meet "miney"

Kendall's beloved pink blanket now has a name. Miney.

I think she just knows it's hers, and "miney" is how that comes out. I prefer it to "mine" anyway. It just doesn't sound so territorial. :)

Miney is either in her mouth (see picture below of she and Christian playing a game with it) or wadded up close to her chest.


In my opinion, babies and loveys are just precious together.

Spring Break

I am SOOOO excited to be on Spring Break this week. It seems like I've been waiting for this week to come since we got out for Christmas Break, now it's here and already Tuesday.

Kendall and I took a much needed weekend trip to Nashville to do a little shopping and visit the Wakefields. I have been moping for about a month about missing family, nobody getting to enjoy my precious daughter and finally decided to be proactive about it, instead of sitting and whining. We left Saturday morning and stopped at Opry Mills first, then went on to the Wakefields' home. Hannah was on the backside of her Spring Break from Union, so we were happy to have a little time with her, too.

I love this family dearly, and can't even begin to tell how much I needed this visit at their home. They doted over Kendall, let her get away with things that I probably normally wouldn't let her do, and just let me relax. Their neighbors even babysat Kendall Saturday night so I could go watch the production of Little Women that Tricia and Joshua were involved in at Joshua's school. Overall, it was a fabulous weekend and now that I know I can "do" a Nashville trip alone, I won't wait so long to go see them again!

While we were away, Evan spent the weekend sanding and priming our kitchen cabinets. No pictures, but he's working hard to get a lot of that work done while he is on Spring Break, too. I'll be anxious to have my kitchen back in order, being that the contents of my cabinets are sitting on the kitchen table and down in the basement. It's pretty difficult to find anything right now besides a glass or a plate!


Kendall and I enjoyed a preschool play date at the zoo this morning. I wasn't real sure how Kendall would be at the zoo, being that she isn't so much of an animal lover. She's JUST NOW getting to where she will acknowledge our neighbor's dog, Lily, but still doesn't want to get too close. We had a fun morning and Kendall was more interested in the people than the animals. We ended up leaving a little earlier than most, though. She was getting cranky AND had spilled almost a whole cup of water on herself at lunch and I didn't bring an extra set of clothes. I think she was just feeling wet and cold, not to mention that it was close to her nap time. She fell asleep on the way home and is still asleep right now!

Below is a slide show of pictures from the weekend and zoo--if some song comes up with it, I'm sorry. I tried to take it off, but it didn't seem like it was working right. Just know if the song is there, it's not because I chose it! :)

This is a video of Kendall on the swings at the zoo. I thought Mimi Joyce and Grandaddy Dub would enjoy watching her swing!

In the beginning

I debated on whether to post this or not because I don't want to seem like I'm fishing for compliments, but part of the reason one creates art is to share it with other people, so here you go.

This is a painting I did for our bedroom yesterday. Actually, it's a re-work of one that I had done previously and was already hanging in the bedroom. The original picture was just a progression of color, from black at the top to red at the bottom. It was o.k. but it just didn't do much for me, so I decided to start over. I like this one a whole lot better. It's a lot more colorful and I think the extra movement makes it more interesting. The background color of the blog is really close to the wall color in the bedroom, so this pretty much what it looks like hanging on our wall.

My intent was to depict what I think the universe may have looked like just as Jesus was speaking it into existence. Basically, if beauty could be distilled to its essence, that is what I imagine creation must have looked like. Plus, I just find the interaction of bold colors pleasing to the eye.

Apparently, this is a pretty popular subject for artwork. A quick google search of "In the beginning, art" revealed a couple of other pieces that I like too. This one is called Genesis, and is by an artist named Stefan Maguran. This one is also called Genesis, and is by an artist named Ralph White.

needs no commentary

At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by HIS grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:3-7

As for you, you were DEAD in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of WRATH.

