Family Craft Night

My friend Landa and I went to Jacksonville for a little shopping on Wednesday. At A C Moore's we found these ADORABLE resin figures. They were half price so I had to get them for a family craft night. So, last night after dinner, we cleared the table, covered it in newspaper and craft paper and proceeded to paint our gingerbread village. Here's a before shot of the figures.

Look how hard everyone is working!

Jody's finished Village Christmas Tree

Santa by me!

Heyward's "The Steedley House"

"Micajah's Fun House" by guess whom!?!

and the "Gingerbread Hospital" by Lindsey Kate which she created "to repair those Gingerbread Men that Santa just can't help but take a bite of because they are SO delicious!" - which she's not QUITE finished with...

Good times. Good times.....

Now I just need to find the PERFECT spot for them with Cottony snow and lights.....

Open Season

I ran across this picture of the deer cake while going through some discs the other day. This is one I will never forget because it was red velvet cake inside. I love making cakes for people and usually just do them as they request, but I think I am going to have to put my foot down and not make red velvet cakes for animal and/or people cakes. Just a little too strange for me. Sorta like the bleedin' armadilla groom's cake from Steel Magnolias.

I did this cake yesterday for an 18th Birthday. It was the first time I had been asked for a Camoflauge cake. The first try the kids said it didn't look very camoflauge. I guess this really doesn't either, but you get the idea. I think it turned out REALLY cool!

How sweet it is to be loved by you!

My man is so good to me. Not only is he sweet and encouraging and helps around the house, but he picks GORGEOUS flowers like this and puts them on my desk before I get come in. We were blessed when we bought this office to have mature rose bushes already in place. They bloom most of the year with these amazing flowers. He knows just when to pick them for me. He picks them just before they bloom so that I can enjoy God's amazing creation at it's peak,

When I think about love, I look around my desk and see these adorable creations my children have made. If you can't read it, the top one says "You compleat my heart" "I love you! Your the best". How sweet. The song is absolutely right "How SWEET it is to be loved by you!". My heart is filled to overflow today! Praise the Lord!

Cruises, Cookies and Costumes

For our anniversary in September, Jody booked us on a cruise for the Bahamas that we went on over the weekend. It was great to have some time to ourselves. We've been on a cruise before and I got seasick SO I was prepared with "the patch" to help with the motion sickness. Apparently I am in the 25% that the patch does not help. I felt OK when we left port and we went and ate lunch, but as dinner neared, I felt worse and worse. Jody even went to the lobby and got a motion sickness tablet for me to take. Surely the two of them together would help. Unfortunately they did not. As we entered the dining room, I KNEW I would not make it though the meal. I did make it back to the room though before getting sick. Another motion sickness tablet didn't help either. I spent the rest of the night in the bed. The next day in port was MUCH better! We found out later it was so bad they cancelled the show that night because they were afraid of the dancer's safety.

We'd been to the Bahamas twice before and it was good that we were not intent on sightseeing because it was raining. YUCK!! It did give us a chance to get back and take a nap. The water was so gorgeous and blue. I always forget how absolutely breathtaking it is.

The rest of the trip was wonderful. Our steward was an adorable fella named Nelson. He reminded us SO much of our local Dr. They could have been brothers. On the last morning of the cruise, we found out that the children's pediatrician and his office were on the cruise with us. What a small world!!


We came home to Homecoming week, Red Ribbon week and Halloween festivities at school. The children dressed up yesterday in Halloween Costumes for school. Linds is a Pirate, Micajah is obviously Superman and Heyward is Gabriella from High School Musical. Lindsey Kate won best costume for her class. Last night we got with our church group and ate dinner and went on a hayride while Trick or Treating. It was cold but SO much fun.

Every day this week they have dressed up in a different thing for Red Ribbon Week. It supports saying NO to drugs. Today was wear your pajamas day. I forget how that relates to saying no to drugs. Anyway, Heyward was SO funny. She wanted to wear mis-matched clothes and wore her hair half in rollers and the other half sprayed all over like a TERRIBLE case of bed hair. Hope she wins!!!

