One Day At A Time

Blood Bought My Freedom

2011-07-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

Building Blocks For Marriage

2011-07-03T00:18:00.007-04:00

I have heard people say that there is no manual for marriage and parenthood. I believed that.... until 2006 when I learned the truths of God's word, I am still learning everyday. The Bible is FULL of information, it is priceless. My husband and I started listening to a series entitled "Building Blocks For Marriage" by C.R Curtman, a wonderful Preacher that just recently preached for 2 weeks at our church. Pastor Curtman is a tremendous preacher and I highly recommend this series.

Below is the 1st of 16 messages.

Make plans to attend!

2011-05-25T08:50:00.002-04:00

https://rmhlongisland.ejoinme.org/?tabid=283506&joinme=5966

2011-05-05T09:53:00.001-04:00

https://rmhlongisland.ejoinme.org/?tabid=283506&joinme=5966
Read my cousin Jayden's story and donate if you can. Thank you

This morning's devotion really spoke to my heart.

2011-04-25T08:47:00.001-04:00

Song 2:10

04/25/AM

"Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."
--Song of Solomon 2:10

Lo, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Rise up," and well He may, for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. He is risen, I am risen in Him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I would rise towards Him. He calls me by the sweet title of "My love," and counts me fair; this is a good argument for my rising. If He has thus exalted me, and thinks me thus comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar and find congenial associates among the sons of men? He bids me "Come away." Further and further from everything selfish, grovelling, worldly, sinful, He calls me; yea, from the outwardly religious world which knows Him not, and has no sympathy with the mystery of the higher life, He calls me. "Come away" has no harsh sound in it to my ear, for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? O my Lord, would that I could come away, but I am taken among the thorns, and cannot escape from them as I would. I would, if it were possible, have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin. Thou callest me to Thyself by saying "Come away," and this is a melodious call indeed. To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes. But Lord, how can a stone rise, how can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise me, draw me. Thy grace can do it. Send forth Thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away.

Sermon audio.com

2011-03-17T08:36:00.001-04:00

What a blessing to have our Pastor John Graf on sermon audio.com!
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&Keyword=Pastor^John^Graf

Cabin Fever

2011-02-19T20:43:00.002-05:00

You know you have Cabin Fever when 40 degrees is warm ! We here in NY were spoiled with a few beautiful days this week ! I was looking at some pictures from last spring and was reminded of what green grass looks like. O, how I miss you green grass !

I found this definition of Cabin Fever and thought it was pretty funny!

Cabin fever- is an idiomatic term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, in a small space, with nothing to do, for an extended period (as in a simple country vacation cottage during a long rain or snow). Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, irrational frustration with everyday objects, forgetfulness, laughter, excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the rain, snow or dark.

More Christmas shots

2010-12-13T09:50:00.002-05:00

This weekend we had the privilege of going to Shady Maple in PA, we were all amazed at the immense size of that place ! Anyway there was a photographer there who took our family photo. What a difference between Aaron's smile in the first shot compared to this one !

Enjoy !

Christmas pictures

2010-12-10T15:44:00.004-05:00

Our dear friend Alexis took some Christmas pictures of our family this year. I thought it was so funny that we are a small family and it is so tough to get everyone to smile at the same time. Especially a 3 year old. I said how do the Duggars do it ? Well here are the one's that came out the best. Even though Aaron isn't smiling in one !

Long Island Baptist Academy

2010-11-05T08:27:00.002-04:00

I am so thankful to the Lord for providing our family with the most wonderful church and school for our children. It is so sweet to hear our little Aaron sing Christian songs about men like Zaccheus and David and not a popular celebrity like Justin Bieber. I love to see him walking in on Sunday morning carrying his Bible and his love offering excited to see Lily and Mrs. Busch, a very special Sunday School teacher, friend and faithful servant to our dear Lord.

I enjoy going to the Christian Academy and seeing all of the kids getting along like a great big family. Just the other day Michaela said it was like she was the older sister watching over her younger siblings. Words can not express how thankful I was to hear her say that.

Today, I was on the School blog and I read of how excited and thankful the children were about the Fall Festival. I saw my Marcus' picture as a blogger and thought of how excited he was to take on this new role. It's wonderful to see my 12 year old son's picture on a Christian School blog and the enthusiasm he has towards being a part of it all.

