My Brother's Big Announcement

Church Plant Announcement from Vince on Vimeo.

I'm posting this because I believe that this is an important prayer opportunity. My Brother is passionate about church planting and this is a BIG move for him and his family. I'd like to involve everyone who I know to pray for guidance and provision for Vince and his family as they go on this journey with the Lord.

Of the several locations he's considering Tennessee is on the list and God and I have been talking about this quite a bit lately. I don't have to tell you how that "conversation" goes. It's a little more like pleading than praying. But I really do want Vince to be in the center of God's will not Aly's will. His wife inparticular I am sympathizing with as she has spent most of her life in Southern California near her parents and I can imagine that she is more than a little anxious about leaving the familiar and bringing along her two little ones as well. I remember what an adjustment it was for me when Steve and I relocated to the south 7 1/2 years ago. It truly is a different culture altogether.

He also taking donations so, if you're interested and capable of helping monetarily click here.

Thank you SO much.

Snow Day!

We finally had a snow day with actual snow!

Cupcakes Anyone?

Today was another "snow" day. We decided to make some yummy cupcakes to pass the time. Want one?

Opryland Hotel

Oooooh...pretty!

Have a seat

The Fountain Show

My Ann

5 rowdy boys...and poor, sweet Bailee.

Monkey Boys.

Last night in an act of desperation, Steve loaded us all up and we headed to Opryland Hotel with the Kimmel's. We had a little cabin fever from being trapped indoors hiding from the cold and it seemed like a good place to let the boys do what boys do best (run around and scream like maniacs). Here's some pic's...

...That's What Aly is Made Of.

Alright, I know that on the blog front I have been severely lacking lately. So to silence the whining of my sweet friend Ann, who by the way rocks at blogging, I have sat down with my laptop and am digging for inspiration.

Lucky for me her blog has challenged me to explore what I am made of and what I need to be...well....me! I'm sure you all have experienced those times when you feel depleted and on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In an effort of self exploration Ann has discovered what makes her run on all cylinders. There is something to be said for finding a way to prevent those meltdowns that inevitably occur. I've decided to examine and put into practice the act of refueling.

Time with my first love. I need to sit and be still and be quiet and share my heart with God. I have recently found myself craving His word and so looking forward to my morning connection with Him. Cup of coffee on the table beside me and my Bible in my lap, legs curled up under me on my favorite chair. That is where we meet and where He speaks to me. Without it I feel like the rest of my day is outta whack. This really has been the first time in a long time of raising babies that I have been able to indulge like this. As a mother of very little ones, mornings are not exactly peaceful. This is a luxury I don't take for granted.


I need to feather my nest. Aside from normal household stuff, which I hate to disappoint you I do actually enjoy, I love taking care of my kids. It fulfills me to know that I connected with them individually. Having four little ones can make that a formidable task but that time with them alone is so precious to me. They are such incredible little people I'd hate to miss out on their uniqueness. Weslee will be ten years old this summer and I will only get a few more summers with him before he becomes an ever elusive teenager with a social life to match. I better take advantage of the time I have left while I can.

I need my "people". After years of begging God for a "bosom friend", (If you've seen Anne of Green Gables you'd understand the meaning of that term) God has place some incredible women in my life. They hold me up, encourage me and have given me the confidence to be myself without fear of rejection. When life gets tough they just love on me and bless me and direct me to the Lord. Most importantly they make me laugh. We laugh so hard we cry, the really funny part is we are usually laughing at ourselves. I love that we don't take ourselves too seriously. I pray you all have friends like that.

I need to be surrounded by God's creation. Not all the time, as many of you know I need to live within a short drive of a decent mall and some good restaurants or I am a little uncomfortable. But there is nothing like being quiet and listening to the sound of a rushing river, or hiking up a mountain and standing on the summit overlooking a beautiful valley or sitting on the shoreline of a beautiful beach feeling the wind blow through your hair. It brings me perspective, it draws me closer to my creator to stand in awe of His gift.

I need time to pursue my passions. There are a few hobby's that I enjoy, photography for one, cooking, entertaining, decorating and exercising. I need to create something, to make things...pretty. All these things help me remember who I am. As a Mother it is easy to believe that you are "just" Mom and that's all you'll ever be. That's so strange that we do that to ourselves. Mothering is truly a full time job, it can completely consume you to the point that you no longer think that you need anything else and it can actually make you feel guilty for wanting to be anything else but that. I know that feeling all too well myself. I've been a stay-at-home Mom for almost a third of my life. If it wasn't for my husband pushing me to pursue my passions and telling me how proud he is of me I probably wouldn't be the person you see before you today.

So, if you see me start to "crack" then maybe it's time for me to go have a quiet time with my kids and friends in the middle of the woods with a camera in my hand and home made brownie's for everyone in my backpack. That should fix me right up.

Can you hear that...

