Monday Happies

1. Every single piece of clothing in my house is washed, folded, and put away. (This has happened twice in my lifetime.)

2. My children ENTHUSIASTICALLY participated in household chores today which is alot of the reason for #1.

3. I remembered to purchase new shower curtain liners today at Target and only bought the items that were on my list and nothing more...THAT was an accomplishment.

4. I "got my workout on" early in the day...which is why it actually happened. (Most of the time I just put on my work out clothes and wear them all day...hoping.)

5. My husband was working in town today so I got to see him in the distance on my way to the YMCA.... made my heart skip a beat.

6. My children recited Bon Qui Qui all the way to Target and back which gave me a hearty laugh. "Is that what you done said?"

7. One and a half hour massage by Jennifer Martin....gift to me from Jennifer Martin who let me enjoy teaching her kid all year. Ahhhhh..... wonderful doesn't even begin to describe. I am still all floppy.

8. Amazing evening clouded sky..... the daily creativity of an AWESOME Creator..... painted for me to enjoy Him. Did you see those billowy beasts?

9. Dinner: Trader Joe's jarred Bolognese Sauce cooked with diced zucchini from our garden, pour into a greased casserole dish, sprinkled with parmesan, baked for, oh say, 25 minutes-ish, served with ORZO (love!), and some cucumbers/peppers/banana peppers/salt from our garden cut up and served as a side dish. Everyone happily devoured every bite! Easy!

10. Pinterest...my new favorite organization tool.

Growth through Cupcakes

The girls made devils food cupcakes today with mint chocolate chip butter cream icing. There was only one squabble which involved the older sister being bossy and the younger sister being stubborn. It happens often in our house. Rebecca does not like to be at odds with her sister and was quick to make things right. Caroline is not always immediately receptive to an apology and typically likes to "be mad for a while"...she got that from me (bummer). Caroline's apologies are not often immediate, but always sincere when they finally come. It is not always easy for me to sit back and watch, keep my mouth closed, and let God do the work in their hearts. I'm learning.

In the end, there was restoration
and a plate full of beautiful cupcakes.

Tonight we celebrated with Caroline as she presented her hard work from a wonderful week at DOZ Camp....praising God with the timbrel and the dance. (Psalm 150:4)

Daughters of Zion....a wonderful ministry of New Covenant Church!

Living Abundantly

Woke to the rain still falling.

Spent half the day on the couch with a stack of school supply catalogs ordering supplies for the next school year.....with one of my favorite people....Mary! We were even delivered "cheesy eggs" made with love by those sweet Lamb sisters and a never-ending hot cup of coffee....ahhhh.

....and Wimbledon on the tube.

Finally got a walk in at the Y while my girls had swim practice and enjoyed some fabulous conversation and laughter with my sweet friend Nan..... and Mary showed up again halfway through! She is turning up everywhere today! We were a trio of laughter and sharing and joy as we circled the track I don't know how many times.

Came home to throw dinner in the oven. It is one of our favorite recipes, King Ranch Casserole. I made it with corn tortillas this time and it was oh so scrumptious! We ate every bite. Following dinner I surprised the girls with their favorite flavors of ice cream. (Buy one get one free this week at Publix!)


The girls and I curled up on the couch and read the entire American Girl magazine that came today in the mail. The "Fun in the Sun" section was just absolutely delightful and I can't wait to try out every idea! God sure knew what He was doing when He gave me girls!

Thankful for His reminders today that it is the simple things that make life abundant!

Milestones and Birthstones

It’s Rebecca’s Birthday

Let’s Hit the Mall!

Please join us for a

SCAVENGER HUNT

At Anderson Mall

Tuesday, June 21^st

6:30 to 8:30 pm

She has been anticipating this day for years....literally.

When I FINALLY get my ears pierced...., I can't wait to get my ears pierced...., I don't know if I am going to get my birthstone or just a little silver stud...., When so and so got her ears pierced, she couldn't swim all summer...., They say you can change your earrings after 6 weeks, but I am going to wait 8 just to be safe....

and so on and so on and so on for weeks, months, years.

Last night, with 8 of her closest friends, Rebecca got her ears pierced. It was monumental.

I schemed up some plans for a scavenger hunt.... it was quite the ordeal. There were many stores that were not "allowed" to cooperate with my antics. Here is how it went down. When the girls arrived, I gave each one of them a shopping bag and a "Mall Royalty" crown. Then each girl had an opportunity to draw a clue out of the bucket and try to figure out which store we were "shopping" in next. When they arrived at the store, there was a little gift for them at the check out counter.

Here were the clues:

For some of you this place is HANDY

When you text and talk, your lips and phone look dandy!

(Place: Cell Phone Cover Kiosk, Gift: Lip Balm and Bubblegum)

You could spend 100 Grand or a Million you know

Or sit down and enjoy a warm cup of JOE!

(Place: Joe Muggs at Books a Million, Gift: Coffee Cup with 100 Grand Bar inside)

A sweet smelling place that satisfies every“BODY”

(Place: Bath and Body Works, Gift: Hand Sanitizer)

A tiny little place that sits close to an “Eagle”

When you don yourself with this you will look rather regal!

