our{simple}life

the runner-up . . .

2012-01-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Ella was first. Now we have a runner up!

We are, once again, one tooth less in the Tharpe house . . .

homemade chicken noodle soup . . .

2012-01-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

a yummy, warm treat for these cold winter evenings . . .

This is, by far, one of my kids favorite things during these winter months. We've usually always got some around to eat & it's a perfect meal to pack in the girl's thermos' for school lunches.

It's a a mixture of a few recipes I've tried & I've tweaked it to my liking; that's the beauty of soups! I'm not saying that it's the healthiest meal in the world, but it's not just poured out of can & warmed up, which in my mind, makes me feel a little better.

1 bag no-yolk egg noodles

10 C H20

5 bouillon chicken cubes

3 bl/sl chicken breast; cooked & chopped

{or if you're running short on time or just lazy 2 cans all white cooked chicken; drained & shredded}

1 sm. can cream of chicken soup

salt, pepper & onion powder to taste

chopped carrots {optional}

Bring H20 to boil; add noodles - stirring occasionally until soft

Add all remaining ingredients & simmer.

I usually let mine sit at least 30 mins or so {always remember to stir} to let the flavors mix well.

That's it. You're done. So easy.

It keeps well in the fridge for a few days & like I said is a great school lunch!

Haven't tried freezing it yet, so if anyone does, please let me know.

enjoy!

a really late christmas post . . .

2012-01-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm so ready for life to be back on a schedule - I function much better this way. Between all the Christmas activities, Christmas break, New Years, a week in Atlanta for Passion2012 {that alone is going to need its own long post!} & then only going back to school for a few days before having a long weekend . . . I think we may finally be able to jump back into life this week. I must say, that Brock has taught me a lot about rolling with the punches & taking life a day at a time, but my brain works much more efficiently on a schedule. And I think that's just fine.

Here's a bunch of Christmas randomness . . .

Sleepy heads on Christmas morning.

I never got around to a Christmas tour around the Tharpe house, so here's the tree & mantle.

This was my gift from Brock - we don't really "do" Christmas gifts to each other, so this was a nice, sweet surprise. He made me a 2012 calendar using pictures from special places from our past . . . our first date, first place we meet, first place he held my hand . . . and ended it with a picture of all 5 of us that read look how far we've come . . . probably my most favorite gift.

All of the Taylor grandkids Christmas morning.

Pop & Yaya's Christmas morning . . . totally mayhem!

we'll take a cup o' kindness yet . . .

2011-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

Kindness. That's definitely a word I'd use to describe this year for us; the kindness of the Lord & the kindness of the people around us. 2011 has been one for record books. We said goodbye to the only life we had known as a family & stepped into a new life back "home" in the east Tennessee hills. It's been a year full of good, bad and everything in between . . . but aren't they all? I feel as I get older, the old cliche' rings louder & louder . . . the time truly does fly by. I'm afraid they only speed up from here.

Thanks for following along here for another year. Here are the top 5 post from this past year:
We Interrupt this blog . . .
One December day . . .
Sophie & Ella's story {pt.1} pregnant??!! . . .
Whatever you do . . .
Mixed Emotions . . .

May 2012 bring us peace, joy & the goodness of the Lord - whatever that may look like.

May it be a year of His renown & the recognition of His glory.

He has told you, O man, what is good;and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 {ESV}

from our home to yours . . .

2011-12-25T06:51:00.000-08:00

one December day . . .

2011-12-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

You may remember this post from a few weeks ago. Luckily, instead of a whole post, we were able to get an awesome video {Andy Coleman is the man!} to remember that December evening in Haiti - when a sweet, baby boy entered the world.
Here's the story . . . .

{a little patience, it's a long video but worth it!}

{This video was sent home with all the lovely White Stone peeps to watch on Christmas -lucky you, with a sneak peak ;) }

Here's a few pictures from that night . . . they're all from phones, so quality is low . . .

Meet Roland . . .

They were literally in the road . . .

Dr. Abby arrived! Said he looks perfect!

While Brock was the one there that day, Roland's birth has changed us all. He will forever be talked about at our house. I can't wait to go to Haiti to meet him.

My hope is that the next few days, you'll remember how much a birth changed us all two thousand years ago -

the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Merry Christmas!

o christmas tree . . .

2011-12-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Gotta love nights when the timing & the silliness are just right.
We got a real tree this year . . .yep, I'll never have an artificial tree again! Love the life & smell this tree bring to our home - and the needles aren't even a big deal! {which is the main complaint I've always heard about real trees}
Christmas around our house tour on Friday . . . hopefully . . . :)

monday's randoms . . .

2011-12-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

1} Random, you say? How's this for random . . .

my husband is in Coq Chante, Haiti - last night, he delivered a baby on the side of the road!!!! Nope, he's not a doctor, he's a pastor and delivered a health, baby boy on the side of the road with one of our deacons, while several Haitians stood around her to block her from the cars! Now if that's not the craziest story you've ever heard, I don't know what is??!!! {luckily, we have a pediatrician who went with them on this trip, the mom & baby are now under her care at the orphanage}

Can't wait for him to share that story on here & hopefully some pictures of that baby boy!

2} How do I top that random???!!!!!! Seriously.

3} little boys. they are silly.

4} Really, I feel a bit shallow typing about my miscellany's after my husband brought life into the world last night. Kinda fitting for the season. The Bread of Life . . . the Light of the World . . . the Word became flesh and the world sat idly by, carrying on with their business.

May our eyes & hearts be focused on that baby boy and away from the busyness all around.

happy monday!

linking up:

sweet reminders . . .

2011-12-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

It began during the night. Someone woke with a "tummy ache" but we knew the real reason for this 3am visit . . . her Daddy was leaving for Haiti in the morning and she was sad. She woke that morning for school with tears in her eyes, " I miss Daddy. . . . I know, me too Soph, but he'll be home soon and the people in Haiti need to hear about Jesus too. Guess what we get to do after school?" {Hoping my words would distract her from her sadness & make for an easy transition to school} "What??!!!", she ask. "We get to pick Pop & YaYa up at the airport! They're flying back in from their vacation in NYC! . . . Cool!" She replies, and I take a deep breath because I think I've saved the morning. Pat on back, Bethany!

The airport was fun & busy - Kayla had made the kids signs to hold {like they were Dad & Mom's taxi pick up - it was hilarious!} I could kick myself that I didn't get a picture of them holding their "Pop and Yaya Taylor" signs. They were all quite the spectacle at the gate. Lots of hugs & squeals were passed around, made a stop at the baggage claim, a walk through the parking garage {in which my children, I swear, always attempt to get hit by a car} and we were on our way.

We rode in silence for a few minutes, then I heard Ella's voice from the back seat . . .

"Mom, is Mildred {their great Aunt} in heaven? . . . Yes . . . . So, does that mean we'll get to see her again one day? . . . Yes and Mamaw Dorothy . . . . Really?? We'll actually get to meet our Mamaw Dorothy? and talk to her and stuff??!!! {Mind blown at this point in time} . . . Yes . . . How do you get to heaven, Mom? . . . Well, Ella, the bible says that if you believe Jesus was who he said he was, you believe he died for your sins and that you will try your hardest to live your life for him & following his commands, then when you die, you spend forever in heaven with him" . . . . Sophie chimes in at this point, "Wait a minute, we get to talk to Jesus and touch him??" {mind totally & completely blown at this point}

Just when I think this conversation couldn't get any better, the next one takes place. . . .

"Mom, how do know if Jesus is in your heart? . . . There will come a time when you'll know that he is calling you. For me, I was sitting at church one day, hearing a lot of what we're talking about now - my heart began to beat really fast & I felt like I wanted to cry because I knew that Jesus had done all of this for me & that he loved me more than anyone - I knew that he was asking me to follow him that day - I knew that he was asking me if he could 'come into my heart' . . . . But how did you know, Mom . . . . I just knew girls, it's a feeling that you will just know. And I've been praying a lot for you to have that feeling - have you had that feeling yet? . . . . No, but I do believe in Jesus but I have felt my heart beating fast in gym class, but I don't think that was Jesus :) . . . Well, one day soon, you'll have that feeling - come to me & Daddy and we'll pray. . . . . and then after that, we get to get 'babitized'!!

That conversation is one of the sweetest, most precious moments I've ever had with my children. {Because Deacon was chiming in too!} And I felt the voice of God say to me in that very moment, Bethany, you don't have to go to Haiti to tell people about me. In fact, your most important "Gospel sharing moments" will happen in this van & inside the walls of your home.

That Tuesday afternoon was a much needed, ordained moment for me. I feel so often that I fail my children in so many ways. That I will mess them up or hinder them from God's calling on their life. It was solid reminder that day that their hearts are in his hands. When he's ready, he'll call. I'm holding to that promise all the while praying with all my might, that the One who is mighty to save will do just that for my three little ones & that they run their hardest after Him.

Here is our King. Here is our Love. Here is our God who's come to bring us back to him.

He is the one. He is Jesus.

lining up today:

no privacy . . . .

2011-11-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

Well, hello there! As you can see, we're not private. I changed my mind. I decided that I had no reason to do so. I hadn't done or said anything on here that I don't stand behind or feel was wrong. The choice to go private was made out of anger & letting other peoples opinions of me out weigh who I am in Christ and what He thinks about me. Although, I do still think it can be a scary thing! And may change my mind again soon. :)
I will make no apologies for saying on here how grateful I am for His faithfulness to me & my family.
So, there you have it. I'm staying public for right now. And as my girl Lindsey said it, "Haters be hatin'!" So let 'em hate - I'll have no part in that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

On to way better things . . . . CHRISTMAS is here! It's my absoluuuute favorite time of year!!! And I'm super excited because we are getting a real tree this year! We've never had a real tree! I'll have a whole tour post coming soon of our winter wonderland here at the Tharpe home . . . and I'll leave you with a sneak peek at a sign I made for our mantle . . .

and the necessities needed for decking the halls . . . .

{Pandora+Starbucks=perfect combination}

Brock's in Haiti this week - 20 people from our church are spreading the Gospel throughout the mountains of Coq Chante & Belloc this Christmas season! Please pray for Haitians souls this week & a safe return for each of our people.

been a long time coming . . .

2011-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not pregnant . . . that's not the "announcement" - although I did feel a bit like Michelle Duggar with all the emails & text yesterday asking if Tharpe baby #4 was on the way :)
Here's what my "announcement" is :

I knew this post was coming. I've been burdened with this for months.
I'm am just plain over social media. Blogs, Facebook, etc. . . . they are scary things.
And here's why I think so. It lets people in your life, that are really not apart of your life.
It's good for keeping up with family and such, but couldn't we just call each other? Or email? Or send a handwritten card?
This blog is a place for me to share about what's going on in our lives - whatever that may look like.
It's full of highs & lows & in betweens.
It's our life. It's our story and no one is forced to read it!
Recently, something that I posted on here was taken so out of context that it's quite comical, really.
In short, I was basically called out for sharing how blessed I feel to be in the season of my life that I'm in. I guess that's the scary side I'm talking about; it gives people the idea that they have some sort of platform in your life, that in fact, they do not have - the arrogance to assume that they know what your typing about, when in fact, that haven't got a fat clue! But you know what they say about assuming . . .

After praying & wrestling with this for a couple of months and because I still want to continue to document our story for our children, I will continue to update this blog with photos, updates & going ons of our family, but our{simple}life will be a private blog for the next little bit. I want the people who read our blog to people who genuinely care about our family & how God is at work in and around us. Our{simple}life will remain public for another week or so, and then will become a private blog, at least for the next few months. I will also be keeping my facebook profile {for now} - I'll just be doing a little maintenance.

I've been debating on doing this for a while because I will not let the Enemy use this site to cause unnecessary actions toward me or my family - I'd like to think that life is a whole lot bigger than petty things & that people have way more important things to do than to look for ways to be ugly to one another.

If you would like to continue to follow along on our journey, you can leave a comment on this post with your email address or email me at bethanytharpe@gmail.com to receive an invite.

miscellany mondays . . .

2011-11-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

1} I know they're mine, but I think they're gorgeous.

2} The "hall decking" has officially begun at the Tharpe house! Lights are twinkling, garland in hanging & I'm singing along with Pandora set to Swingin' Christmas. 'Tis the season!

