And it Begins...

The First of Many Lasts

I am finally updating our blog!  Sorry to all my faithful family members and friends who have probably given up on me.  Life has just been too much recently.  I've been busy cleaning house over and over again for our showings.  The good news is we have had a lot of traffic in our house.  But that has been a lot of work for me.  Our house has now been on the market for 37 days, and we waiting for the Lord to bring us our buyer.  


Last week we picked out our house in NC, so things are moving along.  We are excited for our new adventure God has for us in NC, but are focusing now on closing out relationships here.  We had our last Bible Study at CBS this week.  We have so loved that while we have been here, and we will miss it.  We also had our last regular youth group this week.  There will be many lasts coming up, and we will take them one by one.  


God has been teaching us a lot through this process.  We are so grateful for this time, and what he is doing in our lives.  

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act."  Psalm 37:5

Winners for Shutterfly Cards

Sorry, I meant to post this much earlier.  We picked the winners here out of a bucket, and here are the winners of the three Shutterfly codes.

25 free Shutterfly cards goes to...

Jen from The Hambrick Family

Holly from The Shelton Family

Emily from The Dowdy House

Congratulations!  I'll email you the code.

Prayer Request

My heart is broken for friends of ours, Josh and Tasha Via.  They are friends from seminary, and we've had the pleasure of doing ministry with them a few times since.  


They are currently in Uganda adopting a little girl, Shabila.  They have been over there for 2 months, and have had her in their care for about that long.  They have been through a very long process of adopting her and went for the final stage at the US Embassy on Wednesday.  They were to travel home on Sunday.


They were denied her visa.  I don't know all the details but I know they they need a miracle.  Their congressmen have been contacted and it is in the hands of Homeland Security.  The situation looks pretty hopeless, it is completely out of their hands.  We are praying that the Lord will intervene.


Will you pray with me?  Many many people are joining together praying on their behalf.  Pray that the Lord will intervene and that they will get to bring home little Shabila.


"Ah, Lord God!  It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm!  Nothing is too hard for you."  Jeremiah 32:17

Peace of God

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:7


I've known this verse for a while.  It's a very common verse that many people know.  It really hasn't been until this journey that God has us on that I have begun to understand it.  


We received a peace from God about moving to Wake Forest to start the church planting process.  But it's the rest of the verse that has really become alive in my life.


surpasses all understanding


I have tried to explain our peace that we feel, but it's like getting married.  You know when you know.  I am so confident of what God is working in us, I don't think I could be talked out of it.  I just know it's right.


guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus


When are we going to sell our house?  Are we going to be able to sell our house?  What if we have to pay rent and a mortgage?  How will we find a job to support all our living expenses?  How will we have health insurance?  Will I ever be able to go shopping again?  


These are the questions that float around in my head.  But I can honestly say they don't stay long.  I feel like the Lord is protecting me from going there.  He is guarding my mind and my heart.  And He is doing it in the name of Jesus.  Because He is constantly reminding me that Jesus is enough...more than enough.  We would be in shambles if we did not lean on Jesus.  But He has been the one that we trust in, and I have to keep reminding myself that.  Every day.


"For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name."  Psalm 33:21

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

Well its that time of year again.  Christmas is coming, and I already have my photos for our cards.  Now I just need to pick the perfect card.  We plan on getting our cards at Shutterfly again this year.  We have gotten our cards from there for the past five or six years.  They do a great job, and they keep up with the latest styles.  Not to mention they are really affordable!


Here are some of my favorites so far...


I like this one for its simplicity.  We have one good picture that would look good in this format.


This one is probably my favorite so far.  I love the design of it all together!


This one would look so good with our beach pictures, just not sure because its not traditional Christmas colors.  


This one is just so classy.  I love the rich red in it.


There are several more on my "short list", so I'm going to have a difficult time deciding.  


So are you ready for the really good part?  This year Shutterfly is doing something a little different.  If you remember I wrote a review last year as well.  And let me just say, I would not do a review if I did not like the product.  I honestly have been using Shutterfly for years.  It is also where I order my prints from.


Ok, back to the good part.  Are you a blogger?  Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q  


NOTE:  You have to register by 11:59pm tonight, November 11, 2011.


Now for the even better part...


I also have three promo codes to give away to 3 lucky readers!  You will get 25 free holiday cards from Shutterfly!  Leave me a comment and your name will go in the drawing...aka, the hat that one of my kids will draw your name out of!  We do things fancy around here!  Deadline is Tuesday, November 15th, 11:59pm.


Enjoy the weekend and comment on!

