Christmas!!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas!! Other than Easter it's pro bally my most favorite time of year! Jayson also! I love everyone that reminds me of Christmas, cold weather, hymns, lights, church everything! We have been talking alot about what Traditions we want to have with our own (meaning the 4 of us) Christmas this year!! We both grew up in Christan homes and we both having come from large families have alot i mean ALOT of traditions, for example, for those of you who don't know I grew up in a really small town in Central New Jersey called Ocean Grove only 1 square mile! A truly amazing experience! IT's most commonly referred to as God's square Mile, It's by orgin is a Methodist Camp Meeting Association and has been for the last Over 100 years!! Well every Christmas eve for as long as I can remember and pro bally before that we have in our family always had the same traditions, we spend most of the day at church, and after the family service we go home get all bundled up and go to "Fireman's Park" Which is basically in the center of town right on main street, and we all wait for Santa to come in on the fire trucks! Now growing up as a Volunteer Fire Fighters daughter we used to after we were too old to wait for Santa We would ride in with our dad on the trucks and help give out the little gift which is always the same every year an apple, orange, hard candy, and luden's cookies!! they always have hot apple cider there also and we sing hyms and pray and then santa comes in! What a fun time!! Now probably 7 years now my dad is the big guy LOL Santa! It was first really weird for my sister and I but now that I have my own kids I LOVE IT!! After all that excitement, my Parents have a HUGE open house and have tons and tons of friends, family over for a huge buffet dinner of Delicious Italian treats (being that my dad is 100 % Italian) WE can't have anything else but! But it just sooooooo fun!!! Santa always makes an appearance at the house afterward on his way to shut ins and the local nursing homes (there is 2 in OG) anyways its just a ton of fun and a ton of tradition!!

Now with all that Jayson and I have been talking with his sisters and his Parents trying to decided what to do on Christmas day with all of them! WE used to go to their house for breakfast, my mother in law makes homemade sticky buns that they let rise on the wood stove and some amazing casseroles and what not! Just soooooo fun!! But with all 4 kids and all us in laws plus 7 grand kids it gets crazy! Jayson's Aunt and Uncle just moved to North Jersey the last year or so and run a Christan camp up there, so they come down and have 4 kids of their own, and usually his other aunt and uncle come in too!! SO Last year it was insane and we had 2 less grand kids! So the girls and Jayce asked their mom and dad if they would in the morning come by to all of our houses and do a little thing with all of us!! So that lead us to thinking about our own Special activities!!!

We have always felt that Christmas has gotten out of hand as far as the society goes and how others view Christmas but for us it's all about Christ and really we want to give the day to him as always anyways! but I was thinking We still would Love to do Santa, so here's what we came up with!

As far as Christmas morn is concerned Jayson wants me to start doing a big breakfast with our family which truthfully I'm super excited about!! Now for the gifts for our Children, I heard a few years ago at our MOPS group right after I first joined, that the speaker gave each of her children only 3 gifts, because at the manager Jesus received 3 girts, Frankincense, Mehr and Gold! I thought what an awesome Idea, so we decided to do their big gift from Santa so only 1 from Santa and thier stocking and the 3 gifts would be from us! I think its awesome!! I hope that this truly teaches our children that Christmas of course isn't just about gifts!!! It's about our Lord and on this day he was born and becuase of his birth and death we can live forever with him!!

Truthfully also this makes Christmas a whole lot less stressed also, because your not worried about getting a million things and running around! I don't have the time or money!! SO please let me know your thoughts and your own tradtions!!
Blessings to your and your family this Christmas season!!

Meal Planning!

On Facebook, Last week I posted a status saying that I was menu planning, and some responses from my friends and I posted my last week menu items on there and I did the same also this week! I wanted to share with all of you as well!! This week We are a little bit busy so I did little more simple items! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Blessings!
Stacey

Monday - Homefellowship, but I'm on main dish tonight, so I'm making 2 things, A quick easy MOPS favorite sauasage cassarole and a French toast cassarole

Sauasage Cassarole
1 lb bulk sauasage such as BOb Evan, or if your like me whatever is one sale!
4 eggs, beaten with salt and pepper splash of milk (like you are making a scramble eggs)
some shredded cheddar/jack cheese( any cheese shredded will do )
1 can of Bisquits, I actually use the one's from Aldi's they are the flacky ones they are the cheapest

brown sausage drain fat, while cooking sausage layer in 13x9 pan the bisquits but split them in half horizontally and but sausage on top, then cover with eggs and top with cheese bake uncovered for the direction on package of bisquits i have made it several times and need to just watch it sometimes it takes a little bit longer!