BUT because of his great love for us, GOD, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE even when we were DEAD in our transgressions--it is by GRACE you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:1-5

Cabbage Rolls and Pretty Dresses

I'd been wanting to make cabbage rolls for a LONG time now, and finally got up the nerve to do it. I remember talking to my mom about this recipe and she told me as much as I like porcupine meatballs, the only difference is really the cabbage, and as much as I like cabbage I would probably love it. (Ask anyone on my dad's side of the family-any time my we had dinner at Mammaw and Pappaw's house and coleslaw was involved, Mammaw would cut off a big hunk of cabbage and I would just eat it raw and plain. Isn't that funny?)

I've been on this cooking/baking kick in the last few months, wanting to try new things and bake things from scratch. Not sure what that's all about...I've always liked cooking, but I guess you could say that I've sort-of taken it up as a hobby. I think I just feel guilty even wanting to have any sort of hobby since Evan sacrifices golf, fishing, Razorbacks (sort-of) in order to make things work while he is in school. With cooking, it's justifiable since we HAVE to eat. :)

I looked at a couple of different recipes before I made the cabbage rolls, and finally just did a combination of the two. I'll post the main recipe I went by, then go back and say the things I will do differently next time. Evan really liked them and in fact, preferred them over porcupine meatballs. He said the cabbage added just the right flavor to the meat and sauce. Kendall also cleaned her plate and asked for seconds!

8 cabbage leaves
1 pound of ground sausage or ground beef
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup of uncooked rice
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 16 oz. cans tomatoes

Cook the cabbage in 1 inch boiling, salted water in a covered saucepan for 5 minutes. Brown sausage in the skillet, drain. Combine sausage mixture with onion, rice, curry powder, salt and pepper in a bowl, mix well. Spoon mixture on to cabbage leaves. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Place in skillet. Pour undrained tomatoes over the top. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding additional tomato juice if desired.

I used pork and thought that part of it was great. The meat was so lean, that I didn't even have to drain it. Curry is one of the spices that I do not prefer, so I just substituted with some Season-All, but it really wasn't enough. I think next time, I will use either chili powder or paprika (or a combination of both) and/or possibly use Italian sausage. It just needed a little something special. I also prefer tomato sauce instead of whole tomatoes, so used that instead. If anyone tries them, let me know.

I find great joy in dressing my daughter. It's just fun. I love picking out things for her to wear and putting cute little outfits together. Today, she wore one of my very favorite dresses EVER to church and when we got home I made sure I caught some sweet pictures of her in it.

Isn't that dress ADORABLE!?!?!?!? Isn't the little girl in it even more so???

Spring has Sprung!

I love the change of all seasons, but it seems as though spring and fall are the ones I welcome most. Louisville's weather has been beautiful this week, and we have tried to take full advantage by getting outside everyday.

Evan grilled for us on Tuesday night and then we headed to the park. Louisville is home to some really great parks, so sometimes it's difficult to make a decision of where to go! We ended up at the one down by the river, which was a first for us. Apparently, everyone else and their mother had the same idea as we did, because we could barely get through the playground area! We ended up taking a walk down by the river and watching some ducks, then letting Kendall run free in the great lawn area. It was a great evening!

Evan then took Kendall to Cherokee Park before class on Wednesday so she could play on the playground. He said she was not very interested in the swings, and really just wanted to run around and play on the slide. I'll be anxious to take her to the park myself, just to see her play, since last summer she wasn't big enough to do all the playground activities!

While on the subject of playing outside, I would love some suggestions. We have very few outside toys for Kendall. She has the little tricycle that my dad got her for Christmas, and that is about it. She's not quite tall enough to ride it yet, either, so she ends up just pushing it around. I really want to get a swing set because I know it will get great use, but am having a hard time making a decision. I found a wooden one at Wal-Mart that isn't too rediculously expensive, has great reviews, etc, etc, but have been advised by others to get a metal one, for the simple fact that we know this isn't our forever home, if that makes any sense. A wooden one is a little more difficult to put together/take apart, and we wouldn't feel so badly about leaving behind or getting rid of a metal one. I know Little Tykes makes plastic ones, but to me, they are pretty expensive for what you get and they don't grow as well with the kids. I don't want to be a swing set snob, but the metal ones just seem sort-of rickety to me. Plus, I like how the wooden ones offer a fort type area over the slide, so it's sort of like having a tree house, too. The really funny part about this huge-long explanation is that Evan couldn't care less if we had a swingset or not, so this is all me here! :) Kara and I played hard on our swing set as children, so I can't imagine Kendall not doing the same!

