Trace Adkins and Food Allergies

As some of you may know Trace Adkins is on Celebrity Apprentice this season. He is in the season finale against Piers Morgan. Way to Go Trace. You are probably asking yourself why I care? Well, Trace's chosen charity is FAAN-Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. This affects me tremendously.



My son, Alex, suffers from severe food allergies and FAAN has been there for me every step of the way. We had a terrifying experience with him when he was 11 months old. He is anaphylactic to dairy and peanuts. FAAN has done so much to improve the lifestyle of children who suffer from food allergies. One big thing they advocated was the law that ensures children as early as age 7 can read a food label. This way all scientific names have to be labeled milk, wheat, dairy, egg, peanut, fish and soy.........It sure makes life alot easier since there is so much else involved in the safety of your child's life. Anyway.............. I want to help FAAN out. There are two ways you can help!!!



Check out the link here to read more about Trace{his daughter, age 6, suffers from a severe allergy to peanuts} and his efforts to help FAAN. You can check out a video of Trace explaining his reason here. FOR 2 weeks the charity single that Trace will sing Thursday night will be available at ITUNES and all the proceeds go to FAAN. You have 2 weeks from March 27 to download and support FAAN. You can also text TRUMP to 30101 to donate to FAAN, you will receive a video message from Donald Trump thanking you. The cost of each text is $1.00, plus any fees your provider may charge. For $2 you can help make a difference with FAAN and all the families they are reaching. They are an incredible foundation. $1 for the song and $1 by text.



Thank you Trace Adkins. Oh I hope you win!!!! FAAN sure deserves the win!!! :)

Easter

What a beautiful time of year! Not just because the birds are singing or that the sun is shining later in the day or because flowers are blooming and the grass is beginning to grow............Those are just some of the magnificent things the LORD has given us to enjoy here on earth.

It's most beautiful to me because my LORD and Savior is risen! He is the KING of KINGS, LORD of LORDS and alive to live with me in eternity. WOW!!!!!! Now, that's something beautiful. This time of year is so wonderful because it is a fresh reminder of LIFE, the LIFE the LORD has given us through salvation. What a beautiful gift He has given.

Although, this is a beautiful time in my little world, I have to remember that the days leading to this time were not so precious. I must remind myself what Jesus went through so that I could have life. His time up to His death on the cross was excruciating. He endured so much so I could have life. I like to focus on that time because it is a strong nudge for me to realize nothing I can ever go through will ever be near what He had to endure. And He did it all for me, because He loves me. I don't deserve it, but that is what grace is.................God's grace is a gift we do not deserve. My sinful life could never do anything to earn my salvation, it is just FREE! That's all...........not a single cent or task can earn it. All I had to do was believe............and I was forever changed.

JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world He sent His one and only son so that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.

from L-R: Natalie(my niece), Audrey, Amy(my sister), Poppy(my dad), me and Kathryn

Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

Here are some pics from our Easter Egg Hunt at church!!

I just want to say that Brian and Julie Brooks do such an amazing job. Brian has taken on so many extra roles at church, because our Minister of Education left and so did our Children's Minister. Thanks Brian and Julie for all you do! :) You can see their Love for the LORD and His Kingdom in all that they do! :) Our church and community are so incredibly blessed to have them.

Remember this Easter what it is all about. It is about our Savior that LIVES!!! Take time to reflect on this special time...........because He LIVES we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. How beautiful that our Savior Lives!!! He is alive and well! Oh it excites me so much to think about it. Enjoy the egg hunting, Sunday dinner and the yummy treats, but keep the Real Reason for Easter at the focus of your celebration.

the list just keeps getting longer....

let's see............i have so many things to do and as soon as i check one off of my 'to do' list, 2-3 things more jump on there. i started Beth Moore's "The Patriarchs" bible study yesterday. AND WOW!!! I'm overwhelmed with what God wants to share with me!!!! How blessed are we that He has given us a guide that will direct our lives if we will allow it to. God uses Beth Moore in so many ways to move, motivate and encourage me. You know what else is so awesome, she gives HIM all the glory! If you've never read one of her books or done one of her studies, I highly encourage you to. You will be overcome with excitement and a yearning to fill your soul, spirit, bones, mind and heart with the word of God and even more eager to live in it. :)

Yes, my list is getting longer, but I will not be discouraged. I get very overwhelmed with all the things I have to do and spend so much time doing alone. With 3 kids and a husband that travels the devil certainly knows where I am weakest and he will attack me at any chance he gets. The devil doesn't just attack in the areas we expect it, drugs, alcohol, eating, spending money, etc. he attacks in ways we least expect it. So, be aware of the areas in your life he can get you and tell him to GET OUT! The LORD will arm you with power you never knew you had. :) AMEN!!! :)

Jim is doing great! He's on his 3rd radio tour since January and his schedule is filling up nicely. I believe his song is at #13 this week. Glory be to God-it's all HIM! If you have not heard Jim's music please check here.

