the weekend and a couple of REALLY great books

On Friday afternoon, Todd called me and asked if we had plans that night.  (We did not.)  Then he told me to see if one of my best friend's (Christa) and her husband Jason wanted to go out for dinner with us that night.  He NEVER does things like that....well, we go out, but he never asks another couple to tag along.  Miraculously, despite the last minute-ness of it all, it worked out great!  They were able to get her parents to watch their young daughter, and we met at our favorite sushi place at seven. 

I ate entirely too much and should have brought half of one roll home.  I cannot help myself when it comes to sushi.  I ventured out and tried a new one, and it was really good!  It had eel sauce on it, and I wasn't too sure how I would feel about it, but it was really good.  I just love sushi. 

I was STUFFED when we came home, so I went to bed almost right away.  I was up at five on Saturday, though, and when I had gotten a few things done around the house, I picked up this book to read.

I had heard it was really good from a blogger mom that I follow (Mix and Match Mama), and I know that pretty much any book she likes, I like.  I started reading it, and then left home to run errands, and cooked a big dinner, then as soon as it was all cleaned up in the kitchen, I sat down to read again, and finished it that night.  It's very Agatha Christie-like, and it was PHENOMENAL.  And the end shocked me.  It was suspenseful, which gave my family permission to scare me all day long, and just one of the best books I've read in a long time.  It did have some language in it, but I can overlook that and skim past words. 

If you're into mystery and suspense, you should consider making this one your next read.  Also, the book was set at this time of year, which appeals to me. 

The other great book I read last week was this one.

It took me a few days to read this, just because of being busy, but if I sat down on a Saturday to read this, I would finish it that same day.  It is good from the start, which I love and need a book to be like, but at the middle point, it really picks up and flies by.  I've read Kristin Hannah for YEARS, since I was in my young twenties, but these last eight or so years that she has written, her writing style has changed drastically.  She also wrote Winter Garden and The Nightingale, another two of my favorites by her in recent years.

As for the rest of the weekend, on Saturday, I made a run to Home Goods for some soap for our bathrooms and a good smelling candle.  I found both on that trip.  I went to Kroger, and that night for dinner, I made chicken tortilla soup in a GIANT stew pot.  I'm excited about all the leftovers we'll be eating on this week. 

Yesterday was church in the morning, then I came home for lunch and took a thirty minute nap.  Our little puppy, Chip accidentally got left out of his kennel while we were gone, and after a quick downstairs inspection, I was shocked to find that he was a perfect angel while we were gone!  He had no accidents and he didn't tear anything up.  Noah got lucky on that one...he was the one who left him out.

After church in the morning, I had choir practice in the afternoon, then I came home after that and got comfy with a bowl of soup.  I watched a couple of episodes of Madam Secretary while all the boys were gone, then I was in bed close to ten.  It was a great weekend.  How was yours?

On the agenda for today is bible study homework and cleaning and laundry (story of my life), and hopefully I'll get through a good chunk of my last library book from my trip there a couple of weeks ago.  That was the best library run I've had in a long time!  I read three books last week alone, and the third one I didn't mention was also amazing and I read it from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.  Tonight I'm eating out with one of my best friends, because it's been WAY too long since I've seen her.  I'm excited about it and can't wait to catch up. 

Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals, for the writing of this blog post. 

Also, consider yourself forewarned, this one's long.  I had a really great weekend and week, so there are lots of pictures.  I'm starting with last weekend, because it was my favorite weekend I've had in a while.  Actually, I've had two of those lately, the one when we went to Nashville for my sister's birthday bash, and this past one.

I love this guy.  He gives the best hugs ever.  It was such a fun weekend, celebrating him marrying his beautiful bride, Terri.  He made us all laugh repeatedly over all his nervousness, but he did great and never once embarrassed himself.  He was nervous because he hates the thought of people watching him.

This was at the rehearsal dinner a week ago, at a place in The Ville called Jim's Grille.  I wasn't impressed by their food when I went there several years ago, but it was so good this time!  I had a fillet, and it was perfectly cooked.  (Medium rare for me, thanks to my step dad, who made me start loving it that way.)

Favorite wedding party members ever.  Kinsley and Kylie were the sweetest little flower girls!  They RAN down the aisle, in their giant cloud puff dresses and glitter tennis shoes.  I already miss them.

