InstaFriday

Life has been super busy the last few weeks. So, here are some Instagram pictures so, I can catch you up!!

One day last week, Miss O came and spent the afternoon with us and we took a walk down to the fountain downtown.  And then continued on to the library and back to our house to play for a while.  

It was a great afternoon and i think we wore these two out!

We also went to dinner at one of my favorite places later in the week last week.

It's  a fabulous Italian place with the best garlic knots ever. AND the cinnamon knots are incredible, too!

Maggie posed on their lion for me to take her picture.

 That Friday morning, a friend and I went to a warehouse sale of one of our favorite local boutiques.

It's a kids clothing store and we both got some great things.

Then we went to eat at this funky local restaurant.

I can't even remember the name of it, but you can bet I remember where it is {sort of}

Because I had the best Falafel wrap ever!!!

It was delicious!!!!

Friday evening our churches annual Camp Patton Springs began.

These 4 were so excited to be headed out.

Poor Brady thought he was going to get to stay, too.

Instead he got supper with mom and doughnuts for dessert!

Last Saturday, I went to my sisters first baby shower.

It was lovely.

Don't you think she is lovely too?  

Then I had a sick kid over the weekend so no pictures from then.....

But Tuesday was our last day of school.

Ice cream to celebrate!!!

Tuesday afternoon, J came over to play with B.

They are such sweet friends.

On Wednesday, we got to go take my MIL to lunch for Mother's Day and then went back to her house for dessert, playing games and just visiting for a bit!

Yesterday, I got my hair did......

 Tonight was dress rehearsal for the recital this Sunday.

This is Lillie and her friend Auti.

Sweet friends.

Hopefully that catches you up on what I've been up to lately.....

Linking up to InstaFriday.....

in HIM-

Last Day of School 2012

Today was the last day of school in these parts.  

After picking the girls up from school for the last time, 

We drove to a local ice cream shop to celebrate with ice cream and 

homemade vanilla OR cinnamon waffle cones!

A friend invited us to go to this shop on the first day of school 4 years ago.

It has become tradition to go on the first day of school and the last.

We are thankful, Kris, that you invited us to join you that very first day of school 4 years ago.

And we will miss Jack The Dipper.  

What a bittersweet day!!

in HIM-

My Favorite Hymn

My friend asked me recently to come up with some of my favorite hymns and praise songs for her.  

That got me thinking and I'm going to make a list for her.

One that I didn't have to think about was this one.

It is my FAVORITE hymn ever.

And I especially love this version.....

I also, especially like the words of this song.

Such a challenge for me.....

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

That's it.  My favorite hymn of all time!

Now, I'm curious!

What's your favorite hymn?

in HIM--

Monday Moments

I've got loads to share with you about our weekend but quite frankly, I'm too tired to upload and edit the rest of the pictures so maybe tomorrow I will do that.

 Yes, Maybe tomorrow.

{maybe}

hopefully.....

Anyways, so for today -- I thought I'd just share with you a few snippets from our Monday.  

Allie had a lighthouse project due today.

You know, we do live in North Carolina and 4th grade is state history.

So, light house projects.

Allie chose to do the Ocracoke lighthouse.

She had her Daddy have spent lots of time on this project, even making the light work.

I think she was pleased with how it turned out.  

Also, see that tv on back there..... well, by 5 PM today, it no longer worked.

A flash of lightening got it --- out of nowhere!

I also took Lillie to the doctor this morning. She ran a fever all day Saturday and Sunday. 

But this morning the fever was very low.

But to the doctor we went to be sure it wasn't strep throat.

It wasn't.

The dr. sent us home with nothing since she had no more fever.

Lillie and I went to breakfast with a friend and she looked like this.

not sick at all.....

She came home and played with her brother all afternoon.

Was fine when we sat in carline to get her sisters.  

Came back home and started cleaning her room and then BAM!

By 5PM, here fever was back up to 101.8.......so frustrating and sad that she is still sick!!!

I know this picture is super grainy but I love it.

As I was folding my third load of laundry for the day my sweet boy came and hugged me from behind so we snapped a picture together.

Then it was time for church meetings and dance classes.

After those things were over, we wet for a quick supper at our favorite local mexican place.

Where I promptly knocked over my tea.

All over the table.

I'm super graceful, y'all.

After that it was home for bedtimes , more laundry, and now - I'm headed off to bed myself.

It was a very full Monday.

Even with a sick kid, not a bad one at all.  

Hope you had some good Monday moments, too!

in HIM-

The Hardest Part

I've been sitting on some information this week because I haven't known what to say about it.  I still don't know what to say about it but I'm hoping that the Holy Spirit gives me words to say as I write.
Ken and I received the news that we will be moving to serve a new church this year. We will be moving our family in early July.

