It's that time...

 It's that time of year again!  The tides are right, the breeze is salty, and life is simple .  Yes, it's Pine Island Time.  I LOVE being on the boat with my hub enjoying God's beauty all around.  There is something about feeling His peace in the middle of the ocean.  (Well, not actually "the middle", and actually not even too far out, but you get the point).   I love fishing.  I've been fishing since I was a little girl and grown up with an father and brother who fished every moment they could (and still do).  Then I married a man who now shares the same love :)  It works out well when you and your spouse have a hobby that you enjoy together.  Not the best picture below, but what do you expect when you wake a girl up at 5ish to get on the water.  

Me and my dad!

Did I mention that we always bring Kenny with us?  (Chesney, that is ).

Sisters and cousins

My sister and her family have spent the last week with us and the time went by way to fast.  We laughed until we cried, we ate way too much, we stayed up late critiquing watching Dancing with the Stars, we shared our heart with each other, we watched cousins being best friends, we ordered cheese fries at Outback, shared makeup, talked about style (or in my case, lack of), hair coloring, and decorating.  We compared everything from gray hair to cell phones.   We talked about Jesus and heaven, and sinners and saints.  We dreamed about living in the same town and the fun that we would have.  As I grow older, I appreciate my "peanut-butter-sister-time" more with each visit.  I enjoy watching my 4 lovely's playing with their cousins and seeing their friendships grow, too.   Thank you, Jesus, for sisters...and for cousins.   I am blessed- 

Dirty, little hands!

Are these seriously my baby G's fingernails?  I mean, gross!  I definitely do not let my kids dig in the gross dirt in our back woods...well, maybe every now and then  single day I do let them lose in the back woods to explore :)  They're kids, right!?

And just in case you couldn't get the full affect from the first pic, here's a closer look for your viewing pleasure.  But just to ease your mind, I did clean them soak, scrub, cut, and scrub them some more before Easter Sunday.  

Dirt or no dirt, I just love my kids hands.  I pray that these little hands will stay pure and holy .  I pray that these little hands would be used to serve others.  I pray that these little hands will grow to be bigger hands that are not lazy, but hard-working, bringing forth fruit through their labor.  And I pray that these little hands would be held up high in worship praising their Lord!    Thank you, Jesus, for these little hands!

Still Counting...

1 Chronicles 16:8-9  "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of ALL his WONDERFUL acts."

56.  The empty tomb!
57.  Holding hands and hearts!

58.  Easter egg hunts in Florida weather :)

59.  #2 and #4

60.  New life, new growth. 

61.  My sister's coming to visit for a week!  :)

62.  God's financial provisions.

63.  Time with Jesus in the early morning hour!

64.  Coffee pot brewing at 5:45 a.m.  (music to my ears)!

65.  SPRING BREAK finally!

66.  Leftover Easter ham sandwiches on parkerhouse rolls. 

67.  My mom is coming to visit!

68.  The first soccer game of the season for a 3 and 4 year old. 

69.  A competitive by nature little girl and a not-so-competive  laid back little boy!  (I love #2 on her knee and "getting her game on").

70.  God's peace that overcomes fear.

71.  A fishing trip on the books!

72.  Disney annual passes.

73.  God taking me out of my comfort zone and stretching me.

74.  Innocent and tender hearts living for Jesus!

75.  The promise of eternal life for those who believe.

76.  The anticipation of what's to come...

77.  6 year old blondie on the porch reading her Bible and and underlining her "key" words in Scripture.

78.  Sisters planning club meetings and agendas for their "Precious Girls Club".

79.  Waking up in the night to find little "baby G" sound asleep in the middle of hub and I.

80.  The sound of the pond fountain in the background as I type this list.

81.  Pink shoelaces.

Counting to One Thousand....

At the foot of the Cross...

That's where you can find me this week...

Humbled and on my knees.

Time stood still!

