Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday Favs . . . . of the Year


Family Events:

Goochland Drve In Movie
Climbing the Dunes
Christmas Lights in Jammers

Mommies that Create Jewelry:
Lia & Tonja

LisaLeonardLove

i got a piece for Christmas

Fotography Friend:
 
(click on picture)
Book:
Redeeming Love

Movies:

and




Books of the Bible:
Jonah

Ephesians

Phillipians

I'm sure I'll add more favorites as I think of them
that apply to this year.
Happy New Year Friends!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

One Word

for years now i've seen on other blogs
the idea of choosing 1 word
to represent the upcoming year
in the past i've never done that

One Word 2011
but this year i will

many of you know the word
believe
really ressonates with me
it has for a while
for years
last year it was a real focus for me
i still believe 

this year i'm choosing
joy

i believe in joy

(other blogs referring to the one word theme
and i'm sure there will be more over the next few days)


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

It's the Little Things

I just realized I never posted these pics
from way back when . . .
Thanksgiving to be exact!

I just loved all the little touches
the owners of this quaint bed & breakfast



added to make their place so cozy.

these bell jars were in random spots around the outside









even a child sized sitting area

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Christmas Story

this is so sweet ~ thanks for sharing meg.


Sunday, December 26, 2010

December Delights

This month we've had tradition
and we tried to implement new traditions as well.

I've been brainstorming ideas to help the boys bless others
as well as look out for others in need.

Black Friday my mama & I headed to WalMart
on the hunt for items to fill our own
shortly after, we set to work!


We have them ready in the car
to spread a little love & warmth.
*   *   *   *   *
I've ALWAYS wanted to have a cookie exchange
with the boys & friends.
When chatting with a friend we decided to have one
only with a little twist.

We would each make cookies with our families
and then meet together to distribute
and do a little tasting as well.
We packaged them up pretty
and took them to an Assissted Living Home.

We sang at their request!





I hand delivered the invites so I didn't get the word out
to as many people as I had hoped.
We still had 6 families represented.
Be ready to join us next year!
or next month ~
one resident mentioned
that they are now going to expect us each holiday!

*   *   *   *   *

We had missed our friend Landon so much
that he stayed the rest of the day . . . & night with us!
He was so excited to have a sleepover w/ the boys.

After dinner we headed out for some Krispy Kreme,
Hot Cocoa, and Christmas Lights.
Roxy came along for the ride.

The line was so long that 2 of the 3 boys fell asleep.
We waited for about 30 minutes.
 They woke up long enough to eat their donut
then they were out again.
Jacob & I enjoyed lights at homes we've never seen
in years past.
Sweet Dreams Sweet Boys

Friday, December 24, 2010

Five Friday Favs

unplanned play dates
today was our calmest day of Christmas break
and we had 4 boys here
i even took all 4 to make a target return
that was the easiest trip to target w/ boys in tow
ever

generosity of friends
even if there is no name on the package
i love the surprise
but do wish i could write a thank you note
thank you sweet friend/elf

a spur of the moment trip out to look at lights
complete w/ a stop at krispy kreme
the line was so long
that once the boys ate their snowman dougnut
they fell asleep before we got back to all the lights

J-O-Y
it's been my prayer this season
that God won't let anything steal it!

a morning with some of the residents at Spring Arbor
we gathered w/ friends ~ mama's & children
sorted cookies into pretty boxes
delivered & sang
one lady mentioned that they will expect a visit
EVERY holliday!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Friday, December 17, 2010

Five Friday Favs

* "The LORD will fight for you;
you need only to be still."*
Exodus 14:14

* the sweet former youth that brought this scripture my mind
and ministered to me.

* i love reading this to the boys before bed
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
a real hoot & holler

* this is the cutest ornament i've seen this year
click on the pic for tutorial
 

i can't wait to try w/ my guys

* our lime green tree in the play room
covered with ornaments the boys have made over the years

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Join Jonah & Me

As some of you know I LOVED this study I did in Jonah. Well besides starting late . . . I then got behind in the last 2 weeks on it ~ so . . . . imagine how excited I was to get this email announcement.

