Update on life

*ok so I had this post looking good, how I wanted it...now I can't get the alignment right. This is one of the many reasons why I don't blog often...*

It's been a long time again since I've blogged....I've been lazy about it, discouraged about it, and ignoring it over the summer...fall...ok, and winter months. Motherhood had gotten the best of me and life just did not seem interesting enough to talk or tell or type about. You know how it is... Everyday consists of the same old thing. Poop on the floor, pee on the couch, food in their hair, play dough on the bottom of your socks, spilled milk, grilled cheese, mac 'n' cheese, string cheese, and on occasion, for variety, maybe a peanut butter and jelly.

How.cool.is.that?.....

And get ready for it to start all over again the next day..............

You're probably going to tell me that I'm lazy, (I agree) or that I don't get out much. But on the contrary, I feel that I get out...maybe not A LOT, but I feel it's enough for us.

- During the spring and summer months we were traveling almost every weekend out of state with Joe and the quartet.

- Lincoln and I were outside in the sprinkler when it wasn't TOO hot. (Lincoln doesn't like the

sun or heat. *sigh*)

- I even took him to the crazy EXPENSIVE local water park once. And on occasion we went to a pool.

- We took three big trips last summer. Colorado, Wisconsin, and Michigan for two weddings and a funeral.

- We go to the library, park, and take walks around our neighborhood.

- We hang out with the quartet quite a bit where he plays with older kids.

- He enjoys church, and just recently I started swapping hours with a friend where we will watch each other's kids for 6hrs. once a week so that we can have some time to get things done. This

has helped with dr. appointments, errands, or catching lunch with Joe. It also gives Lincoln a

friend to play with twice a week! :)

There's other things in there as well like the shopping, running errands, and going out with daddy in the evenings. I'm not complaining that my life is boring. Just kinda...

stuck in a rut feeling...

So by the end of the summer I decided I was ready. I thought maybe a baby is something that would help me out of this rut. I know it's a big decision, I know what all entails with a newborn, I know the sacrifices our family will have to make...But Lincoln's getting older, he'll need a sibling,

and I had a slight case of....

The Baby Fever

By September I had a pregnancy test come out positive! By six weeks, I was buying a swing, looking for stuff on craigslist, registering my name for free baby stuff, and even house shopping! The excitement at the beginning was kinda fun! But the sickness was worse this time around. I was exhausted all the time during the first trimester. There were days when Lincoln would tell me, "mom, it's time to get out of bed, NOW!"

During those first few months of pregnancy, I started thinking of the new life that we were

bringing into the world. Was I truly ready ready to bring in a new life? Spiritually was I ready?

How could I bring in a new being when I was failing as a mother to the first child God gave me? God was challenging and convicting me in subtle ways on being and setting an example to my

children; on the ministry that God has placed right here for me. I also know that God was asking me to set some time aside for Him. In the mundane things and same old same old, I have been missing out on the blessings, the lessons, even my alone time with Him was lacking. God started pricking at my heart on getting back into getting to know Him again. How can I set an example when I'm not even in tune with God everyday?

Side notes:

Christmas came around and it was time for the great announcement/surprising the grandparents. We had a wonderful time in Indiana at my sisters with my family over Christmas weekend and loved telling them the great news!

Joe's parents even came down for a few days during their short break!

I hate how we live so far away from everyone. It makes me sad every time we have to say goodbye not knowing exactly when we'll see each other again. I've never had to deal with that feeling until we moved down here to Greenville.

And back:

So life went back to it's regular same old. God started pricking my heart even more about my attitude on motherhood and the ministry he has set before me in this house. Mostly I wanted to start living more like a God centered mom, teaching my son to love God.

I was on a mission. Lincoln is at the age where he needs to be engaging his mind more. He loves to learn new things and then teach them back to others. I was thinking back on the few days that I worked at a day care and remembering how I really enjoyed the 2 & 3 year olds. I needed to find something like a daycare program/curriculum that was organized out for me to start with

Lincoln. Through my research I found a great (free) Christian curriculum that teaches all the preschool stuff kids love and need to learn with the Bible as the core teaching.(www.abcjesuslovesme.com) I don't have a teacher mindset, or creativity, so this site and many others (Pinterest) have helped me along the way.

I don't know if it was the beginning of the nesting stages or what, but I got things all organized and ready for preschool to start! I was excited to get things started!