Thursday Thoughts

I'm sitting here in my bed with my computer, bible, journal, and phone.  To be honest it has been a great afternoon...just what I needed.  Today is my birthday, and as always I have felt so loved.  But what I really needed today was some alone time.  Some time to get my head on straight, get a few things to check off my to do list, but mostly time to read and pray.  I feel refreshed, after all isn't that what your birthday is about?

Our house is officially on the market.  What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been, hence the lack of blog activity.  We had a showing this morning.  Could this be my very special birthday gift?  Who knows, but right now I am trusting the Lord to provide us with a sweet family to buy our house so they will love and enjoy this home as much as we have!  It's been fun to pray for a buyer with our kids.  The know we have to wait for the Lord to bring the buyer to our home.  

This weekend Haleigh and I trek up to MD and then to PA for a girls' weekend, and I am so giddy!  I need some time away, and so look forward to being with my mom and sister.  Sunday is my cousins' bridal shower, so we are going up Sat to spend some extra time with them.  I could not be more excited for her and the guy she is marrying.  We absolutely love him and they are so so cute together.  

Well I better go get ready for my hot date tonight.  My man is taking me to one of our favorites restaurants here The Boathouse.  It will probably be our last time here, and I will enjoy every last bite!  Their crab hush puppies are to die for!  

Have a good weekend!

A Whole Lotta Sass

It's been a long day...a long week actually.  We first met with our realtor last Thursday and it has been an intense couple of days.  It started with the news that we had to sell our home for A LOT less than what we thought.  Then that we needed to get the house on the market last weekend.  Those two pieces of information were enough to send me over the edge.  I have barely hung on this week, literally clinging to every bit of truth and wisdom I could get.  And honestly, cause we just need to be real here, most of it came from others.


Today we finalized all the paper work and it will officially be on the market in 24 hours-ish.  So all that said, I've learned a lot about real estate this week.  So I thought I'd give you...Katie's List of Things to Know About Real Estate.


(And let me just preface this with I'm tired and there will be a whole lotta MacPherson cynicism and sarcasm.)  


1.  If only we let our houses look as good as they do when they are on the market.


2.  Now is NOT the time to SELL.  The bottom line is our house has depreciated and thankfully not under what we still owe.  But we are not going make barely anything on this sale and we have put so much into it.  It's really frustrating knowing your so-called investment was not really a worthy investment after all.  Everything right now is about the buyer.  You're just so at their mercy and its a horrible feeling.  


3.  The market is NOT getting better.  Yes things are selling, but the prices are horrible.  see #1 - It's a BUYERS market.


4.  When staging a house, make it look as if no kids exist.


5.  When staging a house, in addition to #3 make it look as if no one exists.


6.  When people ask to help, let them help.  You can't do it alone.


7.  The only thing that would make it easier is if those kids mentioned in #3 didn't really exist.  Let me clarify...I want them to exist, just not in the current home that is currently on the market.  Following the terrors around picking up every single thing they displace is, well, tiring.


8.  I hate comps.  They killed us.  That one blasted house that sold two months ago is going to hurt us.  Gotta love the comps.


9.  And speaking of comps...did you know the only thing that matters is your square footage, beds, and baths.  That's it!  Don't bother with the remodeling, redecorating, redesigning.  Thanks HGTV!  Everything you taught me, DOES. NOT. APPLY.

Happy Halloween!

Just got back from a rainy trick or treating night.  How sad!  Poor Haleigh was so cold and we did not dress appropriately.  I guess I can go ahead and schedule some sick visits at the dr office.  


Here's the pics of our kids in their costumes...

No Time for the Pumpkin Patch

With us trying to get our house on the market, I new that we didn't have anytime to take the kids to the pumpkin patch or apple picking this year.  So sad to me because it is one of my favorite things.  I've already told myself that all the holidays this year will just be different.  It doesn't mean they won't be special, but they will definitely be different.  

So insert GRANDPARENTS!  Don't you just love them?  My parents came to the rescue and took the kids for the weekend so I could get some stuff done.  And they took them to the pumpkin patch!  And they even took pictures for me so I could document it.  I love them!  Although, they aren't in the "cute" clothes and Haleigh's hat is on wrong, I am thankful for these pictures and they way they love my kids.

 And for the memories...