We laughed at Breakfast yesterday when Jody said he wanted to dress up like Barak OBama for Halloween. We told him we had seen a Barak mask at Rite Aid. He got the last one. He had the most fun of ALL last night dressed as Barak and harassing the children.

I don't usually make things for the children's teachers for Halloween, but found some adorable containers at the Dollar Tree on a recent visit. I baked cookies on skewers, iced them and arranged them in the containers. They turned out SO cute and smelled SO good. We have 9 teachers this year, so this was quite a feat in itself. Sorry the picture isn't better. It was the best I could do as I hurriedly tried to get the children out to school yesterday. We even forgot Lindsey Kate's assigned contribution to the Halloween Party. I had gotten them, we just forgot to take it yesterday morning.

Dora the Explorer

I was asked to create this cake for a birthday party this weekend. They were having a Dora the Explorer birthday party. I was fortunate to go to our local dollar store and find the Dora the Explorer birthday figurines for the cake. How great is that?!?

I tried a new fondant this time. I think it gave me a smoother finish. It is called Satin Ice. I plan to get a 20 lb bucket of it soon. I really liked it, but I felt like I was kneading bubble gum as I added color to it. I guess it will be a good arm workout. :)

Happy Birthday Heyward!

Yesterday was Heyward's 11th Birthday. ELEVENTH!! WOW!! Where does the time go? She is officially a "tween". WOW.

Yesterday started with Heyward coming to get in bed with us and Micajah following not far behind singing "Happy Birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey....." Well, you know the rest of that song - followed by phone calls from Mimi, Laci and Bami all before school. Jody was home so he and I went to school to eat lunch with Heyward. You wonder at what age mom and dad coming to school is no longer cool. I guess for a 5th grader it was still cool. I got several compliments on my purse while waiting in line and we were greeted with "Hey Heyward's mom and dad" as we went down the hall. I think Jody even got a Hi-5 from someone. Lunch was pretty good. Catfish nuggets, cheese grits, slaw, cornbread and baked beans. As we sat down, Heyward's grits dumped on the floor right next to her seat. Jody covered them with a napkin and before lunch was over, they had congealed enough that they came up in one glob. That's cool, huh?

Right before school got out, we went back up to the school and took cupcakes for Heyward's class. They were such good kids and SO well behaved. Things like that will give you reassurance that the future generation is NOT hopeless as the media would have you believe.

Our present to Heyward was some money AND a razor and shaving cream. She's been asking since summer to let her shave her legs - something I was not ready for. Anyway, I told her we would talk about it on her birthday so I went ahead and caved. She was SO excited and didn't even cut herself the first time - which is not what I could say for myself. Granted I think I was only about 8. I think the hardest part will be keeping the razor away from brother and sister. Maybe it won't be too much temptation.

Her birthday was capped off by the SWEETEST rendition I have ever heard of Happy Birthday. 2 year old cousin James called and left it on the answering machine. We listened to it several times last night and saved it to hear again today. ADORABLE!!!

Fauxhawk

Micajah has been telling us for quite some time that he either wanted a mohawk or an afro as a hairdo. Well, somehow yesterday he and his sisters convinced me that a fauxhawk would be the best route to go. Our stylist trimmed it like usual and styled it into a fauxhawk that can be brushed down for events like church. As she was styling his hair, she told us about a wonderful product available at the drug store called "Spike Glue". It is like hair gel on steriods. Thank goodness Micajah asked (without going ahead and trying) what would happen if he put REAL glue in his hair. Mrs. Mandy our stylist told him it would NOT be a good idea. We OF COURSE had to pick up a bottle of Spike Glue on the way home. Micajah spent the afternoon looking in the mirror to make sure his 'do had not fallen any.

After bath time last night we put some Spike Glue in and styled away. This morning, it had not changed much but he told me it was not styled quite like he wanted it. So, we wet it and started over. I e-mailed with his teacher today and she said her son Jackson (a 5th grader) got the EXACT same 'do yesterday. How cool is that?!? She said there will probably be some mad mamas that are being asked to fix their kids hair like that.