Lincoln loves doing the crafts and reading books with mommy. We haven't gotten as far as I'd like, I've been pretty relaxed about it, but in the next few weeks, we'll get a schedule down and start back up again. We just got back from a week of vacationing/quartet trip in Florida.

I feel encouraged as I feel as if I'm getting another fresh start with my walk with the Lord. I've found some awesome resources, books, and blogs. The Lord has put the desire in me again to read and I can't seem to get enough. I'm so thankful for my husband buying me my very own laptop as an early Valentine's present. I've only had it a week but all ready I have tons of resources that I know will come in handy for devotions/Bible reading. I love the access it gives me to go anywhere, type in a thought, read a book or passage and also send it to my phone for even more access!

I praise God for second chances, and more chances after that. We fall, fail, and forget, but God doesn't! He lifts us up, satisfies, and never forgets us! I know I'm not a perfect mom, nor will I ever be, but I hope you can see that I've just let myself go and revealed my heart out to the blog world and social media. I'm not out to show how "perfect" my "fake little family" is! I'm real and am learning as God guides me each step of the way and felt like sharing.

God has showed - is showing - me that things of this world, even people, won't ever fully satisfy

me. A baby. my son. my husband. a new house. stuff for baby...

Through all that, I've been enjoying this book that I just found on LivingDevotionally.com that's called 'Savoring Living Water, how to have an effective quiet time.' by Katie Orr and Lara Williams. Through reading the book, these verse came to my attention over the weekend:

O God, you are my God;

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Ps. 63:1

For he satisfies the longing soul,

and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Ps. 107:9

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life,

whoever comes to me shall not hunger,

and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 6:35

That's just how I feel. I'm thirsty and the Lord is satisfying!

I hope to give this blog a(nother) face lift as life changes, so do blogs. I've kinda backed off of the couponing since the pregnancy as it just completely wears me out. I've slowly gotten back to it

over the past couple weeks as the energy comes back. Recently it just hasn't been that high of a

priority, but I'd like to get back to it more regularly. Our pantry suffered some, but it's nice that our beauty/bath care items still looks fully stocked after 5+months of no regular couponing! :)

So that's the update. I hope I don't sound like I'm just wasting away in my misery. Which I'm not...I'm really a laid back, quiet kind of person and I usually don't have much to say. Motherhood has it's moments and please understand where I'm coming from. I love my son(s)

(oh yeah, it's a boy!),

husband, and I love being a wife and mom.

date night w/hubby at a hockey game. Don't ask about his facial expression. I don't know why he is the way he is... :)

There are more good times than bad in our house and we do eat other things besides cheese! :)

Summer happenings

I have the itch to blog again. It's just so hard for me to fully commit to something like this. It takes time sit down and type out a few words. And time always seems to slip by.
Summer is over half way through and it's been a busy one to say the least! (and HOT!) We started our summer Memorial weekend with a trip to Ft. Collins, Colorado for my brother in-law's wedding. It was a very quick trip, but wonderful at the same time to see good friends and family!


Two weeks later we flew out again back to my home town, Lakewood, WI for my sister's wedding! We stayed for a week to help out and party with friends! I enjoy my stays in Lakewood so much. I miss home a lot and wish I could go back more often!


After our Wisconsin trip, the quartet that Joe travels for started up into full gear for the summer and they've been traveling almost every weekend. I've been able to go on most trips, but take breaks every few weekends. They are EXHAUSTING!!! and it takes the rest of the week to catch up on rest! But quartet trips are always fun and Lincoln loves to ride the bus whenever he gets the chance! (sleep is not an option in his mind though when he's on the bus....arrggg) This weekend we will be taking a quick trip to Canada. This will be my first time visiting Niagara Falls and I'm looking forward to it!
With everything else going on, I've been feeling the lack of fellowship with young moms/couples that we would find in a local church. I've visited a few churches in the area and I think I've found one I would enjoy to get to know. It's just so hard to visit or get to know anyone when we are gone every weekend. I'm hoping to visit the church on Wednesdays to start getting to know folks.
Added to the mix of normal life, our family have heavy hearts at this time as we are getting ready for Joe's grandfather to pass away. He's in Michigan with Grandma and Joe's parents, but they had to put him in a nursing home recently. I'm not sure how much time they've given him, but preparations are being made. As it would be nice to go back to Michigan, the circumstances won't be enjoyable. But at least we can be happy for grandpa as he's getting ready to be with the Lord. Another thing that's heavy on my heart is my family back home. My dad's the pastor of a small church and they are dealing with some things with a few individuals. It's encouraging to hear how the body came together to lift up these individuals in prayer, but I know it's taken a toll on my parents as they counsel, pray, endure sleepless nights...I thank God for my family and the parents he's given me!
So back to my blog....I've been slacking a little bit with the couponing, and trying to get back on it. I've been happy with some recent CVS trips. I just can't get the grocery deals like others and that's frustrating....haha.... But I know I've saved us money and that's nice to think about!