I'm sitting here on my couch watching the news. Suddenly the school closings start to stream across the bottom of the screen and yes, all my boys will be home tomorrow fighting over Wii remotes and eating me out of house and home. No, there will be no snow or precipitation of any kind for that matter, but...it's cold, you heard me right, it's cold. Okay, so it's very cold, the coldest it's been in about 6 years but c'mon! You can almost hear Minnesota and Canada laughing at us. It's something like 50 below up there for Pete's sake! I think they're probably envying our 2 degrees in fact. Isn't that flip-flop weather up there?
Oh well, I guess I better break the news to the kids. Bless their hearts, they'll be so disappointed, oh wait, that's me who'll be so disappointed. Pray for me!

Fiery Gizzard

We've been having such beautiful weather here lately that we decided to load all the kids up and hit some local trails. We'd heard good things about Fiery Gizzard but you never can be too sure until you check it out yourself. After a quick picnic lunch and a swing through the visitors center to grab some maps of the trails we hit the trail head with our hopes high. We were NOT disappointed. It was so incredible! The trail winds along a small river, down through a gorge and you are completely submerged in thick forest. Sheer cliffs and big boulders tower around you. The temp drops about 10 degrees as you descend into the shady gorge making this an excellent hike for a hot summer day. Not to mention the fact that the cool river is right alongside you much of the way. We decided that we'd have to return in the fall because the colors would be breathtaking!

This hiking trip was a long time coming for me. I have been desperately craving nature lately. We had such a busy summer trying to buy and sell real estate that we didn't get much time to hike and the past few weeks I'd find myself tearing up whenever I'd see a beautiful landscape on TV. Being part of Gods creation is a need of mine, it renews me, refreshes me it is at the very heart of who I am. I never feel more like worshiping Him than when I am surrounded by His handiwork. I popped in my ear buds for awhile and cranked some Selah from their Hymns album and came into His presence. I took it all in being careful not to miss any of it. It all felt like a love letter from my Abba...the cool breeze on my face, the feel of the earth under my feet, the sound of the rushing water, the scent of the pine. I inhaled the clean air, I ran my hand across the mossy trees and admired the how the sunlight streamed through the trees. I was determined not to miss anything.

I talked to my Lord and asked, why is this so meaningful to me? Why do I feel so at peace here? He answered me. .."You were created for a garden Aly." He made this earth for us to enjoy. It was His gift to us and today I had a chance to do just that.

New Years Resolutions

So, it's that time of year again when we look forward to a new year. Most people look upon the new year as a chance for a clean slate. An opportunity to start over and get some things right that we struggled with in the past. Unfortunately, many people make a resolution and like myself, it is shallow and we quickly give up on it when we don't see the results we desire in a timely manner or when we don't get the satisfaction out of it we hoped we would.

I want my "resolution" this year to be something of substance. I, of course, have plans to take better care of this body God provided me with but, that has more to do with all the holiday gluttony over the past couple months than the fact that a numerical change is ahead.
Last year I received an e-mail that had a resolution worth keeping. At the time I wasn't in a place where I could recognize the importance of it. I printed it out and stuffed it in a drawer and recently it called my name. It's amazing that it survived the move!

So, here it goes...

I will put my time with the Lord before the TV, the radio and even before good Christian books, for my children will know my priorities by the way they see me spend my free time.

I will make prayer requests known before God and my children, enlisting their help in the process and informing them of the outcome, for by letting them help when I petition our Lord they will learn of a living God who still answers prayer.

When times of crisis, conflict or confusion arise, I will hit my knees before I hit the phone knowing that by my example my children will discover that although friends are important, God alone is the one who holds the solution to life's every problem.

I will erase the words "luck" and "lucky" from my vocabulary and will instead by my speech point my children toward the One who orchestrates every detail of our lives and brings all good things to pass, for by this my children will learn of an omniscient God.

When bad things happen, I'll neither grumble nor complain, but will instead help my children see that in the scope of our lives even the bad times are allowed for a reason, for by this my children will learn quiet trust in their Maker.

When normal childhood mishaps occur, I will remember that although difficult, it is still easier to remove grape juice from off white carpet than to erase harsh and unloving words hurled at a child whose chubby little fingers have failed her, for by this my children will see a God who understands when our best efforts fall short.

When my children have witnessed something ugly in me - unkind words, an angry temper, "harmless" gossip, biting sarcasm or even my infamous "mommy pout" when things don't go my way - I will confess it as sin before them seeking their forgiveness, for by this my children will develop the much needed habit of wiping their spiritual slate clean before God and man.

I will teach my children the importance of cleanliness and order while at the same time remain sensitive to the fact that a skinned knee or hurt feeling is more crucial than a spotless floor or uncluttered counter, for by this my children will learn to value people above things.

I will make time for the lonely, the sick, the elderly, the difficult to love, and will bring my children along, for with each afternoon visit, each ride to the doctor, each raked lawn or washed window they will have the opportunity to serve Jesus by serving the "least of these".

