Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Hello Cheeseheads in the great state of Wisconsin, oh wait a minute, if you go to Journey Church you will get that inside joke, if you don't, well, you should go to Journey Church, obviously!

Seriously, I did not send out the traditional Christmas letter this year so thought I would do it via my blog. 2008 has been a very eventful, and blessed year for the Mooney family. If you know us very well, you know there is rarely a dull moment and this year is no exception. As I mentioned above, we are attending a new church in Fernandina Beach FL. Let me just say that God is alive and well (and definitely kicking) at the Journey Church. We have made many new friends and are starting to get plugged in there. We are so thankful for God's leading us to this awesome church. Our other big news is the building of our new house. We had hoped to be in by Christmas, but it looks like we missed it by about a month. We are looking forward to moving and settling into our new home. (See posts below for progress)

Patrick's business Island Kitchen & Bath remains busy, thank you God, there is no lack in God's economy. He moved into his new 2000 sq. foot showroom/shop this past summer. He is slowly, but surely getting everything set up the way he wants it. We are hoping to do an official grand opening in the Spring. He is about to do his most exciting job yet, the cabinets in our new house. He says the homeowner is a pain to work with, ha.

Kaley has had a very busy year, as usual. She left her job at Old Navy in July and went to Gander Mountain as the apparel/footwear manager, in addition to going to school part time at Florida Community College of Jacksonville. In a new turn of events, she has decided to quit her job, and go to school full time. She doesn't have too many hours left to get her associates degree so she has decided to concentrate on that this semester. She will also be working part-time in her dad's showroom working with his customers and lightening his administrative load. In addition, she is praying about God's will concerning future mission opportunities. Please pray for her as she seeks His perfect will for her life.

Jordyn has been homeschooling for her senior year and turned 18 earlier this month. One of the highlights of her year was auditioning for American Idol this summer. What an experience we had! (To read more go to her blog page at: wokemeupagain.blogspot.com) She has become very involved with the music program at our church playing keyboard and singing on Wednesday nights for 250 youth and she has just begun playing/singing for our 3 weekend services as well. God has truly gifted her with musical talent as well as a real heart for worship. She is still looking forward to attending Hillsong College in Australia in January 2010. I believe God is really preparing her heart for a life of ministry. Also, please continue to pray for her as she seeks His perfect will for her future.

Colton is homeschooling again this year. He is a junior and just turned 17 years old. He finally got his drivers license and got a car. He is also very involved at church, with the technical side though. He is helping to run the lighting for both the Wednesday night youth service as well as the weekend services. He is looking forward to a mission trip to Mexico this summer with the youth group. Nothing to report on the girl-front as of now, I think his sisters have scarred him for life, ha. Those are some difficult girls, but he loves them in spite of it. What an awesome young man of God he has become, please pray for him as he pursues whatever God has in store for him.

As for me, not much has changed. I'm still at home full time taking care of my children. Just because they are adults, doesn't mean they don't need their mom. I also try to help Pat with the business as much as I can. Beginning in the new year, I will start spending some time at the new showroom greeting customers and answering the phone. I still try to volunteer as much as I can with projects at church and in our community. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to be at home with my family all these years.

As we celebrate Christmas we pray that you will remember that Jesus came, not for the manger, but for the cross, and that through a personal realtionship with Him we can spend eternity in Heaven with our Father.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year,
the Mooney family

Long awaited house update

Master bath tub, it's also getting a wood front on it.

Master bath shower (not quite finished)

View into the kitchen, they just started laying the tile.

Back of the house.

Needless to say, we won't be in by Christmas. The floors should be completed by the middle of this week, then we can install all of the beautiful cabinets (I know a guy!). Looks like it will be the first part of January before we can move in. Please continue to pray for the sale of our old house.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Our first choice, a little "Charlie Brownish"

Look how excited they were!