So, while we are making the decision about which one to purchase, what are some great outdoor toys for girls? I've thought of bubbles, hula hoops, sand (messy), sidewalk chalk...what else? Of course, when it gets a lot warmer, we will have a little pool out there. I have a Target gift card left over from Kendall's birthday and have thought about spending it on some sort of fun, outside something for her, but I just don't know what to get! Anybody have girls that love outside and have special outside toys? We have an awesome back yard that I plan to spend a lot of time in this summer, so I want to make it fun for everyone involved!!!

Hope you all are enjoying gorgeous weather, too! Happy weekend to all! Spring is officially here!

Church Music

Leah and I have been blessed to belong to two churches with terrific music programs.

I can't say enough good things about the job Brandon does with the music/worship ministry at FBC Farmington. To begin with, he is a phenomenal musician who is skilled at playing several instruments. On top of that, he's a really talented songwriter. His skills and talents aside though, the thing that has always impressed me the most about Brandon is his desire for the music to be authentic worship rather than just a performance. Leah and I served together on the worship team, and doing so was one of the highlights of our time in Farmington.

The music at Ninth and O is both similar to and different from what we were used to in Farmington. Both churches provide a blend of hymns and contemporary choruses, but in Farmington the mixture tended more toward choruses, while at Ninth and O it probably leans a little more towards hymns. I really like a lot of the "praise & worship" choruses, but I have started to fall in love with some of the hymns we sing too. Lyrically, the hymns we sing just seem to be richer in content than a lot of the choruses are.

Some of my favorite hymns that we sing at Ninth and O are The Power of the Cross, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Be Thou my Vision and Before the Throne of God Above. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Be Thou my Vision are classic hymns that have been sung in churches for many years. The Power of the Cross and Before the Throne of God Above are what you might call "modern" hymns.

I've posted about The Power of the Cross before. You can probably search our archives to hear it. The lyrics are jam-packed with the truth of the gospel - that Christ became sin for us and bore the wrath of God we deserved. I love to sing this song because it is such a vivid reminder of the extent of God's grace.

Through Google, I was able to find out that the words to Before the Throne of God above were written by a lady named Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1923) and were set to music by a woman named Vikki Cook in 1997. Since then, the song has been performed by artists such as Selah, Sonicflood, Shane and Shane, and Chris Rice.

I just love the lyrics of this great hymn. The second verse is my favorite. I am often guilty of believing Satan's accusations that I am too this or not enough that to be of any use to God. What a wonderful thing it is to be reminded that, as a Christian, my standing before God is not based at all on my own righteousness, but is solely based on what Christ has done for me!

Therapy Blogging

Today has just been one of those days.

I don't know if it's just the combination of Kendall going to bed super late last night paired with Evan being gone all day today AND she and I not feeling quite up to par, but it's just been rough.

So, I thought I'd put some cute Kendall things on here to remind me that I did indeed survive and tomorrow is a new day!

Before I get to Kendall things, we had another "make your own pizza party" last night. Funny that a friend reminded me that it was around this same time last year that we did this. Maybe it will be a yearly tradition! We had the other two couples in our small group at church and had a lot of fun. Last night I thought a lot about when Tim and Bekah had us over for lunch one Sunday after church not too long after Evan and I were married. Tim and Bekah have a beautiful home, and shared the story about how God provided that home for their family. I remember Bekah talking about how she prayed that if God blessed them with that home, that she would use it to honor and glorify Him in every way she could. I don't know if they still do or not, but I know Bekah and Tim used to invite a different couple over for lunch every Sunday after church. I also know they've housed many youth for D-NOWs as well as hosted Connection Group dinners, etc. Their story impacted me so much because I don't think I ever really thought about how much a home can be a blessing to other people until then. Anyway, I know I'm kind-of rambling on, but I am so thankful for our home, our new table, and pray often that it won't just be a place that we live but something that we use to glorify God. So, thanks, Bekah. You made a difference and didn't even know it! :)

On to Kendall...

