Looking Back.

Lydia's 3rd birthday party...and my very first blog post!

Family day at Disney, where everything is magical and wonderful

Our Disney cruise as a family

...highly recommend a family cruise...totally relaxing

We welcomed Max into our family...such a spoiled little doggie

We went to pick strawberries at Pappy's Strawberry Patch and made so many yummy desserts

Luke's 10th birthday party

We made the corkboard out of a cheap painting that we found at a garage sale to go above our computer desk

$3 lamp that we bought at a garage sale and repainted with my favorite mugs ever...courtesy of Walmart

Our new birdhouse that we got from a garage sale and the Halleberg Nursery sign that we made from an old painting

Our boys decided to share a room this year

Our City Sign that we made for about $25-30

Lydia's headboard made out of old closet doors that we got from our neighbors for free when they were tossing them

Lydia's corkboard that we made out of an old frame from a garage sale

celebrating my birthday...#37

Our trip to Anna Maria with Tim and Tracey

Memories from my trip to LA to see Kate and her family

Before and Afters of our Foyer

Before and Afters of our family room

Before and Afters of our Living Room

The Shelves we made in our kitchen

Seth's 8th birthday with everyone sporting their "hill-billy" teeth

My trip to Pennsylvania for Michele's 40th

zip-lining in Pennsylvania for the first time

Our New Bed skirt-made with Painters Drop Cloth

The old glass jars that we found at a garage sale and made into two awesome bedside lamps for our master

Fall 2010 and the numbers that I put on our front door

Our trip home to Northeast Georgia to see family and friends

We became Sebastian, Bunny, Kitty and Charles on our weekend away while celebrating Tracey's 40th birthday

My new Pottery Barn lamps that I saved forever for paired with our $2 tool box and my awesome cow painting

Merry Christmas 2010

No mantle..so we improvised!

Our Family Rules sign that we made for the kids bathroom

My kids on Christmas morning 2010

 
I'm so glad that I started blogging in 2010
Not only have I met some really amazing and talented friends...
but it's allowed me to record many of the memories our family made together and the projects that we completed at home.
I've had friends ask me why I blog...
how I have the time with homeschooling and marriage and home keeping....
We just all make time to do things that we enjoy and this is one of the things I chose.
This blog helps me to be intentional about living this life that I've been given to the fullest.
I can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

Family Rules.

I've been wanting a "family rules list" for a while now...

the original one that I saw looked like this:

As much as I love the one above, I really wanted something a little more neutral,

so that I could move it around the house when I felt like it!

The best part was that it didn't cost us a thing since we had all the supplies in the garage.

It was easy for us to come up with what we wanted it to say:

Always tell the truth.

Share.

Forgive and Recover.

Love.

Be kind.

Say your Prayers.

Practice Self-Control.

Always be grateful.

For now, it hangs in our kids bathroom, and they can see it from both mirrors.
....yep. that was perfectly planned.

It's a great reminder to all of us to give these things to each other in our relationships.



 

Grateful Heart.

Photo found here.

I found out last week that Edie lost her home in a fire.

My heart is so grateful that her entire family escaped safely.
And, at the same time, my heart breaks for the tragic loss that they are now walking through together.
It didn't surprise me in the least that Edie's first post after her tragedy was a prayer to the Lord.
She thanked him for his mercy in rescuing them from near death.
She cried out to him for peace and mercy and grace.
And, she is trusting in Him for everything that they will need to get through this.
As I've described Edie to my family and friends,
these are the words that I've used to describe her....
faithful.
strong.
reliable.
trust-worthy.
smart.
passionate.
She gives credit to everything that she has become to the Lord.
She knows with every fiber of her being that all that is hers belongs to him.
Edie has encouraged me so many times with her strong faith and her love for God's word.

Even still, loss is devastating.
The stuff that we collect in our homes over the course of our lives is important to us.

I haven't experienced loss like she is right now, but I've experienced it, and it turned me inside-out.
 People crying with me and letting me feel what I wanted to feel seemed vital.
Friends cooking meals for us and allowing us into their homes brought comfort.
But, there was only one thing that sustained us in the middle of it, and that was the truth of God's promise
...to pour out his grace and mercy on us in the midst of suffering,
  to bring something good out of the pain,
and to make himself known to us in the questions.
 Psalms 34: 18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

My mind has perfect peace knowing that Edie will cling to God's word in these months that will follow.
He will give her strength and grace and mercy to walk through this, and she will know that
He is with her.

MERRIEST CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

I'm grateful for Jesus, who was born in that manger so long ago 

to be...

 Our Wonderful Counselor in times of trouble.

Our Mighty God, who saves us with his overwhelming grace.

Our Everlasting Father, who never forsakes us.

Our Prince of Peace, who brings calm to the chaos in our minds and hearts.

Emmanuel, God with us.

With us.

Whoever you are, Wherever you are, Whatever you are going through...

He is with you.

Fun at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando...

 

This picture should show you why I didn't send out a Christmas card for the first time in fifteen years! 

 

Lydia saw this and said.."Look, we're in China... I'm from China!"

My favorite people in the whole wide world.

Today was a great day to play outside in Orlando...

Sunny skies and a cool breeze made it the perfect day to try out a new park.

Lake Eola is near downtown and only about twenty minutes from our house.

It's such a great place...

Part of the city is in the round with a huge lake in the middle.  

There are running/walking trails around the whole area and there are huge white swan paddle boats.

There are so many cool restaurants with outdoor dining and a fantastic park to play in with the kids.

I couldn't get over all the beautiful Fall colored trees....at the end of December.

It was our first trip down there, but it certainly won't be our last.

Our kids made us promise!

If I could bottle up our sunshine and this cool breeze and send it to all of you, I promise I would!!!