Is His Grace Really Sufficient?!?

Each day I receive an inspiration message from Joel Osteen Ministries http://www.joelosteen.com/. His messages are very inspiring and they help to jump start my day. Today his message is about God's Grace. I decided to share it with everyone on my blog because sometimes we forget that God's Grace is sufficient and it's His free gift to us. No matter how bad we think we messed up, God's grace is always there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Increase of Grace

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“...But where sin increased, grace increased all the more”
(Romans 5:20, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

So many people today live in guilt and condemnation over their past mistakes and wrongdoings. They have this attitude that they are too far gone or they’ve made too many mistakes. They think that if they walk into church, the roof will cave in. Friend, if that’s you, nothing could be further from the truth! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it doesn’t matter where you’ve been; God’s grace is enough. Scripture says that we are saved “by faith through grace.” Grace is His unmerited favor upon you. You can’t earn it no matter how “good” you act, but He’s offering it to you as a free gift. His grace is what empowers you to change and live the life He’s called you to.

Today, don’t live another minute in regret, condemnation, heaviness or despair. Receive His grace. It’s as easy as opening your heart and inviting Him to change your life. Remember, there’s nothing you could ever do that His grace can’t bring you through. So open your heart to Him and receive it today!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for Your grace upon my life. Thank You for receiving me no matter what I’ve done. I receive Your love and forgiveness. I commit myself to You today and all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank God for His Grace!!!

Daddy is great! He gives me Chocolate Cake!

Have you ever seen Bill Cosby's special when he talks about his children singing "Daddy is Great! He gives me Chocolate Cake"? Well, this is what my hubby was singing to the Munchkin last night as I interrupted their bonding time at 11:30 p.m.!!! Yes, 30 minutes before midnight!

Last night, the Keno watched the baby while I caught up on my "Mommy Chores"; sterilizing bottles, washing dishes, clipping coupons and watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta...OK, watching RHOA was not a part of my chores, but I decided to get it in since I had a little break. After RHOA went off, I went upstairs to check on the men of the house and to make sure the Munchkin was sound asleep. It was way past his bed time, so I just knew he was resting peacefully. Well, that's what I thought! When I walked into the room, I was in for a SURPRISE!! The Munchkin was wide awake watching the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots game with his daddy. I could not believe it! I looked at the two of them and said, "It's Night-Night time." My husband then looked at the Munchkin and said, "Well Son, mommy has shut us down for the evening. Tell her that she's no fun and that Daddy is great, he gives me chocolate cake." I immediately remembered this quote from Bill Cosby's comedy special and laughed. It reminded me of my childhood. My Dad was a little more lenient than my mom. My mom was The Enforcer. At 5 feet 2 inches, she kept the household in check. I never thought I would say this, but I felt like her last night. After I shut down the party, I prepared the Munchkin for bed and he was asleep in 15 minutes. I guess I will be handling bedtime duty from now on.

No more chocolate cake,

Fall Back...What Happened To My Extra Hour?!?

This weekend, time went back an hour and we were supposed to gain an extra hour of sleep. Well, where did my extra hour go ?!?! I still feel like I am sleep deprived and can't get enough of it, no matter how early I hit the sack.

Saturday evening I was so excited about time going back an hour because I just knew that I would gain an extra hour of sleep. I bathed the Munchkin and put him to sleep early and prepared myself for church on Sunday. I had to do some work from home that evening so I logged on and made my changes and sashayed off to bed a little after midnight. Although it was a little late, I didn't think twice about it because I knew I was gaining an extra hour of sleep. I couldn't wait to snooze for another hour. I guess the phrase is true, "Time flies when you're having fun" because it seemed like as soon as I put my head on the pillow, it was time for me to get up! WHAT?!?! WAIT A MINUTE?!?! HOLD ON?!?!? What happened to my extra hour?!?! My cell phone could not be reading the correct time! I thought maybe I need to power it on and off so that the new time can be set. But when I turned on the TV, I noticed that the time was correct and it was time for me to get up and start my morning. As I sat on the side of the bed, I just shook my head and thanked God for another day and the extra hour of sleep, that I felt like I didn't get it. It was time for me to start my day. I guess I'll figure out where my extra hour went to someday. Maybe I'll never find it and before I know it I'll will be time to Spring Forward. Yup! Time will spring forward an hour and I will lose that hour of sleep that I thought I gained. I guess this saying is true too, "You can't miss something that you never had."

Still searching for my extra hour,

Top Ten Diaper Bag Items

Becoming a Mom has been the ultimate life changing experience. One that I am totally enjoying and embracing. When going out for the evening, I not only have to worry about having my top items in my handbag, but I also have to have my top items in the baby's Diaper Bag. I don't want to be out and not have all the tools needed to keep the baby and me from having a good evening. Below are are my Top Ten items that you can find packed in Keno, Jr.'s Diaper Bag:

*********

1. Extra Pacifiers - They are like an American Express Card!! I never leave home without it!!

2. Baby Wipes - There's nothing like going to change your baby's pamper and you have NO wipes to clean his bottom!!

3. Pampers - Baby's go through several diapers a day; therefore, I keep extras on hand so that I can change his diaper whenever I need to.

4. Extra Bibs - I absolutely CAN NOT stand a dirty bib!!! I carry several clean bibs just in case he soils the one that he's wearing.

5. Socks - Babies are always losing their socks! Although Keno, Jr. has several pairs of shoes, I keep 2 extra pairs of socks on hand just in case one mysteriously disappears when he kicks off his shoes.

6. Receiving Blankets - A receiving blanket is not only used to keep the baby swaddled, but it can be used to keep the baby from laying against your clothes and keep the wind out of his face.

