Favorite Child

Have you ever wandered if you are showing favoritism towards one of your children? If this is happening at your house- you have a problem. :)

It's been 10 years!

Chris & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary last weekend. We drove up to Savannah the first night to break up the trip. Chris had lots of surprises up his sleeve- he reserved a Bed & Breakfast there, just like we did for our honeymoon! We ate dinner in a historic home, The Olde Pink House, and I received my biggest surprise of the trip- a new ring! My old ring hadn't fit for months (since becoming pregnant) but I had NO idea this was coming! And he did an amazing job choosing- it is simple and elegant. Wow.

Friday morning, we drove up to Charleston (what a gorgeous drive!) and started exploring the city. It is larger than we expected! When I grew tired from walking, we found a pedi-cab (bicycle with a cart behind for tourists who get tired from walking too much! LOL) who would whisk us away to the acquarium- and just in time! The skies opened up as we paid our admission. After enjoying the fish, jellies, and other exhibits, we walked back to the hotel in a light drizzle... enjoying the historic city all the way.

There is so much to tell of the rest of the trip- fabulous food at every turn, neat historic sights, gorgeous gardens at plantations, a trip to a Whole Foods market (WOW!) and the tranquility of the water... suffice it to say we had a refreshing and memorable 10 year anniversary trip.

I count my blessings to be wed to such a thoughtful hubby (though he did forget to stop for breakfast on our way home- but I think a little grace is ok there, don't you?!) Here's to 10 more years and many more memories! Here here!!

I Love my Hubby!

Chris is such a wonderful hubby. He is thoughtful, plans fun surprises for us, is patient with me (even during the emotional part of pregnancy!), and leads me well.

He's also a great Daddy! Our children love him so much- and he gives them many reasons to do so- ice cream, fireworks, nightly devotion time, playing ball in the backyard, and all snuggling together in the big rocking chair.

I'm so thankful the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, gave this man to me. I could go on- but that's probably enough sappiness for all of you and besides, I don't want to set the bar too high for my single friends. :) I love you, Chris!

A Fun Father's Day Weekend!

Chris is a fantastic Daddy. He is loving, patient, ecouraging, fun and he catches yummy fish! For Father's Day, the kiddos and I bought him a tube to pull behind the boat. It was a little scary for me at first- but a blast for everyone (including Mama) by the end!

We had perfect weather Friday evening for tubing- the wind was blowing from the South and it laid the waves down for a smooth first time tubing. Here are a few pictures of the trip.

Saturday morning, Chris went off-shore to fish (he caught a beautiful Lane Snapper- pinkish with bright yellow stripes! Yummy!). While he was fishing, the kiddos & I went blueberry picking. We set up an assembly line when we arrived back home- Timbo picked out the stems, Ben wiped them clean & Lauren sorted to be eaten fresh or frozen! Andrew just ate the blueberries. :)

On Father's Day, we enjoyed a relaxing day at home. Fresh-picked blueberries in the homemade pancakes for breakfast. Then we had an absolutely glorious church service- man, heaven is going to be so amazing. I can't wait to worship with all the saints! After church, we napped (the 2nd best gift a Dad can receive!) and then grilled out (in the rain). We tried Salmon on a cedar plank... yummy! I didn't take pictures of that, but the children had a blast playing in the drizzling rain while Chris grilled.

Worth Listening To

Does faith always come easily and naturally to you? No? Ok, good- then read on.

A few evenings ago, Chris and I listened to a sermon John Piper gave at New Attitude 08. I won't do it justice to try and summarize it, so just listen to it. :) www.newattitude.org/conference The sermon I'm referring to is "Fighting for Faith with God's Word" although you won't go wrong listening to any of the messages on that page! I'm halfway through Al Mohler's Q&A session and it's been fantastic as well. In "Fighting for Faith", Piper encourages us to equip ourselves for various trials by being familiar with and memorizing scripture.

What areas do you find yourself weak in? (Some that popped right into my mind: anger, lack of joy, impatience...) And what situations might you encounter? Throughout the message, I found myself making a mental list of passages of scripture I would like to study more and commit to memory. Fantastic exhortation- make the time to listen! I'd love to hear which verses the Lord has laid on your heart or an area you intend to focus on as far as memorization goes. :) That's what the "comment" section is for!!

YIKES!

I think it's a bit crazy when I get excited about finding gas at $3.91. That's painful when filling up the truck!

"Back when I was a kid..." (read that in a crackly old voice!) it used to be only $ .79!! And I could buy gum for $ .01!! Johnston's Feed Store had a penny gum machine that dispensed a handfull of gum squares. Green and red were my favorite. Pink tasted like Pepto Bismol. Blech. Oh, and they had the best sausage... but I digress. :) I just had to share the joy of my gas price!!

It's not easy bein'... REAL.

Do you remember Chester the Cheetah's love for Cheetos? "It's not easy, bein' cheesy." He'd end up in Wile E. Coyote-type situations all for the love of cheese.

Today I was tidying up around the house- going through the mail and a stack of things I've been reading. Southern Living's new issue arrived recently- I love the food section and the decorating ideas! Oh, and I'm almost through my Cook's Illustrated. What a fabulous magazine! I learn so much about the science behind recipes and what makes a particular food taste absolutely dynamite. For example- did you know that for perfect mashed potatoes, you should steam potatoes instead of boiling them? Rinse them part way through cooking to wash the starch off and they loose the gummy consistency that can ruin otherwise fabulous mashed taters! Great magazine. Then I need to go through the MINT and the Clipper Keeper and clip coupons... a penny saved is a penny earned!

In the midst of this busyness, I had "one of those" moments. I am allowing good things to crowd out the most important things. I love saving money, decorating, gardening and cooking. But those shouldn't be my primary focus! Wow... It's not easy bein' REAL.

The back of my magazine basket reflects what I desire to come first (backwards, I know.) I need to get back to reading Above Rubies (http://www.aboverubies.org/), No Greater Joy (http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/), and Homeschooling Today (http://www.homeschoolingtoday.com/) which point me to God's Word as I strive to be a loving, encouraging wife and an obedient, joy FULL mamma. My bedside desk has Stepping Heavenward and Heaven on it (fantastic reads, both) but they're under a liberal, feminist, junk-filled mothering magazine I received at a Dr's office recently. Well, they were... I took the magazine off today to toss. ;)

So there it is- the reality of daily clutter crowding out what I want to be of FIRST importance. I'm publicly confessing and I'm starting the process (again) of re-orienting my life and my heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for His mercy, His drawing me and His help in my quest to overcome the CHEESYness of life.