It's Christmas Card Season, again!

Alright people...Our Christmas cards are going to be a little bit different this year! Since Shutterfly is giving away 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers, I thought I would jump in on the promo! Last year I literally wrote on every christmas card and it was not a lot of fun. SO we recently got our family pictures done, and i thought what a great opportunity to display them on a cute photo card. Christmas just seems to be coming so fast and I don’t have a lot of time to put into each card this year! You can click here to find out more on how to get your 50 free cards. Caleb is getting so big and I don’t seem to have the time that I used to with keeping up on pictures for the blog! So this way, you will be able to hang us on your fridge and look at us ALL year long☺ Aren’t you excited? Its hard looking through all of the cute designs knowing that I can only pick one but here are a few of my favorites from shutterfly…




We are super excited that it is not snowing yet in good ole Nebraska and hope that winter will stay on the east coast this season!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Chrismas season and that you enjoy our Christmas cards this year! The Lord has been so good to my family and Im excited to celebrate Him this season!

Pictures!

When we visited New Mexico we had some family pictures taken! Here are a few of my favorites! ...and an update on the workout--i took 3 weeks off, during the holidays(AH!) but am now down to 140 and started on week 8 tonight! Only 5 weeks left!

Brie Cheese Appetizer!

Here is the recipe that I used for my brie appetizer! It is from allrecipes.com. I did change a few things (like the preservatives...I used red raspberry instead of apricot and didnt use the egg white.)

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) wheel Brie cheese
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
1/2 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg white
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Slice one wheel of Brie cheese in half so you have 2 circles of cheese. Spread apricot or peach preserves on (the cut side) half of one circle of brie. Make sandwich out of the two halves of Brie, so that the preserves are in the center of both halves. Wrap the entire wheel of Brie with one sheet of puffed pastry and flip the entire concoction onto the prepared cooking sheet so the seam is on bottom. Brush the puffed pastry with the egg white.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry in golden brown. Serve immediately.


I served with wheat thins...yum! enjoy!

P90X Update!

Well I know its been longer than a month, but I actually started the program over. I began by doing the 'Lean' version and didn't really like it, so I started over by doing the 'Classic' version. Anyways, here is a weight update. I started at 148 and am now down to 142! woohoo! I am really enjoying the fact that I can work out at home and love seeing the results! I will most likely not update with pictures until the very end--and at that time I will post the before and after pictures!

P90X

Well, here it goes people! We have begun P90X. We started about 2 weeks ago and its been pretty intense! Im posting this mainly so I have some motivation! When I first found out that I was pregnant with Caleb I weighed 134-135. I now weigh(2 weeks ago) 148. After 1.5-2 weeks of doing this workout, I am down to 144-145. My goal weight is 130--so i have 14lbs to go. This goal weight comes from my height--I am 5'4 and the healthy weight for a 5'4 female is between 116 and 145. So I would be right in the middle. Of course, it would be nice to continue if I so choose, but my main reason for losing this weight is to 1. glorify the Lord by being healthier with my lifestyle of eating/exercising and 2. to plan to have another child. I hope to work really hard over these next few months and will update my blog about my progress!

Bargain!

So I have been waiting for months for these pillows to go on sale because I thought they would look great with our decor. So friday I went to Target during my lunch break to pick up that cute little 'remote holder' and wasnt even going to bother looking at the pillows (because I had just checked a few days earlier and they were still only 30% off). Anyways, so im headed to check out and sitting on top of one of the little girls clothing racks are MY PILLOWS! So I was like, well i HAVE to go check the price now. Low and behold they were on super sale. I got 2 of the big pillows for $6.74 each (they retail at $24.99) and 2 of the small blue ones for $3.74 each (retail: $15.99)! I was SO excited!!! I also bought that cute little remote holder (not on sale) for 8.99! All in all, i got those pillows for less than $23. Can we say BARGAIN? Also, kind of pictured, is my new rug! i know, rug on rug...but our apartment carpet is gross, so I needed something to make it look pretty. The carpet was purchased at target for $64 (retail $129.99)! Side note: I apologize for my dirty looking TV stand...I cant seem to keep those little Caleb fingers off of it.

