How NOT to share Jesus

I recently went to Southern CA to visit my sister-in-law. While we were there, she took me to Hollywood Blvd. This man was standing on the sidewalk dressed like this, holding these signs, and saying, "You must love God and one another. If you don't you are being a bad person!" I was standing in a crowd and tried to snap a picture without him noticing, but as you can see, he totally "cheesed" for the camera!  

I'm sure this man loves the Lord and has good intentions. But, I believe this is an example of how NOT to share Jesus. Yes, it's true we must believe in Jesus and put our faith in Him for our Salvation. We must also love God and love others because Jesus said those are the two most important commandments (Mt. 22:35-39).

I believe if we are loving God and have a personal relationship with Him, He will give us opportunities to share His love, and His saving message with others. I don't believe telling people they are "being a bad person" on a busy sidewalk is the way to illustrate Jesus' love for them. 

Is sin bad? Yes! Are we all sinners and in need of a Savior? Yes! (Rm. 3:23)

I pray I will always take every opportunity the Lord gives me to share Him with others. I pray I will willingly and lovingly share my story with others. My story about how Jesus came into my life, saved me, changed me, and made me whole! 

 John 3:16-17

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Menu Plan Monday ~ May 25th

Monday - Grilled BBQ chicken, zucchini, and potato packets

Tuesday - Waffles and Sausage

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters and egg plant

Thursday - mini cheese dog wraps, fruit, and veggies

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Grilled Ribs, cole slaw, and macaroni and cheese

Sunday - leftovers or sandwiches

More menu planning ideas can be found at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Spring Cleaning Party

Last week my daughters (ages 6 and 4) decided they wanted to trade bedrooms. So, they did! They switched out all their toys and clothes. But, you can see from the before pictures below, things didn't quite get done in an orderly fashion! So, with their help today, I did some major cleaning and organizing in their rooms! We had a 13 gallon bag of TRASH to throw away!!!! We now need to make a trip to a local mission to donate toys and clothes. I just put them to bed, and told them how much better they would sleep tonight since their rooms are back in order! 

L's Room Before and After

K's Room Before and After

Kaitlyn loves to draw, color, and paint! In her old room she had pictures taped up ALL OVER THE WALLS!!!! So, in her new room I gave her this bulletin board to put her artwork on. The bulletin board is the ONLY place she can hang things on. I am proud of all she does, but we need some boundaries here:)

There are still a couple things I need to purchase for K's room. She needs a bed skirt made for a daybed, and a valance for her window. For L's room, I need to paint her dresser. 

Go over to Simple Mom if you'd like to learn more about her Spring Cleaning Party!

Menu Planning Monday ~ May 11th

Monday - Sunday School Party (No cooking for me!!!)

Tuesday: Pork Chops and New York Strips on the grill, potatoes, and salad

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Panini Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Grilled Hamburgers and Hotdogs, potato salad, deviled eggs, grilled zucchini, and brownies with ice cream (we're having a few people over to get to know them better and hang out:)

Saturday: BBQ Pulled Pork, Beans, and Cole Slaw

Sunday: Pizza from Frank's

I am going to CA next week to visit family, and will be gone Sunday-Friday. My husband and children will be on their own next week. But, I do have some meals in the freezer for them. They won't starve. I also hope the meals will be a tiny reminder how much I love and care for them while I'm away! 

For more menu planning ideas, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Mother's Day

This is my 5th Mother's Day without my Mom, and my 2nd without my Grandma Gay.

When I was thinking about what photo I wanted share, this one immediately came to my mind. I had to really dig to find this photo. I knew what box it was in (my college memorabilia box) so that helped! While digging through the box, I found A LOT of letters written to me by my Mom and Grandma! They were faithful pen pals during my college days! I shed quite a few tears going through these priceless memories. Sometimes I get tired of grieving the loss of my Mom and Grandma. But, if grieving equals remembering, then I'll choose to keep on grieving!

This Mother's Day, I'm going to  take the advice of my sweet friend, Angie, and share a fun story about my Mom with my children. I actually think this would make a WONDERFUL Mother's Day tradition!  I'm thankful for the memories, even when they cause me sadness. I only cry because I love them and miss them so much! I'm thankful for the hope, peace, joy, and excitement I have because one day I will see these two precious ladies again in Heaven. 

If you are blessed to still have your Mother around this Mother's Day, please love on her and let her know how thankful you are for her! If you are facing this day with sadness because your Mother has passed away, I encourage you to share a special story about her with someone in your life! Remember her and celebrate her life.

Happy Mother's Day 2009!

Check out Heart of the Matter Online for more special tributes to Mothers!

Spring Cleaning the Kitchen

I finally got my act together and joined Simple Mom's Spring Cleaning Party. It's only day four, so I'm not too late!

We've lived in this house for 8 months now. It was time to empty out the kitchen cabinets and give them all a good wipe down! So, I did! I also got things back in the cabinets in a much more organized fashion!

Here are some before and after pictures of a few things I organized today.

While I was in a cleaning groove in the kitchen, I also got the refrigerator and pantry cleaned out! This was perfect timing because both are near empty since tomorrow is our bi-weekly grocery shopping day! 

Number Recognition

My four-year-old daughter is doing great recognizing her letters, and telling you the sounds they make. She is even beginning to have short reading lessons. But, she is struggling with number recognition. This week, I pulled out some of our K/4 stuff I still had packed away in a box. We played some games and had some fun. Do you have any ideas to help me teach my little one number recognition?

Works-For-Me Wednesday - Frugal Edition

This is going to be short and sweet. If you use dryer sheets, don't use the WHOLE thing. Just tear that baby in HALF and throw it in. You'll get twice as many loads for that little ol' box of fabric softener sheets you bought. I have a friend who actually cuts her's into THIRDS!!!! It works for me:)

Over at We Are THAT Family, they are hosting a Works-For-Me Wednesday Frugal Edition. Do you have a frugal tip you'd like to share? If so, post something on your blog, and then link.

Menu Plan Monday (one day late)

Monday: Spinach and Mushroom Olmelettes, homemade pancakes, and sausage.

Tuesday: Ravioli Lasagna, green beans, and salad 

Wednesday: Springfield, MO Style Cashew Chicken with Stir-fryed veggies

Thursday: Panini Sandwiches with fresh fruit and veggies

Friday: Chicken Strips and Curly Fries

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Leftover Pizza after church and Heath and children are cooking me a special Mother's Day Dinner!

If you need some help planning some menus the rest of the week, go check out more menus over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!