In the Cross Alone I Glory

I heard this song today on Pandora, possibly even for the first time. It really hit me. There is nothing that I can give, nothing that I can do in my own strength, that will allow me to live. Only in the cross can I glory. "It is finished!". Only what Christ has done by His death on the cross, promises me eternal life, promises me hope of a future with Him, promises me that I can do all things through Him. I pray that I can rest in that!

Mama Bear

Mama's Weekend Getaway

Now that we have a family of six (we have a foster daughter who is just 6 months old), there's not many opportunities for me to get away and just have me time, let alone chances for me and hubby to get away for some US time!

Our Room at Asilomar

 Last month, Papa Bear had ALL FOUR kids, while I got to get away to Pacific Grove, CA with some girlfriends.  For TWO nights!!!  I was SO blessed and refreshed!  We had no agenda but to just have some girl time and to relax.  We stayed at Asilomar Conference Grounds and enjoyed some incredible ocean views, lots of laughter, and a bit of chocolate.  

Two Sweet Friends

Me and another sweet friend (I'm on the right)

Tiki Faces

 We ate at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.  TWICE!  We went to Hobby Lobby in Morgan Hill (because it's the CLOSEST one to us, and I love it so much better than Michael's!).  I found a really cool basket there for $6 and a VERY cool BIG mirror for $24.  Both were 80% off!!!  We played on the beach, made a sand castle, took silly pictures of each other, had breakfast together at the conference grounds, had potato leek soup the first night, because it was so chilly, and because that soup just sounded so yummy (and it was!).

Love this woman!

All of us at The Ice Cream Shop in Pacific Grove

  We took board games, but never got around to playing them.  Another friend came down and joined us for Saturday, so we went to the Barnyard in Carmel and did some fun thrift store shopping for items to re-purpose into newborn pants and hats for my photography business.  We had a little snack and then went bought some coffee (for Papa Bear), and some chocolate at one of the best little chocolate shops EVER...Pieces of Heaven.  

Ahhhh, the life!  Monterey Municipal Beach

Can you see the seals?

That's me!  I don't care to have my picture taken, but I am learning to let go...

The Lone Cypress on 17 Mile Drive

Love this lady!

Love her too!

We took the 17 mile drive in Carmel, which is AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS!!! We had dinner on Saturday at one of Papa Bear and my favorite restaurants in Monterey...Hula's Tki Room.  We had ice cream at Lappert's A.K.A The Ice Cream Shop in Pacific Grove. We talked and talked and talked about some of the things that come with marriage and children.  We talked about God and His goodness and faithfulness. 

If you can manage it, I highly encourage you to get away with some girlfriends.  It'll do you good!  I am so blessed by these friendships!

Thank you, Papa Bear for allowing me to get away when you had all four kids.  You are an amazing husband and daddy.  I love you!!!

God bless you!

Mama Bear

 

I'm Now Selling Photoshop Templates

Are you always looking for a great storyboard to be used on your blog?  Whether you are a professional photographer, or you are a mom-tographer who loves to showcase her kids' photos, these story boards are perfect for you.  Each blank set that you see below has the filled in set below it, so that you can see what it would look like with photographs in it.

 Blog Storyboard Photoshop Template - 12x12 .PSD file - Set 1

 Blog Storyboard Photoshop Template - 12x12 .PSD file - Set 2

 Blog Storyboard Photoshop Template - 12x12 .PSD file - Set 3

I am also selling Facebook Cover Templates!

I hope that you will check out my BRAND NEW Etsy shop:  AO Photo Design!

Have a blessed day!

Mama Bear

Life Gets in the Way

Sometimes, I get these great ideas, like starting a blog.  I am overly ambitious sometimes.  And then, life gets in the way.  Things get a little chaotic and crazy.  So much has happened in our lives since our last post!

