The Keepsake

On Sunday, I saw Addie busy as a bee at the table writing and drawing. I didn't bother to look over her, as she loves to sit and do arts and crafts, coloring, or simply write notes to friends. Later that day, I noticed she had posted her learning sheet from Creek Kids (kids program from church) on our refrigerator along with a note card. I read the note card and I couldn't believe what she had written on the note card. Its so special and dear to my heart, a true treasure. :) It was joyful and loving and most of all sweet, sweet words of Jesus- A Keepsake.

I'll keep it on the refrigerator for awhile but I will tuck it away in a safe place so she can read it when she is 10, 14, 18, and some day to her children. I took a picture and I'll translate for you her sentences. Enjoy...its so special.

I Love Jesus

I Love God

My Mom and dad

I Love My sisters

I Love My Cousins!

and my Friends.

What do you want For U?

I want Jesus and God

So I could listen to God

and Jesus God is

special to my heart

Jesus is special in my

heart My mommy is in

my heart My sisters in my heart

The BIG decision is made!!!

Yes, the big decision being what in the world the girls would like to be for Halloween. After 2 weeks of going back and forth, I finally told the girls last week that they had to make a decision and it be final. This mommy needed to get the costumes or at least accessories before supplies flew off the supermarket shelves. Well, Avery and Annalise finally decided on cats. Avery wanted the leopard looking cat and Annalise picked out the black and white cat. Addie on the other hand, you know my big thinker, very serious girl made sure she knew what she wanted because there was no turning back. So after a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader or Gabrielle from HSM, she landed on Sharpay from HSM. Addie's biggest concern now was how are we going to make her hair blonde. :) I knew that $9.99 Hannah Montana wig would come in handy again! Daddy worked out some knots and frizzes and I told her that I would try and pull it up or at least make a pony tail so it wouldn't look like Hanna's hair. If it doesn't work, I told her we could spray paint her hair blonde.

She was pleased and so was I for only spending $35 dollars for the Halloween costumes.

Stay tuned for pics as we will be hitting the pumpkin patch this weekend and trunk or treating.

I was Inspired

So I decided to go darker on my hair! My neighbor darkened her hair and it looked so good so it got me thinking...hmmm... my natural hair color is quite darker than the top layer. Hmmm...I won't have the skunk look in the middle of my head hmmm... I need to do it today!

So it was darkened this morning! :)

I like it and it does seem to match my eyebrows better. he he

Here it is.....

Productivity & Creativity

Ahhhh...its Sunday night, the kids have been in bed since 8:00, the kitchen is cleaned and Ryan and I have already chatted and now its time to sit. I love Sunday afternoons especially after a very busy Saturday like I had yesterday afternoon. I specifically stayed in my pjs until 12:00 because I knew my afternoon was going to fly by super fast once my first commitment lined up. Lets see, I had a wedding shower to go to at 2:00, then a birthday party from 3-4:30, next off to drop food at Baycliff for Lighthouse Ministries, and last and final stop was at a friend's house for dinner as our new "prospective" youth pastor was in town and we had a dinner for people to meet him. Whew, that was Saturday and today I had nothing except church this morning.

Last night though, I felt this itch to be productive in my house. So, this afternoon, the playroom was my first tackle as I reorganized and moved things around. Next, I just cleaned because well it needed it! :) Then, I sat in our guest bathroom and finally figured out how and what I would like to do to it to make it look more modern. I have to admit that I was watching HGTV and they gave such great ideas to how you can update a bathroom without spending a fortune.

Hmmm, I put on my creative hat and decided some ways to start working on our house starting with the girls/guest bathroom. I love decorating and fixing our house. Its fun although as I get working on it and decorating my list keeps getting longer. Does that happen to anyone? You start a project and then you start seeing and wanting to do other things to your home and then the list keeps getting longer and longer and longer.

Ask me how to update your bathroom without spending a lot of money. I know just what to do and can't wait to get started on ours. Stay tuned. I'll try and post pics once the project begins. My goal....Before the Holidays! :) Will happen, probably not but I'll try. :)

The 10 Year Trip, Finally!