2010

2010

2010

2009 - Days before Haleigh arrived

A New Chapter

We have some new exciting things going on with the Martins these days.  The short story is that we are moving into our next ministry adventure.  My husband has served as youth pastor at Grace Community Baptist for almost 6 years now.  We have loved this ministry, the people, and specifically the youth.  God has done a lot in 6 years and we are so grateful for it.  But now God is moving us on to our next ministry being church planting.  We are going to be a part of a Church Planting Residency Program for one year where we will be trained and equipped to plant a church.  After that year, we launch out with a team to begin a new church body.  


Even as I type these words, I haven't quite gotten used to it.  For some reason, church planting just seems to be what those other people do.  You know the ones who I think are more qualified.  God has made it very apparent these last couple of months that although we are not qualified, He is going to use us anyway.  Because apparently, He's in the business of using unqualified people.  So here we are closing this chapter at Grace, and entering a new one.


We have shared with our church, family, and close friends, and are now telling the world.  The program is at North Wake Church, the church we attended in seminary.  So we will be moving down to Wake Forest sometime around the New Year to begin the program in January.  We are excited to be back in NC and around some dear friends, but we are sad to leave family and friends here too.


I will share how it all came about in a series of posts.  Its just too long of a story for now.  Thank you to those of you that have been praying for us!  We have felt so loved and cared for these past couple of months!

Thursday Thoughts

Fall has arrived!  Don't you love it?  It was so nice this morning putting on some jeans, a cardigan, some new shoes, and a COAT!  The crispness in the air is invigorating.  My husband even took us out to breakfast this morning!  


My oldest son has always loved clothes.  It a weird obsession really.  However he joyfully put on some "new to him" clothes this morning.  Ten minutes later...I want hot weather.  That didn't last long.


I have been in a battle recently with the middle child.  He can be so strong willed.  He has the craziest ability to make me second guess everything.  What is that?  I am the Mother after all.  We've somewhat successfully potty trained him.  He wears underwear at all times except bed.  However, he will only go when I ask him.  He has a strong willed bladder too it seems, as he will hold it ALL.DAY.LONG.   So it is a battle every time he goes.  He wants me to help him, and he doesn't need it.  And he won't go number 2 in the potty.  He has figured out that he can just wait until the pull-up at nap and bedtime.  So frustrating!  We had a stand off yesterday that last ALL DAY.  I prevailed and he finally pooped in the potty!  I won.  Now I am bound and determined to turn this ship around.


Recently, Homeschooling my children has not been my favorite.  Don't get me wrong, I know that we are supposed to do it this year.  The kids enjoy it, and for the most part, we like it.  I've just been discouraged with it and sometimes I want to put all three on the big yellow school bus as it drives by our house.  Haha, I'm just kidding...actually I don't really know if I am.  Anyway, Ed snuck out of the house with Micah one morning and came home with these.  And a little note from Micah.

Made taco soup last night.  We love anything mexican around here, but this is one of our favorites.  Its a mexican twist on chili.  We eat it with tortilla chips, but it is also good with the traditional cornbread.  


Here's the recipe in case it is new to you...


Taco Soup


1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can whole corn (drained)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cans tomato sauce (16oz)
2 pkg taco seasoning
2 pkg ranch dressing mix
2 cans green chilies (4oz)
1 1/2 cups of water
onion powder


1.  Cook ground meat with onion powder, drain.
2.  Mix meat and all other ingredients in large pot.  Simmer 30 min.
3.  Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.  Top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and whatever other mexican toppings you like.  Enjoy!


Happy fall!

Feeling Kinda Crafty

I've had so much fun on Pinterest recently.  Its just all of my favorite things blended into one thing!  I really can spend way too much time on there too!  Anyway, I pinned some really cute fall ideas and I've been tackling them since we got home.  Here is my first project.  I think it turned out pretty good.

Some More Beach Pics

One of our friends is really gifted with the camera, so we asked bribed begged him to take pictures of our families.  With three young kids, my expectations weren't very high.  But with crazy friends to make our kids smile, and Ryan behind the camera, we got some pretty good pictures!

Where We've Been

Well we're wrapping up a glorious week at Holden Beach.  We learned that October is such a good time to go to the beach especially when every day is 75-80 full sunshine.  We didn't have one day of rain or clouds.  It was so perfect.  We were able to spend some time with college friends and watch our kids play together.

Here's a couple of pics to hold you over until the full post.

Random Thoughts

So I know I have neglected the ole blog recently.  It's just one of those seasons, where it falls to the bottom of my list.  But I felt like I needed to get a little post up before October hit.


We are headed to the beach this week.  Friends of our from college had a little hook-up for us all to stay at this week.  Yes, I said week.  This vacation has come at the perfect time for us.  We need some rest, relaxation, and fun.


