Remember This?

Well, it is finally done.

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Shabbat Shalom!

We finally started our Sabbath tradition. We have been intending to, talking about, and planning this for months, but it all came together this week. We will continue to have a Sabbath meal every Sat. from now on. We will also work hard to not work hard for the 24 hrs following the Sabbath meal.

I am so excited to see the provision and protection that follows as we sacrifice this time in honor of the Lord. Shane and I feel strongly that God put laws in place for our provision and protection. Although we are no longer under that law, because of Christ's fulfillment of the law, there are still reasons He instituted those laws in the first place.

In our Christian culture we still hold the other 9 commandments in high regard: Thou shall not steal, though shall not commit adultery, honor your father and mother. But somehow we seem to totally dismiss the command to rest on the Sabbath. We have always made it a priority to worship on the Sabbath, but rest...that is a different story. How could we? We have only two days a week where Shane is home before 9:30 pm. It is not like there is a lot of free time for us to get things done; important things. But, we believe He commanded a rest every 6 days. If He had to rest, shouldn't we? I am looking forward to the blessing that I know will come, I am just not sure how to identify it. I will let you know when I figure it out.

Making Honey Whole Wheat Challah Bread

Coconut rice with steamed flounder, broccoli and crushed cashews

Shane speaking a blessing over Annalee.

Shane blessing the wine/juice

Shelby praying the blessing over the wine/juice

Rest begins...

Square Foot Gardening

We have begun a new adventure in gardening. My last two gardens have not been

raving successes, so.... I moving on to fail proof, or so we are hoping. Good thing is, my husband love projects and food, so this is a good one. I can't believe we are starting in Jan, but what can I say? This is the time to build. I have to admit, it is giving me a bit of spring fever.

Got the boots out...

Planks laid out ready to be assembled.

One box nearly finished, until the accident... That is another story:)

Shelby is just sayin' Hi~

Kids hanging out in the tree house. They helped lug boards around all morning, so the break was well deserved.

Sisters and Straws

So fun to be sisters.

Failed Dreads

Back in November, or maybe it was October, I decided to put dreads in my hair.

I had been wanting them for years, and finally decided it was time.

After many hours of research, I found a method called twist and rip. It is pretty self explanatory. I liked the corkscrew look and their lack of craziness.

Apparently, it is not a well known method, and there is reason for it...

They fell out. Well, the bottom 1/2 did, and i aided the rest. I loaded them with conditioner, laid under the water and combed them out. It actually worked quite well, with minimal damage. I lost the dreads, but gained the experience and it def killed the dread bug inside of me, for a while at least:) What can I say, I am always willing to try most anything.

Dinner Party

I love Christmas time. I love to entertain. I love to entertain at Christmas time. This year we have been to 6 parties, 3 of which we hosted.

One was a 1yr old birthday party, designed by my fashionista friend, Mia. Complete with a handmade hanging branch banner and owl tree ornaments, this little girl's party was magazine worthy.

The next evening we hosted a party for a group of volunteers at our church. Even though the cookies outnumbered the 60+ guests by about 12 to 1 , we found good use for the leftovers and the night was a success!

Finally, this Sunday evening we hosted a small dinner party for a few of our pastors and their wives. Elegant simplicity was the theme and although the underdone /had to be cooked a little more pork loin, and the crazy textured chocolate cheesecake were nothing to write home about. I was more than pleased with the evening. I could drink up unhurried, laid-back, honest, un-pretentious, intimate conversation any day of the week. My cup runneth over.

Dinner Party Menu

Melted Brie topped with Caramel and Walnuts

Served with Toasted Orange Cranberry Bread

Virgin Cosmopolitans

Roasted Thyme and Garlic Stuffed Pork Loin

Served with Roasted Pears

Butternut Squash with Wilted Spinach and Dried Cranberries

Buttered and Herb Yeast Rolls

Hot Vanilla topped with Chocolate Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Chocolate Cheesecake topped with Strawberries

First Snow

We woke up to this...