Etc…..Etc…..Etc….

(Place: Gifts, Etc. Gift: Nail Polish)

A sentiment from here is what I suggest

When you care enough to send the very best!

(Place: Hallmark, Gift: Small set of notecards)

When you need a ring repaired, this place is a cinch

Don’t plan to sit and relax, because there is no BENCH.

(Place: Jeweler's Bench, Gift: Ring Pop)

If you are getting tired, the CHAMP will come to your aid

He’s hanging out in here with some refreshing Gatorade!

(Place: Champs, Gift: Gatorade)

Accessorize your outfit and you’ll be set

Just make sure, in here, you don’t get WET!!!

(Place: Wet Seal, Gift: Hair band)

A brand new experience with the Birthday Girl we’ll share

As Rebecca makes a friend with a girl named Claire!

(Place: Claires of course! Gift: Sharing in this sweet experience with the Birthday Girl)

Here we’ll eat some nuggets and share a coke

And watch 12 blown-out candles make some smoke!

(Place: Food Court and Chick Fil A, Gift: Dinner and Cake!)

"Dear Special Friend
It is your Birthday
It is the day that Jesus sent you to the earth!
And we REJOICE
And we will celebrate
'Cause we love you and we're thankful
For the BLESSING of your birth!"

Happy 12th Birthday Rebecca!!!

Celebrating Daddy and Daughter

We just returned home from our annual trip to Maggie Valley where we...

...stayed in this cute cabin

...spent some time in God's Word

...went fishing


...caught some fish

...cooked some fish and ate some fish!

...watched a potter makes some pottery


...did some shopping


...and swam in a very cold pool (I watched.)

Painted fingernails and toenails
(How did I not know that my children had this many bottles of polish?)

...and celebrated Rebecca's 12th birthday


...which is what first made this guy a father.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!
Happy Birthday Rebecca!

We're Going on a Journey...

My two went on a "Faith Expedition" this week. They were the sole subjects for the daily Bible School skit. I was so proud of them! They spent every night (just one week out of school) preparing for the next day's skit. I, on the other hand, was the "stagehand" and, because I chose to do NO prep work, failed at my duties most everyday. They were constantly prompting me and whispering for me to do my "part"... oh well.
I am glad I have such responsible children.

And Bible School happens because of amazing people like this! Thanks for a GREAT week!

Gratitude

I've been recording my gratitude in a notebook for the last several weeks thanks to the tender motivation of this book. Ann Voskamp (the author) is well beyond one thousand gifts. I am only on #127. Caroline picked up my little notebook on Sunday and started reading my "thankfuls" aloud. She promptly informed me that I had written "A good night's sleep" four different times. I am always thankful for that! Here is a collection of my thoughts over the last week:

#112 A good night's sleep

#113 Morning birdsong

#114 The promise of everlasting joy (Is. 61:7)

#115 Pool parties

#116 Reading glasses

#117 A sneeze-free morning

#118 The girls' genuine thanksgiving in their prayers

#119 From garden to table: Zucchini Bread

#120 Bethany serving in Haiti

#121 Samuel

(and here Caroline picked up my book and added her own "gifts" to my list...)

#122 Swim Meets

#123 Preachers who preach truth

#124 Hands to cook with

#125 Ears to hear the gospel

(...and then she requested her own little notebook). Being deliberate about my gratitude is chasing away the anxiety that often looms over daily life....and for that I am so thankful. Phil. 4: 6-7

Snickers Sonic Blast

Andy and Caroline went to run some errands together. On their way home Andy called me to see what Rebecca and I would like from Sonic as a treat after dinner. I told him that I didn't want anything, but Rebecca wanted an Oreo Sonic Blast. When he got home, Rebecca was in the kitchen and I was in another room. Andy informed Rebecca that they did not have any Oreos, so he got her a Snickers Sonic Blast.

Soon after, I walked into the kitchen and saw the Snickers Sonic Blast in the freezer. Ahhhh.....Snickers is my FAVORITE! This conversation followed:

Me: Rebecca, I thought you wanted an Oreo Sonic Blast.

Rebecca: I did. They didn't have any Oreos.

Me: Oh fun! I bet you thought, "Oh fun! This is mommy's favorite. I can share it with her."

Rebecca: Well actually, my very thought was, "Oh no! This is mommy's favorite and she is going to want me to share it with her and she is going to eat half of it."

We both died laughing. After dinner, I tried to restrain myself to two bites. Next time, I will take my husband up on his offer.

Backstroke and Butterfly...among other things

You know that nervous feeling you get in your stomach when your kid is about to do something for the first time.... as if you're about to do it yourself?

Well, here she is...

...swimming her very first event at her very first swim meet.

BACKSTROKE.

She won her heat and finished 5th in the event. My heart swelled up with pride so big you would have thought I'd won the gold medal in the Olympics.
It's one of those wonderful parts of being a parent.


Proud Daddy.

And her sister (the veteran swimmer of one year) didn't do too bad herself.
Look at that girl swim the butterfly!
It was a great day of swimming!

All tuckered out.