deron's first black eye

poor kid. he was standing on a chair at church this morning (which he shouldn't have been doing in the first place....), fell off and hit his eye on a table.

currently it's swollen shut. but don't worry. he's happy!

for grandmama

ok, everyone, this post might not mean a THING to you, but it will mean LOTS to my wonderful mom-in-law. so, vonnie, here is a helping of pics and videos from the party last night. we all wished you and david could've been here, but hopefully you'll feel like you were now!

what's a family gathering without philip fixing a computer?

deron made sure your pecans were still being picked up. :)

he knew you'd be happy.

congratulations, honey!

Last night my wonderful husband got awarded with the Presser Scholar Award at HSU. It's awarded to one student, selected by the music faculty every year. I'm so proud of Philip! He's worked SO hard for the past year and a half, but especially this semester. It takes a devoted person to do all he does and maintain everything with such excellence.


Oh, and did I mention the award comes with a $4800 cash prize?

I've been tagged!

Thanks, Kara for tagging me... hmm... I'm supposed to tell you 7 things that you might not know about me:

1. Every afternoon, once Deron is napping, I make a special "me-time" drink. It consists of the little bit of leftover coffee from that morning, milk, ice, and some dark chocolate syrup. It helps me relax and enjoy the little amount of quiet time I have in the afternoons.

2. I am a morning person. My favorite times are getting up to a quiet and still house, sitting with my morning coffee and listening to the birds wake the world up. I would much rather wake up at 6am than have to stay up past 11pm. *Notice that I said "have to". Don't ever call me after 10pm. We'll be asleep.

3. I can't stand scary movies. I think it is utterly ridiculous to have to or want to get an adrenaline boost from something evil. I just don't see any good fruit from them. They give you nightmares, they lower your sensitivity to things of the kingdom of darkness, and they compromise the glorious beauty that God created people to be and resemble.

4. I have to have my hair up when I sleep. Aren't different people's sleeping rituals interesting? Kara said she can't wear pants to bed, or socks, and I am in complete agreement with her! I also must have my hair up. I get too hot (even in the winter) with it all around my neck and shoulders. Plus, Philip sure doesn't want it in his face.

5. My favorite car right now is the GMC Acadia. If you've read recent posts, you might've know this one... Back last fall, a neighbor down the street got one, and I noticed it right away on a morning walk. I fell in love with it then, now I see them everywhere! We got a chance to test drive one on our adventurous trip to Wichita Falls, and I fell even more in love. It'll probably just stay a dream for awhile though...

6. I make cards. I think this probably started a few years ago when Philip and I didn't make any income, so obviously, money was endlessly tight. It's cheap and easy, and so personal. I love doing it.

7. I love plants and flowers. I can't say I'm terrific at keeping them lush and beautiful (if you have any tips, please pass them on!), but I love to have living things surrounding me inside the house and out! They bring an organic layer to a home and, to me, make it feel friendly. I love having a bouquet of fresh flowers in the kitchen to greet me every time I walk in! It makes such a happy home.

So there you go... I tag Missie, Erin, and D!

showers and bathrooms.. how ironic

Last weekend Deron and I went to Dallas for a quick trip (as mentioned earlier). Here's a sweet picture of the mom-to-be, Kristin and me! Haven't seen this girl since high school I think.

After the shower, I met up with my parents, cousin, her daughter, my nephew and niece, and my cutie pie in Grapevine for the Thomas extravaganza! It was quite a party... we didn't get to ride Thomas, but we sure saw him!

Here is a long overdue picture of the blue bathroom that got painted a couple of weeks ago with the linen faux finish on it. I think it turned out nice.

boys just wanna... get dirty

devi titus and the "power of nice"

I had a fantastic weekend. I made a quick, expensive (fuel), but exciting jaunt to dfw for an old friend's baby shower then to send off my junior high youth director (kevin shorey) and his lovely family (including 4 TALL sons) to China to be missionaries. I saw a housefull of old and familiar faces and many of their children! Wow. It was so fun. For those of you old FUMC youthgroupers out there, make a point to come to the reunion planned for the church's centennial celebration this year. I don't know exactly when it is, but i imagine it's on the website. It was so fun to see those old friends again!

I then drove back to Abilene early Sunday morning to be there in time for church, and I'm so glad I did. It was awesome. Devi Titus, founder of the Mentoring Mansion and with her husband Larry, Kingdom Global Ministries, made a visit to our church to bring a message that is definitely due season for people everywhere to hear. Larry is the apostolic leader of our church, meaning he is in place to know the goings-on of our church and is in position to speak into our senior pastor's life and our church body freely. They are both incredible Kingdom-minded people, and wholly blessed with an awesome understanding of God, His Word, and His desires to see His people prosper and have peace! Please pay a visit to the church's website to hear it here! But you have to hurry to listen, next Monday, it will be updated!

Last year, I got the book (I'm sure if you know me you've heard me talk about it) The Home Experience. It goes through practical biblical principles for putting and keeping your home in order. As a wife, we are called to have dominion over our homes and are responsible for maintaining an atmosphere conducive for peace and rejuvenation! It is a huge encyclopedia of wisdom from her 60+ years of experience. I would honestly give it to every wife I knew (especially us young ones) if I could afford it. She does 4 day intensives several times a year at a place called the Mentoring Mansion. It's a time where she and her associate spend quality time with a group of women, teaching, training and equipping them to not only learn about the incredible roles we have as women, wives, and mothers, but instill a passion for the Almighty we serve! It would be such a once in a lifetime experience, don't you agree??

Anyway, I ended my weekend on a high and so motivated to serve my darling husband with a grace that only the Holy Spirit could empower and committed to beginning to really invest in people.

If you listen to the message, I'm so interested in what you think. Let me know!