Summer Vacation

Hi, y'all!  Hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far! This time last month, Hubby and I were getting ready to leave for vacation!  I can't believe a month has already passed.  This summer is flying by.

We decided for our vacation this year that we wanted to go back to the Smoky Mountains (of course!), but we also wanted to try to see some new places too.  So, we decided to go a little farther East for a few days and spend some time in North Carolina.  

We spent the first couple of days in Charlotte, visiting the Billy Graham Library and home place.  It was absolutely amazing!  If you ever have the chance to go...GO!  It was by far my favorite stop of the entire week.  Rev. Graham is such an inspiration and a wonderful example of living a life for Christ. Seeing his journey through the years on display at the museum and library was a blessing!

This is the entrance to the library and museum.  I love that the windows are placed in the shape of a cross.

Here is a photo of Billy with President Kennedy, from the museum.

At the end of the museum tour, there was a video presentation by Rev. Graham on how to be saved. When the video was over and the doors opened, this walkway to exit was lit up with crosses.  It was so pretty!

After we finished at the library and museum,  we went for a walk in the memorial garden where Ruth Bell Graham is buried.

The next stop we made was in Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate.  All I can say is WOW!  Of course, the place is HUGE, but the features that they had in the house when it was built were unreal for that time period.  They don't allow photography inside the house, but we took some pictures of the outside and of the gardens.  It was beautiful!

The flowers in the gardens and conservatory were gorgeous. Hubby took tons of pictures, but these are three of my favorites.

We left North Carolina on Thursday and spent the last couple of days in Pigeon Forge.  The Smoky Mountains are one of my most favorite places on earth. No matter how many times we go, it never gets old.  

We went up to Clingman's Dome but it was way too cloudy to see very much.  Still, it was breathtaking.

This is The Island at Pigeon Forge.  When we were there last year, it was still a work in progress.  They have a water show every hour that is choreographed to a fun song.  It was awesome at night.

The night before we left, we saw a dinner show at The Biblical Times Dinner Theater.  It was a production about Moses and you can read about it here.  As always, we were not disappointed with the food or the show.  If you visit Pigeon Forge, make sure to go to Biblical Times.

Now that I have looked at all of the pictures, I am ready to go back!  :-)

Have a blessed week, friends!

The Days Are Long, But The Years Are Short

Tomorrow is my birthday.

The big 3-1.

Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it?  

via

The years are short...never has a truer statement been spoken (or written).  It seems like 31 years have flown by.  God has truly blessed me.

Today, on the eve of my birthday, I want to thank Him for so many good things in my life...

• Salvation:  Without the blood that Jesus shed to cover my sins and the promise of a home with Him in heaven someday, my life would mean nothing.  I can never thank Him enough.
• Grace:  I couldn't face the big life events OR the day-to-day happenings without God's abundant grace.
• Hubby:  God sure did bless me when He sent me that sweet man of mine.  I don't tell him often enough how thankful I am for him and for everything he does for our family.  So, honey, if you are reading this, I love you and I thank God for putting us together.  You are amazing!
• Family:  I have the best.  God gave me wonderful Christian parents who took me to church and taught me about Jesus. They gave me the best sister I could ask for, who gave me the most precious nieces and nephews in the whole world!  I am so thankful for all of them!
• Church:  God has blessed me with a wonderful church family at a place that worships Him in spirit and truth.  Doesn't get any better than that!
• Career:  Although my desire is to be a stay-at-home wife/mom someday, God has seen fit at this time in my life to provide me with a career that I enjoy and co-workers that are like family.  I am blessed to have a job that I love.
• All the little things:  There are so many more things that I am blessed with and thankful for.  God is so good to me!

Tomorrow, I will turn 31.  I am going to go to work, and then spend the evening with Hubby (who has a special dinner planned for me, which I am super excited about!!)

I hope you all have a blessed week!

Slumber Party

Ahh, sweet summertime!  The kiddies are out of school, the air is warm (ok, HOT), the days are long....well, you get the picture.


Anyway.


Since the kids are out of school for summer break now, sweet Miss M spent the night with me and Hubby last weekend.  


SLUMBER PARTY!!


We had such a good time with our precious girl.  We played a little ball in the backyard and boy, was it HOT that day!

Yeah, I'm not very athletic so me attempting to hit a ball was quite amusing.


Here's Miss M and Hubby enjoying a popsicle...my favorite summer treat!

Isn't she the most adorable little sweetheart?

Next, we had some craft time.  Miss M actually came up with this fun idea to make a bird feeder from a water bottle!  Creative, yes?

Every little girl needs a flower from her uncle.  Makes the day perfect!  I love this picture of M.  She looks so happy!

And, after all of that exciting adventure, she was out like a light!  

Those slumber parties sure are some good times!  I think Hubby and I enjoyed it as much as Miss M did.  

Now, time for some relaxation and a long holiday weekend.  I think we are going to do some thrift store shopping, garage sale adventuring and grilling with the fam.  

What are your plans for this Memorial Day weekend?

We've Got Some Catching Up To Do

OK, so I'm really not good at keeping up with this blog thing.  Life gets so busy...where does the time go, anyway?


So much to catch up on since it's been, let's see...FOREVER since I've written anything!  


Since I last posted, my darling Hubby's father suffered a stroke.  He's making remarkable progress, but has a long way to go.  We would definitely appreciate your prayers for him.  Hubby and I went to Ohio to visit with him the weekend before Mother's Day.  We had a wonderful time with him, my mother-in-law, Hubby's baby sister and his older sister and her family.


While we were in Ohio, we also visited Hubby's cousin's greenhouse and nursery, where we got this HUGE hanging basket for my mom for Mother's Day.

