Happy Hunting!

Growing up, I LOVED Easter egg hunts. I am convinced that some of my earliest memories consist of searching for bright and shiny, candy filled eggs. I remember the anticipation before the hunt, the pep talk from my overly competitive father, and the wet grass blooming with pastel treasures! I remember the commercial hunts, surrounded by crowds of other children with eager grins on their merciless faces. Then there was the home hunt, in our yard of grass so high, it threatened to swallow me up in it's dewy blades. Easter morning, the hunt involved real eggs, and was always the most challenging of all, especially searching for the highly coveted golden egg. Although, you could always count on one egg, predictably hidden in Grandpa's old shoe. And finally the countless afternoon hunts with cousins and family spent hiding the eggs over and over until we could hunt no more.

And now, as a parent I get to relive the challenge and competition of Easter egg hunting with my own children. It is glorious. Today marked the first egg hunt of the season. The town hosts this wonderful event every year, and we never miss it! I'm sure that someday my children will look back at these memories fondly and remember the anticipation, the pep talks from their overly competitive mother, and the wet grass blooming with colorful treasures!

Ready.....set.....GO!

Amelia's first Easter Egg Hunt!

Yay!!! Eggs!!!

Mid-Hunt Tantrum....

Okay I'm better, now back to finding eggs!

 

Now It's time for the pros.....

Ready....set....GO!!

Chaos and glory!

My sweet uncompetitive son.              Kadence with her overflowing bag!

 

 

Happy kids, happy mom, happy hunting friends!

Linens and Lace Tea party

My dear sweet friend Lisa held a Tea party for our ladies small group. It was elegant, charming and delicious.

Here are the whimsical invitations we received.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with this magical display of sweet and savory treats:

 My place setting:  

Enjoying divine treats, pleasant conversation and a spot of tea.

The incredible purple bird hat!

Jerika and I with our over the top matching Jessica McClintock dresses:

The lovely Lisa and Kathy, our gracious hosts and I:

Thank you so much for your hospitality!

It was truly an enchanting and memorable tea.

Beyond Expectations!

Our Tuesday morning bible study group, just finished a six week study on the book of Jonah. The title and theme of the study was, "Navigating a Life Interrupted", and it was written by Priscilla Shirer. Most of us think of the book of Jonah as simply a cute children's bible story about a big whale, but it is so much more and so much deeper. It is truly all about a big God and his great, unfathomable love for us.

During the course of this study, we were challenged as a group to reach out to others in a practical way, that could really help and touch the lives and hearts of people in our community. We chose to focus our efforts on 2 organizations and 1 individual. We collected items each week and planned to make up gift baskets, and goodie bags to deliver. Well, when it came time to put together the gifts, we were truly amazed by what God had done. We ended up with a surplus of items and gifts, and we were able to give beyond our own expectations. God is so amazing.

Sorting and organizing:

Wrapping and packaging:

Putting the baskets and bags together:

Final touches:

Finished gift baskets and bags for women:

Finished gift bags for children:

After putting everything together, we all just took a step back and looked in awe at all that God had provided for this outreach project.

I love that when we follow God's leading, he will bless us beyond our own expectations!

If you are interested in the Jonah study, you can find it here:

http://www.lifeway.com/Product/jonah-navigating-a-life-interrupted-member-book-P005264295

St. Patrick's Day Fun

This year, since my husband was working we spent St. Patrick's day with my best friend and her adorable kiddos. To make it even more of a party, we got to have three of our other friend's kids join in the fun while she had a much needed date night out with her hubby. So, if you're keeping track, that's my three kids, plus two kids, plus another three kids. That gave us a grand total of 8 kids, all under the age of 7, 4 of them still in diapers. Sheeewy. Are we crazy or what? But, with some awesome ideas from Pinterest and some great free printables I found online, I think the kids all had a fun time. And as for my bestie and I.....well, we survived. :)

Here is Felecia and I with our little ones. Just wait....there are more kids on the way.

I found these adorable bingo cards here: http://thecraftingchicks.com/2012/03/st-patricks-day-lucky-bingo-free-printables.html

They all ended up winning prizes!

I also printed off some coloring sheets from family fun's website and found a great word search here: http://preservingwonder.com/2012/03/st/

The big event of the night was a treasure hunt! I found the printable clues here:

http://jessekatedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-patricks-day-fun-day-6-treasure-hunt.html

I also used rolo candies to leave a trail of "gold nuggets".

Treasure!!!!

Finally, what's a party without cake?

This cake was fun to make and simple to decorate using only tinted green frosting, green sprinkles and green M&Ms

They all had a blast! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

And now for a behind the scenes look at what it felt like from the viewpoint of a mom, juggling babies, diapers, bottles, crying, candy and GREEN cake covered children.......

Hehehehehehe! Thanks for hosting us Felecia!



Love, Meelo

Sometimes an unexpected gift, can change your day.

Yesterday, Kadence received a package in the mail, from the most loving Auntie in the world: Auntie Meelo. Even though these two are separated by 3,000 miles, they share a special love and are bonded by sweetness, cuteness and silliness. Auntie Meelo sent the perfect gift, at the perfect time in her own perfect Meelo way.

Thanks for sending some love and changing her day.

  

Monday Devotion

They say that when it rains, it pours. And, lately I have felt stuck in a torrential down pour. The past few months, our family has faced one crisis after another. We have been confronted with tragedy and circumstances beyond our control. And, I admit that there have been moments of despair and at times I have felt an overwhelming darkness threatening to swallow me whole. But looking over this season of rain I have begun to see something truly amazing. No matter how bad the circumstance or how impossible the situation, God has been faithful and has remained a constant working force in and around us. He has given us comfort when sadness threatened to engulf us. He has provided encouragement when things seemed hopeless. He has provided life saving moments of unexpected joy and laughter, amidst tragedy and tears. I simply cannot say enough about his goodness and love.

As I watch and wait to see how God will work all of these things out for good, I feel my anxiety fade into anticipation and my fears transform into excitement, because I know that God is faithful. He is the God of the impossible. And he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above what we ask of him.