Refreshment

This week was a hard one.. Cheyenne, my little cousin who lives with us, came down with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized last Monday night...Thus my mom had to take off the whole week to help take care of her. I took over my mom's days at school so that she could take care of things. I have been trying to take all my tests for my certification also so it has just been REALLY hectic and stressful but it's life.

Luke's parents were doing a short little conference in Brownwood this past weekend and most of his family was going to be with them so we headed out there to spend some time with them. It was such a refreshing weekend and something we both needed. It was a great reminder of how to be living and we learned some new things too. Some of the things that Bobby talked about was when Adam and Eve sinned their spirit died and every man/woman born since have been born in "Adam's" image thus we are all born into death not life.. When Jesus "the second Adam" came and died on the cross for us and offered us spiritual life. Most of us are still living like we are dead instead of living in the Life we have as believers and letting Jesus work through us.. We read Romans 6:1-9 and here is what it says..in a nutshell it says that if we are believers we are baptized (immersed) in his death on the cross with Jesus when he died for our sin and that when he rose from the dead we rose with him in NEW life. Most of us, me included, have been living like he is still dead. One of the people at the conference said that the degree to which you are immersed in the water is the degree to which Christ lives in you. WOW!!! That is so true how many times do we just immerse ourselves enough to get what we need at the moment to get by instead of being TOTALLY immersed and experience what REAL life is like??

There were so many good things talked about at the conference and I am so glad that we went and got to learn so much....It is so exciting to see God work and to be a part of it.


Today I am going to FULLY IMMERSE MYSELF!!!!!! How about you???????

Love..Love..Love this song!

"A Mighty Fortress" ~ Christy Nockels

listen to it here

Verse 1
Our God is a consuming fire,
A burning holy Flame, with glory and freedom
Our God is, the only righteous judge,
Ruling over us with kindness and wisdom

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You

Chorus
A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign

Verse 3
Our God is, jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He's worthy...

Bridge
We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
So we can set our hearts on You
Lord we will set our hearts on You!

I want God's creativity

I recently went for a trip to the beach {Destin, Fl to be exact} as a finale to the summer.. It was AMAZING!!!! I have never been to the beach, yes i know that is INSANE but coming from a large family it tends to be a bit expensive to go on vacations, so this summer I was determined to get there.

It always blows my mind about all the beautiful things in our world that God created that are magnificent! Most of the time I get too busy or caught up in the everyday that I truly forget to stop and just take it all in. Now, yes I know that Waco, Tx is not by any means anything to look at but just looking at the sky on a clear day and how many stars are out at night can be nice. It's amazing how you can really look at the world and not think that there is a God who created all of it.

I for one am going to make a conscious effort to stop and "smell the roses" more often than have been currently and really bask in the beauty God created for us to enjoy.

So back to the beach...:) I had just about the best time EVER! I would seriously considered living by one one day. Luke and I and a couple of our friends made the journey from Lorena to Florida. We stayed at a delightful condo called Ariel Dunes for a very reasonable price and will definitely be returning there on our next trip.. it's off Mirmar beach and was super pretty. We dabbled in a few of the local places and partook in some seafood of course. It rained a little while we were there and a tropical storm rolled in as we were leaving but other than that I had no complaints! We made a little detour to New Orleans on the way back to get some Beignets {haven't ever been or at one either} and WOW were they deliciousous! We made some great memories and couldn't have asked for a better time.

Here are a few pics of our little adventure;)

I ♥ the beach



View from our room



Cafe Du Monde Beignets YUMMY




At McGuires Irish Pub.. Awesome place!



Ocean at night?? why not:)

Beach time!

Thank you for LONG weekends:)

Well ladies and gents Memorial Day weekend is upon is.. well for those who are working you have oh about 7ish hours left until you are OFFICIALLY free but I:) am off work today!

Luke and I are heading to Dallas today to do a little shopping and who knows maybe a pedi for me:) I think I deserve it! Then off to Chels' to spend that night with my lovely sista and then bright and early Saturday we are off to the great city of Nashville to visit Luke's family and celebrate his sister Abby's high school graduation. I must say that I am VERY THRILLED to get this break because after we return to Texas next week there is Chels' bachelorette party next weekend and then it's off to the MCC Child Development center for this one all summer unfortunately... So my short break to Tennessee is greatly welcomed! There will DEFINITELY be a visit to the Pancake Pantry for me, this place has the is the best breakfast ever in Nashville and I'm hoping to do some other fun things while we are there..catch some music of course and see some old friends..who know what else:)

Hope you have a safe, fun, AND relaxing LOOOONNNGGG weekend whatever you may be doing:)

~Peace......

