Thankful

When our kids were young, my hubby and I led a youth group for 6 years. Yesterday at the grocery store, I ran into one of the parents of two girls, who were in our group back then. And as we were catching up, she asked me where I work and I told her.
And her next question really threw me for a second, because when you tell someone that you work at a church, you don't expect them to ask

"Yeah, but are your co-workers back stabbers?"  

LOL

I'm pretty sure I looked a bit shocked and she went on to tell me how tons of people SAY they are Christians and that some of the worst people she's ever had to work with, said they were. 

So, I  had a split second to think about my co-workers and what I said was that they are
all real Christians and very kind!

Later, I wished I'd have been more eloquent with my answer or said something that might be helpful to her in her pain over the Christians she's run into.
But my simple answer really does sum up the people I work with.

From my desk, I get to see them really
live out the gospel in big and small ways, everyday.
What a blessing!

~Also, I've watched Leap Year too many times and I keep thinking of how Dublin has "back stabbing snakes."  And I'm glad I don't know any! ; )

~Becky

What will not define me

I'm sure I've mentioned here before that after my husband died, I joined the widow's support group at  church. It is a great group and I met some of the kindest ladies on the planet there. They are all about twenty years older than I am and so I was the baby of the group, so to speak. They were so interested in my life and my children that I felt like the popular kid at school. LOL

They aren't a sad group, by any means. They love to party! They also study the Word and pray for each other. They are awesome.
But it has got to be the only small group where new membership is a sad thing!

Anyway, after attending for almost a year, I realized that I didn't belong there anymore. I thought I did because that was the label that fit. Then one of my sons reminded me that my whole life isn't defined by this one thing that happened. And he was right.

During the conference this past weekend,  I was volunteering at the merch table one evening where one of our guest speakers was standing a few feet away, signing copies of her book and praying for women.

As I sat there, I was thinking that I should buy a book and get in line and have this incredible woman pray for me because I'm a widow.
And I felt the Lord put this question on my heart: "What does that have to do with anything?!"

WOAH!
 It only does if I make it, right? It doesn't have to.

Then the message the next day, rocked my world when the speaker said:

"Don't wear your valley as a badge of honor." 

Wow! How often do we do that?!
How often do I do that?

What have we let define us that we shouldn't?
 Just because it is a part of our story, it doesn't mean that is WHO we are.

"I know you don't know this about me but I'm a ______  or I've been through ______." (insert your valley) As if we need special treatment or extra grace or more ministry.

So don't let ITmistakingly become your THING.

I don't plan to let widowhood be the thing that defines my life.

Actually, I'm desperately hoping the THING that defines my life is
 JESUS!


~Becky

When I learned not to trust expiration dates

So this has been a busy season and was one of the biggest weeks for us in church life. -Okay, maybe it is a toss up between this week and CHRISTMAS, but either way, it was a huge week, in which I'd worked 4 ten hour days. And then the very night before we  hosted a three day women's conference for almost 500 women, I got food poisoning and barely slept.
Ugh, it was not fun! Next time something smell funky, I won't eat it even if ISN'T expired. LOL Why have I not learned that lesson before now?!

By the time the conference started, I felt better. It turned out to be everything we'd hoped it would be. It was amazing, and healing and so inspiring. We had incredible speakers and the Lord spoke so many things that I needed to hear, through them.

Three days of receiving and serving has got to be my max though. I was emotionally spent by the end.
So, today after church, I spent some time going over my notes and processing what I'd learned and then I went to the beach!
The beach is where I EXHALE and relax and regroup. -I need to find a fun place to do that in the winter though, because it is only fun in the summer!
Anyway, I don't live on the Atlantic side of the Florida, so a beach day with WAVES is rare.
 I jumped and laughed and got pummelled and pounded and had the best time!

Maybe because I've been introspective for 4 days straight now,  but the whole scenario reminded me of life.We face something huge and it may crash on top of us and cause us to loose our balance,
but we get back up and face what's next. And maybe we relax and float through the next five waves enjoying ourselves, until wave number six breaks right on top of us and we go under for a second. But then we pop back up to face what is next,
As I was thinking that and totally wishing I owned a Boogie board, LOL
 I was reminded that the One that has seen me through every wave of every storm, once actually WALKED on water. ❤ And He's promised never to leave us or forsake us. 

