mother-in-laws

Aren't mother-in-laws supposed to be annoying? Always nagging you about your husband, your kids, how you don't visit her enough? Well, I am here to say I DO NOT have that kind of mother-in-law :) I have been blessed with this sweet, oh-so thoughtful, beautiful mother-in-law! What a blessing she has been to me and my family. She has continually shown grace, forgiveness, love, hospitality and encouragement. I am so blessed.

She has raised 5 wonderful children. I am priveledged to be married to one of them. She is a Proverbs 31 wife and a fabulous grandmomma ;)

"Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 'many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.'" Prov. 31:28-29

To the best Mother-in-law in the world!

Happy Birthday Momma! I love you

children are sweet blessings

Our sweet little Ryder was born on August 24, 2011

weighing in at 7lbs. 5oz. and 20 inches long

What a blessing he is to our family! We love you Ryder Clifford Michael

Here are a few of the many sweet moments captured this month

after his first bath

"sleeping like a baby" like babies do...anytime, anywhere. except at night, of course ;)

chillaxin' with daddy :)

Clairsy feeding her "bubba" as she likes to call him

already changing so much! I took this picture today.

He has started smiling at our voices and getting excited about the toys hanging from his bouncer!

We are thrilled to have this little man! It is so exciting to watch him grow as we do ClaireBell into the person God created him to be. I pray to be the kind of Mama he needs me to be, and more importantly, the kind that honors God.

We have lots of settling still to do here in Jacksonville as we continue the search for our "permanent" place of residence. You can expect more blogging once things calm down a bit :)

Thanks for reading! Have a happy Wednesday :)



Happy Birthday ClaireBell



ClaireBell, what a joy you are to me every day. I love you so much and am so very thankful to Jesus for giving you to us two years ago! I hope you had a wonderful day.



a birthday banner I made



detail

After cake, she and her Aunt Eliza Jane played in the pool

what's summer without a few water balloons??

She loved opening presents! Unlike last year, she needed little to no help! It was so much fun watching her eyes light up with each gift. And hearing the ooooh's and ahhhh's was just precious :) 

She is very into Toy Story these days...she watches the movies just about every day! So, of course, she was thrilled with having her very own Jessie and Woody dolls :) She played with them all day, slept with them and is now watching Toy Story 3 (which she also got for her bday) with her sweet friends :)

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! Now its time to welcome your little brother!



asnip happenings

I am coming to you today with no excuses or explanations for why I haven't shared any of our latest happenings or news. So I am gonna dive right in!

Firstly, we are so excited and anxious to welcome our sweet little boy in a short 3 days! (give or take a few ;) Did I ever mention I was pregnant?? Dont think I did.

I have been, as every pregnant woman does, praying for an earlier delivery (crossing our fingers for this weekend!) 9 months pregnant in August in the south is taking its toll on me! We are so excited to meet him :)

Secondly, our sweet little ClaireBell has her 2nd birthday on, believe it or not, my due date! I can't believe its been 2 years already...she's getting so big and changing in so many ways.

Getting her hair cut and colored...haha, just kidding. But she loves for me to put the cape on, put some foils in her hair and then admire herself in the mirror ;)

a big "CHEEEEEEEEEESSSSEEEE" for the camera every time it comes out!

Enjoying some Braves baseball this summer

This girl loves ice! eating it, playing in it...keeping cool at her daddy's tennis match.

So let's go ahead and add another event for August 22nd...this day also marks the first day of Dakota's classes! Which brings on another topic. He has transferred to Liberty University Online. The convenience of online school is something we are taking advantage of. He is and will be a busy man! Working full time and taking care of a wife and two little munchkins, and still pursuing his degree! We are so proud of him :)

Such a good daddy and husband :)

Ok, so far we have a new baby coming, a 2nd birthday to celebrate, new classes to start at a new school, and if that isn't enough, we are MOVING to Florida the 1st of September!!!! This online school thing has opened up so many opportunities for us. We are very excited to be moving closer to our families (about an hour from the Asnips and two hours from the DeGuzmans!)

Dakota has accepted a job in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and will be starting the day after Labor Day. Sooooo many things happening! All very exciting and new :)

There are so many things for me to be thankful for right now:

welcoming a baby boy!

having a safe and great pregnancy

the blessing of our little girl and the 2 years we have spent with her

the opportunity for Dakota to finish school

God providing a job in FL so quickly

the joy of moving back to the BEACH :)

living close to wonderful family

all the help I am receiving to clean and pack up our house!

and so so so much more.

Thank you, Lord for your guidance and protection over us these past few months as we have sought to do Your will. Thank you so much for Your clarity in our decision making and for not being a God of confusion. Thank you for keeping me and our baby safe these past 9 months. Thank you for ClaireBell and what a blessing she is to us every day. Thank you for bringing Dakota into my life so many years ago, knowing how he would love me and take care of me and lead this family.