7. Hand Sanitizer - Keeping my hands and the baby's hands clean is a MUST!!!

8. Back-up Outfit - You never know when the infamous throw-up will ruin the outfit that he's wearing.

9. Vaseline - Baby's have very sensitive skin and sometimes dry out easily. I keep Vaseline on hand to keep his skin moisturized. My mother-in-law also gave me a great tip; it keeps him from scratching his skin.

10. Several Bottles - Whether they're filled with Milk, Juice or Water, I have several bottles in the diaper bag to keep the little one satisfied throughout the day.

Gotta go sterilize more bottles...

Loving The Marital Bliss

Yesterday, November 11, 2010, The Browns celebrated four (4) years of marital bliss. I can't believe it's been four (4) years already!!! It seems like we just said "I do" a few months ago. Not only are we married, but we have a little bundle of joy and we're living in a new state!!!

Anniversaries and Birthdays are special times in our household and we love to shower each other with gifts. Leading up to our anniversary we tossed around several gift ideas and could not really settle on anything. So we decided to go along with the Traditional 4th Wedding Anniversary Gift...FLOWERS!! We did our research and found the following:

4th Wedding Anniversary Gifts:

* Traditional Anniversary Gift Ideas: Flowers
* Modern Anniversary Gift Ideas: Linen/Silk

* Travel Anniversary Gifts Ideas: Hawaiian Vacation

Flowers may seem a little boring but there are several ways to give flowers without them being in the form of a traditional bouquet. Pandora has a very nice Flower charm that can be added to a Pandora Bracelet. This was a pleasant surprise from my hubby. Now I have one more charm to add to my bracelet.

Edible Arrangements has flower bouquets made out of fruit. Along with the highly rated and highly anticipated Call of Duty Black Ops, I sent an Edible Arrangement to my hubby. Both of us are enjoying that gift.

These four years have been amazing and we're looking forward to many more.

Loving the marital bliss,

Friday Morning Thoughts...

Thank God it's Friday!!!...As I was doing my morning prayer and meditation this morning, I started to think about the goodness of Jesus and all that He's done for me. It's been one (1) month since The Browns have moved to North Carolina and God has truly been watching over us. We were blessed with a very nice place to live that is well within our budget and is spacious enough for our many belongings, dog and cat. We are within 10 minutes from the local shopping centers, mall and most importantly my job!!! It sure does beat the 45 minute commute that I had in Baltimore. A tank of gas now last two (2) weeks instead of one (1) week and I can go home during my lunch break and see my hubby and my munchkin.

As I lay in bed this morning and thought about our new venture, I couldn't help but to thank God for giving us the opportunity to move to another state and start a new chapter in our lives. Many people thought this move was good while some thought I was crazy for moving my husband and newborn baby away from my support system. But with God on my side and the support of my loved ones, I knew that we would be OK. Of course there were obstacles along the way and probably more to come, but I know that no weapon formed against me shall prosper and what God has for me, it is for me. Therefore, I will continue to dwell on the goodness of Jesus and give Him all the praise and glory for what He has done in my life and what He is going to do.

Well, I gotta get back to keeping the systems running. Until next time, remember to seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Blessed and Highly Favored,

Meet The Browns!!!

I can't believe our little Munchkin, Keno, Jr., is 3 months old! It seems like I was just pushing him out yesterday. Time sure flies when you're having fun. He's now starting to coo, scream and laugh A LOT more. His smile always brings a warm a fuzzy feeling to my heart. We took our first family photos this weekend and it was an adventure. The Munchkin is not to friendly with the camera, unlike his mother. I enjoy taking pictures. As a matter of fact, some of my family members tease me about always being camera ready. Keno, Sr. just goes with the flow. I prepared all of our outfits for the shoot and made sure we all matched. I thought the munchkin was going to cooperate this time around, but he did what he wanted to do. He reminds me of his Dad. :-) We were able to get a few good shots. I guess we'll have to try again the next time. Below are our family pics:

Fabulously Yours,

The Life of a Divine Mother

I'M A MOMMY NOW!!!!!!...On, July 18, 2010 at 4:02 p.m., Keno and I welcomed our new baby boy, Keno J. Brown, Jr., to the world. Baby Brown, as he was affectionately called throughout the pregnancy, weighed 8lbs. 1oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. My pregnancy was a wonderful experience. We found out we were expecting November 17, 2009. Keno and I were EXTREMELY excited when the pregnancy test results came back POSITIVE. We could barely hold back our joy. We couldn't wait to tell our parents but decided to hold off for a few days just to make sure this pregnancy was legit. After our first official prenatal appointment we broke the news to our parents that they were going to be Grandparents. We then decided to tell our families on Thanksgiving Day. What a wonderful Thanksgiving Gift this was to the family. The holiday season is a little rough for us. We lost my Aunt Francine a few years ago on Thanksgiving Day and we lost Keno's grandmother 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. We knew that the announcement of our pregnancy would bring overwhelming joy to both families and it did! Both families immediately fell in love with Baby Brown. As the months passed, we begin to prepare ourselves for the birth of our son. We de-cluttered our home, cleaned, painted and started putting together baby furniture. Keno did most of the work while I supervised. :-) On Saturday, July 17, 2010, we finished touching up the last bit of home improvements on the house. I was extremely tired and ready for Baby Brown to make his debut. On that Sunday, July 18, 2010, I woke up with intense cramping. I didn't think I was in labor because I was still 10 days away from my due date. After an hour, we finally realized that I was in labor and Baby Brown was getting ready to make his GRAND ENTRANCE. We immediately called the doctor and our family members and made our way to the hospital. This experience was everything that I imagined. Although it took Baby Brown a few hours to come into this world, when he came, he made his presence known! What a blessing this was. Our tiny bundle of joy was finally here and ready to conquer the world.