Birthday #4, Part 1

Rebecca had a spa/sleepover party tonight, and I think everyone had a good time! She had 3 friends over, and I got 2 of Jessica and Mikayla's friends to come help--once it got started, I pretty much sat in a nearby room reading The Hunger Games. :)

The spa room

The facials were a little messy, but they got everyone laughing!

We soaked our feet...

and had manicures...

And did make-up...



and pedicures...

Beautiful birthday girl!

 Presents and cake and ice cream...

And now they're "sleeping" in sleeping bags in our family room. Sweet girls!

Pictures from the past

Posting pictures of Karen's wedding made me reminisce about my own...

Here are my flower girls, Sarah and Karen

Sisters--Karen and Kay

My Favorite Things...

...about the wedding I went to last weekend:

• instead of "I do," the groom said, "You bet I do."
• the bride (my niece Karen) used the basket she carried as flower girl in my wedding for her flower girl
• Reception: Texas BBQ--brisket and sausage, mmm-MMM!
• The photographer: there's a reason they are paid. They give you better pictures than these...

I wasn't sure what these were--turns out it's sand for that sand-mixing thingy they do instead of a unity candle.

The bride's sister, my niece Kay.

There goes the bride! And Mike's brother David.

The happy couple

Random picture catch-up!

We had the college students over to watch the Super Bowl--Mike rented a 60" TV (!!) and moved all our furniture around to fit the maximum amount of students. We thought it was funny when we saw that all the girls were watching the game and all the guys were in the kitchen snacking and talking. :)

Mikayla took this one. Silly girl!

I took a picture of Jessica taking a picture of me taking a picture of her...okay, I think you get it.

 We got snow! Kind of. A trace of snow/ice/rain. Right in time for Rebecca's weather unit!

 It was really cold here for a few days, and we kept a fire going the whole time. So one day, I looked at the beautiful glowing coals and thought, "Those look perfect for roasting marshmallows!"

Yum!

Good napping weather, too!

 More fun...

Bella Cheerleader with a friend

Now it's unseasonably warm, and Mike and I have been walking in the evenings. I tried to capture the sunset one night, but it was impossible.

 This weekend Jessica went to Praizfest in Little Rock and sang with 350 other teenagers from around the state of Arkansas. It was beautiful, and I prayed each one meant what they sang.

Birthday #3, Part 2

A week ago today was Mikayla's actual birthday, but we celebrated the night before because we thought Mike was going to have to go out of town (but he didn't). She requested fried pork chops, macaroni and cheese, and carrots for supper, with a confetti cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. She opened family presents, and we watched a movie. I can't believe she's 12 years old!

I'm not sure what Jessica's looking at, but it must be good...

She really liked her soft blanket...



...and her gift from Gran. ;)

10 on the 10th (well, I started it on the 10th, anyway)

When I was a little girl, my Mom carried a red King James Scofield Study Bible. When I helped her clean out some things last year, and I saw it, it was like seeing an old friend! Mom let me take it home, and last week I grabbed it to look something up and soon got engrossed in reading the notes she had written in it. So here are 10 things I found in my Mom's old red Bible:

1. All that God is is available to the person who is available to all that God is.--Jim Duncan

2. The Essence of God: Sovereign, Righteous, Just, Love, Eternal Life, Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omnipresent, Immutable (unchanging), Truth

3. Justified--"Just as if I'd" never sinned--Jesus' righteousness in me

4. Propitiation--satisfaction--changing judgment seat for mercy seat

5. Jesus did not save me because of what I am, but in spite of what I am!

6. Blessings always follow suffering.

7. Lamb of God...1. prophesied, Gen. 2
      2. Typified, Ex. 12
      3. Codified, Lev. 1
      4. Personified, Isa. 53
      5. Unrecognized, Luke 2
      6. Identified, John 1
      7. Crucified, 4 gospels
      8. Magnified/glorified, Rev. 5 and 22

8. The 10 Commandments are not a plan of salvation; they are a summary of God's plan for freedom for the Christian.

9. (bookmark) The Tree
      If man were made perfect--complete as could be--then God would have never created the "she." For man is the trunk and the branch and the root--while woman's the blossom, the leaf, and the fruit. --M. Buxbaum

10. (bookmark from Kecia, Mother's Day, 1982) Mother is another word for love. (Happy Birthday this month, Mama!)

Birthday #3, Part 1

Due to scheduling constraints, we had Mikayla's birthday party tonight, even though her birthday is over a week away. She had an M & M theme, and everything was so cute and easy!

 We got the cupcake idea from American Girl magazing. We divided the white cake batter into 4 bowls, each a different color, and put a spoonful of each in each cup (or until we ran out). They look so fun!

M & M Twister

M & M colored fruits and veggies--they were a hit!

pizza!