She loves shoes. Kendall constantly goes to her closet to get in the shoe drawer. We are forever picking up shoes all over the house and hearing "shoe" "shoe" being said. Last weekend, she was sporting her daddy's shoes. Notice they are mis-matched! So cute!


She's also developed a love for books. Oh, how I love this! I love that Kendall backs up into my lap and will now sit and look at entire books before running on to do the next thing. She is also starting to recognize certain pictures and saying the word that goes with the picture. I've also noticed as we read and come across certain words, that she really has a large vocabulary. She won't necessarily say all the words as we come across them while we read, but she certainly knows them.

And babies. She LOVES babies. Check out her stroller.

Last but not least, here is a 5 minute video showing how Kendall says the word banana. (And just the conversation between the two of us while Kendall enjoys her snack.) You know how kids say things that aren't correct, but you still know what they are saying? Some of my favorites in the past have been Coby saying "fr" for "t" (think of the word "truck" and how much trouble that was!), Austin Raabe singing the Veggie Tales song with "blockery" instead of "broccoli" and Graham saying "moomie" instead of "movie" (which to this day, is how Evan and I say movie!). Anyway, check out her pronunciation of banana. Precious!

Scary

"...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me." Exodus 20:5

Lately, I've noticed a somewhat disconcerting trend with Kendall. It seems that the more her skills and abilities develop, the more independence she wants. I suppose this is pretty natural and is, for the most part, a good thing. However, her need for freedom seems to be a little out of control lately. It's most noticeable when we're trying to put her in her car seat, get her to sit in the grocery cart, and when we have to carry her somewhere (like in a parking-lot) instead of letting her walk. She will fight tooth and nail to keep from being strapped in, and will squirm with everything she has to try and free herself from my grasp when she wants to get down and walk. The child just absolutely does not want to have any restraints put on her ability to move around at all.

I remember being a high school senior and longing for the day that I would be on my own - free to do whatever I wanted. The day finally arrived when the freedom I had craved was mine and sure enough, I took full advantage of it. As most of you know, my freshman year of college I went completely bonkers. I lost my scholarships and was expelled from school that year, so you would think I would have learned my lesson. Unfrotunately, it still took me the better part of a decade to figure out that there really isn't such a thing as absolute personal freedom (thank God!), and that, ironically, real freedom lies in knowing and respecting your boundaries.

I don't know why the lust for freedom seems to be stronger in some of us than in others, but it nearly ruined me and now every time Kendall arches her back in defiance of being strapped in her car seat, I fear that she's inherited from me and it scares me. Hopefully its just a phase and the only thing of mine she's inherited are her blue eyes!

my husband

I think Evan is pretty great.


I don't want to get all mushy-gushy about this, and I don't want to embarrass him, but for my personal memory, I just wanted to blog about the nice things he's been doing lately.

I will be the first to admit that I probably haven't been the easiest person to live with lately. I'm not really sure what the deal is, probably just a combination of a lot of things. Grief, homesickness, an extremely stressful job...makes me super tired and crabby by the end of most days. I don't want to make excuses for my behavior; I just want to be the woman God has called me to be in the midst of my life circumstances. Sometimes, though, it's just SO HARD!



Anyway, as many husbands do, Evan gets the brunt end of it. Instead of getting mad about it, he just loves me more.



On Monday, he painted. See below post. I love my pictures.


On Tuesday, he came to get the 4-Runner while I was at work and filled it with gas. AND left a sweet note.