To start things off, let me just say this:  We did emergency foster care in 2011, and got a little girl who was 10 months old in October 2011.  She celebrated her 1 year birthday with us and by the time she went to go live with a relative, she was 13 months old.  Needless to say, having her with us for 3 months, we got attached to her.  SO much so, that we cried when she left.  We KNEW this was a temporary situation, but we also knew that God called us to love these little ones for as long (or as short) as we have them.  We tried to guard our hearts, but about 2 weeks before she left, she really started loving back.  This was so hard on our whole family, that we decided we needed to stop for awhile, and maybe for good.

BUT, last November (2012), I really felt like God was wanting us to get back into emergency foster care.  UGH!  What???  NO!!!  Life was good.  Things were getting easier.  Our kids were getting older and able to do more for themselves.  My selfish and lazy heart did NOT want to take on a baby or another child!  Our youngest had just started preschool 2 days a week, where I actually had a couple of hours to myself!!!  Oh, the bliss!

Nope!  God had other plans.  How do I know for sure this was what He wanted?  Because Papa Bear had been thinking the same thing, and neither one of us had talked to each other about it yet!  So, we put off talking about it until after the New Year.  We prayed about it.  Then, about the second week of January (2013), Papa Bear said, "Ok, this is what we'll do; if THEY call US and say they are DESPERATE for homes, then we'll say yes, but we're not going to call THEM."  I was ok with that.  They probably wouldn't call.

WRONG!  Not even 2 weeks later, our caseworker called us and said, "So, are you guys ready to foster again?  We are DESPERATE for homes!".  Um, hello???  Could that be any more clear of an answer?  We knew then and there, that this was definitely what God wanted.  Sooooo, we said yes.  This was on Friday, January 25th.

Monday, January 28th, we got a call about a 1 year old girl who needed a confidential placement.  We had to say no on that one, for the protection of our family.  I couldn't believe we even got called SO QUICKLY!!!  I figured it would be a few weeks at least.

Then, Tuesday, January 29th, we got a call about a baby who was born the day before, 6 weeks early, and still in the hospital.  OH, MY!!!  She wasn't even a day old yet, when we got the call!  Well, we said yes.  We had to wait until she was 10 days old and had gained a substantial amount of weight before we could bring her home.  But we visited her almost every day before we brought her home.

This prompted us to put in our application for adoption.  NOTHING is saying that she will go up for adoption, but if she does, we wanted to have all of our ducks in a row, because of course, we fell in love with her immediately, despite the fatigue (and of course the sin that comes with such fatigue!!!  you know, anger, impatience, etc.).

We know not where this road leads, but we know we are doing God's will and we know that He sustains us each step of the way.  He cares for our every need before we even realize we have a need.  He gives grace when we have none to give others.  He is merciful when we are in the middle of sinning.  We are praying for birth mom.  We are praying for our own hearts.  We know that God is in control and He is a sovereign God.

We will wait.  And we will love.  And we will live life to the fullest, for His glory.

Mama Bear

Christmas Cookies with Kids

 As my little ones get older, it's become more fun to involve them in holiday cookie making.  They both have their aprons that they get to wear, just like Mommy, and they get to get up on the chair and cut out cookies.  I love being able to share this fun tradition with them, just as my own mom shared with me and my siblings when we were all young.

I LOVE kisses from my kiddos!  My oldest was taking the pictures for me.  Didn't he do a great job?!

I will show you how we decorated the gingerbread cookies in the next post.

Have a blessed weekend!

Mama Bear

How to Remember if You Took Your Medicine

As I get older, I forget more easily!  ACK!  I don't like this part of getting older, and I'm only 42!

I have to take this medicine every morning.  I don't always remember if I've taken it or not.

So, I came up with what I think is a pretty ingenious solution.

What do you think?

This way, I will know for sure if I took the meds!

Pretty smart, right?  :-)

Mama Bear

Big Brothers Build Great Tents

Today, my oldest son built this tent for his brother and sister.  They LOVED it, of course!  Big brothers are great at building cool things!

Mama Bear

Superhero Capes for Kids

There are many, many kiddos out there who are battling cancer.  Kiss the Toad Creations is trying to make life a little more joyful for these kids, by making superhero capes to give to them.  They are trying to  reach a goal of providing capes for 10,000 kids, and YOU can HELP!  All you need to do is sponsor a cape for just  $20 or $30.