3} I'm re-reading the book Captivating by John & Stacy Eldridge for a small group of woman meeting at our house on Thursday nights. I read it years ago when my girls were little, but this time around it has spoken so much to me as a woman but also as a mother to little women. I highly recommend it.

4} Be sure to check back tomorrow!

Somewhat of an announcement about our{simple}life coming!

miscellany mondays . . .

2011-11-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

Been a while since I've done some randoms . . . so here goes . . .

1} #3 favorite thing about living in TN again . . . mountains! We've been hiking/walking in them a lot this fall. We did House Mountain this weekend with my Dad. The first .7 miles were decent, but the last .3 were brutal! Straight up, rocky paths - I was so proud of the kids! {and myself! ha!}

2} My husband is playing in a golf tournament today. Since we've known each other, he has played golf one time. But his tourney is for a good cause - finishing the new school & new church buildings for the people of Coq Chante, Haiti.

{I'm working him up for a whole post on his first trip before he leaves again in three weeks}

3} I'm thankful. Yes, very grateful. But I also really, really like Christmas decorations. So, they'll probably be out before that little holiday called Thanksgiving. And that's fine with me. I'll be thankful and merry all at the same time. Or who knows, maybe we'll have a mixture of pumpkins & snowflakes all about??!

4} With that note, it's time to stop playing on the computer & get to work! I like to do what I call Fall Cleaning before all the decor comes out. Kind of like working with a blank canvas.

just needed to say . . .

2011-11-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

. . . that I absolutely l.o.v.e. White Stone Church and the people that make it up. It has become a place of restoration & freedom for me from several years of not feeling like I could "be myself" bondage. An eclectic and unique group of people who genuinely care for each other & who stand firmly on the Word and freedom. Thank you White Stone Church for not being a place that throws a bunch of rules & regulations, guilts & condemnations at people but who show others how to live a life {to the fullest} that runs hard after a grace filled Savior.

{picture doesn't have anything to do with post . . . I'm just not a fan of pictureless post :) }

easy apple crisp . . .

2011-10-18T05:14:00.000-07:00

I first tried this recipe last fall from Courtney@StoringUpTreasures - but since she is no longer blogging, I figured I'd share this easy ~~you're gonna wanna make it everyday like I did for 2 weeks~~ apple crisp. It really is so easy & more than likely, you've got all the ingredients to make it already in your pantry.

First, you gotta find little hands to help gather up 6-8 apples (a few more if you'd like & make sure they're good baking apples) . . .

Second & worst part: peeling your apples . . . unless you're cool like me & your mom

gives you an apple peeler contraption . . .

While the apple peeler is doing it's thing, mix the following ingredients into a large bowl:

1/2 C butter;melted

3/4 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

1 C quick oats

2 tsp. lemon juice {I substitue apple juice if I'm out of lemon}

1-11/2 tsp. cinnamon

After you've peeled & sliced your apples, place them in a casserole baking dish & pour your above mixture over top.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes & enjoy the smell of fall as it fills your kitchen.

This is a great dessert, after school treat or just for the heck of it snack. And if we're really feeling wild, we'll add a few scoops of vanilla bean ice cream on top.

enjoy!

these are my mountains . . .

2011-10-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

we all have that place.

your place.

the place where you feel at home. connected.

a little part of you comes alive when you're there.

for brock, it's the ocean. he loves everything about it.

me . . . not so much.

my place? my place is the mountains.

i know it may sound silly, but it's my place.

maybe it's my native american roots or that i have so many good memories there.

it is, after all, where brock & i went on our first date.

could be the history ~~geek~~ lover inside of me that loves to imagine early life there and what that must of have been like.

maybe it's just an accumulation of all.

we spent the whole day there yesterday - climbing, exploring, playing and ohhing & ahhing over all the vibrant colors.

i hope, as my kids grow, that my mountains become their mountains too.

{caution: picture overload}

can you spot the kid? :)

no salt water & sand for this girl . . . i'd rather have my feet here all day.

one tooth less . . .

2011-10-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Ella won. She was the first.

How cute is this smile??!!

and since we don't "do" the Tooth Fairy or Santa or the Easter Bunny silliness, she got these instead of a dollar.

Personally, I think it's hands down a better deal.

It's going to take some getting use too - that one tooth less smile. I can't imagine what they'll look like when they're missing a bunch! I still feel like I'm the young, cool mom to babies/toddlers when in fact, I'm a mom whose kids are old enough to loose teeth! When did this happen?!

cyber cynicism . . .

2011-10-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

blogging? facebook?

I'm trying to decided if I want to keep them around . . . .

Am I the only one who feels that facebook causes more problems/worries/anxieties and just plain ugliness than it does good things? I mean, if I have to read one more time about some great thing your child did or that you're having a bad day or you're sick... again ... for like the 10th day in a row . . . . it makes me not want to be your friend. And this is ugly.
I shouldn't feel that way . . but I do.
So, this is causing me to question even keeping up with it.
I digress.

And blogging . . . well, see . . . I never wanted to be celebrity blogger. {not that I am!} but I feel that is all blogging has become. Who's following you? Who's reading? How many hits today? Is Blogher sponsoring you? How many giveaways have you done this month?
It's just a little overwhelming. And I just lost sight.
My blog was about our family . . . our story . . . and I've fallen way behind in that just trying to keep up with the cool bloggers.

On a side note, being on a public school schedule has really changed our time management as a family too. Our nights are winding down earlier and our time between school & bedtime has become way more valuable. By the time the kids are down, the house is picked up & Brock and I have enjoyed time together, opening the computer seems silly . . . a waste of my time. {I'm also very dissatisfied with my blog header ~~which makes me not even want to look at it~~ and I keep hoping that I can work in a photo shoot to revamp it!}

So, there you have it: My rant for the evening.
Chances are I'll keep blogging . . . hopefully with some new pictures.

Oh . . . by the way . . . who needs blogs anyway since the web has now blessed us all with Pinterest??!!!

our{simple}life will be back soon, new and improved {and hopefully a little more focused} . . . . I hope.

wish i had a birthday like this . . . .

2011-10-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

movies. putt putt. go carts. the apple barn. a night away at a cabin in the mountains.

dollywood. ice cream party at school.

yaya showing up at your house with a cake and presents. olive garden.

yep, i'd say they had a pretty nice ~~three day long celebration~~ birthday!!

happy 7th birthday sophie & ella!!

we love you more than you'll ever know!

{phone pic=bad quality}

friday night live!

2011-09-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

white stone is starting our new family worship experience this saturday!

FAMILY NIGHT LIVE:

a place where parents & kids play & worship together

but enough from me, why don't i let my good friend gordy tell ya about it from his video blog . . . .

if you live in our area, we'd love to have you!

catching up . . .

2011-09-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

hello? anyone out there?

has everyone totally just stopped looking at our{simple}life?!

funny . . . me too ;)

gosh, life has just taken off with the girls in school!

I find myself choosing the bed over the blog most nights. {more on that below}

So sorry little blog.

But, we are still here!

The girls are doing so much better with school these days! Thank you God! Most mornings are smooth & drop off has become a quick kiss and a wave. {And for those who care, I'm doing much better with school, too! Really actually enjoying the time in the morning to get stuff done!}

Dare I say, that fall has made it's wonderful entrance to these east Tennessee hills and it.is.wonderful.
Most days are breezy and nice - we've pretty much lived with the windows open this past week. {love!}
The trees are showing tiny glimpses of change, but soon the ridge in front of our house to going to be a beautiful site when the sun rises over it each morning. I really can't wait. It's been a long time since I've gotten to enjoy an east Tennessee fall & I plan on soaking in it.

Part of the blog absence, has to do with Brock & myself feeling like social media {ie: mainly facebook on our phones!} is a really bad thing for families. More often than not, we would find ourselves messing with our phones while our children competed for our attention. It broke my heart. So now, all of that "stuff" is off our phones {except Twitter} and we are really trying to be intentional about being on the computer only when the children are in bed. I'm not trying to give my two cents, but there are probably a lot of families out there who should consider "unplugging". It's been really good for us. And I mean really, do you really care that much about what's going on in everyone else's lives??!! I'll step off my soap box now.

Like always, October brings lots of fun for us! Sophie & Ella will be celebrating their 7th {did I really just type that?!} birthdays, Brock & I will celebrate 9 years of marriage and Brock will be taking his first trip to Haiti with White Stone. I'm also hoping to squeeze in a family photo shoot this Saturday, so we'll finally have some updated photos on here.

Very exciting things ahead!
So stick around . . . if you're still out there! ;)

lunches 101 . . .

2011-09-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we are in the midst of the third week of our new school year & I thought I'd share a little about how I'm packing S & E's lunches. Now, I realize I've only been doing this for 2 weeks, but I have read several great tips over the years about packing lunches that I thought I'd share. I should also note that the organization of lunches it just about the only constant with school right now. It has been a major adjustment for not only the girls, but our family as a whole. It is still too early for us to make long term decisions about our schooling options, but we have committed this year & so we're sticking to it. {tears or no tears!}

A Refrigerator Basket

This is the most genius lunch packing idea! I saw this on the Nester's site last year. When we decided to send the girls to school, I knew that I wanted to pack their lunches & that I was definitely going to use this idea. It's just a plastic basket that you can store anything you'll need for making lunches. Ours is stocked with sandwich meats, cheese, jelly, ranch, grapes, hotdogs, oranges, etc. There are some things in the basket that are not just lunch items {ie: ranch, jelly} but I do use them for lunches several times a week, so it's just easier to store them in that basket rather than the fridge door. This way, when it's time to make lunches, you can just grab this basket & everything you'll need will be right at hand.

Pantry Shelf

Lucky, for me, we live in an older house that has a large pantry closet in our dining room. I was able to make one of the shelves a "Sophie & Ella's lunch supplies" only shelf. I keep anything that doesn't need to be refidgerated here: bags, crackers, chips, fruit in containers, water bottles, etc. I also keep a plastic container in there for any leftover lunch items. {ie: several times the girls haven't eaten their chips or popcorn, so I just keep it in it's baggie, put it in that container & resend it within the next few days.}

re-useables

I do use Ziploc bags for chips & some fruits, but for the most part {to save $ and the planet} I use re-useable containers. Sandwiches, fruits/veggies with dip & h2o bottles are all reused. The girls buy milk to drink with their lunch, but I also send them a water bottle because I want to make sure they are well hydrated. I've also used the girls thermos several times already- they have really like this! I've used it for beanie weines {Tharpe style: turkey dogs & vegatarian baked beans}, broccoli noodle and homemade chicken soup. {recipe coming soon!}

keep records & reminders

I'm a stickler for variety when it comes to our meals. So, I keep a record throughout the week of what I packed for the girls. I'm hoping {for easiness sakes} to get a good 2 1/2 or 3 weeks of meals & just keep that routine. This way, it makes it easier for me, as far as packing goes, but mixes it up a little bit so that they aren't eating the same lunch everyday.

Well, there you have it. Just a few of my lunch packing fyi's. You got any to share? Please do!

quilts . . .

2011-08-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

I've got a thing for them.

All of these were made by my great grandmothers.

I love having these in my home.

I can't wait for our first crisp, fall east Tennessee evening when we can turn on a movie, bundle under these warm quilts and fire this bad boy up.

Fall is just around the corner and this girl is ready!

on decor . . .

2011-08-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I still haven't figured out what my exact decor taste is - it's a bit eclectic, to say the least. I know that I am most definitely not a lover of contemporary decor {with the exception of appliances}. I don't like the minimalist, sterile white feel, but on the other extreme, I'm not a fan of dark corners & dark walls.

I love the look of wood {floors. yes. walls. no . . . unless it's painted}

Mountain stones? Absolutely.

Galvanised buckets? Lots please.

Chalkboard paint? yep.

Furniture that looks like it's been beat to death? all over my house.

~~Rusty~~ Rustic goodies all around? you bet.

vases & expensive glasses? heck no! that's what Mason jars are for.

My point to all the rambling?? I read a whole lot of decor blogs & the conculsion I've come to is a very simple one and that is this: your home should reflect you. It should be the place that reminds you of who you are & where you came from. I think it can also tell you a lot about the person that you are just by looking around your house & your style of decor.