Today takes the cake. He and Kendall surprised me with pizza and a REAL Coke for lunch. Anyone who will voluntarily come spend a 20 minute lunch with a gajillion wild and crazy middle school kids is amazing in my opinion! :)


And this doesn't even count all the times he sweeps the floor during the week, loads and unloads the dishwasher, makes the bed, etc, etc, etc. All of this on top of going to class/doing all the work that goes along with it, working, and being a GREAT daddy to Kendall.


I feel so undeserving, but am so thankful for a husband who loves me unconditionally. Thank you, Evan for being a real life picture of my Heavenly Father's love!

Feeling Creative

One thing I really enjoy is creating.

When it comes to work, I get the most satisfaction out of being able to work on - and complete - a task, and then step back and look at the finished product.

The same holds true for school. I don't really mind writing papers because I enjoy the process of 'turning a phrase' and get excited when I think I've come up with a really good way to communicate a thought.

It's also why I wanted to get a 'fixer-upper' when we were looking at houses. As hard as the work has been, there's just nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing the end result and knowing that you did it yourself.

Lately, I have been letting my creative juices flow through a brush. Leah bought me a canvas and some paint for valentines day so I could paint a picture for our living room. I was finally able to finish it Monday night (see above left). In the meantime, I bought some watercolor paper and painted these flowers for Leah on Monday while Kendall was napping.

We shouldn't find it surprising that we get pleasure from being creative. Part of our being made in God's image is that we share some of His attributes (albeit in very limited fashion). So, when we use our creativity, we're actually reflecting some of God's glory. How cool is that!

Two Kendall Videos

A couple of Kendall videos for your viewing pleasure...

She's not doing anything super spectacular here...in the first one you can here her say "book" quietly, but her face at the beginning is priceless.

The second one is of her playing with her babies. Sorry for the shaky camera at the end-she first decides she wants to sit in my lap, then sees the camera and tries to go after it.

he wanted to do something nice

While I was at work on Friday, I got an email from Evan that said "Do you like this?" with the following picture attached. I replied with, "Um, YES!!! Why?" In rather large letters.

Since we moved in this house, I (we) had been planning to get a new dining table at some point. We really wanted something that would seat more than just four people, and, really, our glass top/iron table had seen better days. The screw to part of the base fell out somewhere and had become somewhat of a hazard, not to mention the fact that Kendall got her head stuck in one of the chairs last Monday. (Another story entirely. Yes, go ahead and laugh. It's quite funny!)

Evan then replies to my email with, "Just wondering if you liked the round legs or the more contemporary, straight ones." I reply back to him with, "Do you have something up your sleeve, or are you just teasing me?" To which his answer was, "You never know..."

When I got home from school on Friday, I asked Evan what the deal with the table was. He had this smirky look on his face, but took a long time to answer, so I asked him if he already bought it. He finally tells me no, that he wanted to just go get it and have it all set up when I came home from work, but it wouldn't fit in the back of the 4-Runner with Kendall's seat, so he couldn't. Of course, my questioning kicks in at this point. "Is this practical right now?" "Are you making an impulse decision?" "Do we have the money?" "What about the rest of our kitchen remodel?" Finally, Evan looks at me and very kindly says, "I just want to do something nice for you, so will you please let me and be happy about it?" and with that, takes off to World Market to pick up this:

I love it, and the thought behind it makes it even that more special to me.

Friday night was PNO at the Seminary, and after being on the waiting list we were able to secure a spot for Kendall. I cooked dinner for the two of us at home, while he put together the table and chairs. (PS. It's all SOLID wood. SERIOUSLY heavy stuff!) I had tears as Evan prayed and thanked God for providing a "want" for us, praying for opportunities to have others in our home to share meals and minister. How precious!

I already have fabric for the dining room window, and actually have some art (hopefully) :) on the way, so when I get everything all decorated, I'll post some more pictures!

What a sweet, sweet surprise for me! I'm so thankful for my precious husband!