So, for about the past 10 years we have been visiting Websters Tree Farm in Darien, GA to cut down our own Christmas tree. We have found that when they are that fresh you really don't lose many needles and it is much more fragrant. It has become a Christmas tradition for us. I can only remember 1 year that we didn't have time to travel the 60 miles to do it so we just went to Lowe's and picked one up. Pat really wanted to go again this year and despite the fact that there really wasn't time, we decided to go. Yesterday was Kaley's only day off so it worked out perfectly. After a yummy lunch at Barberitos in Brunswick, yum, we headed to Websters. Last year we got a beautiful tree and we remembered exactly what part of the farm it was from so we headed that direction. We had narrowed it down to 2 trees and finally made our selection, a 7 ft Virginia Pine. The tree guys roped it onto the top of our truck and we headed home, back 60 miles down I95. When we arrived home we all got out and proceeded to remove the tree, but when we approached the back of the Yukon we noticed something a little odd. Our tree appeared to be a little bare. Upon further inspection we realized that all of our pine needles must be lining I95 south. Who knew that it would not withstand 90 mph winds on the highway? Seriously, this had never happened to us before. We got to thinking about it and realized that in the past they would put it in one of those plastic mesh covering things, but I guess that didn't make it on the tree this year. So, here we were with a needle-less tree all the way from Darien. Thinking that maybe it would look better once we got it inside, we brought it in and put it in the tree stand. Oh my gosh, it was the most pitiful sight I have ever seen. There was no way this bare tree could stay. (If you have seen Christmas with the Kranks, picture the tree that Tim Allen brings home from the boy scout tree lot on Christmas eve.) At this point it just became funny, I literally could not stop laughing. Knowing that if I stopped laughing I would probably start crying, Kaley and Colton offered to go get another one, bless their hearts. So guess where they went, Lowe's! About an hour later, tree number 2 entered the living room. It stayed, and was promptly decorated. I am still thankful for the experience and the memory, that's what it's all about anyway. We still got to spend the day together and had good food. And if you know our family very well, this story will probably not surprise you at all.

Here is our little Lowe's tree.

birthday cake

My friend Cindy made this beautiful cake for Jordyn's birthday.

It was definitely blog-worthy!

Happy 18th Birthday Jordyn

18 years ago today

We were all so happy you were here, even Kaley.


My top 18 favorite Jaymoone quotes from over the years

• "I'm telling mom" (a favorite, most of her childhood)
• "Step Off" (don't make her mad or you'll hear it)
• "Colton....Can you do me a HUGE favor?!" (always involves going upstairs)
• "It's freezing in here" (no matter the season)
• "She stole my handwriting" (shout out to Michelle E.)
• "I love my new Raybands" (oh my, drop the "d")
• "I am sooooo tired, I have to go lay in my bed." (since the day she was born)
• "My truck is smelling bad and there's a weird brake light on." (ever heard of the emergency brake)
• "Okray"
• "We can't share friends" (as told to Colton the first night of x-change)
• "That is crusty, sketchy and legit" (everything & everyone can be described with one of these 3 words)
• "I hate my hair" (no matter the length, color, cut or style)
• "He is such a creepster" (pretty self explanatory)
• "We got ova 4 flavas of soda, we got brown ones and sure enough we got clear ones. How can you not smell that peppa?" (stolen from SNL)
• "I really NEED those jeans, that shirt, and those shoes" (A bottomless pit of wants & needs)
• "I'm gonna start drinking only water...tomorrow. Give me a sweet tea for now though" (yay for procrastination)
• "Where did that mailbox come from?!" (it jumped out in front of her side mirror)
• "I will wear those red cowboy boots with everything, they will be my only winter shoes." (and...she actually does, have you seen some of the outfits?!)

18 years ago today God gave me the gift of my Jordyn. She was by far my best baby. For the first year of her life she very rarely cried. Not so surprisingly, she was an excellent sleeper. She starting sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old (6-8 hours). Even during the first 3 weeks she would just wake up and look around and wait for me to feed her. No crying.....at least until she turned 1. Then she developed the other side of her personality, impatient and a little hot-tempered. I'd say she has a little bit of all of it today.

Over the past 18 years I have seen her grow into such a Godly young woman with a heart for God and Worship. I know God has an awesome plan for her and she is so ready and willing to be used by Him for His glory. I couldn't be any prouder of her.