~Becky

Another beautiful wedding

It is wedding season in our community of friends and Andrew was honored to stand beside another friend who he got married this weekend.

Such a precious moment when he saw his lovely bride approaching

What a beautiful ceremony!

The groom is a very talented musician and he surprised his bride with a song he wrote for their first dance! Andrew played guitar and another friend sang it, while they  had their first dance. So sweet!

Sometimes it hits me, how blessed we are to do life with so many wonderful young adults, who love the Lord and are living for Him. Some of these 'kids' have been coming to hang out at our house since they were in middle school and are now getting married to each other. 

And I found out over Christmas, how fun it is to have these married young adults, who live in other states now, and have real jobs, (LOL) come back to visit and once again sit at our table and jump on trampoline just like no time at all has passed. Friends who become family are the best!

Proud of this handsome guy who is so special to so many! 

~Becky

Happy New Year

After being a homeschooling mom for 19 years, I was pretty used to my summer break, winter break and spring break. Thankfully, where I work, the offices are closed for the week between Christmas and New Years so I do actually get a bit of a winter break! And it was great. Can I just say that Christmas festivities had worn me out and I relaxed that whole week? And it was awesome!
My college kids winter breaks' were much longer and so we've pretty much had company over here almost every night for a month. And the funny thing is, they've been addicted to Scrabble.
-Now that is something that makes a homeschool mom proud. LOL Especially when your kids beat you! We had friends from CA come stay with us in shifts, so that meant that alligators were searched for, cute coffee shops were frequented, gourmet Popsicles were consumed and they hung from trees in hammocks.

This past weekend we celebrated Zac's 25th birthday! I can't believe my first born is 25!
We went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, which served such gorgeous food, we ALL got out our phones and took pictures.
Then we came back to the house where we had decorated the walls with chalkboard stickers that had words on them that we each felt describe Zac. (words like determined, kind, goofy, Mr. Success)
And then we played MORE Scrabble!
Zac has grown into one of the hardest working people I know and my hubby would be so proud. He is a great husband, who works two jobs, goes to school full-time and is in the top 15% at ASU. (which blows my mind) He's leader of this pack and loved all to pieces!

Winter break and all of its fun is officially over now though and we are getting back to the disciplines of normal life after the holidays. The kids are going back to school and our church is doing a 21 day fast. Our family is participating in the Daniel Fast and doing a social media fast. We've had lots of discussions around here about what foods are OK and which aren't. And today it hit me that it basically means we are caffiene-less, sugar-free vegans for 3 weeks. : )
-Except one of us decided they couldn't survive without chicken. LOL
Besides all the food discussions, it is a wonderful time to get quiet and draw near to God and see Him draw near to us and believe for spiritual breakthroughs in our lives.
It is a new year and a new season!

Blessings!
~Becky



"

A weekend of parties

My baby is graduating high school soon and turning 18 this week! How can this be?

I can't say enough about this sweet young man! He's wise beyond his years and a joy to my heart. The circumstances of life have made us spend a lot of time together in the last year and he has been a huge blessing to me.
-But he will always be 14 in my mind! LOL

This weekend is the 30th anniversary of our church! Our pastor has been leading the church for every single one of those years and still does! He's amazing!
God led our family to worship here 14 years ago and it has been a great place to grow and raise our kids. Hubby believed in being committed to a local church for the long haul. -No church hopping or shopping for this family! We have always been so grateful to be "planted" here.

So we have some special celebrations to attend this weekend in honor of this milestone, as well as the joy of celebrating Andrew's life! Yay! Let the parties begin!


~Becky

The week and the weekend

Wednesday, our church held their annual Fall Fest and I was given the choice of which carnival game to man and I quickly took an inventory of all the games and chose the one where I would clearly have to bend down the LEAST. LOL

Because this was not, by any means, my first Fall Fest, I have learned not to work a game that includes rings or basketballs that you will have to chase and bend down to retrieve at least 100 times or more in 3 hours. ; ) 

And this was by far the coolest game out there! Giant rubber frogs!