It is a lot of work to go away.  Every time we leave for a week, I get stressed.  Why does a good thing like vacation always start out bad because of my stress.  You'd think by now, things would be different.  


We felt the need for a tv fast this week.  When your kids ask to watch tv every time they have free time, its time for a break.  I didn't realize how much I relied on it as a babysitter.  Kids, let me introduce you to your toys!  The lesson has been great, however, when this mommy just needs to pack the bags or prepare some food for our trip, it would be nice to sit the children down in front of the old idiot box.  (that's an Ed Martinism)  


Fall is here and I'm in love...again!  I love everything about fall.  The food, football, leaves changing, cooler weather, etc etc.  I'm excited to clean out the closets when we get back.  


Well back to packing...

The Mountains are Calling

Last weekend we went away to the mountains for the day.  My husband absolutely loves going to the mountains and it reminds me of when we started dating back in college.  He likes the adventure, I like being with him!


So we picked a pretty well-traveled hike with lots to see along the way since we knew with three little we wouldn't make it all the way.  And we were right!  The kids did great considering their age, although Micah wanted more!  He always does.

What to do when you are 7 seconds away from a meltdown...

I don't claim to be a pro at everything or even much of anything, but there is one thing I can do.  Meltdown.


I am not proud of it, but it is reality.


A friend of mine wrote recently that she wasn't at her best "lately".  I totally related to that post.  


Ever since we started school, life has been pushing me.  Things are busy.  I have a lot on my plate.  And I've started to wonder have I bit off more than I can chew?


I constantly remind myself "I cannot do it all!"  Sometimes I yell it at myself!  Seriously.


Whether it is the kids irritating me or my to do list yelling at me or the lack of rest I've given myself or the stress of family decisions we have to make, I have a hard time catching the meltdown before it occurs.  So my face turns red, fire spews out of my mouth, my claws grab sweet little kids, and its over.  I have failed...again!


So here's my list of things to do when you are seconds away from turning into an ugly-faced fire-breathing dragon.


1.  Give yourself a time out.  We do it to our kids when they can't think through a problem logically because they are so worked up.  So why not do it for ourselves?  Call a roomtime or plop those kids in front of the tv, and give yourself a breather!  


2.  Seek the LORD.  When God is working on something with me, which is always, I usually am claiming clinging grabbing on for dear life to a verse that applies.  Have it nearby and recite it to yourself over and over and over until you feel yourself calm down.  Then pray pray pray and ask the Lord to redeem the day or the moment the same way he redeemed you long ago.


3.  Quit.  I don't mean throw in the towel and walk out of the house and never return.  Although walking out of the house to let out a scream, and then walk back in is completely normal...right?!  What I do mean is you can stop whatever you are doing, and do something you will all enjoy.  I mean sometimes, everyone needs a redirection at some point.  If things are getting tense doing school, take a break.  If kids are getting crazy inside, take a walk.  Drive to the playground.  Go get ice cream.  Go to Target.  Do something to change the moment and regain control of you and the kids.


4.  Take a shower.  I am not kidding here!  Let's be real, there are days that I don't shower until nap time.  I have been known to put the kids in their room or if Ed is home, my escape is a long hot shower.  It is just a place for me to have peace and quiet. (Remember to lock the door...they will find you!)  I usually have some of my best thoughts in the shower.  


5.  Talk it out.  Sometimes I just need a debrief with my husband.  He understands me more than anyone, and he can usually help me discern if I am just being tremendously selfish or in need of a break.  I usually feel better after I talk it out, and I end up loving him more.  Win - win.


6.  GET AWAY!  Ed and I survive on this method.  Other than the Lord, the most practical thing we can do for each other is get away.  Getting out of the house or sometimes, kicking them out of the house is the best way for me to get some mommy time.  And when I am seconds from a meltdown, a usual culprit is that mommy hasn't had a break in a while.  So my husband will tell me to leave.  It probably has something to do with the fact that I am not pleasant to be around!  I usually take off with my bible, journal, and computer, or I go shop.  Ed will take a load of books or go do something outside or both. We both need our time.  It makes us a better mommy and daddy, and husband and wife.

I don't expect all of these to apply to you, but hopefully they will help you the next time things start getting crazy.  As moms, we all have our days.  And we are going to have our meltdowns.  That's okay.  It's a tough job and no one has ever done it perfectly.  We all need grace to get us through the really messy times because one thing I've learned is we can't do it on our own.  

An Update on the Little Miss

It's been a while since I've done an update on the girl.  She is growing like crazy!  


