Better late than never! -- Happy New Year!

Well, I wrote this post back when the New Year began, but life happened and just now getting around to posting. 
I'm so thankful to have a New Year. It's a time of refreshment and reflection. Many would probably say 
"I'm sure you'd like to forget last year." Although I'm glad it's past I don't want to ever forget it, nor would I change the circumstances of it. You see the last year may have been tough, but it is through these tough times we learn so much. I can reflect and see amazing time when I felt God's presence greater than any other time in my life. Time when I heard His voice leading me. Questions I had, where He answered in only a way He could. Miracles happened. I learned so much about myself. That I am not strong, no one can be strong enough or all the time when faced with circumstances as life changing or interrupting as cancer. But I have strength in Him. Isaiah 40:29 says, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" An unbelievable strength. 
As I look toward the New Year I know I have a "hope" and a "future." I am so grateful for the opportunities and new beginnings this year holds. We've moved out to the country (where I've always wanted to be) Right now I'm sitting in my vast yard in a white rocking chair listening to birds chirp, and watching my littles play. I'm thankful.
As I reflect on the past year I can say never has a year been so full. Full of hard times, but also great memories. I just thought I'd highlight my favorites. 

1. Shaving my head. Not many of you get to say you've ever shaved your head. It was an experience you just never forget. We made it fun -- I enjoyed seeing joy in my children as they each got to take a turn. Our family seeing the joy through it all! Hoping my children were learning no matter what you can have JOY!   

2. My hat party, which was combined with my annual trip to convention. Which I look forward to every year. This year made extra special because my niece was graduating. Thankful I was healthy enough to go and feel the love of those who surrounded me.
3. My family reunion. This happens just once every 5 years so I definitely wasn't going to let cancer stop me there, then I'd have to wait five years. Thankfully I was all clear to go (not sure I would have obeyed the dr. if I wasn't) The time I got to spend making memories with some of my favorite people.
4. My last day of chemo! I enjoyed the chemo room, but not enough to stay forever. I had wonderful nurses and made friends in that room. I loved having my husband with me to celebrate the occasion. I enjoyed thinking of the many friends and family who came to support me in each round. 
5. My many cards and care packages. So many times my spirit was lifted up by my friends and family who showed me so much love. 
6. Although technically it wasn't until Jan 1st, one of my favorites must be moving. Getting a fresh start in the New Year. 
Thankful I can look back and see how my path has been directed. 

Thankful

I have to say that through this journey I have been blessed beyond measure. It is very seldom someone gets the opportunity to know how many people love and care about them. Over the past few months I have experienced a whirlwind of love expressed in so many different ways. I've had so many meals delivered, frozen meals given, and gift cards for our family to go to dinner I might forget what it's like to cook. Friends and sisters who have come and cleaned and organized my home. So many cards I don't think I could count them all, many sending 2 or 3 to keep encouraging. Care packages full of fun things not just for me, but my kids too. People praying from as far away as Africa. Messages on Facebook of love and encouragement. Hats and scarves a plenty - I need to move up north so I can continue to enjoy them after my hair grows back. Chemo partners every time I  went  - sometimes two. I just want to say I'm so thankful and feel so blessed. You all helped me through.
    This past week I found out on my PET scan that my cancer isn't active anymore. For that I'm thankful to my nurses and doctors who treated me, but most of all I thank God. He is my Healer. He has given me great peace throughout this journey.  I praise Him for keeping my mind on Him.  My focus not on the situation, but on how He is using me through this. I thank Him for every opportunity He has given me through this to share Him. I thank Him for giving me the boldness to praise Him in the storm.

I am Thankful!

I must ask you a question.???