Happy Birthday Lindsey Kate!

Today is Linds' 9th Birthday. We made cupcakes to take to school and having a little extra batter, I baked it in two ramkins and made this ADORABLE cake to celebrate. How nice it is to celebrate your birthday over several days. Saturday we went to eat at the Cracker Barrel for her birthday and Uncle Pablo's birthday. Tonight we will celebrate with dinner of her choice with the Steedley grandparents. She wants steak. A girl after my own heart. When we were discussing the menu and she mentioned that she wanted steak, Heyward's reply was "Do you want a perfectly marbled T-bone that cuts like butter?". Well, not quite what we're getting, but it will be good nonetheless!

Taking cupcakes to school was lots of fun. Jody took the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment for an added surprise. The kids thought it was GREAT!

First day of School

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future - Jeremiah 29:11

I woke up this morning with great anticipation in my household. THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Remember how exciting that was? As I crept downstairs in the dark to do my Bible Study, these words for Jeremiah lept off the page. What an appropriate verse for the first day of school! I know today will be exciting for them, but in a few weeks the excitement of school will probably wear off and we will be back in the drudgery of school. Running late because no one can find their shoes, trying to pack lunches and write checks for lunch money, trying to remember to sign papers so we won't get in trouble... Life's like that, huh? I needed the reminder that the Lord's plans are plans to prosper and not to harm. Plans to give us HOPE!!

After we dropped off the children at school this morning, it was hard not to bounce out to the car without a spring in my step. Micajah - my one that doesn't like school much - told me how EXCITED he was to be able to use his school supplies! When we got to the door of the classroom, we were met with shouts of his name from his friends from last year. That's got to make you feel good and give you HOPE. When we walked back by after dropping off the girls, we peeked in the window to see him digging through his backpack to pull out the treasured crayons. This is the first year he has gotten to buy school supplies so it is very exciting! His teacher, Mrs. Amy, is so sweet - so it will be a great year!

Lindsey Kate began 3rd grade. WOW. Last night at open house, her teacher Mrs. Pam told us how excited she was to finally teach one of our children. That's got to make you feel good and give you HOPE. Lindsey Kate's class has 15 boys and 5 girls. We were not too excited about those odds, but know LK will do JUST fine. Mrs. Pam has a treasure box in her room with prizes for the kids. She said sometimes she gives them at random just for being sweet. Well, Linds has that in the bag - especially in a class full of boys!!

Our sweet Heyward started the 5th grade. I can NOT believe it. I remember the 5th grade SO well. It doesn't seem THAT long ago that I was in the 5th grade. I also remember the 5th grade as the beginning of "hard" school. More subjects, more tests, more homework, etc. We're going to have to begin to work on those study habits to keep those grades good. She looked SO grown and so tall heading into that hallway today and I swelled with pride that she still wanted mom and dad to walk her to class. Sweet, huh? That's got to make you feel good and give you HOPE!

All in all, a bittersweet day. I was glad to see them so excited but it seems so quiet here at the office. Being home at lunch will be even more quiet. Maybe Jody and I will actually get to have a conversation that doesn't involve bodily functions, Hannah Montana or stuffed animals. Hope indeed.

Bad Hair Day?

I just HAD to post these photos. The girls were in Cheer camp this week at the High School. On Wednesday they had "Wacky day" where the girls well, dressed wacky. These photos are of Heyward's hairdo we came up with to go with her striped leggins, plaid skirt and floral shirt. She has one challenge for you - look at her and do NOT laugh! Bet you can't do it, huh? They usually have a winner for the best wacky day costume. They did not do it this year but I'll BET she would have won.

Lindsey Kate had an equally as wacky outfit but opted for my long black wig with a scarf tied around her head axl rose style. She must be a pretty good little cheerleader because she won a coveted Spirit Stick at the end of camp. A second for her in 4 years of camp.