You probably know that my husband is a United Methodist Pastor.  You may or may not know that being a pastor in the United Methodist Church means that you are part of an itinerant system.  The clergy in the United Methodist Church are appointed to serve churches.  You might be wondering why this is.
There are many reasons why the United Methodist Church does this.  Jesus was sent to earth on a mission to save us because of God's love for the World. And after Jesus had fulfilled his mission here on earth, he left his followers with this directive:


 ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)


Jesus calls us to go and make disciples of all nations and that is the primary objective of the United Methodist Church.  We are called to go into all the world and proclaim the Good News.  Being a pastor is about the GOOD NEWS not about being a chaplain, though, at times,  that is part of the "job".  We go where we are sent, pure and simple.  And while, appointments are made by a Bishop and his or her cabinet, I know WHO is really in charge.  And though this itinerant system was man-made {begun by John Wesley, founder of Methodism}, and therefore, has flaws, I fully believe that as it says in Romans 8, that all things work together for the good of those who are called according to HIS purpose.  


And all that knowledge is what makes all this so dern hard!
I know God is sovereign and that HE is ultimately in charge.  I know that HE will work it all out for HIS good.  And I do trust all of that.

But it is always so hard.  Matter of fact, it is the hardest part of being a pastor's wife.  I'm sure it's the hardest part of being the pastor's kids.  I'm even sure it is the hardest part of being a pastor.
It was just 4 short years ago that we got The Call to move to Sylva.  And it was only two short years before that when we were called to move to Drexel.
Starting over in a new place, building new relationships, is always hard. Starting a new school and a new church, living in a new house,  for my kids, is always hard.
 Leaving the people we have grown to love, the people we have poured our lives into for the past four years is hard.  Feeling that there is so much more to do here is hard.

BUT, it is our mission.  There are many times that I feel much like a missionary.  We may not be going out of the country but were still being called to go somewhere new.  To start over. To go, and proclaim the good news in a new way to a new church in a new town.  And all of that combined brings on a myriad of emotions.  Sadness, worry, trepidation, excitement, tiredness, and many more I can't even put into words.
But, because I know that this is the life God has called my family and I to live, I will do it.  NO matter how hard it is or what man has caused, GOD is still in charge and He is calling my family to serve in a new place.

It reminds me of this song....

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?

I have heard You calling in the night.

I will go Lord, if you lead me,

I will hold Your people in my heart!

God is calling my family to go to Sherrill's Ford, NC .  And we will go, not reluctantly, but with excitement in our hearts for what God will do through us.  We will go with a bit of sadness for leaving those we've come to know and love in Sylva.  We will go remembering what He's done before and what He will do again!  We will go.  We will go, EVEN though it is the hardest part.  We will go, holding all of HIS people in our hands.

We will go, because as it says in the Message version of Matthew 28:20, Jesus goes with us day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.  

in HIM-

Join the Pinning Party!!!

I am sure that most of you know what Pinterest is!  While it is true that Pinterest is addictive and another huge way that I can waste time on the computer, it's also pretty awesome!

I have always been one of those girls who ripped pages out of magazines and put them in categorized notebooks so I could remember something about the page for the future.  A recipe I wanted to try.....a piece of furniture......wedding dresses......movie stars.......nail polishes I wanted to get......house plans.......room layouts.....exercise regimes.......  You name it, I've probable ripped it out of a magazine at some point in my life and put it in a three ring binder to remember.  I've even been known to print such things off of my computer from different websites.....  Which is what makes Pinterest so awesome for me.  It's a place where I can go and "pin" to a virtual {categorized} bulletin board things I want to remember.  You can even find something on a completely different website and pin it to Pinterest!

It's awesome.


I have several different boards and I'm loving pinning on them.  I thought I would share a few with you today.

I have a Recipes Board where I pin things that look really good to eat. A lot  Some of what is on that board is very unhealthy {but delish!} .  I do have a few healthy things on there. This is an awesome Crab Salad Melt.  I plan on making these this week.

You can find the recipe here.

I have another board totally dedicated to ideas for a house.

I love this bedroom.  I think it's dreamy.   Especially the bedding.

Another board that I have is totally dedicated to Organization.  

Surprised?  

I thought not!!!

Look at this.  Definitely going to figure out a way to do this.  It's a over then door shoe holder with all your cleaning products stored there.  LOVE!!

MUCH better than under my sink.  Just gotta figure out which door to put it on.

DO NOT want this to be seen.  

That would drive me nuts.  

Laundry Room somehow maybe..... {couldn't find a link to where this came from. sorry}

I have many boards dedicated to decorations for each holiday. Lately, I've been looking at 4th of July ideas.....

Look at this awesome wreath!  

Looks like a lot of work but well worth it I'd say!

And you can use it over and over!

Lastly, {for now}, I have still another board of home ideas.

If I were going to build a house, I would definitely do this!!!

VERTICAL SILVERWARE DRAWER.

Seriously, I LOVE it!!!!!  