For those of you who have stuck with me through the silence this summer, thank you :) Please keep us in prayer as we tackle the next few weeks with confidence, energy and great anticipation!

I promise to update again soon :)

cool summer treats

What you need:

8 graham crackers (i used the cinnamon ones)

1 box of instant banana cream pudding

1 box of instant vanilla pudding

3 tbsp butter 

4 thinly sliced strawberries

paper cups (i used the bathroom size dixie cups for my little one, but feel free to go bigger!)

craft sticks

1 ziploc bag

rolling pin (or glass cup)

 

First, make each box of pudding, separately, as directed on box

 

Place all 8 graham crackers in the ziploc bag and use your rolling pin to crush them into small pieces...like you would a graham cracker crust.

 

Next, melt your butter and pour over crushed graham crackers. Mix with a fork until moist and crumbly.

 

Now go ahead and get your pudding out of the refrigerator and let's get started on the fun part!

Begin by adding one layer of vanilla pudding to your paper cup. (the size of your layers will depend on the size of your cup)  

 

Then a layer of graham crackers...

 

Add your layer of sliced strawberries to the outside of the cup....i think this step is what makes it so pretty :) and strawberries are delicious right now!

 

now the layer of banana pudding...

 

and another yummy layer of graham crackers (this was my hubby's favorite part to eat ;)

 

and a final layer of vanilla pudding

then put your craft stick in all the way to the bottom of the cup

 

Freeze for several hours or overnight.

 Then just peel the paper cup off and let the fun begin!!

 

Your little ones will love this sweet summertime treat

 

And maybe your husband too!

 

Have fun! 

 

Happy Friday :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mountain Ma and Pa

I read this cute little poem a few weeks ago from a book that is literally changing my life! 

It's called "Created to be His Help Meet" 

Ladies, if you are looking for an excellent book to encourage and seriously challenge you, this is it. This book and the Scripture in it will forever have an impact on my marriage and my life. Thank you, Debi Pearl for writing it!

Here is the poem...so cute:

O, so much ter do,

So much ter be done.

The work's never through,

An' da work ain't much fun.

No thanks fer yer labor,

No pay fer da job,

Jes, "What's fer supper?"

"How 'bout corn-on-da-dob?"

Ya mop an' ya sweep,

Ya dust an' ya shine.

Then turn around,

An' what do ya find?

His shoes on da floor,

His coat on da chair,

His rear in da couch,

An' his feet in da air!

So ya kick off yer shoes,

An' ya throw down yer broom.

An' ya wink at yer ole man,

So he'll make ya some room!

If we could only have this attitude all the time, right?? Well, I am trying and by the grace of God, someday I might have it down! 

1 Cor. 11:8-9 "For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man." 

Reversible Dress Tutorial

I have made two of these little dresses for my munchkin to play in this summer! They are soooo easy and lots of fun! This is my first tutorial, so bear with me as I try to direct you :) Please feel free to comment if you have any questions!

Here is what we will be making.....

the dress, not the ice cream ;)

Sorry, not very many pics of her in the dresses! Not the fabric I will be showing you today, but same pattern. Her "aaaaaaaple" dress is her favorite thing to wear :)

Let's get started......

Here is what you will need:

1/2 Yd. fabric #1 of your choice

1/2 Yd. fabric #2 of your choice

2 packages of coordinating Rick Rack (roughly 3 yrds.)

2 coordinating buttons

sewing machine

basic sewing supplies

First thing, and probably the hardest is to cut your fabric pieces. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to create the pattern pieces for you. I created the original shape and have copied it since then. Measure your little one to decide the correct dimensions in length and width. Use chalk to create a shape you are confident in and cut one piece of each fabric.

*remember they will need to match exactly with RST (right sides together)

Next, take your rick rack and pin it along the inside of one piece of fabric (RST) like this:

Once you have lined the entire piece of fabric, sew to secure and remove pins.

we paused for a quick shot...she kept tapping my arm saying, "mama, mama, cheeeeeeese?"

Here is what your dress should look like so far...

Next, pin your two fabric pieces together. RST

Turn your fabric so you can see the previous stitch line and sew on that same line.

*remember to leave a 4-5 inch opening to turn your dress right side out!!

Turn your dress right side out and sew your opening closed. (sorry, no pic for that step)

Now use your sewing machine to create button-holes on both....well, both spots that look like this! haha. This is the front of your dress. 

Now add your buttons to the outer ends of the dress. like this....

Unfortunately, I didn't have some cuter buttons on-hand...

Now just cross the outer pieces around the back and button in the front! Voila! 

back

front

opposite side front

opposite side, back

 Completely reversible and super comfy for your little one :)

Fits my 21 month old...hits right at the knee. Sometimes she wears bloomers (or fancy pants as we like to call them) underneath, sometimes shorts, sometimes leggings, jeans....whatever the occasion, its super cute.

So have fun! and I'm sorry if the directions aren't clear! If you make one, please let me know how it turns out! :)

I think she likes it!?