Today was an unusually busy day!  For those who know me, I'm not a busy girl, for the most part.  I am a home body!  I love my home.  I love being home.  And because I live at least 25 minutes from anywhere (another story) I don't leave my home much.  Except today.  We had a short school day b/c Friday's are usually just a wrap up from the week day and a test day, and then I had to drive into town to take some Ebay packages to the post office.  All of this before 11a.m. when the kids had to be at my dad's house to pick up 16,000 pine cones!  As I was heading home from the post office, I spotted a shanty of a thrift store tucked way back on hwy 192.  So, of course, I did a 360 and pulled right in.  "Stay put, kids.  Watch your movie.  Mommy will be RIGHT back".   Needless to say, they are good sports and used to these "pit stops"!  (Don't worry yourself...I was parked right next to the outdoor sale, so I was literally less that 10 feet from the car).  And then...time stood still for a moment, and I saw her!  And she had friends.   She was looking right at me and smiling back.  She needed a new home and we needed her!  And her!  And her!  And her!  And her!  And yes, her!  Yep!  SIX PRETTIES in all for under $100.  Now keep in mind,  they'll all be getting an Extreme Makeover so don't judge them or me for such shanty finds!  But, without further ado... let me introduce you to:

Baby "G's" new dresser!  

And her friends below:

Our new coffee table ...

An added bonus of a side table!  She was intended for our upstairs movie room, but I think I may want her downstairs...not sure yet.

I saved the best for last!  I'm sorry, but she's gorgeous.  Or at least I think she'll be after a fresh coat of paint, some distressing, and a new beautiful fluffy toile cushion.  Are you feeling it?  

So, in case you can't find me over the next 6 months, I'll be in the garage with my sander and paintbrush.


I can't wait to share the makeovers with you in the weeks to come.

Ask, seek, knock...

   Matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

  

As I mentioned earlier this week, I am having fun going through old pictures on the computer.  I am flooded with memories and sweet moments in time as I scroll through each picture.  I am amazed at how fast this journey we called "life" is going.  This is our sweet boy back in 2006!  And yes, our (old) picket fence in the doors reflection.   I sure do I miss this picket fence at 525 Baxter and the house that it surrounded!  But that's another story that I'm sure to share another day.  

Multitude Monday

Giving thanks today and always for....

51.  Finding old pictures on my computer that flood my mind with sweet memories!

52.  The truth that His mercies are new every morning.

53.  Sweet girls walking hand in hand!

54.  Sweet time with daddy!

55. Beautiful blue skies and four of God's greatest blessings!

Thank you, Ann,  for your beautiful words about gratitude and thanksgiving.   I am continually blessed by your heart!

Why do I love my Cricut?...

... Because I can make these in just minutes!

And these beauties...

Add a little ribbon....

And there you have a birthday banner!

The only problem is that I made it for a dear friend and I failed to take a picture of it actually hung.  I'll get right on that Saturday at sweet Darby's 1st birthday party...

Christmas in March!

Much to my surprise, I opened the front door today to find this....

And inside....

Books, books, books!  23 in all.  (And this is our second order of this quantity in just over a week).  My girls are LOVING reading for the first time ever!  You see, I grew up reading ONLY when I absolutely had to, and even then, skimming the books simply to get a report or assignment done...never by choice!  Even today, I don't enjoy reading for pleasure by myself, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading to and with my kids!   My hub and I have prayed many times that the Lord would give our children a love for reading and He has shown favor and answered our prayer.  I am so blessed!  Most of our books that we received today are about American pioneers and I am so excited to start this study with the girls tomorrow.  I love that we have the freedom to homeschool and teach our children true history, science, and God's truths everyday...all day!   For this, I am grateful!  I'm also thankful for a husband that works hard to support our addiction  love and fascination for books.    (We get 90% of our books from Christianbook.com and absolutely LOVE the books that they offer.)  

Multitude Monday (on Tuesday)

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."  Psalm 9:1-2

26. Laughing until you cry!
27. Sweet-potato pancakes.
28. Safe travels.
29. Antique shopping in a new city.
30. Rolling hills in the country.
31. Playing "make-up" with my sisters :)
32. Mints on my nightstand before bed. (Thank you, Jenna).
33. Hearing God's truth and obeying His Word.
34. Healing.
35. Times of waiting.
36. Starbucks white chocolate mochas.
37. Brokenness.
38. Joy in the morning.
39. Homeschooling in our jammies.
40. The extra long hug from my husband before he leaves for work.
41. Piano music.
42. The sound of giggling coming from upstairs.
43. Reuniting with my kids after being gone for 4 days.
44. Extra coupons in the Sunday paper.
45. Sisters-in-Christ.
46. A generous heart.
47. Childlike faith.
48. Hearing my 3 year old say, "Mommy, let's pray!"
49. Laying my burdens down on the alter.
50. A toothless blondie!