A few months ago my son had a friend pass away in a motorcycle accident. We were talking in the car about it, just he and I (I love those moments of deep conversation).  I asked him, " Do you know if he was saved?"  My son replied, "Well, he went to church, seemed like it."  My reply " Did you ever just ask him?"  We talked more and discussed that just because we hang out with someone and they attend church with us sometimes we assume they are saved.  I told him this is a great opportunity to just ask his friends.  As the months have gone on and now over the last few months cancer has been my battle I can't help but think, "Have I asked my friends?"  So I thought I would take this time to ask you a question.  "Do you know if today was your last day, or the next breath was your last, Do you know where you would go?" 
I would love for you to know.  The Bible tells us how.  So I hope you won't tune me out now and quit reading.  Please read the rest of this post.  It may be the most important thing you ever do. 
The Bible says in one of the most famous verses -- you've probably heard it. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." 
Why did He have to give His Son?  Because we are sinners.  Sin is anything we have done wrong -- We all have sinned.  You've lied ( even if it's a white lie) or cheated, or gossiped.  Any of these are sin.  The Bible says in Romans 3:23  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 
But don't worry, He made a way.  He gave His Son.  1 Corinthians 15:3,4 "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried,that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"   Romans 6:23 says " For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  He gave His Son as a gift.
What does that mean?  Well a gift is something you accept -- not something you earn. Ephesians 2:8-9  "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast."  It's a gift, you just must accept it.  If someone gives you a gift, you can't receive it until you take it.
 The Bible tells us how to accept His gift.  Romans 10: 9,10  "If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation." It's that simple.  We need to realize we are sinners who need a Savior.  He sent His son to take our sins. We must accept His gift. The Bible clearly says we can't earn it.  "Not by works".  Sometimes that just seems to simple.  But it is.  It's as simple as saying a prayer to God right now. 
"Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner,please forgive me.  Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me.  I accept the gift of Your Son.  I believe in His death, burial, and resurrection.  I believe in my heart that You are Lord.  Amen."  It doesn't have to be perfect, it's about what's in your heart and confessing it for salvation.
So I have to ask "Are you saved? If you were to die, do you know where you would go? "  I am so thankful that I do.  If you have prayed this prayer I would like to know.  If you have any other questions I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you.  If you are saved -- have you asked your friends and family?

I wanted to get out some great verses that you may choose to use for your 100 verse challenge. I have challenged you to memorize 100 verses this summer. You may choose different verses, but these are just a few of the verses my family has chosen for this summer. You also may choose a different version of the Bible and that's okay. The point is to memorize the scripture so you can recall them when you need encouragement. You can have fun with it. Make puzzles with the verses and have the kids practice putting them together. Make posters and hang them throughout the house, you can even put some in the car. Also Scripture Typer has a great app that you can use to memorize as well.
/http://scripturetyper.com/

Philippians 4:4-8

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. 

1 Corinthians 10:31

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

James 1:2-6

² Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 

Romans 1:16

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel,  because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

Romans 10:9-10

⁹ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 

  

Psalm 119:9-16

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping Your word.
¹⁰ I have sought You with all my heart;
don’t let me wander from Your commands.
¹¹ I have treasured Your word in my heart
so that I may not sin against You.
¹² Lord, may You be praised;
teach me Your statutes.
¹³ With my lips I proclaim
all the judgments from Your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees
as much as in all riches.
¹⁵ I will meditate on Your precepts
and think about Your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

No Hair --- No Problem!!

No Hair -- No Problem!
It's easy without hair -- shorter showers, no shampoo or conditioning, no blow drying -- really we all should be bald!!
Losing my hair really wasn't a traumatic part of this whole crisis called cancer. To me losing my hair is something that could be fun and different. I'm not going to say I didn't cry when it first started falling out. I was in the shower, all alone just me and God. I cried because the hair falling out was the reality of what this was doing to my body. The reality of my cancer. But the tears only lasted in the shower.
   Matthew 10:29-31 " Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows. 
 I knew God was taking care of me. He knew how much or how little hair I had on my head.  I know my family is watching how I react, if I'm okay, it's okay.I felt it was time for a little joy in our storm.  After all how many times do you get to have no regard when it comes to your hair. I mean it was all coming out one way or another. 
  First, I let my daughter practice cutting hair. It turned out pretty cute, a little bob.   Of course, nothing like the original picture we were going for, but cute none the less. 
  We made a video with my teens. It's fun to watch peoples reactions, you don't realize quite how serious this hair falling out is until you see it. Here you can watch it. Then share it so you can see the reactions too!

As more and more fell out I'd leave it places for people I love -- I left my dad a full carpet full all over his dashboard! I saved my morning weave (it would all collect in the night and just come right off my head in the morning) for my husband. He has a bald spot he could use it for.  

   Then when we knew it was really time to shave it, I let my son give me a mullet. YUCK!! Me and a mullet do not look good together. Of course does anyone really look good in a mullet? 

