The Sharp motto :)

I love "subway art" so I have been thinking about a good "motto" for our family. I wanted to frame it a put it in a place where we would all see it daily..and strive to act it out..for each other, Presley, our family, and our friends. This morning we all got to go to church as a family..Which I LOVE. Matt usually works Sundays, so I fly solo most of the time.
Our pastor, Tom preached an amazing sermon from Romans 12.

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

 ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith;⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

 ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited.
 ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[d] says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:
   “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
   if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[e]
 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It was talking about living the dream that God has for us.. to surrender everything to Him, and living your life for Him..being different, not like this world, to live soberly like the verse states, and mostly loving others! So ironic, because I had just framed this the night before.
These were taken with my little camera.. no judging! lol

I just uploaded these cute pics I took at our playdate at the Judds a week ago.. Presley loves playing with these 3! Tyson and Presley were cracking Tiffany and I up..trying to "play" Dr. with Mia. :) Tiffany sent me the last one, saying that Presley would make a great big sister one day. :) Presley LOVES babies.. as you can see in the pictures.. Maybe, one day ;)

This girl hates wearing socks!

Ha! Tyson is a DOLL!

My Favorites!

Well, Presley didn't know where the heart was,

 but she knew a bottom when she saw one! :)

Mia, be scared! Very scared!!

Sad, I didn't get any pics of Avery :( Hopefully next time!
We love this family!! They are the sweetest friends to us... We are looking forward to lunch with them this week :)

Our day

Today was a great day.. it snowed about 4-5 inches yesterday..so we stayed home. Had a lazy cleaning day. If those 2 words can be in the same sentence.

We had a playdate today with Summer and Ryan..it was great to get out of the house..and Presley had a great time playing with Ryan and his toys.. We also ordered a pizza from Marco's ( very yummy..it was a hit with P, too!)
Matt's Aunt Sharon made an outfit for Presley..for her b-day..and I tried to get some pics of her in it.. Just hard to get her to look at the camera these days.. I ask her, she ignores me! lol See for yourself..I did get two..out of about 15. :) The dress was cute, though.. she made it from a set of thermals ( such a cute idea!)

We gotta get these girl some more clips and bows!! Excuse the blur.. Gotta get that camera cleaned ASAP!!

Such a happy camper.

One thing I use to LOVE about this time of year.. was my Mom taking me to pick out VALENTINES!! They were so special to me..and I just LOVED Valentines Day parties at school..and getting all my valentines from friends.. SO, P of course, got to pick her some out this year ( NEVER to early from valentines :) I was a little sad, Target didn't have Dora..so I let her pick.. I was kindof waving the pretty Disney princess ones.. but she picked these :) She loves to watch Mickey in the morning.. so, it didn't surprise me!

I also got some REALLY cute rainboots for $8!! What What! I have been looking for boots for a while.. and I am just so frugal.. and these were worth the wait.. cute with tights and jeans.. I can even where boot cut jeans and make em look just black. YAY!

Gotta love Target! I needed some with all this SNOW! :)

Do the...POTTY Dance!

Well, if you wondered where I have been the last couple of days..
I have been making a complete fool out of myself..during potty time with Presley.
You see, this can take up a lot of time for mommy and Presley.
LOTS.
of
TIME!
I am so thankful for Pandora.. I can play music and we can sing, and dance ( as best you can on the potty) and pass the time.
Its amazing how I have completely memorized the guest bathroom..down to the smallest DETAIL! lol
but, it will all be worth it!!
Don't get me wrong, I haven't been stressing or pushing P to go..but, when she says she needs to.
TO the POTTY we go.
Once you start, you can't revert back. You got to be all in, and all in we are!