Riverdogs and Baseballs

How nice it is to get away for a few days for a family vacation! My friend, Jennie, invited us to her amazing Beach house in Edisto Beach, SC for a long weekend. Our children are close in age to her children, so they all had a wonderful time together. We laughed because when we first got there, her 4 year old son Jack said "Which one of you is Lindsey Kate?". When Linds said who she was, he replied "You're sleeping with me!". Well, that did NOT happen, he had to settle for Micajah.

On Monday before we left, we went to the beach for a while. Jennie and I were on the beach and Jody was in the water with the 6 children - Micajah came out of the water SCREAMING because a TINY little crab had pinched on his toe and was still attached! It was hard to be sympathetic while suppressing our laughter. The children uncovered some Sand Dollars and Heyward talked us into taking them with us home. That was fine until 2 days later when we began to smell them in the car. Yes - she had left them in there. Thankfully we discovered it when we did!

On Monday afternoon we went to Folly Beach, SC - right outside of Charleston. My Uncle Joe moved to Mt. Pleasant SC a few years ago and is a regular attender of the Charleston Riverdogs games. He attends SO often, he has been given the nickname of "Citadel Joe" by the other regulars. Anyway, he invited us along for Monday night's game. The children had never been to a baseball game like that, so we pulled out ALL the stops.


When we first got there, we made a trek to the shop and the children spent some of their Mema money on things for the game. Then we located the face painter for these gorgeous works of art. I'm glad we took a picture when we did because Micajah's "Charlie the Riverdog" face painting had smeared terribly before the games' end.

Uncle Joe had made arrangements for each of them to receive an "official" baseball and for the announcer to put their names on the board and "welcome" them to the game during the 8th inning. They actually did it twice because they did it earlier than they said they would and we missed it.

At some point in the game, I took Linds to the restroom and this was the view out of the back of the stadium. Gorgeous, huh? This picture actually doesn't do it justice. The wind was blowing across the marsh, so it was nice and cool. Amazing!!

We had the MOST amazing seats. Uncle Joe has his regular seat, but a friend donated seats right next to his for us to sit in. We were RIGHT behind the on deck circle for the Riverdogs. We laughed because the mesh screen that we were sitting RIGHT behind had lots of dents in it from foul balls. I actually missed the umpire getting hit in the head by a foul ball. Jody said he stood up and stammered a little then passed out cold on the ground. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet and face mask and was fine - even though he had to sit out the remainder of the game.

We also took pictures of the kids with Charlie the Riverdog, but they are on Lindsey Kate's camera, so I will have to post them later.

The next morning, I get a phone call from Uncle Joe saying our picture made the paper. What are the chances?? Well, we're in the background - but made the paper anyway!! Unfortunately, Jody is behind Charlie the Riverdog, but you can see the rest of us.

The rest of vacation was spent at the beach and in Charleston. We took one rainy afternoon and spent it at the Children's Museum of the LowCountry. It was AMAZING!! I think Jody and I had as much fun as the children.

We also went and ate at Bubba Gumps, went to the Charleston Market and took a carriage tour of the City. Micajah must be allergic to horses, though, because before the tour was over his little eyes were REALLY swollen. Bless his heart.

Anyway, as MUCH fun as we had - and we DID have LOTS of fun, there is NO place like HOME!!

Wild about Annie

We have been blessed with the SWEETEST babysitter in the WORLD named Annie. She is smart and beautiful and wonderful with the kids. The kids have a wonderful time with her, she makes them do what they are supposed to and helps me around the house - an added bonus! This is the third summer she has spent babysitting for us and now that she is going to be a senior, I hope it will not be her last. We would certainly miss her!

Anyway, Annie's birthday was earlier this week. I took Micajah shopping with me for her present while the girls went with Annie to cheerleading practice. On her birthday, the kids met her at the door (Micajah still in his underpants) and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. I bought a tiny little cake and we sang again to her at Lunch and gave her present to her.

