"Make new friends, but keep the old...one is silver and the other's gold."

So.....I am on a contest/giveaway kick, therefore you are seeing an increase in the number of blog entries these days. :) I am excited to cash in on my free Christmas cards at shutterfly. That was like a $50 gift card for writing a few words about some beautiful cards. With that said, my friend Jennifer is having a giveaway at her blog Team Chase: 4 and Counting and I SOOOOOO want to enter it. She is giving away letter art from someone who donated it to her. I first saw some of this letter art at a Hearts-at-Home convention[side note: Hearts-at-Home is such an amazing weekend for moms of all seasons; working and stay at home moms---I highly recommend you check it out as well, I always leave encouraged]. It intrigued me right off the bat. Such beautiful photography and if you follow the link to the letter art donor, you will see her prices are A LOT lower than most doing this same art.
So....a little about my friend Jennifer. She and I met during our college years. We both worked at the Target (when it was brand spanking new) in Joplin, MO. We both were such responsible teens, that they put us in charge of the front lanes from time to time. We both have such an amazing work ethic, that on one particular work day, I had to clean up vomit, while Jen had to clean up poop. I am not even lying....Target can be a rough place. Joking aside, Jennifer is an amazing friend, a lovely lady of God, and I enjoyed my job because of her. She even helped throw me a bridal shower at work, because she is so kind. There aren't that many people that are younger than me that I totally look up to, but Jennifer is one of them. That is why I will go to all lengths to share about her latest journey: adopting a sibling group from Ethiopia. She is already a mom, but felt the call to adopt and she & her wonderful hubby, Trevor, are following that lead. They are taking James 1:27 literally and I am very excited about that for them as well as others answering that call. If you can't specifically answer the call to adopt, would you consider praying for them on this journey? or supporting them by looking at their fundraisers and buying gifts from sponsors that are donating some of their proceeds to their adoption? You know the old saying "Any friend of ________________, is a friend of mine."? Well turn that around and think of it this way, "Jennifer is a friend of mine, therefore (in Christ) she is a friend (& sister) of YOURS." Love you all for listening.

My New Found Addiction: shutterfly.com

OK---So I have heard about Shutterfly.com for a long time.....but for some unknown reason never took up on their spectacular photo offers. Finally in September, I purchased a Groupon certificate that gave me a photo book for $10. I was so excited and finally made a photo book of my wedding day. (It only took me 11+ years to do). But it was so easy to navigate around the site and being a scrapbooker, what normally could possibly take months, took me only an evening and it looks so simple and elegant. Not only could I post it online on my blog and on facebook---but I am getting a hard cover book in the mail. (View Shutterflywedding album).

So now I am excited about perusing through their Christmas photo cards. To be honest in the past I have gone through a retail store thinking they were cheaper, but their selection is pitiful. Now looking back, the price difference is pennies. There is literally hundreds of choices to fit your family's personality and chances of duplicates seem low. I even think some of the
5x7 cards could be framable. They have cards w/ the year already on it for those who save Christmas cards and those with elegant monograms. My favorite feature is the selection of cards that can hold more than 3 photos. I love squeezing as many photos of my family as I can onto a card or scrapbook page. You can peruse the card selection too @ shutterfly.com. After having made my photo book, I know that creating my card will be easy.

By now you are probably asking, "Did Amber get a new job marketing for Shutterfly?" The answer is no. I just am excited about what you can do on their site and hitting myself for not taking up on it earlier. I do however, as a blogger have a chance for some free holiday cards and if you blog you can too. Click here for details. Here are the two cards I am needing help choosing between:

With Love Chartreuse Christmas 5x7 folded card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

OR.....

Faith Hope Love Religious

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

What is YOUR vote???

I LOVE FALL!!!!!!

