bittersweet

Today was Hannah's last day of preschool. Bringing my little girl one step closer to being a big girl. One more year of preschool and then she'll be off to Kindergarten. How the time flies.

The kids were so cute today. They all did such a great job! Hannah was so excited. All week she kept telling me, "We are going to have a party in the green room and Pastor is going to come and say a prayer!!!"

Hannah helped me bake cookies to take to her closing program, she did most of it herself. She was so proud!

ah, love!

This weekend was my cousin's wedding. Sometimes it seems surreal that we are all grown and marrying...wasn't it just yesterday we were playing "Attack", and kickball on Grammy's hill, getting tractor rides from Pa and roller skating at Papa Wheelies?

But alas we are grown ups now. Those carefree days at Grammy and Pa's seemingly gone forever.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was held at Harbison Chapel, at Grove City College. Where both the Bride and Groom attended. My little Hannah was the flower girl. She was quite nervous, but bravely did everything that was asked of her (with the exception of smiling for pictures). We did get a few small smiles in the post wedding pictures as opposed to the pre wedding pics.

Jenn and Hannah.

the bride and groom. I love smooching pics

The wedding party. Aren't they a handsome looking bunch!

Dip in

Tonight was the Missions conference at our Church. The girls and I went, and it was super fun. I love our church. LOVE it.

The theme of the night was "Dip into Missions." There was a dip contest as part of the theme. Apparently the 2nd annual, but I have no recollection of the first. Nor where I was or why I would not have been in attendance at last year's. I thought we had been to most if not all of the mission conferences since we had moved back.

Mikayla desired to make her own dip entry, and choose to make a pizza dip (PC recipe of course! ) I, in the end, after an exhaustive debate decided to try a new dip recipe and went with the Hawaiian Fruit Dip for Pampered Chef's All the Best Cookbook. Part of the reaso n for my choice of fruit dip was just so that I could use my cool and serve tray from PC. The other part was Hannah's squeal of delight when I told her I was taking fruit. Strawberries are her absolute fav, she swiped a few as we were assembling the tray.

All the dips were great, I had an awful time deciding which dip to vote for in the "Chip" catergory, which contained the most entrants. I definately would not make it as a judge. I made several trips around the chip table trying to determine my favorite dip. The prize winner was in fact my own daughter. WOO~HOO!! Way to go Mikayla!!!

I tied for first in the fruit dip category. And I was shocked that I won the over all Grand Prize! The certificate made me chuckle. I will have to find some place to display it!

Grandma's

Yesterday Hannah and I went to Grandma's. Grandma suggested that we go out into the yard and pick some wildflowers that were growing. Hannah eagerly complied. Grandma found an old jelly jar in the basement for Hannah to use a a vase. Later that evening Hannah's flowers were proudly displayed our center piece on the dinner table.

bliss or something like it

So I am reading this book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I so identify with this passage. It made me sigh and giggle at the same time. She is in her kitchen preparing a snack for her (SIX) children, and finding the joy in all these little things, thanking God for them. Like colors when the sunlight hits the soap soads, a lady bug on her windowsill, watching her six children playing under the pine trees in the yard, putting their snacks on her fine china dessert plates...

And then she calls them in to their snack...

They tramp in loud and fling themselves out of their coats like cicada splitting skins, leave boots a trail of droppings.
The Tall-Girl lets the door swing loose and it slams the fingertips of Little-One and she yelps a pain dance of salty tears.
In the tussle out of a stubborn sleeve, a big brother swipes hard the head of a little brother and Small-Son wails the mad fists and there are coats and boots and still all the dominoes and dishes and books and who has time for all this more? More work? More stuff? More stress? I can feel my pulse quicken fierce. Entering fully into the moment can overwhelm, a river running wild. I will forget, and again, and again, but today I do remember. I breathe and I reel and I hold my ground and my tongue in this torrent coming down. I've staked my claim to the miracle. I know the way to the Promised Land.

I do what I always need to do. I preach it. I preach it to the person I need to preach to the most. I preach it to me. The skins's tugged hard by the rush of time and I say it aloud in the current pounding past, words I need like water: Calm. Haste makes waste. Life is not an emegerncy. Life is brief and it is fleeting but it is not an emergency. (pp73)

How easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. To get stressed over things that are of no matter, things that are simple to fix. The author has seen pain and tragedy in her life. I warn you the first chapter is heart wrenching, I almost didn't want to continue. But her journey toward thanksgivng, praise and gratitude. Recieving the good gifts, God's grace in the everyday is so up lifting. It makes you stop and think about the things that really matter...like this...

He takes great delight in you,
rejoices over you with gladness
and quiets you with His love;
He sings over you.
(Zeph. 3:14-17)

Trust in the Lord & do Good

Earlier in the week I was feeling frustrated and discouraged. Even my devo time seemed more a drudgery than a refreshment. I have been trying to read through the whole Bible this year. I had fallen slightly behind, and even the reading I was doing I didn't feel I was getting anything from, I was just doing it to check it off my list.

Thus I decided to take a break. Not from the Bible but from my reading schedule. I decided to start in Psalms. I felt God leading and refreshing me as verses sprang to mind.

This morning I was in Psalm 37, below is a segment of the accompanying devotional...

from the New Women's Devotional Bible NIV, pg 676

:-)

This past weekend was our annual Easter Egg hunt. Of course this year it was held in a new location. And it was great! Despite at least two children (ahem Ryan and Rachel) who voiced concerns that there might now be has many places to hide eggs here. It could not have been better. The weather was gorgeous! We were able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine on our deck. Rhett even gave the kids tractor rides. A happy childhood memory for me, Pa always gave all us cousins tractor rides when we were younger.

Everyone ready to go listening to instruction from Uncle/MR Rhett

Riley watching the action from the front door.

Everyone examining their bounty

Sophie LOVES Mikayla

Tractor ride.