Audrey and I came down with tonsilitis, Kathryn with RSV after a LONG LONG week of Jim being sick. He ran fever for 7 days and had a horrible cough, flu test returned negative. Not sure what it was, but it was dreadful. Needless to say, we've had some sickness around here. Hopefully, with brighter sunny days and Spring just ahead we can say goodbye to colds.

I'm working hard to get us back in normal routine and it's a challenge. As a mom to 3, one of which is 5 months, I can't seem to get my TO DO LIST done. What is up with that? I write it out and it takes days to check off one or two items. I feel like my house stays a wreck and all I do is wash clothes. And as for cleaning up, well..............that is everyday all day long. But, I know this time will pass shortly and all I will have is time on my hands and I will miss the days of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Days of baking cupcakes at the last minute for school or church, filling Easter Eggs to take for the Church Egg Hunt(moments before we go), signing notes and making sure payment for yearbook and field trips are turned in on time. Making sure I went over Audrey's homework with her before it's due the next day. Planning family night to work in while Jim is home. Wow!!! I could go on and on.................but, like I said I know I will miss the hustle and bustle of this busy life with kids soon enough. :) I hope you are having better luck than me with your TO DO lists. Let the little stuff go and check off what's most important! Take the time your kids need from you and don't sweat the other stuff. It's hard to keep in perspective, but we must remind each other the importance of our children's needs. We have such a short time to make an impression on them and build a strong christian foundation. That is a huge responsibility, isn't it? SO, I'm reminding myself that no item on my TO DO LIST holds more importance than that. :)

I'll share photos from our Egg Hunt tonight. And I have got to figure out what Audrey is going to where for School Pictures tomorrow, because I just remembered they are tomorrow as I was sitting here babbling. LOL

Have a blessed day! :)

I had to share this................

As I said earlier I have been playing with my camera since I received my new book, Understanding Exposure! I've been playing with the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to get the perfect exposure with a blurred background. Anyway.....................this picture was too funny of Audrey I had to share!!

This picture turned out okay. I think the aperture was 4 and ISO 800. The lighting is awful..................but I did achieve a blurred background, which is what I'm trying to master right now!

And this photo is a perfect example of just how Alex feels about all my picture taking lately! HA!!!!!!!! He's my picture man................but lately.............he is just plain tired of it. He runs and hides when he sees me coming with the camera. LOL

And Kathryn does not look too thrilled to be photographed either! LOL!!!!!!!! But, what a milestone! I think she was sitting there for atleast 15 seconds. My Big Girl! :) She will be 5 months old on Tuesday.

she wants me to hold her a bunch lately

she loves to be read to and enjoys looking at the pages

she loves her baby einstein videos BABY BACH being her favorite

she loves to chew on her fingers and anything she can get her chubby little fingers on

she loves her bathtime

she's giggling out loud

she is a snuggle bug

she loves sleeping on her belly

she loves her fish aquarium in her baby bed

she's awake more during the day and more playful

she's one precious little angel to us all and very very spoiled

{we had some super duper wonderful 70 degrees today}

Hope everyone is doing GREAT! :)

Yesterday started out really well...............I was actually getting a Mommy's day out. My first day without a single child in a good while. I went to get my hair done! It was so nice and relaxing. I was headed back home (I have to drive an hour away) and everything changed. :( I was at a red light and traffic started to move so I put my foot on the gas. At that point, I looked down at my Ipod(it was giving me fits-it wouldn't rewind) and next thing I know BAM!!! I slammed into the back of the sweetest lady. It was awful. Neither of us were hurt! My car didn't appear to have major damage. Hers had a good smashing. She was so sweet! I was just bawling crying. I felt so bad for her, I ruined her day. There I was carelessly looking at my Ipod. I'm so thankful noone was hurt, it could have been so much worse! Anyway................I'm okay and that day has passed. But, it definitely didn't turn out the way I thought it would.

I'm reading Understanding Exposure and really excited about getting to know my camera. I have the Canon Digital Rebel and know very little about it. I've loved photography since I was a child. It has always enamored me. So, I'll let you know how that is going and update some photos with my new tricks!!! { :)}

Monday I start Jessica Sprague's class Up and Running with Photoshop! REAL excited about that! I have been waiting along time for the class to start. WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! I'll be sharing my work from that class soon! :)

Kindergarten orientation is next week! YIKES!!!! I can't believe Alex will be going to kindergarten. So much to prepare for, especially with his food allergies.