I LOVE FALL!!!!I can't decide which is my favorite season: fall or spring. But I love fall so much. I think I like the colors of fall(deep reds, purple, orange), the coziness of fall (fireplaces & sweatshirts w/ jeans),& the tastes of fall(turkey dinner & apple cider). I like the sounds of spring (birds chirping), the smells of spring (fresh cut grass and spring rains), and the weather that spring brings....warmth after winter. But right now, I am feeling all cozy in fall and am grateful for Thanksgiving coming up and the holiday season. So we've had a busy fall....For my birthday on Labor Day this year I asked my kids to go to the apple orchard with me and to pose for pics....and they did!!!! It was warm for our very first apple orchard experience, but I enjoyed it none the less. In October, we've enjoyed the pumpkin patch, family pictures, halloween, I ran my first 10K, and we added a new member to our family. For Halloween, I had superheroes. They were all so fun: Wonder Woman, Batman, & Flash Gordon. Chris & I were the Dark Knight & Super Mom! (Not really, but it made it look like we were dressing up when we wore superhero t-shirts to match the fam.) My 10K went so much better than I expected. It was a gorgeous morning....I ran the entire length of the race (6.2 miles) without walking---which I have never done in any race. I also beat my goal by 9 minutes. So overall I was very pleased with myself. I plan on running the Turkey Day race with my hubby....but after that take a break while he trains for a half-marathon. I'm excited to be his biggest cheerleader. The new additon to our family is a little puppy. After a long debate and some divine intervention via a custard shop's sign, we've named her Josie. She is a little mutt, that looks exactly like a black lab. Hopefully she'll take after mama and not grow so big.... We gave Josie as an early Christmas present to the kids and they are being so good about taking care of her and playing with her. It is so fun to watch!!! Speaking of watching.....I had too many fall pics that I couldn't decide what to post---so I decided to make a slideshow. Enjoy! I sure did creating it.

This free slideshow created with Smilebox

our wedding march 1999

Click here to view this photo book larger

2 days in a row?

Yes....It is very weird for me to post two days in a row---but here goes. First off, I wanted to share I don't mind To-Do Lists. I like to buy cute ones, or get organized and have a pre-set created one for each day, etc. But after yesterday's post, I realized I stumbled on to something. See, when I have a to-do list and life gets in the way and doesn't go as planned, I get discouraged and feel like a failure and didn't accomplish what I set out to do. SOOOO....I've decided to do it differently. I am just going to do what I can, and then write down what I accomplished that day. I am actually kind of thinking a "What I Did Today Journal". That way I can see what I did and be happy, proud about the things I did accomplish rather than anything I didn't. I know I will do the things that our pressing first and move on. I felt so good after yesterday. And you know what? I feel pretty good today too. My front room is still cluttered, w/ a couple loads of laundry, but I did a lot of other things today and I am glad I did them. I know you don't want to know what I did every day of the year, so I won't bore you with that. But I am going to post today's list and then the rest of my year's lists will be for my eye's only in my cute little calendar notes, so that I can feel like 'one productive mama'!

What I did today: :)
*Cleaned Post Office (1st day of new job) for 2 1/2 hours
*Drank 3 cups of water by 8 am.
*Sang a worship song in my car! (My favorite: Blessed Be Your Name)
*Prayed with a friend
*Load of laundry
*Dishes/shined both sinks w/ bleach (flylady.net)
*Swept kitchen/dining room (fyi--this is NOT a daily habit for me)
*Organized hot spot (kitchen counter)
*Dropped Chris off/pick Eden up/pick Chris up
*Played 2 rounds of Candyland w/ Eli (very fun, even though he smoked me!)
*Mini-reading lesson w/ Eli (-ad family)
*Read Sept. 1st excerpt from my one year chronological bible (Ezekial 47,48,29,30)
*Played on facebook & cleaned out email inbox
*Made beans, ham, & cornbread (it was rainy today) :)
*Drank MORE water. weird I know.
*Fellowshipped at church tonight for supper.
*Arranged babysitting for a fun date w/ my hubby tomorrow night.
*Shopped w/ Eden for a friend's bday
*Visited w/ unchurched neighbor
*Blogged

So as you see things like yesterday's read w/ Tobe or today's play Candyland w/ Eli are unplanned events that I am so grateful I took the time to do and didn't think, "it is not on my to-do list". And I feel so much better at the end of my day. Or it explains why I might not have gotten that landry folded because I had to do extra trips in the van due to our car issues and I don't have to feel guilty. This list releases me of my own expectations, and when I reflect on the day the Lord gave me I am not disappointed!

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Back in the saddle again......(finally)

Yesterday was a bad day. Yesterday I accomplished nothing. I have been sick for two days w/ yucky tummy stuff. Before this I have been sick w/ an ear infection, sinus infection, and so much fluid behind my ear that I can hardly hear in my right ear. The sinus infection symptoms began about Aug. 8th. So honestly I feel like I haven't accomplished much in the last month b/w my illnesses & my kids (all 3 have had the same big D word) My husband is so great though...yesterday after I apologized for doing absolutely nothing, he asked me "Did you have to deal w/ a bunch of clean-up/dirty diapers?" I said "Yeah" and he lovingly said, "Then you've done something and I wouldn't have wanted to do that, and your sick." I felt so relieved to hear him say that. I feel so guilty at times when I don't have the energy to get all I want accomplished, or even meet some of my goals. For instance, I haven't wanted to run for this entire month as well, with the clogged ear & the heat. Last time I ran was beginning of July and then before then it had been a couple of months.

