children are proof!!

*GOD"s Grace. I am seeing some behavior in Claire, especially, that I do NOT like. I am also realizing that some of it is a direct result of how I handle certain situations. Ouch. I feel like such a failure. Thankfully, we have the Grace of a loving forgiving God.

*my Mom & Dad. For loving me for me.

*friends who lift me up when I need it.

*chocolate chip cookies made with my little girls

*school outside again in this beautiful weather

*a VERY productive day and a happy one, at that!!

Join us in counting our blessings  at Karla's Korner

30 days of Thanksgiving...day 2...

Today, I am thankful for :

*my husband's sweet thoughtful ways

*the laughter of little sisters who are up to no good. :)

*early morning wake up times. Even though I was not happy about it, I ended up getting so much accomplished and I had such a better attitude with my kids since I wasn't rushed to get breakfast ready, school started/finished, cleaning tasks done, errands run, etc. I had more time to just enjoy my children. So, I am thinking of trying to get up EVEN earlier in the mornings so I can read God's word and pray and get a GREAT start to our day. Every day. We'll see...

*sweet tea (caffinated for those early wake-up times!)

*lunchables (for a quick easy lunch so Mama can have the quiet of naptime and sanity!)

*homemade laundry soap(said this before, but I LOVE this stuff!!)

*books.....I adore books... :)

*Baked apple pie(AVON) bubble baths ..I promise you they are as heavenly as they sound! Thank you, sissy!

*quiet afternoons and LONG naptimes!!

*the gorgeous sunshine & time to play outside with my family. We finished school outside this afternoon! (reading Charlotte's Web and doing our nature study)

Click here to read more of 30 days of Thanksgiving...

~Love,

Julie

30 Days of Thanksgiving.....

I am going to join my friend Denise in 30 days of Thanksgiving, here. If you would like to join, just click here and let me know if you are going to post on your blog so I can leave a comment!


Today, I am thankful first of all for our free gift of SALVATION!!!!!


Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Love to you all,

Julie

Grateful for...

(our back pasture this morning)

(I've been discontent and out of sorts lately and not really writing because I didn't want my discontentment and anger to show through, I didn't want people to see the real me, more on that later but for now I want to share how my eyes have been opened on this NEW day)

* a husband who has been off work for almost 2 weeks. money is almost nonexistent but it has been sooo nice to have him home with us. Also, much thankful for the small check my husband received this week from work. Not much but enough to pay a bill!!! Lord, you are our provider. I am ashamed that at times I have forgotten that.

*a little girl who sings "I am so glad that Jesus loves me" to her little sister and brother before bed. (Claire)

*a little girl who tells me, "I sowwy(sorry), Mama. I good gurwl (girl) in my hawt(heart)" (Lily)

*a little boy who is taking more steps every day but still stopping every few to find Mama or Daddy and get the confidence he needs to continue on...same baby boy who, when I pick him up, automatically (every time) leans into my shoulder and gives me precious loves and just hangs on... be still my heart

*little purple dragonfly and pink ladybug aprons hanging beside mine in the kitchen

*eager little hands kneading piecrust with mama

*the rain, even though it means financial trouble, it is a balm to my soul, in so many ways. The quiet nights spent inside or on the front porch listening to the rain hit our tin roof, the soup simmering in the slow cooker,the smell of our homemade laundry detergent and the sound of snaps hitting the dryer, the feel of chubby soft little hands as we trace leaves with fat crayons over paper, the sound of children singing praises to a Jesus they love, the sound of children laughing as they dance and play, the smell of a new book, the taste of hot tea, the smell and beauty of Fall candles burning, the quietness late at night as I talk with my husband, the Grace of my God. The rain that brings all of these things into focus.

Oh, how I love them!!!!

God, thank you so much for our beautiful sweet precious family!! We are not perfect and we have struggled so much through the years but I praise you evermore for your faithfulness especially when we have been, at times, less than faithful!

Julie

First day of school....

Claire running to Mama to work with her playdough to make letters...
one of our bookshelves & art shelves. Ignore the mess, I stayed up past 1 a.m. trying to finish everything....it's still a little sloppy :(
This is the most excitement I have ever seen over play dough!
I don't know; what about her excitement? Do you think she's happy?! ;)
The Ten Commandments are DEFINITELY posted in our school!!
The sisters, holding hands, are so excited to be doing school together! And, I praise God that they are so close....what an amazing family I have been blessed with!!

