RhiDESIGN

My Burlap Christmas Wreath

2011-11-30T08:45:00.001-06:00

It has been so long since I have posted, I knew I needed something fun to post about in order to return. ;)

What's more fun than a burlap Christmas wreath and some Christmas decorations?!?

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season already. I know I am. I just love this time of year and feel extremely grateful for my blessings. We put our tree & decor out the day after Thanksgiving and I decided to retire my old front door wreath... So this is what I made to take it's place.

The "how to":

SUPPLIES-

A wreath (you can also use a Styrofoam wreath) mine is 18 inches

twine

burlap (I already had 4 yards, but it didn't take that much)

Last name initial (Michaels)

bag of moss (Michaels)

house numbers (Hobby Lobby)

outdoor Christmas ornaments (Hobby Lobby)

hot glue gun

cut the burlap into strips

wrap around the wreath

I almost made it around with one strip. since I had to add more, I used a little hot glue to adhere both ends.

using the twine, thread through the ornaments and pull them together to make a bunch. Set aside.

use the hot glue to adhere the moss on your letter. It is best to do both front and back.

using the twine, I tied all of the elements on the wreath. I did use hot glue under the numbers as an extra support.

at this time, I felt like it needed another ornament, so I tied it on..

and one more. :)

there is always a need for a sharpie..

so there you go! Tell me what you think.

Merry Christmas!

Below are a few of my Christmas decorations around my house this year.

xoxo-

Rhi

find the birthday cupcake

2011-07-21T20:48:00.000-05:00

As you know, Kali Rose is turning 6 on July 30th! We celebrated her birthday early this year due to my whole family being in town, so we thought why not let her "find the cupcake" early as well! ;)

So, here is how it works:

(You should know, this is the first time we have "played")

I got that big cupcake from Tjmaxx for a whopping $5!

On the morning of her/his birthday (or not) you set the cupcake on the kitchen counter.

They see it.

They get excited. :)

It's empty.

Later, when the child is at school or in another room playing, you fill the cupcake with a small prize (or maybe even keys to a large prize... one day..) and you hide it. In this case, Kassidy hid it. :)

When the child notices the cupcake is no longer on the counter she gets sooo excited (trust me!) and goes looking for it.

Although she is still in her pjs and her hair hasn't been brushed.. this is later.. I promise. :)

nope

not under there..

nada

There it is!! In Mommy's closet.

And inside? Matching pj's for herself and her baby.

We had fun!

Ok. I must confess. When Kassidy hid it in my closet, I did clear out a few shoes for the picture..

Want to see the pile of shoes I threw to the side?

Here you go..

Ha!

I love my kids. They make life so fun. :)

I am ending with several pictures from our recent beach trip. We had such a great time soaking up family time.

(If you notice, as looking through my pictures, that I tend to take more pictures of Kali Rose than the others.. I do. The only reason - she lets me & the others don't as much. I promise I love them all equally ;):)

I LOVE the above picture. It looks posed. It wasn't. I love that.

The next picture is the sand castle we built..

Okay, okay, I am kidding. Here is ours. :)

There was a LOT of seaweed, so we used it as the brick wall ;)

can he do it?

he did

so did he ;)

I love him

her idea. cute right?

Every night, we waited until the beach cleared out and we walked together.

The kids would run ahead a little and Sean and I walked.

Hand in hand

Talking about life and laughing at the kids.

It still brings a smile to my face when I just think about it.

By far my favorite thing to do at the beach.

Since time flies by so fast, I try so hard to really record moments like this in my heart and mind.

I am extremely thankful for the memories we were blessed to make!

Party at my parent's new house!

2011-07-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

My parents bought a new house.

It is beautiful!

100 years old and they are only the 3rd owner! Can you believe that?

They JUST moved it, but instead of waiting for them to get settled, we celebrated Kali Rose's birthday there last night with my whole family present. This was their facebook status today:

"Finally getting moved into our new house. Had the opportunity to host our entire family with all eight grandkids for the first time since we moved out of our Pelham house 3.5 years ago! We still have boxes left to unpack and furniture to position, but first let's make some memories! There are fireflies to catch and ice cream to eat and birthdays to celebrate! Let the parties begin! #keepingfirstthingsfirst"

I love that! So true :) I am so thankful for their amazing example in so many ways. Keeping the Lord first in their lives, waiting until they were financially ready to buy a house, "keeping first things first," I could go on and on! I am blessed.

I wanted to get a picture of their house, but it was pouring rain outside. Trust me, it is beautiful. I will get a picture up asap. They still have some work to do inside, but mainly removing wallpaper and painting. The house has been maintained beautifully and the kitchen was already updated. They have already had all of the floors (heart pine) restored and they are breathtaking!

Here are some pictures from our fun.

My brother, Israel, and his beautiful wife Erin.

My sister, Elisha, and her adorable growing family. (Yes, still growing as she has a bun in the oven ;)

Birthday kiss!

they love each other so much!

I LOVE my sisters!!

who could resist that face?

doing a "present time" jig

Uncle Izzy & Aunt Erin loaded her up!

Poppy and Mica always give the GOOD stuff. :)

we got her her first bike :)

look how sweet these dolls are! My very creative sister made them for all of the girls on their birthdays! Kali Rose got hers last night and LOVES it!! My sister doesn't sell these, but she does have an online store where she sells a lot of other beautiful things! Check it out here.

Kade and Poppy chilling on the front porch

atlanta get-a-way

2011-07-11T15:16:00.002-05:00

You know how, as adults, it is sometimes hard to make new friends that you really "click" with? Probably because as parents, it is nearly impossible to have an uninterrupted conversation that lasts longer than 5 minutes. ;) Well, we have been so blessed since we got back to Birmingham with several really great friends.

We recently spent a weekend in Atlanta with 2 families that we have fallen in love with! Even better, they are neighbors too!!

We did nothing all weekend but swim and hang out. It was AMAZING!!

Oh, and the kids had fun too ;)

I have been meaning to post some pics of our fun, so here goes..

Kali and her sweet friend, Ava

Baby Aubrey got a lot of love ;)

ready. set. go!

cute ;)

Thanks for a great weekend Cavin's and Fields! We had a blast making memories!! ... I can't even remember the name of the game we played that one night until way past my bedtime.. but it makes me laugh just thinking about it ;).

Next time I'll have to get some pics of the adults!!

Oh, btw, I switched to a different format for leaving comments so hopefully it will be easier. I'd love to hear from you!! :)

Happy Birthday USA!!

2011-07-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the kids made some 4th of July artwork. ;) The above is Kassidy's..

This is Kali Rose's. The brown thing is where they have the paint.. as you can see, she painted herself red & blue in honor of our country's birthday ;)

Kade's is all about the fireworks. :)

My artwork... they are much better than me ;)

I hope everyone has a great 4th!! We are not doing anything special.. Just spending time together, playing with the kids, and eating ;). My mother is coming over in the evening and we all can't wait to see her!!

The girls and I decided to go ahead and prepare the food yesterday (for today) so we wouldn't be in the kitchen all day today :).

They were completely in charge of the mac and cheese.. I just observed.