Long Island Baptist Academy is a most unique school, one where you learn Rules of Life, proper etiquette, reasons to love the Lord, play ping pong, have flea Markets, learn about Science from a Biblical standpoint, math, grammer, just to name a few and have a blast doing it. Long Island Baptist Academy is a school where when you graduate you wish you could start all over again, when there is a vacation you can't wait to get back, when you are corrected its only because they love you.

I hope the chidren really grasp how blessed they are to be able to attend this most wonderful School, I wish I could !

If you haven't already, please visit the blog http://libacliff.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading !

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T09:59:00.002-04:00

This picture really touched my heart this morning. This young women lost her fiance who was a soldier. It made me consider how heartbreaking it would be to lose my husband. To think that so many men and women have lost their partners as they fought for our countries freedom. I can't find the words to express the gratitude that I have towrds these men and women. I'm thankful we have a day like today to reflect on all they've done. All I can say is..... Thank you. And more importantly I will keep you in my prayers.

A talented young man !

2010-04-24T23:18:00.003-04:00

My son Marcus has recently purchased his very own camera and over the weekend he took a couple of shots. I love all of them but these two are my favorite.

The most important messages you will ever hear !

2010-04-21T08:28:00.003-04:00

I'm that Sparrow

2010-04-01T21:20:00.001-04:00

A few months ago the lovely young ladies of our church sang this beautiful song. I enjoy listening to it and thought maybe others would too. Below are the lyrics I found from someone's blog. Enjoy !

Jesus told them don’t you be concerned
I will be there at each and every turn
Like the sparrow I’ll meet your every need
To the flower I send the morning rain
when you need me I will do the same
cuz in his heart sometimes he knew I’d be

that sparrow…
…learning how to fly
that flower…
…reaching for the sky
growing up underneath his watchful eye;
I’m that sparrow.

I’m that sparrow…
…watch me fly
I’m that flower…
…reaching to the sky
cuz learning to trust is all a part of life;
Like a sparrow, I’m that sparrow.

I felt lead to study what God's word says about the sparrow, and I found this.

Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

This was part of a commentary. Even the birds of the air, and the hairs of our heads, do fall within the compass of God's protecting care.

English Priest Advocates Shoplifting for the Poor - Sphere News

2009-12-23T07:13:00.001-05:00

Why would he think he has a right to change the 10 Commandments ? I'm speachless !
English Priest Advocates Shoplifting for the Poor - Sphere News

Uncle Manny

2009-09-10T00:09:00.002-04:00

Uncle Manny went to his first Yankee game on Tuesday. He had so much fun, we really enjoyed going with him and sharing this special memory together. The Yankees won, that made the night even more special !

slideshows

2009-08-07T09:49:00.002-04:00

I've posted 2 new slideshows one of Marcus Sr.'s Birthday and one of our trip on the Circle Line cruise. I would definitly recommend this, we had so much fun. Enjoy !

2009-08-07T09:46:00.001-04:00

2009-08-07T09:37:00.001-04:00

Happy Fathers Day !

2009-06-21T00:09:00.006-04:00

Happy Fathers Day to all.
Especially my wonderful husband, We love you Enjoy your Day !

A Frog on a blog

2009-06-12T14:58:00.006-04:00

Back in May we had this little visitor. Marcus jr wanted to keep him but we didn't think that was a good idea. Very Photogenic I must say !

2009-05-15T14:29:00.001-04:00

Busy, busy

2009-05-15T13:47:00.007-04:00

Wow, what a week On Friday 5/8 we celebrated my moms Birthday with a surprise party. She was so happy, very surprised and very grateful. Thanks to all of the ladies that made her day extra special. Pictures will be posted soon !

On Sat 5/9 we celebrated Aarons 2nd Birthday at Boomers, we all had alot of fun.

Sunday 5/10 was Mothers Day we heard tremendous preaching and had a fabulous lunch at Carrabbas.

Monday 5/11 was Aarons 2nd Birthday and the first day of our 3 day missions conference. Brother Martin is a wonderful testimony and a true man of God. So many things spoke to my heart. I look forward to all that the Lord has in store for us.

2009-04-19T18:35:00.001-04:00

Thank you

2009-04-06T15:27:00.004-04:00

Last night Pastor Graf reminded our church of all those who are so faithful to our many different Sunday school classes. It was true what Pastor said that many go unnoticed. With all that goes on Sunday morning's many of these people don't receive the expressions of gratitude they all deserve. Each person that Pastor mentioned has influenced my life in a very special way.