GOD is SO GOOD!!! I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

~Blessings~
Julie

Blogging break....

This week I will be on a blogging break. I have sooooo many things I need to work on around the house and we are starting school after Labor Day!!!!!!! Yay!! So, I really need to take this time off of the computer and focus on getting everything ready and in order for us to start our school year off right!!

I hope to be back next week and let you know how everything is going. I truly appreciate everyone's prayers over our new school year. And, a huge thank you to all of my bloggy friends!! We appreciate your constant loving encouragement so very much!!

Have a great week!

~Love,
Julie

Wonderful things to say to your children.....

*“I love being with you.”

*“You make my day better.”

*“You’re a gift.”

*“I’m so glad God gave you to us.”

*“God has a great plan for you…don’t stop serving Him.”

*“There’s no place I’d rather spend the day than with you.”

*“You make me laugh.”

*“What I want more than anything on earth is for you to “seek first the Kingdom of God”.


I found these somewhere sometime and had written them down in a notebook. I just found them last night. I thought I would share them with you. There's a lot of sweet wisdom in these....

~Love,
Julie

Of things hoped for....

A blog I try to read often because it is such an encouraging blog for mothers to read is this one. She has written a wonderful series on Biblical Motherhood and this post is just one in that series. I love the way she describes motherhood and leaving her legacy. I love the way she describes family, just as it should be, in my humble opinion. Have you ever considered just how you will treat your children's future spouses? Do you pray and prepare for them, even now?

She gave me some things to think about, that's for sure! Why don't you go on over and read for a bit? It will be time well spent. I promise!

My first born...

*In honor of my first born child's recent 4th birthday and because Amy( I put it on there too, Amy!) tagged me on facebook, I am doing this little meme. I thought I would share it on my blog because right now I just really am struggling for things to post about! Play along if you would like!

1. Were you married at the time?
Yes

2. What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant?
Long story but I fell off of the dr.'s table! Really!

3. How old were you?
25

4. How did you find out you were pregnant?
we could not have children for 7 yrs. I was at the ddr.'s office getting my horomone levels checked for infertility tests. She also did a pregnancy test.(blood test) Routine. I was just pregnant enough for it to show up. About 3 weeks. My progesterone levels were a -4. Not good at all. Went to a specialist that very day. Cost me $1,000 up front. Put on progesterone and stayed on it until I was 4 months pregnant. Never been so sick in my entire life. Migraines nausea vomiting could not even lift my head ! Awful but worth every bit!

5. Who did you tell first?
My Mom because she was with me at the dr.'s. Then home to tell Charlie .(I didn't want to tell him on the phone so I just to him to get dressed because we had to go the the specialist. he thought I was dying! I felt so bad! But I wanted to tell him in person!

6. Did you want to find out the sex?
Yes, we found out because we didn't know if we could have another baby(haha!) and we wanted to do the nursery up either really girly or boyish.

7. Due date?
February 14th, 2005 and February 21st ( I had 2 due dates!)

8. Did you deliver early or late?
day after; induced

9. Did you have morning sickness?
See #4 AWFUL!!!!! Alll day & all night sickness

10. What did you crave?
Ice chips and when I could actually eat at about 7 months, Taco Bell

11. What irritated you the most?
Being SICK

12. What was your first child's sex?
Female

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?
19

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
low blood pressure & blood sugar

15. Where did you give birth?
McAlester Regional Medical Center, McAlester, OK

16. How many hours were you in labor?
15

17. Who drove you to the hospital?
Charlie

18 . Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
Epidural but I was already transitioning when they gave it to me ;Once I get to a four, I go fast!

19 . How much did your child weigh?
6 lbs. 15 oz.

20 . What did you name him/her/them?
Claire Victoria Rose (LONG story but a good one)

21 . How old is your first born today?
4

22. Who does your child look like?
Me & Charlie; A combination of my sister Tammy and Charlie's sister, Cheryl, I think.

23. Did you get mad at your husband during labor?
a little before my epidural ; one word, transition. Not really mad, just irritated. He wanted to eat!