Here's the post from their Facebook page:  

ATTENTION ALL CAPE CRUSADERS! 
HERE IS YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL QUEST:

"In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite, when all seems lost, in the war of light, look to the stars, for hope burns bright!" - Blue Lan

tern

Please help us to spread the word about our mission at Kiss The Toad Creations by inviting 5 friends to “Like Us” on Facebook by August 31,2012.

If each one of us can recruit 5 friends we will reach our goal of 10,000 Cape Crusaders for the children. Once we reach our goal - we will be having a drawing where everyone will have the chance to enter to win their very own custom made Superhero Cape.

More Cape Crusaders = More Capes for Children battling life threatening illnesses. Thank you for everything you do to help us continue our mission of providing capes to these children.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to help out with this wonderful program! 

 I did, and I'm so glad I did!

God bless you!

Mama Bear

A "Weird Home Remedies" Article

I read this article today, and thought of a few of my own home remedies that are good for certain ailments.

Honey-  Honey is good for burns.  As soon as you burn yourself, slather on some honey.  It will help take the sting and redness away.  Leave it on there as long as you can without getting everything messy.

Honey is also good for your skin.  "Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent." (See this article for more on honey.)

Apple Cider Vinegar - Any time Papa Bear and I have tummy ailments, we make a tea of sorts, with 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp. honey, then fill the rest of the cup with hot water.  Seriously...when your tummy is upset, or you have a case of stomach or intestinal flu, this is the best stuff or it!

Oatmeal - Oatmeal makes a superb facial scrub.  Mix it with a little honey, you have a great, natural mask!  

"Many people swear by oatmeal as a natural remedy to acne. One easy recipe is to cook up some of the stuff, let cool until lukewarm, then apply to the affected areas. Let stand for several minutes, then rinse." (source)
Buttermilk - Buttermilk is a lovely way to get beautifully radiant and soft skin.  It also has other uses:  "A great remedy for dark spots on your face is to grind dried orange peel and combine with buttermilk to make a paste.  Apply daily and let it dry before washing it off.  After 30 days you should see quite a difference and without the use of harsh chemicals." (source)

Banana- "You can do a lot more with a banana than slice it on your cereal. Among the fruit's other uses: slap a banana peel (the inside part) on an itch caused by a bug bite or poison ivy; this will dial down the inflammation and relieve the itch. You can also use mashed banana as a facial--it’s great for moisturizing dry skin. Banana peel also has anti-acne properties: just rub the inside part of the peel over your clean face to get the anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects." (source)

What are some of YOUR favorite home remedies?  I'd love to hear about them!

Mama Bear

Colorado Springs and Our Soldier

 This past weekend, I had the opportunity to fly to Colorado Springs with my 18 year old son.  We went there just so I could take photos of my baby brother and his wife and son, before he left for Afghanistan for 9 months.  I hadn't yet met my nephew, who is just 7 months old, and I hadn't seen my brother or his wife since their wedding in June of 2010.

We went to Garden of the Gods so that I could take photos of them, and I love how they turned out!  They wore blues and blacks, and I think their outfits look striking against the red rock backdrop.  I also took some photos of my brother with his uniform on.  I am so proud that he is serving in the Army!  Coming from a military family background, he is continuing the tradition, so to speak.  

We are praying every day for God's special protection over Chris and his unit from Fort Carson.  We are also praying for special protection for my sister-in-law, Tina, and their little man, as they move from Colorado Springs to Montana, to live with family while my brother is deployed.  We covet your prayers as well!

My son, Caleb and I, posing in front of the red rock formations.

Garden of the Gods with Pike's Peak in the distance.

Pike's Peak, with snow blowing off of it.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Isn't he just the sweetest little guy ever to wear camo?

Tina, Chris, Caleb

Don't you just LOVE this photo???  I DO!!!

Please pray for this family that we love so much!

Have a blessed day in Christ!

Mama Bear