Ha! I caught her!! Who can resist that big bag of cheese anyway?? ;)

spraying the Pam ^

All done! They did a great job!

Here is the recipe (believe me, it is goood):

Macaroni N' Cheese:

Ingredients
2 cups (16 ounces) small curd cottage cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 package (7 ounces) elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
Paprika, optional
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, garlic salt and pepper. Add cheddar cheese; mix well. Add macaroni and stir until coated.
Transfer to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Spread the remaining 1 cup of cheese evenly on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Next up, the cheesecake :)

What are you eating today??

Summer Show Offs

2011-07-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

This week, my kids got to participate in a very fun, singing/dancing camp. Summer Show Offs

They had a fantastic week learning their dance moves and memorizing their lines. :)

The great thing about this camp is at the end of the week they have a special performance, where every kid sings a solo. It is a great way for the children to gain self-confidence, and an understanding of stage presence.. etc.

Since Kade did participated this year, I was trying to figure out what to do for his performance prize, as we usually get the girls flowers.

Then, I got a great idea!

I ran to our local bakery, Edgars, and got these adorable sugar cookies instead of flowers.

I thought it was a little more fun then your typical flowers!

Does anyone else have a whole container of sharpies??

Sean's parents, (Grammie and Paw Paw), were so sweet to come show their support!

I am soooo proud of my babies! They did great. :) I love my little family so much!

Happy Friday everyone!!

xoxo

sheets. second time's a charm?

2011-06-29T15:00:00.001-05:00

I bought new sheets.

again.

I am washing them now so I can get them on the bed & get rid of my ~~new~~ current sheets..

I recently got new bedding (pictures soon), so to complete the look I needed to get new sheets. Already over budget, I was looking for a bargain. I found one!... Or so I thought... I bought a set of Queen sheets at Ross. %100 Egyptian Combed Cotton / 400 thread count / white for a steal at $22!!

They were super soft and comfy so I was thrilled. However, not long after we began using them, they began to get little tiny balls on the fabric. Not good! Not soft & comfy!

I'm not sure what made them do this.. Maybe it was the combed cotton?? Maybe it's just because sometimes you just get what you pay for..

So, I saved up a little more and began looking again. I found these -------v

at Stein Mart. With a coupon I paid $48. I am hoping that the Sateen finish is better than the combed cotton.

We will see! Do you have any secrets for what to look for when buying sheets? Do tell!!

healthy drinking.. my green smoothie recipe

2011-06-24T09:50:00.002-05:00

If you see me or my kids around town and notice an orange tint to our skin... it is probably all of the carrot juice we have been drinking ;-). (I haven't been able to get Sean to try some... but he will soon! ;)

We have been indulging in green smoothies every morning.

Maybe its just me, but I think it is better to get nutrients this way rather than vitamins alone, and man, does it make you feel good!

Ladies, the carrot juice also improves your complexion and hair.. ever since having my kids, I will welcome any improvement in those areas!!

We generally have ours for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup carrot juice
1 cup frozen berries
1 banana
1/2 cup yogurt
A handful of spinach
1 spoon (provided in the bag) full of organic Golden Flax
1/2 cup V8 Splash (of other juice)

(don't worry, the berries take over the green taste, so you really don't even taste the spinach or carrot juice... I promise! :)

Just mix together in a blender and enjoy!

Since taking the pictures, I have found that the best place (economically) to buy a lot of this is Costco. They have a great big bag of frozen berries, I also get the Flax there and the Bolthouse organic carrot juice. You can also buy bananas there and peel them, break them into two and freeze them in ziplock bags.

Do you have a smoothie recipe that you enjoy? Please share it!
Also let me know if you try mine :).

ahhhh. summer days..

2011-06-16T15:32:00.001-05:00

Well, we finished kindergarten, first grade, and third grade and we are celebrating with a very busy, very fun, summer!

The first week of school ^

The last week of school ^

I think Kade has changed the most. What do you think? Bittersweet...

Their cheerleading program was too cute!

I love summertime! I love the lazy mornings and late evenings with the kids.

Our days are filled with play-dates, swimming, the library, trips, swim lessons, long walks at the park (on the shaded trail!), bike riding, reading on the back porch, bible club, afternoon netflix (they are currently watching some of the first Cosby episodes Ha! They think Bill Cosby is hilarious :), Summer Show-Off, more swimming... and many, many adventures :).

This year, each of the kids picked out a "summer journal" and we are documenting all of our summer adventures ;).

Typically, daily schedule is pretty specific in the Clarke household.. Up at 6:30 to give us plenty of time to get ready for school... In bed at 7:00, so they will be well rested for the next day.

Not during the summer months though! The truth is, my kids still don't sleep in (why is that??), but at least we don't have to get ready and out the door. We don't really have a summertime bedtime. 8 o'clock one night and 9:30 the next.

A couple nights ago, we stayed outside and caught fireflies (I call them fireflies & Sean calls them lightning bugs.. what do you call them?) until late.

It reminded me of a song. I can remember my girlfriend, Beth and I listening and singing this song a lot one summer when we were teenagers. :)

How could I ask For More, by Cindy Morgan.

I still like the lyrics:

There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon

Waking to the sunlight, and being cradled by the moon

Catching fireflies at night

Building castles in the sand

Kissing Mama's face goodnight

Holding Daddy's hand

Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoot through the grass

A little hide and go seek

Being so in love, that you can hardly eat

Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around

Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow

Fall to the ground

Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness

Some dreams that are realities today

Such an irony the things that mean the most to me

Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned

From this journey I am on

Simple truths will keep you going

Simple love will keep you strong

Cause there are questions without answers

Flames that never die

Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise

So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord

How could I ask for more

Here are some snap shots of our summer adventures so far :)

Our first beach trip of the summer.

We went with this gorgeous family ^..very sweet friends of ours.

Kade really enjoyed watching the waves early in the morning :)

best buddies :)

my handsome boys

Kassidy

Kali Rose and Ali were hilarious! They made this closet their "hideout." ;)

who doesn't want to wake up to a little Tom and Jerry?

We had so much fun!! Our kids love each other and play great together. :)

On the way back from the beach we made a detour to see our sweet LaCoste famliy!

My friend, Becky, gave the kids these awesome "stick" games.. The kids have had soooo much fun with them. This one ^ is for you, Beck! (yes, that is a toothpaste mustache.. and a little left over chocolate popsicle from earlier :P)

Here is a random one for you... Kade said he was "Woody" for the day. Ha! I thought he did pretty good with his costume!

This day, they were pretending Kali Rose was "Mrs. Obama" and they were her secret service men.. Hahaha!

The Splash Pad

a little summer craft.. Painting!

I am leaving you with this ^.. I hope you, too, are having a fabulous summer.... filled with many chocolate popsicles! :)

a pinky promise

2011-05-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

One day last week as I pulled up to the carpool line at school and looked over at my 3rd grader, 1st grader and kindergartner all smiling happily at me...I noticed something on Kassidy's face...

It was a smirk.

The kind a kid wears when she is especially proud of herself for something, but is trying to hide the smile.. She was also controlling a subtle bounce. It was almost as if she wanted to jump up and down shouting her news, but she was trying so hard to refrain.