Historical homes are my favorite, and this one at the wedding venue (Heartwood Hall) did not disappoint.  I love old homes!  You can feel their age as you walk in and see the original floors, stairs, woodwork, and as you hear the rickety floor creak and groan with every step.  I sincerely wish I'd taken pictures of the inside, but my sister Lisa threw a baby at me (that wasn't one of ours), and I was distracted by his screaming. 

He's my favorite wedding date.

Like I said, it was such a great and fun weekend. 

On Sunday and Monday, all my family left here to head back home.  I met them on the square here in The Ville to say goodbye, and I called Missy, because she works on the square, to come out and meet them, and LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.

Three of my favorites, all in one picture.  Also, she always says that she hopes her son Tyler has twin girls, so here you go.

On Tuesday, I spent part of my day at the hospital with my in-love's because my dad-in-love had his second knee replacement.  We went to visit that night, and to take them a yummy dinner, and this picture still cracks me up.  Todd was repairing the clock above that entertainment unit, and I busted him on the chair as he was coming back down.  He's my favorite form of entertainment sometimes. 

Later that night, I finished my new favorite book by Kristin Hannah.  You should read this, by the way!  I literally could not put it down. 

I got to watch this sweet little one on Wednesday afternoon while her mommy went to physical therapy, and LOOK at how sweet she is!  She fell asleep on me for about five minutes, and was so comfy and cozy.  Baby snuggles are always one of my favorite things. 

Also...

...this is my newest favorite nail color.  You can also see it on my nails with Everly.  It's called Alpaca My Bags.  Is that not the cutest name?

They were sitting so pretty for their mama for this picture.  Treats are their favorite.

(Left to right: Crash, Chip, Callie.)  I never in a million years would have thought I would have THREE inside dogs at the same time.  Todd created a monster when he brought Andy the Wonder Dog home all those years ago when Jonah and Noah were three.  I will say that they definitely enrich our lives, and make things not be so quiet when all the kids have deserted us.

 This precious friend is one of my favorite people ever.  Her name is Teresa, and we were on way into the sanctuary for the night of praise we had last Sunday night.  She always has such a sweet smile on her face, and is the picture of joy.  I'm so glad God brought her and her family to this area, and that we've gotten to know each other!

I saw this on Instagram, from Sacred Holidays, and it was one of my favorite internet images all week long.  This led me to looking at what some verses said about being holy or set apart, and I had a little mini-bible study session that morning.

Yesterday went down as my favorite day of the week.  I got a ton of things done before noon, so at five after twelve, I came in here to settle down and finish the book I started the night before.  And I did.  A clean, put together house is always one of my favorite things, and so is reading a great book. 

Last but not least: this is my new favorite way to eat okra.  I sliced it, drizzled olive oil and sea salt onto the top of it all, and roasted it at four hundred degrees for twenty five minutes.  If you roast it long enough, it gets crispy, but Noah and I were too hungry that day to let it go any longer.  It is so, so good!  You should try it for yourself.  (It's not slimy once you roast it, but it is while you slice it.)

I told you it was going to be long!  I had a lot going on this week.  I'm looking forward to a slower paced weekend and week next week.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

Life Lately

Before I get started, I have to begin with the sermon my pastor preached in church this past Sunday.  It was titled, God's Unseen Hand, it will go down in history as one of my very favorite he has ever preached.  I'm going to attempt to paste the link to the sermon, I hope it works! 



If that doesn't work, go to this website: CFBCfamily.org.  Click on "I'm Family", then go to Media, and scroll down until you see that sermon pop up.  It's about forty minutes, but it never seems long when he preaches. 

I love talking about how amazing God is, and how awesome His providence is.  I have taught this to my boys for as long as they were young enough to stand still, and I always say to everyone that I do NOT believe in coincidence.  God has a purpose for every single thing that happens, and He uses it to accomplish His purpose.  In praying yesterday, I had one such moment with an instance with Drew.  I'm going to pause there, and continue on first, and when I get to Drew's part, I'll explain.

After a crazy weekend, on Monday, I had to replenish what was eaten out of our pantry and refrigerator.  I've gotten on that Monday grocery shopping thing lately, and have been for several weeks in a row, now.  That was about the extent of my day.  I came home and put back on comfy clothes, and enjoyed a night at home with my family.  Originally I had made plans to attend a womens event at our church, but I stayed home to be with my family.  It had been a minute since I'd had a night at home. 

Have I mentioned that I'm a homebody?  I am.  I finished a GREAT book on this night, too. 