Dear friends,

Life has gone from busy to frenetic in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I welcome the silence of an early morning run, the moment to worship in church this morning, and the anticipation my children feel when they open their advent calendars each morning! But even as we approach Christmas, I’ve been thinking ahead to 2011. This week, I’ll reunite with a small group of girls that I led this summer. My question for them:

what kind of woman would you like to be in the next three months, and what do you hope for in the next five years?

I’ve found myself pondering my own answers to the question! What about you?

As I think back over the fall, I want to thank you for allowing me to join you on your study of Jonah through The Divine Pursuit. I hope you’ve enjoyed the study and found meaningful ways to relate the story of Jonah to the story God is writing about your life.

The study has been an incredible experience for me, and to get to share it with so many people has been outstanding. Your support of the printed guide has already sent over $500 to International Justice Mission, and the chance to interact with many of you—in small or big ways—has been rich.

So in the spirit of giving, I’d love to extend a special offer exclusively to you.

For this week only, the printed version of the Divine Pursuit is only $7.50 if you visit this page:

If you’ve found the study meaningful, I’d love for you to consider gifting it to a friend, or pass this email along to others that might benefit from the guide.

And if it’s still sitting on your shelf (these things happen!!), perhaps you can ask someone to join you, start your own group using the leader guide, or join our next round of online discussion groups that begin the week of January 10.

One more thing: if you want to lead a group, I’ll send you a free leader guide. Just order 3 or more books and the leader guide will be included as a free download!

Wishing you peace, laughter and delicious cookies this Christmas,

Nicole

SO ~ anyone want to join me?  I really did like it that much! 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Five Friday Favs


*  i'm pretty sure this needs NO explanation
4 different flavors of chocolate covered joe joes
milk cocolate covered peanut butter
dark covered peppermint
white chocolate covered ginger
dark chocolate double chocolate

love the simplicity


* i had so much fun reading this to ben ben in bed
What Dogs Want for Christmas (Holiday Series)
Dear Santa,
What I want most is a loving home,
with someone to hold me
and call me their own.
Love, "Roxy"
memaw & pawpaw gave us this book for Christmas
right after we got Roxy.

* love the Baxters!
Summer (Sunrise Series-Baxter 3, Book 2)
couldn't put it down & couldn't stop crying.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

i am

* hopeful

* overwelmed

* not embarrassed

* wading . . . but long for depth

* crumbling

* protecting

* in love

* human

* a sinner

* cleansed

* emotional

* thankful

* impatient w/ my kiddos

* not ashamed

* craving time with God

* creating

* fearfully & wonderfully made

Sunday, December 5, 2010

My ONLY Hope

Good Sunday Morning

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7


Friday, December 3, 2010

whew

so so SO glad i'm not the only one!

one of my favorite bloggers ~ her home looks very similar to mine!

i've been home all day to make some dents in our piles though.
except for a trip to the bank
& to pick up our computer
in my jammers!

have i mentioned my theory that one can not be creative & organized?!
too bad i have a couple of friends that are both!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Truly Thankful

* to hear the whirlpool lady say, "you've only had that dishwasher 13 months & it shouldn't be messing up for you.  i'm going to extend your warranty.  when our service man comes, you will pay nothing."  thank you God for your provision

* for the enrollment in my gingerbread camp this weekend to jump from 4 to 9 in 24 hours time

* for calm easy going boys tonight that so easily went to bed well before 8pm for this tired mama

* for parents & in laws that notice a place to help and do it!  keeping a clean house is a little overwhelming at times . . . my daddy ran a vacuum last week and changed all the sheets on the beds and tonight bj folded more laundry and washed the dishes in the sink.

* for an evening snack of ben & jerry's a whole lotta

* our warm cozy home

* pajama day at school tomorrow means stay home jammer day for mama

* free tickets to bb


* the weekend is here

* God's Faithful words & promise
the name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
prov. 18:10
these words have blessed me in unexplainable ways this week