Linky Loo

Several posts I've read recently have touched me to the core.  I want to share them with you!

• One of my favorite things about Facebook is reuniting with friends you'd otherwise likely never hear from again.  Brad's one of those friends.  I first met him and his twin brother 16 years ago when I worked at a Hallmark store and Chad worked next door at the golf store.  Fastforward to today, and Brad's an amazing father to a special little girl, Claire.  Brad's wife, Amy, writes a blog about their journey with Fetal Hydrocephalus.  Brad took over earlier this week and wrote a post that absolutely blessed my socks off.  It's a must read.  Our God is truly a God of details, y'all. 

• Not to be outdone, Claire followed her Daddy's lead and wrote this precious post that made me smile and Also?  Please pray for this precious family. They amaze me with their fight and faith.

• Life to Her Years is another blog that I've recently stumbled across (I think someone else linked to is somewhere in blogland recently).  And it's just amazing.  I love the short, poignant posts that resonate and make you think.   

• This post is a few months old now, and it's been a while since I read it.  But it's stuck with me.  Thankfully, many times throughout the day to day chores of being a mommy ~ more juice, wiping that runny nose, kissing the boo boo, wiping a dirty bottom, kissing away tears ~ the words of this post come back to me.  This is my mission field today.  My home, my daughter, my husband.  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this amazing opportunity!

What posts have you recently read that have echoed in your heart?  I'd love to check them out, too!

Life Goes On

Seventeen years ago today, a hard truth about life hit me square in the face.

Life goes on.

We'd buried my Daddy the day before.  On a cool, fall morning, we celebrated his life, mourned his untimely death and held onto each other like never before.

I remember waking that Thursday morning knowing my friends were going to school like normal, watching the county school bus make its way past our house like it always did, yet looking around at my mom, my sister and myself and wondering, "how in the world?"

Goodness.  We didn't know what had hit us. But what I did know was life as I'd always known it was no longer. And as cruel as it seemed, life was going on all around us.

The hours seemed to pass as slowly as molasses.  Days later, we mustered up everything inside of ourselves to celebrate my sister's 12th birthday.  Weeks later, I turned 15.  I remember my best friends sitting in the living room with me the night of my birthday.  I think it was the first time I'd laughed since my Daddy died.  And I felt so guilty for laughing.  For smiling.  For enjoying life.

And I realized, life goes on.

Months passed and we moved.  I remember pulling out of the driveway of our home, the home we lived in with my Daddy, and sobbing.  Crying my eyes out, knowing this move was necessary for our family.  Things would be different, new, hopefully easier for all of us in a new home. 

Yes, life goes on.

Years went by, and as we learned to live a new normal again as a family of three, we found happiness and love even in the midst of the unbearable grief and heartache.  Jenn and I had proms, Homecomings, Sweet 16 Birthdays.  Life went on.

And, I know today, 17 years later, that life goes on. And, better than that?  It becomes beautiful again.  Yes, truly "He has made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  That is what I've celebrated this week.  God's provision is remarkable.  His love is unconditional.  His attention to detail is unbelieavable.  And He does make ALL things beautiful.

I see it in this precious little girl's face....

And while I would give so much to have my Daddy here, for him to see his grandchildren, to meet his sons-in-law, to see my sister and I today, I am so very thankful for the lessons I've learned since my Daddy's death as life has gone on. 

Most of all, I'm praising my Heavenly Father now for making ALL things beautiful, in His time.



Cooking with Ellie

Ellie and I had a little fun in the kitchen this morning.  We made some fun Halloween treats, and Ellie loved every second of being the cook!

She watched as each ingredient was poured into the big mixing bowl....

And she was super serious about watching the mixer do it's thing....

Aunt B may or may not have shown her the best part of cooking. I think her chocolate batter mustache gives it away...

Sweet Ellie was so proud of her work set out on the cookie sheet...

Yep, she definitely learned the best part of cooking is enjoying a little batter....

And then, we got to roll the cookies in sprinkles!  "Fun, Hay-o-ween Spinkles" according to the chef!

There was one little turkey who was Not. At. All. excited about our cooking fun....

Poor Molly pouted and cried the entire time we cooked!?!

Ellie, being the determined, dedicated, experienced chef that she is, was not deterred by little Molly's cries. She powered through, enjoying the fruits of her labor....

And here's the proud chef with her treats!

So, as Chef Ellie would say, "Happy Hay-o-ween, Y'all!"

Molly Miller ~ 16 Months Old

Oh what fun this age is!  Molly is 16 months old now, and she just seems to grow and learn every single day!  She is in constant motion and chatters all the time.  Her vocabulary grows by the minute, it seems.  And it's so much fun!

Lately Molly's favorite thing to do it jump onto our bellies and try to leap off.  Thankfully the first time she did it, Tim could see in her eyes she was about to jump and caught her.  She laughed and laughed, and she's tried to do it over and over again.  She loves our family play time each night, and she will just play her little heart out until it's bed time.

Molly is absolutely crazy about Ellie, too.  They squeal with delight when they see each other and bear hug as if it's been ages since they last saw each other!  I'm so thankful they get to grow up together and are so close.  What a blessing!

One quick story that's the epitome of our life right now.  The other night, Tim and I were headed up the stairs, and I said, "Watch out for the letter R."  It was as normal a statement as "please pick up those shoes."  One of Molly's magnets, the letter R, was on the step.  And I didn't want him to trip on it!  :)  Yep, you know you have a toddler in the house when you have to watch out for such things as the letter R!

Lovin' life, that's what we are doing!

Park Fun

I took the girls to the park in Jenn and Brian's neighborhood yesterday.  They absolutely love climbing all over everything and swinging.  It's so precious to watch them play together!

We played on the slide. . . 

We played on the swing. . .

We played peek-a-boo. . . 

And we played in a tree. . . 

And the girls were worn out by the time we left.  So worn out that Ellie had to stop and "rest a minute.  Hot, B" on our way home.  Mind you, her house is a stone's throw from the park.  Bless her dramatic little heart!

It's days like yesterday that I just don't want to end. That's the good stuff, for sure.

Molly ~ 15 Months Old

Wow!  What a month we had!  15 was so much fun!  Molly continues to walk all over the place, and she talks away!

Her vocabulary is growing by the hour it seems.  This last month, my favorite new word was "mama".  And she says it A LOT.  And it's AWESOME to hear every single time!  Usually she says it with such passion that you'd think she's about to tell you something absolutely ground breaking.  She loves shoes and loves watching her Daddy get dressed in the morning.  Recently she was standing by him while he put his shoes on, and she started calling, "mama!  mama!"  I rushed in and said, "what is it, baby?"  She pointed to Tim's shoes and said, "shooooooesshhh".  Precious!

Earlier this week, she figured out the stairs in our house, too.  I turned the corner and she was perched up on that first step proud as a peacock.  I didn't make too big of a deal out of it, but she made her way all the way to the top in a matter of minutes.  Uh Oh.  We have yet to figure out how to get down the stairs, so we'll be working on that, too.

She is more and more a Daddy's girl these days, too.  Just yesterday we had her 15 month check up, and she was so excited to see her Daddy there! She did not give two hoots her mama was in the room.  She was all about her Dada!

Speaking of her appointment, she weighs in at 20 pounds, 9 ounces (50th %ile) and is 30 inches long (95 %ile).  She was a complete ham for her doctor and loved every second of the attention. . .  and then the shots.  God love her little heart, when Nurse Brandy came in to give her shots, Molly was all smiles and jabbering away.  After the shots (5!  FIVE!), Molly was screaming and gave Brandy the Slocum Stare.  It's a look like none other where she makes sure you know she is M.A.D. at Y.O.U. 

What fun we have with Molly Miller!  I say it all the time, but each day is better than the day before!  Lovin' it!

Truth Be Told

I've known Elizabeth since high school.  She always has been one of those girls you just can't help but love.  I'll never forget when I was a sophomore in high school and on the Homecoming Court, Elizabeth was the Junior class representative.  She took me under her wing when we had to leave campus for pictures.  We went to her house to change clothes, and I distinctly remember that her family had Joshua 24:15 painted on their kitchen walls.  Clearly the verse, "but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD," was displayed for all to see.  Immediately you knew what her family believed in and WHO her family served.

Fast forward 17 years to today.  Elizabeth has a ministry, Truth be Told that is completely God-breathed.  I have been so excited to watch via facebook as she has followed God's prompting and is teaching girls like me to paint.  Girls who, just like me, do not have an artistic bone in their bodies.  Girls who are sure cannot paint.

Yet, we all desire to have Truth be Told on the walls of our homes.  That's just what Elizabeth's ministry does!  And it's amazing! 

Last night I was able to go paint with others, new friends I met last night and friends I've known for years.  We had a ball! The verse I chose was one read at our wedding as a charge to Tim and me.  My precious friend Amy read it.  If you've been reading long enough, you may remember Amy; she bravely battled cancer and WON her fight about 45 days after Tim and I married, and she's in her Eternal Home with our Maker.  I loved that Amy read Colossians 3:12-17 as it's a verse she lived every single day of her life.

No, it's certainly not perfect, but it's precious.  And I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Elizabeth's amazing ministry!