{please ignore the empty picture frames & the absence of wall art above Ella's bed}

For me: I see someone who dreams of days gone by. I value my marriage & my children: I enjoy making a house into our home, believing that my best & most important work can be done within our walls. I enjoy making our beds & our meals. Call me old fashion . . . I don't mind. In fact, I'm glad to be called that. I love surrounding myself with items & pieces that have a story. Inviting it in to be apart of our story.

What is your style? Who do you see when you look at your home?

mixed emotions . . .

2011-08-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

That's my feelings about this post. Very mixed emotions.
Why?

Brock and I made the decision to send Sophie & Ella to public school this year.
And I have, well . . . very mixed emotion.
Did I mention that already?!
Homeschooling has {will} be an adventure for us. It started out great and then life just kind of got in the way. Brock and myself were dealing with the unknowns of our future and then jumped right into this new stage of life at White Stone & to be honest, I just really fell off the homeschooling "band wagon." My days became more about packing and planning than teaching & disciplining - hence the reason why the girls behavior changed. School was sporadic & a nuisance. I had much bigger things going on and I slipped. I lost interest. It was {is} totally unfair to my girls. They are bright. Very bright girls. They also really appreciate routine and regularity and I failed them miserably. So when we found out where we would be living once we moved, I looked up the school they were zoned for. Great ratings. A top in the county. Lots of kids from our church go there. Even some of the teachers.
Hmmm??!! Maybe we should send them? And so our conversation & prayers began.
Brock {being the incredibly wise man that he is} sat on it for a while and then came back to me in agreement.
So, this coming school year, they'll be in school.
Real school. First grade and I'm very excited for them.
They are very excited. They talk about it all the time. They will love school.
But... I'm very sad. And disappointed in myself.
I feel that I've failed my girls. That I somehow don't love them enough to homeschool them. I read so many other homeschool blogs {which I have resolved to just stop reading right now because all they do is make me second guess myself!} by moms who seem to have it all together . . . and I never did when it came to their schooling {of course, having a curriculum would have help! a lot!} but I think my biggest upset is that fact that they will be own their own. It breaks my heart to think that they will be away, under someone else's watch several hours a day - I don't even want to think about the first time someone is mean to them. Or calls them a name.

But, like all things in life . . . this is only a season.
I will homeschool again. I will still homeschool Deacon for Kindergarten.
It's like the old saying goes . . "It takes a village . . . " and right now, I'm needing help from the 'village.' The girls need to learn and be under another authority other than Brock and myself right now. I don't know how, but I know this is what they need right now. They need routine & consistency: challenged & taught. And I am at peace with that being from a teacher other than myself . . . right now.

So, if you will, join us in praying for a fulfilling school year for the girls. A year of great learning & nurturing. A year of protection from harmful antics or ugly words. And for us to have the wisdom to walk them through this journey.

Mega Dega dreams come true!

2011-08-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

A few months ago on Netflix, we came across this movie . . . .

Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into! An all out skateboarding, MegaDega, Nic & Tristan obsession!

We watch Mega Dega at least once a day & when they finally make it to "Mega Dega" {at the end of the movie} we get an all out skateboarding sensation, that is Deacon zooming across our living room. He l.o.v.e.s. everything about this movie.

Brock came up with the idea to email Nic & Tristan about an autograph that we could give to Deacon on his birthday . . . . but what he got was MUCH better than an autograph . . .

If there weren't enough Nic & Tristan fans in our house, there is now!! We are completely surprised & grateful for their generous gesture. They have made Deacon's day! Every time he watches this video, he just stares & grins.

Thanks Nic and Tristan! You guys rock!

Go Mega Dega!

let's try this again . . . giveaway winner!

2011-08-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Our first winner never contacted me to claim her prize, so {with permission from Tracey at SweetSeat}
We're picking a new one!

and the winner is . . . . Lacey!

Thanks again for entering!
{and just because you didn't win, doesn't mean you can't have a SweetSeat of your own! Head on over to the website & check out one of their brand new designs!}

and the winner is . . .

2011-07-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Jennifer!

{please send me an email with your info!}

Thanks so much to all who entered! I hope that this will be a starting place for giveaways!

{wink:: anybody out there willing to send me their products??!!}

sidenote: I did not use the "cool" blogger method of random.org . . . I am apparently not that cool.

So we resorted to the simple method . . .

{phone picture = bad picture}

It was more fun this way anyhow.

Happy Monday!

giveaway!!! {and product review}

2011-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

woohoo!
I'm so excited to be hosting my first ever giveaway here at our{simple}life!!

Tracy from SweetSeat contacted me last month about checking out her product & giving me the honor of hosting a giveaway on my blog!

Here's a little info about the SweetSeat and the founders:

SweetSeat was born out of a desperation to find high-quality, long-lasting, small-footprint children’s goods to fill our tiny barn home. What we couldn’t find, we decided to create! Each and every SweetSeat is handcrafted on our farm, by our own hands. We love working together as a family to produce a product that your children will use and love for years to come.

I must say, I am very impressed with this product! It is very sturdy, yet so soft for the little ones. I totally agree with their description on the the website that this product is one you will not have to hide when people stop by. It's too cute! {I'm a little sad to give this one away :) } It's a perfect product for the new table eater in your family and the one who seems to always be eating on their knees.

So here's your chance!!!

This SweetSeat is up for grabs! and here's how it can be yours!

{1} Follow my blog!

{2} Visit SweetSeat's website here.

{3} Come back & leave me a comment telling me your

favorite SweetSeat print.

That's it!

The giveaway will run until Sunday, July 24th. I'll post the lucky winner on here Monday!

clouds . . .

2011-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

We've been noticing them a lot lately. Massively fluffy clouds.
I don't know that I ever really noticed the clouds that form over the mountains? But after living in flat, coastal lands for several years, I'm noticing more and more these days . . . clouds.

There were never clouds like this where we lived in NC. It was either not cloudy or rainy. There were never these huge, beautiful clouds just hanging around for us to look at and awe over. I grabbed my camera the other night, right as the sun was setting, to capture these as they came over the ridge across from our house. This was the view from our front porch . . . . oh, and that's Sophie & Ella's new school right across the street! {Whole other post coming about that!!}

The pictures don't really do them justice. They're these huge big pieces of fluff just floating around and they seem to just pop up out of nowhere and then move along, never resulting in rain. Just huge reminders that there is a God who makes such cool things.

this weekend . . .

2011-07-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'll be busy.
Doing what??!
Painting our kitchen cabinets!

It's the last major project I wanted to get done before we moved in & I know if I don't do it now, I'll put it off for a while. So, my sister is hanging out with me all night and we. are. painting! And here's the coolest part . . . .
I've had it in my head for a while to do white cabinets on top and gray on the lower cabinets. At first, I was thinking light gray, but then I started to change my mind. Then I saw this picture . . . .

It's like Kristi at Addicted2Decorating brought my dream to life! It's exactly what I envisioned. Love. The best part is we have that exact same tall cabinet on the right side of the picture {which I had also planned on painting gray} but I wasn't sure how what would look? Well, now I know . . . it looks freaking awesome. Plus, we already have the white tile backsplash. Can't wait to get started!
Pictures soon!
Happy Weekend!

happy fourth of july!

2011-07-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here's to a fun. safe. relaxing. Independence Day {weekend}!

Rain . . .

2011-06-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

Rain. Torrential downpours. Cats & Dogs. Call it what you want.

It's what our NC {Pender County} friends need.

Badly.

{photo by my friend, Lisa Wells, near her home}

They have been battling this fire for weeks now.

And they need rain.

Will you join with our friends in praying for rain?

two little L girls . . .

2011-06-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

These are my nieces.

I love them to pieces.

{okay, that was cheesy}

Lola is {almost} 5 going on 25 and Lennox {or Lennie as we call her} is 4 months. She is the best, sweetest baby you will ever meet. Seriously never met a happier baby.

My sister wanted some updated pictures of them so she came over & we snapped a few.

How lucky am I that this total awesome rustic shed is in my backyard??! Love.

It really is bittersweet . . .

2011-06-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

Brock and Ella spent the weekend back in NC. He had agreed to do a wedding some time ago, so he and Ella headed that way for a whirlwind of a trip. I talked to him several times throughout the trip and the general consensus was that it was very strange. We've been gone long enough to have started a groove of life here . . . but at the same time, we haven't been gone long enough for everything around them to not seem so familiar. When I got off the phone one night a terrible sadness came over me. I started to think about the people and the places that were apart of our story for eight years. People that we love, dearly. Places that were 'our' places. With the chaos of our move finally slowing down, I find myself somewhat grieving over the life we left behind. I think because we technically 'moved back home,' everyone just assumes that we are thrilled. Not so much the case. We had incredible friends in NC. People who were just as close as family. People who we did life with for a long time. People who became staples in our days and weeks. Now granted, there were a few {gosh, I'd love to mention names here} that I was happy to say goodbye to - maybe that was a little harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts, but for the most part, we left a group of people in southern NC that will always feel like home to us. Our life there was basically the only married life we knew and it was the only life our children knew. Our life with them, at this moment, seems way more familiar and normal than our life here. Our old home still feels like home. I can still remember the sound the back door made when it was opened. I can hear my kids outside playing with the neighbors. I miss waving to my neighbors when they pulled in their driveways. I can still remember how to drive to our friend's houses. I can still smell the church. This doesn't at all mean we aren't grateful and excited to be where we are, it's just the way things seem {feel} right now. And the hardest part of all, is that life goes on. While I'm typing these words of grief over our past, they are all moving right toward the future and you begin to wonder how much you even mattered. I'm not trying to throw myself one big pity party or saying that I'm not totally & completely certain that we are exactly where we are suppose to be, I just think that in the midst of trying to make sure that life stayed as 'normal' as possible for my kids, I neglected to deal with my own feelings about the move and the change. It is day to day trying and learning how to make the unfamiliar familiar. Turning strangers into friends. Remembering and cherishing the life left while reveling in the excitement that is a new journey for us. It is a hard balance to remember the past while looking to the incredible things to come. It is, at least for this moment . . . very bittersweet.

my product reviews::keefer style creaitons . . .

2011-06-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share this product review with you! Lisa at Keefer Style Creations has been making this incredible jewelry for the last little bit and I've admired from afar . . . that is until we moved here and started going to church with her. I knew exactly what I wanted for my birthday this year . . . a Keefer Style necklace!! Not only is her jewelry beautiful but she will work with you to design exactly what it is that you want. I wanted something that represented Jesus, my husband and my children. I just emailed her what I wanted and what materials I wanted and she went to work. The results . . .

I mean seriously, how beautiful is this necklace?! This jewelry is the perfect gift for just about any occasion. Her styles and creations have such a wide range of uses. Everyone loves personalized gifts! {My sister got my mom and her mother.in.law these necklaces with all of their grandkids names on them for Christmas. A Perfect gift.}
So, whether you're looking for yourself or for a gift . . . .

You can click HERE to check out her blog

HERE to shop her Etsy site :: Keefer Style Creations

best parts about summer . . .

2011-06-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

flowers.

whether they're in your hair or in your home . . . they add just the right touch.

and the best part? they're usually free. {that is if you're lucky enough to have a big hydrangea bush in your front yard}

happy summer!

now go pick some flowers.

* I'm thinking about making this a Wednesday series for the summer - a way of sharing our "best parts of summer." Give me some feed back - would you link up if it was offered??!! Just curious!

settling in . . .

