Great Memorial Day

We had a great time seeing some old friends and some of our family in Sumter yesterday. We each were blessed with a ride in this 1942 WWII trainer plane.(not exactly sure what it's called: ) It's been restored to it's original beauty,though. Thanks Jeff and Sally. It was such a blessing spending some time with your sweet family! Great Day!

Dinner for Twelve: )

I like cooking for a crowd. I daily cook for ten and often havee a few of the men who work for Richard to dinner too. Tonight I'm making a triple batch of Black Bean Chili Spaghetti. So so much better than boring spaghetti---in my opinion. It's still very easy though!!

Black Bean Chili Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef or venison or turkey

1 can black beans drained

2 cans diced tomatoes/or fresh depending on the season

1 small onion diced

1 bell pepper chopped

clove garlic pressed

1 TBSP chili powder

pinch cayenne(optional of course)isn't everything?

cilantro

sour cream

Brown and drain meat. Saute veggies with meat adding. Add garlic and seasoning. Add tomatoes and beans and simmer for awhile. I'm putting  in the crokpot on low til dinner. Serve over whole wheat spagheti noodles. Top with fresh cilantro from your herb garden and with sour cream.

By the way, here is my herb garden this year. Thought I'd spruce up my porch with this cool outdoor coffee table from my awesome brother-in-law, Dennis, and some terra cotta pots and 

plants.

Slices of Life

Just started reading this book Slices of Life  about the life and  work of bible translators Ed and Aretta Loving outloud to the children today. I've been looking at it for weeks and wanting to find time for reading aloud but have not been able to carve out the time to snuggle down on the couch and indulge. If I had to pick my all time favorite single activity(other than alone time with R), it would be reading aloud stories to my children that touch their hearts. I love to glance up and see them all--even my older children- staring off into space engrossed  in the tale. I am known, however, to not be able to finish a sentence sometimes because of my own tears. I read, stop, try to compose myself,squeak a line out while trying to hold back tears. They stare at me somewhat amused but ready to hear the best part. I begin again, voice quivers again and then I announce that I'm  ridiculous, someone offers to take over reading, I hand the book over and this child (it never fails and it tricks me everytime) reads about two lines and then breaks into fake blubbering tears!!!! Everyone breaks into laughter! It was Kimmi today. I was having a hard time getting thru a story of how Arettta, pregnant with baby #1, needed protein and was craving eggs and God continually provided for her dietary needs in amazing ways!!! Great story of trusting God and seeing Him provide. So so so glad to be done with editing BJU dvds now and forever!! Yesterday was my last day and I feel like a free woman with plenty of time for couch snuggling and reading to my extremely funny children!!

Swimmer Boy

Cason out with Mom, dad and Jessie at his end of year swimming banquet. Cason broke a Mt. P record this year. There were actually loads of records broken by the swimmers. Their coach is terrific. We are very blessed to have her. Even though its a little blurry, I like this photo. It is hard to get that boy to pose: )

Date Nights and some ramblings....

Richard and I usually go out to dinner once a week. We don't really have a set night. It's usually just first chance we get. We decided yesterday to try and increase our dates to twice a week and  make most of our dates include exercise and nature. We live in such a beautiful area. We're also taking up fishing. We just bought 2 rods and reels or is it rod and reels? Our date last night was scoping our own neighborhood for a good fishing spot.We went to the new crab dock. Pretty spot but R thinks it will be hard to pull in all the fish we'll certainly catch. We headed on down the street to our old neighbors. They have moved on up in life and left us behind. They now have a great house and a beautiul spot on the Wando River. We can only see glimpses from our house. (heehee) I'm really saying that jokingly. Our home is amazing and way above and beyond any provisions we expect from God. We have lived in neighborhoods during our marriage from EVERY socio-economic category you can imagine!!! When we were very young and not yet married and getting acquainted he asked me over a pizza hut pizza(thin and crispy supreme/no black olives--some things never change) date if it scared me to go down the path of life with a preacher/missionary?? He was referring to the poverty and possible dangers and sacrifices his calling could bring. I lied and told him it didn't scare me at all. At this point nothing scared me as much as the thought of going down any path in life anywhere other than under his arm of protection..(sniff sniff) I'm making me cry. So, yes, I lied and , yes, I'd do it again: )

Anyway, during our courtship, we embraced and actually looked forward to a life of adventure. It has certainly been that so far. In Richard's sermon Sunday he talked about idols a person might have in their life and one he mentioned was not being willing to give up a certain lifestyle. Or, being committed to maintain a certain level of lifestyle. That, I can honestly say, we are not. I say all that to say, it was nice walking through our overly nice neighborhood and enjoying the beauty of the wealth and not being envious at all of the people on the river and not being worried we won't always live here. I'm almost positive we won't! Just thinking it interesting that God has chosen to place us here now. We're just visitors here for a short time kind of like we're just visitors here on earth for a short time. Just  happy that our old neighbors have a dock they really want us to use anytime we feel like fishing. 

Oh, and last night we had planned to go get Richard a salad or something at the Dog and Duck Restaurant in our neighborhood after our walk, but our neighbors with the dock had just returned from their month long stay at Islamorada, FL. and they sent us home with really good crab legs(already cooked:) Hmmmm....another provision from God.......SOOO......we just went home and crept in the house as quietly as we could and I made R a salad while he ate the crab legs. It took everyone about 11 minutes to realize we were home and join us in the kitchen. I'll take those eleven minutes: )Fun night.

Simple Pleasures

Just enjoying the simple pleasures in life today. Rising early. Worshipping God around our breakfast table together---led by the most awesome husband and father ever! Seeing a child grasp a concept in math--whew!!!  Lighting a candle in my clean kitchen. Taught my oldest daughters to make a delightfully comforting evening meal via the trusty crockpot. OOOOH!!!!! and a wonderfully heavy downpouring of rain. Everyone came running upstairs from their afternoon outdoor  playing. All the action was directed to our screened in porch. And....last minute dinner plans with our precious friends---the Heaners! They are back in town for the last time for a long time since they are closing on their house this week. I guess that means I'll put the crockpot meal in the fridge for tomorrow.

Easter 2009

We had a nice Easter service. I do love my church family. We feel so blessed. Also, had a very relaxed afternoon napping and hiding eggs for the children.

Kamryn was so thankful for the egg hunt!

Nona wth eggs.........

Kimmi-best egg stuffer and hider!

Mommy and Jessie Carol

Jessie's 1st Easter(pretty prettty baby!)