Kassidy after cheerleading practice the day the boys were camping in our back yard.

I instantly got excited to hear her sweet news... whatever it was.

Generally, carpool goes like this: my 3 kids hop in the van all talking at once.. "Mommy this was the best day ever...Mommy, I forgot my library book today...Mommy, Brent fell on the playground today...Mommy we saw each other in the hallway today!..." I say, "wait.. wait.. one at a time.." It doesn't always work.. ;)

It is one of my favorite times of day though. Carpool. You know what I have noticed? It seems like they have sooo much to tell me and so much they want to get out, but, whether they are able to get it out or not, by the time we get home and settled... the moment has past. They really don't want to talk about their day anymore. They have moved on. Then it becomes me pulling it out of them.

I am so thankful to have those first moments with them right when school is over.

It is in those moments that I can listen... and hopefully catch what is going on in each of their little hearts.

This day, for some reason, I was able to gain complete order and everyone was quiet except Kassidy. Maybe Kade and Kali Rose also sensed Kassidy's excitement and became curious themselves. Kassidy said, "Mommy, I acted my age today!" This is a phrase I have been hearing a lot of from my kids lately. It is a phrase that makes me extremely happy!

Before I continue, I need to explain what she means when stating she acted her age.

Several weeks ago, Sean and I got together with our small group and discussed family values. We went around the room and each couple shared a value that we wanted our family to, well, value. ;)

As Sean and I discussed this further, we came up with 3 values that we seem to teach our kids often. Of course, the most important thing to our family is our faith and our salvation.. living our lives to honor and serve our Lord IS the MOST important thing that we could ever teach our kids. So, these values are the "how to" in walking that out in this world.

1. Generosity - we want to train our kids to think of others.
Matthew 7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..."

2. Attitude - we want to train our kids to not allow their circumstances to dictate their response to life. To hold tight to gratitude and avoid negativity. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

3. Excellence - this does not mean perfection. It simply means that we will give every effort our best and do it as unto the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Sean quickly realized that if we arrange them Attitude~ Generosity~ Excellence, we can use the acronym AGE and hopefully the kids will remember it better. He was right too! It has helped them remember our values and check themselves often.. (not to make any implication that my kids always have a good attitude, act generous or do everything excellent.. because I can assure you, that is not the case.. However, we also know how important it is to have vision... and we want them to pursue godliness.)

So, when Kassidy said she was acting her "AGE" I knew what she was implying.

Here is what she said:

"I gave my bible to my new friend!! Yesterday she told me that she had never been to church. So I asked her if she had ever even read the bible. She said no!! So I told her that I was going to give her a bible tomorrow. She said, "no, you don't have to do that" but I said "I am giving you a bible tomorrow. But on one condition.. you must pinky promise that you will read it!" She agreed, so this morning I grabbed my bible before we left the house and gave it to her today at school!! Then, when we were just in car-rider line, I was telling her about in the beginning, when God made the earth and that she should really know how much God loves her!!"

So, there you have it. My 9 year old ministered to a young girl who has never really heard about how she can have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

She made her pinky promise. :)

I am proud and inspired.

Do you have any specific values that you consistently teach your kids? I would LOVE to hear them! Leave a comment & tell me. :)
xoxo
Rhi

I am leaving you with some pics from the last month or so.

Daddy and Mommy proud of our baby at her school program ^ and v.

A couple mornings before Easter, I found these four like this ^..

This is what they were looking at ^. Hello Spring! :)

We hosted a "Flashlight Egg Hunt" this year.. It was a BLAST!!

Easter baskets!! My kids don't believe in the Easter bunny, so they know all of the gifts come from Mommy and Daddy. This makes it easy for us to do the baskets on Saturday so that Sunday can be all about celebrating our RISEN KING!!

They were waiting to run to their baskets..

Lego key chains! He likes to hook these to his backpack. (I scored these for 98 cents each on sale at the Lego Store!)

My girls LOVE "breakable" dolls.

I don't do too much candy or chocolate in the baskets, but I laughed when I saw that the kids had gotten our "candy jar" down and began putting all of their easter candy in it. We share all candy ;)

This was a night we will never forget... On April 27th, we huddled in our basement as tornadoes ripped through our great state. Thankfully, we were unaffected, but so, so many people were devastated. If you are interested in helping with tornado relief please go here.

The boys recently camped out in the back yard..

And the girls camped out here.. in my bed ;)

Kassidy, as Clara Barton, preparing for her 3rd grade wax museum/book report

Just a little family silliness ;)

One last thing...
We had our family pics taken the other day by a wonderful photographer here in Birmingham. Check them out! She did an amazing job. :) Just click on the following link:
http://blog.kalosphoto.com/2011/05/12/sunshine-birmingham-family-photographer/

Happy Monday!

around the house lately..

2011-04-19T15:54:00.001-05:00

The last few weeks have gone by so fast, I can't even believe it is the middle of April!

Last week, I got to go to Baton Rouge with Sean to a work related conference. We had a great time! (Plus, we ate goood , so I have been tearing up my running shoes lately :). My mother stayed with the kids, so they didn't miss a beat. She spoiled them rotten of course. ;)

I thought I would share a few "around the house" pictures with you since it's been a while..

Sean has been busy tackling "small" projects (you know...those "small" projects that end up taking way more time than any "small" project should.. ;)

Do you have one of these in your back yard? Well, we have had this one for about 4 years now and moved it twice.. It was beginning to be a bit of an eye sore in our back yard..

Thankfully, Sean decided to give it a face lift. He painted it with a very dark stain..

The finished product! I think it looks wonderful... almost brand new!

He also built us a little fire pit for some memory-making

bon fires to come ^

... and he built these little stone borders..

... and (wow, he has been busy hasn't he :) he built & painted this fence area so he can hide our garbage containers ..

Another "small" project.. fixing a drain in the yard.. (It's a good thing, because we have seen a lot of rain lately!!)

...and that resulted in this ^

The next 2 are random...

I found the girls like this watching cartoons one Sat morning :)

The kids got this basketball game for Christmas. Kade has been working hard to improve his time.. He is currently up to 200!! (5 minutes)_

I have been eating way too many of these ^^ (and other sweets!)

Ok, here is a fun "renovation" we did..

When we moved in, there was a keypad to the alarm system on the outside of the house by the front door, as well as an intercom system.. We removed both and needed to patch the holes. Replacing it with brick would be tricky to get just right, so we got creative..

I like it!! Several of our visitors have mentioned how they love the look and "warmth" it achieves as well. :)

Well, it is time to go... This post has been pretty random, so will leave you with one last picture. The following picture is Kali Rose, going all "western" for her school program this week. I think she looks adorable. :)

Spring Break Highlights

2011-03-31T10:09:00.000-05:00

We had such a WONDERFUL time while the kid's were off school for Spring Break! We didn't go anywhere, and hardly spent any money... yet, we had an INCREDIBLE week together!! I thought I'd share some fun pics!