24. Who was with you in the delivery room?
My God (see below),My husband,My Mom, nurses, and doctor,

25. Funniest moment during labor?
I don't really have a funny story. Claire was born in distress. She wasn't breathing and was purple.She had almost no heart beat. So, all I remember about that is being scared to death and praying that God wouldn't take her. But, this is funny: the day after Claire was born, dr. came around to see us. He was talking to me about nursing. Claire just wasn't latching on good. So he told me not to worry. He said that he was formula fed and he turned out to be a Dr. Then he said, my sister was breast fed and she is a drug addict and he wasn't joking! What he was trying to say it being formula fed will not make you a terrible person. It was pretty funny to a woman who had just gave birth and was extremely worried about being able to breastfeed!

Happy Birthday, Mama (MeMe,Granny)!!! :)

This is a horrible picture of me & my mama but it's the only one blogger would let me load and it would only load sideways?! Anyway, just look sideways, I guess! :) Anyway, it actually is the best picture that I could have used because it is a great example of how it is with my Mom! She is always behind me, encouraging & pushing me and never letting me walk alone. :)

Happy Birthday to the woman who gave me life and so much more! I am incredibly blessed that you are my mom! I don't even know where to begin. First of all, you never complain about helping your kids out. Not only that, but you don't even let us ask. You just know even without us telling you that something is wrong and you start in trying to fix it! :) You also teach us that there are things that only God can fix. You only had your mom until you were 16 and she didn't know how to talk to you about things that daughters need to talk about. In spite of that, you have always been there for us and you did not let "not knowing how" stop you from knowing your daughters.

You always put Daddy and us before anything else and you worked hard both in the home and sometimes at an outside job so that we could have what we needed and what we wanted. Everyone at school wanted you to be their Mom because you were always there. You took me and my friends out to eat, you threw the BEST birthday parties ever, you were just always THERE in my life. Sometimes I thought it was smothering but now I know just how much you cared and that means SO much to me.

You taught me how to work, how to read, how to cook, tried to teach me how to sew(haha), how to never give up and how to believe in myself. You only finished the 8th grade but you were determined and did everything in your power to make sure we made the BEST grades we could and that we went to college. You went back and got your GED and went to college all while raising a family. You quit college early because it was too hard on your kids (among other things going on at the time) but you made sure that we knew we could do it. You did the late night helping us study, buying us whatever we needed to accomplish that goal, you did ALL of the paperwork and phone calls. You helped me have the most beautiful wedding and you have loved Charlie as your own son since the day you met him. :) You were there when all of our angels were lost and when our babies were born. You were there through the sleepless nights and even took some for your own so that Charlie & I could sleep. You help me with parenting when I don't know what to do. You calm me down. You go with me to take my kids to the doctor and you help me when they are sick. You buy things that I cannot afford at times. You have helped so much when hard times have hit.

I ,seriously, thank God for you and your unselfish ways every day, Mama. I know that if you go to be with Jesus before I do, I will never be the same. I honestly don't know WHAT I would do without one of my VERY best friends. My first best friend.

I hope you have a very special birthday. One that is just as special as you are to me! :)

Love,

your

Julie Irene

With thanks, counting my many blessings....

*my God*my husband*my babies*a warm house*wonderful supportive church family*warm cookies fresh out of the oven*baby smells*family*friends*hubby's vacation (paid)!!*Psalm 71*hand me downs*our ancient computer*phone calls from my sisters*nieces & nephews*a cozy fire*Christmas & Veggietales CD's (save my sanity in the car)lol :)*chicken tortilla soup *horses*our old fixer-upper house*my dishwasher*clean, fresh laundry straight out of the dryer*Martha Stewart Holiday DVD's *blueletterbible.org (using this a lot lately)*listening to Claire, Kylie & Alaina's "conference" call! :)*emails from Cheryl, Crystal, Sarah, Denise, Misty, Miranda, Chris & Rebecca-love you girls!! :)* a healthy pregnancy for my friend Misty; and for her baby boy on the way!*hot cocoa with mini marshmallows(recipe on Hershey's box)*bills that even though they may be hard to pay mean that we have a home, electricity, insurance, and a vehicle. * paychecks* truth * An excuse to bake* Clean House* my nephews Jesse & Michael (have helped us a lot this week)* a mother-in-law who loves to cook and cook big for her family. * hymns (church songs, according to Claire) that go around in my head* Claire acting out her bedtime routine with her baby dolls. ("go sleep, baby, snug as a bug in a rug!") :)*LOVE*quiet times*Lily's cute little phrases and sweet, sweet, hugs :)*Drew's little baby coos and loving to be held*water and a washer that is going out but still works! *pumpkin anything!*the certainty of God in an uncertain world*bedtime stories*my mama's patience with me when she teaches me things*my Daddy's medication(helps him be my Daddy again)*prayer*wonderful smells of holiday baking*football*beautiful leaves*thick towels on a cold day* cell phones*blogs & talk radio (for my husband, lol)*Boscoe (our dog, should have listed earlier, sorry Boss)*Thanksgiving Day Parade*Dad's (my father-in-law) great heart test results!!!*Dad's (father-in-law)great sense of humor*Both sets of parents who babysit for date night!! :)*Lily's cute little "bite, bite, peas mumma" :)*Drew's crooked smile :)*Charlie's strong hugs & sweet kisses :)*Christmas trees & Christmas movies :)*restoration*forgiveness*Tammy & George reconciling*prayers being answered*redemption*visiting with family*leftovers :)