I have loved every (yes every, good and bad) minute of being your mom and watching you grow and I can't wait to see who you will become in the future. You're a blessing and I love you. Happy Birthday Jordyn.

Family Thanksgiving

Fun day together, I love my family!

Old & New House Update

This is the newly renovated kitchen in our old house,

it's almost a shame to leave it, not.

The driveway and sidewalk were poured yesterday. It still has to be
painted inside before the cabinets can be installed. Almost there!

Thankful

Psalm 100:4-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

This is probably going to sound shocking at first, but bear with me. When I look forward to tomorrow, Thanksgiving, it's really just a day for me to prepare a yummy meal for my family and probably go to the movie at night. Here's my thought, if I don't live everyday being thankful to my God for who He is in my life, why whould I set aside a special day for it? I can barely comprehend a God who loved me so much, even in my sinful state, that He would sacrifice His only Son that I might have an eternal relationship with Him. However, if I don't acknowledge Him and His presence now, what's the point? I have been so blessed in my life, and I know I don't deserve it. I pray that I will never forget to acknowledge God every single day.

Thank you Lord, for providing for my needs, for an awesome husband who loves me in spite of me, and for children that love you and live it out in front of me everyday. I am truly inspired by my family, they are my biggest joy here on earth.

(Neverending) House update

Not much happening inside this week, but I think painting,

flooring and fixtures are soon to follow. Cabinets should be

in the week of December 1st, yay.

They finally got the stone columns done, it seemed to take forever.

The Church

My sister, Tracy sends out a daily exhortation and this was today's. This is the church in action. I am so thankful to be a part of a local church that understands it's mission. Let's go be The Church in Jesus' name. Some churches wonder why they are not growing, hmmmm, whose business are they really about? Just a thought.


Matthew 25
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[c] angels with Him,then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and inprison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him,[d] saying,‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or inprison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Let us be a people that help the hungry and thirsty, clothe the poor and visit the sick! Isn't that what Jesus did? God bless you throughout your day today! ~ Tracy

New IKB showroom

Guest blogger: Patrick Mooney

This is our new location with a showroom and work shop. It's located on the busiest intersection in Camden county. We are planning a grand opening in January 2009, we will be adding new displays and samples weekly.

And...we've got sheetrock.

The great room

The kitchen, taken from the great room

The best kitchen designer laying out the cabinets

The bonus room upstairs

It won't be long now!

A helpful suggestion

As you have figured out from my endless "house updates" we are in the process of building a new house. You know what that means, we have to sell our old house. We've been getting it ready to put on the market for the past couple of months. Today's project is preparing to put new cabinet doors in the kitchen. Sounds easy, right, nope. It actually started yesterday when we took down the old doors and sanded the existing face frames. This created a lot of dust which made me very unhappy, on top of the fact that I have no doors up right now so it just looks crazy to me. Since I have an open soffet I decided to take down all my knick-knacks and pack what I'm keeping and box what I'm going to garage sale. Here's where the "helpful suggestion" comes in to play. We moved into this house 6 1/2 years ago and apparently I have not cleaned up there in all these years. You can only imagine how gross it was. I am a little embarrased to admit this as I am quite a clean person. So my big suggestion is to clean the tops of your cabinets at least once every 3-5 years, or more often if you have the time, ha.

Also, if you are someone who appreciates clean cabinet tops, do I have a house for you!!! It will hopefully be on the market next week and ready for a buyer, hopefully sooner than later. We are believing God for a buyer and fast. He is able and His timing is perfect!

So, get out there and clean bloggerland, you'll feel so accomplished when you do.

Exterior Progress

Well, we have siding (unpainted), shingles, and windows, oh my!

Hopefully progess on the inside will be will be my next update.

Happy Friday

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me". Erma Bombeck

Halloween

They may be a little old for pumpkin carving, but we had a lot of fun.

I am roasting pumpkin seeds in the oven as we speak, yum.

Happy 22nd Anniversary

October 25, 1986

Our dusty rose invitation, what can I say, it was the 80's.

"Do not marry the person you can just live with, marry the person you can't live without."

