Well, God has revealed to us where our next ministry is to be. My husband, Stevan, has shared it all on his blog here.
Please join with us in praying for our specific requests. We know God will provide all of our needs and will exceed our expectations if we get out of the way and let Him work.
She’s going to kill us when this is still on the internet at her wedding, but you have to giggle with me as you watch this:
Weird title, I know! But, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about all of the stuff that we have and what we can get rid of on this move. Why? Because I don’t want to pack it for one thing, but there’s more to it than that. Ella needs to know that having stuff doesn’t equal security, though I think because she’s already lived in three houses I almost let her think that way. She has so many little trinkets and stuffed animals that she plays with when she finds them. But, if she can always see them she doesn’t give them a second thought. Do I do that with my stuff??? Guilty as charged. So, I am striving to part with things this time around.
I have also been plagued with clutter in this house. Clutter can only happen if we keep a bunch of stuff we don’t know what to do with, right? I admit openly that I have piles because I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO PUT THINGS! Hello? I need to retrain myself to not purchase anything until it has a home! Not, the other way around. Pray with me as I part with my stuff and attempt to retrain my “collector’s” approach to life. I feel better when the clutter is gone. Why can’t I always feel that good??
I have an excellent friend who posted an awesome post on living the American Dream on her blog. Check out Becky’s latest post here. Tell her Jess sent you over to her blog when you comment on it.
What do you need to eliminate in your life? What are the things that are most important to be kept, cherished and treasured? I’d love to hear what you have to say.
It’s a good thing I have my password saved on WordPress or I would totally have forgotten how to log on to my blog.
Not that I have a huge following that is waiting with bated breath to read what is on my mind as of late. With Twitter being so handy, I feel like all of my thoughts have already been shared in the Twitterverse and Facebook. What is there left to share about my little world? 
Quick update: We’ve had quite the winter season–record snowfall here in Western PA (as I recall, our area of WI had record snowfall in the month of December when we came–think there’s a connection??? Stevan does pray for snow on a regular basis.) In the midst of this snowy season, my children decided to get just about every cold virus possible and was very happy to share it with the rest of the family. So far, I’ve barely had symptoms and was able to combat the sniffles each time w/ fluids and vitamins. Stevan, on the other hand, suffered along with the munchkins (and was more verbal about it, of course).
Ezra also decided to cut a tooth after two colds for a couple months in a row. Poor kid. He must have a high pain tolerance. He has his first ear infection this week, though, so it’s been a rough week for him. My mom has been visiting so she has helped me tremendously.
Ella LOVES preschool!!! She is thriving w/ all the social interaction and constant challenge of learning new things that she gets to come home and “teach” to us! She loves her baby brother who, in turn, adores his big sister. They are so precious together. What blessings!
Ella turns 4 years old on April 23rd! *GULP* I can’t believe it. Didn’t I just finish nursing her??? (No, I did not nurse for three years, just in case you’re wondering.) Ezra turns 10 months tomorrow. He will experience his first Easter next week. He will be one years old on May 28th. WOW! To use the exhausted saying, “Where has the time gone?”
I turned 30 in January. My body has reminded me of this every week. Yoga via the Wii helps stretch me out when I find the time/remember to do it!
Big things have been happening despite the sickness and snow in our family, though. Once again, the Lord is asking us to step out in faith to see what He has for us next. Stevan has resigned from his position here and is seeking a new position that is not in youth ministry. THIS is a big deal for him. He has been a youth pastor for the last 10 years. But, God has something in store for His servant and we are actively seeking His will, while waiting (trying to do it patiently) for Him to share what He has for us. Pray with us as we take this new journey with our two children. We are trusting in God. He will provide all of our needs. He holds our future in His capable hands (thank goodness).
So, there you have it. The Sheets’ family update in a nutshell. Pray for this time of sickness to be over so Mommy can leave the house (just kidding, I’ve had more time to do my devotions so I can’t complain too loudly). In all seriousness, pray that the sickness does leave and also that God’s will becomes evident to us. We appreciate your prayers.
Enough for now. My kids are asleep. I need to be, too. They will wake up happy and hungry!
God is good. All the time.
Does your family have breakfast every morning? I have an 8 month old, an almost four year old and a husband. My husband in not a breakfast eater, but my kids are. When I get up I have to hit the ground running with our crazy schedule and I am depending on breakfast to get me through my morning. But, who has time to whip up a hot breakfast?? Not me, and fortunately my toddler is okay with that. I usually prefer cereal w/ milk. Ella, my three-year-old, prefers Cheerios–with or without milk. She has tried other cereals, but usually goes back to her tried and true yellow box of oat goodness. The good people of General Mills sent me some coupons through MyBlogSpark to try their other cereals for FREE and encourage us to make breakfast a priority. I’d like to thank them for reintroducing some fun cereals into our pantry! They sent me some pretty interesting facts about cereal eaters, too. (Before learning these facts I thought I was doing a disservice to Ella for only offering cereal each morning. Check out the benefits of cereal below. Again, this information was sent to me from General Mills through MyBlogSpark.)
*Ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters.
*Ready-to-eat cereals, including presweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in children´s diets.
*Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child´s diet today.
Maybe I should ONLY eat cereal!!! That might take off the rest of this baby weight (okay, so the weight before the first pregnancy, shhh!!!).
The other day I offered Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to Ella and she asked for another bowl. I sat down and ate some with her. It is just as good as I remembered it as a kid, except now it’s made with whole grain, calcium and vitamin D. Not bad for a cereal Ella now refers to as the cinnamon sugar cereal. General Mills has even been reducing sugar in their cereals, but you sure wouldn’t know. That yummy taste is still there. Though Ezra is still into oatmeal, I’m sure there will come a time when he is vying for the same box of cereal as his sister. I’m not looking forward to either of them pouring their own milk, though.
