A great day!

Today has been a great day!

I love Easter!

Here's our day in pictures:

(These are actually yesterday's adventure...)

Easter basket treats...

Ready for church...

So, um, we didn't pay attention to the altered schedule at church today and totally missed the service. We were very bummed, so we took a scenic drive home through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and took some pics...

And then back home for an egg hunt and delicious lunch...

Notice the sun is shining!

He is Risen!

Christ the Lord is risen today,

Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say:

Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high,

Alleluia!

Sing ye heavens and earth reply,

Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King,

Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now they sting?

Alleluia!

Dying once, He all doth save:

Alleluia!

Where, thy victory, O grave?

Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done,

Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won,

Alleluia!

Death in vain forbid Him rise,

Alleluia!

Christ has opened Paradise.

Alleluia!

Soar we now, where Christ has lead,

Alleluia!

Following our exalted head;

Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise,

Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies,

Alleluia!

~Charles Wesley, 1739

Easter Story Cookies

Here's a great way to explain Easter to your kids...

Easter Story Cookies

1 cup whole pecans

3 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vinegar

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in a baggie and let the children beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

(Read John 19:1-3)

Let the children smell the vinegar. Put into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. (Read John 19:23-30)

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. (Read John 10:10-11)

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. (Read Luke 23:27)

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. (Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16)

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the white color represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. (Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)

Fold in nuts. Drop by teaspoon full onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus's body was placed. (Read Matthew 27:57-60)

Put cookie sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus's tomb was sealed. (Read Matthew 27:65-66)

Go to bed after explaining that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus's followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. (Read John 16:20-22)

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow. On the first Easter, Jesus's followers were amazed to find the tomb empty. (Read Matthew 28:1-9)

He has Risen!

Hallelujah!

Good Friday?

We know that this is true...

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him."

~John 3:16-18 from The Message

Today is Good Friday, the day the Christian faith declares as the very day Jesus was mocked, beaten and crucified on the cross. All because a God, who so loved the world, gave His one and only Son as his divine plan to save the world from sin and death. This very plan was designed just for me and just for you because God loves us so much, he wants our sins to be redeemed and our lives to be made right with him. He wants to spend eternity with us and his Word says he is preparing a place for us. All it takes from us is the step of faith to accept in belief this magnificent gift and divine plan for our lives.

Yesterday, at dinner, Jason and I took some time to explain to our kids that this week is called Holy Week and what this means. I explained Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Easter and what an important weekend this is. After a few seconds, Emily asked, "Why is it called Good Friday if Jesus was treated so badly on that day?" Have you ever stopped to think why, in fact, we call it Good Friday? I am no theologian, so if you are and have insight, please comment. However, it made sense to us to explain to our kids that Good Friday is not the end of the story. God's plan involved a horrible, tragic day for his Son, but the underlying thread of the entire plan was grounded in goodness...God's provision to overcome death, which is the natural punishment for sin. Good Friday had to happen for Easter Sunday to happen. Thus, the entire story gives us the gift of hope and eternal life.

What does that mean to us? We have been given the gift of hope and the knowledge that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28) and that no matter what today brings us, we have the hope that He is working all things for our good and we will be with Him forever. No tears, no sadness, no sin, no evil.

We participated in a Good Friday service for the past several years with our church in Houston. The service began with a dramatic reading, read by random members of the congregation, interspersed with a few hymns. The service ended in silence while each person went to the cross with his/her own nail and hammered the nail into the cross. I was always one of the last ones in line, and as I stood in line, waiting my turn to receive the hammer, I was moved by the visual reminder of the cross itself, the sound of the hammers hitting the nails, and how all those nails represented our sin. I am missing that active reminder today.

I am thankful for Good Friday. I am thankful for the sacrifice that was given for me, for you. I am thankful that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me more than anyone on this earth and is preparing a place just for me that will be beautiful beyond my wildest imagination and happier than my happiest days here in this lifetime.

And that, my friends, is something to ponder this Good Friday!

Website Wednesday!