Oh, but first, here are a couple pics from Kade's school program that was right before Spring Break. He had a speaking part and we were soooo proud! ;)

Kade can stay very occupied with a basket full of "boy toys" :)

The girls are always dancing :)

Getting all dressed up for a wedding ^

Kade got creative when it was raining outside ^

A family day at the park (the day after some rain)

This is how I found them playing one day... ha! I love it! ^

One of my favorite days.. Sean took off and we spent the whole day hiking and picnicking at Oak Mtn. It was a BEAUTIFUL day!!

Bon fire with very sweet friends / neighbors!! :)

SMORES!!

A day at the zoo with sweet friends :)

I am so thankful for my family and LOVE spending time with them! I can't wait to have my babies home for the summer!!

when my kids met Billy..

2011-03-24T10:01:00.002-05:00

Last night, my husband's boss, our friend and incredible leader, Billy Hornsby went to be with the Lord.
Please read about him here .

Billy left an amazing legacy, as he served the Lord so faithfully and loved people so completely.

As I was praying for the family this morning, I began to think about the first time my kids went to the ARC offices. Billy greeted them with a hug and kind words. Then, he pointed to a bowl of miniature candy bars in his office, giving them a nod to go get some. They all grinned and looked up at me as if to ask, "can we?" I told them they could and they raced over to the bowl to get some chocolate. They each got a respectable 1 or 2 pieces. When Billy saw this, he walked over to them and told them to cup their hands and put them together. As they did, he took the bowl and poured all of the chocolate into their hands.. They couldn't hold all of it and some fell on the floor. They laughed as they kept trying to pick it all up and more would fall to the floor. I helped them carry their candy to the car and they giggled all the way home. They still talk about that from time to time.

This morning, as I thought about his generosity (just one of the many characteristics we loved and learned from Billy), I pictured him in heaven. I thought about Jesus saying, "Billy cup your hands and put them together, I have some rewards for you.." I could then see Jesus pouring rewards on Billy, so many that they fall all around him as he laughs. :)

My family has been forever changed by the faithful journey of Billy Hornsby. This morning, my husband's Twitter account read, "He saw my faults & my weaknesses, yet he spoke to my potential & called me his friend. I'm a better husband, father & friend b/c of @billyhornsby."

He is already greatly missed..

His life is a reminder to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us"...He sure did!

Hebrews 12

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Skin care and other products I like :)

2011-03-08T10:12:00.000-06:00

I recently started a new skin care system called Obagi.

"The Nu-Derm System penetrates below the surface of your skin to transform skin cell functions at the cellular level and correct the damage within. The prescription-strength system exfoliates old skin leaving healthy, new skin that looks and acts younger and healthier."

Sounds great right. It is suppose to be fabulous.. I am still waiting for the fabulous.. I am a few weeks into it and my skin is red and peeling. I have read that this is normal, (really not fun though!) so stay tuned and I will give you another update soon :).

So with beauty products on my mind, I thought I would share a couple more of my favorites..

My favorite concealer is by Tarte. It is their Dark Circle Defense Natural Under Eye Corrector. It works great, and not just for dark circles.

My favorite mascara is Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara.

And here is a little beauty secret.. I use this product. but not for the reason you think..
Clear Great Lash Mascara by Maybelline.

It works wonderfully for those little wispie (sp?) baby hairs that often have a mind of their own. I just brush this over them and they stay put. Just where I want them ;).

What are your favorite products?? Do tell. :)

spring fever and milestones

2011-02-22T13:37:00.003-06:00

What a weekend!
My sweet Kade made things exciting for us! Last week he decided he was ready to learn to ride his bike. We really haven't lived anywhere great for bike riding until now, so I was happy to finally get to work with him! Thursday I helped him a little and so did Sean when he got home. Then by Friday night he was riding on his own!! We are soooo proud!

That same night (Friday) we came in from celebrating his achievement and he lost (ok, his Daddy pulled) his FIRST tooth!!

Look at that sweet big boy!

Mica and Poppy came over and surprised Kali Rose with a new "bike" (will post pic of that soon). Kade was sooo excited to show them the hole in his mouth :).. and of course, as always they delivered.. $5 for the tooth. :)

Ok, on to other news..

I love to read and get fun ideas from other blogs. Back in December, I read this, which inspired me to make spring salt dough ornaments with the kids :). It was so easy and fun and they turned out soooo cute!

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

We whisked the flour and salt together

Adding the dough hook, we gradually added the warm water

my dough naturally separated into 2 balls.. So we used one at a time

we rolled the dough

pretty flat

we used our spring cutters to cut out our ornaments (oh, what dirty little fingernails..) ;)

we used the end of a straw to cut the holes for ribbon

Into the oven they went at 200 degrees for about 3 hours

Next, we sealed the ornaments with that ^

The finished product:

I used a jewelry "tree" I had to display the ornaments in the dining room

In the breakfast room we displayed more on branches that me & the kids found in the yard

...and we displayed more out on the back porch ;)

Salt Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 -1/2 cups hot water (tap water)

Instructions:

Combine the salt and flour in a mixing bowl
Gradually add the water until the dough becomes elastic

If your dough is too sticky, add more flour....too crumbly....add more water.

Once you've got your dough at a consistency you can work with, bring on the rolling pins, cups, bowls, straws, cookie cutters, plastic utensils, and let the fun begin!

For colored dough, add food coloring, Kool-Aid, or paint into the water before adding it to the dry ingredients. Or you can paint your creations after they dry (either air dry or bake at 200 degrees F).

Are you as ready for spring as I am???

Happy Valentines Day!!

2011-02-14T11:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Over the weekend we worked on the kid's school Valentines. If you saw this post, then you know I love working with the kids to create their Valentine cards. And.. this year they REALLY helped!! I don't mean I let them "help," but it actually took me longer.. no, they actually helped, did a good job, and we had so much fun!! Wow! I think I have reached a new stage. :):)

By the way, if you attempt this, don't bake them like this ^ I didn't leave room to add the sticks. I got smart and baked them like this v (you will find the link to the complete instructions here)

I hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day!! My Valentine is picking me up for a lunch date in a minute :):)

I LOVE HIM

2011-02-12T19:03:00.001-06:00

It's almost Valentines Day..

My apothecary jars are all dresses up for the special day :).

I put a sweet Valentine card from Sean in this one

Speaking of Sean..

I love him.

I love how he loves the Lord with ALL of his heart.

I love how he is constantly striving to be a better person, husband, father, son, pastor, friend...

I love the way my kids adore him..

I love how he loves me more than I could ever imagine anyone loving me.. And WAY more than I deserve to be loved..

I love the way he smiles when the kids run to greet him in the evenings.. and the way he laughs when he gives them "ticklebugs"..

I love the way he never misses the kids activities and never forgets to get the girls flowers...

I love how Kade wants to be just like him...

I love that he makes me laugh...

I love how fluffs my pillows and straightens my covers to make sure I am completely comfortable..

I love how he fills my van up for me.. just so I won't have to...

I love how he makes a point to be home in time for dinner so we can eat together and play the "grateful" game...

I love how his whole agenda for this weekend was to make sure the kids have fun.... I also love how he ended up driving all of the way to Nashville (6+ hrs in the car) just to get me the dining room chairs I wanted.. (pics of those soon:))

I love how he sends me sweet text throughout the day..