Tuesday - Leftover ham and homemade mac and cheese and fresh green beans

Wens. - Lasgana roll ups with turkey meat and sausage and ricotta, bread, and a big salad

Thursday, Crock-pot stew

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Some kind of chicken, I'm not sure what kind but I'll keep u informed

Sunday - we have 2 different thanksgiving meals, One at our church and i'm making stuffing, and then I'm making veggies for Jayson's grandpop's one

ALternate is Taco's! Jayson recommend that I have one alternate which is cool! ENjoy and let me know what you think!

Life!

Wow it's been forever since I have posted! I guess really because there really isn't too much going on! I've been sick, struggling with my asthma and Bronchitis s/p? That's been really tough not being able to breathe or kick the cold I had!! Amongst all of this my poor little man is cutting 3 of his molars! So their has been plenty of interrupted nights of sleep as well! I have recently started babysitting a friends little boy which is great, but a little overwhelming, b/c there still is lots to do around the house lunches to be made, cleaning, laundry, you know all the stuff that it takes to keep up with a house!

Recently I have had such a thirst to grow closer to God yet again! I must be truthful, I have not faithfully been in God's word Like i would have liked to, but I am one of those people that really absorbs it when I'm doing a study along with it, getting me conastly to look harder in his word and search, I don't know if anyone else is like this?! But it certainly works for me!

On Sunday afternoon Jayson and I actually got a chance to head out on alittle date to go see the movie Fireproof! It was incredible! One of the best stories and movies I have seen in a long time!! What an awesome encouragement to have!! Great testimony to God's unfailing love for us, and his will never to give up on us! Regardless! On that note we have been doing our study in our home fellowship group that goes along with the movie and it's awesome! I highly recommended it!

Lately I have really been struggling yet again with my issues of body image, and self worth! I truly know that my true happiness and peace with all my insecurities comes through the Love of Christ, but as a women especially after having my 2 beautiful children, let's just say things have certainly changed! I also think alot has to come with the fact that I haven't been in my exercise routine now for almost 3 weeks due to the bronchitis and breathing! It's been really tough on me and getting so discouraged is also not so much fun! Asking Jesus to help with this as well! Weight has unfortunately always been an issue for me, and Lately as I get a tad bit older it's a little hard to keep under control!! It's just hard subject for me right now! I'm praying that Jesus comforts me in this!

I can't believe it's a little more than a month and my little girl will be turning 4!! Wow how time flies, It always brings a tear to my eyes to think how fast my little ones are growing up! Iam so blessed to have been married to the love of my life true God fearing/wanting to please God man for almost 7 years!

That's all i have to report as this time Hope to be back soon!
Blessings!
~Stacey

Election party 2

So as you all know the outcome is Barak Obama! Scary isn't it?! In a way it's neat to have been here for such a historic election and It's very cool to have a black president. But it stops there!! As a Christian I can't help but lift up our country in prayer and pray that our new president seeks God out and pray that he truly has our best interests as Americans in his heart! I mean this election was especially scary for me since my daughter will soon be going to school and I DO NOT want sex education taught to her in Kindergarten! I am PRO LIFE.....as a Christian I believe you cannot be anything other than pro-life! My views are scriptural based. I believe that this country has gone through incredible hard times and we have a long road ahead of us...I'm praying that right decisions are made for us. I do have a sick feeling in my stomach and praying and trusting that God knows what he is doing and finding amazing comfort that regardless who our president is that God is sooooooo much bigger than that!!!

Election!!!!!!!

I can't believe all the talk that is going on about this up coming election. I knew that this was going to be an important election, but as a Christian, that is a Follower of Christ and someone who believes that the BIBLE is directly from the Lord and that it's God breathed I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I WILL be voting for McCain!! I personally feel especially after our Pastor's sermon that if even you are voting on the Abortion issue alone, scripture clearly states how WRONG it is and how much God disproves of it! Here are the major reasons I'm voting for McCain...

Job 31:15 "Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?

Psalms 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

Isiah 44:2 "This is what the Lord says , he who made you who formed you in the womb and who will help you'"

Leviticus 20:1-5 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives [a] any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. 3 I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4 If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, 5 I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech.

Jeremiah 20:17 "17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.

2Kings 8:12 12 "Why is my lord weeping?" asked Hazael.
"Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites," he answered. "You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women."

Romans 1: 28-32 "28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.


These are some of the passages our pastor gave us! Most of them are on the Abortion topic. I can't even go in to the marriage aspect. Please...As I am sitting her typing this Jayson and I have on God Tv and we are watching the election special they have on and I must say it is awesome! They are encouraging people to pray and fast over the election, I do know that People will be praying and I hope all of you just search God and seek his heart! Not only in this election, but also in everyday becuase reguarless of the outcome GOd is the one who will stay constant and never changing, Let's face it neither one is perfect by anymeans and I agree with every single thing McCain says either, but Biblical I don't feel there is any other option!! I'm praying that you truly seek God and that this country truly seeks the truth!