I know its not going to happen overnight..People say it can. I don't believe it. There will be accidents. I just know it. And this mommy isn't going to rush it. We are taking it slowly, one day at a time. Thankfully, my ped. is AMAZING.. and told me to do it this way, which really seems to be working well for Presley. I have heard too many moms say they pushed too early, and stressed themselves out. I am learning from them. One day at a time.
However, Presley is very much on board, and is SUPER excited about our little sticker system we started, when she pee pees, she gets a sticker for her chart ( it is taped next to the potty, and she is OH, so proud of it!) I act like I have won the nobel prize or lottery everytime to..Neighbors probably hate us or think we are really wierd. But, that's ok. :)

Went to Target, found these cute heart stickers in the $1 section. SCORE.
Also, she is telling me often she has to go, when in reality we just sit, sit, sit..sit some more.. and nothing.
SO, for at home (and so we don't waste 1,000 diapers, I bought some pull-ups for days we are at home)
I also, broke down and bought her some big girl panties..I SO DIDN'T WON'T to!!!!
Its just sad, because it is a real statement that she is no longer a baby.
Dora was there, but, for $8. no thanks.
So, her second fav. at the moment is Minnie. $4. more like it.
I let her wear them over her diaper..just to get her use to the idea.

Mickey happened to be on.. and she was Mousercising with them! lol

She was doing all the exercises right along with them.. HILARIOUS!

On a different note, little Daisy hasn't been feeling well, so Presley was trying to cheer her up:)

She is also loving her piano.. which is too cute to watch!

She loves Cookie Monster ( i admit, as a kid, so did I..) this little girl LOVES her some cookies, just like her mommy!

Playing for her most loyal fan:)

She is also really enjoying her kitchen.. we have tea parties, and baking lessons daily! :)

We are making the best of the cold weather.. playdates, MOPS, and Ladies Bible Study..are just some of the ways we are staying busy.

Playdate with the Mckee's

Today was a fun day. Our sweet friends, the Mckee's came over to play in the snow and hang out and eat lunch with us. Ashley and I got to catch up, while the kiddos played. Presley was thrilled to have them..she LOVES playdates with friends! They brought a few sleds over, too..so we let them play on our little tiny hill in my yard for a bit. Here are some pics of the day...Oh, and Ashley found out my favorite dessert is Chocolate Chip Cookies..so she brought the stuff to make her "special ones" Um, THEY WERE SO GOOD! I got the recipe and can't wait to make them!
We are so BLESSED to have made so many great friends here in Ohio..and to have found such an amazing Church home, too. We have no idea how long we will stay here in Ohio, but, I am loving this season of my life. I can honestly say, I am content. Matt and I are so blessed, too because we have the sweetest little girl, with such a giving heart. Our prayer for her is to continue to have that special character, a genuine giving spirit. :)


"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4:18

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2

Sweet Caedmon

Chloe was ready! 

 this is RARE.. :)

Ashley and Chloe

I am super excited to be starting a new Bible study next Tuesday!! 

I am doing this one called Faithful, Abundant, and True

Faithful, Abundant, True: Three Lives Going Deeper Still - Member Book. Join Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, and Priscilla Shirer in a women's Bible study recorded live at the Orlando Deeper Still conference.

• Kay Arthur teaches from basically, the entire book of Hebrews! Hebrews is both an example of God's faithfulness and a challenge to believers to be faithful in difficult times.
• Priscilla Shirer teaches from Ephesians 3:20-21 on God's abundance. A fundamental basis for every believer is the absolute reality that God can do whatever He chooses to do. God's ability empowers our faithfulness.
• Beth Moore teaches on the topic of discernment. In these difficult days it is absolutely essential that we learn to trust the Holy Spirit to enable us to determine what is true and what is false.

While these three women each speak on the distinctive topic the Holy Spirit had lead them to teach, the messages result in a marvelous blend. Kay challenges us to faithfulness in difficult days. Priscilla points to the essential of trust in God's ability, and Beth teaches on how to discern truth from error in these difficult days.

Ideas for the Winter months

Today, Presley and I are once again, staying home. We have had many playdates, MOPs started back yesterday, LBS will be starting next week..so we have been staying busy..But, unlike the warmer months, where we practically live at the park, these snowy days..what's a stay at home mom to do??
Well, today was a PLAYDOUGH kind of day :) I had bought Presley this Dora placemat at Wal-Mart for a $1 to do crafts on..and hope to find some inexpensive cookie cutters to use the next time we play with playdough.
~ I also, was playing around with my "lightscoop" on my camera..still have lots to learn, but, it does warm up the pictures..Didn't edit any of these much..Some, aren't edited at all.

She was SUPER excited!