I love how he'll do anything for the sake of building relationships... ;)

I love that he is renovating a house. For me. Again :)

...even when he gets some not so helpful help :)

I love that he recently came home excited because he heard a song that he felt he could have written for me. He proceeded to play the following song in the kitchen and we slow danced while the kids giggled around us..

I love how his family is the most important thing to him..

I love how he is my very best friend...

LEGO Party

2011-02-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Kade's 7th birthday over the weekend, LEGO style.

We made the invitations with a picture of Kade and a few of his LEGO creations.

The Friday before his birthday, I sent in Cake Pops for his classmates. The colors went right along with our Lego theme.

For food, I kept it pretty simple. Cheese balls..

I bought a Lego Ice Cube tray from the Lego store. I put a little bit of red or blue food coloring in the water when making the ice. These were HUGE hits. Everyone loved watching the "Lego" change the color of their lemonade!!

I also used the ice cube tray as a mold to make cute little chocolate Legos for my cupcakes.

For lunch I prepared these little pouches for each kid to make their own Lego pizza. Each pouch had a baggy of mozzarella cheese, a baggy of 8 mini pepperoni, and a baggy with a small rectangular pizza dough. I spread the sauce on their pizza and then they tried to make it look like a Lego. CUTE!

I tried to keep the cost down with the decorations. I bought poster board from the dollar store and found this Lego coloring sheet. We put one of these on each side of the mailbox.

And one on the door..

I used the same coloring sheets to decorate the table..

Me and my little man :)

We had these tables set up in the den. One for activities and eating and the other one for gifts.

Happy Birthday kiss from Kali Rose

Activities:

1. As the kids came in, they picked a coloring sheet and began coloring.

2. About a week before the party I had Kade create several simple Lego creations. We then took a picture of each one. I put the picture, along with all of the pieces to that creation in a baggy. The kids picked a baggy and sat down. Looking at the picture, they tried to create the object. This was a huge hit!!

3. Lego pizza time! I had the island prepared for them to create their "Legos." If you look closely, you can see that I had a small strip of foil with each kid's name on it placed on their plate. Then, when I placed them in the oven, I kept the foil with the pizza so I would know who it belonged to.

4. While we waited for the pizza to bake, we played this game. Each kid got 4 random Legos. One person set a Lego in the middle of the circle. Then, one by one, we went around the circle and each person got to add a Lego. We tried to see how high we could get the tower without it falling over.

Next, they ate their pizza, enjoyed their Lego ice in their cups, and ate cupcakes.

5. Then we played pin the peg on the Lego. They loved this :).

6. In the picture/baggy activity I showed you earlier, I had 3 similar objects (2 horses and 1 giraffe). For this next activity, we paired them up, gave each a baggy with one of these objects, and had them race to see which team could put it together first.

7. I actually didn't get a picture of the last activity, but they basically had to throw

Legos into a container, one team (the same teams as the previous activity) at a time. We then counted to see who got the most in one minute.

Then it was time to open the gifts. :)

The party was a huge hit! We ended it by letting each child chose a Lego key chain (they put them on their backpacks.)

Our weekend and kid's valentines!

2011-01-31T09:16:00.001-06:00

I hope you had a great weekend! We sure did. The weather was beautiful. 15 minutes after they got home from school on Friday Kade and Kali Rose transformed into this:

Everyone had a friend over on Saturday. They made their own pizza's and Kali Rose partied like this:

Sunday was such a beautiful day, after church the kids took a couple baby dolls on an afternoon stroll. ;) (Blackmail for Kade one day... maybe.. Proof that he will be a good daddy one day... definitely!) :)

Then, the kids made a pile of leaves and buried KR in it. ;) (yes, bath-time was directly after this little game)

I spent part of my weekend "surfing" the web (do people still say that?), looking for cute valentines the kids can make. I love Valentines Day. We usually have fun creating homemade cards. Here are some from years past. Sorry the picture quality isn't that great.

Kassidy's Kindergarten year

First grade year:

Kade's Kindergarten year, Kassidy's 2nd grade year:

So this year, I am looking for a new idea. I like these..

ribbon bracelets for girls! How cute!
You can find out how here

Simple, cute, clever.
You can find out how here

A little more involved. Creative & beautiful!
You can find out how here.

Who doesn't love roses and kisses?
You can find out how here.

These are the simple and fun flowers Kassidy made her 2nd grade year. You can find out how here.

I thought these little bags were cute & different.
You can find out how here.

I love these!! So fun and you can do different shapes as well!
You can find out how here.

I love birds, so I had to add this one. I would tie a treat to it (as I would with any valentine card) You can find out how here.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this... You can find out how here.

So, after all of that I finally got my inspiration and I know what we are going to do.... I'll be back soon with the big ...(I know you are on the edge of your seats ;) REVEAL!! :)
Happy MONDAY!

Does anyone know a good lawyer....?

2011-01-28T14:37:00.001-06:00

Have I ever mentioned that Kade calls me "Sweet Mommy?" Well, he does. Not all the time, mostly just when I am tucking him in at night. It goes something like this:

I walk in his room to find him already in bed, under his covers. I give him a thousand kisses and hugs. I tell him how much I love him and we talk a little about the next day's events. Then we pray. I turn to walk out the door and without fail he says, "good-night Sweet Mommy." I turn around to see him smiling because he knows how much I love it when he says that. I run back over to him and give him more kisses and one more hug. I reply, "good-night Prince Kade." Then I leave his room.

Every. Night.

He is turning 7 (SEVEN!!) next week... Wow, even typing it is unbelievable. It seems like just yesterday he was hanging out with me like this:

Just the other morning when I was waking him up for school, I crawled beside him; he smiled and wrapped his arms around me. I BEGGED him not to turn 7. He told me he "couldn't stop growing," but that he promised to live "close" to me forever so that he could always "take care" of me....

Does anyone know a good lawyer? I need to get something written up so we can make this a legal commitment.... ;)

Christmas Festivities Part 2

2011-01-22T17:20:00.001-06:00

Every year we take the kids out and allow them to buy each other presents. We let them open them on Christmas Eve.

Kassidy got this doll and she had the fun idea to dress like the doll. She and I ran back to her closet (and mine) and about 20 minutes later I "presented" her to the rest of the family. It was fun and I think we did a pretty good job. ;)

All tucked in and excited about Christmas!!

Christmas morning.... SNUGGIES!!

We spent the rest of Christmas day:

painting...

playing basketball..

spending time with Grammie and Paw-Paw who came to see us..

and playing in the SNOW!!

I don't know if it has EVER snowed on Christmas day in Birmingham... So this was a VERY big deal to us!! It wasn't much and it really didn't stick, but we were super excited and it was soooo beautiful!

I think she stripped the whole yard of snow just to make this one snowball ;).

^I think this picture says it all!! It proves that we can make the most of a very small amount of snow!!

Look closely at this pic and notice what they each chose to wear .. I love Kade's little ensemble! :) Kali Rose has several pants all "bunched" up above her knees :).

