Grace's 12th Birthday Party

Fun times at the hotel, eating too much and shopping! :-)

This is birthday week at our house!

Both the girls celebrate birthdays this week. Grace turns 12 tomorrow! I seriously can not believe she is that old already!

This year for her birthday we are keeping it small. She has always wanted to stay the night at a hotel with friends. So in just under an hour I'm taking Grace along with two friends to stay at the Embassy Suites near a great mall. We will enjoy the room doing pedicures and blindfolded make-overs (Grace's idea), pizza for dinner and the girls will swim (while I relax and read...). Tomorrow morning after breakfast I'll brave the mall so the girls can have a look around. 

It is probably the easiest party I have planned!

Grace loves Tiffany blue and black together so she choose these invitations this year. I purchased them on Etsy from, Eloyce Designs. 

I purchased these beautiful fondant chandelier toppers from Harriet's House of Cakes, for cupcakes but Grace decided she would rather have cheesecake so we'll top the cheesecake.

Grace and her friends are GIRLY and very tween! For party favors I kept it sweet and simple, lip gloss, Tiffany blue nail polish and just a little candy (since there will be more to have at the hotel).

I'll be sharing Jilian's party later this week. Wish me luck! :-)

Happy Birthday Grace!

 

Living Intentionally Part II

The intention of writing a Life Mission Statement was to help us focus and center ourselves on what we dream for our lives.

All to often in my own experience, I find myself wanting one thing in life but I make  choices that take my life in a different direction.

Writing out my own Life Mission Statement brought me clarity to what is really important in my life and what I want to make a priority.

The next step of the challenge is to learn to evaluate our life choices in light of our Life Mission Statements.

What does that look like?

Keeping your Life Mission Statement in mind, are you making choices to support your mission statement? Or are you making conflicting choices?

For example, here is my Life Mission Statement:

To pursue Christ with my whole heart, mind and soul.

To love and support Jeremy (my husband), so he can be all God has created him to be.

To play with my girls. To be their encourager. To help them learn and grow into women that love Christ.

To create space in my life to allow for creativity and to cultivate an intentional home.

To live a life that inspires others to live as children of God.

What I need to ask myself: am I making choices with my time that allows me to pursue Christ with my whole heart, mind and soul? Am I making choices to allow for play with my girls and time to be creative? Or am I getting distracted by the wrong choices, i.e. too many commitments, outside responsibilities, playing on the computer, etc.

Unfortunately, the answer is yes to the last question. I am getting distracted and making the wrong choices.

With this challenge it is not my intention to guilt myself or you because we have made wrong choices, but to shed light on our choices.

If we deeply want something for our lives than we must train ourselves to make choices consistent with our desires. Otherwise we run the risk of running too fast in the wrong direction and becoming unsatisfied.

My suggestion is to run each decision you are faced with through the Lord's filter and through the filter of your Life's Mission Statement. From there make choices that follow the Lord's leading and that support your Life Mission's Statement.

This is something I am just learning to do myself. It comes from the place of too many years, doing too many things and feeling disappointed that I do not have the time to do what is most important to me or what the Lord has laid on my heart.

It is my hope to discover a greater Joy.

Patriotic Fruit Salad

I first had this fruit salad in the hospital of all places! After having Jilian the salad was part of my first meal there. I loved it so much I requested it several more times before going home. :-)

It is super easy to make! Great for the 4th of July or to take camping. This photo is from one of our Summer camping trips. For camping I take the three fruits and cut them when we get there. The bananas brown quickly so you can't make it ahead of time.

The recipe is simple, blueberries, chopped strawberries and bananas. That's all! For our family of four, I use a cup of blueberries, one container of strawberries and about two bananas.

Enjoy!