Journey From the Crossroads

Softball Subway Art

2011-10-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

I found a really good tutorial for creating your own subway art using Picassa (love it!...it's FREE!) and Picnik (love it!....it's also FREE!) from Kate @ Centsationalgirl.com. You can find it here:

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/08/make-your-own-printable-word-art/comment-page-1/#comment-576657

I have noticed that there really isn't that much stuff out softball theme stuff out there. I made my girls, okay...myself, some cute little softball subway art. It's yours for free....and is made for 8X10 printing.

Enjoy!

Joy of Love 05: Love to Hate

2011-02-08T18:07:00.000-06:00

"I might get contaminated!"

The flu has invaded our home over the past couple of days and Dunk does not want it. As a result, he started wearing this mask around the house until I couldn't control my laughing and had to snap a picture. I love that this husband of mine is "tidy" but I hate it when he claims we contaminate his space!

Joy of Love 08: Gift of Love

2011-02-08T17:37:00.002-06:00

Joy of Love 07: Generations

2011-02-08T17:37:00.000-06:00

Joy of Love 6: Who They Love

2011-02-08T17:36:00.001-06:00

Joy of Love 04: What They Wear

2011-02-04T18:59:00.003-06:00

What They Wear

Dunk irons every morning before going to work. He irons after his shower, with a towel slung low around his hips. I love the smell of his mornings....that damp fresh-out-of-the-shower smell layered with the warm scent of his neatly pressed shirt. Our yorkie, Bella, waits on the side bed for her boy to warm her a new sleep spot with his iron. D-wears a wrinkle free wardrobe.

Joy of Love 03: Then and Now

2011-02-04T18:54:00.003-06:00

I met this boy during my freshman English class at Georgetown College. He struggled with his writing in the seat behind me but I wasn't interested in the boy or his writing...he wore a clear shower cap around campus in the rain, after all. Two years later, this same boy captured my heart when he threw rocks at my window, persude me relentlessly, dated me with abandon, and loved me unconditionally. He tutored me through college math classes while I guided him English and together, we started writing our love story. Twenty years later, this same boy makes my heart pound out of my chest when he enters a room.

Joy of Love 02 How They Look

2011-02-04T18:53:00.001-06:00

How They Look

. I've seen this look many times over the past 20 years as my husband has learned to frame houses with my father, built our home, and continually works to upgrade our dwelling place.

Joy of Love 01: What They Do

2011-02-04T18:44:00.001-06:00

What She Does

G- is a softball pitcher. She has been taking lessons for about a year and half. She pitched as a reliever for her middle school team last year and is working really hard to add new pitches to her game. G has claimed Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." as her life verse.

OVER MY HEAD

2010-07-20T15:30:00.000-05:00

This week's contest theme at I Heart Faces is "Over My Head". I snapped this picture of Trey as he jumped in to the deep end....waaayyy over his head!

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

We finished pouring concrete today. I was so excited to see the final step of the process complete when the contractor complimented the color choice for the stamped areas. He pulled off the top of the 5 gallon bucket to show me the release agent and my heart sank. It was a bucket full of gray dust and looked like he'd just cleaned out his fireplace. David assured me it was going to be gorgeous and proceeded to "dust" my freshly poured concrete. Before long, our beautiful pool had a film covering the top from the scattering of the release agent and the bottom was littered with small rocks and debris. This is not the tranquil oasis I had envisioned. As I was warding off the now-familiar feeling of anxiousness, I couldn't help but think about how Satan and my Heavenly Father are battling it out for our inner beauty, our souls.

Satan's sneaky, coniving ways are so deceitful. He lures us in with all these promises of beauty, freedom, and luxury. And if we aren't careful, we dive in...head first into those cool, crystal clear waters, unaware of the danger that waits.

I've dived in willing so many times and pushed in a few times, completely unaware.

But thankfully I have a Savior. One who never tires of throwing me a life preserver. A patient Guard who is constantly giving me swimming lessons.

I have a Savior who will come in behind all this junk and clean it out. He'll wash away all the stain and reveal a beautiful new surface.

I'm patiently waiting for the transformation in my back yard. How blessed I am to serve a Lord who is just as patient with me. He's willing to wait it out...willing to allow His blood to wash away the ugliness I have scattered across my life.

He promised He would make all things new...and that includes me!

