On this day....

Even though the month of May has come and gone I wanted to recognize a very special day.  On May 29th, my husband and I celebrated 6 years of marriage.

On this day......

I walked down the aisle....

I became his wife .... 

He became my husband...

and we became One.... 

Mr. & Mrs. W. R. Johnson, May 29, 2004

Each Year I Fall In Love Again With YouWhen I first met you all those years ago,
I fell in love so fast, I knew right then,
You were the one and only one for me;
I'd never have to look for love again.
Each anniversary finds us happier;
You are my light--my moon, my star, my sun.
You show me what real love is all about,
You fill my life with pleasure, joy and fun.
As time goes by, our love grows stronger still.
You're the most amazing (man/woman) I ever knew.
I prize our anniversaries because
Each year I fall in love again with you.By Joanna Fuchs

More book club picks

Howdy folks.  Yes, yes I know... you've had to wait for yet another update.  Summer has officially begun so I have a lot of blogging to catch up on.  So grab a comfy seat, your refreshing summer beverage and let the reading begin.

For the month of April our book club chose A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.  Nothing less than a good read involving mystery, a love story and a little suspense.  The story of a desperate man, Ralph Truitt, in search of something he thinks he is looking for yet, when he finally finds it in a mystery woman, Catherine Land, responding to his want ad, his world is taken down a very unexpected path.  
In a nutshell this book is a tale of love, hate, buried secrets, forbidden desires, and a plot with many avenues that twist and turn through pages of riveting characters with many past lives to divulge, as threads of child abuse, murder, lust and greed.

For the month of May, we chose The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls.  I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  The story is told by Jeanette, herself, and the life she lived with her family.  Throughout the book we learn about the Walls family and their very unorthodox way of living... or shall I say surviving.  Here is an exert from the Editorial Review on amazon.com


From the publisher: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

And her children shall call her blessed...

What a blessing to a mother.  To be a mother is not only a privilege but an honor.  Although some days I wonder what on earth I am doing, I trust God knew what he was doing when he gave me my babies.  I am a mommy to two children that are beautiful, smart, witty, healthy and spunky.  The Lord felt I am worthy enough to care for two of his greatest gifts sent from the heavens above.

On this sweet day, I was honored by my family and I loved every minute of it.  My kids gave me the new Wii Fit Plus, my husband gave me the sweetest card, my son made me a handmade corsage and my daughter made me a handmade beaded necklace and matching bracelet.  My children make me so proud, fill my heart with so much joy and keep me on my toes every single day.  I am so very blessed to say the least.

Another one down.....

I did it... I finished my second 5k.  This time with a few friends by my side.  I can't tell you how proud I am of myself... not only for finishing (and not dying) but for shaving off nearly a minute from my last 5k.  My finishing time was 50:25.  The feeling of finishing another race can be summed up into three words: exhilarating, memorable & challenging. Having my girlfriends alongside me was an added bonus.  We were there to encourage, excite and push each other to keep going and never give up.  So blessed to have these girls by my side.  Definitely icing on the cake.  Thank you to my sweet friends for joining me on yet another journey!

Show me the money baby!

Okay so this post isn't really about showing anybody any money... but it is about showing some savings.  Over the past few years my husband and I have seen our grocery bill climb higher and higher.  Mainly due to me not planning our meals or coupon clipping.  I will venture to say an average grocery bill per month is just a few hundred dollars less than our mortgage.  Very sad...yes I know.  In an effort to cut down on cost and be more practical I decided to start coupon clipping and subscribing to a myriad of money-saving websites.  I will list a couple of those websites shortly.  But for now I just had to post my most recent shopping trip.  Let me just say that I was pretty proud of myself.  I visited our local Aldi (www.aldi.com) and was amazed at how cheap the products were.  If you aren't familiar with Aldi, here is a brief rundown.  Everything in store is generic brand for a lot less.  You bring your own bags to cart your groceries or you can purchase bags in store.  You bag your own groceries and rent a shopping cart for $0.25 which you are refunded if you return the cart.

Here is what I got:

Apple Crunchies cereal
Cocoa Rice cereal
2 boxes of Whole wheat pasta
Lite String cheese
Turkey tenderloin
Fresh strawberries
3 packs of 93% ground beef
2 packs of ground turkey
Fiber now granola bars
2 boxes onion soup mix
Chili w/beans
2 cans of sloppy joe
2 cans evaporated milk
3 boxes Fat Free chicken broth
1 jar pasta sauce
Oatmeal raisin cookies
1 bag baked potato chips
4 paper bags (to bag groceries)

I got all this for $49.34!!!  This is actually 2 weeks worth of meals for my entire family (minus pets) for less than $50.00.  Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?!?!?!?!

In Celebration of a Risen Savior

He is not here, but is risen (Luke 24:6)

In celebration of Easter weekend, the family continued the tradition of coloring eggs.  For some reason , the art of boiling a chicken egg, dipping it in a cup of color dyed water and slapping on some stickers seems to be an endless fascination for my kids. Unfortunately, while being wrapped up in preparing meals & desserts for the Easter celebration... no egg coloring pics were taken this year. Oh well. On the flip-side, I was able to grab the camera and snap photos of the kiddos enjoying the annual Eggstravaganza @ our church on Saturday. Easter Sunday, we celebrated Christ's death & resurrection with church service & then off to the in-laws for some good food, family, fun times with the kids. God is so good.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Proud to be a Christian SAHM!

My name is Brandy and I am a stay-at-home mom.  Blessed with an amazing husband & two precious children.  I strive to live each day serving the Lord & my family.  At times my day is crazy & chaotic but in the end, I would not change a thing about it.  Like I said before... I am BLESSED! 

What does the bible say about a wife & mother?

Timothy 5:14, "So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander." 

Proverbs 31: 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

What is the technical definition of a stay-at-home mom?  According to www.wikipedia.com -A stay-at-home mom (alternatively, stay at home mother, house mom, or SAHM), is a term used to describe a mother who is the main caregiver of the children and is the main homemaker of the household.  I kind of like the sound of that.  I am the main caregiver of my children and the homemaker of my house.  Kind of an important job if you ask me.   According to mom.salary.com, the time mothers spend performing 10 typical job functions would equate to an annual salary of $117,867 for a stay-at-home mom.  What are those 10 typical job functions?  You could list hundreds of job titles but these are the ones I claim (and in no particular order):

• Housekeeper
• Teacher
• Nurturer
• Soccer Mom
• Cook & personal chef
• Alarm clock
• Facilities Manager
• Chauffeur
• Referee
• Laundry Machine Operator
• Janitor 
• Chief Executive Officer
• Boo boo kisser
• Band-aid sticker
• Vet Technician
• Meal Planner
• Personal Shopper
• Groomer
• Appt Setter

So basically you see that I am the ultimate DOMESTIC ENGINEER and in my very personal opinion, you cannot put a price tag on that! My role as wife & mother is absolutely priceless. This is my season of life...this is my full-time ministry. I am to set the tone of the home. To make my home a safe-haven for my children.... to make my home the refuge for our family. Is my home a picturesque snapshot of those found in Southern Living Magazine? Negative! Is my life completely organized & on-task every minute of the day?  Are you kidding me?  Is my life boring?  No way Jose!  With each passing day I vow to uphold the truths of the bible by being a Proverbs 31 virtuous woman.  I invite you to do the same. http://proverbs31sisters.avirtuouswoman.org/