EastCoastLove

This afternoon kimmel, mom and i stopped by the 'photo barn' and took some fun pictures together. Mom doesn't get to come out that often so we took advantage of this trip. Kimmel so creatively helped me capture mom with his bandaid thumb :)  Ending the time with a ski jump toward the lake... Good times had by all! 

Excited about the small projects i have planned around the house! We accomplished one this weekend. I purchased these his and hers hooks this past winter from hobby lobby and just couldn't figure out what to do with them, or where to hang them. Until i was walking thru an antique store and saw the exact hooks nailed onto a white shutter thing. It gave me an idea...i could put mine on something too! haha So Kimmel and i talked about it and things we could hang it on until we figured out old wood, or barn wood. I was talking with his dad and he said take some of my old fence. We did and with some fishing wire, screws and a stud finder we hung it in our bathroom. It's simple... i kinda like it! One down 20 more to go! :)

This weekend we went to kimmel's parents and dyed eggs. It was a lovely overcast day so we sat outside in the back and enjoy the company and weather. Hope your Easter was just as relaxing and surrounded by family. I was glad to hear my mom had my sis and family over on sunday...miss them! Easter isn't just a day or weekend, its the foundation of what we believe and that sets our God apart. He is risen and for that we are forgiven and reconciled to him!

So this week i tried something new again with chicken. It's from Kraft Foods of  course...easy to throw together and great taste. I made one modification and ate them with tortillas instead of rice, i just made rice that compliments this type food. Enjoy! Slow-cooker Tex-Mex Chicken 1 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch wide strips 2 tbsp Taco Bell Home Original Seasoning mix 2 tbsp flour 1 green pepper 1 red pepper both cut into 1 inch strips 1 cup frozen corn 1-1/2 cups Salsa 1 cup Mexican Style fine shredded four cheese toss chicken with taco seasoning and flour in slow cooker. Stir in vegetables and salsa; cover with lid Cook for 6-8 hr on low or 3-4 on high Stir in cheese just before serving

This is the second week of keeping my niece. This is the week i saw Beckham act strangely. She was sort of snobbish the first week, like who is this and why are they taking all the attention. She sniffs the car seat when she is out. Sniffs me when i am holding her. It seems the curiosity has turn into some what of a protector. When Eleanor was crying the other day after a nap i walked in her room and Beckham was on the dresser watching her and when i walked in looked at me like...Help her! She lays close by if i place Eleanor on the floor like "i am still watching" My sweet kitty does great with her. She just isn't sure she likes the distraction for me :)

This past saturday Kimmel and i drove out to a ranch in the middle of no where to help a friend of a friend throw this huge easter egg hunt. It is a family that lives on ACERS of land and just want to share christ with their community. They had bounce houses, carnival games, hotdogs, a band playing worship music and at the end a huge easter egg hunt for all ages! Another big part of it was sharing the gospel with the kids. So they had three different tables the kids came to get the beads for a salvation bracelet. They are a sweet family, inspiration for our family to do what we can do in our backyards, even if ours isn't that big :) 

Two years of change, joys, sadness and fun. Two years of God's love, provision and guidance on our journey. Two years that excite us for 2 more years plus.  This year my hubby and i got to get out of town for the weekend. We had some good friends that invited us to serve at a Ranch with their community easter egg hunt (next blog entry) serving about 700 people! INCREDIBLE! Then we headed out further south to austin to visit our close friends Christin and Dustin.  It was here at their house that i realized my engagement diamond was gone! I believe we all know that feeling when something either sentimental or monetarily valuable is missing. That sinking feeling in your tummy...that was what i felt and from the look in Christin's eyes she did too.  After searching some and thinking i lost it at the ranch...good luck with that one...Her mother in law didn't stop, she was sweeping the house and to her delight she found it in their kitchen! The lord cares even about that!...

There are so many of these cute "lil box things" that are in the blogging community. They are tasks to either write something or do- picture wise. They get bloggers to blog on and create a post to add to others and share their thoughts and opinions. Like creating a group of sorts. I keep looking and can't seem to find one i like. If you are a part of one that you really like please let me know...i am still looking. So today instead i am doing my own...Thankful Thursday. Maybe it will be weekly and maybe it won't. :) I thought if i were to decide to do it i should limit it to three categories. Person, thing, and attribute of God. Sometimes it might have pictures and other times, like today it won't. :) Person : I am thankful for my Mentor and friend Niki ! I realized the other day that she and i have been meeting for like 6 years. She has been there for me thru all sorts of situations...giving advice and ALWAYS pointing me back to Jesus and His everlasting l...