All About Babies

2010-06-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

I entered this pic of Noah in the IHeartFaces.com "All About Babies" photo contest today.

Noah is looking at his babysitter...my daughter, Cullen.

Rain On My Parade

2010-06-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

G's softball tournament was rained out for the weekend. She's been pitching really well at home and practice so we were eager to watch her strut her stuff on the mound. That will have to wait a few more weeks. Good news is....we scored another uninterrupted weekend at home! BONUS! Deron and I worked together to hang a new white storm door out back. I also repainted the door a nice glossy black while Deron painted trim on the outside and worked on the outside water spigot. It's been broken for a couple of years but will needed this week to fill our new pool with water. After that was completed, we moved on to the garage. A couple of heads full of dust and several hours later, the garage was cleaned out & the trailer was loaded with stuff to take to the dump. There is so much satisfaction with cleaning out and purging. We still had some energy left so we made a quick run to the store for pavers & managed to finish a small retaining wall out front. We got so much accomplished today! Our list of "Things to Do to be Pool Ready" is nearing completion. Woo hoo! The best part for me was getting to work with my husband. Deron is such a hard worker & I learn alot when I get to work by his side. It's great for our marriage to start and complete projects together. I love being Deron's wife and I love working with him!

Friday Fix It 58

2010-06-11T15:11:00.000-05:00

The original picture for Fix It Friday is above.

Here is my first Fix It Friday attempt from IHeartFaces.com

Hope you like it.

The Simple Life...

2010-06-09T15:01:00.000-05:00

A group of my friends and their children enjoyed a picnic potluck today. We all met at a co-worker's home for a relaxing afternoon under huge maple trees in her yard. I snapped pictures of the kids and her beautiful old home all afternoon. The old house in the picture above is what's left of a home that was once used as a hospital during the Civil War.

Red, White and Watermelon!

2010-06-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

What's Cookin'?

2010-06-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed are those who take refuge in him

The girls picked a basket of blueberries from the bushes today. We used some of them to make a fresh blueberry pie. Shamelessly, I used it to lure Grandma Mac down for a weekend visit. The pie turned out beautifully and tastes as good as it looks! C- did a great job putting on a lattice top crust. That's my girl! We also made three fresh peach pies using a recipe I got this week from Tom, a dear friend I met 18 years ago during my 1st teaching position.

I love being at home with my girls. It really is our refuge. School and sports keeps us so busy that when we do finally make it home, it is such a blessing! The girls both share my passion for good food. I love that God has given us such wonderful things to eat and the gifts of creativity and hospitality to make the most of those foods. What an awesome God He is to allow me to share what I love!

Infields and In-laws

2010-04-18T20:11:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! C's team was invited to a Softball Showcase this weekend. Deron's mother and sister made the trip down from Indiana to spend the weekend and watch her play. Of course, the girls and I made a mad dash home from practices on Friday to get the house in order before their arrival. Thanks to the girls' hard work, Diana and Teresa were welcomed into a clean house with fresh baked cookies for a bedtime snack!

We celebrated G's 13th birthday. Grandma, T and Missi started both girls a Brighton charm bracelet. They are so cute! Cellphone, softball, and name charms with bright enamel spaces beads. Such a thoughtful gift!

We had to be at the ball park for an 8:30 away game...there was NO sleeping in! We left the house at 7:15 and managed to creep back in around 10:30 last night. It was a LONG day but the girls won all three games and we got some great family time in.

We all slept in on Sunday morning (skipping church is not a habit) and woke up to sausage, bacon, orange rolls, fresh fruit and coffee. D & T lingered with us over breakfast while we discussed our Disney plans for the fall. Grandma is treating the entire family to a week at the Happiest Place on Earth! This will be a first time trip for many in our family. We are looking forward to making some great memories together!

I am so fortunate to have married into a family that loves each other so much. They love to spend time together....yearly vacations is a tradition....and celebrate birthdays, baptisms and other milestones with lots of enthusiasm. It's taken me a long time to learn how to celebrate with them. It just wasn't part of my family's lifestyle when I was growing up. I'm thankful this family is teaching me how to celebrate each other.

The Journey Begins....

2010-04-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

My girls and I decided to experiment with fondant by creating a Race Car cake for my sister in law's baby shower. Her husband works in the racing industry so we thought it would be fun to create a car for our newest little "rookie", Rylee.