Ghost of Halloween Past

Here are some fun pictures I ran across a few days ago while I was looking for Star Wars costume pictures to send my sister. I love dressing my kids up. This year we have Sharpay (from HSM of course), John McCain (Luke), and a secret service agent (Drew). We'll be downtown at the Halloween Bash - come by the Cornerstone booth and get some candy!

Awesome video

I saw the "Lifehouse" skit a while back and thought it was awesome. I think there are some rather lame "Christian" skits and dramas out there - not trying to be critical - just saying.
But, I think that this particular skit is very powerful. Here is a video production of the same idea and song. I thought it was amazing and very well done. Check it out.

Recipe

I found this recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies at one of my favorite baking sites, Bakerella.  Haven't tried them but they look really yummy.  I think maybe if I make these I won't eat Halloween Candy.  It's worth a try

Ladies - listen

I have had a long couple of days - we all have them.  

I knew that Perry Noble at NewSpring was doing a series for woman.  As I stayed up late trying to clean and get caught up I decided I needed a little encouragement.  

This was just too good to keep to myself.  

Go to NewSpring and click on the current series "Beautiful" and listen to the sermon "Me, beautiful?"

"The King is enthralled with your beauty"  Psalm 45:11

Just thought somebody might need to be reminded of that.

Snowman time

It won't be long before it's time to take down the scarecrows and put up the snowmen.

Win this adorable snowman print here. Just leave a comment and you'll be in the drawing.

Weekend fun

We had a busy weekend and it has taken me until today to get caught up. Still not actually caught up but thought I would blog anyway. All work and no play . . .

My sister and her family decided to come up from South Carolina for a quick weekend trip. My kids were thrilled to get to spend time with their cousins. My sister and her husband took advantage of having family around and spent Saturday night and Sunday at a cabin on the parkway for a much needed break. That meant we got to have sleep overs, play, carve pumpkins, play, go on a hay ride and play some more. The Galax Farmer's market had pumpkin carving Saturday morning so we enjoyed carving pumpkins and leaving the mess there. They were so proud when we lit the Jack o lanterns before bed.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for . . . 

1.  Fall - as I was driving home around sunset this week I noticed how beautiful everything looked especially here in the mountains - everything looked like it was on fire.  I love the beach and summer is my favorite time of year but I have to admit you can see the hand of God here in the fall.

2.  Having Emma home for the day today.  It was report card and teacher work day.  She had a great report card and public school is going well so far.

3.  The excitement that is building at Cornerstone.  Come see us this Sunday!!

4.  The way that God is stretching us as our church grows - I pray that we are obedient.

5.  Our life group is meeting tomorrow night!!!  We have had a long break and I am looking forward to getting together.

6.  My wonderful husband who has fallen asleep watching the World Series.  He's so cute when he's asleep.  Who can blame him - baseball has got to be the most boring sport ever.

7.  Getting to see my sister and her family 2 weekends in a row.  They are heading to Galax to visit.  My kids are so excited to see their cousins!

8.  The way little boys smell when they come in from playing outside in the cold air.

My weekend

I had a great time this weekend in Charleston with my mom, dad, sister and her family. I left on Friday morning and rode down with my mom and dad - sitting in the backseat of the car reading, talking, listening to my ipod was a big treat. I am used to a car full antsy kids singing "Are we there yet?"
I got to spend some time with my sister, brother in law and niece and nephew on Friday night.
We were up early Saturday to head to the Lowcountry Race for the Cure at Daniel Island. It was pouring the rain! The rain stopped right before time for the race to begin and it was a great experience. Being able to run with my mom and a pink tag on my back in celebration of her life was special - a day I won't forget. So many people there had said good-bye to their moms, sisters, and friends. I am thankful to have my mom and sister there with me. Here are a few pictures. Yeah - we were that wet!

Our first service downtown

Here are some pictures I stole from Mike's blog. We had a great first service.