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

...don't know when I'll be back again. Actually, I'll be back in just a couple of days. Just a quick trip to Franklin, TN. I have just a couple of things on my agenda. One being to visit my sister and brother (and their families) and the second is to do a little small town shopping. Not the fancy shopping either! The downtown warehouse full of "treasures" kind of shopping. You know, those old shanty houses where the front door just might fall off when you enter. That's where you can find me this weekend. I am praying hoping that I find that one special shabby treasure that whispers in my ear, "Pick me, pick me". Maybe it will simply be a glass milk jug in an old rusty milk carrier or an old chippy (seriously, I know that's a word!) painted locker basket that I'll store my new Flea Market Style magazine in.



(If you haven't rushed out to get this magazine, there is no time like the present). But whatever it is I know it will be love at first sight! (Insert sarcasm here... "Oh, my hub will be so excited to have a new treasure for our home"...end of sarcasm) For some reason, my very large and overpopulated city that I call home, just doesn't have this kind of shopping, so I must go to other towns to find such "antiques" and I do use the word loosely! So, there you have it. I'm off to see my siblings who by the way are my best friends, and to find glass jugs.

Giving thanks!

Ever since I stumbled upon  Ann Voskamp's at aholyexperience.com, I fell in love with not only her anointed  words, but her attitude of thanksgiving in all things.  She truly  has  a "heart spilling over with gratitude".  Just as thanksgiving has changed Ann's life, I suspect it will change my life as well.   Psalm 30:12 say "O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever".  Won't you join me every Monday on my journey to 1000 thanksgivings and "taste and see that the Lord is good".
1.  Salvation to a sinner such as me!2.  My God-fearing husband.3.  Sweet first child with a sensitive heart and quiet spirit.4.  Energetic second child with a boldness for Christ!5.  Low key third child with a heart of gold and a need for hugs!6.  Crazy, fun, and funny fourth child who loves Jeremiah 29:11.  7.  Scripture!8.  The sound of my washing machine breaking the silence of all 4 children napping.9.  Worship!10.  Flip flops in the winter.11.  Picket fences.12.  Sunny, blue skies!13.  My 3 year old learning to swing on her own today.  Ahh...the joy, the freedom!14.  Early morning prayers with my husband before the sun comes up.15.  Fresh, clean sheets on the beds.16.  The smell of lilac.17.  Forgiveness!18.  The freedom to homeschool.19.  Old friends from college!20.  Memories of family vacations as a child.21.  Siblings who are also your best friends.22.  Flats fishing with my husband.23.  The smell of the salt water. 24.  A warm breeze on my face.25.  The brilliant colors that God created.
...In ALL things, big and small, I will give you thanks and praise!  

Ephesians 5:33

"Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  So my hub and I went to a Love and Respect Seminar this weekend given by the renown Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.  The tickets were a given to us as a Christmas gift from my family.  I have to start by saying that hub and I were less than excited to spend the weekend away from the kids and at a seminar, none the less!  Boring with a capital B!  Boy, were we wrong.  It was an amazing time of teaching, learning, laughing, and growing.  Although I have never struggled with respecting my husband (mainly because he is an amazing man of God, the spiritual leader in our home, a man of integrity, a hard worker, kind, loving, gentle, a great father, provider, and protector...okay, you get the point) I still learned a ton about the sanctity of marriage and how extremely different the Lord wired man and woman.    I am still trying to wrap my mind around everything I learned.  I feel so blessed to be married to my man and although we've hit bumps in the road (and will hit many more in our years) we have one common goal and that is to glorify God through our marriage.   I pray that my girls will marry a man just like their daddy one day, and that my boy will love his wife just as his daddy has loved me!    I pray that our marriage will leave a legacy for our children to follow one day!  

I am blessed-

Blogger anxiety

Okay, so here goes nothing.  I'm officially going from a faithful blog stalker to a blogger!  I said it would NEVER happen, that I would never blog!   And this is exactly why...I have blogger anxiety!   I'm not a great writer, my spelling is terrible, I should be folding laundry right now, and I'm not even sure what all I will blog about.   Maybe I'll blog about homeschooling our awesome kids, maybe my amazing husband who loves me more than I deserve.  Perhaps I'll share my love of Shabby Chic and cottage style anything, or my love of a good thrift store find!  I'll definitely blog about Jesus and my journey to know Him more.  But for whatever reason, I'm jumping on the blog bandwagon.    And maybe, just maybe, I'll discover that I enjoy it.  But for right now, I must admit, I'm just a bit out of my comfort zone.  

Until next time-