Her sweet mama, Lynn, called and asked me to do her birthday cake. She gave me some ideas and then gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I have to say I think THIS is the cutest cake I've ever done. I'm getting better at decorating with Fondant and if I can find a great (more workable) recipe, I think I will do even better. The pre-made fondant I've tried works well, but tastes HORRIBLE. Oh, well!

Welcome to the World

Welcome to the World Amory Elizabeth.

My sister Marilois and her husband Pablo welcomed their precious daughter, Amory Elizabeth, to the world yesterday. She arrived about 5:30 yesterday afternoon and weighed 6 lbs 10 oz. and was 18 3/4 inches long. She has a head full of the blackest hair you've ever seen. Precious, just precious. She and mom are doing QUITE well!!

While they are recouperating in the Hospital, we are given the joyous task of babysitting big sister Frannie. This is her first night away from mom and dad and I think it is tough on all of them. I debated whether or not to retaliate against my sister for giving 2 year old Lindsey Kate "lots and lots of coffee" while she babysat when Micajah was born. I've also debated about whether or not to teach Frannie how to walk while she is visiting - much like Aunt Nannie did to my mom with me when Katharine was born. I guess I will be a responsible Aunt and not go with the coffee. The walking, that's another thing all together. She is ready, but we won't push the issue.

She did fine last night going to bed, although it was a little later than she usually goes down. This morning, she woke up happy but got a little quiver in her chin when she realized we were still there and her mom and dad were not. After a good breakfast I left her downstairs with the "babysitters" while I got dressed. I came downstairs to find her loaded up in a laundry basket watching TV. Good times, good times.
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Haircuts All Around

Well, summer is here - time for a cooler weather haircut. Jody and Micajah very much needed a trim and the girls went along to get one too. You can't tell really well from the picture that they all got trimmed, but they did. Heyward especially got the most bang for her hair cutting buck!

Gone Fishin'

My friend Erika called earlier this week and wanted me to make some fishing themed cupcakes for her son Tate's class to celebrate his 9th Birthday. I came with this GREAT idea, but couldn't figure out how to make the string on the fishing pole. My first thought was to use fishing line, but I just KNEW some 3rd grader would eat it and sue. So, I decided on Twizzlers. Last night, I dutifully tied 30 strings onto pretzel fishing poles so I could deliver the cupcakes to Erika when I took the girls to school this morning. Of Course, we were running late to school today. As I was carrying the box of cupcakes to the car, I noticed that one of the strings was "untied". I opened the box of cupcakes and ALL of them had come untied. Not just untied, but the twizzlers BROKE on every one!! I ALMOST cried. If Jody hadn't readily volunteered to take the girls and Micajah to school so I could re-do the cupcakes, I think I would have cried. Remember, we were ALREADY running late at this point. A quick phone call to Erika to let her know what happened and that I would bring them soon, I got to work.

As I was re-tying the twizzlers, I called mom for our daily morning chat. We were discussing the de"lemon" I was in and were brainstorming for solutions. The best one mom came up was making the string from pre-chewed bubble gum. If the idea weren't SO gross, it probably would have worked!

Anyway, I got the cupcakes tied and delivered. Erika promised to deliver them immediately to the classroom so the kids could see them before the strings possibly break again!

Kid's Night

A few weeks ago, I had a brainstorm. I was cooking dinner and Micajah wanted to help. I thought to myself "Why not have 1 night a week that one of the children can plan and cook dinner?". It will teach them how to plan a healthy meal, teach them valuable cooking skills, grocery shopping AND relieve me of one night a week of having to plan and cook a meal. Micajah helped me that first night. He wanted to make eggs and toast. Every once in a while, he would yell to his sisters in the next room "Gurls, I'm making them weely WEELY cheesy". They were delicious!!

Last night was Lindsey Kate's turn. She decided she wanted to cook what basically amounts to glorified hamburger helper, corn on the cob, butter beans and brownies. We browned the hamburger meat, cooked regular boxed mac and cheese and mixed them with taco seasoning and sour cream. The beans and corn were leftovers from our Mother's day lunch, but I told her that good "cooker mama's" recycle leftover food.