Lincoln is growing and is an active 2.5 yr. old! His favorite super hero is still Iron Man! He loves his friend/babysitter Elise which he calls, "my awheese!" She helps out a lot on quartet trips by keeping Lincoln busy!
Lincoln can now sing the theme song to Wonder Pets, and sing his ABC's. He loves to sing and play daddy's piano.
Potty training failed horribly as we had a tragic scare at the airport when the toilet flushed while he was sitting on it. I really need to get back at it but have been lazy and with trips every weekend it seems that we have to start all over again. Right now I can't even get him to sit. I'm up for any ideas that might help. He was doing so well....


Joe and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage this month! We went and spent time downtown, ate at one of my favorite restaurants, and went to Transformers 3! It's kinda funny because we went to Transformers on our honeymoon! It's been a wonderful 4 yrs of marriage and am looking forward to many more! :)


Well there's my update. I really need to try to update more often and show some of my coupon deals! It's fun showing off deals I've found! Hehe! :)

Boy it's been a long time since I've signed in to blog. Oh how I've missed it and enjoyed not blogging at the same time. I decided I needed a break. Plus our lives have totally changed in the last couple months, that I couldn't keep up with everything.
Our family has relocated to Greenville, SC due to my husbands job change. He is now working for EuBanks Oil and travels on the weekends singing with the Calvary Quartet. We made the decision right before Christmas and were down here the week of New Years. In between that time, Joe was drawing a HUGE piece for a client, I was babysitting (well...it worked for 2 weeks), we went to Wisconsin for Christmas, had a New Years party at our home, and packed everything we owned in two days. (Couldn't have done it with out Ben and Tiffany!) It was crazy. We were just settling into our lil apartment when we felt that God was calling us to Greenville!
Joe and I love Greenville and appreciate the friends that we have here!! We are renting a two bedroom home that has been updated and remodeled. It's beautiful! We love it! I just wish that we weren't so far away from family. I want them to see our new home...
As for the blog...I'm still trying to decide on what to do, or what it is. Some people mentioned I should blog on couponing.... I love to coupon, I like to blog, but I don't think I'm quite ready to do an extensive couponing blog in my name. I'm not THAT good yet. And I don't think I'll ever be. I'm mostly a mommy and wife. I think that most of my followers understand that. Once I get things rolling and the creative juices start flowing, I'll try to get some giveaways and reviews going. Plus I think that the die hard followers that I have, (like 2) will probably appreciate it more that I'd blog on the mommy stuff! ;) (you know who you are!)
For those who haven't seen my pictures on Facebook, here's some pics of the beautiful house that our friends found for us! :)

Living room

Dining room. (still trying to think of a place for the green chair. love the color..)

Master is the smallest room. Plus the king size bed doesn't help with all the extra large furniture.

Lincoln's room

I don't know where the bathroom pics went, and I need to take pics of the study/studio area. But first I must clean! : /
So that's a quick update on us. I'll try to do so more often. I'd like to get some videos on if I can. If there's anyone following or reading this, let me know what you'd like to see from this blog. Some people tell me to blog on couponing, but let me know if that's what you want. I can start by posting freebies and good deals. Give me some input. Please! :)

Whirlwind of life is about to hit!!!

I don't even know where to start. Or how to begin what's happening. I don't even know my self what's happening. I'm just holding on tight and waiting for the whirlwind to come!

Joe and I thought we were finishing up traveling with Bible Revival at the end of the Spring Tour. Because of last minute changes, and some happenings in Midland, we are planning on moving up to Midland after our performance on March, 21. Houses are selling now for pretty cheap in Midland! But I don't want to just buy one because it's cheap...We've been doing some house shopping online, a good friend has been checking out the houses for us, and sending pics while taking tours at his own risk! :)


Please pray for us if you remember! I feel like every thing's happening so fast! I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know I just need to trust in God.


