Grateful for Mike...

Okay, so I am following the trend set by two amazing women (Sarah and Jessica) that I have the privilege to know. On their blogs they were bragging on their husbands, and I was reminded of what a fantastic man I married. So, here goes...

He is energetic, passionate, and can work most people into the ground.
He has guarded against being a work-aholic by leaving his computer at work so he can spend time with his family.
He is such an endearing father: making up games that are special "Daddy" times with Judah and Jasmine.
He is a protector and provider, committed to my success and our family's well-being.
He is growing daily in the things of God and hearing from God for our family and those he leads.
He is funny and fun to be with.
He challenges me to become more Christlike and to see myself and others clearly.
He is incredibly intelligent and analytical.
He is diligent and faithful to all commitments.
He persistently works at learning new skills until he excels at them.
He never forgets birthdays and anniversaries.

I made it to the last round...

Well, I am in the final round of the Supreme Team contest at www.godigitalscrapbooking.com. Woo-Hoo! They gave Andrea Gold's page kit "Possibilities" to work with. Here is the link to the contest:

Rays of Sunshine

Now I just get to twiddle my thumbs until Tuesday night when I find out if I am a part of the team.

Renewing Friendships

All day Thursday, Judah and I prepared very excitedly for company. When Mike and I were dating and first married, our best friends were a couple named Mark and Joy Willis. When we changed churches and moved, we kind of just lost touch. Recently I found Joy online and through e-mail we planned for our families to get together for dinner. Mark and Joy and their five lovely children (and one on the way) entered our house and the years fell away. They had never met Judah and Jasmine. We had only known two (Anna and Emily) of their five (Anna, Emily, Laura, Caleb, and John Mark). However, they have done such a fabulous job with their children that it was a delight see how they got along with Mike and I and with Judah and Jazz. All of the kids played beautifully all evening and were gracious and full of gratitude. What a wonderful demonstration of God's plan for the family -- a showcase of His love, grace, and embracing nature. Friday morning, when Judah woke up, his first words were, "Mama, that family that came to our house last night was AMAZING!"
I whole-heartedly agree!

On to another round...

I finished my LO for the next Supreme Team round at GDS. I took a whole bunch of pics of Judah and Jazz in our yard and when we walked to grandma's house. They had so much fun doing a photo shoot for me. Here's the link to the actual contest:
Expressions of Delight
The kit we got to use this round is called "Delightful" page kit by Veronica Hurly. It is fabulous!

GDS Supreme Team Contest

I forgot to mention that I am entering that scrapbooking contest again! If at first you don't succeed... and so on!

I have made it past the first round with the page of Jasmine in a flower pot and have entered my St. George Island page for the second round. Check it out at GoDigitalScrapbooking.com!

(The pictures are links to the gallery.)

Jasmine Flower Pot page created with Helen Ehrenhofer's Mom's Garden kit.
St. George Island page created with Maria Design's Tropicaliente kit.

Box Day!

Our pre-school curriculum from Sonlight arrived this week. It is awesome! We are going to officially start the schedule next week, but Judah was so excited, we have already started reading the books and doing the developmental workbooks. He is thrilled to be in "school."
I didn't even tell him that I had ordered it. When he saw the delivery man bring the box, he asked what was in it. I told him that it was his school stuff and that Mommy would be his teacher. He started hopping around excitedly. The box was really heavy (gotta love free shipping!) so we slipped on our shoes and went outside to play tag in the front yard while waiting for Daddy to come home and bring it inside for us.
As soon as Mike set the box down on the dining room table, Judah was right there with scissors. I slit the tape open and the first thing he saw was the brown paper packing material. Judah grinned up at me and gasped in joy!
"Mama, I got bags!"
He can make a game out of anything! ...and he has. That brown paper has floated all over our house. He mainly likes to play that it is a bunch of snakes attacking him. or his sister. or me. It is so cute to watch creativity at work.
By the way, he loves the other stuff in the box too.

Scrapbook page created using "Child's Play" by SAS Designs. Get it at bits2kits.com!

Rants and Rambles...

I've been thinking a lot lately about the balance of responsibility and responsivity. In my mind is a fight between "Martha" and "Mary." I love the idea that we should all be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus worshipping Him. However, if our children are not fed, houses a wreck, jobs sloppily done (or not done at all), etc.; what kind of witness are we giving to others. I tend to pendulum swing back and forth when what I suspect I need most of all is a healthy balance of BEING in God's presence and DOING His will for my life.
I was talking to one of my vocal students this week who was bemoaning a difficult issue in singing that is frustrating. We compared it to sin. The better we get at singing (or the closer we get to God), the more obvious our faults become to us. I am starting to get very frustrated with my own desire to compare myself to others instead of the standard that God set in His word.
When will I learn to get my nose out of other people's business and get down to BEING who God wants me to be and DOING what He wants me to do?

Texas Vacation

I haven't posted anything new for a while because we have been visiting my family in Southeast Texas. There was a big Hurricane Gustav scare while we were there, but in reality, Saint Louis got more rain yesterday than the hurricane produced at my parents' house. Most of my family got to meet Jasmine for the first time and we had a great time seeing everyone. I am so blessed to have such a loving, God-loving family. They are all so hospitable and outreach oriented. More pics to come later but here's a page of Jasmine bonding with my Dad.

Created using Helen Ehrenhofer's Mom's Garden from GDS