Well, school is in full swing and we are getting back into routine.  I love it!!   Biblestudy starts next week and I look forward to getting back together with some dear friends, digging in God’s word together and the adventure we will go on.  Make sure to check out Moms In Touch.  It’s a wonderful ministry that get’s mom’s together to pray over their children and the schools.  There are other types of groups ranging from home-school, private school to grandma’s getting together.  Cover your families in prayer.  Teach your children to pray.  This is something I am personally working on.  Instead of worry, pray.   It is so nice to hear other moms pray for your kids.  There is power in numbers.  Look for a group you can join.  One hour, one time a week…we can do that!

I follow this blog and about two weeks ago they asked the question, “In God’s Heart I am..”  You had to finish the sentence, take a picture of you and your answer and post it on their facebook page.  Easy enough, so I concluded the sentence for Natalie, Phoebe, and myself.  We posted them and WE WON!!  Well, Natalie won.  This company is so giving.  Check out all the goodies I received today:

I can’t wait to share the blessings!  Thank you so much (in)courage and Blessing Unlimited for sharing Christ with me and for choosing Natalie’s photo.  She is such a blessing to everyone who meets her.  Natalie lights up a room with her spirit and sweetness.  We are confident that she is making a difference for the Kingdom!   Oh, and if you want to see the photo’s check them out here.   You will have to go through a few pages to find our’s, it’s worth it just reading all the comments, it get’s you thinking about who you are to God!  

I pray that the gal reading this right now realizes who she is in God’s heart!  She is chosen, strong,  free, accepted, delightful, redeemed, captivating, adopted loved, valued, able and BLESSED!

Hi, it’s been a while.  We have had a fun and fast summer.  I have to say that it is our fastest one yet.  Lot’s of entertaining, swimming, camps, visiting relatives, the beach and starting a business.  So here is a recap in pictures.

Tricia and Travis Cottrell

VBS

Papaw and Phoebe with sparklers

beach wheelchair..very cool!

Natalie, Phoebe and cousin Emma

cousin Lily, Emma's little sister

getting hair wrapped

church camp slide..FUN!

Phoebe and Holland at church camp

girls with Buddy Davis at the Creation Museum

Papaw's cannonball

Phoebe's cannonball

Elliott's cannonball

Last day of Summer break Celebration

Amazing Beauty by God

In my last post I shared that we had some BIG news to share.  Big news comes in different ways.   Announcement of a pregnancy or new baby.  Someone gets engaged then married.  Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations.  Well,  this one is the grandest of all!  This sweet, compassionate, fun, loving, delightful girl,

made the best decision in her life…she decided to follow Jesus!  Yes, she gave her life to Christ on June 5th.  Can I just say,  nothing compares to the joy that  overflows from my heart.  She is sealed with the Holy Spirit ( Ephesians 1:13).  She has an eternal home.  She loves Jesus with a sweet girly passion.  I am very confident that God who started a good work in Phoebe will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6). 

Baptism morning

confession of faith with Mr. Guy

This day was a day of rejoicing.  Our church had a special baptism service and  baptised 43 people.  Praise Jesus! 

Pastor Greg

It was such a delightful day that glorified God!   Afterwards,  we had a huge celebration with family and friends.   

We are so excited for Phoebe’s decision.   It’s grand  news and we are extremely proud to share it! 

2 Corinthians 5:7  Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!

Things here have been crazy, a good crazy…does that exist?  Well in my world it does.  We ended another school year with lots of laughter and memories.  Natalie had a great last week with activities and Phoebe had the famous “Fairytale Ball” and Readers Theater.   We are excited about the teachers that both girls have next year and look forward to new adventures…but first, some summer fun!

We have already had alot of things going on and it’s the first week of June.  Our pool is open and feels terrific.  We have been grilling and entertaining, which is fun.  Elliott and I decided this summer we are getting some cookbooks from the library and trying new things. (there is always carry out..)  That should be fun.   The schedule has camp’s, a beach vacation, VBS and relaxing by the pool on it.