 
Then it came time for the shaving. All the kids wanted to cut a piece, then they put them in a Ziploc and labeled them, just like I did for their first hair cuts. 

My husband then finished it off with a shave. It was a fun night of great memory making for us. We had a great night amidst our storm. Times can be tough, but we need see the joy even when in those times. I wish I would have done that so much more over the years. Don't have a pity party, rejoice God is doing something big!! It's not always fun, but you can find ways to make it joyful!
Love you all, 
       Robin (mama of the Mitchell Homestead)

Starting from where I left off, a week passed pretty slowly. I tried finding out my results earlier but, of course, they wouldn't tell me until my appointment. As we all know they came back with positive -- I have breast cancer.
That day was one of my hardest - ever. My husband and I came home from my appointment, sat the kids down and broke the news. There was a lot of tears. After a few minutes my 16 yr. old snuck back to his room. I went in a few minutes later, hugged him and just cried. I asked him what he was thinking. He just said "Why?" I couldn't give him an answer. I did respond though with " Only God knows why and He also knows what's best. There could be just one person who comes to know Him through this and that would be worth it. Someone we love might find Jesus. " So that has been my prayer.
God has shown me, He is in control. Curtis knows that too. You see over the last few years we can look back and see His hand all over many aspects of our life. We've had some tough times. That's why it was even harder to tell my older ones who have already been through a lot. We want to shelter them from that. But I firmly believe God is going to use them in  BIG ways and they will be able to look back and see He was preparing them.
One of the ways God shows me He is there is by bringing verses to mind; verses I learned as young as 2 and 3 years old. One particular verse is Proverbs 3:5,6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Many times verses were my encouragement. I encourage you to memorize God's word.
So I throw out my first challenge -- I am challenging families to learn 100 verses this summer. I will try each week to give you some good verses to work on and ways to learn them. This is about 1 a day. Some will have a couple verses together like Proverbs 3:5,6. It doesn't matter if you have kids or how old you are or whether you know the Bible that well or not. Even if you aren't a Christian, I challenge you to try it. It never hurts to excercise our memory skills. Please comment below if you are in. I'm excited about us all doing this together. 
Love,
 Robin ( Mama of the Mitchell Homestead )

We Love the Mitchell Family

Hi everyone! I am a friend of Robin's and have asked her permission to overtake her blog for one post. :) For those of you who know Robin, she is an amazing mother, wife, and friend to so many. She has the gift of compassion and hospitality and always opens her heart and home to others.

Robin recently began her battle with cancer, and her positive attitude is a true testimony to the power of God. I wanted to do something for her family that will show our love and support, so I decided to host an online fundraiser for her.

To help us spread the word about this fundraiser, please post the above banner image as your Facebook header until June 23. Share the link to this blog post with your friends through email, Facebook, and Twitter to help the Mitchell Family.

Here are two ways to participate. First, you can make a DIRECT DONATION to Robin's PayPal account using this email address- robinmitchmom@yahoo.com

Second, you can HAVE FUN SHOPPING at Jamberry for yourself or for unique gifts for a friend of family member. The Mitchell Family will receive 20% of every purchase until June 23! So spread the word to everyone who loves to have beautiful nails.

Jamberry nail wraps are the latest craze in fashion! If you haven't heard about these innovative nail wraps, they are heat and pressure activated vinyl adhesives that last up to two weeks on your fingernails and up to four weeks on your toenails. Yes, you read that correctly ladies! There is also no chipping, smudging or dry time.

Jamberry offers over 300 designs and they are AFFORDABLE.  Don't you love that word? You can do a full manicure or pedicure for less than $4.00!

Jamberry nail wraps are non-toxic, formaldehyde-free, and even safe enough for toddlers. I especially love the Mommy and Me nail wraps- so cute and FUN!

Source

There are lots of stunning designs for the summer, such as these nail wraps for the 4th of July!

You can create your own nail wraps using the Nail Art Studio. You can use photos, artwork, and your own designs. This mom uploaded her daughter's art work, so her daughter could wear her very own custom designs. So sweet!

Source

If you have any questions about Jamberry nail wraps, you can visit my site at PrettyNailWraps.com

Enjoy shopping through Robin's fundraising link-   

Make sure to take advantage of Jamberry's Buy 3, Get 1 FREE deal!

Blessings,

Tamara Chilver