2011-06-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Well . . . almost.
I'm starting to feel quite at home here in our new house. We've been here right at two weeks & I only have one box left to unpack. {and it's the box with all the dvd's that I'm wondering why even made the move in the first place??!!} And the once empty, big house now feels just like home - and this has been very good for our family.
Familiarity.
It's been, by far for me, the biggest adjustment with our move and while I know that I was raised here in Tennessee, it hasn't been my home in eight years. That's a long time. Things & places here are not quite ours yet. And we all are dealing with the somewhat sadness of knowing that the places we left will never quite be ours again. Deacon is still to young to really care or understand our move but the girls have had some issues. Sophie especially. She is a lot like me - she attaches to things tightly & she has had some bouts of frustration & sadness but doesn't really know how to tell us what she's feeling or what she needs . . . . which is probably, in it's basic form . . . familiarity.
Our first few weeks here were like a big vacation for them but now, Brock is busy with a new job, I'm busy with unpacking & getting our house is order while mixing in the fact that we are learning to do life with a whole new group of people right in the midst of the craziness that is summer - and until I sat down tonight to relax a bit, it had never hit me that I have yet to take the time to really talk with my girls about how they are feeling. Are there things that they would like for us to do for them? In my Mommy mind, they are still babes who should just go with the flow that is our ~~simple~~ crazy life, but in reality, they are almost seven. They are little women. Little women full of emotions, feeling and insight and I have been very insensitive to that. When things go off the rail in my life, I turn to my Father. He is the one I have learned to trust - and in Sophie & Ella's little minds, Brock & I are the ones they have learned to trust, so now, in these hard, sad and uneasy times for them, I will be there for them. Ready to listen. Ready to offer advice. Ready to offer comfort with my words and my actions . . . because that is how my Father would 'parent' me. God help me to mother that way that you father.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, that post went in the total opposite direction that I had intended for it too. I was gonna tell you all about my 30th birthday and how it really wasn't that bad and how much we love our new church family and our house & how much fun I've had & will have decorating . . . but so it goes sometimes, I'll save it for another day . . . and this blog is, after all, somewhat journaling for me. It's therapeutic. And most of the time, I teach myself more through the words than anyone else.

So, I'll just leave you with a few random pictures from the week. {aka what the phones sees}

{yes, I realize it looks like Brock is flipping the camera off but he's actually holding up three fingers . . . you know for 30!}

what the phone sees . . .

2011-05-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Well, hello. Sorry it's been a while . . . . but {drumroll please} we are in our house!!! I've been busy with painting & unpacking and blogging kind of got tossed to the side for a bit. But the painting is almost done and the boxes are almost gone and hopefully we'll be back to normal soon! Until then . . . here's a bunch of random pics from my phone over the last few weeks. Enjoy!

{warning: picture overload. sorry.}

home sweet home to me . . .

2011-05-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Many people have a problem with Mother's day {holiday created by the card companies} . . . I, on the other hand, am not one of those people. I freaking love Mother's day {weekend}! It's the only weekend that I can get away with anything & not feel an ounce of guilt for it!

The water at Norris Dam has been pouring over for about two weeks now. It was a crazy thing to see & the kids loved it!

Sophie made me that 'happy moms day' at the top & Ella made me 'mr gatti's' at the bottom. {the girl knows me}

All my pretties. Mom got me this really cool picture for the new house. I just ~~freaked out over~~ randomly mentioned to Brock how much I liked this plates at Cracker Barrel, next thing I know, he's buying me 8 sets. Best gift ever. And I had to throw in some fine reading {seriously, am I the only one who is was totally smitten by the Royal Wedding???!!! Won't even let my mom delete it from the DVR!}

And how could there not be a post with this face??!! Is she not the cutest thing?! Don't you love her tattoo? {ha! just a little fun in Picnik}

Picture overload done now.

A lot on my mind and a whole lot to share. Mainly about how incredible this church is that we have stepped into. Never been around people who are so free & open to being like Jesus - no matter what that looks like. So stick around . . . and if you live in our area . . . come visit. I promise, you won't regret it.

:: In case you haven't noticed, I've jumped on the watermarking bandwagon for bloggers. Silly, stupid, kind of scary stuff going on on some blogs with people stealing pictures and such- so just to be safe, mine will now be marked. Sorry that it's inconvenient, but better safe that sorry, right?!::

Oldie but a Goodie . . .

2011-05-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

{original post from Spring2010}

Thought we could all use a little reminder now that it's getting warmer {even though we had a frost advisory here last night!}

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Modest is Hottest: This is what my real life friend, Maria had on her blog the other day and that got me thinking about how much my perception of the way I dress has changed over the years. See, I was . . . how is the best way to put this . . . 'blessed' at a young age. While the rest of my friends were still stuffing their bras, I was having trouble stay in one! I wore tight fit & low cut shirts all the time. I thought that would draw attention to myself and it did, but not in a good way. Sometimes I think it may have caused me to labeled as something I wasn't. After I started working in youth ministry, I started to really think about the way I dressed & how it really probably wasn't a good idea to be dressing like that around middle school boys!! Then I met & married Brock -I wanted my body to be for his eyes only. And then . . . then I had two beautiful baby girls who left marks, scars & extra skin all over my body.

But I didn't mind because I had {have} two beautiful, innocent baby girls who are looking to me to see what a woman should be like and a son who will learn what it means to respect & value women - this the reason for my modesty. It wasn't in the snide remarks from older women years ago. It wasn't in 'loving' words from a youth worker or Sunday school teacher. It was the moment I looked into baby blue eyes & realized my calling for the next years of my life.

So, I'm in full agreement with Maria . . . Modest is Hottest! Don't worry, I'm not saying we should go all Duggar style {that's not a bash . . . I love me some Duggars!} or even that we have to compromise being 'in style', it just means that this year, I'll be looking for a bathing suit with a skirt. I'll be making sure that when I bend over, you can't see straight down my shirt. And who knows, I may even start wearing t-shirts more {vintage fit please!}

For my daughters and my son . . . . I'll join in the
Modest is Hottest revolution.

Will you?
. . . . . . . . . . . .

There will be others to lead & to guide you, girl

but only one you'll call Mother

the honor it's all mine

to show you what a woman's like

I'm so glad you're mine . . . . .

- Watermark

our{simple}life from Tennessee . . .

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is officially, official. We are Tennesseans again!

{although we still don't have a house or new driver licenses and we're still living out of suitcases} we are here, none the less, living in Tennessee.

We had our first service yesterday morning with White Stone Church and it was incredible. I feel very honored and refreshed to be part of a body who bask in the freedom of the Spirit of God and run wide open behind His leadership. I am so exctied to be a part of this church.

. . . . . . . . .

This week {hopefully} I'll get back on a regular blogging schedule . . . . but today, I'm guest posting over at

Oh What a Day it is Today :: a Mother's story series

Thank Alyss for inviting me! Now, go check it out! You'll love her blog!

8 years . . .

2011-04-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

That's the amount of memories we have been packing up these last few weeks.
Eight years of highs & lows.
Eight years of sweet moments & hard moments.
Eight years of being North Carolinians.
Eight years of a blessed journey with a group of people who will forever be apart of our lives.
Eight years that gave us three babies.
Eight years . . . .

Saturday morning, we'll be picking up a {rather large} yellow truck & loading our past eight years onto that truck. We'll be saying goodbye to people who have been family for the past eight years. And while these moments are sad for us, we are thankful for the past eight years. Eight years that prepared us for the journey ahead. Eight years of learning and growing and sharpening us for the years to come.

With a sadness for today and an excitement for the future, we are thankful to you, Lord, for your mercy, faithfulness and provision over these last eight years. May you continue to be at the heart of everything we do.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You can keep up with me the next week or so on Twitter - but stay tuned because there are some cool things coming up here at our{simple}life . . . . see you next week, from Tennessee!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Live a little!

2011-04-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

There is so much hoopla in the {Christian} world about budgets, finances & being free from it all that I really just don't get. Seems to me all this 'freedom' does is make people more of a slave to their money. It's time to live a little people. I totally agree with living in financial responsibility & that's something that we strive to do, but I will not let a budget control my life.
There are things & people in life worth spending your $ on. It's okay to not live under the constant weight of every dollar.
Too many of us ~~control freaks~~ women {and men} are so busy trying to 'stay within our budgets' that we are forgetting to live!

Spend money on your spouse.
Buy your daughter that $5 Barbie that she wants.
Take your son to get ice cream.
Go watch a baseball game.
Eat dinner out every now & then.
Live a little!

At the end of your life, the nest egg that you've tried so hard to build won't mean a single freaking thing if all you have to show for it is stress, anxiety & shackle marks from the chains of being a slave to your money. And you'll wish, more than anything, that you had taken those extra date nights with your husband.
And played with a hundred Barbies.
And ate ice cream until you hated it. {okay, is that really possible??!!}

My point is this, Jesus said that He came to bring us life, life to the fullest.
He also said that we can't have two masters - man can not serve both God and money. He also said that we shouldn't be anxious about tomorrow - so why do we focus so much of our time & money on it??

Are you too busy being a slave, that you've forgotten you are free to live life to the fullest?

{photo source}

knot genie aka the miracle tool!

2011-04-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Seriously. This is a miracle tool.

My girls hate having their hair brushed, so on a whim a few weeks ago, I purchased this Knot Genie from our Sweet and Sassy store.

It is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

The first time I used it on the girls, they didn't even flinch! Miracle!

I no longer dread brushing/fixing their hair.

Now . . Go . . Get your Knot Genie! and Happy Brushing!!

You can purchase them at Sweet and Sassy {if you have one where you live}

or at knotgenie.com

{As always, I don't know the Knot Genie people - just passing along a great product!}

awesomest. mom. ever.

2011-04-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

That's my title today.
Why? You may ask.
Because, I spent all morning & afternoon turning this $2.19 Goodwill toy . . .

into . . .

The Mystery Machine!

And that is why I have been named {if only for the day}and I quote: "The awesomest Mom ever!!"

letting go . . .

2011-04-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

I have to let go.

I'm holding on way too tight.

Way to tight to my children.

I worry {all the time} that my mistakes in raising them will ruin the rest of their lives. It's a constant that I think we all deal with.
And then the other night I realized that I am trying {with everything I've got} to claim & rely on Jesus for and in every aspect of my life - why would I not do the same for my children? I was forgetting that His grace, which is sufficient in every thing, is very much capable of repairing where I fail as a parent.

Instead of fretting over their futures . . .

Who they will be. What they will do. The mistakes they will make. The choices they will choose . . . Instead of carrying that weight on my shoulders, I have finally realized, that I have to let it go.

I have to let it go & pray.

Pray. With all that is in me, that the all consuming Spirit of God will take hold of them.

That His voice will both lead and convict them.

That they will realize His love for them - a love that looks past the mistakes they might make into the good intentions of their hearts.

That they'll realize they have a Father that wants nothing but what is best for them.

These are truths I so desire for them.

Sophie's date & Blogs of Note!

2011-04-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

See that smile. Her date had just arrived to pick her up.

And he brought her flowers. Pink ones. Her favorite color, of course.

He took her for a special dinner & yummy dessert.

And this kid. This is what he did when he found out he didn't get to go.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blogs of Note

Just wanted to say Thanks to Courtney of Storing Up Treasures for choosing my blog as the blog of the month! I am truly honored! Welcome to those who have stopped by . . . we're glad your here! :)

fly lady, meet my rugrats . . .

2011-03-29T10:52:00.001-07:00

This morning, I'm doing a little spring cleaning! {and yes, I actually enjoy it enough to put a ! at the end of that sentence} But the harsh reality, as a mom, is that while I'm hard at work doing the . . .

My rugrats are busy doing . . . .

Oh well. So it goes.

{ You can find the Fly Lady's Shiny sink trick here : Your welcome ;) }

She wins the award . . .

2011-03-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

{As if she even cares what I think} but she's my favorite all time blogger ever. Another wonderful post.

The Great Divide

{*Update: I saw on Courtney's blog, this morning, where someone had linked this post from their Twitter & said, "This post is the true definition of Christian Sisterhood . . . I couldn't agree more.}

Living Legend . . .

2011-03-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, we spent several hours listening to the stories of a living legend. His name is Justin. He lives in a simple house in our little town of Rocky Point, but he . . . . he is a living legend. Justin is a WWII veteran. He was part of a 10 man team on a B-24 bomber. I don't remember the correct title, but he was the man that sat in the nose of the plane & fired the two machine guns from that location.

I felt like a child as I sat there, hanging on his every word. The history geek inside of me was in full force as I listened to him tell stories of missions that should have ended his life but never did. He was always quick to pause in those moments & say, "But that was no coincidence. God knew. God had plans for me & I just hope I have lived my life the way He wanted me to." We gasped & laughed and teared up when he told us the story of how he met his wife, of 67 years, on a train in 1941- and how he told us that "if there ever was a man & a woman that were one, it was me and her." {She passed away last August} I consider it an incredible honor and privilege to have sat in his front yard as he shared these amazing stories of a war that seems to have been deluded by the years. I'm glad that my children had the chance to listen to him talk - no history book could ever teach them what a few of his stories could. He is the kindest, most gentlest man you will ever met & I was incredibly blessed by his presence.