We have some awesome news to share, but before I do I want to share some pictures to get you up to speed.

my new favorite dessert

FairyTale Ball

great friends

chillin

I am so excited to share with you the BIG news…but you will have to come back later to find out what it is.  I don’t have all the pictures yet.  I am so excited about summer.  I am excited in the relaxed routine.  Excited about some family time!  Time to just grow together, laugh together and make memories.

One thing that will not become relaxed is my time in God’s word.  It’s our playbook for life.  I am in the process of looking for the bible study I will do this summer.  What are you doing?

A group of us are heading to the Deeper Still event this weekend in Louisville.  I can’t wait!!  Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Pricilla S.  I am confident we will receive a word from Jesus!   Ah, a girls weekend.  What a way to start off summer!!   I am sure I will have tons of pictures and a few stories to tell.  Something funny always happens with this group of friends  and I don’t think this time will be different.

Wow, can you believe another year of school is coming to a close.  Whether you home school, send your kids to private school or public school, another year is almost complete!  My precious girls will be finishing 5th grade and 1st grade.  Time flies!  Remember that YOU are the ultimate teacher to your children.  Teach them God’s ways.  Help them to shine bright for Jesus.

How are you going to show you appreciate your kid’s teachers.  They devote so much time to our kids.  They are with them alot and so I found a fun list of easy end of the year treats.  I take no credit for coming up with these ideas…I am not that crafty!

• You are out of this world tag attached to a Milky Way or Mars candy bar
• You deserve an extra payday! tag attached to a Payday candy bar
• You are ‘extra’ special tag with a pack of Extra Gum
• Thanks for helping _____ ‘bloom’ tag with a bouquet of flowers
• We appreciate the ‘mounds’ of work you do! tag attached to a Mounds candy bar
• “Thanks for giving _____ a hand” tag with hand lotion
• “Thanks a ‘latte’!” tag with a gift card from local coffee shop, special coffees or travel mug
• “Thanks for holding everything together” tag with fun paper clips
• “You are a ‘treasure’ tag with Treasures candy
• “You are ‘tea’rrific!” tag with a selection of teas
• “You deserve a ‘break’ today! Thanks for your hard work” tag with a Fast-Break candy bar or McDonald’s gift certificates
• “Thanks for a ‘picture’ perfect year” tag with movie coupons or nice picture frame
• “Thanks for making our school year bright” tag with a package of highlighters
• “Thanks for helping ______ grow” tag with flower seeds
• “Thanks for lighting the way” or “You light up our world” with a flashlight or nice candle
• “We are your biggest ‘fan’!”with a cute desk fan, hand held fan or paper fan.
• “You have been a ‘bright’ spot in our year!” tag with a package of highlighters
• “You are a joy!” tag attached to an Almond Joy candy bar
• “You rock!” tag with pop rocks, rock candy, Rock Star soft drink or painted rock for a paperweight
• “You have been ‘key’ to ______ success!” tag attached to a key ring, maybe a pretty handmade beaded one
• “We are ‘nuts’ about you!” tag attached to some nuts
• “You are worth more than a 100 grand to _____!” tag attached to a 100 Grand candy bar
• “You ‘mint’ so much to us this year” tag attached to some mints
• “You were ‘mint’ to be a teacher!” tag attached to some mints
• “You are an ‘amazing’ teacher” tag attached to an Amazing candy bar

Aren’t those cute.  Another idea I did last year for a teacher was a Candy Gram.  This is such a fun, adorable way to show your gratitude.  All you do is take  a poster board and write a poem, but when you make a “candy” statement you glue that actual candy to it.  Here are a few I found,

Don’t Snicker, but I think you’re great!
You are Mounds of fun and you have brought me tons of Joy!
I think you Rock!
Thank you Beary much for being such a Sweetheart of a teacher
and helping me learn to be a real Smartee!

Teacher Candy Gram
The RIESEN for this candy gram is to thank you GOOD & PLENTY for the MOUNDS of knowledge I have gained while in your class. It has been an ALMOND JOY to be your student and your help has MINT a lot to me. Teachers that reach their goal by helping students reach theirs, are truly SPECIAL TREASURES. You SKOR an A+ with me!
HUGS,

I hope this gives you some fun ideas to thank the special people in your kid’s lives.  What are you going to do to show your gratitude?  Let’s not take them for granted.   Be the “sweet” treat they need at the end of the year and tell them the difference they made in your kid’s lives.