Well, when you have 3 girls and a very busy husband who is the ministry, time and life fly by so quickly! Ryan and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in May, yes like 6 months ago and we are just now getting around to finalizing plans because so much has taken place over the months. Let me rewind a little.... we celebrated in May with a wonderful, romantic dinner at Perry's Steakhouse in Clear Lake. Can I say very, very nice with fantastic food, yum, yum. Then, summer was upon us and it was the end of school and Ryan quickly was off to youth camp with the kids. He came back and we took a group to SLU 101 to San Antonio then its July. All my side of the family came in for the 4th of July and then a week later, we left for Washington DC for SLU 201. Hang with me here, now its the end of July and Ryan's side of the family comes down and spends a week with us which now knocks us into August and Addie and Avery are taking swim lessons. So, now its August and really, really hot and we start to discuss places we may go and started searching the net. Now, hurricane peak season is upon us and our focus totally turns to what is brewing in the Gulf. August 25th and Addie is starting 1st grade, Avery is off to 3 day Pre-K and Ryan is in full swing with Fall series for church. And me? So glad you asked... I am the queen at trying to keep on top of schedules, lunches, and dinner, potty training, and just being mommy and wife, friend, and child of God. September is now upon us and yes the famous hurricane IKE is headed our way at least to Texas. A week later its being forecasted that it will hit Corpus Christi which is still South of us but close none the less but wait the forecast has changed again, and again, and yet once more putting Clear Lake and League City getting a direct hit. Yikes, we were outta here and evacuated to my parents in the Dallas area. September- here and gone due to IKE.

Well, Ryan is being trained to become a speaker for Planet Wisdom so he can go around to different areas and speak to parents about the current culture of youth. The conference is in Nashville and Ryan made a quick mention that I should go with him. Perfect! Nashville was on our list anyway so we are booking it today. We will be gone a Wednesday-Thursday in November. He will be in a conference Th. and Friday morning so I am just going to hit the downtown area and shop, maybe get a massage, maybe sleep because I have no kids or just hang out at a park and enjoy an area that really does have a Fall and Winter. Ha :)

He finishes Friday by lunch time so we will hit the town together and have the rest of Friday and all day Saturday. We might get in some country dancing because I heard the night life is incredible. Yea, we are excited.

There ya have it, our journey to how and why we planned Nashville. Stay tuned for pictures later. Its sure to be a great trip together.

Annalise Turns 3!

We can't believe my baby is 3! Wow, time really does fly by fast when you are having fun. Yes, we are having fun with little Annalise. We love her sweet yet crazy personality! It keeps us laughing all the time. So, we dedicate this post to our baby. We love you Annalise.
(her birthday was yesterday but didn't have time to post pics of her big day) :)

A Chance to be a Neighbor

I am wanting to take time once again to share my thoughts and views of whats happened to our area just 2 weeks ago. Ryan and I took time today to help feed 1000 or more people who drove by in their cars by a FEMA pod area so we could help serve a hot lunch on their way to pick up free ice and water and cleaning supplies. It was so good to be serving hands to these hurricane victims who lost so much. It was good to see my girls be serving hands and put bread out on plates after plates after plates.
After our time there, Ryan took me to some of the areas he has been helping out this whole week ripping out sheet rock, moving debris to the curb, and so much more. I was silent once again as to see so many people's homes after homes just destroyed. Its simply heartbreaking.

The difference with hurricane Ike and hurricane Katrina is that the Red Cross had received millions of dollars for hurricane Katrina. Three years later, hurricane Ike hits and the Red Cross has received only thousands for this disaster. Its troubling to me. Its troubling that people have said, it was only a category 2 storm but simply forgot it was the size of Texas and at one time took up 80% of the gulf. Its troubling to me that my neighbors are back to normal. They fixed their fences and roofs and have re landscaped and to my knowledge seemed to almost forget what has happened to our neighbors just 5-10 miles away.

Those homes and families are anything but normal. Its troubling.

Ryan and I were talking on our way over to San Leon to serve the hot lunch today and we were talking about Jesus and the parable of the good Samaritan found in Luke. Here it reads....

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the law? he replied. Jesus says, "How do you read it?" He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your soul and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus replies, "you have answered correctly. Do this and you will live."

But the expert in the law wanted to know, "who is my neighbor?"

This is when Jesus goes on to the tell the story of the good Samaritan a story I am sure many are familiar with. What I find so interesting is the Jesus never answers the man's question but simply tells the parable and in return asks the man a question. He says,

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus tells him,

"Go and do likewise."

So as we are all trying to move forward and and get a routine back or some type of normalcy to our lives, I pray that I would remember this parable. I pray that I would show mercy to my Seabrook, Kemah, San Leon, Clear Lake Shores, Baycliff neighbors. I would be the neighbor who knows God's words and commandments to go and do likewise.

I found this video through our local news website that I wanted to share. Its a chance to give to the Red Cross and to remember their efforts in disasters such as hurricane Ike. Or you can give to http://www.ikeassist.org/, a website set up by our church to help and keep people informed of the many needs that still need to happen to make this area complete again.
Thanks for listening to my rambles today.

Get a tissue, this video is special.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXipDNAwW94