Peace, Love, and a Sweet Testimony

Come to Me, and rest in My Peace. My Face is shining upon you,

in rays of Peace transcending understanding.

--Jesus Calling

I would assume that anyone reading my blog knows of our family's recent struggle as we said "see ya later" to my sweet sister-in-law, April. April fought a 2 year battle with breast cancer, and Jesus called her Home this past Friday. From the first day of being diagnosed, she kept her head high, and was determined to fight. She trusted that God would heal her of this terrible disease. And as Christians, we know that He answered her prayers in His perfect way. Although we will miss her terribly, we know that April is completely healed of cancer and is dancing with Jesus day after day.

We know that God knew from the beginning of time His Perfect plan for April. He had a perfect plan for her life, and He knew exactly what she was to accomplish here on earth.

April was beautiful on the inside and out. She loved people. She had compassion for many and an unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. She was never ashamed of her Lord, and wanted to make Jesus known to those around her.

Through this difficult journey, our family has been overwhelmed by the Body of Christ. We have felt so much love and kindness from hundreds of people. We have been loved, prayed for, hugged on, and brought many meals. We believe that through the testimony of Sam and April's journey, the gospel has been shared. And because of that, we believe many may see a glimpse of God's grace in a new and fresh way.

We thank you for your prayers and huge acts of kindness. We ask that you continue praying for healing for Sam and the children as they begin to grasp what their new lives look like. May Jesus continue to be glorified.

Much love.

brushes and paint

It's been a while since I have painted regularly, but in the past few weeks I have been asked to make a little art. So, I've dug out my paintbrushes and gotten to work. Here are a few transportation paintings I made for our little friend Samuel's big boy room. I will be starting next week on some nursery art for a friend.

There are not enough hours in the day for all of my hobbies!

Two of my Loves

I am fully aware that every mother thinks her children are the most precious...but seriously, I can't imagine any two more adorable kids.

love 'em

Pumpkin Patch

We spent a recent Saturday afternoon at Priddy Farms in Bartlett. My mom had heard about this fun little farm and we decided to check it out, and we sure were glad we did. We arrived around 3:00 and had a couple of hours to ride a little train, take a hayride, pick a pumpkin, and play on lots of play equipment. There was something fun for kids of all ages. We will definitely be returning next year. (And hopefully in December to pick out our Christmas tree). Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

Recent Treats

As much as I love to decorate cookies, I simply do not make the time unless I get a specific request or it is a holiday.

We are definitely entering cookie baking season... pumpkins, turkeys, and then Christmas.

But in the mean time, here are a couple of my most recent projects.

These were made for a sweet little girl being born. Her mommy wanted some cookies to share at the hospital.

These were made for Ainsley's 6th birthday.

October Meal Making Party

Are you sick of eating out or tired of not having dinner ready for your family? If so, this party is for you!

Join us on Thursday, October 20th @ 6:30**

and you will leave with 8 meals to feed a family of 4. (But if it's just you and one other, simply divide many of the meals before you freeze them, or have plenty of leftovers for the next day).

Menu for the Month...

Baked Jambalaya

Garlic Kissed Pork Chops (may sub chicken for pork- advise with RSVP)

Tasty Brown Sugar Chicken

Fall Cranberry Baked Chicken

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Italian Penne Pasta Bake

Skillet Salisbury Steak

Merlot Chicken

______________________________

Optional Additions for $5 each (please advise with RSVP)

Side of the Month: Scalloped Corn Casserole

Cookie Dough Balls of the Month: Homemade Reese's Chewy Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies.

Where? Anna's House

*********

How Much? $125- cash or check payable to Anna Pearson or Rose Kelly

-want the meals, but can't attend? For $150 we will do the work, and you can pick up your meals the next day.

Please RSVP by Sunday, October 9th to

comecookwithus@gmail.com

What to bring?

a cooler and $125

**please note that this is the last traditional meal party of the year.

We will resume our monthly meal parties in January.

We will have a special Christmas Dinner Party in December.

Just an Average Day

Part of my goal for this blog is to just document the every day things around our house so that years from now I'll remember what we were up to in 2011... basically just a diary of sorts. Today wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but I just happened to capture some photos throughout the day, so I thought I'd blog about it...

5:00- VERY early wake-up call from Graham. He is getting his first 2 teeth, which really don't make him fussy, but have caused him to wake up too early a few mornings. I really didn't mind though because it gave me an extra couple of hours to do a few things around the house before Molly woke up.

7:00- Molly woke up (also a bit earlier than usual), but it was good because she got to see Nick before he headed off to work.

The kids played and Molly decided it was time for Graham's first Cheeze-It. He was a bit curious, but not a huge fan. We'll get there. We usually watch Barney or a Princess movie on the mornings we hang out around the house.

9:00- Off to play at Lifetime. Over the last few months, I have gotten into a good routine of working out a few days each week, and the kids both enjoy playing in the nursery while I exercise. Thankfully, the Banks have joined, so I have Katie to workout with, and Molly gets to play with Sloane and Aubrey.

11:00- We grabbed Wendy's and headed to the tire store to eat lunch with Daddy, Honey, and Papa Sid before heading home.

12:30- naps for the kids while I caught up on some meal-party planning, facebooking, and chores.

3:00- We headed to McVay park with Jessica (our next-door neighbor) to play for a little while since the weather has been so nice.

5:30- dinner for Molly (leftover BBQ chicken, pita chips, strawberries, cheese, and fruit snacks)

6:00- Nick got home in time to help with baths.

6:45- Molly and Graham were both in bed, which meant Dinner and TV time for the grown-ups. We have to leave the house before 7:00 on Wednesdays, so Tuesday nights wrap up a bit earlier than the other nights.

Like I said before, this is pretty much a typical busy day around our house, but I think in 10 years, I'll look back with fondness remembering the little things.