I heart Mrs. Meyer's . . .

2011-03-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

{source}

I do. I love her {whoever she is}. Why?
Because she makes my house smell fantastic!! Seriously, just the right amount of clean, natural aroma . . . does it get any better??!
If you have never tried these products, I highly recommend them. They can be purchased at Target or at mrsmeyers.com .
My favorite of the moment is Basil {sounds weird, but oh so wonderful!} - the Lavender is great too.

Here's a tip:
a cute basket, some new dishrags, a cute candle and an assortment of
Mrs. Meyer's products =
a great bridal shower or house warming gift. Trust me, they'll love it!

{I've never met the Mrs. Meyer's people & they could probably care less about what I think - but I couldn't help but share this product review :) }

we interrupt this blog for a brief announcement . . . .

2011-03-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

We have some news . . . .

{no, I'm not pregnant . . . hopefully that news will come later ;) }

a bit of an announcement . . .

news we are very excited about . . . .

Are you ready for it??!!

We're moving to Tennessee {home!}

Brock has accepted a job with White Stone Church in Knoxville.
The journey getting here has been such an ordained adventure & we have felt the moving of God in every aspect of it {we wouldn't be doing it if we didn't!}
We are very, very excited about this church and people who make it up!!

Still, there is a sadness to leave the people that we have served along side of for the last 8 years. They will always hold a place in our hearts & our lives.

We look forward to spending our last weeks here with people who have become like family to us, starting the moving process {bring on the cardboard!} and praying for our future with the new church family we are about to be apart of.

is brunette the new blond??

2011-03-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

I had this conversation with my friend, Yvette, the other day on her blog:

bethany@our{simple}life said...

love the dark hair :) isn't it so much easier? i can't believe i waited so long to finally go my natural color!

Cowgirl Ranch said...

I know! Tisha also just went to her natural colour and we also agreed...funny how what God meant us to be looks right! Sorry Lord for all the money I have wasted :-(.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

and that got me thinking . . . "Is brunette the new blond??!!"

With a lot of families looking for ways to cut cost these days, I'm wondering if paying for those highlights is something that gets put aside. I'm also in full agreement with Yvette, that it seems, what God intended actually looks the best. When I look at pictures of myself with blond hair now, I think I look ridiculous. fake. I mean really who was I kidding?

That's right. No more faking it for me. I'm the real thing, baby.

{Side note: I have also done the research on the appropriate spelling of blond - because I see it both ways - and when used as an adjective is is most commonly spelled without the e. You're welcome for that little bit of knowledge ;) }

recent favorites . . . in no particular order

2011-02-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

{1} Moondough.

My friend, Nikki, got this for the girls birthday. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical because we had done the Moonsand and I hated it. It was messy & a pain in the b.u.t.t. to clean up . . . not the case with Moondough.

I l.o.v.e. it and so do the kids! It's so much better than play dough - it's stays together well & molds well and never dries out, but the best part . . . it cleans up fantastic! Really. Clean up time is all of about 1 minute of sweeping and we're done.

{2} Welcome to Moe's

As if I needed anymore reason to love this place, now they have gone and revamped their whole menu & food quality.

{source}

And who doesn't love a place with an all you can eat salsa bar?! I love hearing the words "Welcome to Moe's!" If you are looking for a place to eat out that you won't feel bad about, eat here! Plus, they usually run a Kids Eat Free night during the week. {Ours is Mondays 5-9 pm}

{3} DanActive

Drinks. Strawberry Banana please. Good for the body. I'm no doctor, but I haven't been sick all winter. {of course I will now, since I just typed that}

{4} Dollar General

{source}

Never knew who shopped at these stores until we moved out to the country {30 mins from the nearest Wal-Mart or Target}. But now I know . . . me. I am the person who shops at the Dollar General. I love it because it's 5 minutes up the road, but it is very easy to spend too much $ there. I kind of have the 'well, it's just 2 dollars' mentality & that's not good to have.

{5} When cool things happen

Almost a year ago, I dropped my camera {lens first} and jammed the lens. I was heartbroken. I put my beloved Canon lens away & was using a generic lens on my camera. Well, I stumbled across my lens several weeks ago - got it out & tried messing with it for a second when wouldn't you know it . . . I fixed it! Complete joy.

meet Lennox . . . .

2011-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

My beautiful, amazing, makes baby birthing look easy sister, Kayla, gave birth to this beauty this morning. Meet . . .

Lennox Evelyn

2.14.11

11:48 am

8lbs. 11oz.

21 1/4 inches

Whatever you do . . . .

2011-02-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Wives, submit to your husbands, asis fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, anddo not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Slaves,obeyin everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily,as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Colossians 3:18-25

Whatever you do. That's a pretty broad word isn't it . . . whatever? I have found myself reciting this scripture over and over again in my head this past week. It's one of those that I learned years ago and when I needed it, it resurfaced from somewhere deep down. And it was very much needed. If there was
one word that I think every stay at home mother/wife would use to tell you how she feels most days, it would be unappreciated.

It's not a complaint. It's just how we feel.

Our 'jobs' aren't really validated as jobs by the outside world. It's a choice we have made and so we shouldn't complain about it when things get hard- but is that really fair? If you work outside of the home, don't you get praised by you boss for you work ethic? Don't you get bonus' and raises? Oh and how about his one . . . vacation days? Sick days? Regardless, whether we choose to work outside of the home or not, the 'job' of a mother & wife is never ending.

There are always clothes to be cleaned.

There are always dirty dishes in the sink.

There are always meals to be made. and cleaned up.

People to bathe.

Floors to clean.

. . . and these are just the basics.

Throw homeschooling, crafts, errands, illness . . . etc . . etc . . and you've got complete mental & physical exhaustion - with most women sitting on the brink of all out mental breakdowns . . . ok, maybe that's a little to far . . or maybe not?

My point to all of this rambling is this - I was having one of the above listed days the other day. At the end of the rope, barely holding on when these words came out of nowhere . . .

whatever you do, Bethany - do it as if working for the Lord and not for men . . .

When you are doing the laundry . . . do it as if for the Lord & not for men.

When your disciplining your children . . . do it as if for the Lord & not for men.

When your scrubbing toilets . . . do it as if for the Lord & not for men.

Whatever you do . . .

There is an old saying that goes something like this . . 'if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy ' {imagine that in my Tennessee accent.} While I believe it is biblical that Brock is the spiritual leader of our household . . . I am the maintainer. I am the one who controls the mood & attitude of our household. It is my 'workplace' and I am the boss. And I want, more than anything, a joyful ~~workplace~~ home.

I am choosing to bring joy to my household. I am choosing to stop the complaining.

I am choosing, no matter what circumstance, to work as if for the Lord and not for men.

I am choosing to not become self centered when my work goes unnoticed . . . .because my Master is always watching . . and He notices.

I am choosing to show my children & my husband the joy of the Lord.

Rise up, women of the Truth . . . .

homeschool ramblings & our progress . . . .

2011-02-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

I realized yesterday, that I have yet to update about our homeschooling, really since we started. Bad mom. We are moving right along, although there really is no method to our madness. Since we did not go with a formal curriculum this year and legally the girls do not have to be registered yet as homeschoolers, I have been somewhat relaxed this year. They've grasped addition, subtraction, time telling {hour & half past} and up to this point, have read 80 words - not sight memorized, but can actually read them. {I'm not doing sight words} We don't have grueling hours of learning time or test. We have a lot of play time, games, fun learning & art times and reading lessons- and while this has been a unique adventure, I'm not sure if it is something we'll do forever. It's something I go back & forth on a lot. Sophie would do great in school. She would be a star student- and although she is smart, she requires a lot of one on one time which I can give her through homeschooling. Ella, on the other hand {I think}, would have discipline problems at school, I'm afraid. Ella is incredibly bright {and I'm not just saying this because I'm her mom}- the child is six and taught herself multiplication, but she can't sit still in chair. Or eat without getting food on her face. She also doesn't listen very well. But I think she would be better challenged in a school setting. These are thoughts that go through my head everyday. Then there is the question of ~~am I~~ are they ready to be on their own. They are my babies, after all. The thought of them being out of my supervision makes me want to cry some days and some days I'm ready to toss them out the door. I'm not ready for them to be exposed to things that they would be exposed to in regular school. {And they would go to regular school - I'm not a fan of private schools} Right now, Brock and I are able to expose them to things that we want them exposed to and that is a good thing. It is very important to me, that my children {no matter their age} be around people that live, think and whose families are different than theirs. I think that is like Jesus. Our girls serve with Brock at the Salvation Army. They pack backpacks of food {at our public school} every week for kids who do not have food. They visit nursing homes. They call homeless people "Daddy's friends" because they have seen him care about these people. These are the things that are more important to me than 'school' . . . life experiences that will have a lasting effect on their character. Things that they couldn't learn being in a building for hours a day. Really, it's going to have to come down to a choice for us . . . is shaping their minds, character & heart more important than sending them somewhere that mainly on focus on the mind?

Typed out . . . our choice is pretty clear.

I'm not typing these thoughts to cause debate or controversy - I'm merely sharing my thoughts on our journey through this stage of life. I hope that there are other homeschooling families or people who are considering homeschool that read this and are encouraged or prodded. I know {and read} of families that are judged & ridiculed for choosing homeschool. We have been very lucky not to have any of that happen to us . . . yet. I'm sure we won't escape it that easily. Homeschooling, for us, is a choice. A sacrifice. Something that we are willing to make happen . . . right now. It is full of ups & a lot of downs . . . of course, on my bad days, Vodie always puts things in perspective for me. If I could offer any advice {especially for people homeschooling younger children}, it would be this: Relax. That is the whole point in homeschooling - you have the control. It's okay that you don't spend hours a day doing work. It's okay to have hours of play time on some days. They're kids. Set small goals & work toward those. If it's a beautiful warm day outside . . . go outside. Explore. Use unusual circumstances as teachable moments. For me, it's so much more than academics . . . I'm teaching, molding & shaping them - hopefully preparing them to be the women & men that God desires them to be.

These are my homeschool ramblings for the day. It felt good to unload them - mainly because it encourages me to keep going . . . .

Sophie's look a like

2011-02-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is a really random post, but I had to see if you agree . . .

Since Soph got her sassy bangs, she has reminded me of some one and I have, for the life of me,

not been able to figure out who it is . . . until last week - when it hit me.

She looks like a young Ellen Pompeo.

Do you see it? or am I crazy?! Brock even agreed with me. Which really surprised me.

What do you think?

Happy Birthday Deacon!

2011-01-31T05:26:00.000-08:00

Deacon - our words are not enough to tell you how much we love & enjoy you! Thank you for three great years! Happy 3rd Birthday sweet boy!!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We're so cool

2011-01-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

That's us. The definition of coolness.

Why, you ask?

Because, we have hit it so big that we now have a celebrity couple name . . . .

You wouldn't believe how many people have referred to us as "Beth and Brockany." Quite funny.
So, it's official. You can now just refer to us as Brockany.
Because . . . we're just cool like that.

table & hutch inspiration . . .

2011-01-24T07:41:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the most beautiful, simple, country kitchen that Ginny has over at Small Things?

I absolutely love it. If we weren't renters, my cabinets would be that color by next week.

{I'm a little over my white cabinets}

I've been searching for inspiration for my hutch, table & chairs - I think I've found it . . . that cabinet color!

I love how that natural wood color {on the far right of photo} blends so well with the cabinet color - which is perfect because my two end chairs are this exact wood tone.

I feel a project coming on . . . I think I just heard Brock sigh . . .

ella's date . . .

2011-01-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

there once was a little princess-

who waited patiently {and a little giddy} for her date

he brought her a beautiful orange rose -

her favorite color, of course

because this date wasn't just some average joe,

no . . this date . . he's cut from a different mold

he is one of a kind . . . .

sophie & ella's story {pt. 1}: 'pregnant??!'