The best part of the meal was the love that was flowin' during the meal. It was the MOST praised meal we've ever eaten. Don't get me wrong, our family is SUPER appreciative and make great comments over most of the meals I serve, but seeing their reaction to Linds' meal was PRECIOUS. Micajah and Heyward gushed over how DELICIOUS was. Linds bragged to Micajah on how much cheese she put into the meal and I said that she put more love into it than cheese. Jody even went back for seconds. They started planning among themselves what meal they would cook when it was their turn. Micajah was torn between home made pizza and spaghetti. He thinks he can throw the dough up in the air if he makes pizza, so that makes pizza quite appealing. They've also asked if grilling counts as cooking a meal. They want Jody to teach them how to grill. Good times, good times. Micajah even took leftovers to school for lunch today!

April Fools!

I LOVE practical jokes. My mom has always said I have a little "streak". Not a mean streak or bad streak, just a streak. Jody loves practical jokes as much as I do.

April Fools day is the perfect time for practical jokes. For April Fools dinner this year, I decided to cook a special meal for our family.

This "meatloaf" was actually dessert. It was chocolate rice krispy treats made into the shape of a meatloaf. The "ketchup" on the top - a fruit roll up.
Our main course was "cupcakes and Ice cream". What kid wouldn't like that meal. They were a little dissappointed though to discover it was Meatloaf "cupcakes" with mashed potato icing and mashed potato "ice cream". Micajah called the girls to the table QUITE excitedly when he thought we were having cupcakes and ice cream for dinner. One lick of the pink icing and he said "dis icing is not bery good". Poor guy. He ended up going the refrigerator and fixing his own dinner of oranges, yogurt and cheese.
How many times do you get to say "Finish your cupcakes and ice cream before you can have meatloaf". Good times, good times. Heyward has already decided to make this for her children one day on April Fools day. Thank you Family Fun magazine for the ideas!!

Pawprints & Pom Poms

I love baking cakes. It is the best way I can express my artistic talent until the children are grown enough that I can have paint around the house! It seems lately when I bake one, I think to myself "now THIS is the cutest one I've ever done". The cake I baked for our friends Statton and Sara Grayson over the weekend was no exception. Their mom, Laurie, decided to have a double party for their birthdays this year. To appease a boy and a girl, she decided to have a football/cheerleader birthday. What a CUTE idea, huh?! She gave me free reign with the cake and I have to say it turned out pretty cute.

Happy Easter

Saturday was our 11th annual Easter Egg Hunt. We were afraid we might see some rain, but thankfully it was a beautiful - although slightly overcast day. Jody worked for several weeks getting the yard into shape and it was GORGEOUS!! I can easily admit that the Easter Egg Hunt would NEVER happen if it weren't for his input. I do not enjoy yard work (although I want a beautiful yard) and I don't think he LOVES it, but he gets out there and gets it done! Thank you!!
This year, we rented a Cotton Candy machine for the first time. It was a HUGE hit - note Sara Kate, Thomas and Taylor above enjoying their blue cones. It was certainly something we will do again.
Easter was VERY early this year and I worried last week that we may not have many flowers blooming. Like clockwork, the azaleas and dogwoods were in full bloom. I honestly feel that the week of Easter, everything BURSTS into bloom in rejoicing over the death, burial and Resurrection of our Saviour!!
We were delighted to have Frances Faith make her Egg Hunt debut. She missed the egg hunt last year because she decided to make her Grand Entrance to the world the morning of the Egg Hunt. I am STILL thankful that Marilois and Pablo decided NOT to make the trek to Homerville last year - they would have never made it. We hoped to have the Maier crew out of Charleston join us this year. It was a surprise for my parents and they were to be staying with us for the first time EVER! James had practiced how to say "surprise" and Will has learned to crawl so we were looking forward to having them join us. Unfortunately, they developed car trouble the morning of their departure. It was a HUGE disappointment to all of us, but hopefully we will see them soon.
I'm leaving you with one of our FAVORITE Easter recipes. These delicious cookies tell the Easter story. We plan on making them tomorrow night at church (with a few made in advance because we do not have time to wait overnight) for our Easter Activities. It is an awesome visual way to teach children about Easter.