 And what little kid does not want the chance to smash something wth a mallet?!

 They hit the edge of the yellow board and that made the frog jump up and if it landed on the lily pad DOUBLE PRIZES! Fun stuff! -There were a few times the frogs got out and a couple when my fingers almost got the mallet but overall, great fun!

Zac and Tiffany moved in last month, to make it easier for Zac to finish school and we suceeded in combining two households in our little house. It has been fun to see them more, although we don't all get to see each other very often because we have different schedules.

But this Friday night, was actually one of the rare times this month when we found an evening when everyone was free so we met up at a restaurant and had a family dinner! Yay!

~Speaking of dinner, since I work full time, I think it is the most amazing accomplishment ever if I come home and actually cook.  And bless my heart, the only one left I really have left to cook for is SO picky. Let's just say there is a mighty big difference between what this one thinks of my cooking and what my hubby thought of it. ; )

Last night was the big EP release for the worship album that our church produced and that Andrew played the bass on. Such an exciting night! 

the band

And tonight my kids look like this:

And here's the grand-dog! LOL

Have a great week! 

~Becky

Food, fasting and a recipe!

Our church is praying and fasting for souls to be saved this Easter.
It is a day when so many visitors pop in for their once-or-twice-a-year visit to church and we are believing for God to touch their hearts through the powerful message of Jesus' death and resurrection and what that means for their lives.
Those in our church who want to, are doing the Daniel Fast.
Since Hubby needs as many calories as he can get in day, he is exempt but the kiddos and I are doing it, with a few exceptions here and there. -Sunday, we decided Daniel would totally eat veggie spring rolls from Panda Express with his rice but that probably is not the case. ; )
Today, I broke out the juicer but drinking veggies did not go over well with the kids. -Proud of them though, for giving up carbs, meat and sugar and pretty much everything else they like, to experience this spiritual discipline and pray for others!
Speaking of prayer, one of the men in our Sunday school reminded us that if we aren't praying during this time then we are just on a diet. Ouch! -Gotta step up my prayer game! : )

I heard someone say that anything that comes from the ground is OK to eat on a Daniel fast.
And so I rationalized that that made a wee bit of real maple syrup OK...
which might actually be in the same category as the spring rolls. LOL

But these little balls are YUMMY and filling. Also, sugar free, vegan and gluten-free, if you care about those things.  Whoo hoo!
Give them a try, unless maybe you are trying to eat just like Daniel. ; )

Peanut Butter Mocha Balls

1 cup of old fashioned oats
1/4 cup of flax meal
1 tsp espresso powder
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T unsweetened coconut
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 T peanut butter (or yummy with almond butter)
1/4 cup real maple syrup

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir. Put in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.Once chilled, spoon into tablespoon sized portions and roll into a ball. Can store in air tight container in fridge for up to one week but they won't last that long! : )

~Becky 

Lead guitar

In the excitement of everything that has been going on, I haven't had a chance to post about Andrew's night as lead guitarist for the youth group's worship band. And the fact that Hubby made it out to watch!
He usually plays the bass, but guitar is his favorite!

Hubby decided he was going and it became his second outing after the treatments ended! -So, glad he had the strength! It was an awesome night and such a powerful service.

~Becky

Wednesdays in the Word

Two of our kids decided to join with others in our church, who are praying and fasting this week, for all the teens going to a youth retreat this weekend.
Super proud of them for their hearts for the Lord and their desire to see young people saved, delivered and healed!

I was encouraging them with Isaiah 58 because that is the chapter I love to read whenever I'm doing a fast. (not that I fast often or anything) I love what it says God does in answer to fasts! It is so powerful!

We are believing these things for all the students going this weekend:

~That God would "loose the bonds of wickedness" over their lives.
~That He would "undo heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free."
~And "break every yoke" of bondage they might be in. (verse 6)
~May "light break forth like the morning" in their lives and may any healing they need "spring forth speedily." (verse 8)
~From then on may they let "the Lord guide them continually." (verse 11)

Whoo-hoo!
Amen! Can't wait to hear the testimonies!

~Becky

Crazy week Part 1

Here we are at the home restoration we did last weekend!
It was a blast!!! All these sweet volunteers came out and worked so hard in and around this small house without any A/C
in August.
God bless them!