Sneak Peek!

Family Pictures!

Today we had family photos taken, courtesy of Sarah Hille!! Will post them soon!

GO BIG RED

If you know anything about my husband, you know that he LOVES the Nebraska Huskers! He had the chance this weekend to go to the game--He also had the chance to take his brother, Loren, with him! We hardly ever get to see Loren and Nadalee so it was nice to have them in town for a short visit! Loren went to the game with Matt while Nadalee, Marie and I were able to have a girls day! We went to 'Going the Distance'(which was not that great of a movie), got pedicures and rented some movies for the night! All in all it was a lot of fun! Later, when I get some pictures loaded, Ill tell you what we did on Monday! Heres some pics from Saturday!

Quick Update

Life is good in the Svoboda house! We're getting settled into our new church family and enjoying the time that we are spending here in Kearney. Matt is loving the life of a pastor and is enjoying every moment of teaching, preaching and discipling. I am working part time at a dentist office and really enjoying it! I have recently joined a women's bible study and am learning A LOT:) I had been praying for awhile about wanting to fellowship and worship alongside women and the Lord has graciously answered my prayers! Caleb is 20 months old and I can hardly believe it!! He tries to repeat everything that we say and it is the cutest thing ever! I am trying to cut shopping habits and be a bit more FRUGAL! Matt is enjoying the golf season and is going to enjoy his first Husker game of the season on Sept 4th. We get family picture done on Sept 11th by Free Range Photography ! Cant wait!!
Here is a picture of the pretty roses that Matt sent me! (love him)

Here is a cute pic of my son with his awesome shoes on that Nana bought him!!

Refinished Dressers...

The finished product!! (still missing a knob)

after!

Before...

Finally Some Pictures...

Caleb doesnt like help when he's eating:) can you tell?!

What a big helper! (Go Big Red)

Daddy and Caleb

Mommy and Caleb

Getting ready to head to church to hear Matt preach!

Caleb w/ my 3D glasses on!

My sweet baby!

Hope you've enjoyed the pictures! I haven't been able to find my camera cord until TODAY! yay! and it was by fluke that I found it too! I looked everywhere--and finally today when I was cleaning, I found it buried in Caleb's closet! Imagine that! Anyways...I started my new job this week at the Dentist office and LOVE it! I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone there and learn how to do my job! Matt starts Aug 8th at the church and we cannot wait! The Lord is truly blessing our time here in Kearney!

Where has the time gone?!

I just realized that I havent blogged since April 12th!

My bad:)So how about an update?!: We are doing GREAT! We have really settled into our new place but are currently looking for a place that is a bit bigger. Right now we have a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment that we LOVE but would like a place with 3-4 bedrooms so that Matt can have an office and so that we will be able to grow into it when our family grows! Matt is still at Youth for Christ and has recently taken a position at a local church. He will be the Associate Pastor starting in August and move into the Senior Pastor position begininng in January! We are so excited about this because we feel as though the Lord is really revealing to us the reason that He brought us to Kearney! I am still at the Ramada but only for a little bit longer. My last day here will be July 16th! I just took a job at Kearney Dental Clinic for the Front Office position. This is a part time job with no nights or weekends! yay! I am so excited to have more time to invest in my family, home, and church! The Lord really had perfect timing with this job:)

Caleb is doing so good! He grows a little bit everyday:) He is talking a lot more now and LOVES eating freeze pops! Marie(my mother-in-law) is watching Caleb and 2 other little boys in her home and it is wonderful! He absolutely LOVES going to grandmas everyday! He was very sick recently with a fever of 105 for about 4 days. Thankfully the doctors took great care of him and he is back to his crazy self! He will soon be turning 18 months old and I can hardly believe it! Maybe its time for another one:)
God has been sooo good to us and is so faithful to show us his provision! I am thankful for a Godly husband to lead our family and Godly parents that taught me how to follow the Lord. I pray that Caleb will grow up to be a man that is deeply in love with his Lord and Savior. Here's a picture of our little man...

