It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

In my house:

Hot Chocolate while decorating!

While shopping:

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, Stephanie and I head to the Galleria in Dallas to watch the free ice skating show, drink lattes, and eat at Genghis Grill.  It never fails to disappoint!

Olympic Silver Medalists

At Christmas crafts:

(Ladies, I realize this is not the best picture of us but it’s the only one I had!)

In our town:

My favorite house on the block!

Can you see what the sign says? Merry Christmas from North Pole, Texas.

Our quiet little community changes its name every December.  How fun is that?

Happy Christmas, friends.  May your days be merry and bright!

Lots o’ Links

It’s the Friday before Trick or Treating and I’m still working on costumes.  I may or may not be slightly overwhelmed with all the festivities we have planned for this weekend and the next.   I won’t bore you with all the details but after the last of the Halloween stuff this Sunday my house will become Christmas central for our annual craft weekend on the 6th.  That means the whole house needs to be cleaned and decorated for Christmas by next Friday.

Pray for me friends. 🙂

With all that said, here are some links that I’m loving right now:

• We will be making this planner at Christmas crafts this year.  It is super cute and cheap.  Let’s hope it’s easy too.
• I can’t say enough about the book Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy by Jonni McCoy.  It’s such a wonderful resource and the recipes are out of this world and easy.  She also has a separate cookbook Healthy Meals for Less.  You can pick it up from her site.  A couple of our favorites are the Chicken Pot Pie and the Italian Spaghetti Sauce…and the homemade ranch dressing…I could go on and on…
• This post about mothering on the Resurgence by Jani Ortlund.  Seriously good stuff.
• This YouTube video is pretty funny and maybe a little true. 🙂
• I’ve mentioned before that I meet with a group of high school girls on Saturday mornings.  This week we are starting the book Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh.  So far I am LOVING it!  Our (and your) students are dealing with issues (or seeing their friends deal with them) that are uncomfortable and unpopular to talk about in the church, but need to be addressed. This book is a good conversation starter, but best done in a small group setting.  Please don’t just hand them the book to read alone. It can be a useful tool but does not take the place of a parent speaking Truth in their life. There is also an online resource that is great.  You really should check it out.
• What’s in the Bible has now relaunched their website with all kinds new perks!!!  Go, look, enjoy.

See you soon, friends.

Just so you know…

• I think I’m still on London time…or maybe I’m just on crazy time.  Anyway, I’m feeling very wonky.
• My straightener broke while in London, hence the tweet:  My husband just looked at me, laughed and said, “Your hair is distracting.” #bedhead #mystraightenerbrokeinLondon.  We may or may not have a joke about my hair looking like Mel Gibson from Braveheart. Go ahead-You can laugh.  I don’t mind.
• Yesterday my son told me-that his friend told him-that a girl at church likes him.  I’m not ready for this. My son then proceeded to tell me that I could share the information with his Dad but NOT his sister.   Oh, and that I shouldn’t worry because he still thinks girls are weird.  Whew!
• Just so you know, it’s probably not a good idea to cut trim your daughter’s hair if you’ve never had training, especially when she’s letting it grow out so she can be an Indian princess for Halloween.  I’m just sayin’.
• Fall is here (well, Texas Fall) and that means it’s state fair time again.  I think my husband and I are more excited than the kids.
• It’s only one month until Christmas crafts and the Christmas binder has come out of hiding.  Just so you know, there will be a few Christmas craft giveaways coming soon.

See you soon friends.  🙂

Just so you know…

• This is my birthday week.  On Friday my husband (and kids) will make me the best cake ever.  It’s so yummy and makes my house smell like fall.  I wish I could give you a slice.
• I leave for London in 13 days.  My passport still isn’t here. I know it’s coming but I would feel much better if I were holding it in my hand.
• While I’m gone, my husband is going to be schooling the kids and working at the same time.  I’m worried he might lose his mind…
• If you lose your driver’s license and then it expires, you really shouldn’t wait 3 years before having it renewed.  They may make you get a permit and retake your driving test…just so you know…
• Chris and I are still doing P90X.  I may or may not be on speaking terms with Tony Horton. One of us has had to tighten their belt a notch already, the other has lost nary a pound.  I’ll let you guess which one is me.

