i love florida.
going there was crazy, (picture the seven of us in our minivan for 24 hours straight) but it's just so amazing there!! like seriously, it's like a taste of heaven to stare at the ocean for hours for a midwestern girl.
in florida, i learned that you can be carefree once in a while, without having to worry so much about your assignments, your piano competitions, etc. etc.
in florida, i learned to love my siblings with all my heart. i learned {again} that you really can have fun with four crazy brothers.
in florida, i was struck with the amazing, awesome, powerful creativity of our maker.
we found so many jelly fish! aren't they just amazing!
i happen to adore palm trees.
there is nothing quite as beautiful as a beach sunset. period.
soooo..... funny story of the day.
You know those smart phones everyone seems to have? Well, the one that I rely on was forgotten to be charged. You know what that means? It means we drive into town, only to find that we didn't read the email telling us that AWANA was canceled.
What in the world should we do???
We decided to have some much needed family time, and we all went out for ice cream. Fun!
This little outing helped remind me that though ice cream is sweet, there's nothing sweeter than family giggles and moments together.
So would you do something for me today?
Wherever you are, whoever you are would you just take a moment...
And giggle?
Need some help? Well.... This always makes me giggle.
Need another silly thing? I love this little video.
If that didn't make giggle you could always go with some Narnia humor...
Seriously, I think I'm just as logical as Susan. Weird.
Did you giggle? Thank you. You really are lovely. ;)
There are two little ones playing this game at my feet. There's a brother wrapped up in a blanket listening intently to his father reading while looking out the window wishing, hoping for snow.
There's that one sibling who's supposed to be listening quietly but in reality is trying to ruin the little ones' game.
Seriously, in the few moments it took me to write that paragraph, our peaceful evening has been disrupted.
Peace. that five letter word that everyone longs for. This word is all through our house in the Christmas season. It's on ornaments. And Christmas cards. It's in songs.
Because truly, Christmas is not peaceful. There are enormously long lines at walmart. There are crazy sales and more parties than you can count.
Now that Christmas is over and done, I'm sick and tired of crazy. This 2014, I'm yearning for peace.
So, as we inch towards this new year, I'm going to inch towards peace. This five letter word may change my life.
Our Church's theme for Christmas this year is joy.
Instead of fear, choose joy.
Fear of the economy, sickness, broken relationships.
Joy in Christ's provision, healing, blessed friendships.
There's a common theme in the Christmas story- a theme of don't be afraid.
Mary, when the angel comes to her? Don't be afraid.
The shepherds, when the angels came? Don't be afraid.
Jesus, when he has to come to take our sin? I can imagine his father speaking~ don't be afraid.
I love to write a Christmas song every year- here's my meager attempt to convey my feelings...
Do not be afraid, do not be anxious/ For the babe you'll bear will be the savior of the world/ And though you will be scorned, always come back to me/ Though you're just a girl, you are so precious to me/
Do not be afraid, I come bringing good news/ For you've been chosen to tell the world that the savior is born/ And though some won't believe you, always come back to me/ Though you're just shepherds, you are so precious to me/
Do not be afraid, my son, I will miss you/ For you must go and tell the world of my amazing grace/ And though you will be so abused, always come back to me/ Though you'll become the least of them, you are so precious to me/
Do not be afraid, my child, you are chosen/ For you must tell of my love, you must tell that the savior is born/ And though you will be turned away, always come back to me/ Though you're just one, you are so precious to me/
That last verse? That's for you. You've been chosen to proclaim of His Love.
Do not be afraid, for perfect love casts out all fear/ Do not be afraid, proclaim of my love from the highest of heights/
And I'll hold you're hand through the darkest night/ When fear blinds you I'll be you're light/ I'll carry you down the longest road/ When fear steals joy I'll be you're hope/
Okay. First of all, I realize that it's been a while since I posted. Everyone in our fam has asthma, and that has put us under the weather for the last couple weeks. Also, life has just been a bit of a hurricane.
Now that we have my meager excuses out of the way, let's get to the real stuff.
Well... we are planning a Thanksgiving week for roughly thirty people, so my mama and I have been putting together a menu. Yeah, one day isn't enough Thanksgiving for us, so we'll be celebrating for a week.
The "theme" for Thanksgiving is Duck Dynasty- you know, big beards, camo, red necks? Haha. All the uncles who are coming for Thanksgiving are the clean shaven, button down type of guys, but we want to give them a taste of our world. Just a few days ago, my mama with the help of the boys field dressed a deer for our meat supply for the winter. Just to let you know, my mom rocks.
Sooo... here are some links to recipes that sound great and we are using for Thanksgiving week-
~UHHmazing apple sheet cake- we had a bountiful crop of apples this year, so we'll be makin' this one for sure!
~Venison Shepherd's Pie- even though my mama makes awesome Asian food, my dad admits that shepherd's pie is his all time favorite.
~Perfect Pizza dough- do you know how much it would cost to order pizza for 30 hungry people? A lot. This will give you crunchy, moist, awesome, pizza crust.
~Bacon Cheese Potatoes- my brother and friends have a middle school boys "bacon night" and we made this for them to bring. Easy? yes. Delicious? absolutely!
~Sweet Potato Pie- yum. just yum.
As Jace of Duck Dynasty says: "never under estimate the power of miss Kay's sweet potato pie."
Speaking of Duck Dynasty, have you seen this trailer? I think this movie is going to totally rock the house. Any thoughts?
and of course. the joy dare. today I'm so very thankful for...
~cupcakes
~campfires
~libraries
~schoology
~radios
~metronomes
oh so much more!!!
Today I'm really thankful for my brothers. Yeah. I just have to keep telling myself that.
You know you've got brothers when...
~The formal room has weathered remote control car races
~Family night consists of eating cookies and watching the minion's banana song. Watch it and you'll know what part always erupts a burst of laughter. (hint- think like little boys... always solving things with violence)
~Playing Settlers of Catan can start as friendly sibling rivalry... and end with World War III
~The house magically does. not. stay. clean. Seriously. One minute you've got clean floors, the next, mud. everywhere.
~The cup song has been played on every surface of your home. the toilet. the couch. the fireplace...
~It sometimes seems like you're car schooled, not homeschooled. Appointments, classes, scouts, and everything in between.
~You get excited when you see lego & starwars stuff on pinterest. I'm so crazy that I'm attempting to cross-stitch Han Solo.
~Trying to do a photo shoot is like trying to swim up the Niagara Falls.
~Lord of the Rings are carefully added into every conversation.
~Everywhere you turn, there's a nerf dart.
~You laugh constantly. Okay, maybe not aloud, but certainly in your head. Seriously, wouldn't you be laughing too if your brother told you that math is clearly overrated and we should just eat pie?
~You understand that God most definitely has a sense of humor.