Then to add to the yuckiness, we had our fuel pump go out on Chris' car yesterday as well. So after feeling pretty discouraged, stressed, depressed, etc. for several weeks, today was a refreshing change. Today I was productive. Even in the midst of figuring out car issues, friends (church community) reached out and loaned us their vehicle for a bit. Such a blessing!

Other things I accomplished today:
*I was able to enjoy encouraging conversation w/ two friends in depth.
*I read several books w/ Tobe while holding him (haven't got to read w/ him for a while).
*I decluttered 2 cabinets & 1 closet!!!
*I shined my sink. :)
*I treated my kids to half-price slushies at Sonic during happy hour.
*I had to drop off hubby at work/pick up daughter from school/pick up hubby from work due to the fact we have one car until tomorrow.
*I ran 2 miles after having about a 2 month hiatus!(hence the 'Back in the saddle'---I pray I can be consitent w/ my training for a 10K in the fall.)
*Enjoyed dinner at the dinner table w/ my family.
*Prayed w/ my children.

*I even updated facebook off and on throughout the day and currently am posting to my blog. :) And all of this before 10 pm. I am still going to be in bed at a decent hour (Side Note: First day of my temporary job cleaning the post office starts bright and early at 5:30 am. I am never up that early!) So I would say overall, I really enjoyed today. I usually might accomplish maybe two of the above bullets and more often than not they are facebook and talking to friends. It feels good to be productive. I absolutely LOVE this motto of the Flylady (I read the Flight Plan's daily, but don't always follow them) but this motto is so encourging to me:

You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?--Flylady www.flylady.net

Oh and the most encouraging Word is God's: Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Sympathetic or Pathetic? (plus an August recap)

August has been a long month! If we count July 31st, we (mainly Chris---but if daddy is busy, we all are busy)have had a wedding, a race, a fair parade w/ worship team float, a funeral, a day at six flags on the HOTTEST day of the year,a root canal, a fair contest, fair entertainment, back to school shopping, kept two wonderful kiddos while their parents "resorted" in Mexico, a Warren Barfield/Newfire concert hosted by FCC, a sick kid, a birthday party,first days of school, an ear infection, a Selena Gomez concert, and finishing it off w/ a revival at FCC. Whew! I'm tired just typing it all and I'm sure I missed something. First off, to start the month off, we all participated in the fair race. Chris ran 5 miles! Eden & Eli (w/ the help of mom) ran the Kids 1 Mile Fun Run, & Tobe made a dash to the finsih line at the last minute to gain a medal--just b/c he is cute! It was the first race for Eden and I am very proud of her. Also proud of Eli for completing it even though he couldn't breath due to a cold. My boy Eli also turned 5 on Aug. 16th & we had a Build-A-Bear party for him & 6 of his friends. He had a blast. He made "Bat Bear" which went really well w/ his batman cake & everything else batman we got him. He said he had a great birthday. It is so fun to see your kids get SOOO excited about things like that (& show their gratefulness).


At the beginning of the month, Eden & I participated in a Mother-Daughter Look Alike Contest held at our Town & Country Fair. We WON!!!! We were 1st in our age division of younger daughters (under 10). We were voted on appearance (yes, matching outfits), our walk, our voice, & our mannerisms. As well as playing some sort of Newlywed-like game to see how well we knew each other. This is such a joyful occassion for me, being that most everyone lets me know how much she looks like Chris. But hey at least I had my one day of dressing alike. We do act more like each other more each day. Chris is the one who can attest to this fact. :) It was lots of fun & we won $50+ in gift certificates to go on a Mommy-Daughter date to the movies & dinner. Can't wait to cash in on this! I truly cherish the day. It was fun for me (& I think Eden too!).