And this...

The kids went out first thing...

We ate leftover party cake for breakfast...

Avery didn't last long...

We made snow creams for snack...

Now I am off to cuddle up with a book, and a kid or two:)

Fredericksburg Christmas Parade

Last weekend we ventured out to the Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. All bundled up, pb&j's, popcorn, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate in hand we endured the freezing cold and ever got to see the first flurries of the season. Great attitudes all around made for a fabulous evening. We even ran into my uncle and my cousins, who actually are my children's age. So we snuggled up in blankets and watched in wonder (and a little astonishment at what they actually allowed into the family parade) and made great memories. Gush.

Remembering Summer

Check It Out!

My new FAVORITE site...cleaneatingmag.com! We came across this magazine thanks to one of Shane's clients at the gym. I perused the pages and decided I must have a subscription. Then I checked out the website and decided, no need for a subscription, it is all right there! Weekly meal plans, shopping lists, daily nutritional info (calories, carbs, prot, fat....) and recipes. It even offers seasonal meal plan ideas. I love the balance of budget friendly, simplistic meals that are made with whole foods, meat and many organic ingredients. It just works. So...do check it out:)

How can I resist?

Halloween

Peter Pan!!...and Tinkerbell,...and Tigerlilly,...and Wendy,...and the pirates:)

Yada, Yada, Yada...

We are learning about the ancient Egyptians, Moses, the Exodus, and mummies. Lots of fun hands on learning this week! Above, you can see the girls making a timeline of the plagues.

I borrowed these "bricks" from a friend who got them off of Freecycle. We built pyramids, towers and forts. I even made the girls make an assembly line. Avery had to carry the bricks one-by-one to Shelby, who then passed them off to Annalee. They didn't like that idea. So they did it all together, which , of course , is way more fun.

My kids were entertained with these bricks everyday for about 2.5 weeks. They haven't touched them since. I put them in the back of my van two days ago and nobody has even noticed. I will be returning them to my friend soon.

...Reminds me that I really want to participate a toy swap. Everyone brings a bucket of toys their kiddos won't miss and we trade. Then we do it again in a month of so. Brilliant! I hosted a freezer meal swap recently. We each made 5 of the same freezer meal. Then we met for the trade. I brought a chicken and rice dish and left with: meatloaf and mashed potatoes, poppy seed chicken casserole, chicken stroganoff with penne pasta and Cincinnati Chili (made with cinnamon and a hint of chocolate:). We all loved it so much we decided to try it again in 6 weeks, this time bringing a box of toys with us, as well. I will let you know how it goes!

River House with the Brisseys

Almost three years ago, I ran into an old friend of mine from high school, Angie. Back in the day we cheered on the same squad, under the tyranny of the crazy Ms. Tyson, shared common friends and even spent a homecoming group date together. After a happenstance meeting in a local convenience store, we reconnected in a way I could not have imagined. As the story turns out she married another friend from high school, Chad. His little sister and I spent many-a-night together getting in all sorts of trouble:) So Chad and Angie, Shane and I our combined children have become fast friends at an all new level. We share a passion for serving at our church, we share birthdays, dinners...dinner bills (this due to an embarrassing moment in which we totally forgot any sort of viable payment for the dinner to which we had invited them:) hometown fall festival experiences, Bible studies, church small groups, holidays and weekend river trips. Our next planned trip out to their river house is so the guys can appear in court to testify against this crazy old guy who pulled a gun and shot at them for wake boarding in "his" cove on the PUBLIC river. That should be a fun time! I am so looking forward to the road we will walk as we continue to make memories. What an unexpected blessing God has given us.

This little guy, Cash, has the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen. I swear I had to de-saturate the picture so it didn't look fake.

My own Reece-man getting dirty.

Annalee and Avery testing the water, again.

Saylor is only 4 mths younger than Avery and the two of them are so very independent, and opinionated it is almost scary.

And of course, I couldn't resist those dimples. He is more than my little heart can handle!