Amy has faithfully covered the nursery every Sunday morning at 10am, she arranges monthly schedules and always makes sure there is someone there to take care of our children. Aaron loves Mrs. Bryant and that means so much to know that our children are in good hands. Thank you so much Amy you have been a wonderful friend, and care taker I love you very much.

Randy and Mary are such a special couple Marcus had such a wonderful experience during the time that he was in their class. They really go above and beyond and I'm sure they have created memories that will last a lifetime. Abbey also has been such a blessing during Wednesday night prayer meetings. All the children love the Treasure chest. Many thanks to the Engesetter family we love you.

Lynn and Sally are wonderful teachers for our 3 and 4 year olds. I've seen many of the crafts the children have made or even the special treats they bring home. One thing that is so special to me is when my nephew Luis doesn't come to church, Lynn and Sally always make sure he gets the craft that he missed. That is so special to him, he knows you were thinking about him. Thank you both you are both such dear friends and so very special you both are loved very much.

Josh and Jenn, are also wonderful, wonderful Sunday school teachers. Marcus adores being in your class. Just yesterday he told me about the lesson on prophecy that Josh will be covering. What a blessing, It's too bad I can't be in two places at once. It is so wonderful that Jenn will be teaching the young girls on how to be proper young ladies. These are lessons they can carry on forever. One other thing that is so sweet are the bagels that Josh and Jenn have on different occasions. It's a very sweet gesture and once again goes above the requirements. Thank you Josh and Jenn we love you both and cherish your friendship.

Mrs. Graf, I've never been in your Sunday school but you have influenced my life in so many ways. I could be here all day writing about what a blessing you've been to me. Thank you for all of your many lessons on family, mother son relationships, Christian women distinctives, the wonderful series you prepared during family camp. The encouragement with raising our sons. I love you very much and thank you for your love and devotion to serving the Lord.

Pastor Graf, I don't even know where to start. You have been a tremendous blessing in our lives we love you very much and thank you for being confrontational, for being Christlike, for being a spiritual leader. For being a friend.

There are many, others that I want to thank. There are several different nursery workers that I appreciate and Little church workers that are very devoted each and every week. I love you all and without you I wouldn't be able to attend services weekly. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for leading our family to Long Island Baptist Church it's been a tremendous blessing.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Marcus' 11th Birthday celebration

2009-04-02T20:05:00.001-04:00

Life changing

2009-04-02T08:13:00.001-04:00

Fun times

2009-03-30T09:18:00.001-04:00

Long Island Baptist on Youtube

2009-03-28T23:15:00.002-04:00

Please take some time to view Pastor Graf on Youtube, what he has to say will change your life.
http://www.youtube.com/user/libaptist

Baby Brielle

2009-03-22T12:41:00.004-04:00

April's uncle Max and my aunt Diana married many years ago. That's when we became the best of friends (April and I). Technically we are not cousins but we have always had a special bond, therefore we have always said we were cousins. About 5 years ago April married Keith who is a wonderful man. On March 18th they welcomed a new little addition into their family and I am so happy for them. I'm sad that they live in Texas and I won't get to meet baby Brielle until summer.

I know you two will be wonderful parents.

Proud Dad

Proud Mom

Beautiful baby girl

Happy Birthday !

2009-03-11T21:44:00.003-04:00

Happy 11th Birthday to our nephew Noel. We love you and hope you had a splendid day.This is an old picture you look so cute !

Vacation slideshows

2009-02-19T09:41:00.002-05:00

Well we've been home for a week now and I finally had some time to post two slideshows ( there after the anniversary post). We had a great time, the weather was beautiful. Enjoy the slideshows !

Happy Anniversary

2009-02-19T09:36:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary to a wonderful brother and sister in law. Sorry we're a day late. We love you and wish you many more !!

2009-02-19T09:29:00.001-05:00

2009-02-19T09:25:00.001-05:00

Thank you

2009-02-05T05:41:00.006-05:00

I wanted to thank those of you who are praying for my mom. Turns out she may have pulled a muscle. I'm so thankful it was something minor. She's still in pain but very excited that she can still go to Florida. If you know my mom you know that rest is not in her vocabulary. Thanks again !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-02-05T05:36:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to our dear friends Tim and Lex. We love you and wish you a very Happy Birthday ! Thank you for your wonderful friendship.