I don't have a title for this.....

*Updated to add: We now also have a beautiful son, Andrew Coy David Fogg, born September 4th, 2008!!!! No problems whatsoever with the pregnancy and a VERY precious blessing he is!!! :) GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!

In case you haven't figured out by now, I love to bake and cook. The whole process just calms me down. When I am angry or sad or anxious I just bake. When I need to pray and work through something, I do it best when I am baking or cooking. The only problem I have is the anticipation of waiting until it is done! I don't know any cook who can wait to taste the food. Paula Deen has a saying about that and it's hilarious!

On January 3, 1998 I married my husband. We only dated 3 months before we were married. We dated a month and I got my engagement ring. I know, it sounds crazy and it has been hard but it is by far the best thing that I have ever done.Never a regret.

I had been through so much pain in past relationships. We were very young and people could not believe that we knew what we were doing. But, we knew what we wanted. I had been through hell and Charlie was heaven.

Well, we got married and I immediately got pregnant. I had a miscarriage. This cycle repeated itself for the next 4 years. I had so much pain inside and all I wanted to do was to be a mama. There was a lot of anger and questioning the Lord. I was angry at God and angry most of all at myself. Our marriage suffered terribly. That is how I know that we have true love, until you go through something so terrible, you don't realize how good you have it. My husband held up his vows, he was there in sickness and in pain, and literally in death, time and time again. Losing my children is the most terrible pain that I have ever known. But, all of this was in God's plan for our life together. Hanging on to the Lord is what got me through and knowing that he had a plan for my life.

We considered (seriously) adoption and we still do. We were on the verge of seriously looking into it when I became pregnant again(after 3 years of not even being able to conceive). Claire was detected extremely early by the grace of God. I should not have even been able to conceive her, my horomone levels were so low. I not only got pregnant, but carried her and delivered a healthy baby girl in Feb. 2005. After 7 years of struggling to have a baby, I had my beautiful baby girl.

We began talking about having another one shortly after Claire was born, although we were not even sure I could get pregnant again or carry another baby to term. However, we wanted to try but wait until Claire was about 2 years old before we started trying. God laughed at us and we became pregnant with Lily when Claire was 18 months old.

Lily's birth was a miracle in itself. I became diagnosed with gallbladder and pancreatitis/jaundice complications the weekend I found out that I was pregnant. I was put into the hospital immediately. I was in there for a week until the pancreatitis and jaundice cleared up. I had to wait until I was 4 months pregnant before they could do surgery(due to birth defects). That is the sickest I have ever been in my life and I had a 2 year old to take care of (no rest). We both came through the surgery just fine and Lily was born healthy and normal in May 2007.

So, as you can see I have a lot to praise God for. I have two beautiful baby girls. I am a mommy. I waited so long to be able to say those words and if you are waiting I know the pain. I know how empty and alone you feel. I know the discouragement. That is what Satan wants us to feel. But, the Lord is with you.. Let him give you strength. Lean on Him. Rest in Him. And I will be praying for you as I do every day for those who cannot or have not yet for some reason been able to have children. I cannot guarantee that you will have children, only God can do that. I do know that God has plans and reasons and they are not our own. I know that God will give you peace when and if you ever come to that point. I know what a struggle it is to come to that point and to let Him have your pain.

Maybe this helped someone today. I just felt like I needed to write it. Love you all.