This past Sunday our small group celebrated its one year anniversary together! It was so much fun to be able to fellowship with a group of close friends that we have come to love and cherish! We ended up having a cookout and were just able to hangout and chat! It was the first time that all of the children have been together since Noah and Kinley have been born! Although most of them were upset, including Caleb, they are still great pictures! I think its going to be so cool to see these childen grow up together and hopefuly become close friends!

Oh, Happy Day!

This weekend was so great! Not only were we able to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, but we were able to spend some great family time together. The weather was amazing yesterday and Caleb was able to spend a lot of time outside. Grandpa helped him dig in the dirt, he went for a bike ride with Grandma, and the three of us(matt, caleb and I) went for a nice long walk when we returned home from Easter dinner. I cannot express in words how much I love my family. I am so thankful for what the Lord has blessed me with! As we were walking, we talked about how the Lord continues to reveal to us, in small portions, the plans that he has for our future. Last year at this time we were really in the dumps and lonely, as we had just moved to Kearney a month earlier. The week after Easter the Lord brought together our small group, that are now, some of our closest friends. God is so good!

Matt recently accepted a postition as Executive Director for Youth for Christ out of Holdrege, NE. He's in his second week, and so far, so good! I think we are both just really excited that he finally has a job in the ministry! This is also a job that will help to equip us for church planting! I just recently accepted the Assistant Manager position at the Ramada...and so far, its been ok! Im not too keen on working and would rather be home--But it is going to be wonderful to be able to pay down our student loans faster! Marie, my mother-in-law has decided to stay home and watch children, starting in May--which means Caleb will be with her while we are both working! This has been an answer to prayer, because I didnt want to put him in a daycare where I didnt know the person who was watching him. Caleb is now almost 15 months old and is hilarious! He has starting saying a few things, one of which is 'Hi Kitty'! So funny! He loves playing outside, and going for walks in his stroller! He also loves sweets, just like his mom! But, dont worry, he rarely gets them:)

Well, thats all for now! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Here are some pics of the fam on Easter!

WHAT?!?

Our friend Josh Howerton is the paster of The Bridge in Spring Hill, TN. Although I don't go to the site much, I came across this post today...

Easter is a pagan fertility holiday.

The term “Easter” was derived sometime before the year 900AD from the Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess “Eostre”. Eostre was a goddess of fertility who was said to visit the earth each Spring in the form of a hare (Easter bunnies are “hares”, not “rabbits”!) who annually birthed a fertility egg that went into the ground, causing the earth’s “fertility” that gave rise to the growth of the spring season. Hares and eggs have been symbols of fertility in paganism for millennia.

As is the case with many holidays, as Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity they redeemed their celebrations, replacing pagan practices with Christian ones but sometimes retaining forms and customs from old rituals. This is how we came to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on a holiday called “Easter”, dyed eggs began to represent the spilt blood of Christ and a tomb, and the Easter Bunny became a holiday “mascot” instead of a goddess-avatar.

But Eostra was a legend, nothing more, and every one of her followers’ bodies stayed in a grave.

Don't we all suffer with forgetting the real meaning of Easter?! They may not be the same; but easter egg hunting, candy, candy, more candy, dying eggs, easter baskets, wearing bright colors and big hats? Not to say that I don't participate--of course I love to dress Caleb up, eat lots of candy, and be sure that Matt and I are in our Sundays best. I mean, who doesn't?

But sometimes I need to sit back and think--Christ died for my sins, but would I be willing to die for the gospel? Christ was missional beyond my imagination, but am I willing to even share the gospel with my friends? Christ will never leave me nor forsake me, but do i sometimes leave and forsake him? I am constantly being drawn back to the cross because I have a Father who cares to continually watch over me and bring me back.

