Sunday, March 31, 2013

Abiding in the Word.

"And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 40:5

Happy Easter. "Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!"

Today in church, we sang, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," like many of you all did, I'm sure. I just love the verse when it says, "Lives again our glorious King; where, O death, is now thy sting? Once he died, our souls to save; where thy victory, O grave?"

Christ has conquered death and sin, and now we may rejoice that we will worship our Creator and God forever!

Today just happens to be my birthday too. "Happy birthday to me!" :) We have had a wonderful day. It started a little early when Lima Bean decided she was wide awake at 5:15 a.m., but after a little early morning play time, we took a nap and then headed to church. Church was great! I think I mentioned we are searching for a new church home, which can be quite discouraging, but today was refreshing. We will likely stay at this church, Skyview Presbyterian (for those who might want to check it out online).

Andrew's last day at the Citadel in the Springs was yesterday. It was a bittersweet day since the Citadel was his first store. It will always be a special place. His team certainly made him feel very loved too. One of his leaders posted a very thoughtful note on Facebook yesterday evening. I thought I'd share it.


His team decided to show their love by decorating Andrew's car too. :)

Andrew received a few packages for his new store. This particular package had all sorts of goodies in it for anything from training and organizing to advertising.

Lima Bean decided she wanted to wear my dress this afternoon.

The last two days have been really beautiful. Yesterday we went for a short walk and played on the playground.

Sadly, this is the only photo I have of Lima Bean in her Easter dress. I didn't even get a picture with my girl on my birthday. :(

This is the extent of our Easter decorations this year. Living in an apartment, with 75% of our stuff packed up, definitely makes for a sparse looking abode. Thank you for the Easter towels, Mama!

Lima Bean enjoying her reading time last night... in her tutu of course. 

I took a few pictures of Lima Bean opening her Easter basket this morning. I will upload those photos off of my little point and shoot so I can post those this week. Also, I have a recipe for a quick and easy artichoke dip coming your way, so be on the lookout for that too!

Last week I mentioned that my grandmother was in the hospital due to an emergency surgery on a tear in her duodenum and her not-so-great recovery. Just as an update, she is doing a little better. She moved out of the ICU this weekend, but is still more or less dependent on a breathing machine. The doctors are uncertain of how well she is going to recover. So please be in prayer for my grandmother, "Gran" or "Suzie." I will continue to keep you all updated as things progress.

Have a wonderful week. Can you believe tomorrow starts a new month?! This year is flying by.  

Friday, March 29, 2013

A Good Friday to You.

Today we remember the death of our Savior, and look, with hope, to his resurrection.

I thought this song was fitting as we celebrate this weekend.

"How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom."

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Corinthians 5:21

Praise be to God for His inexpressible gift towards us! Let us rejoice today and always for His gracious love.


Sunday, March 24, 2013

Abiding in the Word.


"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is please!"

Luke 2:14

Well this is Andrew's last week as owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A at the Citadel. I can't believe it! Saturday will be his final day, then starting first thing next Monday, April 1, he will hit the ground running for the new store at SouthGlenn. Say a prayer for him as he begins this transition!

In other news, please be praying for my grandmother. She is in the hospital and not doing well. The problems began Thursday morning with pain in her abdomen. A tear was discovered in her duodenum by CT scan, which was operated on and fixed Thursday. The surgery went well, but unfortunately, her recovery has taken a turn for the worst. She is in critical condition in the ICU in my hometown. Please pray for my grandmother, that she will be free of pain, and pray for my family (especially my dad and three uncles), as we process all that is happening. 

We took a trip to a HUGE dog park. The dogs loved being able to run free and Lima Bean enjoyed the snuggle time in the car.

Lima Bean has a slight infatuation with her reflection. Can you see her reflection in the fireplace? She was waving and talking to herself. :)

We played "Pocahontas" on Andrew's iPad one evening just to see if Lima Bean would be interested. She was hooked!


