Weekend Wrap-Up

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We had a jam packed weekend and are not ready for Monday to come so quickly, but one more week, and we will be on Spring Break!

Friday, Caitlyn had a read-a-thon at school, and Conner had play practice until 7:00.  Chad and I decided to see a late afternoon movie.  

 

 It was a good movie with a great message, but there were two scenes that were not necessary and make it so it isn't a good choice for kids.  It's really a shame.  Afterwards, we got Conner, ate dinner and went to get Caitlyn.  Once home, both kids were anxious to watch Fuller House.  

Saturday morning, Conner had to be at school early to leave for his UIL one-act play competition.  He was gone all day long.  Although his school did not place, he had a lot of fun.

Chad had a men's breakfast, and then we had a funeral that we helped with.  A friend from church's brother died in a motorcycle accident.  My heart goes out to this family.
Caitlyn had a late afternoon softball practice.  We enjoyed an evening at home and struggled to stay up until 10 to get Conner.  We are so old!

Sunday we had a great day at church as we examined the importance of compassion.  Sunday afternoon, my side of the family came over for an early birthday celebration for my dad.

I made fruit kabobs, my brother brought cream cheese with raspberry jelly and crackers, and my sister brought a cake and cupcakes.  It was so good to be with family and spend time with my dad!

The kids enjoyed some time together at the park and pond.

We are thankful for a full weekend with family and friends!

Friday Favorites

 

It's Friday!  Thank you, Lord!  It has been a very busy week.  Here are some faves...

Time With Family 

Last weekend we celebrated our nephew's first birthday.  It was at the rec center, and Caitlyn couldn't resist the climbing wall.  We are looking forward to getting together with my family this weekend while my dad is in town. 

Church 

Last Sunday, Chad had the opportunity to baptize two friends at church.  I just love seeing people baptized.  It's such a beautiful picture of a changed life.  

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  2 Corinthians 5:17

  Our kids have been studying the Love Chapter during the month of February on Wednesday nights.  We decided we would show some love to our local firemen.  We made up goody bags for each one, delivered them, and prayed with the firemen.  They were so welcoming and kind to the kids.

Being Organized

There is something about getting things put on a calendar that just makes me feel better.  Conner and Caitlyn have a lot coming up in the next few weeks, so I put it all on my phone.  Conner has UIL One-Act Play this weekend, and Caitlyn has a Readathon.  

We are all counting down the days to Spring Break!

   I'm linking up with Erika today.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Life Lately

It has been a busy couple of weeks. so here's what we have been up to.

Cailtyn is back at it with softball.  She loves batting!

I had a coupon for a free pizza from Grimaldi's for my birthday, so Chad and I enjoyed dinner out.  The trees at the mall were all lit up and so pretty, and the pizza was delicious!

Our assistant principal blessed us with these adorable, yummy cookies.  She bakes and decorates them herself!

We hosted the junior high girls for D-Now last weekend.  It was so much fun!  Part of Saturday was spent collecting cans and participating in a scavenger hunt.  I am proud to say that we were victorious!  Not that I'm competitive or anything....
Because we won, we were treated to late night pizza!

This was what was left of it.

The kids were off for President's Day, but I had a professional development day.  I decided to treat them to Chick-fil-a during my lunch break, and I enjoyed a salad from there as well.

It was such a pretty day that I decided to eat my lunch out on the back porch and catch up on some reading.

This is such a good book!  Conner is a little offended that I am reading it, but I have found it to be very insightful.

Conner has been staying late for play practice at school, so Caitlyn and I killed some time at the car wash after school.

Our weather has been so crazy lately.  It's the middle of February, but it feels like spring!  Chip and I got a nice run/walk in a couple of days this week.

And finally, Caitlyn was invited to a concert last minute Friday (Hillsong!  So jealous!), so Chad and I took advantage of a gift card to Outback I received for my birthday.  We just love the Bloomin' Onion, but it is so big for just the two of us.  We were happy to find that they have a smaller version called Bloomin' Petals that is just as good.

It's been a busy day today, and we are looking forward to gathering with our church family tomorrow.  It will be another busy week, but we are thankful for each day the Lord gives us.

This is life lately!

Valentine Fun

I know that some people think Valentine's Day is a worthless holiday, but I think celebrating LOVE is a great idea!  Here are some ways we celebrate Valentine's Day around our house.

*$5 Gifts-Chad and I don't do the traditional dinner out, flowers and candy.  We each have a $5 budget to spend on each other which forces us to get creative, and it's so much fun!

 

This was a gift that Chad gave me that had 52 date ideas in it.  Some were simple things we could do at home and some were more extravagant.  We have done scavenger hunts of love notes, playlists of favorite songs, and picture collages just to name a few.  I'm working on this year's gift and can't wait to give it to him!

*Simple Kids' Gifts-We keep things simple for the kids as well.  Last year we did a QR scavenger hunt, and each spot, they had a small gift.  We are going to do something similar this year with mechanical pencils (Conner and Caitlyn love those things) and their favorite Girl Scout cookies (Tagalongs for Caitlyn and Samoas for Conner).

*Special Meal at Home- I like to pull out our china on Valentine's Day for dinner.  We light candles and have a "fancy" meal.  By fancy, I mean a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's!

 

 We also enjoy some brownies for dessert.

We keep things simple, but we try to make it special as we celebrate the day of love!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday started with a beautiful sunrise on the way to school.  This picture doesn't do it justice.  Between the different colors on the horizon, the moon, and I think that is a planet, I thanked Jesus for His beautiful creation.

When I walked in my classroom on Friday, I found a bonus birthday treat from a good friend!  So sweet!

