Turning 40

In October I turned 40. I was working a temporary job at Williams Elementary as a library aid. It was the best job. I loved it so much

I think what made it so wonderful was my co worker. I am so thankful for the time we had together and the friendship that was built.

She threw me this amazing 40th birthday party. It was pretty awesome

Turning 40 was a pretty big deal. My dad turned 60 the same month. I had hoped to go to California and spend that time with my parents. We had done that when he turned 50. My moms passing has changed so much in our lives.

I love that someone took time out of their schedule to make my day so special

The kids that came into the library really loved the decorations and truly could not believe I am 40 years old. That is pretty awesome too.

I absolutely love this shirt. It will go in a quilt soon.

Most of all I am thankful for family. I feel like I have so much to be grateful for. 

I am also thankful for quilting customers like this one. She sent me flowers for my special day to remind me how much I am loved and that my day was one to celebrate, even if I was a little sad missing my mom

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Visiting Jakob at SMU October Homecoming

I was very fortunate to attend all of Jakob's pre college experiences. My husband had to work and was unable to tag along. Even orientation and move in was not possible. Homecoming at SMU is in October and instead of going out during that busy weekend we went the weekend after for my pre birthday celebration.

I was so excited to see him. Its amazing how much they change once they move out on their own.

We made a stop at In and Out. I loved this restaurant in California so its so nice that Dallas has them, and its pretty inexpensive considering.

We stayed the whole weekend so he got to sleep in a real bed and enjoy a break from the campus. 

We gave dad a tour of the campus and snapped a quick photo there

I love their change up of landscaping. I wonder what they do with all the pepper plants when they are finished with them.

We enjoyed a night out at Outback, not normally in our price range but it was a nice treat.

Jakob collects soda bottles, he happened to find a few during our weekend venture. He was one happy camper. It was a great birthday treat. One I hope we can continue.

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Homecoming 2014

This year Mekenzei decided to go to homecoming alone. I am thankful for good friends. She enjoyed taking photos for her Historian Role and also just having a night of entertainment. Zekaryah decided to not attend since the lights seem to bother him more with whatever health issues are going on.

This is the first year she actually didn't get ready at home. In fact I didn't even see her until after the dance. I am thankful for photographs. She enjoyed getting ready with this set of friends from school.

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Summer Vacation 2014

Last summer we had my niece come live with us for a while. We took a trip to one of our favorite camping places- Medina Lake

It was nice to have this time together before Jakob left for college.

His senior year had been so busy, we needed time to connect and relax

I am thankful for all the laughs, the trials and the family time of 2014

I am so amazed by all three of my children. They are so different from one another and I am thankful for their character, determination and loving hearts. Jakob did an amazing job in high school. 

We enjoyed the campground, San Antonio and the water park on this trip

MeKenzei was in heaven because of all the deer. The are super friendly and love to be fed.

This is an area where a lake used to be. With all our rain this summer, it is actually full of water again. it would be neat to go back and take a photo like this one to show the difference and impact drought has on an area.

It seems often my marriage is what takes a back burner in our very busy lives. Times like this remind me how much we need to try and plan dates and connect,

Zekaryah is my love bug. He loves hugs, he loves affection. He truly is so compassionate and caring. 

I can't help but thank our Heavenly Father for the ability to live in a beautiful state and enjoy so much that he has created.

Its super nice to see the kids connect with Paul too. He works three jobs to provide for us. I am so thankful for the father in him that wants so much to give them a good life.

Cant wait to be back and enjoy the deer again.

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His and Her Wedding Quilt

His and Her Wedding Quilt- Nearly Full Size 80 by 88

Nearly every female item was appliqued to fabric because it was desired to have it in its entirety. 

The middle section had a combination of a couple of her shirts and a few of his to unite the quilt. The mother of the bride had precut many items, so it was a different process for me than normal.

There were a couple of His items from baby and younger years, but mainly His items were just Tshirts for the quilt

Not all items that were sent were able to be used, some had lots of sequins which my machine didn't like, others I didn't feel would hold up in the quilt so I returned them rather than chancing it. 