I will make our home a haven of rest and retreat from the outside world and a welcomed place for my children's friends, for with each impromptu backyard soccer game, each video viewed on a rainy day, each cup of hot cocoa or chocolate chip cookie, my children will have the opportunity to practice the art of Christian hospitality thereby learning to share all God has given them.

I will by my actions and speech let my children see a mom love their dad, for by this will my children sense family stability at a time when marriages all around them are crumbling.

I will not require of my children obedience, honesty, patience or kindness without first being willing to submit to the same rules whether in speed limit, in miscounted change from the store or when answering a toddler for the fourteenth time, for by this my children will see a mother who is also learning and not a perfect parent to whom they'll never measure up.

In all things will I remember that more is caught than is taught.

Truthfully, I was not so sure I wanted to share all this with you because now I have some accountability. I KNOW that I will fail at times but I really want to try and be the best child of God I can be this year. Some of those I got down, others...not so much. To be honest some seem really, really difficult but then I read the line about what important lessons my children will learn, it doesn't seem as difficult. As a Mother or Father our greatest mission field is our children. All I really want out of this life is that they all come to know Him and follow Him all the days of their life. Everything else is just gravy.

On a side note...this should not only apply to us as parents. It's not just our children who are watching is it? There is a whole world of non-believers out there who have been let down by what they've seen from us "Christians". Imagine the impact God could make on them if they saw us behave in this manner! Now go back and read it again only this time every time it says "my children" replace it with "this world".

So what are your new years resolutions? Are they worth keeping, worth the effort? I think this one is. Nothing worth doing was ever easy and this one seems worth doing and definitely NOT easy.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.

Pittsburgh at Tennessee

Kick off!

My man Hines Ward!

TOUCHDOWN PITTSBURGH!





This one's for you Ann!

Last week Steve got to attend his first ever NFL regulation game. His two favorite teams were playing. Truthfully, we were pulling for the Steelers but they were not on top of their game and it was a disappointing loss but the silver lining is that now the two will meet up again in the playoffs here in Nashville. That morning after Steve left, the kids and I, along with Grammy and Pap, headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast all decked out in our black and gold. Wes wore his Willie Parker jersey and Bailee was in her cheerleading outfit while I sported my Big Ben shirt. We were pleasantly surprised to find several Pittsburgh fans also there and we greeted each other. Steve had an awesome time, thanks to Harold, he scored some awesome seats on the 50 yard line on club level! Thanks Harold! Next time Tennessee won't be so lucky.

Merry Christmas

Kolby's surprise. He's one happy boy!

From Me to You

Merry Christmas from all of us. Here's some cookies I made for all of you. Enjoy!

Catching Snow Flakes

We had some ice fog last night(don't ask me what that is) and when we woke this morning the trees outside look like they were made of crystal. As the temperature climbed the trees began to "shed". Joshua decided to see what it tasted like...

Stress

About 36 hours ago I was peaceful and blissful. I was discussing with my friend Ann how stressful the holidays can be for "some" people and how ironic that is. It is, after all, supposed to be a time to reflect on the year and Christ's birth, spend some quality time with the fam and just relax and enjoy the pretty sparkly lights and eat some medicinal pie...right? I was sitting back revelling in the fact that I had a quiet Christmas planned this year and laughing at all the poor shlubs who were wearing themselves out shopping and cooking and entertaining.

I'm not laughing anymore! At about 11pm last night it all began to sink in. By 6am this morning I had formed a list of things to do that would make Santa tired. How did this happen?!! Steve and I were up until midnight discussing all the details of this Christmas. Literally, almost every minute is scheduled out. At one point we both stopped and looked at each other and decided that next year we are outta here! We are hightailing it outta town. We are literally going to RUN away from Christmas next year.

Isn't it so stupid? Did you know that Christmas is when heart attacks and suicide rates are at their highest? Why? I don't think this is what God had in mind. How do we as Christian's refocus and quiet ourselves? How do we avoid the chaos? I'm all for decorating(clearly), baking, gifting, etc but how do we avoid all the other "stuff"? Maybe by next year I'll have the answers to those questions and I can have the peaceful Christmas I long for.

Well, I gotta go...fast!

Christmas Parade

Today was the Christmas Parade. The Kimmel's and us went down and found a nice cozy spot right in front of Starbucks (I'm a genius I know). Steve was riding in the new engine this year that was carrying the man himself, Santa! We opted out of riding in the truck so we could collect as much candy as much as possible. This year Darth Vader and the cast of Star Wars were there. When the boys spotted them in the distance you would have thought that some major rockstar was headed our way. It was so fun. Cold, but fun.

Buddy the Elf Day

Thursday is National Buddy the Elf day. This means that whenever you answer your phone you need to answer it "Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?" I'm so stoked about this I cannot tell you. You know I'm totally gonna be into this. Here's a few clips from MY favorite christmas movie. Merry Christmas!