My Birthday =)

=) This is the long over-due update to the last post {my summer has been pretty busy}. 

Emily and I made my birthday cake on the 9th of June. It took pretty much the whole day.

{I can't remember the last time I had a cake this girly for my birthday. hehehe}

Later that day we closed on our new home in GA! 

Our amazing realtor, Ashley

{she's the reason we got our house... she worked really hard with the seller}

The next day, Ems and I took a break from cleaning and packing to enjoy my birthday at the Georgia Aquarium 

 

 To get there, we rode the MARTA {bus & train} so Emily could get the full city experience.

{you get into the Aquarium for free on your birthday}

One of our favorite exhibits was a tank you could walk under and view several whale sharks and other sea life through 24" of acrylic.  

{the whale sharks were quite impressive}

Emily even got her hands a little dirty.

{the piranhas were particularly photogenic}

Emily loved the lion-fish,

but my favorites were the seahorses

and the jellyfish.

 {check out the colors on this crazy fish}

We had a lot of fun at the Aquarium, but I wouldn't suggest going there without a coupon.

It was fun, but there's not enough there to justify full price.

We were finished with all exhibits in under 3 hours.

{the end}

R*E*S*P*E*C*T and Lilies

We've all heard the song at some point...

"All I'm askin' (oo)
Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little bit)
Yeah (just a little bit)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB"

I've been reading Sacred Marriage during devotions lately, and I came to the chapter titled "Holy Honor." It's all about that highly explosive, highly desired, and highly important word.

Respect.

What does it mean to you?

"The sad truth is that comparatively few Christians think of giving respect as a command or a spiritual discipline. We are obsessed with being respected, but rarely consider our own obligation to respect others" (54). Thomas continues to explain that the Bible commands us to respect one another. Men respecting their wives, wives respecting their husbands: everyone giving others the respect and honor due to them as human beings created in God's image.

Thomas explains that gratitude is the best way to cultivate an attitude of respect for another person. "Contempt is conceived with expectations. Respect is conceived with expressions of gratitude" (67). How true this is for our lives. I am most dissatisfied with my husband when I dwell on the times he fails to meet my expectations, and let's face it, as a wife, I sometimes expect my husband to realize I've been slaving away in the house {in my perspective} and to roll out the red carpet of praises for how clean it looks or how good dinner tastes.

A few compliments for my hard work doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it? Ah, but how many times do I thank him for going to work every day? How many times do I complain that he isn't home enough or is working too many hours.

So, what should I do? Well, "If we assume that our spouse has the hardest road to travel and that we miss the mark most frequently--and then act accordingly--we'll find a mix that's just about right. Contempt is born when we fixate on our spouse's weakness. Every spouse has these sore points. If you want to find them, with out a doubt you will. If you want to obsess about them, they'll grow, but you won't" (70).

Have you thanked your spouse for what they do every day? And when you do, are you expecting them to thank you for your efforts in return...

Now for the lilies =) Today, Emily and I made lilies for my birthday cake. 

They need a week to dry all the way through, so we had to get them done today.

First we had to make a batch of royal icing. 

We took 1/4 of the white batch and added some rose color for the centers.

I had some pink stamens laying around, so we used those.

We piped five petals,

 Brushed a small ball of pink icing up the sides and smoothed it in the center,

Then placed the stamen in the center.

The finished product should look like the above... or something like it.

Emily made two of them

I'll update when the cake is finished =)

Hiking

Today after church, Mark, Emily, and I went on a picnic and hike with some of our church family up Kennesaw Mountain.

The trail was wide, but there were sections that were fairly steep. It was a good workout. I was tired when we finished, and I think my legs are just beginning to feel the soreness =)

The day was beautiful. It threatened rain all afternoon, but not a drop fell from the sky.

The view from the top was beautiful, and we could see all the way to downtown Atlanta. On a clear day, I imagine the view is even more amazing!