With spring break over I wanted to catch family and friends up on what’s been going on in our world over here.  Some of these pictures are from valentines day..

our valentine snack..chocolate fondue..yum

Phoebe liked it!

Natalie's 11 b-day

Elliott's 40th b-day dinner at Fuji Steakhouse..chop chop..it was fun and delicious

yum yum!!

making "bird nests" you can eat, great snack!

The Zoo

sharing a birds nest with a friend

fruit for a delicous fruit pizza

the filo dough for the crust..not easy stuff to work with

Fruit pizza

We had a good spring break.  Play dates with friends, the zoo, making yummy snacks, library, family movie night (The Chronicles of Narnia 3, Phoebe loves these movies).  I am glad school is back because I like routine.  So what did you do for spring break?  Got big plans for summer??

Spring is here!  We have had a busy few weeks.  School activities, church activities.   Bible study is coming to a close and boy has it been good!  We have our huge brunch on Thursday.  It is a feast and so delightful.  Such a terrific group of women that are seeking and growing a relationship with Jesus.

With summer coming I thought it would be fun to share tips and ideas for getting in shape, not only physical but spiritually too.   So whenever you see the logo above you will know that’s what we are chatting about.  I just want to toss out what has worked for me.  I am in no way certified, hold no degree’s and do not have any credentials behind my name.  I am just a gal that struggled with her weight, lost the weight (with lots of hard work and lifestyle change) and has maintained the weight.  I also have found that when I am out of bible study, because most studies take a summer break,  I tend to fall into pits.  With that said, let’s share!

First, I want to tell you that I am looking at new habits to toss into my daily schedule.  I don’t want to take things away cold turkey because I know I will fail, but if I implement a new good habit, maybe the old will fade. 

1.  Start drinking more water.  I am an ice tea drinker.  Not sweet tea, I use Truvia.   So I bought a new water bottle and drink 3 bottles a day.  Cut down on my coffee too.

2.  Start a summer bible study.  This is will be a new adventure.  I am going to host and it will be in the evening so dad’s can be with kids.  Gotta stay in God’s word.  It is crucial to our spiritual health and growth.

3.  I have started making smoothies in the afternoon to curb my munchies.  I like to toss in a scoop of protein, good for your muscles.  I found this website with tons Smoothy Recipe’s and this site for other skinny recipes.

4.  Sign up for a 5k.  Now, I am not an outside runner.  I can run on a treadmill but if I run outside I get horrible knee and hip pain.  So I will be briskly walking a 5k.  On the hunt for one in my area. 

5.  Resistance training with weights.  I have really come to enjoy tossing around weights.  I love to challenge myself.  Do you lift weights?  It is the best way to transform you body.   

Again, I am no expert.  I just want to share what I have learned in my journey to get healthy and stay that way. 

Have a wonderful week.  Share what you are going to do to get healthy, in your faith, nutrition and fitness!

Privilege:  a right  granted as a peculiar benefit

Obligation:  something one is bound to do : duty or responsibility

This week, bible study has been intense.  I love it.  We are working through Max Lacado’s “Experienceing the Heart of Jesus”.  Terrific study if you are looking for one.  Prayer was the topic of the week.  I am totally convicted.  My prayer life needs improvement.  I have been in the habit of “popcorn prayers”.  You know, the ones you toss up to heaven quickly because you are so busy or have a to do list a mile long.  My prayers had become predictable and dull.  I was going about it the wrong way. 

When you walking with Christ, it is a huge privilege to be able to pray to God!  With privilege comes obligation.  It is our “duty” to pray.  We have the divine opportunity to go to the Holy throne of God with praises, confession, thankfulness and requests.  That is huge!!  When you are walking with Christ, there should be a desire to want to pray.  For yourself and for others.  But we have made it too difficult.  We want to sound eloquent and poised, and if we don’t sound that way than we just don’t pray.  Well..let me let you in on a secret…it ain’t about you or me!  It’s about GOD!  Don’t think about it too much, just do it. 

