Easter Sunday 2013

Family photo on Easter Sunday at Cory's parent's house!  After an incredible worship service with our church family, we spent the afternoon with Cory's family.

On Saturday the girls and I baked cookies for all the local cousins!

Riddle cookies :)

Christie cookies :)

We took a couple of plastic eggs and filled them with Chuck's treats.  He loved them.  Here he is on Easter morning, watching the girls open their eggs!

Cayla's Easter basket and Vera Bradley backpack in Viva La Vera!

Autumn's Easter basket and Vera Bradley backpack in Doodle Daisy!

 We know it's more than baskets, and eggs, and cookies.  It's about Jesus, and the debt He paid for us.  In the Easter Sunday sermon this morning, our pastor presented us with the following (loosely translated), extremely poignant thought:

Pastor:  "What if you received a legitimate letter from your mortgage company informing you your debt had been paid in full?  Regardless of how much you had left to pay, it was covered.  You didn't owe a single penny anymore.  Would you rip up the letter, throw it away, and continue to pay your mortgage every month?"

Then why do so many people throw away the "Paid in Full" notice that Christ offers?  There is no sin that Christ can't redeem.  We can't sin too much, or too big.  His death on the cross covered ALL sin, and our debt was paid.

What an incredible gift.  How can anyone turn it down?

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

Easter Egg Event 2013!

I have to admit, St. Patrick's Day is a little too close to Easter this year for my liking.  It's kind of cramped my decorating style because I felt some compulsion to decorate for St. Patrick's Day.  But after tomorrow, all the St. Patrick's Day decor will come down and it will be full on Easter!

Actually it's been Easter for the past month, we just combined a little St. Pat's in with it :)

Tonight we dyed eggs as a family (and then watched Duck Dynasty, but that's a whole other post).  We usually wait until just a couple of days before Easter, but we thought it might be fun to enjoy the eggs prior to the holiday this year, instead of dealing with them for days on end afterward.

Below is just a sampling of our Easter dyeing evening:

I've been completely obsessed with wheat grass (as decor, not to eat) lately, so when I saw it in my grocery store I knew it was coming home with me.  I love it!  I know, it has nothing to do with dyeing eggs, but it IS grass, and it IS where eggs are often hidden, so in a way, it kind of fits into the post.  Besides, I think it's cute and wanted to show it off :)

Since last Easter I've been eyeing this adorable porcelain egg tray at TJ Maxx, and I finally broke down and bought it.  The eggs inside are a few that Cory and I dyed.  Unlike the girls, who love to make their eggs 'artful', I like mine to be simple, and deeply dyed.

Autumn with her first egg of the season :)

As usual, Cayla got creative and wrote cute and/or funny things on her eggs.  This one has spots!

Some of Autumn's creations!

A few of our plain ones.

Autumn and Chuck.  The smell drove Chuck crazy.  He drooled the entire time hoping an egg would fall on the floor :)

The designers!  I hope they always love to dye eggs as much as I do!

Happy Easter!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life....."
John 11:25a

AWANA Bible Quizzing!

On Saturday the 16th, Cayla participated in AWANA Bible Quizzing.  It was her first time to participate and she was VERY nervous.  She did a great job though, and even placed 4th in her quiz category.  We were so incredibly proud.

The next Saturday, my niece participated in the high school quizzing, and while her team didn't place she was pure joy to watch.  Kelly was assertive, confident, and respectful when she delivered her answers.

My favorite thing about quizzing wasn't the competing, or the winning.  It was watching the girls knowing they were answering with confidence, Godly things that were hidden in their hearts.  Unlike a sport, or a talent, memorizing the Word is work for anyone who attempts it.  It's not something they're born with; it's not something they have a natural inclination toward; it's something that must be taught, and practiced.  And as a Christian mom, nothing makes me more proud than watching my children (yes, nieces and nephews too) grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ.

".....grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."  2 Peter 3:18

Cayla, receiving her award for participating and placing.

Cayla and Cory after the competition.  I think they're both beaming :)

What's On My Mind? Facebook

Disclaimer: *This post is meant to be humorous and should not be perceived as an attack on any one individual or group.*

Let me start by saying, I love Facebook.  It's a great way to connect with old friends, stay connected with current friends, and be a part of the day to day lives of loved ones both near and far.  I revel in pictures of family members, enjoy the daily cartoons, and thrive on the political pages I follow.

There is however, a dark side to Facebook, and for me, that's the negativity that seems to pervade the entire site.  While there are, no doubt, hundreds of definitions of negativity for Facebook, for my purposes I have divided it into four:  The Braggart, the Whiner, the Mixed-Messenger, and the Fisherman.

We all know the Braggart.  In fact, if your friends list tops 10 or more, you probably know several of them.   They're the ones who cannot wait to inform you of every single thing their amazing children are doing.  They're modest enough not to brag about themselves, but they have no compunction when it comes to telling you how incredible their offspring are.   "Johnny kicked a goal today in bumble ball."  "Susie scored 4 points for the meatlockers in her bajillionth match of the season."  "Mimi is so good at math, I can hardly keep up with how quickly she moves through the curriculum."  We get it.  Your child is a living prodigy.  And we rightfully should celebrate our children's successes, but at what point do we draw the line?  Was Johnny voted MVP? Great, please let me know so I can congratulate him.  Did Susie just finish Algebra as a 2nd grader?  I absolutely want to share your joy in how advanced your child is.  But in the words of Mr. Incredible, "(We) keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity."