 Pretty landscaping in front, tree trimming in front and back yards, painting the whole interior of the house, fence fixing, microwave installing, new doors for all the rooms, bi-fold doors for all the closets, light fixtures...you name it and they did it! My hubby did an excellent job of running the project and keeping us all focused.

On Monday, Andrew finally came home from his trip to CA to see his best friend. The poor guy had about 6 hours of delays but finally made it home late that night. I've decided that no one needs to go anywhere for 10 days, its way too long. ; ) We missed him too much! I'm so glad that he spent some time with his brother, his grandparents and his aunt while there! What a blessing! 

Tuesday, I worked at a voting poll for the primary election. Last time I worked at a poll it was the Presidential Election of 2012 and that was intense! We had poll watchers, grumpy voters and long, long lines. This election was really relaxed! The other inspectors were a sweet but rowdy bunch of retirees, lets put it that way. One was a 68 year old woman who could moon walk and did. They teased me all day long because I sat behind the sign for the line that said 'H-O 'of the alphabet. Oh my stars, did they ever get a kick out of that. They want me to work with them at this poll again in November and they planned a potluck lunch. I said only if I get to work the  'A-G' line. LOL 

Wednesday, my sweet hubby had ANOTHER endoscopy scheduled. By now, he knows what he is in for and how long his throat will hurt afterwards, so before he went he wanted to play the song Hello Hurricane. He's declared that song from Switchfoot (his favorite band) our theme song during this trial. Zac wasn't back from work yet, so they didn't have a drummer and our keyboardist lives in CA now. But Andrew did a great job on guitar and had the rare privilege of getting to play Dad's Martin. (years ago, the kids nicknamed the guitar 'Dad's 5th child' because he loves it so) Joy harmonized with Dad during the song, (a first) and it was beautiful. A very fun thing to do before an endoscopy if you have to have one. ; ) 

Moffit Cancer Center is sooo nice. No wheelchairs were hijacked and taken two blocks after this endoscopy. They have valet parking! 

~Becky

Weekend Fun

Friday, Joy and I decided we needed some 'beach therapy'! We are the only ones in our family who find the beach relaxing and fun! She was so cute and determined to go that she checked the radar at all the beaches and found one that didn't have any rain coming that day. (supposedly, but this is summertime in Florida for goodness sake!) So, we drove through dark clouds and rain to get there. But we could see the sunny spot in the distance that was our destination and we were so excited. But when we finally arrived...so did the rain!!! So much for radar. We sat in our car during a monsoon and ate our lunch. When the rain slowed down, we ventured out for a walk on the pier with our umbrella and looked like total tourists. -But I'm pretty sure the tourists were the ones IN the water even though we could see lightening flashing above us.

On Saturday, Hubby and our kids and their friends all went to the One Republic concert. It was outdoors and thankfully it did not rain even though it was suppose to. Yay! (this had Hubby reminiscing about concerts he's been to at Red Rocks) The kids all thought it was the best concert they'd ever been to and Hubby loved it.

Sunday, we went to the engagement party for the lovely couple at church who got engaged on Tuesday.

Yesterday, Joy and I gave the beach another go, because well, that other trip was not too relaxing.
It was a gorgeous sunny day!!! Hooray! The only stressful part was being in the water when a group of 4-6 sting rays came our way. I moved out of the way!!!! And maybe screamed.
Joy, stood in their way and was completely still and watched them swim around her just inches away. It really was beautiful sight to watch, when I realized that our Miss Marine Biologist knew what she was doing and wasn't about to get stung. (that girl is a wealth of information on things related to the ocean) The sting rays swam by us another time and I kept my legs up and tried not to panic. I'm not sure this trip ended up ranking very high in relaxation points but we had a fun time together.