This week's Website Wednesday is daveramsey.com. It seems like all we hear on the tv, radio, etc is centered around the economy. It can be enough to really bring fear into our lives. Now, more than ever, we should all have a plan when it comes to our money.

Jason and I took a financial class called Financial Peace University a couple of years ago. This class was so good for us. Neither one of us are that great when it comes to managing money. So, this class was amazing in teaching us things we should know like budgeting, getting out of debt, living under our means, and saving for the future. Dave uses the phrase "changing your family tree" and goes on to explain how making smart decisions today will affect and enhance our children's future and their children's future, etc. Hand-in-hand with this concept is also teaching our children about money. Neither Jason nor myself were taught much about money growing up and have learned many lessons the hard way.

I encourage you to check out Dave Ramsey's website and enroll in a Financial Peace University (FPU) class near you. It will change your life and change your family tree! Jason and I will be completely debt free from credit cards, car payments and medical bills by February of 2010, not because of any luck that has come our way, but from putting into practice the lessons learned from FPU. Beyond February, we will aggressively pay off our school loans and then move on through the 7 Baby Steps.

From Dave's website:

(Click on the links below to read an explanation of each step.)

Get out of debt the same way you learned to walk, one step at a time. Dave has taught these principles to millions via radio, books, Financial Peace University, Live events, and online:

		$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
		Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
		3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
		Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
		College funding for children
		Pay off home early
		Build wealth and give!

This class will not be a waste of your time and will empower you to be debt free and stay that way! If you are not able to find a class or have the time to attend, there's enough information on Dave's website and in his books to begin your Total Money Makeover. Dave provides all the forms you will need.

So, my friends, fear not and take control!

What we're reading this week...

I didn't get an entry done yesterday. I was so sleepy from the past week, staying up way too late! I've become a night owl in the past couple of years and I have to literally make myself go to bed at a decent hour so the next day isn't painful and I didn't do a great job with this all last week. So, now I'm paying for it. I gave up caffeine a couple of months ago, so there's no hope in the coffee cup any more. I must be more disciplined!

The Bible verse for my kiddos this week is 2 Thessalonians 3:13: "Never tire of doing what is right." I think I could definitely learn from this one myself!

We are basically reading the same things we were reading last week. I'm still playing catch up with my daily Bible readings to get through the Bible in one year, so I'm not allowing myself to start a new novel until I'm caught up. I think I will be caught up in another week.

So, instead of giving you our reading selections, I thought I would list some blogs that I frequently, sometimes even daily, visit. Most of them are amazing stories of faith through difficulty and inspire me immensely. Some are just fun reading for me because they allow me to keep up with distant friends or are just fun to follow.

Please continue to pray for Baby Stellan. His button is on the sidebar of my blog. He is 5 months old and has been in the PICU for 16 days with heart trouble. The doctors are now going to try something different, which could involve life-flighting him to another hospital. Keep in mind, he is the baby of 4 children, so this family really needs prayers for Stellan's healing as well as keeping above water with the care of the rest of the family.

So, these might be fun for you to check out:

(You might need to click on older entries to read their stories.)

Baby Bangs

Been There, Done That & Then Some

Beth Moore: Living Proof Ministries

Bring the Rain

Confessions of a CF Husband

It's a Widnerful Life!

Keeping Awake

Marla Taviano

MckMama

Rhonda

Richard & Jennifer

The Stanfield Journey

Waiting for Happy

The Whaley Life

Rainy day...

It's a rainy, rainy day today...but as a friend just told me..."but it's not snowy!" Amen, sister!

Daffodils are blooming in my yard, green buds have appeared on the trees and bushes, the robins are back singing their songs of spring.

I love this time of year...makes me think of Redemption!

Thank you, Lord, that you make all things new!

Your wonders never cease!

Have a fabulous weekend with those you love.

Emily has belt testing tomorrow for Tae Kwon Do, so I'm sure we'll have an update on our little Kung Fu Fighter!

Chow!

Training up my children...

Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

I am a fan of routine and structure. However, I love and appreciate breaks from the daily grind as well. I often use the breaks to re-evaluate how we run our Curtis Crew and try to come up with better and more meaningful ideas. While we were in Texas, I was so impressed with my sister and how she runs her house. This is my LITTLE sister who has always seemed (at least, I think so) to look up to me. But, let me tell you, the table has turned. Her children are so well behaved and actually do housework (without grumbling!). So, I was inspired, let me tell you!

When we returned I came up with a job list for my kiddos (the oldest two, at least) that includes daily jobs and Saturday jobs. They have 3 daily jobs and 3 Saturday jobs.

Now, keep in mind, this is week one, so it's new and fun for now, but Emily & Ben have both been working so hard every day when they get home from school. Pay day will be Monday and they will put their money in Save, Give and Spend categories (heard of Dave Ramsey?).

In addition, we've added Scripture Memory. We've been visiting a church that has a fabulous family service for kids and parents. At the end of the service each week, we are given follow-up material to do together at home. We've been using the dinner table as discussion time and Scripture memorization. If Emily & Ben can say their Bible verse by Friday's dinner, they will get a certificate for one "job-free" day during the following week.

Our memory verse for this week is "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." Romans 8:28. I am proud to say I will be handing out two certificates at dinner tomorrow night!

The "Kaddies"

There's not more than 2 or 3 days go by that Abby asks, "Where is Sebastian? I miss him!" It's amazing that she would still be missing him as much as I am. She will remember something he did and tell me about it, or remember one of his habits and ask if I also remember. I just love the minds of little ones...you never know what is spinning around in those amazing little brains!

Abby calls our newest family members the "kaddies"...I'm not sure if this is a Midwestern accent for kitties or what, but these little "kaddies" have grown and are so much fun!

First week home...

To this...

And this...

And now this...

My how they've grown!

Website Wednesday!

Whether you are worried about the economy, have been affected by the economy, or just want to save money in your monthly budget, this website will help you ease your mind a bit. This week's Website Wednesday! is The Grocery Game. All it takes is a little bit of your time, organizational skills (at a minimum) and a few small bucks a month. You can try if for 4 weeks for only $1 with no obligation to continue, but I think you'll want to continue when you see the savings coming in. If you're like me, I would much rather spend less at the grocery store each month.

From the company's website:

How it all began...

The Grocery Game grew out of a very smart and frugal hobby. Teri Gault (the company's founder and CEO) was intent on saving her family money. Her common sense homestyle approach to good living included collecting coupons and matching them to grocery store sales. Eventually, this hobby became a passion. Teri would share her money saving ideas with family and friends who were more than impressed by her attention to detail and her ability to predict sales trends. After some time, it became obvious that Teri's "hobby" was more than just a good idea to share with friends. The business of The Grocery Game was underway. At first, The Grocery Game made "TERI'S LISTs" available mainly to members in Southern California. Later, by offering franchises to persons throughout the United States, the company was able to expand at an unprecedented pace. Currently, The Grocery Game offers "TERI'S LIST" in all 50 states. Tens of thousands of members log on each week and save hundreds of dollars a month on their groceries.

Teri suggests purchasing some sort of envelope that has dividers. I bought a canceled check file at Wal-Mart for less than $4. Label the sections by categories. File your coupons this way. Once you join The Grocery Game, you will select the list(s) for the stores you shop in your hometown. Teri's list is comprised of three categories: Green, Blue and Black items. Green items are FREE (by combining store sales and your coupons you've clipped), Blue items are for stockpiling so you have enough of a particular item until the next sale cycles around, and Black items are for need shopping only. Teri will tell you on your store's list what coupons to pull from your file and how to combine them with the store's sales to save you the most money.

I encourage you to peruse the website, read the FAQ's and try it out for 4 weeks. You will be surprised how much fun it becomes to see what you can actually save on each trip.

So, grab a Sunday paper, save those coupon mailings that come in your mail this week, sign up for your 4 week trial for only $1, get your system going and watch the savings add up!

Let the savings begin!