On Tuesday, I had bible study, but I missed it this week, because my dad-in-love had a knee replacement surgery.  I wasn't sure if anyone was there with my mom-in-love, so I went and sat with her for part of the day.  I was there by about ten, then we ate lunch together and talked with Wiley's sister and her husband.  Turns out they were already there when I arrived, and I was glad to see them.  I came back home for a while and then made dinner.  We ate quickly and cleaned up in the kitchen, then we took some dinner to them in the hospital.  They always keep him for one night after his surgery, just as a precaution.

We had fun visiting, and I was glad to see him sitting up and looking great.

And then....

Todd fixed the clock on the wall, above that entertainment unit.  The maintenance man had been in there like three times to do this job, but never succeeded, so Todd jumped in and did it instead.  I caught him on that chair, and we all cracked up.

He did fix the clock, by the way, of COURSE my handy man of a husband did. 

Yesterday, Drew took my car to school downtown, so I was glad at the opportunity to stay home and catch up on bible study homework, laundry, and some cleaning. 

He had his first test at school yesterday, in anatomy and physiology, and he has another one today.  About God's providence....Drew had totally forgotten that he needed to buy a pack of Scan Tron sheets for tests in this class, and while he was dressing yesterday, God brought it to his mind.  He got there early and bought three packs, because they're so inexpensive, and then he noticed that a couple of his classmates forgot theirs.  His professor asked if he would mind sharing his with them, and she would give him plenty back to repay him.  I just think that's really cool, that she saw him being prepared for class, and then asked him to help out those two that had forgotten...out of a whole classroom, she chose Drew.  I think it's awesome that she saw him being helpful, and that she trusts him enough to call on him.  Also, God had him buy extra so all this could happen.  That is just one teeny tiny way that we see evidence of God's unseen hand at work in our lives, but He is always doing things like this!  My pastor encouraged us to be on the lookout for such moments like these.  I like to write them down in my journal, so that I can look back and remember.  He is so good to us!

I made some roasted okra for lunch for Noah and me, and it was delicious, and beautiful. 

(Is it weird that I think food and pictures of food is something beautiful?)

(Slice it, drizzle with olive oil and plenty of sea salt, or regular salt, then roast at four hundred degree for twenty to twenty five minutes.  It's supposed to get crunchy, but mine never did...but it was still really good.  It's not slimy anymore, when you roast it.)

Yesterday afternoon, I threw on some proper clothes and went to watch my best friend's little girl. 

I did not throw on makeup.  Everly did not mind that I was without it, it turns out.  I came back home after this and ate dinner, then started a new book.  I didn't put it down until I was halfway through it, either, it's THAT good.  I had a really great library haul the last time I went.  I get to watch her again on Friday afternoon, and then I'll be with her on Tuesday next week, as well.

Today I am doing more of the same.  Bible study homework, laundry, vacuuming, house stuff....and then tonight we finish the bible study two of my friends and I have been doing with some young ladies from our church.  We're doing another one, but we have a three week break before we'll start back.  Meanwhile, I'm also going through the book of Malachi with some sweet women from church.  Even though I had to miss, I've been keeping up with them.

It's been significantly less busy around here this week, and for that, I am thankful. 

Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

daily walking

I came across this on Instagram early this morning, and I immediately took a screen shot of it.  It was posted originally by Sacred Holidays, an organization I follow on Instagram, and it was too good not to share on my own feed.  I'll let you see it for yourself.

It sticks out to me because these days, everyone says something along the lines of, "Do what feels good!", or "Do what makes you happy!".  But that's not the way we're called to live, if we are believers and followers of the Lord Jesus, and if we confess Him as our Lord and Savior.  The world may think that and get away with it, but we're supposed to look a lot different than the world around us.  Here are several verses that tell me why I know this to be true. 

These are some from the Old Testament, and are found in Leviticus.

Leviticus 11:44-45 says this: "For I am the LORD your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy..."

Leviticus 19:2 says, "Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

Leviticus 20:7-8 says, "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.  Keep my statutes and do them: I am the LORD who sets you apart."

(In context, God was speaking to Moses in these verses, and was giving him instructions on what to go back and say to the Israelites.)

Here is another, this one from the New Testament. 