Today the memories begin. Today our house gets a new voice inside. I am watching my lil niece who is 6 weeks old from now til the end of school. I am a lucky girl! She i so cute and sweet. Her lil voice is fun to listen to and conversate with. I hope she remembers so of the fun times we will share. Had a dream last night that i was driving her and she GOT OUT OF THE CAR SEAT and a friend in the back was trying to secure her but she wasn't having it at all. I was like so worried and i shouted..."Paige (baby's mom) is in the car behind us she can see that i suck!" and the battle ensued of us trying to get her back in the seat...not sure if we did or not i just woke up. After picking her up and making it safe back home, kimmel was here to unpack her :) He got a sweet kiss and was off to work. I am thankful for my friends who have loaned me baby things, like an awesome swing and a baby bijorn.. I have already called my sister to get to encouragement cause i am new to...

Little fun fact about me...I LOVE TO DO LAUNDRY! :) I think cause you wash, you dry, you fold then put away. Things smell clean and for about 3 days you aren't thinking about laundry, its all clean. So i am super excited to say that my laundry room/pantry is complete. So thankful that my husband too likes things neat and organized. Thankful that he is a handyman and can build things i dream up! I got excited today thinking that we get to walk thru the nice laundry room all the time now...its off our garage into the kitchen, so it is an entryway for us! haha anyway i don't have a real good before picture but this one is in the process of it all. Kimmel put all the paneling up and now working on the shelves. This corner had nothing in it. We had just thrown boxes and stuff on the floor and it was very overwhelming and annoying. We talked about shelves and hooks and stuff. kimmel designed the perfect solution!  Now everything has a spot...and i can see what i have...only do...

Friday's have been Kimmel and I's lunch date in his class room. I love walking thru the halls and seeing all the students faces and watching as they talk with 'Coach Kimmel', it makes me proud. I noticed today that my name tag was strangely wrong i had to take a picture. :) Thought you might laugh too!

As I sit and kill time til my photo session tonight I realize this is my first Wednesday without working a youth service in like 7 years. Aside from the yearly vacation there aren't many Wednesday's and Sunday's I have missed. Even the week of my wedding I was there until the second service started. I have missed out on some stuff due to the job, but don't regret it at all, it was my calling and would handle it the same way. One cool thing about me and my friends is that all my really close friends from college all married guys who are either youth pastors or a planting pastor. When I moved to Texas, my closest friends are also married to a pastor in some capacity. I think we folks might be wired differently. I remember when my friends in the past when life would take them down a new path and their patterns changed how strange it was to not be serving at the same time. Like something was missing. It's funny cause I didn't think I would keep blogging about t...

One of the funnest parts of our trip was hiking up into the mountains a bit and meeting a Mong village leader. He showed us some traditional dances with instruments and welcomed us into his home! We were very thankful for the once in a lifetime experience.

So today i have made a list of big and small tasks i want to get done around the house! This way i will be a productive SAHW! First of all i am resting this week. Not doing too much of anything in particular. It is quite nice so far! Here are a few... 1. Pull weeds  2. Sand and paint small shelf 3. run each day  4. clean out front closet  5. create an LLC for Kimmel and me KIMMEL WILL BE SO PROUD!!

This week was my last week working at the church. It was a good week! People said some really sweet things that i never knew they thought of me. :) The youth group staff gave me a small decorative surf board covered with notes students had written. They were sweet and funny! It was a thoughtful going away gift. Now i need to find a spot on the wall for it! The church staff also did a reception for me and prayed over me. It was a sweet time and very thoughtful of them. I am glad that my departure is one of excitement and challenge. Excited that God has something different for me, nervous cause i am not quite sure what it is. Excited that we aren't moving AT ALL, either church or home. Thankful for all the years of service and fun i had on staff and excited to be a volunteer and say no when i want! hahaha The challenge is now that i am a SAHW (stay at home wife) how to fill my time wisely, how to learn more about photography, how to be a better wife! These challenges excite me! H...