Due to the great coupons, I deviated from just getting Cheerios and picked up some Lucky Charms, Reese’s Puffs and more Cinnamon Toast Crunch yesterday. My hubby got excited when he saw the Lucky Charms and had a bowl last night. Now, if only I can get him to eat it in the morning on a day other than Saturday!
Want to try some General Mills cereal yourself? Here’s a link to a $1 off coupon! I would love to hear what are the favorite breakfast items and cereals your family can’t seem to live without. Let me know with a comment.
Have you given to the relief efforts in Haiti, yet? Are you overwhelmed with the thought of giving when you know you have such a tiny amount? I want to encourage you that even giving the $1 you were saving for that Cherry Limeade at Sonic during Happy Hour today can make a big difference. How do I know? Check out thisishaiti.com and see what God is doing with our small gifts.
A few days ago, we were all distraught over the earthquake in Haiti, not really knowing what to expect in the days to come. It shook my husband, Stevan, to the core as he watched footage on the internet of the country and people who have a special place in his heart. Having visited in 2007, Stevan explained again to me how poor this nation is and how detrimental this disaster is and will be for the Haitian people.
After being frustrated all morning on Wednesday with the urge to hop on a plane and go help these people Stevan started a .com specifically for Haiti. Feeling inadequate with any ability to help, he decided that he could at least share more of Haiti to help others see how important helping this nation really is. He started it Wednesday afternoon. What started out as a blog sharing about Haiti and it’s people, sharing photos of the destruction and encouraging people to help, has turned into an awesome fund-raising campaign.
On Wednesday night, Stevan challenged his teens (he’s a youth pastor in Western PA) to raise money for Haiti. Without warning beforehand, he passed a woven basket that he had gotten in Haiti and asked that they give what they were willing to for Haiti. A youth group of 12 in attendance that night gave $46 and change. He encouraged the teens to continue to raise money for the next month however they were willing to do it. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.
Recognizing that he needed to find a way to raise money himself, my husband went home and put the challenge out on http://thisishaiti.com. The first challenge: raise $1,000 for Haiti. By donating on this site, all proceeds would go to World Hope International who directly could help the Haitians. We donated the first $20 that night and then sat back and were blown away at the donations coming in. By 2 PM the NEXT day, the $1,000 goal was met and exceeded!
There is now a second goal up at thisishaiti.com to raise another $1,000 for Haiti. We donated in honor of our kids for the first $20 of this goal. This is a way to give a little and not feel overwhelmed that it’s only a drop in the bucket! God takes a little and makes it go so much further than we could in our own power.
There is a new challenge out that the first $20 of the third goal of $1,000 will be donated as soon as we meet this second goal. Can we spread the word to help?
If you’d like more info on this fund-raising effort or specifics on how to donate and info on World Hope International, please go to http://thisishaiti.com!
Yes, folks! I have entered into the new realm of 30 somethings today.
What will this decade hold for me? A baby girl going to preschool, for one thing. A 7 month old infant who is so active and aggressive I am wondering if he’s going to let me wait until he’s one to walk! He is, at the moment, dealing with a terrible cold and can’t seem to soothe himself to sleep. Poor little guy.
Kind of makes me contemplative….knowing that I may not sleep well tonight…this first night into my thirties. Reminds me that this will be the decade of my family. My twenties were filled with college, teaching, meeting the love of my life and later marrying him and giving birth to two of the most adorable and precious children a mother could have. I moved to six different locations (2 out of state) in the last decade which is huge for me whose parents still live in the house I grew up in.
This decade I will learn more about who my family is and what they need. In so doing I will discover more about me and who I am. Most importantly, I pray that I can grow closer to my Lord, displaying attributes of Christ to my children and husband. I look forward to what God has in store for my family and me. I desperately pray that my children will choose to ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives. I pray that God will strengthen my already blessed marriage so that Stevan and I can be even more aware of each other and what we need to keep our marriage protected.
I also hope I learn how to clean and manage my house more efficiently!
I have so much to learn…
As mentioned in my last post here, I have been making Pumpkin Gooey Butter cakes. They are quite a hit at my house and the places I’ve brought them so far. I am planning on venturing out and trying some other variations and types of these cakes.
I would love suggestions on what types I should try. Feel free to leave a comment with your idea and even a link to a recipe you’ve used or found! Thanks!
I keep making these Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes from Paula Deen. This time, instead of a yellow cake mix, I used a Spice cake mix. I’ll let you know how it turns out! It’s in the oven now!
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Ingredients
Cake:
* 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1 egg
* 8 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 8 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.
Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.
For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.
The Verdict: Though the spice cake mix had a nice spicy flavor, it seemed more dry and less sweet than the yellow cake mix. I am sticking with the yellow cake mix from now on. I’m trying the Peanut Butter variation next. Or maybe this one!
I don’t know how many of you diaper buying parents out there pay attention to the rewards codes on the boxes. If you don’t, you should. I just entered a code from Huggies EnjoytheRideRewards.com and scored 17 points! Usually, I get 5 points at the most! How nuts is that???? I have no clue if this code will work for other people or not, but I will post it anyway, just in case.
PHMWG-TDDKM-DKJZT (doesn’t work for anyone else-update 11/14)
Let me know in a comment if this is a code that only works exclusively for one person. I don’t want to waste your time trying it if it doesn’t work for my friends! Bummer! The code only worked for me!