2011-01-18T05:03:00.000-08:00

I realized the other day that this blog was started after my pregnancy & the beginning of Sophie & Ella's lives - so I thought, why not start from the beginning? This blog is, after all, suppose to be the journal of our lives- a way for our children to look back on their childhood & who doesn't want to know how they got here?! So, here's the beginning of Sophie & Ella's story:

Brock's new job at our church started in July of 2003 but his insurance didn't kick in until January 2004, lucky for us, I had a few extra months of birth control pills, so we thought we'd be fine. In early January, I had called to set up an appointment with a doctor in our new town, but they were booked for several months, so I thought to myself, it would be okay to wait a few more months & try to reschedule then. Then the end of February rolled around . . . . and I began to feel weird. I've always believed that I have an undiagnosed condition which requires me to need more sleep than the average person, but I was extremely fatigued all.the.time. Beyond my normal. And then certain body parts began to hurt . . really bad. I tried to ignore it for a few weeks until one night, my curiosity got the best of me, and I googled pregnancy symptoms - just to check, because surely I wasn't pregnant?? We weren't ready to have kids. We had lots of plans. Good plans. Plans that didn't include children. I mean sure, we wanted kids, eventually . . . but now?? Just 18 months into our marriage, 7 months into a new job & town {state, for that matter} Now? My readings only alluded to the fact that I was indeed pregnant, so on the way home from church that night, we bought 2 pregnancy test & drove home to our tiny little apartment - mostly in silence. I went in the bathroom, alone, did what I had to do & before I could even get my clothes situated back, two bright pink lines appeared. The conversation in my head went something like this . . 'The box says it should take up to 3 minutes, so of course, that one had to be defective, right?! Yeah, let's try the other one, it should work right. . . . ' Round 2. Same thing. Two bright pink lines appeared faster than I could flush. At this point, I don't remember much. I think I went into shock. I have always wanted children, but in that moment, I was completely and totally numb. I {we} were not ready for this.
I was already crying when I walked out to Brock- he spent the next few minutes looking at the test & reading over the box again . . .but there was no denying it. On March 10, 2004 we found out that we were going to be parents - whether we were ready or not.

We had our first doctor's appointment on March 26. All test & blood work were normal- we even got to have an ultrasound . . . and there it was. That moment we needed. The moment when we saw our 'baby.' It was a moment that I'll never forget - because in that moment, I wasn't worried or scared . . . I was humbled and happy. God had chosen to let us be parents and I was grateful. The 'baby' was measuring at 8 weeks gestation & our due date was set for November 11th. We left & went to lunch and marveled at our little blurry, black & white photo of our little bean. Such a cute little bean. After that point, when the reality of it all began to sink in, we weren't as scared anymore. Sure, there were still moments when we wondered how we would make it . . . but we knew we'd be fine. We even began early on talking about names and nursery decor and strollers. At the end of May {14 weeks}, Brock's brother was graduating high school, so we made the trip back home for a long weekend and planned an appointment with Janine, {family friend} who was an ultrasound tech - she was going to do an ultrasound for us so my Mom 'could see the baby . . . '
Little did we know how that afternoon would, once again, change our lives . . . .

fluffy pillows . . .

2011-01-17T05:55:00.000-08:00

Deacon has a birthday coming soon! He will be 3 - which makes me sad. He is still my baby. With his birthday being so close to Christmas, there is rarely anything that he really needs for his birthday- so this year, he's getting new bedding for his new big boy bed. {this bedding, in fact and this to go with it . . . you know, just in case you wanted to know for any reason ;) }

The other day, he & I were laying in my bed . . . well, I was laying, he was rolling around in my pillows {yes, I have like 12 pillows on my bed} when I said, "You know, for your birthday, Mommy is getting you new bedding . . I'll get you some new fluffy pillows too & you can roll around in your bed!" Without missing a beat, he responds "Nope, that's okay, I don't need new ones, I'll just roll in Mommy's!" Deacon, can you please just stop growing . . . right now . . . just stay this age forever . . . pretty please??!!

non-resolutions . . .

2011-01-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

There is something about January that just beckons for new. Maybe it's the fact that the house seems so bare & fresh. Maybe it's that you've been around your family & you realize that something has to change. {just joking . . . } Maybe it's that in the last month you have eaten your entire body weight in finger foods, desserts & Christmas cookies. Whatever the reason, change & new are good things. They often bring better - a goodness that we didn't even know was missing.

For us, a big change that we are embarking on is that of the way & what we eat. We're not diving into some dead end dieting plan or the the whole 'organic, wheat grass, tofu' movement- for us, it's about being aware of what we are eating & what we are feeding our children. Simply put, most of the 'food' that we all eat isn't really food at all. It's very surprising to read exactly what is in the items we purchase at the grocery. Shocking, really. We're out to get back to the basics of nutrition.

With the help of my new bff, we have already began this adventure & it has been so good for our family. The coolest part for me is that last week, when I went to the store, I bought all we would need for meals, snacks, etc {and probably spent more $ than I should have} but then on Monday morning, we got 8 inches of snow {and where we live, that's enough to stop the world in motion!} and were stuck home for 3 days straight. And you know what . . . we had plenty of food. Good food. Real food. We still have so much leftover.

For me, beyond the healthy benefits of this, it's showing me that when we are aware of where we are putting our money for food, it seems that the Lord has stretched it & made it last. Does that make any sense?

This of course, by no means, means that we won't still eat out or eat processed food occasionally or that I won't let my kids enjoy candy & sugary stuff. It means it will be in moderation. It will be a privilege instead of an expectation.

I've already started some reorganizing in our kitchen & home {I hope to extend this past the food & into the way we clean & do day to day life as well} to help better equip us for this change. You know me, I don't pass up an opportunity to organize anything! I'll be sharing {pictures} about that stuff very soon!

what you do on snowdays . . .

2011-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

can you guess this song?

2011-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

{sorry for the interstate background noise!}

life in grace . . .

2010-12-28T18:03:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning on posting until after we were through with the holidays, but I felt like I needed to share this.

This is my blog mentor {and someone who I so wish I knew in 'real' life}.Her name is Edie. Her blog has inspired me. It has made me laugh. It has given great ideas for homeschooling and many home decor ideas. If there was ever anyone I've read who seem to enjoy 'home' the way it should be, she is it.

One the Tuesday before Christmas, during the night, Edie, her husband & their children escaped their home {without a scratch} to turn & watch it burn to the ground. A home that they had recently purchased & remodeled.

I've never met Edie. {although I'd really love to!} but I can at least pass on her story & ask you to pray for her family.

see you next year . . .

2010-12-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

Were you 'that' kid in school who always said that to your friends the day before Christmas break??! ha! I'll be stepping away from the blog for the holidays & enjoying every single fun.exciting.crazy.memorable.moments of the next weeks.

From our family to yours . . . . . .

See you next year!

{sorry, I couldn't resist!}

soul stir . . .

2010-12-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

The song O Holy Night, is one of my favorite Christmas songs. The words are so rich that it will often stir my soul each time I hear it - and that is just the adapted version {aka easier for us to sing version} After reading it from it's original translation, I am certain it is my absolute favorite. It was written in French in the mid 1800's . . . .
this is the literal English translation . . .

Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour,
When God-man descended to us

To erase the stain of original sin

And to end the wrath of His Father.

The entire world thrills with hope

On this night that gives it a Savior.

People kneel down, wait for your deliverance.

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!

May the ardent light of our Faith

Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,

As in ancient times a brilliant star

Guided the Oriental kings there.

The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;

O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness,

It is to your pride that God preaches.

Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

The Redeemer has overcome every obstacle:

The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.

He sees a brother where there was only a slave,

Love unites those that iron had chained.

Who will tell Him of our gratitude,

For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.

People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer!

on the outs . . .

2010-12-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

In these times, we are all looking for ways to cut cost - for us, it was Christmas cards this year. I sent a few homemade cards out {to immediate family & close friends} but that was it. It totalled $20 . . . pretty cheap, huh?! And that got me thinking . . . with blogs & facebook, is there really a need for Christmas cards anymore? With the intro of the blogging world & facebook, it is so convenient to keep up with everyone, that its seems to me the Christmas card may be on the outs. Any thoughts?

Regardless, here's our card from this year!

{which I designed myself, thank you very much! :) }

cookies . . .

2010-12-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today, we spent the day baking . . . well, the girls & I did, Deacon was busy sneaking

M&M's from the bag . . .

We made lots of Monster cookies! These are the most delicious cookies- my sister-in-law shared the recipe with me several years ago . . . now I'm passing along the love . . .

Monster Cookies

1/2 C butter;soften

1 C sugar

1 C plus 2 tsp. packed brown sugar

2 C peanut butter

3 large eggs

1 tsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

4 1/2 C oats

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C M&M's

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter at medium with mixer until creamy

Add sugars; beat well

Add peanut butter & next 3 ingredients; beat well

Stir in oats, baking soda, M&M's & chocolate chips; stir well {batter will be firm}

Drop onto greased cooking sheet or stone

Bake at 375 for 12-15 mins

Cool slightly on sheet; move to rack

enjoy!!!!

wanna be fashion queen . . .

2010-12-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not {at all} a fashion expert, but I do think I have a 'sense of style.' I love basics. Anybody can look good in basics. In fact, almost every fashion tip show that you watch will almost always focus on basics. I'm also learning that part of fashion, is just having the confidence to wear what you are wearing confidently. It's the best accessory. In no particular order . . . here are my top must haves . . .

1} black cardigan

everybody.should.have.a.black.cardigan.

Mine is about 3 years old, it's faded, but I love it. I have looked several times for a new one, but I just love the way mine fits so much- I'm not buying a new one until I find one that fits just like this one.

Seriously- they're cheap & convenient. Go get one.

2} maternity tank top.

yep, even if you're not pregnant. why?? because they are long. everyone knows someone who's shirts or sweaters always sit just a little too high, right? Don't be that person! Layer it up w/ a long, tank underneath- by 'lengthing' your look it will make you appear longer & leaner.

{I buy mine in the maternity section @ Target}

3} large round earrings.

preferable in this color. goes with everything. spices up a plain outfit.

4} scarf.

again . . . adds so much to a basic outfit. so cheap.

5} head gear.

paper boy hats. knit beanies. fabric headbands/scarfs.

{necessity for greasy hair days!}

6} mascara.

preferable this one. best mascara ever!

mascara goes a loooonnnggg way.

oh . . so do waxed eye brows!!

mascara: use it! waxed eyebrows: do it!

7} white v neck.

i'm a sucker for vintage fit tees. these are so versatile. dress them up or dress them down.

let's just watch the cleavage, 'kay?

8} goodwill.

fashion doesn't have to be expensive. shop here. see what you can find . . . you may be surprised.

9} never. ever. nope. nada.

Got any fashion tips? Do share!

vagabonds became prophets . . .

2010-12-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

The Word became flesh

Light shined through the darkness

Hope rattled through earthen cages

Grace descended like a dove

The Word became flesh

Strangers became children

Vagabonds became prophets

The poor were blessed

The Word became flesh

Wisdom put skin on

Evil crushed under a baby’s heel

Salvation heard in a baby’s cry

The Word became flesh

A screaming whisper

A silenced cymbal

A rose with a crown of thorns

The Word became flesh

Tyranny gave way to truth

Progress nauseated by perfection

Demons shuddered

The Word became flesh

The world called him Jesus

Jesus called the world His

The Word calls to us all

This a poem that my husband wrote a couple of weeks ago for Christmas. The passage from John chapter 1, is one of my favorites in the Christmas season. {It's actually the verse that my girls are memorizing this week} While driving home from dinner tonight, Brock & I were talking about one of my favorite lines in the poem: Vagabonds became prophets.
I love this line because it reminds me of the multi-faceted way that Christ birth changed the world. The moment Jesus was born the voices of thousands of prophets and martyrs were validated. We talked about how for hundreds of years people had thought of these men as lunatics. They were crazy, religious extremist who talked about things to come . . . . but nothing ever came. For years. Hundreds of years.
Then one night, in a small town, a teenage girl gave birth and in that moment . . . . Validation. All their dreams. Their writings. Their countless moments when {I'm sure} they second guessed everything they had ever said were fulfilled.
Critics are silenced.
The Word had became flesh and He was about to change the world. Forever.
Then Brock said something that took my breath . . . .
" That's exactly what it will be like when He comes again."

This Christmas season rest in the fact that the Word did become flesh. He made His dwelling among us. He has validated everything the Prophets of old told us about. And one day, He will come back and our message will be . . . validated.

great marriage series . . .

