More tea pictures!

So Whitney took these pictures and they are just TO beautiful not to post. I'm a little late getting these all posted but that's okay! I'm thinking about printing out some of these and framing them for the holidays! What do you think!?!

This one is my favorite!! I LOVE how she took the pictures of the all the Christmas ornaments! This one I am for sure framing!!

And of course my Mother's table. Is she not just the most creative person ever!??!! Always has great ideas for her tables, you should have seen her plates SO cute!! They were Santa dishes, LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you Whitney for some great keepsakes!!! I know my pictures would not have turned out as good!

I wish I didn't have to work......

Having the last five days off has spoiled me!! I'm sitting here thinking about how I have to get back up tomorrow and go to work. Boo. But it was a good long weekend, Dave and I have not done too much these past few days. Very nice.

Whitney emailed me the pictures so here we are with Dina.....we very much enjoyed meeting her at the Open House!

I did manage to go to Hobby Lobby Saturday to get this Rooster picture (which Dave ended up liking, didn't think that was possible as he NEVER likes things I buy for the house) and I also got the garland to go on top of my cabinets in the kitchen.

And I also FINALLY got a frame for the P in our hallway. And what do you know, Dave doesn't like it framed!?! GO figure.

We did manage to get a few our decorations out and hung. These stockings my mom gave us last year at Christmas and I LOVE them. So cute. I need to get our names put on them so Santa knows who's is who........Dave hasn't been super good this year so I think I'll be getting WAY more from Santa :) Just Kidding!!

We did get the tree out and put up. I'm not completely done with the ornaments on it, but it'll do for now. This year Dave and I did it together, which was nice. It was raining today so he couldn't hang outside lights, although he did hang some garland around the door with lights!

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.........." Dave is busy trying to decorate the rest of the house so that's my que to stop blogging and go help. Only 26 days till Christmas ya'll! Have a great week!!!

The Blind Side

Yesterday was a very good day, it being Thanksgiving and all. This year (like I said in previous posts) I found myself sitting and thinking about all the things in my life I'm thankful for, all the blessings the good Lord has given me. And this was even more apparent to me after seeing The Blind Side.

We have all seen the previews so I will strictly only talk about what is available to everyone as to not give any details away :) The basis of the movie is one simple thing..........doing the right thing and making ourselves available to what God is placing in our lives. I found myself crying within the first few minutes of the movie and let me say this, this is an extremely HAPPY movie.

Human nature tells us to stay in our comfortable little place in life without inconveniencing ourselves by helping others. Now this isn't everyone BUT I think we have all had our moments in life that God tests our faithfulness by placing things in our paths where lessons can be taken away and at some point or another we, me, have failed.

I found myself thinking after the movie was over would I have done the same thing Mrs. Tuoly did? She, my friends, is one tough cookie with a very special heart. To take someone into their home, to take a chance on a kid who has nothing (and I mean nothing) was pure and simple: God was working through this special lady to reach the heart and change the life of a special child.

Even more than that, I found myself asking would I have the same attitude Michael had in the movie? This child was born into a life style that many in the world are, without someone who loves them and tells them daily how loved they are. I found it to be inspiring and a great testament to just how much the love of God can work through us. He was an extremely lovely, polite, reserved young boy who just needed a break and a little help.

It's amazing to me the challenges some go through and how typically people let their situation get the best of them, they let that evil in their lives win. And I think it's because we forget that there are two forces working in our lives, Satan is real and some allow him to take over. But God is alive and loves us and in this movie, in my opinion, God allowed Michael's situation to take place maybe for the simple reason as to tell it. To tell the story of how helping someone you wouldn't normally can be the best thing you have ever done. Michael's life was change but the Tuoly's lives were changed as well.

Please go see this movie. And yes while it's "Hollywood" there is a great moral to this story.............one I hope to remember for myself every time I come across an opportunity to help someone else.

Thank you Power

Thank You Power
25 Nov 2009Rachel Olsen"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

In my (part-time) job as a university teacher, I'm frequently reading research. I know … it sounds as dry as an over-cooked turkey. Sometimes it is but often I find interesting stuff in that scientific prose. For example, I read about a study that showed just how great it is to be grateful.

The researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism. All good qualities I want more of in my life. They also found grateful people show lower levels of depression and stress - two things I'd like to experience less in my life.

What's more, they found tha t people who write weekly in a journal about things they are thankful for are healthier. They exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better in general than people who journal about neutral or negative life events. That sounds great, and I'll take all the help I can get in the exercise department.