22 years ago I married the most wonderful man in the world. We learned a long time ago that a successful marriage was not going to exist because of a lack of problems, but in how we worked through the problems. Neither of us is perfect, just perfect for each other. We can't take any credit, however, but give all the glory and honour to God. He is the center of our marriage and our lives. He has shown us much grace and we try to exhibit that same grace to each other every day.

22 things I love about my husband:

• Godly - he walks out his faith before me every day
• Generous - with his time and his money
• Faithful - I know he only has eyes for me
• Selfless - he always, always, always puts my needs before his own
• Funny - but only when I'm not mad at him, of course
• Handsome - more today than ever, especially with those sexy highlights
• Forgiving - this one has been tested, a lot, trust me
• Great Dad - he's the "E" ticket ride, just ask our kids
• Hard Worker - so that he can always provide for the needs of our family
• Sensitive - he gets it when i cry
• Loud Breather - ask Kate Gosselin, she feels my pain
• Loving - even when I don't deserve it
• Compassionate - he truly "gets" me and then helps me
• Bad Driver - but great parallel parker
• Understanding - even when he doesn't really understand
• Patient - yes, this one has been tested a time or too as well
• Likes to bug me - he's super good at this one
• Kind - always diffuses a tense situation
• Good apologizer - even if he doesn't think he was wrong
• Great personal hygiene - lots of showers, deodorant and toothpaste go a long way, ha
• Positive thinker - his glass is always half-full
• Adores me - only because he is able to look at me through God's eyes

Thank you Pat-rick for the last 22 years, I love you. And yes, it is easier for me to love you than for you to love me, ha, I finally admit it. Thank you God for this gift that I will never deserve and for your constant love and patience.

Are you tired of my house updates yet?!

Notice the stacks of shingles on the top

View of my kitchen, does anyone know any good designers, ha?

I can't wait till these windows are where they belong.

laundry

"I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.... I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby." ~Nancie J. Carmody

Truth be told, I'm not that thankful for laundry, but it has to be done either way. I still do all the laundry in the house, probably not that good of a lesson for my adult, and nearly adult children, but it's one of the small ways I can still serve them I guess. Now, if they would only return the favor by putting it away in a timely fashion, that 's the real gift. And ironing, don't get me started. I love everything to be ironed, I just wish I had a maid to do it all. I had to laugh the other day and remember my grandma as I found myself ironing my pillowcases, I'm sure there's a 12-step program out there for this addiction! (My grandma used to iron sheets, and underwear, so I guess I'm not that bad-yet)

Happy Wednesday!

Through the Conflict

As we approach our 22nd wedding anniversary this weekend it is very appropriate that I have found such an awesome sermon on marriage. Several months ago I found a church in Charlotte NC, Elevation Church, and have since then faithfully watched pastor Steven Furtick's messages online weekly. They are currently in week 6 of a series called "Visionary Love, Dream Sex". It basically goes through Song of Solomon, in a way that I have never really heard preached before. Last week, week 5, was a message entitled "Through the Conflict". I would encourage anyone who is dating, engaged, newly married or married forever like us, to watch this online sermon, or download the podcast. I would say, with some confidence, that Pat and I have a strong, happy marriage, but that didn't happen overnight, and it sure takes some effort.

So, I am encouraging all of you to go to elevationchurch.org and watch these sermons. If you only have time for one, please watch the "conflict" message. I promise you will learn something, I know I did. And from a young 28 yr. old pastor who's only been married 6 years at that! He really is an annointed man of God.

Go on, go to the website and start learning! Thanks for listening.

~Lisa

P.S. So, I just watched week 6 of the marriage series entitled, "Do It When You're Old", and I was once again challenged by the Lord. If you get the time, watch it too, it's only 48 min, not the 97 min it says.

You are God

Proverbs 3: 5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Have you ever been in a situation that is absolutely out of your control? It is only then that you can truly trust God with the circumstances. Well, I am presently there, a place where praying is almost impossible, I don't even have the words anymore. Thankfully, the God that knows me intimately, knows my heart and knows my needs. I will continue to trust Him and allow Him to work in a way that only He can, and teach lessons that only He can teach.

