Cousins, Part 4

Traveling day...

After a pancake breakfast (that Allison so cheerfully made for us), we headed south to my dad's ranch.

We stopped in Natty Flat, of course, to see the world's largest wooden rocking chair...

About an hour later we stopped in Dublin at the Dr. Pepper museum...

We may have each gotten a genuine Dublin Dr. Pepper! :)

Cousins, Part 3

Whew! Thursday was a FULL day, and we barely fit everything in! It was the perfect "girl day", although we had a surprise visit from a boy (gasp!) during the evening.

We slept in late and took our time getting ready for the Arboretum, but we made it just in time for a lunch picnic (it was a beautiful day!).

The tulips were lovely!

This is a favorite of mine. That kid headed toward the frog put his hand in front of the stream of water, which made it spray ALL over Annabel. Hilarious!

Preparing calzone dough for dinner.

While the dough rose, we painted pottery at a cute place called "Paint Yer Pottery"...VERY quickly. We got there at 10 after 5:00, and it closed at 6:00. Everyone else did a great job finishing, but I was too stressed out! I'm going to have to go back to complete my salt and pepper shakers. :)

Calzones! Here we're making our own dinner, filling each calzone and making it into whatever shape we desire. :) The random boy you see is a friend of my cousin Catherine (in the pink). He joined us for the evening and then drove back home to Fort Worth. It was fun to get to know him a bit!

Snow cones at Bahama Bucks - delicious!

Cousins, Part 2

Allison and Annabel came back to school with me today - two days in a row, and during their Spring Break! We had fun, although I think we're all glad to be done with school for a couple days. :)

Annabel helped teach a small group during reading, and she did a great job! She's a natural!

Allison was in charge of a group, too - she had to play the same two games with four different groups, and she did it with a smile!

Both girls helped my classroom assistant take down the bulletin board this morning. Little did they know they'd have to work so hard while visiting their cousin's school!

During my small group tonight, the girls saw this movie with my mom. Wary of it, I waited until I heard their opinions to form a more complete judgement. They liked it, but I still don't think I'll go see it. :)

Week with the Cousins, Part 1

This week my sweet cousins, Allison and Annabel, are visiting in Dallas. They're staying with me for most of their spring break, and we have all sorts of fun events planned! They're troopers to come with me to work for two days. Below is a brief overview of what we did today at school:

They accompanied (ha - get it?) us on our field trip to see a beautiful organ at a nearby church. The music minister even let them sit on the bench!

Allison, teacher extraordinaire, was so helpful to write instructions on the board for the class. She also took care of several random classroom tasks during the day - we're thankful for that!

Annabel, servant-hearted and full of joy, helped with all sorts of odd jobs around the classroom. She is a fast and efficient worker!

We ended the day in pajamas, with popcorn and a movie. After a hard day at work, it was a treat to relax for a bit!

Oh, Yes It Is

Click here for proof. :)

I Like Taking Pictures

It's late, so I'm headed to bed, but I wanted to share a few precious moments from the last week. I went to visit Cousin Ashley (and family) and was blessed to be around them for a few days.

100% boy.

Sweet girl.

Real life. ;)

Throwing Myself on the Gospel of Grace

Well, hello.

Today I came across this blurb while reading my BSF notes, and the Holy Spirit - once again - revealed an issue in my heart I just can't seem to shake.

On what basis are you trusting God to save you? Your behavior or His faithfulness to His promises in Christ? Could it be that you are trying to "self-manage" your sins rather than throwing yourself on the gospel of grace through trust in Jesus Christ?

Why is it that I continue to think I can handle things myself? That I can manage my issues - my anxiety, selfish desires, impatience, unbelief, [fill in the blank with whatever here]?

This is why it's so important to preach the gospel to myself each day. To throw myself on the gospel of grace through trust in Jesus Christ. So yes: confess and repent. But don't forget to return to the cross; remembering that He has covered my sin, He has saved me from its bondage, and He works in me to change my heart in order to reflect His more and more each day.

Behavior modification? I will fail. Heart change belongs to Him, and He is my only hope. Lord, help me to remember to walk in the freedom that comes from knowing You.

Listened to a great sermon today, too. :) I love Spring Break.