Right now we do have a trailer to live in, but we'll probably have to sell it if we get a house soon. (And it won't be fun to live in during Michigan winters!) Joe does have a job, praying that they'll pick up some decent work so that we can save up some money! I just got a phone call yesterday from a potential job that won't be anymore. It was ideal because I could keep Lincoln with me while babysitting. So I'm looking and praying for any opportunities that are out there for me to work but keep Lincoln as well.

I guess the main thing that I feel is that this part of my life, the traveling, Bible Revival, meeting new people, GREENVILLE (I'll miss the most!), is coming to an end all too soon! Like I feel as if there's no closure to it. I'll miss some of the traveling and other things about it. But I am excited about Midland. Being settled in one church, being active in that church, hanging out with friends, being near to family, having a place to call home! Ok, now I feel better!

Goodbye travel life. Thanks for the fun and memories!

365-17

Visit Joe's Studio! His website is finished and looking great!

Yesterday we went to Downtown Greenville and hung this piece in Spill The Beans! If you ever get a chance to visit, check out this sweet coffee shop on Main St. Thanks Abram and Sarah for letting us show off Joe's artwork!

I just love downtown and think that it would be awesome to live in the area! One of Joe's favorite place to visit is Jared Emerson's studio in Artist Row. Joe kind of knew him as they were kids, but within the last year we've gotten to know him better!

Here's Joe and Jared (Joe on the right!) in front of a piece that Jared did live. It's a picture of Christ with thorns on his head. Jared's been a huge inspiration to Joe to get started on his art business!

New happenings {special announcement!}

No! I'm not pregnant!!!

Joe's Studio is getting a make over, so make sure to stop by to check it out! We are testing out new layouts for his website and would appreciate any ideas or comments as to how it looks! If you don't know my husband yet, please check out his blog here. He is a very (handsome) talented artist who works mostly with pencil. He is capable of using charcoal, colored pencil, and water color. Photography on the side as well! Our dream is to someday own an art studio where he can display and sell his work!
For the last couple months we've been selling prints of his work in the churches we've come in contact as we travel with the Bible Revival Team. Through this, we've seen God open doors and opportunities that we've hadn't had elsewhere! Joe's been so encouraged to see his artwork used as a way of a ministry to people!

~New NEWS~
Within the last week, a possible opportunity(s) has approached us and we are seeking wisdom and advice as to what/where we should go. We are still traveling for Bible Revival until the end of the spring tour, but will need to start looking for another source of income after our last week of meetings, like last summer. The only thing different is that we won't be joining back with the traveling team in the fall. *sniff* The Joe Everson family will no longer be traveling full time with Bible Revival.

It's sad and exciting. Bittersweet. We will miss Ben and Amanda and the kids. But at the same time, we are looking forward to where God is leading both families!

~Back to the opportunities approaching~ Joe's Studio is expanding! Right now we are seeking any leads in the Greenville, SC area. We are open to anything. From teaching in a school, to giving lessons one on one. We are looking into Co-op classes with homeschoolers in Greenville, or Wilson, NC. If you know of any leads, ideas, or even interested in his work, please contact us! We'd also appreciate your prayers as we are looking for work and a potential place to call our permanent home!

I don't like heading into the unknown, and am trying to give it all to the Lord and trust him with our future. Money is tight and work is hard to find. But the Lord knows!

365-14

The weather was WONDERFUL on Friday...of course. We had to leave and travel the afternoon while the sun was out! While Joe was getting the trailer hooked up, Lincoln did some exploring! This is his first time out on his own since he started walking!

After his nap, we showed up in Ducan, GA! Lincoln's ready!

365 days 1-7

I know I'm late...I didn't have access to internet over the weekend. Sorry mom! (She was excited about this!) :) So here's my first entry for Project 365 where I will attempt to take a photo/photos everyday this year!

Day 1

Lincoln is no longer my little baby boy anymore... He has turned into a boy. The past few weeks his face has grown and it doesn't look so baby'ish. *sniff* It's kinda sad...

Day 2I was going through our finances and budget and you know that sick feeling in your gut..."how are we going to make it this month?" (Seems to come up everything month at some point, doesn't it?) Then this verse popped into my head. (sorry, bad shot) "
"With man this is IMPOSSIBLE, but with God all things are POSSIBLE!" Matt. 19:36
So I have this sticky note in my day planner to remind me that everything is possible with God!

Day 3I love sneaking in a few shots of Lincoln sleeping. He's always so peaceful and cute looking! During nap time, I like to get some reading done! Right now, I'm on the second book in the Twilight Saga! LOVE IT!!! Thanks mom! :) (She's giving away a book on her blog...you should check it out!)
Day 4My house feels empty now that the Christmas decorations are gone. I love the lights, smells, and tastes of Christmas. Here's what's leftover from Christmas!