These are just a few of the boards I have on Pinterest.
Are you on Pinterest?  What do you like to pin?

If you  are not on Pinterest and would like to be, two things you should know.
First, you have to be invited to be on Pinterest. I'm not sure techie but I think I can figure out how to invite you if you're interested.
Second,  I've learned that you should always test the things you want to pin to make sure they actually go to the place that will give you said recipe or idea instructions. Sometimes, as with the over the door house cleaner holder -- it's not a big deal. BUT, other times it is. I've pinned several recipes that don't have links to the actual recipe -- so it's just a pretty picture, instead.

Hope you are having a great Tuesday.
I'm off to finish switching  winter/summer clothes today.  It's FINALLY started staying warm enough to do so. I got half way through way back in mid-April and it got cold again.  A very smart lady told me she never changes out her clothes until after Mother's Day. I now know why! Thanks, Donna!!!

{Linking up with A Night Owl Blog for a Pinning Party today.....you can join in there or just go over and see what other people are pinning which is always fun!}

in HIM-

The Graduates

It's been another very busy weekend around these parts.  Yesterday was Western Carolina University's Graduation and two of my favorites graduated!  I was so proud of these two girls.  Both of them graduated with honors and both are going into the teaching field.

This is Jenny and me.

She is going into Elementary Education.  

This is Emily and our friend, Kandi.

Emily is going to teach High School English.

After graduation, we attended Jenny's party.

She's always surrounded by children. 

I am pretty sure she will be an awesome teacher!

My Lillie with Jenny.  

We came home and rested for a bit...then we went to Emily's Graduation party.

My kids played cornhole for the very first time ever.

Emily and Lillie.

She's gonna be a great teacher too!!!

He had the best time playing Corn Hole.

My Brady and Emily.

I just added this one because I think it's funny.

Miss Priss thinks she's being funny!!

I am so proud of these two girls.

I have been blessed to get to know them in the last four years.  They truly are blessing to me personally and to my whole family.  They love my kids so very much and take care of them so very well!

I'm so excited to see what God has for each one of them in the future and for a lifetime of friendship with them both!  

Jenny and Emily, I love you!  

in HIM-

You Can Be A Blessing!

I struggled with whether or not I should post this link on my blog.  I wondered what people would think.
Would they think I am trying to ask for these things for myself? Does it look shameless? Does it look like I'm having a pity party?

And then, I thought some more and I realized that none of that is my motivation for sharing this. My motivation my husband. I see how he pours his life into the work God has called him to do.  I see how unappreciated he is. I hear all the negative comments.

So, if you are interested, please go over and read Lysa TerKeurst's article today called "Things Your Pastor Wants You to Know".  There is so much truth in this article.

I encourage each of you to go and read this article and consider how you can bless your own pastor.

I will be working harder to bless my own pastor hubby by supporting him and reminding him that I love and appreciate all he does. And that he listens and obeys the Lord above.

In HIM-

Life of The Party

This has been one of those ultra busy weeks where it seems I've had little to no time to blog.  In the little time I have found to actually sit, I've not wanted to do anything but sit.
It's picture week at dance, and book club and groceries and so on and so forth....that's the kind of week it is.
Tomorrow it looks like I will have some time to actually clean house during the day before the girls get home from school and then it's back to crazy busy week.  Not complaining -- just wishing that sometimes things would slow down a bit.
BUT, it's that time of year I suppose........When is it not that time of year?


Anyways!!  On Sunday afternoon the girls were in a musical at church with our Club 4:12 players. It was called "Life of The Party" and they did a fantastic job! It was the story of Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus.

This is Erin as Mary and my Allie as Martha.

Totally type casted........

There were many songs in the play {thus, a musical}  and these girls sang their hearts out.

And these did too!

Jesus comes and tells some parables.....

This one was the one about the lost sheep......

.

This was the parable of The Vine and the Branches.....

Lillie was cut off.....

 Having a great time with Jesus after he tells the parables.....

that is until Marta put an end to the fun.....

Lillie and Polly sang a song together.

It was so sweet.  

After the party, the story turned serious and turned to Lazurus' death.....

This was the only boy in the play.

Dominic did a great job as Jesus!

"Lazarus, Lazarus come out!"

And Lazarus comes out and the play ended with the rejoicing!

Taking a bow!

 All of the Club 4:12 Players with Ms. Courtney

Silly faces!!!

Grammy and Granddaddy and Aunt Ginger were able to stay for the play. 

The girls were so excited that they could be there.  

 I just had to share this photo.  After the play the little brothers had a great time running around playing!

These boys were all born within 4 months of each other.  

They are so sweet together.

The play was a wonderful end to a super busy weekend!

Thanks to Courtney for all the hard work she put in to working with these kids on this play.

And really for all she does for our children's program.

She is awesome!

We are lucky to have her as the Children's Director at church.

And I am lucky to call her my friend!!!

in HIM-