We heard from Andrew in CA last night and he's having a great time. Nathan made a beautiful video of Andrew and his friends playing guitar on top of a mountain. God's using that skill of his to help a bunch of para-church organizations and help him pay his way through school. So impressive!
He and Andrew and Andrew's best friend are going to San Diego to see my parents tomorrow! How great is that?! I'm so excited and I'm not even the one going! : )

This weekend we have a work project that our church is doing on Saturday that Hubby is in charge of. We are partnering with another ministry to help restore the home of an elderly woman in a rough area of town. So, we've been organizing this event since before the day the big 'C' word entered our lives and turned it upside down and this Saturday is finally the big day.We'll be painting, landscaping, tree trimming, mowing, dry walling and you name it... We have LOTS of volunteers thankfully. I love that our church is all about trying to make a difference in the community. It is going to be fun to see this dear woman who is not a member of our church, and doesn't live any where near it, get her needs met by the body of Christ. Because who better to do it than those trying to be like Jesus.

~Becky

An exciting week

Tuesday night some of the kids in the youth worship band had the opportunity to be apart of a wedding proposal!!!!
It was THE sweetest thing ever.
Our youth worship leader had an elaborate plan to get his girlfriend to the building after she got off a plane from a missions trip. About a hundred of us were invited to watch, while waiting in the dark for her to arrive, lest we blow the surprise.
It ended up taking longer for to arrive than anyone expected and Andrew, who was on bass and his friend on drums, ended up entertaining the crowd with some impromptu jazz. Very cool! He's gotten so good at bass even though his instrument of choice is electric guitar!
I'm pretty sure if it had taken much longer for her to arrive, all of us females in the room would have had some kind of anxiety attack, we were all sooo nervous. LOL
Since it was on a night when the band usually practices, things looked normal and then he jumped out from behind a curtain and sang her the song he wrote about her while the band played along.
(such a catchy song too!)

Then he brought her up on stage....

and proposed!!!! Ahhhh!!!!!

And she said 'yes'!!!
 It was beautiful!
The teen girls around me all said that he had really "raised the bar" as far as proposals go! And one said she wasn't going to say yes to anyone who hadn't written a song about her! Too cute!

Here is the band with the happy couple.
 (our cute guy is wearing the tie)

Such a beautiful night!

Joy is going to make these for their engagement party this weekend:

To add to the excitement, Andrew got on a plane this morning to go and visit his best friend in CA!!! What a fun way to end the summer! He also can't wait to see his brother, who we've been missing so much during this time! 

And Wednesday,

we found out that our oldest son, Zac, got accepted into the business school at Arizona State University!!!!!

He's taking advantage of The Starbucks College Achievement Plan. 

We are so proud of him! 

God truly answered his prayer to finish his college education and remain debt free. PTL!!! Amazing! 

We needed some good news around here and we got it! : ) 

~Becky

Because of our favorite 44 mile drive

We ended up getting this:

Hooray! And thank the Lord!

~Becky

Needing new wheels

Our mini van, affectionately named The Gunship, has driven its last mile.
It has been dying a slow death for awhile now. Driving it in all its quirkiness was like a science so we had to put off Joy's driving lessons. But after 239,000 miles you can't be too picky, right? Our sweet friend, who is a mechanic, certainly kept it going for us for as long as possible and we are so thankful.

I have lots of sweet memories of the six of us riding around in that van!
Memories of teaching 2 and half teenagers to drive in it. : )
Lots of out of state visits from my best friend in which we packed her 2 and our 4 in the back of it because they were small enough back then, until one summer they were all too big and she had to start renting cars. ; )
 Memories of so many beach trips that we kept swim noodles and beach chairs in the trunk year round!
But most of all and maybe best of all, were the gazillion trips to church! Three or four or more times a week, (44 miles round trip) that I wouldn't trade for anything. Those trips were for not only worship services, but youth group band practices, fine arts practices, choir practices, Junior Bible Quiz matches and Teen Bible Quiz matches and all kinds of fun things that helped us raise our kiddos! Well worth every trip! : )

Zac is loaning me his car tonight so that I can go and teach my last small group Bible class for the high school girls, since the program is ending. -We aren't really studying tonight since I found out that they have never seen Frozen!!! (how can that be?!!?)  ; )

Friday morning Zac graduates and several of us will have to ride with him, so that we can even get to the ceremony. LOL But, after all the fun festivities surrounding that, we'll be used car shopping!!! (Hubby's been searching Craig's List for weeks)

Our mini van days are over and we can now get something more fuel efficient for those 44 miles we love soooo much!!! After all, this is the home stretch of raising kids for us!