 

Hiking was one of the activities on Emily's list of things she wanted to do. She raced to the top with the younger portion of the church group while Mark and I took a slower pace.

 After an afternoon of hiking, Mark and I took Ems to our favorite pizza joint in Marietta, Aurelio's. It's authentic Chicago pizza, and the flavor is amazing!

Saturday Update: Florida Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

I hadn't meant to stay away for so long, but life happens, yes? =)

Last Thursday Mark and I decided to take a trip to Florida.  to see some of my students, from the school I formerly worked at, graduate.



 It was a special class to me because they were my first students, the ones who saw me cry the most, the ones who walked through a teacher's toughest year with me, the ones who helped make me into the teacher I am today.

So, when one of them asked to me to be there, I couldn't say no =)

It was a good trip for both Mark and me. Mark's dad is dealing with a blood clot in one of his legs, and for the last week or so he had been unable to maintain the lawns he took over when Mark and I moved to GA. We love being able to help his parents out whenever we get the opportunity, but the truth is, they're the ones that end up helping us out more often than not.

I'm so blessed by the in-laws that I have. When I was praying for my husband {I started 6 years before I even met Mark}, praying for his strength and growth in godliness, someone suggested that I pray for my in-laws too. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Because the truth is, when you get married to another person, you marry their family too, and that can either be the best blessing in your life, or the source of great and painful discord. 

...I get side tracked easily =) back to FL. Mark found a little friend in his parents' pool when he jumped in to cool off after mowing Friday morning. We released it back into the lake behind the house {most likely where it came from in the first place}.

 After spending 4 days which disappeared faster than I could have imagined, we headed back to FL early Tuesday morning.

 
Since we were planning on returning to Florida in the near future, we decided to bring one of my sisters {Emily} to GA with us to spend some of her summer =) I haven't lived with her for almost 6 years now, so it's been wonderful to get to know her better and be more like a sister with her. She makes me laugh a lot. She's just a couple inches shorter than me {that won't last long... she's still growing}.

Yesterday we both happened to wear sage green shirts to the mall, and some sweet lady asked if we were twins. My face must have been priceless because she quickly retracted. We explained to the poor soul that we were just sisters.

I happen to be twice Emily's age... twice. I blame my braces. Entirely. =)

Since this post is already really long, I will just end with the menu plan for this week.


Happy Cooking Y'all

Thursday:            Pizza w/ Garden Salad

Friday:                Southwest Salad

Saturday:            PotatoSoup and Homemade Croutons w/Ranch Salad

Sunday:               Jambalaya

Monday:             Chicken Piccata w/Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Tuesday:             Sheppard’s Pie

Wednesday:        Chipotle-Style Burrito Bowls

Thursday:           Lasagna w/ Garlic Toast (and Pesto)

Recipe Highlight

 Potato Soup

What's For Dinner?

It's Thursday, which means weekly menu planning. =)

Nothing brings a family together like meal times. It's a great place to wind down and enjoy the company of the people you care about most. As a kid growing up, meal time was most often a time of laughter. The food wasn't always gourmet {after all, there were 8 of us kids to feed}, but it was a place to remember the provision of our Lord and the kindness and love of others.

Recipe Highlight: Southwest Salad

I've posted my plan for this week to let others reap the rewards of my labor =D

Just as an FYI: We eat a lot of chicken. Feel free to substitute the proteins with your own preferences.

The only recipes that I have linked are the ones that I've tested several times and found to be excellent. If it doesn't have a link, it means I'm experimenting =)

Experimenting. That word has lost its power to terrify my husband as he now trusts me {mostly} in the kitchen after feeding him good food for a few years. However, that all changes if I start calling out "oops" in a specific tone of voice ;-)

Happy Cooking

Menu Plan

5/15/14 — 5/22/14

Thursday:            Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Friday:                Asian Salad w/Grilled Chicken

Saturday:            BLT with Avocado (Lunch) Baked Lemon/Herb Chicken w/ Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Green Beans w/Tomatoes (Dinner)

Sunday:               Leftovers (Lunch) Indian Chicken Curry (Dinner)

Monday:              Baked Teriyaki Chicken w/Sautéed Veg

Tuesday:              Chicken Casserole

Wednesday:        Clean out Fridge/Leftover Day

Thursday:           Mushroom Risotto and Pan-Seared Chicken

Can you tell that we like the Food Network around here? =D

Mother's Day and the Importance of Choices

Happy late Mother's Day!