1 Peter 1:15-16 says this: "But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.' "

Be holy...the Lord has set us apart from those who do not belong to Him.  That doesn't mean we will get it right one hundred percent of the time.  We are all sinful beings, and we mess up thousands of times each day.  But we shouldn't continue on in our practice of sinning...in my mind, there are intentional sins that are committed (things like promiscuity, adultery, slander, murder, gossip, quarrels, taking the Lord's name in vain), and there are unintentional sins (like thinking a mean thought, saying something we shouldn't, snapping at our husbands for no apparent reason).  Does that even make sense?  Like I said, that is not in the bible, it's just the way I think about sin and meaning to sin or practicing it, and just waking up in the morning already such a sinful human being. 

What being holy and set apart DOES mean is living out every single day the faith in Jesus that we profess.  It means we are kind.  We are humble, and we place the needs of others before our own.  We confess when we are wrong, and we very quickly make amends.  We spend time with the Lord every single day.  Even if it's not actually sitting down to read the bible, we should be talking to Him and praying every single day of our lives.  We should be reading His word.  We should take that word that He gave to all the different writers in the bible, and we should apply it to our lives. 

We are to be holy, because He is holy.  We should be pointing others to Jesus, in our conduct, in the way we look and dress, and in the way we speak.  We shouldn't be talking so much that we don't give Him time to speak (I don't mean audibly, but through His word).  We should be living a very reverent, worshipful life, and not just on Sunday, when we go to our nice, comfy churches and sit.  We should consider every single moment in the day a chance to worship the Lord in how we conduct ourselves. 

We have to live IN this world, but we don't have to act like this world.  We should look the opposite of everyone around us, if we are in a room full of people we don't know, because chances are a lot or even most of those people are not believers and followers of Jesus.  We should always be looking for opportunities to represent Him to those around us.  For some people, we may be the only glimpse of Him they ever see.  That's a sobering thought! 

We have a responsibility and we have a charge.  Be holy, because He is holy.  It's pretty simple.  Like I said before, we are human, and daily we really mess things up, but God is a merciful God, and He forgives us, and He lavishes His grace and love upon us.  To the best of our ability, we should be living this way, if we belong to Him.  I am telling myself this, not just random people who may be reading this.  I pray every single day that His Holy Spirit would fill me anew and lead me and guide me.  And a million times a day, I have to confess something to Him and ask Him to forgive me. 

He is so good to show us our sin, when we ask, and the bible says that He is our helper, and our strength.  I pray this inspires someone today to examine their own hearts, and to spend time with Him.  You'll never be sorry for spending time with the Lord!  Once you do that and start to do that consistently, you'll be sorry for any time you DON'T spend with Him. 

Love to all.   

a wedding weekend

We have been looking forward to this weekend since Tyler proposed to Terri several months ago.  I think it was about this time last year that he proposed, or maybe it was October or November, but the day arrived, and family poured into town for the joyous occasion.  And then, as fast as it approached, they started leaving town again, or are leaving today to resume their normal lives.  It was a whirlwind of a weekend.

Our celebrating began Thursday night, when everyone arrived.  Mom and Bill made a giant Thanksgiving style dinner, since we are never all in town together during the holidays.  Here were all the grandkids.

They're in birth order from left to right.  Jaret, Erika, Tyler, Devin, Austin, Graham, Nicole, Drew, Jonah, and Noah.

Handsome, sweet Austin.  We never get our picture made together! 

I got some sweet baby girl sugars, but I only got a picture made with Kinsley. 

Friday dawned, and it was a normal day, until that afternoon when we joined in the festivities at the rehearsal.  We didn't have to be there, I just wanted to go and be with family.

Kinsley and Kylie, Terri and Tyler. 

This is a gorgeous old home on the property at Heartwood Hall.  The inside was to die for beautiful!  You can tell it's old, and the floors and stairs were all original, you could tell by just walking on them.  If you know me AT ALL, you know I love historic homes. 

After rehearsal we went to the dinner, here in Collierville. 

Sweet Tyler.  I love his awesome bear hugs.  Seriously, I'm a hugger, and he gives the greatest.  He was so nervous!  We were trying to give him some pointers to calm him down.  As funny and crazy as he is, he hates the thought of people paying close attention to him, and that was what was making him be on edge. 

Our dinner was delicious. 

The next day we had to be there at five for pictures, and let me just say this.  If any of my kids ever threaten to get married in an outdoor ceremony (unless it's seventy degrees or below), I will disown them.  It was hotter than Hades and if not for the awesome makeup I got from my niece who sells Limelife, all my makeup would have melted right off. 