Finally, the research showed that people who daily count their blessings report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. Wow, the benefits of being grateful are remarkable and many! I guess that shouldn't surprise me after considering today's key verse. The Bible urges us to give thanks … all the time … in every situation … because this practice is the will of God.

Let me be clear, there are terrible things that happen to us that may not be the will of God, but us praising God and giving thanks in spite of them certainly is the will of God.As Christians, we can always find reason to give thanks – thanks for the salvation of Christ, the nearness of God, and the counsel of His Spirit for starters.

The psalmist declared, "I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High" (Psalm 7:17, NIV). We can do that too.Christian poet John Milton once wrote about every grey cloud having a silver lining. Purposing to give thanks, no matter the weather, will train us to look for it. Continuing in this manner day after day ensures that gratefulness will become a normal mode of operation.No wonder those researchers found that people regularly counting their blessings grow happier, healthier, and more optimistic. A

fter all, that research wasn't discovering anything new, but rather confirming the will and wisdom of God. God already knows how great it is for us to be grateful. Now "science" does too.What can you give thanks for today?

Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your Son and Your Spirit, given to me. Thank You for the provision of shelter and food I have today. And Lord, thank You for this reminder to become more mindful of my blessings. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Dallas Stars!

Monday night was actually spent at the Stars game! A family friend has season tickets and couldn't go so they asked Dave and I if we could go, which of course we said yes! They tickets were right in the center, 18 rows up and in the first 25 seconds a fight broke out. Needless to say, it was a very exciting game :)

And #10 is my NEW favorite athlete. He was very fun to watch. So thank you Robert and Kathy for asking us to go to the game! Dave and I had a great date night!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

What a great weekend we had! It was full with lots of driving but well worth it! It started Friday night after meeting up at the church to decorate my table for the tea Saturday. Sherry, my mother in law came with me to bring up some donation items for the silent auction. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the tea because Saturday she woke up feeling crummy. Thank you Sherry for helping Friday, it was much appreciated!!!

Dave did a lot of this during the weekend. Although Saturday he did clean the whole house! So many brownie points were earned while I was out running around!

Are you ready to see my beautiful table!! Ready................................................


TADA!!!!! It was such a huge hit and turned out just like I thought it would. Whitney took better pictures so when she sends those over to me I'll post them so you can see up close all the wonderfully decorated details on my table. Thank you to my Mom who is a great shopper and had many of the things I needed to complete the look!

Whitney and I had a fun filled day! It started with a nice breakfast at Caroline's Cafe in Midlothian and then onto the Christmas Open House over at Dina's. Whitney and I were so nervous before we went in because she is even followed by Kelly at Kelly's Korner so she is kind of a big deal :) It was so fun and her house, oh my! So cute! We did get a picture with her, that will be included in the bunch Whitney is sending to me.

"Sisters, sisters. Never were there such devoted sisters...." I LOVE that song, Jenna sings it all the time. This year we were all there for the tea Friday and Saturday. Although how we managed to not get one with Mom is beyond me. This was actually during her speech, oops!

After the tea I met up with my friend Kelly who I hadn't seen since my wedding for dinner. It was so great catching up! She lives up north and we are so far south we don't get together much. But we had a great time and Dave even came to meet us after for a little bit.

Sunday was spent laying around, doing laundry, and lots (and I repeat) lots of football. I'll be glad when the football season is OVER!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday!?! Only two and half days of work though, that's my kind of week :)

My Heart is Heavy

For anyone who reads Kelly's blog, please make sure you follow the links she has for today's post. I decided to read them at work, not a good idea. Can you say choked and up and crying? Touched my heart, it really did. If not go here and check it out.

I must say, Kelly's trip really touched me. I know God calls us all to different types of servanthood and I don't think mine is traveling around the world visiting third world countries (not that I am ruling it out). But in the past few weeks my heart has been touched, and I have a dire need to meet my calling, my place in life to serve. I want to cry just thinking about it.

My mom always talks to us about being good servants, in any area. She is one of the most loyal servants I know, always helping others through her creativity and outgoing personality. I get to witness it , a true servant, God has blessed her with a loving and faithful heart. This weekend I get to see the glory of God shown through a woman who felt a calling to help in the lives of battered women. And I feel blessed and lucky to call that woman my Mother.

I highly encourage you, if you are free tomorrow, to come visit Inglewood Baptist Church for the Cindy Tamplin Memorial Tea. It's amazing to see God working through the women at Inglewood to make a difference in the lives of others.