And, since we're on the subject of Mother's Day...I hope all of my sweet mama friends had a fantastic day!  You all have the hardest, yet most rewarding job out there and you deserve a day to relax and be pampered.  Hubby and I spent the day with my parents and my sister and her family.  We had a great time!  My mom is one of the most amazing women I've ever met.  I love her so much!

Me, Mom & Sis

Here's a picture of my orange tiger lilies in full bloom, for no reason other than they're so pretty and I love looking at them.

And on a final note, I made homemade bread for the first time this weekend, sans bread maker!!  It was a long process but the bread turned out amazing!

Waiting for the dough to rise

After punching down and kneading for the second time

Divided into two loaves

The finished product!

The bread was delish!  You can find the recipe here.  It's a little sweeter than I had anticipated...more like a Hawaiian bread.  I think next time, I will cut down the sugar to 1/4 cup to make it taste more like a regular white bread.  Either way, it's yummy!

Enjoy your week, friends.  Be blessed!

I'm A Blog Slacker

I'll admit it.  I am a total blog slacker.


Has it really been nearly two weeks since I've written anything?  Life moves so fast, doesn't it?  Days turn into weeks before you know it.  Time just gets away from us somehow.


How have you guys been?  


We have been super busy here.  Our local Farmer's Market opened two weekends ago and I have been one very happy girl!  Check out this tote bag that I got on the first weekend.  Quite handy for packing around all of my awesome Farmer's Market finds.

We bought some fresh pork last weekend, which was pretty tasty.  And also, some local strawberries, local raw honey and a few other goodies.  I love buying local.  It's a great way to not only support your community, but to know where your food is coming from and how it was grown or raised.

ImageKind

We were in revival at my church this past week.  It was such a blessing.  I feel renewed and refreshed.  God is so good, yes?


Other than that, Hubby and I have just been working a little bit around the house and in the yard.  I am hoping to get some flowers planted soon.  I just love the spring season!


And, last, a few pictures for you.  Peace out, friends.

Hubby cleaning out a flower bed for me.  He's too sweet!

I heart purple flowers.  *sigh*

Sweet Jasper, watching us work in the yard.  Ignore that big ole dirty spot on the window where he rubs his nose.  I really need to clean that before I take pictures.  Eek!

Fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade.  Delicious!

Me and my man.  Love him!

Marriage Is Hard Work

Tonight, I feel almost compelled to write about marriage.  Being married just shy of two years, I hardly feel qualified to offer any insight into it at all.  But I'm going to anyway. 


*Smiles*


So, here goes...


Being married is hard work, folks.  Yep, that starry-eyed, mushy, married-life-is-the-best-thing-ever feeling...it's just not there every day.  Life happens, and those "just starting out" feelings fade.

Before we go on, let me insert here that I am madly in love with my husband.  God has blessed me so much by putting us together and I can not imagine my life without him.  


Do I love him more every day?  Most definitely.  


Do I feel absolutely giddy every day?  Nope.


Marriage takes work.  You have to adapt, grow, and mature as you go along.  You have to pray, trust and believe.  And you have to make a conscious effort to do this every.single.day.


Building a Godly marriage is not easy.  It takes commitment.  And grace.  A whole lot of grace.

It takes submission to your husband.  This is sometimes a hard one for me, as I am sure it is for some of you ladies.  But the Bible tells us to submit to our husbands.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:22-23)

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. (Ephesians 5:25)

Wow...that kind of love sure makes it much easier to be submissive.  Praise the Lord for a husband who loves me as close as he can to the way that Christ loves the church.


Isn't it wonderful, the way that God designed marriage?  Each spouse gives to the other what the one lacks.  In this way, they complete each other and the two become united as one.

...For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh (Matthew 19:5)

God's design for marriage is perfect.  However, we have a sinful nature.  And sin separates us from God's perfect plan.  Because of this, being married takes a daily determination to give of yourself for the good of your husband.


God created man and woman for each other.  Marriage was planned for the good of man.

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

It's hard work.


It's a day-to-day intentional effort to be the wife that your husband deserves, to put his needs above your own, and to honor God in your marriage.


But it's rewarding.  A happy marriage is a true blessing.  And I am blessed.

Kristy Ketterman Photography

Thanks for listening, friends.  Much love to you all!

Thinking and Reflecting

Boy, oh boy, has it been HOT outside this past week!  Today is the official first day of spring but it feels more like the middle of July.

Hubby and I went for a nice little drive after church on Sunday, just enjoying the afternoon together.  Everything is so pretty this time of the year.  The trees and flowers are blooming so beautifully!  God has brought the earth to life one more time.  He is good.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 72:19)

I started reading The Hunger Games series this week.  Wow!  I am surprised by how good the first book was.  I'm over halfway through the second book (Catching Fire) and it's just as good as the first book was.  Definitely a recommended read.  Hubby is even enjoying them, too!

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And now, we must insert some photos because after all, what kind of blog post would this be without pictures?

*Smiles*

This photo is so serene.  When I look at it, I see just a small portion of how big God really is.

For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10)

 

Cherry trees are in full bloom in the Bluegrass state.  Beautiful, aren't they?

The dogwood tree is one of my favorite trees.  This bloom is still green, but it's beautiful, just the same.  When I see it, I am always reminded of the story about the legend of the Dogwood tree.  If you've never read it, you can do so here.  The flower in the shape of a cross is a reminder of the sacrifice Christ made for us.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And here's a picture of Hubby, just because I love him.  And because he's so cute!

Isn't God good, y'all?  He's blessed me so much more than I deserve.  I am so thankful that, even when I mess up, He still loves me and His grace is sufficient.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

Happy Spring, my friends!