Day 5Lincoln's on this new kick of taking stuff from where they belong and finding a new place for them. Here he has canned goods in his Lego box. And you can see the helicopter in the background with a block that doesn't fit!

Day 6*BEFORE*
This year, I've decided to dedicate each week to a different part of the house that needs organizing! This week was Lincoln's toys! His little "toy box" (a diaper box) was over flowing after birthday and Christmas presents! It was time to upgrade!
(Lincoln telling me: "mommy, it's time for a new toy box!")

*AFTER*
We bought a new container and got rid of that ugly diaper box! YEAH for organizing! It looks better! And Lincoln has all his toys and books in the drawers where he still has easy access! (YES...he's playing with a fly swatter...don't worry. IT'S CLEAN!)

Day 7
Sunday was the big game. Even though the Packers didn't win...*sniff* Lincoln still looked pretty cute in his jersey! :)
I asked him to smile and this is the shot I got! HA! What a face!"GO!"

Hope my week was interesting enough for you! It was fun trying to find new things and new ways to take pictures. Now onto a new week!

Christmas '09

Christmas Morning!

He loves his puppy from Grandma and Grandpa Everson!

Here we are in 2010. How weird is that? 2009 went by SO fast! I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone, New Year's is over, and stores are getting ready for Valentine's Day...

~Little bit about our Christmas~
We spent Christmas as a family in Greenville, SC and then went to my Aunt and Uncle's in Spartanburg for lunch. We even had the chance to open presents with my family back in Wisconsin over Skype Christmas Morning!

Lincoln playing with his tool set from daddy!

Opening presents with daddy

~Holidays and sickies~
Holidays don't seem to do well for my body. I was sick for Thanksgiving, and then had a migraine Christmas Eve, and have been sick with a head cold since New Year's Eve. I don't think I'm stressed out during the holidays, since I'm not the one usually entertaining and having to worry about all that stuff. But this time of year is a usual for me to getting sick.

Because of the holidays and sickies, I've gotten behind on things and hope to get on the ball. Today I spent the afternoon taking the Christmas decor down. Now I have an empty hole and it looks like something's missing.

While Lincoln and I were sick, we had our share of cable tv, cartoons, movies, with tissues surrounding us on the bed. I did enjoy reading my new books that I got from mom for Christmas! :)
We're also having fun with the Snow's. I really do hope that we aren't over staying our stay. There's just so much Wii and leftovers there! :) And Lincoln likes to chase Jack! (the cat)

I better finish up this post! Now it's time for a game of CLUE with the Snow kids!

Lincoln's first Birthday!

Finally I'm able to update you all on the events in our lives. I haven't been able to sit down and upload my pics and type out a post. I've missed my blogging friends and am looking forward to keeping up with you all when we settle down in Greenville for a bit.

We just finished practice, Lincoln's down for a nap, so here I am in Pastor's office with my lil computer and I'm using what precious time I have to share! Hope these photos come through for me! (connection is lil slow...)

Right now we are in Harrisville, MI with a week of meetings. This is the third time in a year that the team has been here. We always enjoy our stay and love seeing people that we've gotten to know over the year.

Last week we got a little break and celebrated Lincoln's birthday in our home-town, Midland, MI. We celebrated on the 31st at Grandma and Grandpa Ortega's house with his cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents/GREAT grandparents!

(Lincoln with Grandpa and Grandma Everson)
Lincoln enjoyed all his gifts from everyone! But for sake of time, I have to show the gift that Mommy and Daddy got him! :) (sorry everyone...)

On the 3rd, we celebrated his REAL birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings with cake! He really liked that! :)

Trying it...
Thinking about it...
YEP! It's good! :)

After this week of meetings, we go back to Midland and get another lil break before the big trip down to Greenville, SC for Thanksgiving! There we will be with the Snow family! Joe and I are ready to head south for the winter, but will miss family very much over the holidays.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is creeping up on us and that we as a team are going through our Christmas numbers and program. Right now I can hear Joe in the other room recording a peice that he's working on. Gets a little annoying at times... : \

I've spent too much time already twiddling with the pics and stuff. I should go. Keep me updated on what's to come in the blog world this holiday! Looking forward to connecting with everyone again! Until then, Have a Happy Thanksgiving!