That’s all I’ve got for now, friends.  I seem to have misplaced my creativity.  It’s probably in the same place I laid my driver’s license…

Random Goodness II

• Apparently I only enjoy exercise if I’m doing it with someone else.  I talked my husband into doing P90X with me every night.  It’s hard and makes us want to throw up a little.  I told Sami today that if I don’t lose one hundred pounds then I was going to call up Tony Horton and give him a piece of my mind.  (just kidding about the hundred pounds thing…maybe)
• We started school this week (which I love).   It forces me to be on a schedule.  Our curriculum is My Father’s World and we are so pleased with everything about this program.  Noah is on the Rome to Reformation part of the cycle and Grace is starting Adventures in My Father’s World which is an overview of American history.
• I had the chance to go to Women of Faith in Dallas this past weekend.  I’ll be honest here and say that I’m not very conference-y, but I had a great time of fellowship with the women in my church.  Being new to a body of believers isn’t always easy and I was grateful for a chance to get to know them better.  I also got to see old friends and former students which is always a fun perk.
• I just finished the book Radical by David Platt and am re-reading Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan.  Everyone should read these books…serious, life-changing stuff.
• Fall is so close that I can taste it!  And if you don’t know what Fall tastes like, it’s a mix of funnel cake and caramel apples sprinkled with cinnamon.  This is our annual family Fall event.  What’s yours?

10 on the 10th…Playing catch up

There’s so much going on around here, friends, that I’m hanging on by thread…  To say that we are looking forward to the beginning of school (so that life will slow down) would be a complete understatement.  I’ve let the blogging (on this site) slide so that I keep up with life around here.  So, today I’m joining Meredith with 10 on the 10th: Catching up

1. Summer is the busy season in youth ministry.  The students are out of school and camp, Six Flags, and summer concerts all seem to come calling at the same time.  We love it, but we’re always ready for fall. This weekend is our last big event before school starts back.
2. One great thing about this weekend is that I get see family and some very dear friends.  Ministry is hard and we get moved away from those we love but the blessing is that sometimes God knits our hearts together with people when we least expect Him to.
3. My favorite boy turns 11 in less than a week and is about to start the 6th grade.  That means next year he will be in our youth group…Yikes…
4. We went to Old Navy yesterday because of the $10 jean sale and my daughter wanted a pair of skinny jeans.  She’s seven.  How does she even know what those are?  Apparently, at Old Navy skinny is the new slim so that’s what we have to buy to get them to fit her, but still…
5. Speaking of jeans, I have yet to find the perfect pair for me.  I don’t think they exist.  Anyone have suggestions?  Random, I know.
6. I’m Blogging for Hope. I would love for you to check it out.  My article will be posted on the 18th, I think.
7. We have four months until December and I’ve officially started my Christmas planning list.  I know, it’s early but I have to plan now or it just does not get done.
8. In September I will be taking a little trip with my aunt and staying here.  Words can’t express how excited I am.
9. My husband bought me an Ipod and filled it with music and podcasts to help me stay focused while I jog.  Did you catch that???  I’ve started jogging! It’s just a couple of times a week but that’s the first step, right?
10. I’m driving places.  I even drove Chris around on Sunday.  Those that know me understand what a big deal this is…

Happy August 10th!

Good Things

Things I’m loving:

• I’m always looking for something to help me get organized and a clear, easy to use, house cleaning plan.  FlyLady is nice be it’s a little too much for me.  I was so excited when my SIL turned me on to  Motivated Moms.  I love this!  I print out the whole year, put it in a binder and just check off my list.  Plus, there’s a built in Bible reading plan.
• My new shoes!  Love them!!!  Now, I want every color, even the plaid.
• Small towns with an ice cream man that stops by your house every single Tuesday evening makes me happy.
• Burt’s Bees Blemish Stick…It’s all natural and WONDERFUL.  While you’re checking out their site grab a tube of their chemical free sunblock.  It’s the safest on the market.
• A hole-in-the-wall candy shop full of  bins  overflowing with nickel candy makes my brood drool just a little.
• And, we found this candy….Can I just say YUM???
• I’m always looking for a new craft project and I especially like to re-purpose stuff that we have around the house.  So, I made these from a bible I had that was coming apart (I can’t throw a bible away).My husband needed something for his office so I think we’re going to hang them on his wall.

That’s all I have for today.  We leave for youth camp on Monday and while am very excited there is still so much to do.  Prayers would be appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by…