Sweet And Salty Ice Cream Brownies

Looking for a yummy cold dessert during these hot days of summer?


Head over to the Nurture blog and check out this recipe!


So good!!

Family-Friendly Fun - Freedom Fest 2012

Are you looking for some family-friendly fun this weekend?

New Life Assembly of God church in Janesville (2416 N Wright Rd) 

is hosting Freedom Fest this Saturday, June 30. 

The gates open at 11:00 am. 

 Everything is FREE except for food and souvenirs. You can also bring in your own food, if you'd like.

I checked out their website (http://freedomfestnewlife.com/) for more information:

"We are excited for our eleventh year of Freedom Fest at New Life Assembly of God. As always, Freedom Fest exists as a Christ-centered, family-friendly, alcohol-free, community event that is meant to bring glory to God and give honor to our country and those who serve and have served it.

RIDES

Each year, we continue to offer a number of rides available to children of all ages. Our mechanical rides may be reserved for the older children, but we offer a number of inflatable rides for the younger ones, too!

There’s no waiting in lines to buy tickets for more rides; we skip that part and just say, “Get on and have fun… for free.” Particularly, we are excited about having bigger and better mechanical rides than we have ever had before. This year, we will have a bigger Ferris Wheel, Ali Baba, Tilt-A-Whirl, Cliff Hanger, Orient Express, and the Sizzler.

FOOD VENDORS

We have several local food vendors that will be on the grounds during Freedom Fest. You should be able to find anything you want from burgers and hot dogs, pizza and wings, to ice cream and cream puffs.

We are looking forward to our food vendors this year: Famous Dave’s, Rollin’ Pin, Sonrise Cafe, Pizza Hut, UBake, Culver’s, and more!

FREE HEALTH CLINIC

We are pleased that Mercy Health Systems will be helping to sponsor this event once again. If you are in need of a dental check up or medical screening, visit the free health clinic at Freedom Fest from 11:00AM to 3:00PM.

STAGE ENTERTAINMENT

We are excited to announce that nationally-known recording artist Aaron Shust will be headlining this year’s Freedom Fest. In 2007, Aaron Shust won the GMA Dove Award for songwriter of the year and his song “My Savior My God” won song of the year. Currently, his song “My Hope Is In You” has been on the Billboard charts for the past 36 weeks, peaking at the number one position.

We are also excited for Mark Alan, out of Minneapolis, MN, as an opening act. In 2003, Mark Alan won the United Kingdom’s international songwriting competition for best gospel song. He is also the worship leader at Emmanuel Christian Center.

Be sure to make your way over to our main stage at some point to enjoy the great entertainment:
5:00pm – In This Room
6:30pm – Mark Alan
8:00pm – Aaron Shust
9:15pm – Pastor’s Address

FIREWORKS

At the end of the night, we have a wonderful fireworks display. After our last stage event, which will be about 9:30PM, the sky will light up on the north side of Highway 14 directly across from our property. So after you watch the stage acts, you can just stay put and be amazed! As we do each year, we strive to have bigger and better fireworks. Whether you have seen our fireworks before or this will be your first time, you are certainly in for a treat."

For more information and photos, check out http://freedomfestnewlife.com/

Looks like a fun time!

Swimming Playdate

On Friday, July 13 we will be having our swimming playdate party at my parents' house at 11:00 am.


The pool is above ground and has a slight dip in the center. They have a few life jackets but please feel free to bring your own if you have them.  We will also be setting up a small wading pool for the little ones who would be more comfortable in less water.




Bring a lunch along and we can picnic in the backyard!




Please let me know if you are coming or if you have any questions by leaving a comment to this post or emailing me. I will email my parents' address and directions to their house when I find out who is all coming. 


This should be a lot of fun as long as the weather cooperates!!


Hope you can come!

Nurture Giveaway!

Last year in my Bible study group we read the book "Captivating" by John & Stasi Eldredge.  This book played a big part in my healing process last year and helped me to see how valuable I am in the eyes of God.

"Every woman in her heart of hearts longs to be romanced, to play an

 irreplaceable role in a greatadventure, and to unveil beauty.  And yet, women consistently exchange those dreams for a life filled with nothing more than duty and demands.  But Jesus Christ did not move heaven
and earth to make you tired.  He came to restore your heart as a woman, and to set you free through His love.

By revealing the core desires every woman shares, women are invited
to recover their feminine hearts, created in the image of an intimate and passionate God.  God placed these desires in women's hearts to help them discover who they are meant to be and the role that is theirs to play, and to draw them more deeply into His heart."

I have a copy of "Captivating" and the study guide that goes with it that we are giving away to one blessed woman on Monday, July 2!!

Your name will be included in the drawing for each of the following:

*sign up to be a follower of the Nurture blog on the left sidebar

http://nurtureatwfa.blogspot.com/

*follow the Nurture blog by email by submitting your email address on the left

*follow @NurtureAtWFA on twitter 

Your name will be put in for each of the above requirements you fulfill with a total of 3 chances to win!  If you are already a follower, your name will automatically be put in the drawing.