Tim Hughes song

"God Of Justice"

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give


Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

Fun ideas!

These are both FABULOUS ideas in my opinion and they seem sooo very easy to do.. I love them but would probably chose different colors then she did but nonetheless great tips.. check out her blog!

#1
Wall Hangings

All you'll need is 3 coordinating fabrics, some hot glue, and 3 artist's canvasses. The canvasses I got are 11x13 inches and I got 1/2 yard of each color of fabric.

Now, simply lay your fabric over your canvas. Fold the fabric over and around the sides, making sure to keep the fabric smooth and tight. Apply plenty of glue to the back but don't worry what the back looks like.......no one will ever see it. But don't apply glue to the front or sides, the glue will make the fabric appear bumpy and messy

.

Final product!





#2
Great option for jazzing up your plan 'ole average whiteboard:)

All I did was hot glue some fabric around the inside mat of a 14 x 18 inch frame, put the glass back in, set the fabric covered mat back inside the frame, return the back section to its spot, and then hang.







**You are actually writing on the glass that you put back in the frame. It wipes off just the same as a dry erase board. So nice.

Tag....

time wastin' is the name o' the game.

A - Age: 23 1/2
B - Bed size: queen, i can't stand being smashed in a small bed
C - Chore you hate: I REALLY hate to mop! I don't mind sweeping but mopping HATE it..
D - Dog's name: don't have one but hoping to have one in the near future
E - Essential start your day item: breakfast and a good cup of coffee WITH creamer..and I have to always have some chapstick:)
F - Favorite color: blue
G - Gold or Silver or platinum: I tend to lean more towards silver but enjoy gold too..
H - Height: 5'5"
I - Instruments you play: Piano..clarinet from middle school
J - Job title: at the moment substitute teacher
K - Kid(s): I would love four or so..whatever God wishes to bless me with is fine, but kids are a definite!
L - Living arrangements: Lorena until Luke graduates..:/
M - Mom's name: Ella or E-mama.
N - Nicknames: Char, Naynay, Neenee (taylor's name for me)
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: none!
P - Pet Peeve: leaving empty boxes in the pantry..not running water in dishes after you put them in the sink..selfishness
Q - Quote from a movie: I have many................but this one comes to mind at the moment from Pride and Prejudice:)

Mr. Darcy: How are you this evening, my dear?
Elizabeth Bennet: Very well. Only, I wish you would not call me "my dear."
Mr. Darcy: Why?
Elizabeth Bennet: Because it's what my father calls my mother whenever he's cross about something.
Mr. Darcy: Well, what endearments am I allowed?
Elizabeth Bennet: Well, let me think...”Lizzie" for everyday, "my pearl" for Sundays, and "Goddess Divine," but only on special occasions.
Mr. Darcy: And what am I to call you when I'm cross? "Mrs. Darcy?"
Elizabeth Bennet: No, you may only call me "Mrs. Darcy" when you are completely, perfectly and incandescently happy.
Mr. Darcy: And how are you this evening... Mrs. Darcy? Mrs. Darcy... Mrs. Darcy... Mrs. Darcy!



R - Right handed or left handed: right!
S - Siblings: get ready.. four lovely sisters and 2 handsome brothers
T - Time you wake up: depends if I'm working..if so 6:25am, if not usually 8:30ish
U - Underwear: you can never have enough.. kind of like shoes:)
V - Vegetable you dislike: asparagus ewww and brussel sprouts but I like most others.
W - Ways you run late: taking too much time choosing what to wear.. I change too many times..
X - X-rays you've had: surprisingly just one on my shoulder
Y - Yummy food you make: I don't mean to brag but I'm a pretty good cook all around..Chocolate Hazelnut cake is Luke's favorite and my spaghetti sauce is also a hit
Z - Zoo favorite: panda's are the MOST ADORABLE by far!