Church Youth Trip

     Our hearts have always been turned toward children & youth.  Since we began pastoring about 6 months ago, we have been planning our 1st church trip.  After several meetings, generous donations, & a coca-cola fundraiser, the trip became reality!  Destination:  Atlanta, GA

     We had such a great time!  The children were all extrememly good!  We enjoyed every minute of making wonderful memories with our new church family!

A Peek Inside Our Home

     Since baby #5 has been on it's way, we have know for a while that we had to swap bedrooms for the kids around.  With that brings about some redecorating & work to do.  The girls needed the largest bedroom to fit 2 full sized beds in there.  After a long hunt, I finally found 1 that resembled their other antique bed at a store in our area.  Then, we bought a little bit of fabric, paint, decorations, & went to work.  My mama sewed the quilts on the end of the beds, pillow shams, & dust ruffle.  The results:

     For the boy's room, we used all of our existing furniture & the fabrics & picture from my sister's twin's rooms.  The room was already striped yellow.  All we basically did was order their vinyl names from wordsanywhere.com & rearrange.  My mother in law made the beautiful baby car seat cover and her mother stitched the quilt at the foot of the bed when Clay was born.  :)  

The meek little hallway with the $30 flea market find is used for the kid's linen storage.  I used cheap picture frames, candles, mirror & pictures:

     The kid's bathroom is still WAY girly.  I had just redone it before we Clay.  It will have to be the next room to make a change as the boys grow.  Any ideas for a quick fix?

     Our Den:

The Playroom is right off the Den.  This use to be the back screened porch.  If I ever build a house, this would NOT be located in a visible area from the main part of the house.  This is always the messiest & loudest room in the house!  I guess as time passes it will evolve from mostly girl toys to the boys...

Our Master Bedroom with the Master Bath off the side:

Dining Room & Kitchen:



     Our house has been a work in progress ever since we married almost 11 years ago.  We live in a trailer on the family farm that is almost as old as us.  The rooms are small & make for careful planning & organizing for our growing family.  All of our furniture is either hand-me-downs or bought at antique flea markets.  Mama usually sews all of my curtains & bedding & helps with the decorating, too.  We buy most decorations at TJMaxx, similar discount stores, or flea markets.  Alot of the material we buy comes from clearance tables or sheets.  I love to use inexpensive picture frames to decorate with since it's both personal & cheap to develop them at Walmart.  The only room not pictured is the school room since it was included in a previous post & the tiny laundry room since it is not decorated at all.  I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our humble abode.  Come visit sometime!  :)    

Just An Update

     Sorry I haven't blogged in a while!!!  August had been VERY busy for us...the end of watermelons, getting ready for baby (5 weeks to go), swapping the girl's & boy's rooms around to accomodate our growing family (which called for shopping, painting, & redecorating), Youth Goup trip to Atlanta, Raegan's birthday yesterday.  Pictures soon will follow!  :)

Hilton Head Island

     We had a blast at Hilton Head Island!  We ate at great restaurants, loved the Westin Resort, & had fun in the water & sand!  The little ones really enjoyed themselves, too!  :)  Wonderful getaway!

Watermelons & Lemonade

    
     Watermelon season here is about to end.  The last melons are being harvested & shipped off into semi trucks heading all across the country (sometimes even Canada).  The kids usually want to pick & sell a few times a year.  We always try to do this when things slow down & Nathan has the extra time.  This year we set up a Watermelon & Lemonade stand at my parent's house.  My sister's twin boys helped out.  The kids really enjoyed it.  They also made them some extra cash.  It is a wonderful blessing that they have no clue about being without or the money.  They just enjoy the fun together!

2nd Class? Not For Me!

     Has this ever happened to you?  You were having a perfectly normal, wonderful day until you are catching the brunt of someone's opinion.  I guess some people just feel "led" to let you know that you are not doing things the way they think you should.  Everyone has an opinion, and I respect that.  Guess what?  I have some very strong ones too!  :)  I just usually don't go around pointing them out...
     Anyways, I am well aware of the fact that I am not dumb.  I was at the top of my graduating class.  I earned several scholarships from having the highest SAT test score.  I do realize that I am capable of enrolling into college & finishing a major money making degree.  I choose not to.  I am blessed to be an American & make my own decisions.
     Instead, I choose to stay home with my children (night & day).  I choose to home school.  I choose to teach them with all of my heart to love God.  I choose to be here.  I want this!  I believe the Lord honors & blesses our home for following His ways.  We have never done without.
     Some consider this as living below my God given intelligence, maybe even 2nd class.  Not me!  I consider this an honor.  I don't want anyone else raising my children.  I am thankful for the resources & ability to teach them.  I love being with them!  Motherhood is not a task I take lightly.  I do desire to give it my best!  Thank you Lord for the strength & courage you give me to stand firm & not back up to popular belief.
 

Calvary Holiness Youth Camp 2012

     This is one of the highlights of every year!!!  Thanks to Uncle ZT & Aunt Sandi, we got to stay again this year on the grounds using their camper.  The kids LOVE the VBS classes, games, choir, skits, playground full of kids, train rides, snow cones, & usually poop out during the evening services.   :)  We love Calvary Holiness Youth Camp!