The drawing will take place on Monday, July 2!  I'm so excited to see who wins this amazing book!

Invite your friends, neighbors, and relatives to be part of the fun and get in on this neat giveaway, too!

MY Life As a Mom Story

Hop on over to the Nurture blog to read my own My Life As a Mom story!

We are going to start posting My Life As a Mom stories twice a month over there as well and I am kicking it off with my own story first.

Let me know if you'd like to write one! :)

Have a wonderful day!

It's A Miracle!

I just have to share this.  This blog has been my chance to share my life and "journey" over the past year.  God has been doing some amazing things and I want to put it all down so 1) I don't forget and 2) I can share it all with you.

I am currently in my 5th pregnancy (if you didn't know).  The previous 3 pregnancies all ended up with the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GD).

The first was pretty mild.  I was able to control it with my diet alone but I still had to poke my fingers and go to extra appointments.

The second time I had it was a little bit worse but I was able to take an "experimental" medication and control it with that along with my diet.  Adding the medication also added twice weekly non-stress tests on top of poking my poor little fingers.

The third time I had it was by far the worst.  I had to give myself insulin injections in my stomach twice a day along with poking my fingers and visiting the hospital so often I should have had my own parking spot.  It was the most miserable experience of my life.  I had to poke my fingers often all day long.  The injections went against everything inside of me each time I had to give myself one.  Sometimes, I wouldn't feel them; other times they stung like mad.  My dose had to constantly be adjusted (and upped).  My hormones and emotions were out of control.  What was even worse was that after my son was born, it took a very long time to go back to "normal" and wean off of the insulin.  Instead of being all better as soon as the baby was born, I was still dealing with the insanity for weeks after the birth.  It was horrible.

Naturally, when I became pregnant this time I was worried about going through all of that again ... or worse.  When I failed my first 1 hour glucose test at 8 weeks pregnant, I panicked.  I couldn't imagine starting that whole madness so soon.

Thankfully, God is good and I passed the 3 hour test.  I knew I still had one more test to go though. It was always at the back of my mind and worried me more than it should have.

At 24 weeks, I once again took the 1 hour test (I can't even tell you how many gallons of that orange "yuck" I've had to ingest in my life) and failed.  At that point, the nurse said I could just declare myself with GD since I've been down this road before.  I, however, told her I'd rather take the 3 hour test because I wasn't ready to give up the fight.

And fight I did.

I was in such a spiritual battle over this - for weeks, maybe months.  I knew that God is our healer.  I knew that He loves me and wants the best for me.  I knew that GD was nothing He couldn't overcome.  I was trying SO hard to hold on to that.  Then I would hear the annoying whispers and taunts from the enemy telling me I was already defeated and didn't have a chance.

I also struggled with asking God for too much.  I am the type of person that will only ask for the bare minimum of anyone.  I'll decide what I can put up with and then just ask for that.  I rarely go all out and ask for what would make me happiest.  I found myself doing that this time, too.  I would say "Ok, God, I can deal with GD but please don't make me have to go on insulin."  I was totally selling God short and willing to accept second best.  God doesn't want us to have second best, He wants THE BEST for us.

So I asked God for complete healing.  I went all out.

Before the second 1 hour test, I was fairly confident in God's healing power and plan for my life.  After failing that test, I started to let myself give up and give in.  I was experiencing a lot of the classic symptoms I had experienced in the past - mood swings, tiredness, I just felt plain awful.  I pretty much was convinced that I had GD again.  I was giving up, giving in, not trusting that God knew what was going on and had it covered.

This past Sunday, at the end of my rope, I finally gave it ALL over to God.  I told Him that I knew He could heal me and that even if He didn't, it was because He had other plans.  I was really moved during worship and knew no matter what, that I was in God's hands and He knew what was best for me.  I asked God for a miracle and then believed I would see one.  I guess I didn't know exactly what that miracle was going to be but I trusted that it was just what I needed.

After that, I was filled with such peace - a peace that truly passed understanding.  Considering my nature and how uptight I had been about this situation for over 20 weeks, it really was unbelievable that I felt such peace at this time.  I refused to think negatively at all.  I was standing on the promise that God was with me and that He wanted great things for me.  I wanted to be so bold as to say that I knew I was going to be just fine but knew that sometimes that is not what is really best.

I WAS confident in the fact that I KNEW I was in God's hands no matter what happened.

On Wednesday, I went in for my 3 hour test.  I felt such peace - except while drinking the orange "yuck," then I felt nauseous. :)  The 3 hours went fairly quickly.  I worked on my James Bible study workbook and it was probably the best thing to do during that time.  It was all about "considering it joy to go through trials" and "asking God and then not doubting it."  I still did not know what the outcome was going to be but I did know I was going to be ok.

