birthday fun

I love birthdays! Growing up my parents made a big deal about them, not that we just got tons of presents, but it was a really special day. So naturally, I love to celebrate them and rejoice in the life and year the Lord has given. Saturday was Don's birthday. We had a fun celebration especially since his sister Sara and parents were in town. We went out on Wednesday to the Civil Rights Museum, lunch at the Majestic, a trolly ride and a Redbirds game that evening.

And for his actual birthday because I am the kind of person that has to celebrate on the actual day we went out to dinner at Rizzo's and did some shopping. Rizzo's was not the ideal plan for dinner, but after calling 5 restaurants to make reservations we settled on Rizzo's. I guess April 21 was a busy night for fine dining. I just couldn't believe that all those restaurants were already full by mid-week. We enjoyed Rizzo's and would go back it was really tasty food. The dessert however topped it all. It was an ice cream sandwich banana split full of  amazingness!! The picture just looks like a pile of chocolate, but I would go back there just to have that dessert again. Before dinner we went to Hoot and Louise. Ladies, this is a must go to store! They have the cutest dresses! She also carries vintage clothes and they were all so unique. Go there!

cute wrapping from Hoot and Louise

1980's vintage skirts

Veggie plate: Arugula salad, Goat cheese stuffed squash and tomato and white bean paste bruschetta. Yum!

Don's Chorizo Meatloaf. He said it was great.

And the mound of awesomeness. 

We had a great night! I love sweet nights and birthday celebrations with my darling :)

dear friends and guest blogging

Our sweet friends the Barker's are in Uganda adopting their sweet boy Amos. I am beyond excited to get to meet this little boy and hug on him! They have been in the process of adoption for less than a year. It has been amazing seeing the Lord bring everything together for them to add another sweet little boy to their family. The Barkers have been a HUGE part of our lives for so many years. I thank the Lord for their friendship, love and encouragement. As they move to Michigan I know it isn't the end of our friendship, just a change and we are going to do our best in staying connected. May the Lord receive so much glory from the Barker's lives!!

 I will be doing a few guest posts over at Al's blog After His Smile, so drop by and check them out! Her blog is super cute and full of wisdom!

Read Read Read!!

I just returned from the dentist where I had my teeth cleaned and they just feel so nice. It makes me not want to eat anything because I don't want to "mess" them up, but then my stomach calls and of course I give in... anyway....

I greatly enjoy reading. It probably helps that my husband does as well, so a nice evening could be us sitting on the couch together reading and me probably reading him a quote from the book I am reading interrupting his reading... I hope he doesn't get annoyed by me doing that. I know many people don't enjoy reading or say they don't have time, but I just want to encourage you to make time. Not only does it sharpen your mind, but it's much more enlightening then just watching T.V. every evening. I also think a key part of reading is reading authors and books that your really enjoy. Personally, I don't typically read fiction. It's not that I don't enjoy it, but it's just that I find other books more satisfying and moving for me. So, find something you like. Here are some books I've read this year that I thought were really great...

~ Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassen. It's basically 20 contrast between what the Bible says a wise woman is and a wild woman. She is a wonderful author and tells many engaging stories. It really showed me some areas of my life that I have still have some wild tendencies.

~ Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney. It is a very challenging read about pride and really brings the Gospel to life. I read it as part of my quiet time for about 2 months.

~ A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester. Great book! Don and I are really passionate about meals and cooking and community and this book is all about that. Not just about hospitality, but about how so much of Jesus' ministry was centered around the table and how a meal is an opportunity to show grace, share community and be missional. Such a good book.

I am currently reading with Don Family Vocation: God's Calling in Marriage, Parenting, and Childhood. So far we are both really enjoying it. We read a chapter a week and then talk about it. He takes a lot of his teaching from Martin Luther on how he considered the family calling to be the most important of all the earthly vocations. Highly recommend this book. It has really encouraged me in my role as a wife and mother.

I am currently reading For the City by Darrin Patrick an Matt Carter. I am only 3 chapters into the book, but so far I do not want to put it down. The book is the story of 2 church plants in totally different cities, but how both of them are focused on meeting the needs of their city, serving their city and sharing the Gospel. This book really excites me because it is so our heart for Audubon Park Baptist Church (the church we are serving at) and the way the Lord has Don and I serving.