Prayers that we choose a good one, much appreciated!

~Becky

The Best Friday

Yesterday, Hubby had the day off for Good Friday and we had a breakfast date. Then we did a little shopping at the mall and bought his yearly pair of work boots.
When Zac got off work, we decided to do something fun with the fam. (actually 1/2 the fam) : )
We went to this place downtown, that we'd been hearing about, which is an English bookstore, gift shop, and coffee house all in one. Zac described it as walking into a scene from Downton Abbey, so of course, I was all in! : )
The parking was across the street and when we got out of the car, it wasn't even sprinkling. Then we took a few steps and it started to sprinkle and then we took a few more steps and we were officially caught between two places in an absolute downpour. It was raining sideways and all my umbrella did was keep my hair dry. (isn't Floridian weather fun?)

We arrived at this quaint place totally drenched!

But thankfully, they had hot drinks!

We had a great time drinking, talking and shopping.

We kept thinking of C.S. Lewis and Hubby asked if they sold pipes. lol

We can't wait to bring Nathan here when he comes home for a week in June.

I found a candle that smelled like the home my hubby grew up in, in Colorado. It sounds weird, but this mix of scents smells like everything we remember and LOVE about Colorado. It brought a rush of memories back to all of us. (and if it wasn't $55 I would have bought it) 

We wanted to go to a chocolate factory next (can you tell I planned this day?) but we were out of time.

 We headed home to change and then went to the Good Friday service at our church. 

It was an incredibly moving time remembering the death of our Savior. The best part was that a bunch of people made Him their Savior that very night as well!!!!

Then we headed home to eat the first BBQ brisket I've ever made, and jalapeno coleslaw and macaroni salad. 

Great memories made on this great Friday! Thanks for the pictures, Joy!

~Becky

Minus kids and then multiplying them = fun

Tonight, all of our kids will be away at retreats!!!
And if we weren't in the middle of our care-giving turn, Hubby and I would totally be trying to take advantage of this situation and make a romantic get-away happen. : )  But, we'll just have to settle for going out to dinner and maybe a movie. We want to see God is not Dead.

The girls' retreat is at a lovely Mennonite campground hubby used to take our kids tent-camping at when they were little.(until they raised the prices so much you could pay for a cheap hotel room instead)
It has a snack bar and game room, in case you get to missing civilization. The girls will be staying in the dorm rooms and they have a massive human Foosball set up that they will get to play. -I don't think I'd want to be strapped to something with a ball flying at me, but I'm old. : ) It will probably be tons of wet and muddy fun, because it is going to rain here all weekend!

The boys' retreat was being held at another campground in TENTS, bless their hearts. (and from the sound of things, these suburban boys weren't jumping at the chance to pay money to sleep in a tent in the great outdoors) But due to all the impending rain, their event has now become a lock-in at the church building (where no sleeping will take place anyway)
 Our oldest is going to help and he's seriously not sure how they are going to entertain 50 boys in one building for 25 hours!
(that sentence makes me a wee bit glad that I am not in the youth ministry at present! -LOL)

Sunday, after church the youth band members have invited themselves over to write music and jam at our house. How cute is that?! I have a feeling they are going to be REALLY tired though and might prefer a Sunday nap.
Should be tons of fun. Love having a houseful of teens.

Have a happy weekend!
~Becky

Congrats

Recently, my hubby was nominated to become a deacon at our church, which is such an honor.
Tonight the church voted and....
He's a deacon!!!!
They picked a good man!
He loves Jesus and the local church more than anyone I know.
Proud of him!

~Becky

'Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let em serve as deacons, being blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanders, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husband of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.' 1 Tim. 3:8-13

The funky flu and then the fun

First of all, can I just say how glad I am that no one tragically died on the season finale of this show last night! ; )

On Wednesday we got hit with this weird flu bug. The kind that gives you this splitting headache that never goes away, dizziness whenever you stand up and a total lack of energy. BLAH!
But, I read this book while I was down and it was awesome! -Great faith builder in God's power to heal and redeem lives. Love, love, loved it!