But another fun day Eden & I got to share in this month---was this afternoon. I took her & two of her besties to the Selena Gomez concert at our Six Flags. I knew she wanted this pretty badly. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to pay for tickets. Why would I? They came free w/ our season passes. However, you had to get them the day of the concert, first come, first serve. So I, being the great mom that I am, actually skipped church to meet a friend & go stand in line to get the beloved tickets. The park was set to open at 10:30 am. We were set to be there about 9:30. Woohoo, I would be one of the first in line to get tickets. We would have the best "Free" tickets we could get. Wait? What is this? The park was open at 9:00 for those wanting concert tickets? Huh? Where was this publicized? I even called the Box Office & so did a friend & we were never told this---I was a bit frustrated. None the less, she was going to get to go to the concert, for free. She should be happy about this. Normally there isn't a bad seat in the amphitheater. Of course, this has been w/ our experience with contemporary christian concerts---not necessarily tweeny bopper-Disney concerts. The whole place was packed shoulder to shoulder. Selena makes her grand entrance. Eden can't see a thing. Granted, I know my daughter can be a spoiled brat. Trust me, I know. But she started crying. And I differentiated this cry from the spoiled brat cry. It was simply an 'I'm disappointed, upset, & sad' cry. She cried, "I can hear her, but I can't see her." I melted. I really wanted her to get to enjoy this concert. It might be one of the few cool ones she sees, being that I won't pay $$$ tons of money to watch the concerts that she likes. So, I did what any sympathetic mom would do. I went and bought something at the "Concert Stand". I had asked how much the tour book was. $20???? No thank you. Eden even said, "that's too much for a book like that." She had settled for a teen magazine at a department store. Should have been the end of the story. But no, I thought to myself she really would love a little headshot signed poster or something for the wall. I figure $5 or so. The cheapest thing is $10. I buy 2 of the $10 items. Thinking her friend (who has $10 to spend) would want the other one---b/c I sure am not going to wait in this crazy line twice. (Mind you---there were some dear friends of mine w/ the girls while I did this shopping adventure). The friend didn't want either one. So now I have spent $20 on a concert that was suppose to be "Free"....b/c I was so sad for my little disappointed girl. And these "souvenirs" aren't much. All the while to find out if I would have paid $12 for reserved seats, I would have got the same "Souvenir", plus star bursts candy, plus a better view of Selena and a happier daughter (I'm telling you, it is worth it to buy the tickets). Now don't get me wrong, she did enjoy the conert eventually. People finally either left or sat so she got to enjoy the last few songs actually seeing the artist sing. I had to lift her a couple times, which isn't easy b/c she is growing too big. She also thanked me several times for the opportunity to go to see Selena after it was all said and done. I was pleased w/ Eden's attitude. I guess just not pleased w/ my instincts. So....weigh in....Am I just being a sympathetic mom or a pathetic one?

So Spongebob isn't ALL bad......

So I don't necessarily want to start a debate about the evils or values that come from Spongebob Squarepants. But I do want to share a lovely story that warmed my heart all day and Spongebob is somewhat involved. There is a song that Spongebob & Patrick sing together on a particular episode---the lyrics are "Best Friends For--ev-----er" (Can you hear my best Spongebob voice?) Well, on Friday I took the kids to Tot Time at the City Pool. It is super cheap swimming in our town, and usually pretty crowded. It has a lazy river and a small water slide. Last time we went Eden met up with a classmate and was attached at the hip with her the entire time. Well this time it was less crowded and neither Eden or Eli had a playmate that they knew at the pool. The entire way to the pool they were singing Spongebob's song and excitedly sharing what they were going to do together at the pool as "Best Friends Forever". And this time....they did it. It was SO fun to watch the two of them play together. They come up to me together, hand in hand, laughing and Eden even said, "We are having the best time." Side note: I asked Eli if they were doing the river, slide, river, slide? And he quickly responded, "No mom, we are doing river, river, slide, slide." lol.
The kids usually get along pretty well. And of course they have played together before, but as their interests have gone different directions due to being boy/girl, and Eden already being in elementary school I wasn't so sure how many days like this I would get to see. It was such a joy to watch them thoroughly enjoy hanging out together. If I ever figure out how to get pics from my phone to my computer, I'll post one. :)

Captured Moments at GWC National Monument

The fam outside the visitor center/museum...

One of GW Carver's Prayers

Eli running towards us on the trail.

One of Chris' nature pics.

Eden taking her oath to protect our national parks.

One of my nature pics. :)

Posing by the statue of GWC as a boy.


Family pic by the coolest tree ever outside the home of Moses & Sarah Carter. Wish my kids could have climbed it.