I love the outdoors.  I do NOT love the outdoors if it's hot. 

I cannot even think of words for this picture.  My great nieces are beautiful!  They were the flower girls.  Their dresses were basically giant clouds of tulle, and they could barely walk.  (Their pretty mommy took this picture.)

Look how beautiful my sisters are!  Their dresses were amazing.  All of them!  The top one is Lisa on the left, and Debi, and then Trish is with Debi on the bottom one. 

Debi and me. 

My pretty mama and step dad walking down the aisle.  (Thank you, Debi, for these pictures!) 

The structure they stood in front of.  It was so pretty!

Running down the aisle....they were so tired, but they did so good.  Erika and Kyle are amazing parents and these girls are little angels.  Truly...I am not just saying that because I'm biased.  I'm a believer that kids take on the personalities of their parents, and you can tell they're disciplined because they are so well behaved.  They will go to anyone, and they rarely ever fuss, even when they're exhausted.  Also, know that I hardly ever compliment kids, because nowadays, well behaved kids are hard to find.  These girls are AMAZING.

They're married! 

The reception was beautiful...it was in a barn. 

The inside was decked out with candles and twinkling lights.

My favorite wedding date.  I will just let it be known that I love this man...even though he watched an entire football game on his phone at the wedding reception.  And maybe through a bit of the wedding.  I cracked up when my brother in law Mike told me he would sit be Todd.  I looked at them at one point while they were eating and just about choked.  They were just silently eating, watching the game together.  Two peas in a pod.

We stayed until the very end.  This was us sending them off for the night, and then yesterday morning they flew out for the honeymoon.  It was a beautiful weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed being with our family.  We stayed and helped the family members load stuff into their cars, then we came home and crashed.  Yesterday was church day, so we were there at eight thirty, even though I felt like I'd been hit by a train, but thanks to the sound guy, he gave me some Aleve gelcaps and I was good to go for the day, pretty much.  Last night we had a night of praise, and then we went to Booya's to eat afterward, and then I slept peacefully until five a.m.

Well, if you made it this far, good job.  I love writing about events like this, because I have them forever to look back on.  You know that's why I write on this blog, it's partly for me to have all these wonderful memories.  I also try to write to encourage and to point others to Jesus.  He is so good, y'all, and I am thankful for this wonderful weekend, and for the fun memories that were made. 

Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

Life Lately

Hello.  Remember me?  The one who keeps taking a blogging break, without meaning to?  It's just that things have been busy, and kind of mundane.  Nothing super exciting has been going on, and when that happens, and you don't have an idea as to what you'd like to write about, you just don't write. 

I thought I'd share a little of what's been going on in the days that have passed since I last wrote.

I've been decorating for fall.  I did this last Wednesday, actually, but I added this little pumpkin on Saturday, after I shopped at Marshall's that morning.  I also bought a really cute new purse.  I haven't had a new purse in a while, and that's not really what I went to Marshall's for, but when I started browsing, I saw several that I liked, in different color options.  The one I went with is a taupe(ish) gray.  It's sectioned, and it closes well, and there's a shoulder strap AND cute handles that I wear in the crook of my arm. 

While I was gone, Todd and the two younger boys were doing this.

They were at an Alabama game.  They left around nine that morning, the game was at two thirty, and they were back home by eleven. 

I finally finished a book I'd been reading, and I've been making my way through the one that you see on the bottom of this stack.  It's really, really good.  I'm a little more than halfway through it. 

This made me laugh out loud.  I am super selective as to who borrows my books.  I don't offer them to just anyone.  I have loaned some out that were never returned to me again, so I learned my lesson the hard way.

Unfortunately, today is back to normal here, weather wise (which is mid and upper eighties), but I have been LOVING the cool mornings and nights.  I pulled this big ole flannel blanket back out and have been keeping it at the foot of our bed, and when I went upstairs to get dressed the other morning, I loved how cozy it looked. 

I've been having to make breakfast for Drew, and have FINALLY perfected my omelet making skills.  He has to leave home Monday through Thursday at either eight o'clock or eight thirty, and during the days when he's in class, he doesn't eat lunch in between the two he has each of those four days.  He may snack on something small, but he stays on campus usually, and eats late in the day when he gets home.  Because of that, I've been having to make him a pretty substantial breakfast.  Sometimes it's sausage biscuits, but the last two days it's been a cheese omelet with salsa and toast from the oven.  I make him coffee to go and he takes a big cup of water with him each day.  Unless he forgets them, like he did today.