I just hope that I never forget what Christ has done for me. In the midst of prayer, he was betrayed and taken to be persecuted. His own friends turned their backs on him--strangers spit on him--He was nailed to the cross and put to death. and for WHAT?! For our sins...OUR sins! I am so thankful for his death, for a loving Savior, and for the resurrection. I am a sinner and deserve only hell, but my Lord is RISEN!

Jumping on the bed?!?! YES, PLEASE!

I was changing the sheets on our bed the other day and Caleb took that as his cue to play on the bed! How could I refuse?! Needless to say, it took awhile to make the bed:)

Plaid Shorts Sunday!

We are so happy that it is finally warm enought to wear shorts! Caleb is thoroughly enjoying being outside and HATES when we make him come back indoors! I predict that we are going to have a GREAT summer!! Summer plans? We are headed to Louisville in May--and New Mexico in August! ...and we plan on using our pool a WHOLE lot! Easter is coming up soon--so we'll be sure to post some pics of our family!

Love, Meredith(for the Svoboda's)

Growing Like a Weed...

Book-End Review (Leota's Garden)

Well, after spending countless nights, staying up waaay too late to finish this book...i have finally FINISHED!! I always feel so good after I finish a book--like I've accomplished something, ha! So, what did I think of the book?!? I loved it, of couse. Francine Rivers has a way of writing, that makes it feel like you are part of the story. And, I am not going to lie, I did shed a few tears. She also has a way of taking Christ and making him the center of the plot. It was a great book, and I recommend to everyone (esecially women); Im sure they would be more interested anyways. So, what is my next book?!?!...I have decided to read Transparent bySarah Zacharias Davis. I started reading this book in college and never quite got into it...so I am going to give it another try! I will let you know how it goes.

Francine Rivers!

Okay, i need to stop for a moment to tell you how amazing Francine River's writing is. I started reading her books when Matt and I first got married. The book was Redeeming Love, and let me tell you---it was WONDErFUL! I have also read And the Shofar Blew, some of the Mark of the Lion series, the Scarlet Thread...etc. BUT this habit of reading can be a bit expensive. SO...i found myself at the Kearney Public Library! It was amazing, they have a bunch of her books that I haven't read, so I am super excited to take them, one at time (free of charge...yes!!) and read them. The first one I have checked out is Leota's Garden. My mom told me that this one is good, so i figured I would take a swing at it...seeing as I haven't read one that isn't good! Anyways, my advice to you, is... go to the library! I cant wait for Caleb to get a little bit older, so that he can enjoy it as much as i did!

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence,and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit." Psalm 51: 10-12

Well, although it would be nice sometimes, time does not stand still! Caleb is getting so big...he is now 13 months old and is CRAZY! Sometimes, I feel like a bad mom, because my son sins. yes, i said it...he is a little SINNER! I get so frustrated with the fact that he doesnt 'listen' sometimes and he gets into everything. Then I say to myself...welcome to motherhood. I recieved an email this week, amidst my frustration, from babycenter.com. I have recieved emails from them ever since I found out I was pregnant! It has been wonderful to find out how my child is developing. And, alas...here is the email I recieved this week:

"Spirited and mild-mannered toddlers alike will experiment with...how shall we say it?...undesirable behavior. If your toddler indulges in fits of screaming, hitting, and biting, you can take some solace in knowing that his developement is right on track."

Thank goodness! haha...just kidding! Caleb is NOT all bad--he is in fact, a boy! He just gets more and more curious as he days go on. I love watching him entertain himself--and his new thing, pointing & waving at everything!

The verse at the top of the page was part of my bible reading this morning. And might I just add that I have been horrible at reading my bible! Thankfully I have an amazing husband who helps to reveal this to me, and encouraged me to get back on track. So as I sit here and call my son a sinner...I too am a sinner, but am thankful for a gracious Lord who loves me, and continually calls me back to the foot of the cross.