It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!

Well, I just realized that it has been forever since I've posted anything!  We have been so busy this fall :/  I took on babysitting an infant for a friend and we have enjoyed having a baby around again, but it has kept me very busy!  We also found out at the end of August that we are expecting!!!  Our precious new baby is due April 30th & we cannot wait!  I've only had a few very emotional days where I have been overcome with worry & anxiety…after Jackson went to Heaven last year, this pregnancy has me more worried than I thought it would.  However, we know that God is good and works all things for our good so we are choosing to trust Him and accept His blessings as He provides them.  So far our baby is healthy & growing strong!  Anslee continues to grow & blossom with her own unique personality that lights up our days :)  She is very strong willed, but she is also very sweet and caring.  I can't imagine a more perfect gift from God for our family!
The Christmas season is my favorite out of the whole year!!!  We get to celebrate my birthday, see all of our family, there is sometimes snow :), I drink lots of hot chocolate when it's cold, and we celebrate the most important thing of all…our Savior's birth!  It's a magical time of year when love fills the air & I love it!  I love all the lights & decorations, but what I love most of all is celebrating Jesus Christ and what He has done for us!  I hope everyone remembers the true reason that we celebrate even through all the activities, shopping, and fun gatherings :)

July is gone too?!?!

Oh my goodness...I really cannot believe that July is already gone!  We have had a fabulous time this month though :)  For the first time since we've been married, we got to take some vacations!  I used to work so much during the summer that we weren't able to.  We had a blast in Houston with Cody's parents, then we had a terrific time in Arlington at the Ranger's game, and then we had a very special couple get away for our 5 year anniversary!  I have loved all the travel, but I'm glad to be home :)
Now we are focusing on catching up around the house lol!  I'm also really focused on several goals with my It Works business...After spending so much time together as a family this month I'm determined to make this business work for us so that Cody can be at home with us all the time!  I can't wait for that day :)  We also have goals & visions for a ministry that God has placed on our hearts & we would like to see that become a reality!  I'm trying to hit the GOOD bonus (get out of debt) that our company is offering one more time for the month of August to those of us who missed it the first time around.  I'm determined to get it this time!!!  So if I seem distracted & determined this month you will know why :)  Come check out what the buzz is all about at http://christinburris.myitworks.com or call/text me at 325-203-6384.  It really will change your life!

It's already July?!

Wow!  I cannot believe it's already July!  This year seems to be going by so fast!!!  We have been so busy this summer...we were blessed to run the concession stand for the Big Spring Rodeo to raise money for our youth group, but it took a lot of time & hard work.  We were also able to go spend a week with Cody's parents in the Houston area which was a wonderful break for us the week of Jackson's birthday.  It really helped us to relax and enjoy our time together as a family :)  I have been so thankful for the confianza from It Works this month because of all the stress & craziness in our lives...it has really helped me relax & go with the flow of things! We had a wonderful time with our family for the 4th this year!  We rented the pavilion on top of the mountain & had burgers & sang with the guitars & spent time visiting with family.  It was wonderful!  We had perfect weather & everything :)  Last weekend we went to our first Ranger's game with family & friends & we all loved it!  We will be planning another trip next year :)  We were worried about how Anslee would do at such a long game, but she had a blast with the Buske girls!  I think we have most of our traveling done for the summer so now we are focusing on the youth ministry & spending time together as a family.  I can't wait for Rock the Desert in the few weeks!  Last year was the first year that I didn't get to go, so I'm really excited about this year! 

How our lives keep changing

It's been a while since I've posted due to the craziness of life at our house!  We celebrated Anslee's 3rd birthday this March & I am still amazed at how wonderful she is :)  God has truly blessed us with such a special gift!  She is so smart, beautiful, caring, and independent!  The independent part is sometimes hard for me to deal with, but I'm trying to let her do things herself ;)  We had a wonderful Easter with our family...when we lived in Coleman we didn't get to spend Easter with our family so it was a very nice change :)  Mother's Day Out, my It Works business, Youth Group, and other fun outings with friends and family have kept us very busy the last few months.  It has been a good busy for a change though instead of the stressful busy we used to live with all the time :) 
This month has been amazing so far!  I'm finally a stay at home mom with no other priorities except for It Works and Church!!!  That has been our goal since Anslee was born & we finally made it :)  I can absolutely say that I love being at home with my baby girl!  Anytime I start to get stressed, I remind myself what a gift I have and how much I begged for this opportunity.  It has truly been a blessing for our family! 
Jackson's birthday is coming up on June 29th and we are trying to decide what we want to do to honor him & celebrate his life.  I didn't expect to have my wave of emotions so early this month though...today they have hit hard.  We never imagined that life would take us down this road & it is so hard some days.  We know that God is in control & we can now see how much good has come from this, but there are days when it still hits hard.  We have many blessings and we are so thankful for them...we are just trying to trust God one day at a time and seek His will for us.  Please pray for us as we go through this season of emotions and feelings, we know God is faithful and that He will bring beauty from ashes in one way or another if we continue to let Him work through us. 