My New Favorite Person in History

Our family recently enjoyed a "mini" vacation. Really we spent the 4th of July Holiday with my parents where we watched some home fireworks (the kids enjoyed doing some of their own firecrackers), rested & roasted marshmallows, & attempted to fish (again the kids enjoyed playing w/ the minnow bait more than the actual fishing), and on Wednesday we decided to be tourists. We headed a few miles west of Carthage to George Washington Carver National Park & Monument. Besides the fact that Tobe was not quite old enough to enjoy it, it seems that the rest of us thoroghly enjoyed it. Eli loved the nature trail and Eden became a Junior Park Ranger (which was hard work) & even had to take an oath to protect our national parks. There was also a lot of other interactive things to do in the museum. I had been to this park when I was maybe in the 5th grade. But it was nothing that I remember. It has been so well preserved. Chris also enjoyed the trail walk & took some "nature" photos. I loved reading the quotes from GWC that they had all over the museum and some carved in marble along the trail. It is amazing how humble of a man GWC really was. What he could have gotten for his talent & skills and what he got are on opposite sides of the spectrum. This man leaned on his faith at all times. GWC is a prime example that science & faith can mesh together and proves that they are intertwined quite nicely, I am sure as God intended for them to be.

uh, I'm still alive.....part 2 (Proud Wife)

SO.....again it has been an embarrassingly long time since writing. So I am catching up a few months. Since I talked about how proud I am of Eden accepting Christ, I will now tell you how proud I am to be called Chris' wife.

First off, in April, Chris & I ran our first marathon relay. Chris started the relay and ran 6 miles, our friends Andrew & Missy each ran 7 miles, and I ran the final leg of 6 miles. It totaled a full-marathon. It is the first time we had ran that distance. Chris ran the entire way. I was actually jealous of the progress he has made. It is a definate love/hate thing. I love that he is beginning to love running. I love that he is motivated to change his lifestyle. I love that he is committed and determined to see changes, even if they are slow changes. I hate that soon he will be beating my time. :) I hate that he wants to run a half-marathon, because of my competitive spirit, I think I have to follow. :) Chris due to his exercise and a few changes in our eating habits (there is still MAJOR room for improvement) has already lost a total of 44 pounds!!! I am so proud of him. Even though I am discouraged about my own lack of weight loss, I am so very proud of Chris and his hard work.

So speaking of his hard work, Chris & I celebrated being here in Washington, MO at FCC for 5 years on June 1st. It is the longest ministry we have been a part of. The house we have been in for 4 years is the longest stay at any house since Chris & I have been married (11 years). It seems like it has flown by. It doesn't seem like 5 years because we enjoy it so much. We appreciate our church's leadership and staff. We love the town of Washington. We love our friends & the ministries we are involved in. We love the school district. We love that we are near the city & the Cardinals. I am so proud of my husband's work ethic and integrity that allows security for our family. I am so proud that Chris does not give reasons for being terminated or "let go". That sounds harsh, but I am truly grateful because of his humble spirit, spiritual gifts & natural talent,listening ear and how hard he works. I know he is taking care of me & our beautiful children. I am proud to be called Chris Strickland's wife.

uh....I am still alive....part 1 (proud mama)

Well it is a little embarrassing to see how I've neglected my blog. I know it probably doesn't matter so much to the tons of readers out there (LOL). :) But there have been a few major things happen, that I would want my kids to know I noted on. By far the most exciting thing to happen is on April 18th our daughter Eden accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord & Savior and was baptized. Chris & I wrestled for a while about it, thinking is she too young and so forth. But she proved to us time and time again, she knew what she was doing. Having been her children's church teacher for the past year, I do know she has a little more maturity and knowledge than the average 7 year old. Plus her dad was baptized at age 9, I was baptized at age 11 and that is without having been to church since being 6 days old. Eden has been surrounded by church her whole life--many times 3x a week or more. One of the things that was suggested to me, was to write down some of her own words so that later I can tell Eden this is what she said to me. This was her decision, not that of her parents. So I did just that. In our mommy/daughter journal I asked her to remind me the reason she wanted to get baptized. She responded with "The Top 5 Reasons I want to be baptized..." and went on with her reasons which were all valid. I am so grateful that she made this decision. It makes me think Chris & I are doing something right. Now as long as we continue to help her/train her/guide her to stay on the wonderful path she is on---all will be good.

I will leave it to that and attempt to catch up on the lives of my boys (including Chris) a wee bit later. I hope not to neglect my blog again. If I do....someone slap me. :)