Christmas Festivities Part 1

2011-01-20T11:41:00.002-06:00

The last day of school, before the Christmas break, I was able to attend all 3 class parties. I am really loving the kids being at the same school this year. It makes things like this a piece of cake.

Kali's party was Breakfast with Santa. It was so cute and Sean was even able to make it!

Kassidy had a blast playing games and opening up the stocking her teacher made for her.

Her Paw-Paw was even able to come by.

That evening, my parents and my sister and her family came in town to eat, celebrate, and spend the night. :) ^My youngest and her oldest are best buds :)

^Mica never disappoints! She brought everything for the kids to decorate fun shaped rice crispy treats!!

candy candy candy. yum yum yum

they had a BLAST!

^she always knows how to make a get together memorable! :)

Oh, and she also brought supplies to make gingerbread houses.. so when the kids were through with their project, Mom, Elisha and I made our own houses :)

The cousins have a very sweet relationship. We love how they love each other!!

They are all wearing the Christmas pj's that Mica and Poppy gave them on Thanksgiving. (Which, I might add, I think works so much better than getting them on Christmas Eve.. this way they have all of Dec to wear them!)

wrestling with Uncle Sean

This is how they slept. :)

^The kids reaction when Mica and Poppy gave them the Karaoke machine

They were slightly excited :)

^ the karaoke machine

Isn't this ^ so sweet!

Kali Rose and Anjali were rocking out!

As you can see, we always have a great time with my family! More Christmas posts to follow..

Yee Haw!!

2011-01-20T10:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Western Day for the 3rd graders.. complete with a square-dancing performance for parents! It was fun and funny at the same time.

Some kids probably dreaded the whole experience, but not my girl. :) She is a dancer and she will be happy to dance any style if it means she gets to spend time at school doing it.

She insisted I get her a plaid shirt to wear and she had to wear a skirt to properly "honor her partner" (square-dancing terms for taking a bow)..

She is trying to disguise the fact that she is having fun with her poker face.. ;)

Christmas at the Clarke's :)

2011-01-19T13:28:00.000-06:00

So this will be the first of my Christmas posts.. I decided to get the Christmas decorations out of the way. So here goes...

^The family room. With this being the first year to decorate this home, I had a blast figuring it all out!! (That is also why I like to blog pictures, so I can remember what I put where for next year) Since this room is HUGE and really needs some more furniture in it, (not going to happen for a while) the tree made it feel so much "warmer."

^ I filled our magazine holder with children's Christmas books.. most of them were given to us by my parents. :)

^ I was going to hang the stars and red trivet, but it never happened.. I thought it still looked fun that way.

I have a love/hate relationship with these ornaments. I love them because they were once my favorite Christmas ornaments. I got them years ago (wow. that makes me sound old) at The Bombay Company. Remember that store?? Whatever happened to it? Anyway, I think they are so pretty and I have always hung them on my kitchen chandelier.

The "hate" part is because when Kassidy was about 3, she broke one and I got way too upset with her for it. As a mother, I am use to things breaking. I feel that is important to not make a "big deal" out of it when they do. In fact, I usually just calmly say, "It's ok... accidents happen" (often biting my tongue) and sweep up the mess. However, for some reason that day I got really upset with Kassidy. I remember telling her it was one of my favorite ornaments.. (bad mom!).. I don't think she remembers anymore, but it comes to my memory every time I see them. I guess it is a good reminder that it is JUST STUFF!! :)

^ I added a little red bling to my breakfast room sconces.

^ I always have to have peppermint sticks on hand.

1. Because the kids and I have hot chocolate with peppermint stirs A LOT during the holidays.. and

2. Because I have a peppermint display every year (you will see it in a few pics) and guests always ask if they are to eat.. so I say, "here let me get you one from the kitchen"..;)

The dining room all "dresses up"

Aren't these the cutest little salt and pepper shakers! After I mentioned that I needed some, my mother called me one day and told me that she had been watching the Today Show and they showed these cute little guys for sale at Pier One. I just happen to have a Pier One right by my house so I went and got 2 sets.. $3.00 a set!! Can you believe that?? So cute!

^Entry way.. And there is my peppermint display.

I have been doing this for the last few years and the kids always look forward to it. They help me unwrap all of the candy (and eat a few a long the way).. which I am very thankful for!

I couldn't find a great place for my nativity set this year, but this is where it found a (safe) home. In the corner of the family room.

when in doubt.. add ornaments to some glassware. it works!

Or a basket..

I am in LOVE with my flameless candles! I have never had any until now and I now think they are a MUST for people with kids! Lets face it, even an adult could knock over one of those candleholders! Now it is NO PROBLEM!! :) Plus, no one ever noticed they are flameless.

^ Our stockings came from Sean's mother. She, very kindly, made every one of them for us (as well as his sister's families.) We love them. They also have the date each person was born on the back of them.

I can't leave out the kids..The girls each had a snowman pillow on their beds, and the Christmas angels on their dresser.

This is how I "dressed" my jars in the main bathroom. Simple. Cheap. Elegant.

These next few pics were taken in Kade's room.

^It seems like everyone I know has (or has had) on of these.. Do you?

Lastly, this is my favorite of all my Christmas decor. We had fun creating it. Sean and I sat with the kids and we all got a card or two and wrote down something or someone we are thankful for this year. I think I smiled every time I looked at it. :)

Oh, and one last picture.. In case you wondered what happens to the peppermints in the display.. most get thrown out, but not all..

**Disclaimer** In case you are wondering. My Christmas decorations did come down the week after Christmas. The pictures were taken during Christmas and I am just way late posting.. :):)

Happy 2011!!

2011-01-18T14:33:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it is already 2011... I was just looking at some pictures of the beach trip we took in 2008 (I am COLD and dreaming of the warm weather..) and it seems like just YESTERDAY!! Some of these pics are on my blog already.. here is another one just for fun:

Ok, just for fun here are a couple more..

Kali Rose was almost 3, Kade was 4 and Kassidy was 6..

time flies... sigh

We went to the beach that year with our "besties." We love the LaCoste family so much and have a lot of history with them. We met them right after Sean and I got married... a whole 13 years ago!! We moved to Mobile, AL so that Sean could take a job as the youth pastor at their church. We connected immediately and have been super duper close ever since ;). We both ended up having 2 girls and one boy and our kids adore each other as well. People always tell us we favor as do our oldest girls.. I always say THANK YOU!! :)

In fact... you want to know something really funny!!?! Ok, here goes.. After we got back from the beach, Becky ordered several large prints of her family for her house.. Well after she got one of her prints back she noticed that it was not her family at all!! It was us. :) Our feet that is. What did she do with the picture you ask? Well, she framed it and hung it on her wall with all of the others of course. No one will ever know.. so shhhhh!!!

Here is the pic:

Ok ok enough about 2008.. It is now 2011!! Time for me to update what happened in the last couple months of 2010 in the Clarke household.

God has been so good to us. We are blessed beyond words with wonderful families and friends. We got to spend a lot of time with them in Nov and Dec!!

In early November we finally made it to Auburn to cheer on our team.. Our CHAMPS I should say ;)

We are so proud of the Auburn Tigers and had a blast rooting them on this year!!

