Tubing

Goodbye vacation cabin you were good to us.

Chimney top trail

Friday, on vacation, we went for a hike called Chimney top trail. When we started there was a little bit of snow and by the time we came back down it was about an inch or so thick. It was probably the most magical time for me. We were all having a great time together and as I looked around, all I saw was nature and people I love. No music, no computers, no toys, no make-up or fancy outfits. Just us being together and my heart was full and overflowing. Not to mention that we got Kilwin's ice cream on the way back ;)

Consignment season

I have been browsing a website that tells me every consignment sale in my area. It is brimming with options and spread throughout a two month period of time. I have my favorites but I almost always feel like I am missing some great deal if I don't go to every one that peaks an interest. Financially I cannot go to everyone but the flip of that coin is that financially I cannot afford NOT to go to at least one. I always get amazing deals and I always buy things we didn't need. This is when my husbands voice starts to be heard in my head. "So are we really saving if you are just buying stuff??"

What about you? Do you love to get a good deal? Are you a Savvy Shopper? Can you buy something if it isn't on sale? I know that there will always be a deal and there will always be people who buy but do I always need to be that person?? Here I sit contemplating what my weekend will look like because of this overflow of deals flooding my county.

It makes me feel better to let you in on some of this deal getting so here is that great website I mentioned. You can just pick your state. The Bargain Watcher

A New Book

This was delivered to my door Friday. You think God might be on my side to deal with all I have been going through?? I think this is a resounding YES!!

I was given a copy for Christmas but it didn't get released until February. If you know me you know I LOVE Beth and I am looking forward to the truths that she speaks in this book.

Relief

Prayer!!!

Last night we had a great time of fellowship with our friends at House Church. We gather together every Sunday evening to eat, worship, pray and read the Word of God. Last night was no different except that I needed to open up and share my heart so that the family of God could pray for me.

It has been a rough road emotionally for about 4 weeks and I am on a journey to being healed from some deep wounds of the past. They have guided the thoughts about myself for years and now is the appointed time to go back deal and be healed. Most of this comes through times on my own in prayer, reading the Word and just letting the presence of God warm my heart and give me courage to be free from the ties that bind. Other times it involves being vulnerable to the ones you trust and love and letting them pray for you and encourage you with their own experiences and triumphs in the same areas. Because lets face it we all have wounds from the past!!!!

What followed after sharing was such relief for this weary heart! I felt lifted, supported, released and capable of facing these areas and letting them strengthen me not harm me anymore. Everyone wanted me to know how much they loved me just the way I was and that if I wasn't me, a major part of our body of believers would be lacking. Wasn't that so Kind! My husband prayed for me too and spoke encouraging things to my heart about how glad he was that I was the one he had married and no one else. Now, on Valentine's Day this was the perfect way to let me know I am loved by my man!

All in all I want to encourage you that if there is something from your past that is skewing the view of who you really are, be encouraged. It is worth it to go there, to that memory, hurtful word, harmful experience and be healed. It will take faith, a heart willing to be vulnerable and people who LOVE you to be triumphant but it is worth it! I am going to have to learn to walk in this freedom but it will be with a greater strength and hope then before. Not to mention the friends that now know how to pray for me and encourage me because I chose to open up and share with them how I was really doing.

His mercies are new every morning and this morning I am rejoicing in them!

Valentine's Week

Last year I had a great time planning an entire week of fun for the children leading up to Valentine's. Well...Katherine remembered almost every detail and was talking about what we were going to do this year right after Christmas. I eventually had to tell her that we would talk about it more after vacation but until then let's focus on all that we are grateful for and I tried to move the attention to snow and winter fun instead. To give you an idea of how much she LOVED the holiday last year she decided to have a Valentine's birthday that year as well. So all that to say we had another week of fun and I only have about 7 pictures to show for it. Hating myself right now! So here you go the ones that made the cut.

Yogurt hearts that we froze in the Am and ate for lunch.

Evan was very pleased. He found the idea in one of his magazines.

Heart Brownies
And last but not least Heart ice. Got to love the Target 1.00 section. They had heart ice trays that I then gave to the children one morning during the week. I actually got most of the gifts for them at target and spent about $20 on the holiday week.

Behind

Today, I am talking about today not backposting from our vacation.

I am behind!!! I am exhausted and No, I am not pregnant. Since before vacation I am have been so busy. I could go back and tell you why but right now I can't figure it out for the life of me. Now we are home and I am trying hard to get back into routine but events keep taking me by surprise and I am frustrated. I think it would take me a solid day without ANY distractions to catch up. All of you know I have three little ones that are in need of my care constantly. Nap time is a great time to rush around but like many of you I am taking a Bible Study right now and I need to those precious quiet times to do my homework. We are also taking on a huge emotional event as well...Counseling.

