He is Our King

This summer Kasie had to be back at camp on Sunday mornings at about 10:00. So it was near impossible to go to church. It was very hard for me not being able to go to church. Once we are out of a routine it is very hard for us to get back into what we should do (and what we need).

Well camp is over, the big girls have moved back into their dorms and our life is on it's way back to normal (as normal as our life is, LOL!). Kalie and I were able to go to church and the message was just what I needed to hear. God is so GOOD!

At the beginning of the service we sang:

He is Our King
He is our king. He is our love.
He is our God who's come
To bring us back to him.
He is the one. He is Jesus.

This song touched me. I do not know if I have ever heard it before or not, but today this song stayed with me for most of the day.

The sermon was titled God Is Alive: The Book of Acts (Acts 1:1-14).

Toby (pastor) said a few things that made me think all day ...

He (Jesus) died the death I should have, after he lived the life I couldn't.

There are no spectators in the Kingdom of God, only participants.

I do not know why these quotes were so profound to me as I have heard them before, but today it struck me as very important. I typed them up and posted it in our dining/school room. I think it is something I should read every day.

Christmas in July

November and December were very hard months for our family. Bill started going downhill two weeks before Thanksgiving. It was very hard for us to be thankful when all we could think about was the fact that Bill would be dying very soon. He had a few days right after Thanksgiving that were GREAT days. He was even able to see Santa Claus with Kalie. (That was probably the last Santa year we will have in our house, until grandchildren come.) Then at the beginning of December he took his last turn. (Now I can look back and be thankful for the time we had with him.) When Bill was diagnosed with lung cancer and we knew that there was no hope, we began to pray every day that Kalie would know her daddy well before he left. The Lord was very good to us and answered his prayer. Kalie adored her daddy and misses him terribly.

We had many plans for the month of December. We were going to bake cookies, make fudge, decorate ornaments, make presents, sing carols and decorate a gingerbread house. (Just a few of our goals.) Well most of our usual must haves for the holiday did not happen. It was a very sad holiday in our home. We put the Holiday season behind us and tried to put our life back together.

Well ... I was looking in the way back of our pantry for my extra bread flour and found our gingerbread house kit. I was just going to throw it away, not wanting Kalie to be reminded of our last Christmas week.



Well, once she saw it she was so excited and wanted to build it right away.



So build away they did.



Kalie and Wendy had a great time. I even played some of our favorite Christmas CDs.



They girls worked for over an hour and I did dishes. It was a good afternoon.



Our finished house looked nothing like the box, but I thought it was beautiful! Wendy's parents might have thought we were crazy, but that is OK. They girls wanted to eat it right away. They started to munch away and soon realized that they did not like gingerbread. They started to pick off all of the candy. I finally had to say, NO MORE CANDY!

I have been worried that Christmas will always be a sad time for Kalie. Maybe I am wrong? We will see come December.

Happy 19th Birthday Kasie!

Kasie, my little princess (Cinderella as she likes to be called) is 19! We celebrated her birthday at Melissa's house during our church community group (with our extended family).

Kasie wanted a Disney princess theme birthday, but Wal-Mart was sold out of the cups, plates, napkins and whatever else we might have needed or wanted. So ... Kalie and I improvised and tried to do our own "Princess" theme party. We made her this cake. It is a two layer cake with purple frosting in the middle. The tiara also lights up and flashes.




My Princess and Kalie. Kasie is my only girly-girl (which I love). She has always been a little bit prim and proper. When the girls danced she always wanted Ballet or Lyrical solos. She loved cheerleading. Some girls collect shoes and handbags, Kasie collects formals. LOL! She loves to get her hair, nails and make up done. She can be seen, often, in a dress or skirt.



Melissa, myself and Maryteal.



After community group we went to visit one of Katie's best friends, Ilsia. She had a baby last November and moved to Washington with her boyfriend shortly after. They recently moved back to be near her family. We had to go and see the baby. He has grown so much.



I hope Kasie had a great birthday. Because of her camp/work schedule we are celebrating her birthday again on Thursday with her present ... check back for the surprise. LOL!

Summer Fun ~ Sunburn

Kalie and Wendy spent most of the day outside playing in the yard and wadding pool. I was the responsible mother and applied sunscreen. She wore her swim suit almost the entire day. It is a cute bikini with a matching swim top that she wears over it.

Kalie looks so sweet with sun kissed cheeks.



During her play the swim shirt kept riding up on her back, a place I did not apply sunscreen as it was under the shirt. She is miserable, poor baby. No water for us today.

Art in the Park

In our town we have a local group called the Travelers Rest Arts Mission. They host different events in the communities and have classes for adults and children. This past weekend they hosted an event at a local park called "Art in the Park". Kalie and I went with her best friend Hannah (from Girl Scouts). They earned many different parts of try its and had a great time.

Kalie at the Girl Scout booth with Mrs. Barb Green making a necklace.



Kalie and Hannah decorating their banks.



Hannah and Kalie with their painted faces.



Kalie always looks so serious when she is concentrating. LOL!



We had such a fun day. Everything that Hannah made she gave to Kalie and visa-versa. It was so funny.