Also, speaking of Drew, it was just us downstairs last night as he worked on stuff for his classes, and I offered to type something out for him really quick.  This was him proofreading before he went to print it out.  I asked him how classes are, and his answers are so short.  He'll say they're fine or even boring sometimes, but I know that'll pick up as he gets further along.  He was working on English and statistics last night.  His favorite classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays, which are anatomy and physiology and psychology. 

I'm really proud of him.  It's not easy being at home still when most of your friends are away at school. 

Other happenings that are not pictured are things I've been doing at night this week, or in the day time.  I had book club Monday night, out in the country at my friend's house, and that is always fun.  We eat good food and talk about the books we read together.  We've been doing this for about a year and a half now.  I started back to the Malachi bible study that I'm doing, after missing two weeks in a row.  And we met Tuesday night for another bible study, this one that three of us older women do with three younger women.  I had a special practice last night at church, a rehearsal for our praise and worship night that is this Sunday night.  Tonight we're all going to Mom's and Bill's for a family dinner, because my WHOLE family is in town for the wedding that will take place this weekend!  Tomorrow night is rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, Saturday is the wedding, Sunday is church most of the day, Monday is a women's thing at church, and Tuesday night I had made plans for dinner out with one of my best friends that I haven't seen in way too long.  To say it's been crazy is a huge understatement.  It is slowing back down after all that, though. 

Well, I need to go and get started on a few things before the plumbers get here.  (We have a new leak, oh joy!  This one is upstairs, over the boys' bathroom.)

Thanks for reading.  Love to all! 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  This week was kind of a blur, since I was out of town from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon.  I spent the next couple of days getting things back in order from being gone for a few days, then before I knew it, it was Thursday night. 

I'm linking up with Andrea (and her friends) over at Momfessionals for this blog post. 

Hands down, my favorite part of the week was celebrating my sister Trish's fiftieth birthday in Nashville. 

(That was water in the bottle.) 

And also my sister Lisa surprising her by showing up to the weekend, was another favorite.

(Left to right: Debi, Lisa, Mom, Trish, me.)

And this one, just because.  We had so much fun!  We laughed til we cried, we shopped, we ate, we stayed up late, we swam, we caught up with each other and had great quality time together.  (Can you tell quality time is my love language?)

Like I said, this will forever be one of my favorite weekends ever. 

When we shopped in Franklin on Sunday, I splurged a bit and bought a couple of things for myself, one of which is this adorable cup for my coffee.  (The other was a really cute pair of gold earrings.)

It's by a company named Swig.  I think people use these for wine, but when I saw the lid with the slide closure, I was hooked.  I love my coffee hot, hot, hot and this definitely keeps it that way.  If I know I'm going to be away from it for a few minutes, I close the lid and it's still piping hot when I come back.  This is my new favorite coffee cup.

The fall bug bit me this week, and I pulled out all the decorations.  It's really my sister Trish's fault, because she bought me this new candle from Cracker Barrel on our way home Monday.  It's so yummy smelling!  Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love all the cute decorations.  They will stay in place until Thanksgiving night.  I even made some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with homemade cream cheese cinnamon icing for my hubby for dessert last night, and they were DELICIOUS. 

Favorite things abound in this picture: cup, candle, quiet time stuff.  I was having a morning yesterday (and ended up having a mini version again last night), and the Lord was gracious to lead me to some passages in the bible to help me through.  One was from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, and the other was from Ephesians 6:10-18.  I love when He does that! 

Last, but not least: weddings are my favorite!  I get to see my nephew Tyler and his fiance Terri tie the knot next Saturday night, and I can't wait.  Also, my whole family will be here for it, most of them from Colorado.  It's been fifteen years since all the daughters, spouses, AND grandkids have been together, and we are all eating dinner at my mom's house next Thursday night.  The two angels on the left will also be here, and y'all.  They are the flower girls in the wedding!  I'm dying.  I cannot wait to see it all, and see everyone.  I'll write all about it on the Monday following the wedding.  To make things a tiny bit more crazy, we also have a night of praise and worship at my church that Sunday night, and that'll take up part of the time.  It's going to be a long, whirlwind of a weekend that is going to fly by. 

I'll be recovering the Monday after, most likely.  And possibly the Tuesday after. 

Well, I need to get a few things done before my dad comes over for lunch today.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all.