I will be still and know that you are God!

Happy Birthday Colton

October 15, 1991

What a scene it was that day in the hospital!

I have a friend of many years who regularly on my children's birthdays calls me and asks what I was doing "x # of" years ago that day. Then we reminisce about the day they were born and how we can't believe they have gotten so old so fast. Well, today is Colton's day to remember. So, I will tell you the story of 17 years ago today. Colton was quite honestly, a surprise to us, but not to God. As you may or may not know, Jordyn and Colton are 10 months and 11 days apart, now you understand the surprise part. We were perfectly happy with our beautiful little girls and had put no real thought into having another baby, SURPRISE, God had another plan. When I found out I was pregnant with Colton, the doctor told me that my body was obviously not prepared to be pregnant again so fast and that is was likely I would not remain pregnant for long. As aniticipated, I started having problems and assumed I was losing him. But, God move in, and the problems moved out and much to the doctor's amazement, Colton arrived. It was a very fast labor and delivery, only about 2 hours, my doctor almost missed it. I went home from the hospital the very next day, that's when the real fun started. I now had a newborn, a 10 month old, and a 3 years old. I had dreaded that day for almost 9 months and had convinced myself I would never be able to handle it. Needless to say, the real experience could never have been as bad as I had convined myself, and we all survived it! If you ask the girls they would say they have barely survived, I think Colton's spiritual gift all these years has been pestering his sister, ha. I know they wouldn't trade him for anything in the world and he would do absolutely anything in the world for them. I am so thankful for Colton and the joy he has brought our family, God knew what He was doing! So, on this day 17 years ago, God gave me you, my baby boy. Thank you Lord for this awesome young man.

Colton's 17th Birthday Top Ten Countdown

10. Birthday week - Osaka & Olive Garden
9. Ava will sing her favorite birthday song to you
8. You can get married in the state of Ga (with parental consent, of course)
7. Driver's license
6. You're older than Miley Cyrus
5. Rated "R" movies (for violence only, not for language or sexual content)
4. 10 layer chocolate cake
3. Only 1 more year till you can buy cigarettes and lotto tickets, oh that's right, you don't smoke or gamble.
2. New computer

and the #1 best thing about your birthday .................

1. You're the same age as Jordyn

Happy Birthday CMoney!!! I love you lots ~ Mom

House update

Back of the house
the dormer comes out of the awesome bonus room

Front
it's coming together, finally

New bed, finally.

I know to most people this purchase does not constitute a blog, but in our family it does. Some history may bring this to light. When I went to purchase our new mattress I was told by the salesman that most mattresses last 5-10 years, imagine the shock he would have been in had I told him that we had ours for over 20 years, aghh! We purchased it when I was pregnant with Kaley (who will be 21 in March) to replace our old-school waterbed that I could no longer get in and out of. It served us well those 20+ years. ;-) We had the "if it aint broke, don't fix it" mentality. Well, it officially "broke". Pat was not not sleeping well, my back hurt, and I was ready for an upgrade, to a king size from a queen. We probably discussed it for 6 months, not whether we needed a new one, but were we ready for king size. Personally, I was ready, Pat however, not so much. While he does actually fit on the bed now, he doesn't like having that much room between us. I guess he thinks that you have to use the whole mattress, since he now rarely comes on "my" side. Not that I'm complaining, ha.

You've maybe heard Pat talk of how much he "loves" his bed, not that he actually has a fondness for the mattress itself, but for what it represents. Almost every night when we go to bed, we sigh and say how much we love our bed. Mostly because of what we accomplished in the day, how thankful we are to be able to be together at the end of the day, and I guess just how comfy and safe it is. So, that hasn't changed and it never will, no matter how old or uncomfortable the mattress becomes. So, there you go, a look into one of the simpler things in our life, but definetely one of our favorite.

P.S. and I love my new bedding too, with lots and lots of pillows.

Progress

The back side of the house.

The view out of our master bedroom.

It's actually beginning to look like a house.