Clearwater here we come !!

2009-02-05T05:21:00.003-05:00

At 9:15 am we'll be flying down to Florida. We're all very exited. Thank you to those who are praying for our travels. See ya next week ! Enjoy this picture of the Clearwater bridge I love driving over it, it's really beautiful.

Happy Birthday

2009-01-23T11:37:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday to our sister-in-law Titi Missy, wishing you a wonderful day full of the Lord's richest blessings.
We Love You !!

The Rivera's

2009-01-23T11:32:00.004-05:00

As I was looking through some pictures, I came across this one from Juanita's Birthday . I thought it was such a nice picture. We don't always remember to take one when the siblings are all together.

Molly

2009-01-20T08:06:00.004-05:00

If you noticed in the background of Marcus' cooking picture, there is a cute little puppy. That's Molly the newest addition to our home. She is a 6 month old Yorkie who is really beginning to grow on us. Aaron was so funny the day she came home, he climbed right into her cage !!

My compliments to the chef

2009-01-20T07:58:00.004-05:00

For Christmas Marcus received a Kid's Cookbook. Yesterday he made Thick 'n' Chunky Potato Soup. It was really yummy ! Perfect during this cold weather. I must admit it was a learning experiance for me (in patience that is). I allowed him to peel and chop everything himself.

tag

2009-01-13T09:03:00.005-05:00

This picture was taken 10/31/07 we were going to church. I remember this was the day we had dinner at church b/c no one wanted to be home for Halloween that was a great idea.

The rules :
1. Choose the 4th folder where you store pictures on your computer.

2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag four people to do the same.

5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

I think everyone was tagged already, I'll take the Bonellos.

Award

2008-12-30T00:25:00.003-05:00

Many thanks to Melissa for nominating my blog. I wouldn't be able to choose just one, I love each and every blog it's so much fun (blogging that is) !!

What a small world !

2008-12-29T09:15:00.003-05:00

I was so surprised when I saw Mary's blog, I know the couple that she described at the restaurant. We even spent some time with them on Christmas Day. I thought it was so funny I had to post about it.

Here they are again.

For Giovanna

2008-12-17T16:37:00.002-05:00

This year we got red lights for our tree, because the store was all out of clear or multi colored. I like the red but I miss the clear ones that we usually use.

O, Christmas Tree....

2008-12-09T08:11:00.003-05:00

We're all very excited because last night we went out and got our first real tree, in many years. We've always put up an artificial tree because we were afraid that our cat Gabby would try to eat it. Unfortunately, Gabby is now an outdoor cat but that means we can now have a real tree !!! Even though Gabby's gone we're still a little worried for our tree. Can anyone guess why ?

The Adventures of Bottle Boy !!

2008-12-09T08:06:00.002-05:00

For some time now, my son Marcus has been creating characters out of plastic bottles. He really enjoys it and has made several different bottle boy costumes. He is so creative !!
Here's the latest creation,Military bottle boy !

A Baptist nap

2008-12-01T08:02:00.004-05:00

I guess Aaron was exhausted after the busyness of the week. He fell asleep after lunch and didn't get up till we were ready to go back to church for the evening services.

Happy Birthday Emily

2008-12-01T07:51:00.003-05:00

On Saturday November 29th our niece Emily turned 5. Emily is a special part of our family, she's always on the go, always happy and very energetic !!
We love you, Emmy !!
These are pictures from her party, invite the Rivera's and there's a full house. That's all you need to make a party.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-27T07:29:00.004-05:00

This was Aaron last year, for his first Thanksgiving he has turkey PJ's on.

Today, is one of my favorite holidays. I love Thanksgiving and am so thankful we have a day to express our thankfulness, although we should each and every day. I would be here all day if I listed all I am thankful for but I'll list a few.

Salvation, and its free gift
The word of God and its many Teachings
The many attributes of God
My dear family
My wonderful church
My dear Pastor
My amazing friends

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, may you have a wonderful day and remember everyday is a day to be thankful.

Our Anniversary

2008-11-27T07:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, November 26 th Marcus and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner on Tuesday and had a wonderful time. I'm so thankful for my marriage and how we've grown through the years. The Bible teaches us so many wonderful things on marriage and child rearing, and I'm so thankful for that. I love my husband and look forward to what the Lord has in store for us.