( I LOVED crafts and art as a kid, think she will be the same :)

The joys of playdough!

 And, of course we had to sing to our playdough.

And, even though Mommy told said, "DO NOT put in mouth!" we of course, had to at least taste it! :)

She wasn't a fan, asked for her milk shortly after.

 And it was a success!

Happy girl= Happy Mommy

Our MOPs group spent most of the time yesterday going over LOTs of indoor/ winter month crafts for us to do with our children.
Some of my favorites:
1.Add water and food coloring to spray bottle..Go paint the snow! :)
2. Freeze small toys in the freezer, then put them in the bath tub with them..and watch them melt, then they get to play with the toy..( like little dollar store plastic toys)
3.Make your own playdough. I found this recipe..pretty cool that its edible. Peanut Butter Playdough
4.Cut out snowflakes, snowmen and let them decorate with stickers, cotton balls, or cut out shapes.
5.Cover a door with blank wrapping paper, and let them color. ( more for the older ones:)
6. Sign up for this website to get lots of fun age appropriate crafts/ games: Productive Parenting
7. Go to Pillsbury or Betty Crocker's websites and find ideas to decorating cupcakes.
8. Adopt an elderly widow at your church, to help with her yard, make them dinner, run errands, or just visit..Your kids coloring them pictures would make their day!
9. Go on group playdates to local indoor play places. example for Ohio: Bananas, Run, Jump, and Place, Library storytimes, Children's Museum, Aquarium, Blue Manatee Books, Totter's Otterville, Recreations Outlet, Great Wolf Lodge has a program for preschoolers.

Any winter ideas you just love?? websites?

Bathtime with Presley

Today was a LAZY day for the three of us. It's always so nice to have Daddy home! We stayed in our pjs until noon..cuddled in the bed with P and watched her "shows"as she calls them ;) She has really started talking up a storm lately..and can repeat just about everything you say..Tonight she repeated all her colors to me, including TURQUOISE, which she said SO CUTE. I was so happy Daddy was with us to hear them all! :) We played all day..inside because it was just too cold to go anywhere!! I start MOPs back tomorrow, and I am so excited to see all the girls again! Plus, Presley loves seeing all her friends. 

We are also pretty excited because tomorrow night we have open house for Presley's preschool. I just found out last week, from my friend, Ashley, that they have a young 3s class, which Presley would be old enough to start in the FALL! Yay!! Good thing I asked about it because registration is this month, ( Jan.) and it doesn't start until Sept! There is usually a waiting list, so glad we talked about it over New Years! 

She is just soaking up so much right now, I know she will just love it! It has great accreditations, by mainly its a Christian environment where Presley will already know some of the kids. My main goal for her in preschool is to HAVE FUN!!!! I feel like there's a lot of pressure these days to have "baby einsteins" instead of letting kids be kids. So, I am looking forward to her starting this new adventure in the fall! Her is a little short video of bathtime tonight.. Presley is doing great with recognizing her letters..I am such a proud mom :) 

~You may have to turn off my music before you hit play, and turn up the volume to hear it. 

1.11.11

We had a lazy day, and enjoyed the snow. Matt had to work :( but, he will be off the next couple of days! yay!! Presley loves playing in the snow..I had to bribe her with pretzels and Dora to get her to come inside!lol

Maybe, when her Daddy is off we can make a snowman, and maybe go sledding.
I really enjoyed my hot chocolate this morning, while curled up on the couch reading to Miss P. She is LOVING books..I love that she can point to things, such as, numbers, letters, animals, and say, "B," or "Dolphin," or "Fox." it just so amazing how much they can soak up at this age!!


My camera needs to be cleaned, so I only took a hand full of pics of Presley in the snow. If I get my settings where I really need them I have a huge BLACK dot on them.. BOO.. but, hopefully when the weather gets better, I'll get a chance to take it in. I am enjoying the pretty snow.. It reminded my of this verse this morning when I saw how beautiful my yard looked. :)


Though your sins are as scarlet they will be white as snow." Isaiah 1:18


I am so grateful to have this truth! Praise JESUS, for forgiveness. So glad HE saved this girl!

She had so much fun!

Two of my favorites from the Day :) She was making a snow angel ;)