Thankful Thursday

Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His Pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Amen

Just wanted to stop for a moment and thank God for just a few of the many blessings I have in my life.

• First, for God and His character, even if He never gave me another material thing, He is still so good to me. It's because of Who He is, and not what he does that makes Him so awesome. Thank you Lord for your neverending love, faithfulness, grace & mercy, way more than I deserve.
• My unbelievable husband! How was I so fortunate to get such an awesome man of God?! He's not perfect, but he tries everyday to be who God would have him to be. He loves me more than I deserve.
• My daughter Kaley. What a great adult she has turned out to be. She is probably the most responsible 20 year old I know. She is also one of my biggest fans. If you can get to this point in parenting and still have your children like you, thank God, like I'm doing now. I know we've raised her to go, but it's still going to break my heart when she does.
• My daughter Jordyn. She is the picture of resiliency. She has been through more in her 17 years than most of us ever will be in a lifetime. She has shown so much maturity and grace, and makes me so proud to be her mom. She's as beautiful inside as she is outside.
• My son Colton. I am amazed what an awesome young man he has turned out to be. He is so respectful and appreciative, not an attribute present in most teenage boys. There's nothing he wouldn't do for his family.

That's all for today, although I know I could start now and never stop thanking God for all He does for me everyday. My life and my heart are so full!

Cats = Love

For most of my childhood, I had cats. Pat never had any cats growing up, mostly because he is VERY allergic to them, makes sense, right. Well, shortly after we got together the subject of us getting a cat came up. Of course, we got a cat. Then came the many years of Zyrtec, Alegra, Claritan, you get the picture. Several years ago, as a joke, of course, I bought him a "decoration" cat for his office. Well, that was just the beginning. Now, any time I see a cat, I have to buy it for his collection. The picture above is small sampling of his "beloved" cats. Go Fish (a shout out for our friends Terry & Melinda) has the best selection by far. All I know is that any man who will put up with our real cats Roxy & Muffin every day and not be able to breathe most of the time, loves me alot! Thanks honey for being a cat tolerator, as he puts it.

So, yes, real men do like cats, but more importantly, they love their wives enough to put up with the allergies due to the cats, ha.

My girls

For those of you who know our family very well, you know that these girls are quite different in many ways. But, while they may be different, they have at least one thing in common. They have HUGE hearts. If you are fortunate enough to be called "friend" by them, you know how blessed you really are. There is nothing they would not do for a friend. It's funny to think that they have been raised in the same house, by the same parents, with the same standards and rules, yet they are so unique. That's because God is so creative, how boring would it be if we were all the same!

Living in a house with Patrick Mooney for your dad, they both learned early on that they were the "princesses" of our house. And we all know who the queen is, ha! We don't apologize for setting that standard either. We taught them that they were created perfectly by God and in His image and that alone gives them value. They have actually been told before that our standards for their boyfriends may be too high, is there really such a thing? To be truthful, we know there are big shoes to fill when it comes to men in their lives, but we just believe that God created a mate out there for each of them who's feet will fit perfectly in those shoes.

A few weeks ago, our pastor, Darryl, was preaching about Adam & Eve. He talked about when God created Eve for Adam and that when Adam first saw her he was like, "Whoa God, look what you gave me!" She was a gift created just for Adam. A few days later, Jordyn was telling me about a conversation she was having with a friend on that same subject and that he said he thinks that when you wait for the person God intended for you, you will have the same reaction, "Whoa God, look what you created for me!" And if you don't have that reaction, it's probably not the right person for you. Makes sense to me. I have been married to my awsome hubby for 22 years, and I can honestly tell you that there is not a day that goes by that he does not have that reaction when he looks at me, and vice versa. I don't think my girls should settle for anything less than that! So, we will continue to pray for them and for that person that God created just for them.

I am their BIGGEST fan!

New House

So, we have finally begun the process of building our new house in Water's Edge. I am going to try to keep everyone updated on my blog. I know it's pretty boring to some, but I know my family and out of town friends are excited to see the progress. So keep looking for updated pics in the near future.

From the slab picture to the frame was about 10 days. Hopefully it will be ready in early December, in time for Christmas.