Our administrators are doing Fabulous February Fridays with something special each week.  This week it was freshly popped popcorn and some fun toppings.  Yum!

Friday night we had our best buds, Ron, Cassie, and Wyatt over for dinner.  Cassie suggested Jason's Deli because they deliver.  I had no idea!  It was a great choice, and knowing they deliver might be dangerous for us.  We had some cupcakes for dessert.

We left from there to see our friend Lori's son, Barrett, star in Shrek the Musical. Wyatt and Caitlyn bought some Shrek ears.

It was a fabulous show!  It was hard to believe that is was a high school production.

After the show, we were able to congratulate Barrett on a job well done, and I even talked him into a picture with Cait.  I taught Barrett in 5th grade, and he is such a nice young man.  He has a wonderful voice, and I can't wait to see how God is going to use him and his gift in the future.

Saturday morning Caitlyn had her first softball practice of the season, and it was COLD!

While we were at practice, Chad and Conner were helping do some tree work at a missionary's house.

Afterwards, Conner got to practice his driving a little more with Chad in the church's parking lot.

We enjoyed lunch at home, dropped Caitlyn off at a friend's house, and Chad and I headed to the movies.  We saw The Finest Hours.  It was predictable but still a good movie.


Sunday morning I thought I would be a sweet wife and make Chad's cup of coffee for him.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put a mug under the Keurig.  Oops!  Wife fail!  I served in Kids' Church on Sunday which is always fun.
Sunday night we watched the Super Bowl with one of the adult classes from church.  It was a great game, and we were pleasantly surprised with the outcome!  As far as the commercials go, we all loved the Doritios sonogram commercial the best.

It's so funny!
It was a great weekend with friends, and we are looking forward to a good week!

Friday Faves

 

It's Friday, and I'm linking up with Andrea for Friday Favorites.

1.  A free birthday dessert is a favorite.  I cashed in on my free bundlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and it was delicious!  I enjoyed the red velvet cake.

2.  Hot tea on a cold night is another favorite.  The temps have dropped again the last couple of days, so tea before bed has hit the spot!

3.  Handmade cards are a favorite!  On a local Christian station the other day I heard that Papa John's is collecting Valentine's cards for children in the hospital that don't get to be part of their parties at school.  Wednesday night at church we were talking about 1 Corinthians 13-The Love Chapter and "Love is kind", so the kids made cards.

4.  Football is my favorite!  Although I am heartbroken that my Dallas Cowboys aren't in the big game, I'm looking forward to cheering on the Broncos.

 

And I have to share something that is NOT my favorite...Conner registering for high school!  I can't believe it's already time.  I went to a parent meeting last Monday and met the teacher for his "pathway", and it was great.  Although I am excited about the opportunities before him, I'm still in denial.

We have some fun plans this weekend.  We are going to watch a friend's son star in Shrek the Musical tonight.  Caitlyn has her first softball practice of the season on Saturday and the guys are helping with some tree trimming.  We are hoping to catch a movie Saturday afternoon, and we are looking forward to being with our faith family on Sunday.  Have a fabulous Friday!

42

It's hard to  believe another year has come and gone!  Where does time go?  I am so thankful for another year of life that the Lord has given me.  Today, as I celebrate my 42nd birthday, I am looking back on 42 blessings this year.  Before I do though, I want to share how today was made so special by friends and family.

I received texts from Chad, Conner, Caitlyn, and both of my brothers this morning.

My wonderful friends at work spoiled me with sweet cards and goodies.

Chad brought me lunch from my favorite place-Cafe Max.  Their chicken salad is delicious!  He also brought me a large drink from Sonic.

We went out to eat for dinner, and Chad's dad joined us.  We enjoyed some yummy fajitas.  This tree outside the restaurant was all lit up.  So pretty!




42 blessings this year...

1.  Our birthday/anniversary cruise
2.  Watching Conner play football
3.  Watching Caitlyn play softball
4.  A new job at my school
5.  A fall camping trip with the Evans
6.  Texas Rangers winning their division
7.  Conner in The Sound of Music
8.  Running/walking with Chip
9.  Getting together with Andi, Beau and Chay and their families for breakfast at Ballard Street and going to my mom's tree at the park
10.  Seeing God answer mighty prayers concerning church
11.  Summer vacation at Sea World, Schlitterbahn, and the Natural Bridge Caverns
12.  Spending time with Wade, Brenda, Hunter and Kyndall over the summer
13.  Caitlyn receiving the science award at school
14.  Conner finishing the school year with all A's
15.  Caitlyn finishing the school year with all A's
16.  Having lunch with Sharon
17.  Mother's Day with Glenda
18.  Staying safe during the tornado
19.  Hosting junior high girls at Disciple Now
20.  Andi and Brandon attending church with us
21.  Stephen and Jessie attending church with us
22.  VBS with 5th and 6th graders
23.  A Friday night stay in Arlington with Chad
24.  God's forgiveness
25.  A new pair of tennis shoes
26.  Seeing my dad
27.  Hosting Christmas with both sides of our family
28.  Health insurance
29.  Going to Six Flags
30.  Watching Wylie East play at Cowboys Stadium
31.  Mani and pedi with Caitlyn
32.   Sweet Lucy Lee being born
33.  Seeing Brinley play soccer
34.  Running the relay at the 4th grade track meet
35.  Thanksgiving at Shannon's
36.  Bubble baths
37.  Spending time at the pool with the kids and their friends
38.  Covering my grays :)
39.  Easter egg hunt at Mamaw and Papaw's
40.  Trick or treating with friends
41.  Geocaching with the Footes
42.  The love of Christ each moment of every day

Lord, thank you for another year of life.  May I make each moment count for you!  -Amen