Pretty as a Picture

Isn't this as pretty as a picture? And yet, it's actually a photograph!

Crystal snapped the photo, cropped it, added one of my favorite (unbeknownst to her!) Scripture verses, and framed it for me. I'm surrounded by talented people and I love it! Thank you, Crystal.

(Pardon the rusty but smoother-than-silk- 50's-glider background. ha!)

Rainy Days and Mondays

Not a lot of rain today, but it is Monday, I'm a Carpenters fan, and Rupert is pretty in pink, so the title seemed to fit. :)

I've had this soft-as-it-comes vintage pink blanket since Rup was a tiny pup. Today, I need only say "pink blanket" and he comes running from any hiding place he's discovered in the house.

Saturday Snippets

What a great weekend!

On Saturday morning, I took my first rubber stamping card workshop at Eleanors. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know anyone, I carried my Marvy markers in a Ziploc bag instead of a carrying case, and I cracked up all the ladies when I spoke of adding new stamping tools to my "collection". Apparently, I had NEWBIE written all over... and that suited me just fine. The women were more than gracious, not to mention downright inspiring.

This was my project. :)


I spent Saturday afternoon putting the finishing touches on today's lesson and then we headed to our first Sunday class cookout.

It was an amazing time of fellowship... and the food was pretty incredible too! Justin, our host, aka the "grill-meister", prepared steak and chicken shish-kabobs with fresh pineapple, cherries, squash and peppers, not to mention the extras brought by others (FRESH peach pie, brownies, and yummy sweet potato wedges, etc.) And, thanks to Brian accidentally running over my cheap-o sunglasses that night, I now have the opportunity to visit Target for a new pair!

It's exciting to see the group God is bringing together on Sunday mornings -- not only physically, but especially so spiritually.

God is good... all the time.

When Life Truly Begins...and Ends

Mom emailed last week to let me know that a former neighbor of ours had passed away. Her news was surprising, but perhaps not for the reason(s) you might imagine. You see, I thought he had passed away many years ago!

Mark Batterson, author of one of my all-time favorite books, "Wild Goose Chase", says "I'm not convinced that your date of death is the date carved on your tombstone. Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don't really start living until we find something worth dying for. Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living."

My highlighter could not lighten fast enough. It was so true! I feel as if my life - my purpose - began at 27, when I accepted Christ in my tiny duplex while the boys slept in the next room. In that sense, I've never been more alive.

However, if I'm not careful, I can allow other areas of my life to "die" long before my tombstone is ever engraved. It was this thought, after reading the above excerpt from Mark's book, that proved to be the catalyst for my choosing kayaking over studying/reading/quiet time during my recent family vacation. While I love finding quiet places to read (yes, I'm an "only"), Mark's words awakened me to the fact that I had allowed what little adventurous spirit I possessed to wane to a big fat "O" over time. That day, however, the adventurous spirit was sparked and I would go kayaking again in a minute!

While the goal of "living life to its fullest" will flesh out differently for every person, as well it should, I can say with almost certainty that I won't be visiting this site for future travel plans or hanging off a cliff for fun. I can, however, say with all certainty that I will never view my life quite the same as a result of Mark's divinely-guided insights, led by the "Wild Goose" Himself.

There's no doubt about it. I want to live my life in such a way that my obituary date will match that of my last breath... and not one minute before.

After all, isn't that when life truly begins?

Good versus Best [Part Two]

It's a constant battle for me. How about you?

Every day we're inundated with thoughts, ideas, opportunities and responsibilities. So, how do you determine what goes where on your priority list? Or should I say who determines what goes where on your priority list?

This past weekend, it was Zach who made that decision for me and I'm glad he did. Due to a wedding in Greenville, some of his old college roommates were back in town. He had invited one of his best friends, along with his new wife, to stay with us over the weekend a week prior to the event. (Zach approaches these types of situations much better than myself, which delights me as a mom, but convicts me as Christ follower.) When I hear the two words, "staying over", my mind immediately goes in to overdrive. What needs to be cleaned? purged? purchased? cooked? weeded? mowed? (No, my middle name is not Martha)

However, those questions quickly faded when Zach shared Tuesday night that he was almost certain his friends had decided to stay with a family closer to the church. Within minutes, the time I had previously set aside to use for cleaning, purging, shopping, cooking, and weeding was now filled with other "good" things.

Then came Thursday morning. I received the call from Zach saying his friends had decided to stay with us after all, and they would be arriving the next night. Overdrive! All the "good" things that now filled my calendar (visiting family, studying, writing, etc.) was quickly set aside for the "best", which was an opportunity to welcome a sweet young couple to a home that God had provided for us... and for them.

Although Zach was the obvious catalyst for determining my priorities this past weekend, God's fingerprints were evident, and quite frankly, I wouldn't want it any other way. I want His fingerprints smudged and smeared all over my time, energy, and especially those decisions that go in to using both wisely.

I thank God for opening the door of opportunity this past weekend... both for the young couple to have a place to stay... and for my learning experience.

Oh, did I mention I taught on James 1:1-8 this past Sunday? I love my Maker's sense of humor.

Good versus best. Only God knows the answer to that question for each of us.

My Weekend

Here's to a "phone-off-the-hook" kind of weekend...

unavailable for good things
in order to be
available for the best of things.

[Part one]

We're Moving On Up...

Our "Women in the Word" group (Relax, Brian! ha!) is "moving on up" the road approximately one mile from K's house (where we've had the pleasure of meeting for the past two studies), to a place known as "B Encouraged", located in downtown Simpsonville.