We had a great Thanksgiving as well. I got to attend each child's class party, and while I was at Kali Rose's party I looked at the pictures each child had on their desk. The child had to tell what they were most thankful for. As I looked around I saw "food", "the world", "my family", "my trampoline"..etc.. I thought they all were so cute. Then I saw Kali Rose's and my heart was full :).

I wondered what it was that made her put "God" in that moment to answer that question.. Nonetheless, she is beginning to get it.. I pray that in 2011 God helps us continue to nurture her love for Him!!

This year, my sister and brother couldn't make it to Thanksgiving and neither of Sean's sisters could make it either..:( However, we still had both sets of parents (mine and his) over to our house for Thanksgiving!! We had a great time. Being in our new home just a couple of months, it was fun getting to "host" Thanksgiving. I even roasted the turkey myself!! :)

Kali Rose dressed for her Thanksgiving party :)

Kade dressed for his ;) (wearing his daddy's number)pictured with his super sweet teacher!

oh wow.. now I'm hungry...

I promise he added more to his plate..

This year my girls helped a lot in the kitchen. Kali Rose was so proud of her food!

Sean's dad, Kade, My beautiful mom, and my dad

Ready to eat!!

I let the kids write the place cards. This was mine ;).

Theirs..^

Kassidy, my mother, and I decided to have a little photo shoot.

Mica and the one who first made her a Mica ;)

They have the sweetest relationship and I am soooo thankful for that. Of course, we would live next door if I had my way, but we are just 2 hours away so we get to see them often! :)

I will end with this. (It is time to go get the kids from school :))

Kade took that ^ shot on Thanksgiving. Hopefully I will post about Christmas tomorrow.. better late than never ;);)

Psalm 136:1

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."

Happy Birthday Kassidy!

2010-11-18T16:24:00.001-06:00

A couple weeks ago, we got to celebrate 9 wonderful years of Kassidy!

We decided to party out on our back porch.

a cousin picnic :)

a surprise visit from Victoria!!

Stacie (Sean's sister) with McKenzie and Braydon

My sister Elisha and neice Rayna.

A sweet friend, Ali, with Kali Rose and her cousin, Anjali

God has really blessed Kassidy this year with a very sweet friendship. When asked what friends she wanted to invite to her party this year, Kassidy had only one request.. she only wanted her friend Daley and she wanted her to spend the night ;). So that is exactly what we did. :)

Kassidy and her "little me"

Time for some cake!

Her big present this year was a Pandora bracelet from my parents. Then she got several charms to go with it :).

Once everyone left, the real festivities began ;)

Hot chocolate out on the porch..

girly chat..

sweet friends

Bed heads ;)

I still can't believe she is 9, but we had a great time celebrating her!!

A Fall Tradition

2010-10-26T14:13:00.000-05:00

So this morning I was running and thinking about what a beautiful morning it was. Still somewhat warm, but with a constant cool breeze. I was thinking about how it would be a perfect day for the Pumpkin Patch! Have you been yet? We go every year. We went early this year and it was HOT!!

My three pumpkins ;)

off we go to find the BEST pumpkins

shhhh! I don't think we were suppose to go past the yellow tape.. for the record, I didn't ;)

Our pumpkins.. Each lovingly chosen ;)

They liked riding these

Always striking a pose ;)

King of the mountain!

Kassidy took this picture of us :)

Happy fall everyone!!

Before and .....Now - Entryway

2010-10-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

Before and ~~After~~ ...Now ;)

I promise I am still alive and still planning on blogging..

Honestly, I have been trying to get things done so I can post some "Before and After" pictures of our renovation. I finally came to my senses and realized that it will be a LONG time before I am ready to post the "after" pictures... So goes the "Before and Now" pictures ;).

Over the past two+ months, we have moved in our new home; started the kids in school and Sean in his new job; moved out of our new home for a week, and finally made the official move in....big exhale...

Here is the card we sent out.

front view

inside view

back view

Here is our new nest ;)

If you know us at all then you know that we love to buy a house and renovate it to make it our own. This house is no different. It is a 1986 traditional ranch - one level with a basement.

We are in love with the house and even more in love with our plans for it ;).

The first big project was knocking down several walls to make for a more updated flow. We basically completely redesigned the entryway, den, kitchen, dining room and breakfast room.
(pictures soon)

The next big project was the floors. The house had a lot of carpet, some linoleum, tile in the bathrooms, and a little hardwood. We decided to have hardwood installed throughout the entire house with the exception of 2 of the bathrooms, where we will leave the white porcelain tile.

entering my new home before

As you can see, it was a bit like a box. Walls to your left and right and even a wall in front of you. The only thing that you could access from the entryway was the hallway that led you to the rest of the house. It was, however, one of the few spaces in the house that had hardwood floors.

entryway now

another view before

and now

wow.. what a streaky mirror. I almost took another picture, but decided I am too tired and you will understand. ;)

The doors to the right lead to the bedrooms.

Of course, before it looked like that.. It looked like this.

and this

Here is what we did:

refinished the hardwoods (to match the new ones we had installed throughout the house)

changed the hardware on the door

opened up the wall leading to the dining room

added the double doors that lead to the bedrooms (they still need hardware)

opened the wall leading to the den

painted the walls (Ben Moore) Tyler Taupe

Coming soon: the den now

It's her birthday!!

2010-07-30T14:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday sweet Kali Rose! You have brought our family so much joy over these past 5 years!! We love you very much!

Big sister holding her the day she was born.

a letter from my husband

2010-07-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that it was four years ago that Pastor Chris gave me the opportunity to come on staff with Church of the Highlands. I remember thinking about all of the possibilities of a Highlands campus in Auburn. So many questions... Would anyone show up? And if so... who? Would we be able to make a lasting difference in the community and at the University? The answers to these questions and many more have far surpassed my wildest dreams. The friendships we've made over the past three and a half years have impacted me and my family greatly. Seeing the Highlands family come together in Auburn to make an eternal difference has been amazing.

At the end of this month, my family and I will be moving back to Birmingham. I will be joining the ARC (Association of Related Churches) team as we help pastors plant life-giving churches all across the country. Although we are excited about the move, our hearts are very heavy. We will miss each one of our friends and family.

Congratulations to my friend, Brandon Isbell, Auburn's new Highlands campus pastor. He and his wife Amy love the people here and will do an incredible job.

I am so thankful for having been your pastor... and I am a better person for it.

I love you all!
Sean

two out of three ain't bad

2010-07-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, one of the sweet college girls who attend our church came by to chat. I always enjoy getting to spend time with "my girls" :).

As we talked, our conversation drifted to the topic of loving others. We talked about modern culture and media in relation to this topic. We discussed how so much of the message kids are hearing today is how important it is to be first.. up front.. in charge.. center of attention.. etc. The message can sometimes be very "me centered." However, that is so contrary to the biblical message. In fact, our focus as christians should primarily be OFF ourselves and ON others.

We all know we are to "love your neighbor as yourself." Yet, are we living this way? Are we teaching this to our kids? Jesus identified the most important things as loving God and loving our neighbors. Putting the needs of others before our own needs.

Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

After she left, I decided I wanted to "test" my children. Thinking I already knew how the conversations would go.. my predictions were:

Kassidy, (my 8 year old.. going on 16) would probably say it is better to be last. I knew we have had many conversations on the topic and she is a "little mommy" kind of girl.

Kade, (my 6 year old boy) would say first. I thought this because.. well he's 6 and he's a boy.. ;)

Kali Rose, is my 4 year old baby girl. I thought she would say first because she is the baby and tends to get babied around here a bit :).

So, my mission was established and I was ready to begin. First, I pulled Kassidy aside.
ME- Kassidy, is it better to be first or last?
KASSIDY - Oh, last. *smile* (she was proud of her answer)
ME- OK, but why?
KASSIDY- Well, if you are last, you can help people.... and you should always let other's go first.

I was proud. I sat there thinking about what JOY there is in motherhood. :)

A few minutes later, Kade came downstairs. So I asked him.
ME- Kade, is it better to be first or last.
KADE - What do you mean?
ME - Well, pretend you are in a line. Is it more important to be in the front of the line or in the back of the line?
KADE - It is better to let your friends go in front of you. So it is better to be in the back of the line.

Whew. I have to admit, I was shocked and totally proud once again! Now, I was really excited to ask Kali Rose, thinking (aside from Kassidy) my predictions were wrong..

I pulled Kali Rose aside..
ME- Kali Rose, what is more important, to be first or last.
KALI ROSE - (without any hesitation) First mommy. (as if to say duh!) It is better to be first because then you get things first..

:) There is nothing like a 4 year old to keep things real. Needless to say, I was able to have a good chat with her about this topic. As she walked away I began to think about my own attitude. I think this 32 year old mommy can act more like my 4 year old than I care to admit.. I needed this reminder and want my kids to learn this concept, not just by what they hear me say... but especially by what they see me do.

summer weddings

2010-07-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

Don't you just LOVE summer weddings.. I do. My husband is a pastor, so we get to go to our fair share and they are always fun. Plus, it is a great photo opp for a family pic since we are ALL DRESSED UP!! :):)

It is even better when my kids are IN the wedding. :) Like this one:

the beautiful bride

this one shows her personality

and this one shows his :)

my beautiful Kassidy was large and in charge of the table :)

this was during the wedding prayer.. sooo sweet!

I love this picture of my men :)

Summer 2011...?

2010-07-11T21:09:00.001-05:00

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Ok, let me just say that I am incredibly frustrated with this "cutest blog" logo that is popping up on my every post.. I have tried to remove it, but with no luck so far.. Any advice out there? I am having to space down several lines just so it won't cover my words...Ugh!

I was adjusting some pictures in my "library" (iphoto) just now, when I realized I had titled one of my last albums as "Summer 2011." What?? One minute I am trying not to blink, stretching every second of this summer, and the next minute I am throwing us right into the next year!! Slowwwww down!! :)

Oh well. The next few posts will be a peek at my "Summer 2011" album ;).

my boy during one of his end of the year programs. His best little buddy is next to him. I can't believe he is through with kindergarten!!

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we kicked off the summer going to a great air show here in Auburn

can you see the planes?

my sister and her cute little family

KR always striking a pose :)

family pic

Poppy and Mica

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Kassidy at the awards program at her school. She got 2 awards: a reading award and one for making "all a's." Mommy and Daddy were quite proud :)

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oh, how I love this. Kade's class hosted a baby shower for his teacher as the end of the year party. The class gave her a "book" for the baby. All of the kids gave the baby "advice." Above is a pic of Kade's page. As you can imagine, it brought tears to my eyes!!

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Kali Rose got to enjoy all of the end of the year parties :)

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my girlies had a camp-out in the playroom. Kade was uninterested for some reason...maybe the princess tent??

Well, that's all for now. More to come. :)

An extended.... blogcation?

2010-07-04T13:04:00.005-05:00

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Ok, so I am calling it an extended blogcation.. That is my excuse for being absent from the world of blogging for so long now. However, I am BACK and more excited about blogging than ever.

My little family has been extremely busy during the past several months, but now that I have taken a few things off my schedule, I decided there is no better time like the present to begin blogging again.

So, first things first. I'll highlight the past several months :).

If you read my last post, you need to know that we surprised the kids by taking them here:

Disney World

can you tell we had fun?

You should know that my husband and I have two different views of vacation. He wants to relax, while I want to go. go. go. :) He was a TOTAL trooper on this trip. We hardly stopped for 6 days (and I have the 967 pictures to prove it). ;)

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I got a new niece! Rayna Adalia Juarez (My sister's baby):

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We had a great Christmas:

My parents give the kids a gift for everyday in December. They get so excited waking up each morning, finding their number, (corresponding to the date) and opening their gift!!

We went to Nashville and stayed at the Opryland Hotel with Sean's parents.

The grandkids (minus Rayna) on my side.

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It SNOWED!!

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My little guy turned 6... sigh.

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We went back to Nashville for Spring Break

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The girls had their dance recital.

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She's not a baby anymore..

I'm trying not to blink!!

Ok, so that gets us somewhat up to speed :). I will be posting our summer pics soon. Stay tuned!!

-Rhi

Rainy days sometimes pay off :)

2009-11-10T17:24:00.002-06:00

Sometimes rainy days are just what you need to keep you home....

I got a lot done today. Cleaned house. Played with Kali Rose. AND...PREPARED FOR OUR UPCOMING TRIP!

Where are we going you ask?? Well, I can't tell you that (although you may be able to figure it out pretty easily).. You see, it's a SURPRISE!! The kids know we are going to "explore" a new city (as we did over the Summer when we went to Chattanooga). But...they have NO idea where we are going *hehehe* I am SO EXCITED!!!

Being a mommy of 3, I have learned that it pays to pack early.. I am hoping to be more organized than ever for this trip. So here is where I am now.

Bag of snacks...

Many of the supplies organized, and the Ziplocs ready for clothes..(each child's clothes are packed in gallon size bags - 2 outfits a day, and one bag for undies, one for socks and a couple for pjs. .. ie: Kade Tuesday outfit 1, Kade Tuesday outfit 2, Kade wednesday outfit 1... they are all labeled and stickered :))

Yes, I like Ziploc bags...they are a must when traveling with 3 small kids :)

Tomorrow: Pack the clothes and activity bags for travel.

Time to tailgate

2009-11-08T22:07:00.003-06:00

One of the best things about living in Auburn is experiencing the football games every fall. We love going to campus and tailgating with friends!!

First Clarke Camping Trip

2009-11-08T21:19:00.005-06:00

Yeah!! We took the kids on their first camping trip!...well, night anyway :)

Beautiful Kassidy all suited up for the night

Poor sweet Kali Rose, was not feeling her best.. She was attached to my leg..

Flashlights!

Kade LOVED the fire!..should I be worried??

Mica and Poppy joined us for the night.

*Memories*

Visit from the LaCostes

2009-11-08T21:02:00.003-06:00

Any time we get to spend with this sweet family is a day well spent!!

They only get to see each other a few times a year, but they manage to always pick up right where they left off..

...as do we :)

Kade and his buddy Garrett