Coming along...

I am amazed every time I tell someone we leave on Friday.  The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity.  We have been packing boxes, organizing, cleaning, trashing, weeding out, good-bye "ing", and packing some more.  Little by little, it is all getting done.

I have been feeling a little schizophrenic through it all.  One moment I am ecstatic and so ready to get on the road, get to Colorado, and get settled.  The next, I am weeping and sharing last moments with friends. God has blessed us with the most incredible friends and church family here.  Even though I am sad to leave them, I feel so much joy at God's goodness to us here.  I know He remains the same through this change.

I was very blessed to spend the day yesterday with our church ladies.  We discussed how and where to find true contentment and joy.  I desperately needed to be reminded that my satisfaction is found in Jesus.

One of our recent good-byes.  Did I mention, we love skype?

Hopefully we will be in Colorado on the 31st!  I will keep you updated.

Direction

Yesterday marked three years since Rob graduated from Seminary.  That is an amazing thing for me to write.  I find myself wondering where those three years went.  As Rob finished his schooling we imagined clear direction to a ministry position for him.  We were sure we would be leaving Virginia Beach pretty quickly.  God had other plans for us.  There were many times that I fought this plan.  I struggled with the path He had.  Now as I look back, I feel only gratefulness.

I'm overjoyed at so many experiences - so many relationships - so much growth - so much of God's faithfulness to us.  I would not trade this time for anything.

I thought so many times "God, why won't you direct us?"  "Why do we feel like we are in the dark right now?"  Now I realize He was directing.  His direction lead us on a different road than expected.  We have seen His hand on us here in Virginia Beach.  We have seen it in ordinary and extraordinary ways.  Now He is directing again.  His recent direction actually does take us to a different state and a different "position" in life.

We are overjoyed to be planning our move to join Sola Church in Colorado.  We have been asked to serve alongside the Mondragons, Gomez's, and Endyks in this ministry.  There are many fears attached to such a change.  But we are trusting God's direction and goodness.

I will miss so many wonderful people here in Virginia.  The relationships have been so sweet.  However, I look forward to settling down in a new community.  I will love the opportunity to be very intentional with where we live, work, and play.  I will love seeing what God has in this new "direction" on the path of life.

We appreciate your prayers for this transition.

Want a good workout and a lot of fun?

Try picking strawberries with a toddler and a six-month old.  I'm so thankful for the beautiful day we had to enjoy God's creation and stock up on the best berries ever.  Brynne was much more productive this year than last year.  I think we actually managed to put most of the strawberries in the bucket instead of in her mouth.

 I had to add this picture too.  This is the biggest head of romaine lettuce I have ever seen.  It was only $1.50.  I love those little farm stands!

Busy Bags for Busy Toddlers

Sometimes while taking care of this little sweetie...

I need something to entertain my big sweetie.

One of the ladies in our church recently suggested we do a "busy bag" exchange. If you haven't heard about this, it is a great idea. Each mom picks a self-contained project appropriate for young children and makes enough for the group of ladies participating. Once you exchange bags, you have a bunch of fun little activities to pull out at just the right time.

I enjoyed making my "button snakes" and can't wait to see all the other projects.

I just had to share my latest faves from the kitchen

I feel like baking is becoming a little bit of a hobby. I never thought I would say that, but I'm getting a little addicted. I know part of that addiction is the great bread-maker I received from my sister-in-law (thanks Tracy!). The other part is my love for yummy food (had to be honest). Maybe another part is that look on Rob's face when he likes one of my experiments. Either way, I thought I would pass on a couple awesome recipes.

These two come from allrecipes.com. "Bread Machine Bagels" and "Bread Machine Honey-Oat-Wheat Bread" are awesome! Neither one is time consuming because of the dough cycle on the bread-machine.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls from moneysavingmom.com has cured me of my cinnamon roll fear. Let's just say my first "from scratch" experience left something to be desired. I brought them to share with my high school Sunday school class and they politely asked "what are these?".

Cinnamon Honey Butter and Oreo Layer Dessert I found on, you guessed it, pinterest.com. I had to bring it up. If you have some serious weight loss resolutions, don't look these up.

Last but not least, I found this goodie in the newspaper yesterday. These were glorious with a cup of coffee this morning!

Apple and Oat Scones with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Makes 12

1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1 and 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, plus more for topping

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I just used it from the pantry)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 and 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apples (I used what I had on hand)

2/3 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Raw turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers.

Add apples and buttermilk, stirring until dough just comes together.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into a rectangle and cute into 12 squares with a floured knife.

Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with raw turbinado sugar and oats.

Happy Baking!

I'm a Princess

I just cannot get over this picture from Christmas. My parents rented a beach house in Sandbridge and our whole clan piled in there. Brynne and Cousin Cade LOVED the dress-up clothes in the "kids" room. They pranced around saying "I'm a princess". Now where did they learn that?

My favorite flea find and other signs of Christmas

Yesterday was another lovely flea market day. I had been wanting a countdown calendar for December and was so pleased to find this at one of the booths. You place an ornament on the "tree" each day of the month.

I just love this time of year! It is so fun to experience Christmas with Brynne this time around. We decorated the tree Friday night and Saturday morning she kept asking to decorate again. It's hard to explain to a 2-year old that you just look at the tree for the rest of the month.