It was a delightfully serene Sunday here in North Georgia. Below are some pictures of the hydrangea Mark bought me to celebrate {no, this is not a baby announcement, Mark just likes any excuse to buy me little tokens to show his love}.

Aren't they beautiful? I cannot wait to plant them at my new house when we move in June!

For the last few days I've been thinking about the importance of choices. I've been recently reminded about the dangers of making foolish decisions. The Bible is full of examples of people choosing wisely or foolishly as the case may be, and in the book of Judges {where I'm currently reading} entire nations were affected by the choices and decisions of one man or woman.

To go along with my scripture reading, I've also been reading Beyond the Shadowlands by Wayne Martindale. It is all about C.S. Lewis' philosophy on Heaven and Hell. I don't know of anyone who can draw a better illustration or encourage the soul toward imagining and desiring Heaven more than Lewis.

Wayne writes about C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce "it [The Great Divorce] makes us grasp the truth that 'there is no neutral ground in the universe.' It points up the further truth that we bring into our earthly experience intimations of either Heaven or Hell by our choices. We are becoming every moment souls suited for one or the other" [79 emphasis, mine].

The unfortunate soul who chooses his/her own pleasure and desires (loves his/herself) over sacrifice and whole-hearted, abandoned service and love to God at the end of his/her life finds their soul more suited for Hell than Heaven. These choices that move our soul in one direction or the other are not the big ones with flashing neon lights that blindingly blink "Life Changing Choice." They are the small choices, the little word, the kind thought, the gentle response, that we make and face almost every moment of every day.  

As a teacher, I am constantly reminded that my little words can make a big difference in a young students' day/life. A word thoughtlessly uttered has the power to crumple the dreams and hopes of a human being, and a word spoken with kindness and love has the ability to save a life. Words have power. With the last day of school for the year coming to a close, I can only pray that the choices I made with my words built up the young lives in my charge, and the choices and words uttered thoughtlessly will be forgotten or negated by the love of my Savior.

Where are you choosing to go by your small actions? Is your soul becoming more suited for Heaven or Hell?

Landon and Halal's Wedding

As promised, here are some pictures from the wedding. This is what I worked on for most of the day today {that and a trip to Costco and Fry's Electronics with my handsome man}.

Typical of Florida weather, it was opposite of what was forecasted, which turned out great for the happy couple. It was beautiful, not a drop of rain in sight.

I've never seen Landon smile so much for so long... 

I think he was happy 

Landon & Halal

May 3, 2014

{the Groom}

{the Groom and his men}

 

{the ladies}

{the beautiful Bride's 1st look at the Groom}

-she closed her eyes... too much awesomeness to handle- 

{sunlight} 

 {the groom's awesome hair...}

-his best feature according to the Bride's younger brother-

{the stunning Bride}

{I think he was showing off his muscles...}

{the Bride's awesome mother made these dresses}

-many of the wedding items were made by the Bride and her family- 

{the ladies' handmade lanterns set the mood with the setting sun}

{the barefoot wedding party}

{the Bride and one of her sisters} 

{so creative and very beautiful}

{the Groom waiting to receive his Bride}

{they worked with the natural setting instead of overwhelming it}

{introducing Mr. and Mrs. Landon Splitter}

 {the couple's first dance}

{they are very talented dancers, and it showed}

{cake}

 May God bless this marriage and bring much good and joy through the union of these two families!

To Landon and Halal, 

I love you!

 &

Enjoy your honeymoon!