Everything is fine actually but like most couples you can use a little help in communication. My man wanted us to go so that we don't get caught in a really bad cycle and have to work HARD to get out. We are still fairly new at marriage, 7years, and we have accomplished quite a bit already. Now granted we have never moved but we have gone overseas, changed churches, mourned a loss, watched his mom suffer from Alzheimer's and a host of other things. needless to say we have been busy. So, we started counseling about a month ago and after our second session I had to admit she new what she was doing and we are doing a lot better. Not without a ton of introspection, prayer, tears and a glance into my past that is most times difficult. We usually go on Thursdays and that would mean today. Can I say that part of me is so caught in what might be said tonight that I have a hard time being emotionally present right now. She has caused some old wounds to open up and I am not sure I have dealt with those all the way yet. because like the title of this post I am behind!!

All this is said to say to you, are you stopping to take care of your heart in the midst of LIFE? I am not doing a thing today except go to the gym. Exercise always help me get frustrations out and then I am just going to BE today. Spend time on the floor with my kids, pray, nap, cry and whatever else helps my heart to remember I am not where I once was. But because of the wonderful grace of my Savior I can and have overcome and I have a testimony to share of the amazing things I have in my life right now.

Nature trail

On Thursday we took a family hike on a nature trail that led us to a waterfall not far from our car. The kids really enjoyed this time with Daddy. He taught them how to skip rocks! I love the concentration on Katherine's face. She really tried but will continue to practice. Evan of course skipped a couple of rocks once and was very proud. When we got to the waterfall they hiked up beside it. Walking sticks were all around us this trail and I think they found about three each.




I love this tree. Wish I would have put Sean inside too!

Cade's Cove

Since it is snowing...

...Let's make snowmen!



I brought, brownie mix, mini chocolate chips, powdered sugar, marshmallows and these awesome icing decorating pens. They had a great time making their edible snowmen.

Hiking in the Mtns

On our second day we bundled up and braved the 32 degree temps to hike to Laurel Falls. It had been raining for 3 days so they were full and flowing.
It was really cold!
Uncle Steve, Aunt Robin and their two girls
We passed by two little falls on the trail that were flowing over the walkway. We had to carry the kids over one so they wouldn't get their feet wet. Unfortunately we forgot snow boots this day and only had our tennis shoes.
Uncle Steve mapped out all of our hikes for the week and did a great job.
Evan got really tired on the way back down and I had to get creative. I had a fairly long fleece scarf. I made it into a sling of sorts and carried him on my back. We ended up hiking 2.6 miles that day and I was very proud of my big girl for making it the whole way. My baby boy though cried about halfway down it was pretty stressful but he survived. For not having hiked on Daddy's back but once before I could understand that he was DONE.

Haircut

Can I just say that the day when I know I will get a haircut comes with such turmoil. I always look at TONS of pictures and try to decide what I will do. Short, Layers, bangs and then the just simple trim. My man LOVE's my hair long and doesn't think I ever need to touch it but of course being a woman I see the split ends and think to myself it has been...uh...yeah I think it was Sept.

So today is haircut day, it is raining, it is cold, and my hair looks pretty good. I have been loving the length and want to keep it, but I still look at pictures and wonder how different I could look. Do you know that I have NEVER colored my hair? Yep it has been this same Dark brown color all my life and every Summer I think of doing highlights but I have never taken the plunge.

What about you...is haircut day exciting? Does it always mean change? Does your stylist see you and know exactly what is going to be done because you do the same thing every time??

I am sure I will look the same today I am not feeling too adventurous with all the other stuff going on in my life.

Home again

Well, it is official our vacation has now ended and exploded all over our house! We are trying to get everything put away and continue with daily routine. Yesterday, I spent a solid hour in the kitchen and it finally looked decent enough to feed children in it without fear of germs. ewww! This was all started by forgetful little me leaving a chicken breast opened in the fridge for a week while we were gone. Can anybody say SMELLY!?! Just trying to keep it real over here and let some of that reality shine through. Today it is supposed to be sunny and in the 50's so I am not sure how much laundry will get done because this girl has four kids today that will want to get outside!!

Should have some pics up of our trip when I can locate the camera and get them uploaded. We had a great relaxing time with snow, an in home movie theater and lots of GUUD eatin'.