EASTER STORY COOKIES
1 cup whole pecans

zipper baggie
1 teaspoon vinegar

wooden spoon
3 egg whites

tape
pinch salt

Bible
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (do this first - very important)
Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman Soldiers. Read John 19: 1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19: 28-30.
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.
He wants us to know Him and belong to Him. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27: 57-60. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27: 65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter Morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28: 1-9.

Jubilant Timberland Jubilee

Our community hosts an annual festival, the Timberland Jubilee. It has just this year moved from the first weekend in October to the first weekend in March. It is a community event with timber competitions (log splitting, sawing, etc), arts and crafts, children's activities and LOTS of great food.

One of the events is an Art Contest sponsored by the local school system. All students from K-5th grade design a picture that best represents the Timberland Jubilee. Both of the girls have placed (and even won) for their grade before, but this year Lindsey Kate was chosen as the winner for the entire K-5th grade. Her picture has been posted along with the grade winners at the local bank and will be featured on next year's Timberland Jubilee t-shirt.

Here is a close-up of her picture.

Cute, huh? We are SO proud of all of them. It seems that all of the children have inherited my "artsy" side. So, next year if you find yourself with nothing to do the first weekend in March, swing yourself down to the Timberland Jubilee. It will be worth the trip!!

No place like Home

I wanted to take a moment to give a round of applause to our friend, Terron Skipper. who has been serving our country in the Marines on a tour of duty in Iraq. Terron arrived home to Hawaii yesterday. While Terron was on tour, his beautiful wife, Bobi, gave birth to their adorable son Logan. Terron met Logan for the first time yesterday.

Terron is a friend of Laci's. They graduated from High School together. He is one of the finest young men we have had the honor of meeting. I have to fight back a lump in my throat as I think of this brave young Soldier who is so far away from his precious family fighting for my freedom. I pray I never take for granted the freedom I am given or the young men and women that fight for the rights I have. We have prayed for Terron as he has been away and Praise the Lord for his safe return. Terron, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. May God continue to bless you and keep you safe!!!

Thank you for allowing us to share your precious reunion with your family. It is something I will never forget.



To TOTALLY change the subject: On another mention of "HOME" there was "NO place like Home" as our friend Cara celebrated her birthday with a Wizard of Oz party a few weeks ago. Her mom, Erika, asked me to do the cake. We decided on a Ruby slipper Cake. Erika is one of those cool, artsy moms that always has the CUTEST Birthday parties!!

Dancing with Cinderellas

Saturday was our Annual Father-Daughter Valentines Dance. Jody took and danced with the two most lovely Cinderellas there.

We've recently heard a song by Stephen Curtis Chapman entitled Cinderella. It will put into perspective how quickly they grow up and bring a tear to most daddy's eyes. You can listen to it here http://video.aol.com/video-detail/steven-curtis-chapman-cinderella/2091518691

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad I need you!There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh please, Daddy, please!"
Chorus:So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms'
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song'
Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of her dress
She says, "Dad the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms'
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song'
Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone

But she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowin' and tellin' us all they had planned
She says, "Dad the wedding's still six months away
but I need to practice my dancin
'Oh please, Daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms'
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song'
Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

Posting the blog this morning, I ran across this photo of Jody and the girls two years ago before the dance. My my, how quickly they grow up!!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Last night, it got down to 13 degrees down here in South Georgia. We left the sprinkler on last night and woke up to a "Winter Wonderland" in our front yard. The children had a MARVELOUS time walking around on the frozen grass and breaking ice cicles off of the trees. As of lunch (when these pictures were taken) most of them were still there. It was cool to hear them cracking and creaking. We should have tempratures in the 20's tonight, so hopefully they will be around tomorrow too.