Lima Bean is becoming interested in "dress-up." I was sorting through a big rubbermaid box of Lima Bean's clothes for the upcoming season, and she insisted trying on some clothes. For a better part of the day, she wanted to wear a bathing suit and tutu.


Then I caught her wreaking havoc on our closet, pulling out my shoes.

Not only is she loving playing with her own clothes, she likes to try on my shoes and bras. I'll save you from the pics of her wearing a bra. :)


Andrew and I enjoyed popcorn and a movie Friday night. Lima Bean thought she should join in on the popcorn fun.


Doesn't she look like a little girl here? What happened to our baby?!

Here she is wearing the tutu again. 

I found a toddler bed for sale on Craigslist. After talking to a dear friend about what to do with Lima Bean sleeping in a crib with a new baby coming, I decided to go ahead and buy a toddler bed. Over the next few weeks, we will see if Lima Bean will successfully transition before the baby comes or not. Here's hoping we have success!

FaceTime with MyTy and GranDude last night... showing off her new bed. 


Happy Palm Sunday! What a wonderful week we have to look forward to in remembrance of the death and resurrection of our gracious Savior and Lord. I think I'll celebrate with some frozen yogurt. :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

First Class Follow-Up.

Since Lima Bean was born with double hip dysplasia, she has to have an annual hip check-up to make sure everything looks ok.  Her follow-up appointment was today and she passed with flying colors!

She had to have an X-ray, and it went well. I watched from behind glass while the technician manipulated her hips into place. Not once did she fuss!

We met with the doctor briefly, receiving a good report then headed home. Praise God for good health!


Savoring her reward for being a good girl during the X-ray. :)




Sunday, March 17, 2013

Chick-fil-A Streets at SouthGlenn.

I thought I would give you all a little photo update of the progress of Andrew's new CFA store.

If you have a Facebook account, please feel free to like our page - "ChickfilA Streets at SouthGlenn." You will find updates of the store being built, and, once it is open, we will post photos of all the exciting happenings taking place.

Here are the most recent photos of the construction progress:
View of entryway from front counter

View from front door
Dining Room
Looking into kitchen/boards from the front counter
Drive-thru

View of boards (where food is assembled) from the drive-thru

Kitchen

Kitchen, view 2

The plans

Abiding in the Word.

"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life."

Jude 21

I had to take Lima Bean to my OB check last week. When we were checking out, the assistant was kind enough to give LB a few goodies out of her grab bag. We lucked out and got this gem - crooked sunglasses. Hahaha!

Andrew made Lima Bean a fort. She pulled out her night light so she could see under the blankets.



When I cracked two eggs for LB's breakfast, we found a surprise... a double yoked egg!

LB loves her BFF.

Looking out the window for squirrels. 

Loving her rocking chair.

 A little snuggle time with Ellie.

Last Thursday was so beautiful Lima Bean and I went for a walk to Goodtimes for a delicious frozen custard treat. 


Friday was equally as lovely, so that afternoon we took a trip to check out the progress on the new CFA store and stopped off for a balloon.


Amos has an ear infection in his right ear so we've been having to clean it out. Friday afternoon, I walked into the living room to find this... Lima Bean found a spare cotton square and was "cleaning out" Amos' left ear. Such a good helper.

Lima Bean is also very generous... here she is sharing her CFA cookie with her baby doll.

Lima Bean and I had some quality snuggle time Saturday morning. We spent the majority of the morning relaxing with the pups on the bed. :)


Today, Sunday, we visited the playground. Lima Bean has enjoyed the "big girl" swings. 

Since my belly is too large for LB to swing in my lap, I've been holding her hand and letting her sit in the swing all by herself. She loves it.

The essentials when shopping: baby doll and cowgirl boots.

Here's our true cowgirl.

This photo cracks me up. Taking time away from playing for a little snack... all alone in the kitchen. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Andrew and I didn't do a single thing to celebrate. We did, however, visit another church. I wouldn't call that celebrating, but I am so thankful that we have the freedom to visit churches and make a choice of what church we'd like to attend since there are so many options. God has been so good to us!