Pictures of Drew

Drew had some pictures made yesterday at Portrait Innovations.
I have some cute pictures of Emma and Luke hanging in my hallway that I had made when they were 4 years old so I thought Drew needed his space in the art gallery too. I had a hard time choosing and bought way to many pictures but they were all so darn cute. These are some of my favorites.

Pepitas

Here is a link to an amazing cooking website - Pioneer Woman Cooks. Pepitas are toasted pumpkin seeds - so don't throw those pumpkin guts away - make pepitas.

One more fun zoo thing

While looking at my zoo pictures I ran across this video of the Galapagos Turtle moving around. What a strange prehistoric looking creature. You gotta listen to Drew's song in the background. It goes something like this "turtle, t -t-t-t turtle I love you so much I want to marry you"

A few more pictures

On our way home from the beach a few weeks ago we stopped at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. It's a great zoo. I probably like the NC Zoo in Asheboro better but it is SO huge that it is hard for little ones. Riverbanks is great for small kids and it doesn't take all day to see it.

Drink Coffee Do Good

I am a little sad that I won't be going to Catalyst this week with my hubby but so is the life of a busy wife and mama. Now that it is getting cooler I wore my long sleeved Drink Coffee. Do Good. that I bought from Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee last year. I always get so many comments on my shirt - because people love coffee and doing good - I guess. Several people have asked me for info on Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee so I thought I would put it here on my blog. After Catalyst last year our church made the switch. It is really good coffee (you gotta try the coconut) and it has a really good cause behind it. Watch this video to see how healing is coming to Rwanda - through coffee. Check out their website for the full story or to order coffee for yourself or your church.

Thankful Thursday

1. My two little ninjas that have been playing in the fall air today and somehow brought a dead tree from the woods into my garage.

2. That Emma is doing great in school and really likes it. She is becoming so responsible and motivated.

3. All the people that have sponsored me for Race for the Cure - thanks!!

4. Getting together with some awesome ladies this week to talk about children's ministry.

5. Moving into our new facility - I'll have to post some pictures soon. Greater things are still to be done in this city . . .

6. Even though I hate to see summer go - the leaves are beautiful.

7. A great time at the trail with Mike last night - jogging in the cool air is a little hard on the lungs but my ankle didn't hurt - yeah!

8. Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Cones and Coffee - maybe we don't need a Starbuck's in Galax after all.

You gotta love 4 year olds

I love something about every age my kids have been (I don't have teens yet - so you'll have to ask me about that in a few years.) But there is just something about 4 year olds. The pics are of my kids when they were four. They are old enough to go to the bathroom, feed themselves, sleep all night, and be a little more self sufficient but the still like to cuddle, think their mommy is an angel and say the cutest things.

Drew is turing into quiet an animal lover - which is strange because we are not really animal people. Luke has a bearded dragon and Emma has hermit crabs - not exactly cuddly.

A couple of months ago he had a melt down at the Japenese resteraunt when Emma gave him some of her shrimp and said "Here is a good baby one for you" (it was a tiny little shrimp)

He put it to the side of his plate and kept eating his other food. He then asked me to wrap it up and take it home so that when we went to the beach he could put it back in the ocean and play with it. Why I didn't just do it and hope he forgot about it - I don't know. I tried to tell him that it wouldn't come back to life and it would get nasty and stinky before we went to the beach. He cried and cried and cried. I finally did wrap it up and he forgot about it before we left the resteraunt.

A couple of days ago Luke was reading Drew a book about dolphins and the baby dolphin died (it's a little facts book) and he cried for several minutes because the baby dolphin died. On the same day Drew caught 3 caterpillers and an earth worm and made a home for them in a couple of rubbermaid bowls of mine. One of the caterpillers escaped and as I was walking in the kitchen I saw it on the floor. I didn't look at it very well before I said "Drew I found you caterpillar" As he came around to look at it I looked closer and realized there was some yucky stuff running out of it - I had squished it - tears again! He told me I need to watch where I was stepping. Important information if you have loose caterpillars in your house.