It was only a week ago that we learned of this incredible place of ministry located within our very own city limits. The owners rent different rooms for showers and small parties but offer the place free of charge for Bible study groups such as ours.

So, beginning Tuesday, August 25, at 6:30 p.m., the ladies' community group will gather at "B Encouraged" to study through several psalms together. Studying the psalms in this beautiful old historic home with a hot cup of tea or coffee amongst sisters in Christ. What could be more soothing?


If you're not on the current email list for the Tuesday night group and would like more information, or if you would like to join us, just email and let me know! We would love to have you.

Happy Birthday Zach!

Our birthday boy has always been, shall we say... a "ham"?
He's kept us laughing ever since.
Twenty-two years to be exact!

And now he's all grown up. Where does the time go?

Happy Birthday, Zach!

July 14th is also a special day for Brandon and Megan.
Happy 2nd Anniversary!!

A "Cha-Ching!" Kind of Day

I love a bargain and Brian loves old albums so we joined forces this morning and decided to hit a few local yard sales.

Our first and only "successful" sale was discovered in Wagon Creek Subdivision.

12 pairs of brand name shoes (Clark, Anne Klein, Nine West, Liz (shoes & 2 new pairs of boots), etc. All in new or almost new condition - and in my size. $.50 a pair! Total? 6.00 for 12 pairs of shoes. (Cha-Ching!)

While desperately trying to escape my frantic shoe find, Brian came across an original Lava lamp box, but no lamp. His future plans for a "dream" music room has always included a Lava Lamp. (Hmm....we have a circa 1911 home... and a Lava lamp. Go figure.) When he mentioned this to one of the teen girls, she ran inside and brought the lamp out for him to purchase... for a whopping $2.00. At this very moment, it is globbing (I mean glowing) in our den. Brian assures me it won't be staying there. One can only hope - although I have to admit it's pretty cool.


After our brief excursions in Simpsonville we headed to Piedmont, where Brian dropped me off at THE most awesome craft/hobby/rubber stamp shop in SC - Stamps & More at Eleanor, on his way to pick up his bass from a repair shop in Easley. Due to a successful gig last night, he even treated me to a little "fun money" to enjoy during my time there. With it, I was able to purchase a paper cutter, a few more embossing folders for the Cuttlebug, linen paper and a stamp -- which I put to good use this afternoon:

If you enjoy stamping, you seriously need to check out Eleanor's. She is amazing! I'm planning to take a few classes in the near future.

There's only one way to sum up this kind of day: CHA-CHING!

(Thank You, Lord!)

For the Love of Writing

It's been awhile (too long) since attending my first Christian Writer's Den, held every month in Simpsonville, but that's what I'll be doing later this morning. The ladies in this group are dedicated to developing their God-given gifts and talents. Can anyone say "inspiring"?

During a recent Barnes & Noble outing with the hubster, I came across, "Writing Basics", which has turned out to be one of my favorite writing magazines. What it lacks in luster it more than makes up for in practicality.

My all-time favorite book (hands-down) on writing continues to be "The Little Red Writing Book" by Brandon Royal (thanks Rich!)


One thing I've learned, especially since the inception of this blog, is that writing (anything more than a surface-type posting) requires time. Time to watch and to understand what God is revealing; time to allow those thoughts to marinate and then to bring them to fruition.

All things worthwhile require time and writing is no exception. It is a process that I thoroughly enjoy and feel almost compelled to complete.

"I believe God made me for a purpose,
but he also made me fast.
And when I run I feel His pleasure."
- Eric Liddell, Olympic Runner and Missionary to China

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Seems like yesterday...
but it was 26 years ago today.

(Megan, I hope you don't mind my borrowing this picture from your blog!)

Happy Birthday Brandon!

The Final Night...For Now

Tonight was the last night of our Tuesday Galatians study. I can't believe how quickly the six weeks have flown by.

It was a great group -- one that brought new faces and friendships. What a blessing!

Lord willing, we'll crank it up again in August.

The Games People Play

Our family loves games - especially word games (although game night is never the same without Brandon and Megan. We miss you!) Granted, I stand no chance of winning against the threesome (Brian, Sarah and Zach) but I enjoy the challenge.

Currently, our favorite game is Boggle. Steve and Angie introduced it to us several weeks ago and since then, we've found an online version which allows the four of us to play on the same team but in various locations. Brian and I can be playing the game on our laptops in the den, Zach on his upstairs and Sarah from her home -- and the cool part? We're all playing the same game at the same time and on the same team.

Ready to give the game a try (it's free!)? Go to www.wordsplay.net. It takes less than a minute to register and then you're ready to go! We use the 4 x 4 board.

We've had trouble finding the actual game in a local store but we plan to purchase it when we do. Until then, we'll break out the laptops!

Ah, the games people play.

A Fun Evening!

We had a GREAT afternoon/evening on Wednesday. Brian took off work a little early so we took full advantage of our time together in the downtown area.

These two pictures were taken from inside Spill the Beans.
What a view!

Here's Brian's group Last Road Bluegrass in action. There was an awesome crowd and they could not have asked for a more beautiful evening to "pick & grin" .

Benji's daughter, Abbey Grace, co-wrote a song and sang it with him on stage. Needless to say, she brought the house down!

Our friend, Kevin, celebrated his big 4-0 birthday with us!
Their family, along with the Bretts and Moores, attend our Sunday group so it was extra special having them there.

I'm proud of the hubster and I'm delighted he's able to be a part of such a talented group.

It was fun evening, indeed. :)