Family Night was so much fun! We had a ball! UNFORTUNATELY, I deleted pics from that night. {super duper sad face} I have been shooting so much random stuff in the past 2 days from the exercises in my new book, I just accidentally deleted it.

Now, that I've rambled away. I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

Watch out for those Ipods and Cell phones.

Good Day!

Kathryn Olivia 4 months and 3 weeks

PreK page

I've actually had a chance to scrap. I came across a picture of Alex' first day in PreK Sunday School. His teachers mailed us a picture the next week welcoming him to his new class. So, I got to scrap it up!! :D I was very pleased, however, I made a HUGE booboo on it. I never write directly on a page, but wanted to do it. For fear I would mess a page up, I have always stopped myself. LOL................. Well, I messed it up! But, not too bad!!! Not sure if I'll tackle it again. ON the other hand, it's what makes it personal, right? Isn't that was scrapping is all about? Making our lives personal on paper?

Hope everyone is having a super fabulous Monday! :)

Catching up!!!!!!!

Does anyone know Curtis? I would like to send out the cd, but haven't heard.

It's been a busy week around here. Kathryn is up to new things. She can sit up by herself for about 3 seconds. LOL!!!! The kids love it. I know the minute her feet hit the floor she'll be running to catch up with the older ones!

We are going to start Family Night here in our home on Monday night. It is going to be a God centered evening with lots of fun and activities. We are going to start with the Heritage Builders, Ten Commandments. They have lots to choose from in the series and I can't wait to get through them all. YOu can check them out here. Just scroll down the left side of the page until you reach the books named Family NIghts! Ill keep you posted on all the excitement here in the Murphy household. :)

I've been working on listing items on ebay. I'm new to that world, but it's turned out to be quite beneficial and exciting. I haven't been posting or being too creative, as ebay takes up quite a bit of time. I think I'm getting the hang of it and fitting it into my schedule so now I'm back to posting!

I cannot wait for all the new CHA things to be out! It looks like it was an amazing time and lots of great product coming out! WoOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! There goes my ebay money!

Things are great with hubby. His cd is doing well. He's busy booking concerts and his single is creeping up the chart to #17 this week! Way to go hubby. Check out his sites here and here. You can also download his album or just some songs from Itunes.

We've been selling Girl Scout Cookies, so now we are delivering them. Girl Scout Cookies have taken over my dining room! OH yeah and my ebay stuff, as well. !!!! LOL

Alex is signing up for t ball this morning! He's really excited about that.

Don't know much else! Hope everyone is finding blessings all around them. :)

The Winner IS........................

Curtis !!!!

Thank you so much to those of you that left a comment. I'm sorry that everyone couldn't win! :D I really enjoyed reading your comments about those that mean so much to you! You had some amazing stories to share! I loved them all!

Curtis email me your address at elizabethmurphy@alltel.net

Cute heart box that you decorated. I feel blessed to have so many special
people in my life. The one that I feel truly blessed to have in my life is my
mom. She will be 85 this April. She raised me and my brother on her own. For an
income she took in ironing and babysat. She has taught me so much. Now it is my
turn to take care of her as she is unable to get around and her memory is
starting to fail. She means the world to me. Thanks for such a nice
giveaway.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY~LATE! and some BLOG CANDY

I hope everyone has had a blessed Valentine's Day. I hope you had a chance to share with those who mean the most to you. It's so important that we let those around us know, how much we care for them. :D

Well, I wanted my reader's to know how much I appreciate them, so I thought it would be a perfect idea to share some yummy blog candy with you all!

Leave a short comment about someone that means a WHOLE LOT to you. And I will choose a winner and announce them Sunday night. You have until midnight CST Saturday to post a comment.

The blog candy is Jim's new cd. In celebration of his latest release!

Here is the little heart shaped box I decorated for him for Valentine's. I cut out 10 heart shaped pages and put them inside along with the 10 reasons why I love him!

Now, get to commenting so you can win some great blog candy!!! :D :D

Feel Better..........

Jim's grandmother had hip surgery. The kids and I are taking her a 'feel better' treat today!

Jim's single, Start All Over, is being featured on this website. He is offering a free download on Thursday and Friday, so be sure and check it out and get your free copy of Start All Over!!!

Today is my birthday so I'm heading off to enjoy it!!! I've had so many wonderful wishes already this morning!!! My MIL is cooking dinner for me! Yippee!!!!! She is a fantastic cook! :D

Happy Day!