Happy Anniversary Marcus I love you !

How they've grown !!

2008-11-18T22:04:00.005-05:00

Emily

Caleb & Madison

Aaron, Shayna and John

I was looking through some pictures. These are from a year and a half ago. I couldn't believe how much these little guys have grown. Madison and Caleb were still in the Nursery !!

I love each one of them their such cute kids.

Fall favorites

2008-10-28T23:08:00.005-04:00

We stopped by a local farm stand a few wks ago and got some of our favorite fall goodies.

Pumpkin pie
Caramel apples

Apples

And some more pumpkins

This is my favorite time of year !!!

Fall fun

2008-10-04T09:30:00.005-04:00

The boys and I had the privilege of going to White Post Farms with Danielle and Kathleen, we had a great time.

Twins

2008-10-02T22:39:00.007-04:00

I get a kick out of dressing Marcus & Aaron in the same outfits. The size difference is so funny !!

September 11th

2008-09-11T13:57:00.004-04:00

When I turned on the news this morning I realized what today's date was. The day that many of us will never forget.
I can remember the days events as though it were yesterday. I remember my young son being affected by the days events. At 3 years old Marcus Jr. had an awareness of this tragedy he was scared of planes for some time and when he saw a picture of a building he would ask "mommy is that the building the planes went into ?" I sit back today with sorrow in my heart because of the tragic events and I look at little Aaron who will only know it as history.

I'm thankful for Mary's blog that mentioned saying those three very important words to her dear son, "I love you" I thank Mary for reminding me of how important it is that we tell our loved one's how much we love them. Many of those who perished may not have heard those words before going off to work that morning.

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events, and reserved to himself the knowledge of them, as a flower of the crown, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a continued readiness for every event.
- Matthew Henry

So handsome

2008-09-07T00:08:00.004-04:00

Its so hard to get him to stay still for a picture !

Allowing him to hold another camera helped.

So handsome and he even vacuums he's a keeper !!

Aaron was so handsome on Sunday, I just had to post some pictures .

White Post Farm

2008-08-18T21:17:00.005-04:00

peek a boo

The new baby tried to escape.

sweet girls

Its hard getting everyone to cooperate for a picture !!

On Monday we visited White Post Farm. We went with My mom, Marcus Jr. Aaron (of course) and my nieces Nayeli and Jocelyn. The weather was beautiful and the kids had alot of fun at the playground !! We even got to see 2 baby goats that were born only hours before we got there. They were adorable !!

Marcus' 10th Birthday

2008-08-11T16:36:00.002-04:00

Marcus jr turned 10 on April 3, 2008 (before the blog) I was looking through some pictures and I came across these. He had an army themed party and all of his friends dressed up according to the theme. Marcus had so much fun & I'm sure it was a Birthday he will never forget.

Happy 30th Marcus Sr.

2008-08-05T07:16:00.005-04:00

Tres Leches...Our favorite

Marcus & our cute niece Emily

Our family Marcus Jr. is always doing something silly !

Mom & her two big guys she's in shock that their 31 & 30

Marcus and his fav mother in law

Yesterday, August 4th was Marcus' Birthday. Not just any Birthday .......his 30th !!!! It was a blessing that it was his day off and his one request was to relax. So we let him.... for a little while. Then we went to the mall to return one present, a pair of shoes that didn't work out. Then we had Ciao baby for dinner it was yummy ! Being the first time blogger that I am I forgot the camera and I really regret it !! It was the weirdest thing Aaron was so scared of the waiter, I mean terrified I've never seen him act that way. Everytime he came near him even if he was just walking by he would cry he was even latching on to me an trying to get out of his high chair. We had to constantly be on the look out and if Michael came by we would cover Aaron's face with a napkin, he thought we were playing peek a boo.

Leave it to Aaron to steal the show on daddy's 30th Birthday !!!

Summer fun !

2008-08-01T21:06:00.005-04:00

Today my mom brought the boys to a barn. Marcus had a lot of fun riding Petri and petting the new pony. Her name is Bells she is 5 months old.

Aaron at the NY Aquarium

2008-07-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

On Saturday my family and I visited the NY Aquarium, we had a great time. I love this picture of Aaron, we didn't get many good pictures (none worth posting anyway).

Welcome

2008-07-31T07:32:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone !!! I've created this blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Many of my relatives live out of state and would like to see my children as they grow. This will be the best way !!