On Friday, it was hubby's turn to join in with the 'fluishness.' So, he took the day off and we had a relaxing fun time together and made it a half day of school for the healthy feeling kiddos.

Saturday, we were better and off and running to pull off our annual 'Thank You' party for the addition that our dear friend put on our house 9 years ago. While I cleaned and cooked, Hubby repainted our front door and the shutters on our house, which really brightened things up.  Andrew made us place cards.

Joy set the table with the china and the silver 

and then we felt the need to play the theme song from this show. LOL 

Joy made us these for dessert: 

During dinner, Joy and Andrew were 'the Help. ' : ) Zac grilled steaks for us. We hoped to Skype with Nate during the party so that he could say his 'thank you' to Carlos too, but there was some time zone related confusion, so that didn't work out. 

All in all it was a special evening and though we try every year, we can never really express our thanks to the Lord and Carlos for all that was done to add on to our home! : ) 

Then about 14 hours later, we gave another party! 

-A breakfast social for the sweet people in our Sunday School class. I made biscuits and sausage gravy. (thank you Pioneer Woman! So yummy!) Oh, let's clarify, I made the gravy and I heated up FROZEN biscuits. ; ) 

Anyway, it was one fun weekend! 

~Becky 

One big weekend

I've decided that a sign of a fun weekend,
is a messy-Monday-morning house... and that is what we had!

Friday night, Joy baked for a ladies event and she recruited me to bake a couple hundred of these German chocolate cookies. We were baking and serving for 6 fun hours with some sweet ladies!
She made a huge amount of these cookie dough pretzel bites. Yum! She also took lil smokies and wrapped them in bacon and sprinkled them in brown sugar and cooked them. They were yummy, but what isn't yummy when wrapped in bacon?
The woman in charge of the food made a pumpkin bread pudding. Y'all, that bread pudding was to die for. I don't know the measurements and it probably doesn't matter because she was cooking for 200,
but here's what she did:
She cut Hawaiian Rolls into cubes, then she mixed up a can of pumpkin, half and half and melted pumpkin ice cream and poured it over the bread and baked it for 45 minutes. But wait, there's more: when they came out of the oven, she put a mixture of butterscotch topping and rum flavoring and drizzled it over the top. YUMMMM!!!! I may have to add this to our Thanksgiving menu!
All these goodies were for a fun event called the Swapportunity, an event where ladies from our church brought their gently used clothes, jewelry and shoes to swap with each other... The organization team sorted all the items while the ladies ate. They were given numbers and then told when they could go to the various rooms to 'shop'. Such a fun idea.

Saturday, my hubby sweetly worked on the Honey Do list that he had me make.
 This will also be remembered as the day that my hubby found out I ruined the whole house. LOL
 Otherwise know as the day he found out that I painted our hallway cupboards with watered down paint!!! -How does that happen??? Painters can't live with bad paint jobs, I found out. He was so cute saying "I can't believe this happened in MY house!" So, we each had a power sander and we went at those hallway cupboards for a good hour while paint flakes flew everywhere... Ugh!!! Boy, was I ever sorry for my sorry paint job! I think I ought to leave all future painting to him. : )

After the paint agony, it was time for a date night! We had a Groupon for a BBQ place on the water. It turned out to be a really cool outdoor restaurant on a lake. (which I would never want to go to in the summer in FL, amen!) But the weather was cool, the view was beautiful and the food was really good.
And then the sun went down and the mosquitoes decided that I was dinner..

Sunday, we had a guest speaker. John Bevere, who comes to our church once a year! He spoke from this book, which was awesomely insightful. That night, the whole service was praise and worship and it was so powerful and wonderful!

Monday morning I went back to church, to celebrate a life well lived! One of the men of our church died of cancer. He was a dear brother with a powerful testimony of a redeemed life! He genuinely cared for everyone he came in contact with and you could feel it. He will be missed by people of all ages. He taught a Wednesday night class for junior high boys, and I sat in front of two of them at the funeral, who were silently crying their eyes out. There really wasn't a dry eye in the house, even though we know he's with Jesus now. He will always be remembered for his BIG smile and the tray of impanadas he made and brought to every VBS to bless all the workers. : )

~Becky