Your Blessings Are Waiting

God doesn't want to be the magician of our lives, performing tricks for us, He wants to be the Lord of our lives covering us in His blessings.  Sometimes I think that we inadvertently give our "Santa list" to the wrong "Big Guy".  God isn't there to simply answer our requests, that would only limit us to what we could come up with for ourselves, He desires to give us what we NEED in order for us to have the beautiful lives that we deserve.

We all to often get attached to our own idea of what this life is suppose to look like, loosing site of what we were truly created for.  I for one am glad that God's plans for me and my life are bigger than the ones I had for myself.  We can never out dream or out think God.  

His knowledge stretches farther than the borders of this world which allow His plans to exceed our limited understanding.  I have learned to pray for God's will in my life so that I won't limit Him to my small agendas, allowing for His grander ones.

God gives blessing to those who..... look for them before they come

and remember to give praise for them after they have been received.

If we aren't receiving God's blessings it isn't because He doesn't have any for us but rather because we wouldn't recognize them if He did.  When we decide to keep our eyes focused on Him then and only then can we 

feel His presence, see His plan., and receive His bountiful blessings.

God has more for you than some temporary magic trick that only appears to be real...

He wants to give you the world.... but first you must give Him you.

Your blessings are waiting for you!

Galatians 3:14

The Message (MSG)

 ^13-14Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.

2012 Wish List

Daddy's List

Spend two weeks at the beach

  Go camping and fishing

Spend time with the family

 Not be in medical school

Get work done on the house

Mama's List

Learn more about photography

 Run a race

Organize all lessons before the beginning of the school year

Paint my house (inside)

Do a big service project as a family

Bullfrog's List

Game Night with just daddy

Get better at football

Go to WVU Basketball game

See a police car

Learn to whittle

Big Butterfly's List

Play Soccer

Get nails done

Go to an Art Museum

Go camping

Take a pottery class

Middle Butterfly's List

Get nails done

Take dance

Go swimming

Go to the beach

Go see Hannah

Little Butterfly's List

Spend time with mommy and daddy

Grow Hair

Gain weight

Play... a lot

Learn new words

Love Letter

To My True Love,

I have seen dark times in my life, times where all seemed lost or impossible but now there is a light that shines so bright that I can't help but feel alive.  There was a time when I couldn't believe or see potential in myself but your love has shown me a more beautiful reflection of a person that I never knew existed   You loved me when I couldn't love myself, when I thought no one could.  You have taken my imperfection and and made them perfect in your sight.  You have given me life and revealed to me my gifts.  

Noises and voices of this world use to clutter my mind, telling me that I wasn't good or deserving enough, but your loving voice now overshadows theirs and reminds me of all that is good and beautiful.  I never deserved your faithfulness and yet I received it, never was I worthy of your love but now I am filled with it.  There is no place that I can go that you don't go with me, no pain that I feel that you don't feel too, no problem that I face that you don't endure with me.   

You are my true love, my source of comfort and strength.  I can scarcely remember the me that existed before you, nor do I want to.  It is so amazing to see how your love has changed me and the way I look at this world now.  Your peace fills me, allowing me a freedom that I never knew existed.  Because of your love I have joy in every circumstance, hope during moments of chaos, and strength in the midst of my storms.

I am flawed and have failed you at times and yet your love for me remains steadfast without conditions.  I strive to be the person you see when you look at me, and I long to appear as lovely to the world as I do in your eyes.  

I have heard your voice, felt your touch and seen your face in my heart.  I rest in the palm of your hands knowing that if I am with you than there is none that can truly be against me.  I will walk through the trials of this life with peace and joy knowing that despite my pain there is love waiting for me in your arms.  

Your love has shown me that I am more than the choices that I have made, that I am worthy of forgiveness and grace, beautiful and deserving of admiration....forgiven and redeemed.  There is no greater love than yours and I am grateful to have received it.  

I love you for all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you will be.

Yours Truly & Forever, 
Carrie

Romans 8:37-39

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Beautiful Day

Today a prayer has been answered, a gift of a lifetime received.  As a parent you pray and hope that your child will be blessed with all the good that this life has to offer and today I know that one of my children will have all she needs. 

Todd and I believe in the power of God and we rest in the assurance of the salvation that comes from believing in His son, but we want our children to come to that same realization on their own.  We pray for their personal relationship with our maker, one that is not forced or persuaded by us.  So it has been our policy to not push but to simply love them to the Lord.  Our kids ask their own question and we answer them as best we can.  Sometimes those questions are met with no reply, we simply encourage them to look and pray for the answers for themselves.  

I believe God expects us to investigate Him thoroughly and seek out who He truly is, it is how we recognize Him in the midst of those claiming to be Him.  I have learned that my God has big shoulders, He can take me being upset with Him or forgive me if I get momentarily swayed by doubt.  When you hold the cards of truth...  fiction posses no fear and doubt has no foothold.  God can take being investigated, in fact He welcomes it.

My oldest daughter isn't someone that takes things at face value, she investigates and ask question.  She doesn't fall into persuasion easily,  she seeks things out her own way based on her own beliefs, something I not only encourage but admire about her.

After a week filled with seeking my daughter came to me today and said, "Mama I want to ask the Lord into my life today."  I gently quizzed her to find out if she really understood the words and in her matter of fact way she rolled her eyes at me and said. "Of course!"