With reading I don't want it to sound like I just have tons of time to read or that I just sit all day and read because in reality I don't at all... there is always things to be done, places to go and little ones to take care of. I try to make time to read maybe a chapter a day, sometimes more or sometimes less... whatever fits the schedule. I want to just encourage you to enjoy books! Any book suggestions please send my way... even if they are fiction ;)

Desiring God must read article!

I had a few things I wanted to write about, but have to put that all aside after reading this short article on Desiring God. Please click here and read it... it's not long at all and it is so worth the 2 minutes or less it takes to read it. It's a son's tribute to his father that served and worked with the poor in Sri Lanka. I was greatly struck by how he describes how they gave up a "fancy" nice home so that they could relate more to the poor. It made me think on how much time I can spend making our home "perfect" and decorating and making "things". Don't get me wrong I do not believe making your home lovely is a sin or bad thing to do. In fact I believe the Lord has designed and put it in women to make a home a... home. It's more on how much time and energy and thought goes into it and then am I fully using our home to serve others and be relate able to everyone that walks through our front door. Please read the article maybe other things will stick out to you :) Have a lovely day.

Waving their branches

"As he was drawing near- already on the way down the Mount of Olives- the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the might works that they had seen, saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!'" - Luke 19:37-38

Holy Week

My sweet kids and I have been fighting sickness on and off for a while now. I love the change in weather, but it can really hit my sinuses. So, I am a few days late in posting this, but I wanted to share what our family is doing for Holy Week, which started on Sunday. Don and I really want Easter to be as celebrated and focused on as Christmas. As Christians Easter is a HUGE deal it is the celebration and remembrance of Christ giving us life so that we could have life with Him. It's a celebration of the new life that Christ gives. We want to always cherish that and teach it as best we can to our kids. Here is a quick rundown of what we will be doing this week. We are a day behind on it since we were all so sick on Sunday. So we really started yesterday. So if you haven't started it's not too late!!

Sunday: Triumphial Entry

Luke 19:28-44; John 12:27-36

Songs: Hosanna (Hillsong), Crown Him With Many Crowns,
We also found print outs of palm branches and colored and cut them out and did a parade as we sang. (pics tomorrow)

Monday: Jesus clears the temple

Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:47-48

Songs: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, Come Thou Fount

Tuesday: Jesus teaching in the Temple

Matthew 22:1-14, 34-40; Luke 21:34-38

Songs: My Jesus, I Love Thee,

Wednesday: Plot to kill Jesus

Mark 14:1-11

Songs: All My Days, May the Words of My Mouth

Thursday: Passover

Mark 14:12-42

Songs: Passover Us (Peterson),

Friday: Christ Death

Mark 14:43-15:47; Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Songs: How Deep the Father’s Love, Hallelujah, What a Savior, Go to Dark Gethsemane,

Saturday: Waiting (Making the tomb secure)

Luke 23:56b; Matthew 27:62-66

Songs: My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness, All My Days, I Will Sing of My Redeemer, I Will Glory in My Redeemer

Sunday: Resurrection

Matthew 28

Songs: See, What a Morning, The Power of the Cross, In Christ Alone, Crown Him With Many Crowns, Let Your Kingdom Come (Sov Grace),

(All Scripture and songs are from a document my husband put together)

We are also going to make an "Easter Mountain" this year. Noel Piper teaches about it in her book "Treasuring God in our Traditions". This will be our first year making one and basically it is a play dough mountain/tomb. And it is used to show Jesus being buried and then on Easter morning he will be placed on top of the tomb... showing how he defeated death. Noel explains it much more eloquent :)

We also do lent candles. Starting on Palm Sunday we have 5 candles lit and as we read and sing on each day we blow out one candle at a time. On Friday all 5 candles will be out and stay out until Easter morning where we will then have them all lit on the table with Jesus out of the tomb and a huge breakfast to celebrate!

So much distracts and takes away from the true meaning of holidays. Don and I find nothing wrong with having candy and doing Easter egg hunts, but we always want our children to know why we do the things we do. We are so not perfect at it, but we love teaching our children and thankful for the grace that God gives us in doing so. I hope to share some pics from the week :)

Anyone else have Easter traditions?