At the end of the 3 hours, I felt amazingly great.  Typically at this point, I am shaking and starving with a headache.  This time I felt like I could take on the world.  I had no symptoms and felt super.  I went for an early birthday lunch with my mom afterward and gulped down my burger like a woman who hadn't eaten for nearly 20 hours but still felt great.  In fact, I felt uncharacteristically great for the rest of the day.  I had been battling daily headaches for weeks and still haven't had one even today.

I missed the nurse's call with the results and had to wait until this morning to hear them.  I still wasn't anxious.  Normally that would have driven me nuts.  I called back this morning and, of course, got her voice mail first. She called back soon after and told me my results.

I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES.

My one hour level was slightly elevated but all 3 other levels were normal which means I am just fine.  I told the nurse that it was a miracle but I don't think she really understood where I was coming from and kind of laughed it off.  But it's true.  I really believe I experienced a miracle.

It was so overwhelming to me that I just burst into tears after I hung up the phone, humbled and grateful.  My husband was home and came into the room to find out what was going on.  I told him and he said "you're happy, right?  You aren't upset that you don't have it, are you?"  Oh, if only men could truly understand us women ...

I am happy.  I am overjoyed.  I am humbled.  I am in awe of God's goodness.  I feel free.

I really believe I was healed from GD.  Like I said, I had been experiencing symptoms for close to a month and yesterday I felt amazing.  Not one single symptom.  I just felt different.  Maybe I never had it and the symptoms I felt were just attacks from the enemy to make me doubt.  I don't know.

But I do know that I don't have GD and after having it 3 times before, it is miraculous.  Each pregnancy your chances increase and it typically gets worse each time as well.

I have experienced a miracle - and growth.

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.         James 1:2-8

June Calendar Coloring Sheet

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/calendars/ig/June-2012-Calendar-Pages/June-2012-Print-and-Color-Dad-.htm 

My Life As a Mom of a Miracle

Today I am so excited to introduce you to Sara and her amazing mom story.  Sara is a mom to 4 adorable kids.  She is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet and has a beautiful heart for prayer ministry.

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I know we’ve all had them. That life-altering event that changes you so much that you can’t remember the person you were before it happened. For me, that event was the birth of my second son, Graham.

It was about 5 years ago now, but the memories are still vivid. I remember being in the OB/GYN's office and having my second ultrasound done at 10 weeks to check for a heartbeat. Extra cautions were being taken because I had just had a miscarriage the month before. I could see immediately that something was not right. My doctor tried to put on a calm face, but she sent me to see a specialist immediately. I can remember going home after that appointment and looking up the different possibilities on the internet (never a good idea by the way!). All of the information I could find looked very grim. Over our many months of weekly ultrasounds we were told so many scarey things - that he might have Down syndrome, that he might have another chromosomal abnormality that was incompatible with life, that he would have kidney failure, be on dialysis, need a kidney transplant or may not live long enough to receive one.

Thankfully we found out through a biopsy of the placenta a few weeks later that he had no chromosomal abnormalities and that we would be having a baby boy. It was a relief, but it was still hard to have the normal excitement you get when having a baby. We were sent to see all the different specialists before he was born so that we could be prepared for what may happen after his birth. They told us about what happens in the NICU and how things proceed when the baby doesn't survive. The nephrologist told us about how it would be when he was on dialysis and how big he would have to be to receive a transplant. Lastly, we saw our urologist, whom we have grown to love over the past 5 years. I sat there 20 weeks pregnant while he looked at our ultrasound pictures. We were on information overload after the previous 2 consults. He just looked at us and basically said that everything would be okay, and he thought we were going to have a great kid. He was a gift from God. We needed that encouraging word, and it gave us hope.

We had weekly ultrasounds, but basically, to the surprise of many doctors, we made it though the pregnancy uneventfully. At 35 weeks, the real adventure began. We went to the specialist for our routine appointment. I could tell the doctor was watching the blood flow in the placenta for way too long. He didn't think the placenta was functioning well anymore, and told us to go straight to the hospital to deliver. We came to find out later that as many as 80% of babies with Graham’s condition are stillborn.

At the hospital I was induced, and Graham made his appearance in the morning. It was a beautiful delivery, didn't even have to push once. It was all such a blur after that. The extent of his problems was far beyond what we had seen on the ultrasound. After holding him for just a few minutes, he was immediately transferred to Children’s Hospital for the first of many extensive surgeries.

Needless to say, we survived that surgery and many others after it. Graham is truly one of kind. God has surpassed every expectation we could have had for him. It hasn't been easy at all, but every experience has been a blessing. We have learned more about ourselves and our God than we could have ever imaged. When something like this happens in your life, you can't deny the hand of God moving over and over again. More than anything, it has taught me that in my life I cannot trust my own limited understanding. I need to cast my cares on my Savior, acknowledging that his understanding is far greater than mine. When I am able to do that, I am blessed beyond what I could have imaged.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

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Thanks, Sara!  You have such a special little boy.  God is so good and I can't wait to see what He has in store for your family.