Then there's the Whiner (aka, the Pessimist).  This is the poster who really never seems to have anything positive to say.  "My kid didn't sleep a wink last night, for the fiftieth night in a row."  "Oh no, it's snowing AGAIN."  "Woke up to the sound of the garbage truck.  WHY must he pick up the trash at 6am?"  "My nose won't stop running."  "I hate school."  And the list goes on and on.  I generally don't respond to such posts, but if I did it would go something like this, "Babies don't sleep.  It's part of their nature.  You knew this going in.  Deal with it!"  Or....."You live in the northwest for crying out loud.  It snows here.  If you don't like it, there are a dozen other states to choose from."  And finally, "You seem to be sick a LOT.  Maybe you should buy stock in Vitamin C and chicken noodle soup."

The Mixed-Messenger is a rare breed, but it's certainly one that baffles me.  This is the individual who posts completely mixed messages:  "Going out partying with my friends at the bar."  Or this poster may include photos of herself scantily clad with a drink in hand.  The next post might contain a Bible verse or some wise saying from a founding father.  Either way, it always confuses me.  This is NOT to say that I don't sin.  And it's NOT to say that I don't confess my sins privately to those involved, and of course God.  It is to say that I don't post my sins on Facebook for everyone to enjoy, and then turn around and talk about my amazing walk with the Lord.  This is pretty straight forward, it's a mixed message.  Are you a party girl? Or are you trying to live your life for Jesus?  Because you really can't be both!  And you definitely can't be an effective witness for the latter if you're living your life as the former.

Finally, there's the Fisherman.  I think my husband is bothered by this one a lot more than I am.  These are the posters who write intentionally evasive posts to elicit sympathy or questions.  "Spent the evening at the ER."  "Was up alllllll night."  "I am the luckiest girl in the world."  Obviously they want people to bite and ask them what's wrong?  What happened?  You sure are, but to what are you referring?"  Just come out and tell people, "Spent the night at the ER and came home with an RX for Dingo's ear infection."  Don't make us beg for answers.  Are you really that insecure?

In light of all this, I will remain a faithful Facebook follower.  I may have to 'hide' a few accounts, but it won't stop me from enjoying the adorable photos of my favorite nieces and nephews, reliving old times with friends from grade school, and being rejuvenated by uplifting scriptures shared by friends and family alike.

You've Got Mail!

After seeing some cute mailboxes attached to children's doors on Pinterest (where else?) I decided I too wanted my girls to have mailboxes on their doors.  I didn't have a specific plan, but figured I would fill them from time to time with notes, little treats, or trinkets they've left lying around the house.  Imagine their surprise when they find a pair of dirty socks inside their mailbox?!

After giving it a bit of thought, I decided I REALLY wanted the mailboxes because they would be adorable to use for Advent.  In previous years I've tucked their Advent treats inside a small pocket-calendar that hung on my wall, but this year I wanted to go big.  As the girls age, a small piece of chocolate doesn't have the same significance it used to, so I knew I wanted to find them some fun, and possibly large, Advent treats.

I looked online everywhere I could imagine trying to find just the right mailboxes, to no avail.  The ones I found were either too big, too small, oddly shaped, or too ridiculously expensive!  Then, just before Thanksgiving I thought to ask my talented Father in Law if he would be willing to make the mailboxes.  He readily agreed and within just a few days I had these adorable boxes hanging on the girls' doors.

They loved them, and they loved lifting the lid each morning in December to see what special item had been left for them to find.  Some of the treats were small, like bottles of nail polish, candy bars, or earrings, and some treats were bigger.......boxes of Goldfish crackers, notepads with pens, and of course their Christmas Eve pajamas.

Thank you Poppy Jim for making the perfect mailboxes!  We love them!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

The Case for a Kindle!

A couple months ago I noticed my niece was carrying her Kindle in her purse withOUT protecting it.  I was shocked!  Aghast!  Befuddled!  HOW could she keep it in her purse where it could get knocked around, scratched by a key, a nail file, a pack of Tic-Tacs?  Oh, no no no, it would not do for this OCD person.

So I sought to rectify the situation by crafting her a quick slip-in cover.  I scanned my fabric and settled on a quilted fabric I already owned.  I loved this blue and yellow and often looked at it longingly wondering how I should use it - problem solved.  There really was nothing to it.  I wrapped the fabric around my own Kindle for measurements (yeah, that's how I measure stuff) and pinned it.  I quickly stitched up the sides and sewed some gold fabric ribbon around the top as a binding.  Tada!

Since she wasn't using a case/cover at all, I didn't want her to have to deal with any type of closure, so buttons, Velcro, snaps and the like were all out.  I crafted the cover so the Kindle fits snugly inside and doesn't have much of a chance to slip out or escape.  It must have worked, because she's still using it today.  I'm glad she's keeping her little device safe and snug, wrapped in it's own 'blanket' in her purse :)