2010-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

My blog friend, Courtney {ok, so we're not really 'friends' but I so wish we were} is doing an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. series on the "M word" {Marriage} on her blog. So far, it has been full of wisdom, humor, advice & freedoms. No matter what state your marriage is in, it would well worth your time to read them . . . .

{Part 2 & 3 have been my favorties so far!}

Talking about the 'M' word series at storinguptreasures.com

holidays @ the tharpe home . . .

2010-11-30T05:58:00.000-08:00

It's my absolute favorite time of the year & I love decorating for it! Here's a little peek into our home in no particular order . . .

A lady in our church has handmade each of our children's stockings. I also love my nativity, which was given to me by a dear friend.

I saw this 'beans in a jar' idea on another blog {which I can not remember-so just know it wasn't my idea!} I had pinto beans in there for the fall & switched to northern beans for Christmas decor. {fyi: if you use them near a sink & have small children be advised that you may come home from being out of town to a bean sprouting up from your sink drain}

Just googled & downloaded this silhouette last year . . . I love this. One of my favorite pieces.

Obvious. oh, almost forgot . . . look just above the tree in the middle of the door frame . . . know what that is? yep, mistletoe! It grows in our trees! We've already been sharing lots of kisses :) The girls thought this was the coolest thing ever - they will stand under it & yell for Brock until he comes to give them a kiss.

Those are cheap-o Glad candles {because I refuse to pay crazy prices for something that you burn!} but they aren't the cutest, so I wrapped some burlap around them & secured w/ hot glue & jute twine.

The outside is still in process. . . so I'll share that soon.

Happpy decking the halls!!!!

ever feel like the only nut around . . .

2010-11-29T05:57:00.000-08:00

Pictures from around our holiday house coming tomorrow!

leaves . . .

2010-11-19T05:48:00.000-08:00

'Santa isn't real. . .

2010-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

but Jesus is!" This is what a little boy that I used to babysit said to me years ago. I remember in that very moment thinking that was exactly what I wanted my kids to say. It made that much of an impression on me. I was very happy when Brock & I talked about this issue when we had kids & he was on the same page. So, here at the Tharpe house, we don't 'do' Santa. He isn't the guy that comes in our house {well, actually my parents house since we are always in TN for Christmas} and leaves presents. Here's a few reasons why . . .

* It's creepy! Come on, a old man who 'watches' them all year long to see if they are being 'naughty or nice' . . really?? That's what you want kids to think about??!

* It's the exact opposite of the Gospel. This ' if you are good, than you get what you want' mentality is the exact.complete. polar. opposite of the teachings of Jesus. I've also heard of families who will actually stop giving their kids gifts when they 'stop believing in Santa' . . seriously?! That's just mean. When I think about how fragile faith is, it seems wrong to teach kids this . . . as they grow, if God isn't giving them what they want, will they stop believing in Him too? Just a thought.

* People who love our kids spend their time & their money to get them a gift & I want my children to be thankful to that person.

Now, having said all of that . . . we do have Santa as a part of our Christmas. Our children know him as a character. We compare him to Peter, Susan, Edmond & Lucy or any other fictional character they would read about in a book. He is a part of Christmas- he just isn't a real person. We have told them that not everyone thinks this way & that it's up to kids parents to tell them if they want to. They love visiting him at the mall & singing silly Christmas songs about him. It is possible to teach your kids to enjoy the character of who Santa is at Christmas time without them actually believing in Santa.

I promise I'm not trying to make this a huge issue or debate, I'm just sharing my thoughts & maybe even encouraging some other parents out there who feel pressured. I know I would have felted very encouraged had I read something like this when I was a young parent. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it - the decorating, the gift shopping {making}, the baking, the crafts, the gatherings . . .you get the point. But, I would be doing my children an injustice if that is all they thought about Christmas . . . I'm glad that they know 'Santa isn't real . . . but Jesus is."

discoveries of the day . . .

2010-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

Joining Courtney in sharing my own discoveries from the past couple of weeks . . . 1} Discovered that my house feels soooo much cleaner when the floors are clean. Now, if only somebody would come & clean them each week??!!! 2} Discovered {under my large dresser, that is actually my kitchen island} a hard boiled egg. Please don't even ask how long it has been there. 3} Discovered that unhooking the cable from the tv at night, makes for a much better morning at our house. 4} Discovered that Sponge Bob is a gross cartoon. 5} Discovered Heavenly Homakers and it has changed my life! 6} Discovered that I get incredibly homesick has soon as the leaves start changing. 7} Discovered that I am so still madly in love with my husband and grateful everyday that he is mine. 8} Discovered Fudge Mint Oreos. This was a bad discovery. 9} Discovered Mocha Frappuccinos. Also, a bad discovery. 10} Discovered that Sophie can totally rock some sassy, fashion bangs. 11} Discovered that Ella is a math genius. Definitely from her Dad. 12} Discovered that I love listing my discoveries . . . . Join in.

2010-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

happy halloween!

for the next few days . . . .

2010-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'll be here . . . .

and not on here. Have a great weekend.

the new normal . . .

2010-10-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I revisited my MySpace page recently {to finally shut it down- I'm mean really, who uses MySpace anymore??!} I read over my old journal entry to keep the ones I wanted & came across this one. I wrote this when my girls were about 10 months old - It still comforts me & reassures me . . . and it makes me laugh. {I promise I'm not as crazy these days- ha! I think I'm starting to get this motherhood thing down quite well . . . ;) }

Here's the original entry from MySpace:

I found this old journal entry from a few years ago. Neat to look back on your own thoughts. (Funny that I use Paul, considering I'm not a big Paul fan these days!)

______________________________________________

2 Corinthians5 - If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you 14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.

One of the hardest struggles I've had since my daughters were born, actually since the beginning of my pregnancy, has been my ability to spend time in the Word and in prayer.

I remember hearing other women talk about how much pregnancy and motherhood changes not only their lives as a whole, but it especially takes a tremendous toll on the mental state of a woman. Before my pregnancy, I was in the middle of writing my first bible study for young women. Brock, myself and several of our youth were leading monthly Sunday night services. I was able to advise the youth by reciting scripture to encourage them. And most importantly, I was able to be the wife that my husband needs--- physically, mentally and spiritually.

While it has been extremely important for Brock and myself to maintain a sense of normal in our home, one thing about parenthood that has completely blindsided us has been the unstable state of my mentality and the fact the he was totally unprepared to handle it. Don't get me wrong, he has be more patient and loving then most men would be, but I know it takes its toll on him. My feelings of being inadequate have made some moments in our home unbearable. Since our pregnancy was unplanned, I was no where near being mentally ready to handle the changes that parenthood brings. I have lost the mind of my old self and replaced it with a mind that is consumed with feeding schedules, diaper changes and laundry piles. I have been overwhelmed at the roles that I now play the lead in. In a moment of sanity the other day, I recalled a comment I heard a speaker say several years ago. While I was not a mother at the time, his words have brought about freedom in my life this week and ultimately has changed the way I look at my roles as a wife, mother and minister. While speaking to our church back home, he told the mothers in the audience to, " look for God in the diaper." After his comment, many in the congregation laughed, but I now know that many mothers in that audience probably felt a sense of relief and encouragement in that moment.

See, as a mother I pray consistently for my girls and their days with me, but I rarely find the time to have long, intimate talks with my Father. Some days I can catch up on some reading, just before a baby wakes, but some days I can't. I can, on a good day, fit in a phone conversation to encourage a friend, but most days I have to let the voicemail get it.

The freedom that I have found in Neil's comment is that I can't always be the minister to others that I want to be, but I can be the exact mother & wife that I am suppose to be. So now, I see God in the diaper. I see God in the bottle. I see God in the bath tub. I see God in chubby little hands. I see God in little feet. I see God in a toothless smile and hear Him in a magical giggle. I see God in big blue eyes, and I see God in the refection in those eyes.

In 2 Corinthians, chapter 5 , Paul writes , that if we are out of our minds, it is for the sake of Christ and later goes on to say, that we no longer live for ourselves. While I know that Paul's words were not intended to be used as encouragement for motherhood, I could not help but feel the peace of the holy spirit while reading these verses. What a sober thought. During the day, when I am at my wits ends with caring for my two busy bodies, it is for the sake of Christ. I have four little curious eyes watching my every move, hearing my every word, and reflecting my every action. If I am out of my mind, it is because I am concerned with Sophie and Ella's well being and nurturing them into the girls and women they are meant to be. As a priest, my "flock" , are two chubby ten month olds and I am to do everything in my power to tend, protect, and unconditionally love them. In our home, the old has definitely gone, and while that means giving up sacred long naps, the new is well worth the sacrifice.

i had a dream . . .

2010-10-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

A little over nine years ago, I had a dream. I was standing in a line at the mall. I walked up to the register, put my hand on the counter & noticed a huge diamond ring on my left hand. Before I could succumb to the confusion, I felt a hand on my shoulder-when I turned around, it was my friend, Brock. He looked right in my eyes and said, "I can't believe you did this when you knew you were suppose to marry me." and then . . . I woke up. That was it. That was all I got - but that was enough. I knew, in that moment, that one day I would be Mrs. Brock Tharpe.

Turns out, I was right.

A year later . . . I was.

Brock, thank you for asking {telling} me to be your wife.

Together we have done more than we ever could have done apart - including bringing three little people into the world. I am grateful everyday that you are my partner through this life journey.

You are still my dream come true . . . and I love waking up to you every morning.

happy anniversary and many more to come . . .

partay!

2010-10-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sophie & Ella had a fantastic birthday party THANKS to all our special friends & family!

Here's a few pictures from all the fun {and thanks to my sister.in.law, Sara, for taking pictures and

letting me enjoy the party}

Our girls are so very blessed with so many people who love them like family. I hope they realize, as they grow how lucky they are.

Of course, my favorite part was all the decor & planning - though I'm debating on going simpler next year as the added stress is so not necessary {I'm pretty sure I just heard Brock say 'Amen' as I typed those words}

I've always made a big deal out of my girls birthday- With multiples, you have to celebrate that you've made it another year & everyone survived! Thanks to everyone who came & gifted - you made it a great day.

sidenote: Sorry for the blog absence; this past week was too busy & I've missed blogging! How do you other blogging moms balance family, home & blogging?? I've thought about scheduling different night as blogging nights & other nights as no computer nights . . . Any advice welcomed.

happy birthday . . .

2010-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

. . Sophie and Ella!

Six years ago, you changed our lives forever.

You are turning into little women right before our eyes - how we wish we could just freeze you in time.

Happy Happy Birthday, sweet girls . . .

{riding one of their gifts from Pop & YaYa! - Party pictures coming soon!}

quite blog & flooding . . .

2010-09-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Blogs been a little quite lately, but that's not by my choice . . . my computer is very ill. Some days, it starts right up & others {like today} it made a loud, ear piercing sound & did nothing but a black screen. Thankfully, Brock has been bringing his home @ night, but all my pictures are on my computer - see my dilemma?! I'll be up & running again soon {hopefully}.

At this very moment, we are surrounded by water. My last measurement had the entire back of our house @ 7 inches of standing water - that was about 4 hours ago & it has been p.o.u.r.i.n.g. since then. We can still see the road & some grass in the neighbors yard, but other than that water is everywhere. We're a little concerned, but hope that it will begin to let up tomorrow {been raining since Sunday!} I'll put pictures up tomorrow . . . it we don't float away.

you can not . . .

2010-09-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

If God has called you to be really like Jesus He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it, and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honoured and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious He may let others get credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never feel distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an Infinitely Sovereign Being, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you up in Jealous Love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the inner circle.

Settle it forever, then that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, then you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.

- G. D. Watson

my motivation this morning . . .

2010-09-15T06:29:00.001-07:00

this & that . . .

2010-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Little collage of us doing some of our school work- I wrote more about our basic schooling this year in the tab above {Our Homeschooling} You can also click here to read it.

When I find the time, I hope to write more about our first few weeks {the good, the bad & the ugly!}

On Fridays, the girl participate in a volunteer service & we do some sort of family 'feild trip' - Right now, they are helping us with the Food Backpack programs at the local elementary school. We pack around 25 backpacks each week with enough food to fed a child through the weekend. We have been blessed by that school for letting us serve them in this way and I have left several times broken hearted when I see the little faces come to pick up their bags- so wishing I could do more for them.

Their field trip was to the downtown library for a book scavenger hunt - they loved it! {They thought it was just a game, but little did they know they were learning how to use a library ;) }

Downtown Wilmington is one of my favorite places- the culture, the atmosphere, the shops - We enjoyed a nice lunch outside overlooking the Cape Fear.

The girls also had their first soccer game of this season Saturday morning- they won 5-1! {Sorry no pictures-they don't have their uniforms yet} and Ella scored a goal! Of course the day ended on a bad note when our beloved Tennessee Volunteers lost to Oregon - boo!

We still look good in orange :)

Here's to weekends in the fall . . . . sports, food, family & fun!

guest blogger: meet maria!

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Maria is my real life friend.

She started out in our youth group way back in 2003-I think she is a little psychic because she told me I was having twins several weeks before I found out I was having twins. She was my first phone call.

She has gone from the girl in our youth group to a good, close friend.

We like to vent to one another about how we just don't feel that we fit in anywhere. {we're just cool like that}

She has become quite the blogger- we decided it would be fun to do a swap post for the day.
Here's my interview with Maria . . .

1}Why do you blog?

I initially started blogging so that our family could see pictures and get quick updates of the boys. Although the boys' grandparents live close by, all of our extended family lives out of state.

Over the past year or so, I'd say my blog has evolved a bit. Instead of of exclusively posting pictures, I've written a lot more. I've come to realize how therapeutic writing can be for me. I've also really "gotten into" reading other people's blogs as well. Its pretty incredible to be able to get to know other people, feel their sorrow and find encouragement.

2} How do you manage family & school?

It's really pretty simple...I have 5 internet classes this semester so I'm able to stay home without having to go to campus. I spend the weekdays doing the same thing any other SAHM does-caring for my kids and cleaning house! But when they take their nap in the afternoon (about a 2 hour stretch) I sit down and do schoolwork. And every evening after they go to bed, I spend 3-4 hours doing the "bulk" of my workload. I work so hard throughout the week so that I can have my weekends "free" to spend with Kane. It's very important to me (and Kane!) to be able to have that time together.

I get asked a lot about how I stay so motivated. Right now, I'm caring for my family as they will ALWAYS come first. But one day...one day my kids are going to grow up. And recently I've realized that I have a passion. A real passion. My heart burdens for broken people. For the underprivileged and neglected. I have to do something. Even if the at the end of my life, I have only helped one person/family- I'm okay with that. So hopefully within the next 2-6 years I'll finally have my degree in Social Work (who knows what life will throw at me? ;).

3} What is your ideal 'night out'?

Any night out {sans kids} with my husband is ideal! Honestly, we really aren't too picky. We love to go out to eat and have normal adult-conversations, and typically we'll go see a movie afterwards. It's really not about where we are or what we do, it's really just getting out and spending time together.

4} As a follower of Jesus, what are some stereotypes that you wish you weren't labeled as?

I'm going to answer this a bit differently because I have the following on my mind. ;) The biggest peeve of mine that I see Christianity being stereotyped as (by fellow Christians, no less) is the "having it all together" facade. More recently, I feel as though Christianity has become synonymous with perfection. Perfect marriage. Perfect kids. Perfect home. Everything is just perfect. And I think that's a major turn off to non-Christians. (I feel) as though Christianity is such a spiritual, mysterious, life-long, Jesus-seeking state-of-mind that has been shortchanged to judgement and hypocrisy. I'm going to end my rant on this note...A while back I was going through the motions of church one Sunday morning, and during prayer requests, a member stood up and announced he had "fallen off the wagon" and desperately needed prayer for his alcoholism. That event remains so distinctive to me because I remember thinking, that is what church should be like. Raw and open honesty.

Okay, now my rant is over.

5} What are someways you cut cost for your family?

Off brand everything. Store brand is just as sufficient-I use to buy my boys' when they were babies "brand-name" items like Swaddlers, Enfamil, Pampers...you get the point. But then I wised up and starting saving lots of money by using the Target brand items. We also just keep our bills to a minimum. We literally have only necessity bills- rent, electric, car payment, car insurance, cell phone. Lastly, I always buy clothes for the boys' ahead of season. Jeans, shorts, sweaters, swim trunks, etc. for ridiculously cheap (as in less than $3 an item).

Thanks for sharing Maria!

{loved your insight on #4- totally with you}

You can read more from her at:

www.thetrochelmans.blogspot.com

I'll be guest blogging over there today, so head on over . . .

courtesy of matt redman . . .

2010-09-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

miscellany monday {labor edition} . . .

2010-09-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Since this Miscellany Monday falls on Labor day, I thought I'd miscellany about my 'labors' . . .

{1} four

That's how many hours I labored with my twin daughters. The story of their birth began quite comical.

I was at bible study {apparently laboring the whole time!} After stuffing my face with some pancakes & sausage, I walked to the fridge to get a drink and . . . splash. For a spilt second I thought I had lost bladder control, then I realized my water had broke! It was like a tv sitcom. Everyone running around - excited, nervous, laughing. From the time my water broke to the time Sophie & Ella were delivered it was 4 hours & I was comfortable the whole time. I'm sure had I progressed further I would have a different view.

{2} zero

That's how many hours I labored with my son. He was a scheduled c-section.

{3} home

I like the idea of laboring {birthing} at home. If my first pregnancy would have been 'normal', I might have considered it. Seems like you would be much more calm & relaxed in your own home. { I don't think I could try it now for my own health sake.}

{4} really?

How about the show I didn't know I was pregnant? Really???! How could you not know??! I'm just curious. And moreover, how could you not know when you were laboring? Did you think these unbearable pains were normal?!

{5} amazing

It amazes me that a woman's body can grow a human and then labor to deliver & give life to these little tiny beings. Really if you think about it too much your head starts to hurt. Simply amazing.

{6} more labor

I hope to have at least one more labor . . . wink.wink.

the last days of summer . . .

2010-08-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

Seems like not that long ago I was typing this post about the lazy days of summer & now I'm typing the last days of summer. I have to admit, I like typing those words. I enjoy summer & the fun that it brings but I can't stand to be hot. It is my least favorite thing ever-living in southeast NC during the summer makes you this way. I never use to hate summer as much until I moved here. Here are the last few pictures I grab of our fun in the sun. I've got 1 swim diaper left that we may use at the beach sometime this week, but after that it will be time to throw in the 'ol beach towel. {haha, pun intended} Plus, fall fashion is soooo much cuter than summer - I mean who doesn't love layering??!

We are in our second week of homeschooling! yay! It is going surprisingly well! We begin with prayers each day {which is why I believe it's going so well!} This morning I forgot {was a little flustered} and mid way through had Ella pray for us. She was quick to do so - it reminded us all that we needed a little extra help today. I'll write more about our first few weeks soon . . . . {I know you can't wait for that ~~boring~~ post!}

School & daily routine are taking up most of our time right now & the girls will start their second soccer season this Friday. We are also working on crafts, decorations & the planning of Sophie & Ella's 6th birthday party . . . here's a little sneak peek . . . can you guess the theme??! :)

I'm hoping that once we get a good routine going, I'll be back to blogging regularly. I love chatting with all the blogger peeps! Happy Tuesday!

miscellany monday . . .

2010-08-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

{1) Weird allergies.

We've all heard of the usual: nuts, eggs, bees, etc . . .

Want to know what my kids are allergic to?

Yes, that is a hotdog. Weird kids.

{Granted if we really read the ingredients, we probably shouldn't be eating them anyway, but then again if we read the ingredients on most stuff we eat. . . . ok, that's a whole different post.}

{2} Sad.

My mom, sister & niece just left my house to make the 8 hour trip back to TN. I'm feeling rather home sick.

{3} Hold your breath.

Whenever I'm driving {or riding} & we drive over a dead animal on the road I hold my breath. I have no idea why. I guess I don't want to breath in the death germs that could seep in from the bottom of the car?!

{4} Character.

I have never been a fan of character clothing, but I'm finding it harder to do with a boy. Deacon loves Thomas & Buzz. Lucky for me they make such cute pj's! {you know that he can wear in bed & not in public}

{5} Falling for Fall.

Already put the fall wreath on the door. I absolutely, completely, totally love fall. Come on cooler weather.

Don't forget to head on over to Carissa's blog & link up your on miscellany's!!

condoning or redeeming?

2010-08-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've been reading through Mike Yaconelli's book Messy Spiritually again this week. In my opinion, e.v.e.r.y. person who seeks to be like Jesus should read this book. {it's very short & a very easy read} We were fortunate enough to see Yac in his last public speaking setting before he was killed in an auto accident in 2003. I so wish he were still around because his views & outlook on this 'thing' we call Christianity were much needed. Every time I read the book, something new seems to speak to me; this time was no different. He tells a very common story of a young couple who live together & find themselves expecting. So, instead of having a wedding {because of their shame} they get married at the court house & decided to save their money for the baby. When their friends catch on to the situation they decide to throw them party. A surprise wedding party. All their family & friends come. The couple is overwhelmed by the grace displayed before them. He goes on to finish the story like this:

The Kingdom Monitors{the 'perfect' Christians who think they have a right to decide who is in & who is out} would raise their voices immediately, "You can't do this! You are condoning the sin of two young people who lived together and conceived a baby before they were married. Real Christians do not condone unbiblical living!" And they would be correct. Christians do not condone unbiblical living; we redeem it.

I could feel the light bulb turn on in my head. How many times have I shallowly looked in on a situation thinking that someone was condoning another's actions, when in reality they were trying to help redeem it? I thought of ugly judgemental comments I've have spoken or heard over the years that have come from the mouths of many Christ followers- hateful, condescending words.
Words very far from Recovery. Healing. Forgiveness.

I pray that because I have been Redeemed, I am a redeemer. Before I judge or questions ones motives, I pray that I see the redemption Jesus does. To look past our sins & see what could be. How sad that too many of us have surrounded ourselves with Pharisees, that we don't even know what it would look like to show redemption to the ones who need it most. I think I would much rather be known as the person who hung out with sinners & tax collectors than a perfect Kingdom monitor. How about you?

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? Matthew 7:1-3

I found this picture when I googled the word "redemption." I thought it spoke volumes.

{photo by Zhang Jingna}

a year gone by . . .

2010-08-19T05:49:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, this happen to my son. I really don't like to talk about it because it still makes me very sad. We are still grateful and amazed by the work of his surgeon & the beauty of how it has healed.

Of course, we know that it was no surprise to our Father, who was in it then & continues to heal him now.

Just disregard the dirt around his mouth and his vampire teeth. :)

{lucky for him vampires are totally cool right now! ha!}

2010-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Deacon is completely obsessed with trains right now so I thought why not take some pictures of him on the tracks with his trains?! I've been wanting to get some 'vintage timeless' pictures of the girls anyway & figured railroad tracks would be a perfect backdrop for that too. Brock thought the the whole thing was weird, but I l.o.v.e. how they turned out. I'm still editing them, but here's a few . . . .

parenting flaws . . .

2010-08-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Warning: this could be the worlds longest post. Just kidding. No really, it could be if I wrote about all of my parenting flaws. Today though, we are just focusing on one. A big one. One that gets the best of me a lot. Ok . . here it is . . I'm a loner. I absolutely, totally love to be alone. I love silence & calmness. I often have to sneak away to my room during the day to be alone even for just a few sacred minutes. My children however, do not know the meaning of a loner & how much that loner loves to be alone. We're working on it. I'm giving in a little, but they haven't caught on to the concept that sometimes Mommy needs a little timeout of her own.
I had a light bulb moment regarding this whole thing tonight - We {Brock & I} haven't made time away from our children a priority. It's one of the cons to living away from grandparents. We are always with our kids- you know the old saying Absence makes the heart grow fonder . . . well, I'm not too fond of them these days which tells me I need to be absent some. Also, I believe it's a lie we have bought into that everything has to center around family. Sure our family is important. The well being of our kids is important, but not at the expense of raising kids who think the world revolves around them. So, how do you other moms do it? How do you get away without spending $? What are toys/games that your kids play alone? Anybody know the name of good babysitter . . .