Feeling Crabby

Our first day at the beach and the kids just wanted to do a little shopping...

Meet Utley (as in Chase from the Phillies)

and Taylor (as in Swift)

and their two very happy caretakers.

And now I'm off to a high intensity crab race. 

You can feel the tension in the air..

It's not for the faint of heart

On Your Mark!

Get Set!

Go!

Whooo!  That was fun.  Okay, I think we can go to the beach now.

Did I Just Feel A Drop?

Everyday, the headlines seem to grow more alarming. The news of disaster, devastation and heart-wrenching situations is overwhelming. Should we be surprised? According to the thought-proving book, Storm Warning, by Billy Graham, we shouldn't be.

This book, sent to me by Thomas Nelson publishing to review, compares the events we are reading about and hearing of, in the media every day, and the tragedies and heartbreak we are personally experiencing, to a gathering storm in the skies overhead. He shows us how God has warned us of these events and those to come throughout the Bible, and he specifically focuses on the book of Revelation. The book started out very strong and I was looking forward to reading it. But after I got through the third chapter I began to worry that I would not be able to give it very high marks! I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this book because I believe the subject matter is so important, timely and necessary to consider. But I need to warn you that for a time, the book seemed to be trying to sell me on the book of Revelation and on the validity of Billy Graham, himself. There was a lot of repetition and I was feeling that the book could have been a lot shorter.

Having said that, by halfway through the book, it picked up and got to the substance of what I was hoping for. Graham goes into detail about the signs of the End Times in the book of Revelation and considers what is happening in our world today. He provides insight into the four horsemen of Revelation Chapter 6, provides the hope that is found in Christ Jesus, and calls us to action as a result of what is to come and what is happening today. This book isn’t a quick read, but I think it is a valuable, if not necessary, one. If you are looking for a compelling summer read, maybe this is it.  You can read more about the book by clicking here.

One Awesome Lady

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who gives reverance to the Lord is to be praised.  Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  Proverbs 31: 30- 31

I don't have to look far for a shining example of strength, dignity, hardwork, laughter, joy,....   While we celebrated a week ago, today is the official birthday of this mighty woman.

Today Millie is 95 years old. 

 Among other things, she has endured losing her mom as a toddler and her step-mom as a young girl. She was widowed in her forties and left to raise 3 children while holding down a full-time job to support them and she is a breast cancer survivor of over thirty years now.  So what does SHE have to smile about?  She's had a very hard life.  Well, she won't hesitate to tell ya why she smiles- she's got Jesus.

 

The Joy of the Lord is her Strength. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

Thank you for your example, Grams.  We love you!   Happy Birthday!

Dad Life

My friend Shawn, sent me this video, and I just had to share it.  I hope that everyone was able to acknowledge a Dad for Father's Day.  Where would we be without them?


Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Thank you, Lord for the gift of good dads.  Thank you for giving so many of them wisdom, patience and a sense of humor.  Amen.

Last Minute Daddy Day Gift

Well, it wouldn't be last minute if I had actually posted this when it was made, but it has been a crazy few weeks around here.  More on that later.  For now, here is a last minute Father's Day gift in case your young ones decide that they need their very own homemade gift for daddy-o. 

Clean out a pasta sauce jar - or jar of equivalent size - fill with chex mix -ours was homemade, but as the clock is ticking here, you'd do just as well with the premade stuff out of the bag!

Cut out 2 large circles from decorative paper, and 3 smaller circles out of plain white cardstock.  Have your child decorate the smaller circles for Dad.  Glue 2 of the smaller circles to the patterned paper circles.  Lay a piece of ribbon over the lid of the jar and attach the 3rd smaller circle to the lid - on top of the ribbon.  Lay the ribbon down both sides of the jar and attach the other circles to the ribbon and the ribbon to the sides of the jar.

Easy Peasy!  You can even make a coordinating card with the left over patterned paper and wrap the whole thing in a simple brown paper bag. 

Have a wonderful Father's Day celebrating all those awesome Daddies out there!!

I'm Seeing Double

I knew this day would come

But I still wasn't ready

A decade isn't supposed to go by so quickly

And now, seemingly overnight, my baby has hit the DOUBLE DIGITS.  Ten years old.

So a celebration was in order.  Some good old-fashioned fun is what my boy wanted.

Baseball and soccer games

crafts for those who didn't want to "sport"

and smore's and an outdoor movie, "The Spy Next Door" to end the evening!

But the highlight of the party was definitely this:

We had a wonderful face painter come to the party.  She painted anything each of the party guests wanted - even dancing pickles!  They loved her and her art work. 

All of her products are FDA approved, won't hurt your skin and are ingestable (although, not a recommended party snack of course!)  In other words, she's using the good stuff!

Lauren was fantastic and if you live in the Jersey, Philly, Delaware, Maryland area, I highly recommend her for a party or event.  You can find her company here:  Face Painting

This little pup is already begging to book her for HER double digit day...

Let's just put a leash on the thought of this one turning 10, please.

Well, this was just the beginning of the big boy's celebrating.  The party is going on all month long -  More to come later!

Ninja Gardening

It looks innocent enough...

And I'm sure many a neighborhood outdoor cat would love to roll around in our beautifully composted soil.

But upon closer inspection, it is clear...

There won't be any pussy-footin' around these parts.

Cats, Beware.  My garden is not your playground, nor is it your potty. Consider the cats warned.

Speaking of gardens, wouldn't this be perfect for me any gardener?

I took a picture of this potting bench when I went to Longwood Gardens last week (again!) in the hopes that Keith will build me an exact replica.  Hey if I can deter cats with plasticware, maybe I can persuade a husband with inspiring pictures I've taken.  Maybe?

Kids These Days

Are you guys playing AGAINST each other on two different machines?

Yeah, we’re doing battle in the wireless union room. Want me to grab Steelix out of my PC now? Hold on. I have to evolve my Jigglypuff...

Whaaat?

On a side note, what's up with the 2 pedometers?  Does that work?  Does that mean if they both say 5000 steps, you can say you've done your 10,000 steps for the day?  Hmm...