It seems she is headed straight for the terrible twos, and I can't stop her!  I haven't quite recovered from the last one.  We get tastes of it here and there with her glorious outbursts and outright temper tantrums.  That girl knows how to scream!


We recently bought Haleigh a baby, and she took to it immediately.  She started pulling out these mommy skills that I had no idea where they came from!  She wanted to rock the baby, and rub its back, and put her to bed.  


She would tell me the baby was hungry or thirsty or even worse, poopy.  Then I told her, "Girl, take care of your own baby!"  All of a sudden I felt like I had another child!  So she is now taking care of all the needs of her little baby and has to take her everywhere.


My little girl just won't listen to me when I tell her to stop growing!  

First Day of School

Well here are some pics from the first day of school, last Monday.  I'm a week late!  I can't believe I have a child in Kindergarten now!  Where has the time gone?  

His Grace is Enough

I've read a lot of parenting books.


Books on training the heart.  Books on discipline.  Books on using Scripture in your correction.  Books on practical ideas for every situation.


These books have been good, and they have given me many parenting tools to use each and every day.  They have been a source of encouragement for me in walking in this new territory that I don't feel very experienced in.


But I've realized something.  (from another book!)  I have made some of these things into a new law.  The laws of parenting by Katie Martin.  


I've realized that these methods and philosophies and practical ideas are forming this good parenting in, good children out mentality.  I have come to think that if I do things right with my kids, then they will most likely be good kids.  And have a better chance at becoming a believer.


The problem is I am putting too much of an emphasis on myself and my abilities as a parent.  Can I alone save them? No.  


I have forgotten grace.  The Lord is the one who saves.  The Lord is the one who draws a child to himself.  There is no formula a + b = c.  Being a good parent does not necessarily result in a saved child.  


The reality is despite our best efforts, we can still have a child who chooses to rebell against everything we've ever taught him.  


So I am realizing that while God has placed me in this role as a parent to love our kids and teach them and show them as much as we can about the Lord, it is ultimately the Lord that has to work in their lives.  


And His working in their lives is powerful enough to cover any mistake I make as a parent. Its called grace.  We need it in our every day and we need it in our parenting.  


Do I believe God is good enough?  
Do I believe he is wise enough?  
Do I believe he loves my kids more than I do?
Do I believe he is faithful to finish what he started? (Phil 1:6)


May my too high a view of my ability to parent decrease!
May my too low a view of God's love and trustworthiness increase so much more!


(notes from "Give Them Grace")

Quotable Kids

This what occurred while Caleb and I sat at the table during lunch...


I was talking about who knows what.


Caleb: DDDDDUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!!! (really sarcastic and annoying)


Me:  Caleb, don't say "duh!  That's rude.


Caleb:  I have to say "Duh".  "Duh" is AWESOME!


Where does he come up with these things?!  And what do you say to that?!

Homeschooling Day One

Today was the first day of Kindergarten for Micah.  It was also my first day back as his teacher.  We did preschool at home last year too so its not completely new for us.  However, this year we are officially supposed to be learning things, and we added a second kid (Caleb) to the mix.


Since I was a teacher pre-kids, I have some knowledge to go on.  I get to use some creative teacher ideas and nerdy stuff like curriculum really interests me.  So up to this point I have loved it.  But my fear was that once school started and we actually had to implement the brightly colored curriculum, it wouldn't be so pretty.  And I don't know the answer to that yet, but today was fun.


Both the boys were so excited.  They were lapping up each activity, and asking for more.  That made this mommy/teacher very happy.


Here are my favorite moments of the day...


Bible Time - we start all together and do the calendar and our Bible stuff.  It was absolutely precious to me to see my three kiddos gathered around talking about our Bible verse.  Hearing their little voices recite Matthew 5:9 after me was so sweet.


Math - Micah and I are doing Math U See this year which is a Math program that uses manipulatives to teach concepts.  Today, we were basically playing games with the manipulatives (Micah thought they were Legos) and yet learning place value at the same time.  To work one on one with Micah is a treasure that I have now that I know won't last.


Playing Outside - After lunch I took the kids outside since we had been in the house all morning.  Think recess.  And as I sat in my chair watching all three play happily with their bikes and scooters, it made me think back to my teaching days.  I remember standing out on the blacktop talking with the other teachers thankful for a break from the kids.  But instead today, I sat watching my children happily play and enjoy each other.  And I realized I enjoy being with my kids.  


I am so thankful for this opportunity to fulfill the role of their teacher.  I don't know how long we'll do it, but right now I am enjoying the extra time I get with my kids.  It's a lot of work, but its all worth it!