Hope Mommies

After our son Jackson went to Heaven last summer, I was added to a group called Hope Mommies, it exists to bring the Hope of Christ to bereaved mothers and their families experiencing infant loss.  It has truly been one of the best things for me!  I have found so much support & healing from these women & they truly help me find peace & hope when I need it.
One of the ways that we help other grieving moms and families is by providing Hope Boxes to hospitals and individuals that we find out about.  The Hope Boxes contain a brochure about our Hope Mommies group, a bracelet to give them a reminder of their identity as a Hope Mom, some comfort items like bath soap, candles, lotion, etc., a small journal, a biblical grief book,  a bible, bookmarks with specific verses about grief, a hand written note from another Hope Mom who has grieved and found hope along the way, coffee, tea, kleenexes, and other similar comforting items.  These boxes cost $50-$75 to put together because we want them to be special and meaningful.  We prefer that you send us monetary donations instead of purchasing items for us so that the Hope Boxes will all look similar and have the same type items in each one.
We are hosting a bake sale to help fund the assembly of Hope Boxes for moms in our area at the East doors of the Big Spring Wal-Mart on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 7:00 A.M. until we sell out.  If you would like to donate baked goods and/or money please contact us!
We would love to start a support group in this area for moms who are hurting and want to help others through their grief!  We would like to meet once a month and check on each other while we put together Hope Boxes for other moms.  If you are interested in joining us, please let us know :)
You can donate online by going to hopemommies.org/hope-boxes and donate in honor of a Hope Mom & Baby that you know or you can contact me at 325-203-6384 and the boxes you sponsor will be donated locally.  Thank you in advance for your prayers and donations, they are all greatly appreciated!

You are what you eat...yikes!

I have always heard the expression, You are what you eat, but I never really thought about it much.  We don't eat horribly, but we don't eat completely healthy either.  We have some friends who really take eating healthy to a level that I have never heard of & it has me thinking about the way we eat.  I don't think I will go to the extreme that they have, but I do want us to be a lot more healthy than we are now.  I really want to get dedicated and make sure what we are eating is good for us.  I'm going to start making our own bread, cutting out junk (I'm already trying to cut artificial sweetners all together), making better snacking choices, and eventually I would like to have our own garden and things like that.  It Works has some great resources in their Fit Works Community that I need to start using more of!  I just looked over a few of the recipes that they have & I was blown away!  They also have meal plans & fitness plans that look great too!  I'm going to try this brownie recipe & I'm super excited about it!  

It Works Brownies

Ingredients:
-1 (16 ounce) jar creamy raosted almond butter
-2 eggs
-1 ¼ cups agave nectar                       
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
 -1/2 tsp sea salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-4 scoops (8 tbsp) Rich Chocolate Ultimate ProFIT

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender
3. Blend in eggs, then blend in agave and vanilla
4. Blend in Ultimate ProFIT, salt and baking soda
5. Fold in chocolate chips
6. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour batter into dish
7. Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes

Serves 24 brownies

Do any of you have any suggestions or tips for us as we start eating healthy? Things your family already does that you think works well?  I would love some websites with research & things like that :)  You can post below or e-mail me at codychristinb@aol.com

I look forward to reading your suggestions :)

Being Busy Creeps Up On You!