Jesus gave us the example of prayer in Matthew 6: 9-15.  He showed the way.  Jesus prayed all the time.  He wanted to be in communion with God.  It was an honor but also a privilege.  Max Lacado has a terrific book out that walks you through the Lords Prayer, ” The Great House of God“  I read it and would recommend it.  We need to be dwelling in our heavenly Father.  It is our obligation.  How do we expect to go out into a suffering world and do it alone.  We can’t!!  We need Jesus.. plain and simple. 

Be bold in your prayers.  This is my downfall.  I am a timid pray’er.  I want to become bold.  I attend a Moms in Touch group.  This is a great organization where you pray for you children and their schools.  You meet once a week for an hour and pray.  (I highly recommend finding a group).  The difference is that you pray scriptures over them.  Have you ever done that?  There is some big time power in it.  Try it.  Pick a scripture and place your name in it.  When our prayers line up with truth and God’s will he hears!  Another awesome thing is that when we don’t know how or what to pray the Holy Spirit intervenes on our behalf.  Praying for our children is a noble task.  Take it seriously and cover them in prayer.  Become a diligent ambassador for your family.  Prayer is essential.  It needs to be God centered not self centered.  His will be done. 

Here is a great model using A.C.T.S.

A:  adoration, praise God for who HE is

C:  confession

T: thanksgiving, thanking God for what he has don

S: supplication (intersession and requests)

There is so much more I have learned on prayer but I want to allow it to resonate in my spirit, I will be sharing soon!   

John 3:30  He must become greater; I must become less

Happy spring everyone!  I am so glad we are out of winter and into spring (in most of the United States).  The air smells different, feels different and I love seeing the puffs of  high white clouds.  There is still a chill in the air, but daffodils are blooming and birds are singing.  I love hearing birds sing first thing in the morning when I wake up. 

As you can see I gave my blog a makeover.  It’s funny how we women like to get makeovers.  Our hair, our wardrobe, our shoes, sometimes it just time for a makeover.   Like our kitchens.  My first kitchen had apples as the decor, then I switched to birdhouses.  My second home’s kitchen had a vineyard/wine theme, that carried over into our third home’s kitchen.  Now in our fourth and final home I have coffee decor.  I love a good cup of coffee!!  Especially now with spring here, I usually put on a strong pot  around 3pm.  Yum, and to go with the coffee I am gonna give you a tasty recipe that my grandma made when I was little. 

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE

1 box butter cake mix      1/2 c. oil (or applesauce)

4 eggs                                      1 can mandarin oranges

ICING:

1 box vanilla pudding                 1 small can crushed pineapple

1 tub Cool Whip

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil and mandarin oranges together.  Pour into 9×13 inch greased pan.  Bake 350 for 25-30 min.  COOL. 

Mix vanilla pudding and pineapple together until stiff.  Fold in Cool Whip and spread on cooled cake!  YUMMY!!

So what kind of makeovers are you in the process of doing?

Today was a beautiful day!! The sun was shinning, cool air but the sun was out.  I feel spring in the air!  Thursdays are bible study days and today we studied Experiencing the Love of Jesus. To be honest, this is something we need to study daily. Jesus’ love is incredible!   To know what He did on Calvary for me.  It makes me forever grateful.

We heard this song today, it speaks.   Take a look…

Than we broke off into our small groups (we have a large bible study that averages 175 women or more)  and one of our leaders shared this song and video.  It is meant to be a Christmas song, but we all agreed it is an all year long song.

Jesus love crashed into the world and I pray that my family allows His word, teachings, truths and love to crash into their lives. Do you know how much Jesus loves you?  Just look to the cross.

We are entering into Easter and I would love to chat about some fun things you are doing in your home to share the love and grace of Jesus.   Easter is late this year, April 24, so we have lots of time to CELEBRATE JESUS!

**My youngest, Phoebe has fallen in love with this song. We have heard it..oh..about 4 times now.