I wrapped the quilt up in a blue border and added a blueberry flannel backing to it. Its my most difficult order to date. Took a full 24 hours to create.

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Mission Trip to Ecuador

I am very pleased to tell you about the amazing opportunity that God has provided for me. After much prayer, my parents and I have decided, I will join some other students in going to Ecuador on a mission trip to share the Gospel of Christ. We will be leaving Friday August 1st and return home Saturday August 9th. Some of the activities that we will possibly be leading are; Vacation Bible school, worship, crafts, work projects, a student retreat and adult leadership training. We will be visiting Camp Chacauco in Chacauco, Ecuador, where we will have the opportunity to share the gospel with children and some adults who live there. Also, we will go to the neighboring villages of Chacauco, Ecuador to share the gospel. This is something that God has placed on my heart and I have absolutely no doubts about going on this trip. There are a couple of ways that you can help me. First, I ask that you would pray for my physical health for this trip. In January I sustained an injury to my left hip and lower back, and I have to wear a SI brace for support. I am currently in physical therapy to strengthen my core so my physical health will improve overall. I ask that you would pray for me so I will be strong enough to not wear the brace and have little to no pain while I am in Ecuador, the physical therapist felt this was a realistic goal. I ask that you also pray for me emotionally and spiritually as I continue to grow in Christ. The devil uses many ways to deter our relationship with the Lord and we often find ourselves or our families under attack when we try to share and grow in the word of God. I have recently been invited to train as a leader of our Youth Group. This invite requires you to be a sophomore in High School, have a commitment with church attendance, and challenge yourself spiritually etc. I believe mission trips will help me to grow in my relationship with the Lord and others around me. I am excited to share with others that want to know about God and I will be able to see other cultures, how they practice their own religions and how the Lord moves in their lives by using us as his clay to mold and shape them. I am also praying about whether or not the Lord wants me to do this as my path in life. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). This mission trip will help me prepare for the next step He has planned for me. We are so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity to go into Ecuador this summer and would like to also ask you to pray about helping monetarily. The cost is roughly $2,000 and includes our airfare, baggage, food, lodging, transportation, translators and materials needed to share the Gospel in Ecuador. I have already raised the$200 for my deposit and passport fees by selling baby chicks, ducks, and quail. I have also done some work for people and will be babysitting this summer. Our church will likely hold a car wash and spaghetti dinner to help raise additional money needed. If you are interested in donating monetarily you can mail a check to the church with a note that it is for the Ecuador Trip at
Magnolia Bible Church 31611 Nichols Sawmill Rd. Magnolia, Texas 77355
 Thank you for your prayers and support.
 In Christ, MeKenzei
 
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Graduation Announcement

Stationery Card

View the entire collection of cards.

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Weekend of Repairs

I love this boy! My husband was trying to work on the water pump to the truck and the stairs had been pretty bad for a while and Mekenzei almost slipped the other morning and he was worried about someone getting hurt. He took it upon himself to ask a few questions and fix it for us. Paul did have to cut a couple of prop boards because the saw is a little dangerous with it not being on a table but he did a great job!

We will have to come back in later and fix the boards underneath this last step, they need to be off the dirt so they will not rot so fast but gosh for a 16 year old this is  very functional!

As for the truck, well that didn't go so well. First off he used my quilting tables. I am thankful for DAWN dishsoap. Then he struggled for a long while to get the nut between the pulley and the fan loose. We went to the parts store to see if there was a special tool, we were able to buy the new water pump but they couldn't help us. We then took it to his brother in law and in the process of attempting it with two strong men the pulley was then damaged so they decided to cut it off with a torch. Needless to say we now needed a new pulley too. For now we are borrowing a vehicle which really helps with my busy kids schedule and yesterday he found the new part in town at a pick a part place. Hopefully its fixed before I leave just in case something happens to our other vehicle while I am gone. We haven't had the best of peace around here lately.

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