I have just realized in the last two weeks that I am almost as busy now as I was when I was working full time!  Which is really crazy to me since I have always wanted to stay home so I could have more time with my family.  God has finally given me this opportunity, but I have given away more time that I should have to other things.  I have started a priorities list and I'm going to start cutting other things out.   Please don't be offended if I tell you I can't help with something right now, I promise I have a good reason :)  I want to focus on God, Cody, & Anslee more than anything else!  I also want to continue to work on my business with It Works...it is helping us get healthy & making us money :)  Youth Ministry is also very important to us and I want to see it thrive at Cowboy Church.  I have also started working with the Hope Mommies ministry to make Hope Boxes for mommies to receive in the hospital after their baby has gone to Heaven.  I think that is still a pretty big list of things to do lol!  My goal is to really start monitoring my time each day & spending it on the things that matter to me, not waisting it.  I truly hope I can achieve better time management so that God can use me more to do His work and not mine :)

To be Healthy...

This past year we have begun to realize how unhealthy we are & how we are passing bad habits down to Anslee.  We had started trying to eat more fruits & veggies and less processed foods...that was helping, but after Jackson went to Heaven I wanted my "baby bump" gone so people would quit asking me when the baby was due.  I found the skinny wraps or the ultimate body applicator from It Works & I fell in love with them!  All you do is put on a wrap, drink water, & watch your body transform within hours!  I was hooked!  So, I decided to sign on as a distributor...I thought as long as I cover my autoship, it will be worth it.  Well, turns out this stuff sells itself!  I've covered my autoship & then some every month!  As I've tried new products I have fallen in love with even more of them :)  Currently my favorite is the thermofit...Cody has lost over 20 lbs in 2 months & I have lost about 15 lbs since Christmas!  I'm so excited that these products are truly working for us & keeping us healthier!  It not only boosts your metabolism, but it curbs your appetite so you don't eat as much at meals.  We take ours at 10 & 2 every day that we can remember to lol!  If you want more info you can call or text me at 325-203-6384 or check out my website at http://christinburris.myitworks.com.  I'm not just trying to make money, I'm trying to help people change their lives through health & wealth!  This company has been such a blessing to us & we want to help others :)  I hope everyone is having a great week!

Blessings this week :)

Well, I have been very blessed this week!  Sunday night I got a call from the program that my daughter attends twice a week saying that they needed a teacher & asked if I was interested.  At first I wasn't, but then they explained that Anslee could go for free & I would get paid minimum wage...so I thought why not lol :)  We had a great first week & I can't wait for next week!  I have babies that are about to turn 1 or just turned 1, so it has been interesting but definitely fun :)  I also had several people ask me about the skinny wraps so that business is still going well also!  I've lost more weight & inches this week too, which makes me very happy lol!  I hope everyone else is having a great week & staying well!  If you are looking for a great way to keep from getting sick, you should check out the greens!  It is 8+ servings of fruits & veggies in a powder form that detoxes and alkalizes your body...disease can't live in an alkalized body!  You can find them at http://christinburris.myitworks.com.  We have felt so much better & have much more energy when my family is taking our greens, we can really feel the difference when we miss it!  I mix mine with some juice and it really tastes pretty good :)  I'm doubling up on mine now that I'm working with kids again...I'm trying my best not to get sick lol!

Christmas & New Years 2012-2013

Well, we have had a wonderfully blessed Christmas & New Years!  I hope everyone else has as well :) Anslee was spoiled & got all she could have wished for...except a horse & pony, which is what she told Santa she wanted lol.  She has horses at Poppy & Nana's house though that she gets to ride & the word is Papa & Mimi are looking for a miniature horse so we will see how that wish turns out :)  I thought this holiday would be so hard without Jackson, but the Lord has been gracious to us & allowed us to celebrate our time with Anslee instead of mourning.  Don't get me wrong, there have been times that I've thought...I should be showing off my baby right now, but then I have to tell myself that God has a bigger & better plan for us & for Jackson.

I am so excited that I am getting to finally stay at home with Anslee!!!  I have prayed for this opportunity since I knew I was pregnant.  I've always wanted to be a wife & mom, and I have wanted as much time as possible with my husband and my children.  With the jobs I've had in the past, I have been very busy & worked crazy hours so I have often been very frustrated because I liked what I was doing at work, but my family was much more important.  So now because of Cody's new job & my fun job with It Works, I get to stay home with my baby girl :)

My resolutions for this year: 1. To really focus on my relationship with God, in the past few years I've made the excuse that I'm too busy, but this year I'm going to make it my #1 priority because it's what matters most!  2. To enjoy every minute I get to spend with my family...especially my husband & daughter :)  3. To enjoy my business with It Works & see where it takes us with our health & our finances...we have big goals that I know we can reach!  4. To get out of debt!!!

What are some of your resolutions?