Friday, February 28, 2014

Amanda's Birthday and More!

Amanda turned 6 today!
Happy Birthday my sweet girl!


Welcome to my weekend blog hop -
Make My Saturday Sweet #71!

To make this hop successful, be sure to visit the last two
links before yours and leave them a sweet comment. Also,
share about this hop via Twitter, Facebook or Google+.


Friendship Friday
The Letter "H"

and

Finish the Sentence Friday
"The most unexpected part
about being a grownup is..."


A professional photographer took this photo of my kids
Samantha, Jeremiah, Jessica and Amanda

Today I'm answering both link party prompts in one.

H stands for Happy Moms, Happy Homes
my eBook and blog.

I never thought that being a mom would be as tough as it was, so I began writing. It was an outlet for me. Here's an excerpt from Happy Moms, Happy Homes:

Motherhood

As a mother you have the highest calling in life, but even so there will probably be days when you feel alone and unappreciated. The “heartbeat” of “Happy Moms, Happy Homes” is to let you know that you are not alone and that no matter what you’re going through, there is Someone who wants to go through it with you.

I was often disappointed when I couldn’t create the perfect family environment. For instance, I would take extra trouble to cook a special meal, and my toddlers would refuse to eat it. Similarly, we would go on a family outing and all they seemed to do was cry. When these kinds of things didn’t turn out as I had pictured them in my mind, I would feel crushed.

Since then I have come to learn that the absence of trials is not what produces a happy family environment. Instead, it’s achieved every time I’m not shaken when trials come my way. I may not embrace them, but I’ve come to accept them. What is out of my control is still under God’s control. He’s there to comfort and guide me.

Hardly anyone welcomes trials, but the truth is that God allows even trials to shape our lives. He does not want to harm us, but to enrich us. The Bible promises that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. It goes on to say that this hope will not disappoint us, because His love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:3-5). Knowing this, you don’t have to go under when you feel you’re going down. Just keep reminding yourself that God allows difficult times to change you, but not to break you.

Trust the leadership of His Spirit and watch Him go to work in your life, your marriage, your family, and your world. Never give up. Run the kind of race that is pleasing to God, which is to have an open and honest relationship with Him. Then you will reach the goal and gain that prize!

Poem “Blue Ribbon”
You might not receive a blue ribbon
at the end of the day
And being a mother is not
a job that will pay
But your reward is the journey
every step of the way
And “Well done!” are the words
that my Father will say.

by Christina Morley


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Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the two links before yours and leave them a comment to make their "Saturday Sweet"! It's really easy and a fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.


Now on to my blog hop...

Amanda’s Books and More

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

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All family friendly blogs are welcome!

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Amanda’s Books and More

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