Sunday, September 30, 2012

Shower season!


In our church and group of friends, 
there are 5 people pregnant (all with due dates Oct. 31 through early March)
and one lovely lady getting married. 
The beginning of August kicked of a couple months-long shower season!
It has been great fun to plan and envision and create
great parties to celebrate these wonderful women
and new babies (and marriages) about to be birthed.
"Thanks" to pinterest, showers these days are a little more labor intensive (no pun intended!)...
but so fun to pull off.

Here are some pictures from Morgan's shower...
Olivia Elizabeth is due October 31st!

we made cute flags for the paper straws

Joy has churned out over twenty of these poufs over the past 2 months!

pretty in pink

Next up was Shelly's baby shower...
Elias Alexander is due November 15th (I think)!

Most of the showers are at Joy's house, so it was fun to host this one!

Made a cute blessing board that is now hung in his nursery!

lots of yummy food

awesome bunting banner made by none other than Crystal Peach!

more poufs

Shelly's About to Pop!  popcorn favors



praying blessings over Mommy and baby

This weekend we celebrated our dear Canela 
as she prepares to become Reed Hoffman's WIFE
in 3 weeks!
I can't say enough about Canela. I love her so much, and I've only become better friends with her
over the past couple of years.
She is a servant with a heart of gold.
She loves and carries people in her heart well.
She puts everyone else first.
She is gorgeous and has a great laugh.
She is real and honest and loves Jesus intimately and authentically.
She has waited many years for her Reed to come, and he has.
They are such a fun, servant-hearted, sweet couple.
Andy and I love them so!  
Joy waited on the Lord for the theme of this shower, and He gave her this:
"Canela has "fall"en in love!"
Canela loves the fall (don't we all, Bostonians?), so this was perfect.
Here are the pics:
a lovely table setting

The Beautiful Bride






"I'll have some bacon, thank you very much!"


Ah yes, the preggos.  Due: March 2013, Nov. 13th,  Nov. 15th,  Nov. 24th, Oct. 31st


A Boston friend!  Morgan Teague is in town from Texas!


Rebekah, "leaf"ing a blessing for Canela.  (We tied the scrapbook leaves onto branches. Pinterest!)





Little jars of whole cloves, whole allspice, dried orange peels, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks.  To simmer on the stove and fill your home with wonderful fragrances! 

Boston ladies!  (l-r) Me, Kristen, Canela, Joy, Karissa (baby), Morgan, Crystal, and Shelly
I love serving with these women!  One more shower to go next Saturday for Whitney and Caleb-- 
Bentlee June is due in November.  

Saturday, September 8, 2012

What is stirring my heart...

I was listening to a sermon from Antioch in Waco the other morning on my run, and I was struck 
by what the pastor (Jimmy Seibert) began saying about who Jesus is all throughout the Bible.
I have listened to it over and over ("Discipled by Jesus" from 8/25/12 starting at minute 17:21), and I am encouraged more each time I hear these truths.

May you be encouraged, too!

Genesis - He is the ram at Abraham's side
Exodus - He is the Passover Lamb
Leviticus - He is the High Priest
Numbers - He is the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night
Deuteronomy - He is the City of Our Refuge
Joshua - He is our Salvation
Judges - He is our Judge
Ruth - He is our Kinsman-Redeemer
1&2 Samuel - He is our Trusted Prophet
1&2 Kings and 1&2 Chronicles - He is our Reigning King
Ezra - He is our Faithful Scribe
Nehemiah - He is the Rebuilder of everything that is broken
Esther - He is Mordechai, sitting faithful at the gate
Job - He is Our Redeemer that ever lives
Psalms - He is my Shepherd, I shall not want
Provers and Ecclesiastes - He is our Wisdom
Song of Songs - He is the Lover of our souls
Isaiah - He is our Suffering Servant
Jeremiah and Lamentations - He is our Weeping Prophet
Ezekiel - He is the One who calls us out of sin
Daniel - He is the fourth man in the midst of the fiery furnace
Hosea - He is my Love, forever faithful
Joel - He baptizes us in the Holy Spirit
Amos - He is our Burden Bearer
Obadiah - He is our Savior
Jonah - He is the Great Missionary, to the ends of the earth
Micah - He is the Messenger with beautiful feet
Nahum - He is our Avenger
Habakkuk - He is the Watchman, ever praying for revival
Zephaniah - He is the Lord, mighty to save
Haggai - He is the Restorer of our lost heritage
Zechariah - He is our Fountain of Life
Malachi - He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings

Matthew - He is the Christ, Son of the Living God
Mark - He is the Miracle Worker
Luke - He is the Son of Man
John - He is the Door, through which we must all enter
Acts - He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus
Romans - He is our Justifier
1 Corinthians - He is our Resurrection
2 Corinthians - He is our Sin-Bearer
Galatians - He redeems us from the law
Ephesians - He is our unsearchable riches
Philippians - He supplies our every need
Colossians - He is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form
1&2 Thessalonians - He is our Coming King
1&2 Timothy - He is the Mediator between God and man
Titus - He is our Blessed Hope
Philemon - He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother
Hebrews - He is the blood of the everlasting covenant
James - He is the Lord, who heals the sick
1&2 Peter - He is our Chief Shepherd
1, 2, & 3 John - It is Jesus who has the tenderness of love
Jude - He is the Lord, coming with 10,000 saints
Revelation - Lift up your eyes, Church, for our Redemption draws near.  He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!