So after service she asked me to go with her to find our Pastor to have him pray with her at the alter.  And in her quiet Kayla fashion, while all the heads were turned away.... she asked the Lord to forgive her, love her, and make her His own.

Today is the first day of her journey, one that will be filled much joy and occasionally times of sorrow.  God doesn't promise her that she won't have pain in her life, He just promises her that she will never endure that pain by herself, because when we walk with God we never walk alone.

I love you sweet little girl and I pray that you will consider every decisions in your life as carefully as you have this one.  I pray that you will always seek the Lord for guidance and direction in your life as you serve Him.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6

Daddy The Rock Star!

Well, he may not have an instrument or even know how to play one and although he can't really carry a tune,  Daddy is a Rock Star in our house.

Since daddy is working out of town the whole house has been a little out of sorts.  But when he surprised us with an unexpected weekday arrival he was met with great fan fair!

The whole house erupted with joy.  Some were singing his name while others just chanted, "Daddy is great, daddy is great!"  Oh yes and lets not forget the multitude of fist pumps that took place.  If he had fifteen sets of ears it would still not have been enough to hear all of the stories that were flying at him at one time.  

Even my littlest was in on the excitement.  Once she finally made it into daddy's arms she wasn't planning on ever leaving.  He tried to hand her to me so he could change his clothes but she latched on with the death grip.  Really!  At first I thought she must not have seen who she was going to, that grip is usually  reserved for ONLY me... after the second attempt I realized that even she had apparently jumped on the bandwagon!

You know the rest of the world may not fully appreciate my husbands star quality but one thing is for sure Daddy is a Rock Star in our house.

Poor Santa

This post is for all of you who have tried to recreate that perfect magazine image of the well dressed smiling children in front of the perfectly decorated Christmas tree.  We can be so taken in by the pictures believing that those in it must really have it all together.  I have recently heard it said that a picture is an artificial depiction of who we really are, because it is just a reflection of a single moment in time.

So this is for all of you that are like me and have a tendency to become picture OCD.  This my friends is a true depiction of a Bramlee Family Photo shoot... enjoy!

This one is a Can You Spy Santa game.

I think Santa will be setting a...2 kid per picture limit after this one.

Anareese loved her visit with Santa.

Almost a good one.

Right about now Santa is thinking, "I am getting to old for this!"

Someone suggested that mommy and mamaw get in the picture to help things a long.

And we almost had one but the mommy ruined it with a goofy smile.

Oh well we tried!

I am pretty sure Santa was reevaluating is career choice after this one .....

Bramlee Family Year In Review

New Years Day 2011, Laser Bowling.

January fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

It is so hard to believe that we are putting another year to rest.  It's funny how when we are children the days seem so long, it's as if time can't pass fast enough and then somewhere between adolescence and adulthood the earth begins to rotate a little faster.  Now, I search for ways to slow time down, hoping and praying that I will make the most of every passing minute.

March at the lake with our Kim~

Daddy's and his girls.

 

April means Spring!

We have spent this year really enjoying our family and focusing on cherishing each other and the blessings that we have been given.  I have learned to see life through the eyes of my children and to take things in stride with child-like faith and hope.  I am so thankful for everyone that has been on this journey with us, supporting us and loving us along the way.  Our family has been blessed by the hands of others so many times and we have had amazing experiences because of those loved ones.

Anareese turned 6 months old April.

May Flowers!

Family photo in May!

Dancing in June.

First plane ride for Addyson and Anareese.

First time in the sand.

Beach in July with daddy.

Playing guitar in August.

You could cay this year was full of many firsts for each one of of us in the Bramlee Family, especially for our littlest.

Our many adventures took us on planes, trains, and automobiles.  We embraced the cold... and the snow that it brought, braved the rain on our wilderness camp out, basked in the sunshine while lounging on the beach (no worries we were coated in sunscreen).

New York in October.

Philly in September.

 The youngest two Bramlees experienced flying for the first time on our way to the beach.  The subway in the city was a brand new adventure for three of my little ones, but Philadelphia and New York City were firsts for all of us.  Each child reached new milestones of their own as well.  T.C. started taking guitar lessons, the older girls danced on "the Big stage!", and Anareese crawled, walked, and said a few words.

Anareese turned 1 at the American Girl Doll Store in NYC.

 

Train rides and pumpkin patches in October.

We are so grateful for each and ever chance that we are given to celebrate the sweet moments of our life.
2011 was filled with so much laughter, smiles and tears and we are grateful for both, for without one we could never fully appreciate the other.

Unfortunately, with this November came the loss of a great man that meant the world to me, his love   

and generosity has forever influenced me.  I will never forget him or the legacy he left behind.

Christmas Day 2011

And now here we sit with a new opportunity to get things right.  We have 365 brand new days that are full of beautiful potential, right now at this moment we have a chance to make the choices that we should have made on our last go round.  We have a clean slate full of opportunity and possibility, but it is up to us to make the most of this gift.
This year we can get it right, this year we can choose differently, this year we can be exactly who we are suppose to be.

I pray that no ones misses out on the blessings that were intended for them and that each of us embrace the gifts that God is trying to give to us.  

Happy New Year!

Lamentations 3:22-23

²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.