A friend is someone who knows all about you, and loves you just the same. Proverb


Psalm 150:6: Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.



The ordination service went very well. I will try to post pictures as soon as I can get them.
Have a GREAT day! Rachael

Ordination Service

We are so excited about what the Lord is doing in our family! Most of you probably know that Brandon accepted a full time position at our church at the beginning of the year as the children's pastor. Tomorrow he is being ordained into full time ministry at our church at 2:00 in the afternoon at Western Hills Church. The service will last about one hour. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Blessings,
Brandon and Rachael

DIY Project ONE

In an attempt to satisfy this "decorating" frenzy I am on the verge of, I decided to take on a simple task that didn't cost much money. DIY (Do it yourself) is used a lot now days but for some reason every time I go to say it I always say DYI. After some of my DIY project messes I feel that DYI is good advice for me to consider before starting any DIY project. I have affectionately given DYI the phrase "Don't, You Idiot". The definition for stupid is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I do this often, particularly with my decor projects. So instead of starting full swing with paint and such I wisely chose a small project that, if went well, could be completed while the girls were taking their afternoon nap. Recovering the kitchen chairs was the task of the hour.


I had bought fabric from Wal-mart for $2.00 a yard a couple years ago. But the project just hadn't gotten done. It was very simple to do this with the scissors and a staple gun. I am happy to report this project was a successful DIY project and I still had time for a quick pick up and the weeks ironing before the girls woke up.

I was happy with the outcome of the project which is both good and bad. Good because well it is good to be happy with the finished project product but this could be bad because I fear it has only fueled the flamed for my decorating desires! :)

Have a great day!

Sorry I don't have time for a lengthy update but I thought you would enjoy these pictures! Pictures are the best part of updates anyways! Our family is doing very well and we hope this update finds you happy and blessed!



Spring time is coming!



Hope this brought a smile to your face!

Just Thinking Out Loud

Are you the type of person that feels like you can accomplish just about anything? Sometimes in my mind I am that way. Unfortunately I am only a perfect “jack-of-all-trades” in my mind. When I was a little girl I told my dad that I wanted to be a jack-of all-trade. He said “jack-of-all-trade, master-of-none” At the time I thought I would prove him wrong and be a jack-of-all-trades AND a master-of-all. As I have grown up I have learned my dad was right. However, there are still times when I want to take on some task even though I have no idea how to do and do it! Recently I have been in the decorating mood. I am NOT a décor person but I have been inspired by several different things that show amazingly cute décor on a budget. In my mind I picture it all working out perfectly but from experience I have learned my mental picture sometimes turns me into a mental case! And then I think of the few times I have gone for something and it actually has worked out. Humm….to take on the challenge or sit this one out?

By the way.....this picture is not particularly what I was going to do but I though it is soooo super cute! I highly doubt this could be done on a budget!:)

Let the day dreams continue!

Thrills, Deals, and Steals

Yesterday I accompanied Brandon and our newly found fashion consultant and long time friend Morgan on the grand excursion of finding Brandon some new clothes. This has been a long time comin’ and we asked our friends with fashion sense to accompany us. I have wanted to help Brandon step outside of his box and try a few new colors and styles. However, fashion is not my specialty and so I am not much help. Morgan however was a great help and with more of us than him we had a little more leverage to at least convince him to try things on. Fashion is a delicate balance of looking good and staying in style without trying to be someone you are not. Anyway, yesterday was the second of two shopping excursions. For the first one Whitney was also there to give some expert advice. For Christmas Brandon received several gift cards so the shopping began! Here are some of his “new looks”. I thought it would b pushing it for me to ask him to model the clothes for you so I just took some pictures.

These are the clothes he got rid of that he never wore because they didn’t fit or were faded etc. WHAT A HUGE PILE!!!! Yes, he has much more space in his closet.

Ladies and Gentlemen I introduce to you the NEW SHOES!!!!! Brandon has bought the exact same pair of shoes since he was about 15 years old. He has owned at least six pairs of these adidas beauties. But now new balance has the winning bid.



We found amazing deals at JcPenney’s for Brandon’s clothes. Old Navy also had several things on sale. I was pulled into the grand sale vortex and found myself out of the men’s clothing and frantically searching the many racks of adorable little girls clothes. Hey, what can I say, it was 50% off of the SALE price!! I was getting brand new clothes for barely over thrift store prices! This way I am also able to get the girls matching outfits! I love it!!!! I did show self-control though and tried to think ahead and for next year. Liz can wear some of her clothes now with the sleeves rolled up but Katherine’s won’t fit her until next year. These deals greatly thrilled me!!!!! I got matching bookworm shirts for both of the girls but I was mostly thinking of Elizabeth who sits and reads her books for hours.

This one is only for Katherine and doesn't have a match for liz.





I saved the absolute best for last. They had coats on sale for a really reasonable price. I found a cute tan coat that seemed practical- warm, and color/style neutral. But then my heart was stolen…the little plaid dress coat was simply irresistible! I couldn’t tell how much it cost though because it only had its original price tag on it and it was the only one in the store. Let’s recap…the only one in the store, Elizabeth’s size, will fit Katherine in a couple years, AND irresistibly cute. Coincidence? I don’t think so! But the price was still a big factor and honestly it wasn’t as practical as the tan coat. Brandon was helping me settle the great coat battle going on within me. Naturally he was pulling for pratical. We concluded price would be the determining factor. So to the checkout line we proceeded. The cute/less-practical coat rang up at…..get ready…..this is a thrill deal and steal……..ok, I’ll tell you……..$5.79! Trying to hold in my excitement I very confidently said, “I’ll take both!” Yippee!!!!



I hope you can find a good deal that will make you smile this week.

Growing Girls

I hope you have been able to enjoy this cold winter weather we have had. This was Elizabeth’s first “snow” experience. I think she is going to love actually playing in real snow someday. In the mean time this will have to do.


Both of the girls are sleeping in their room now. Elizabeth did a great job making the transfer to her big girl bed. Both of the girls have done very well being together in the same room. I wasn’t so sure how that was going to work out.


Katherine is growing so quickly and is getting so cute. I love it when she smiles at me and lets out those little coos. She has officially become a thumb sucker. I am not sure exactly how I feel about this but it sure is cute!!! I will try to get a picture and post it soon.

Picnic Perfection

What beautiful weather we’ve had the past few days. Although I hear the wind outside blowing in a chill as I type. I understand the weather not making up its mind being cold one day and warm the next can be frustrating for some people. I however am VERY grateful for the warm January days every now and then. It does wonders for ones spirits to be able to open the blinds to let the sunshine in and even get out of the house for a bit to let Lizzy run around. Also it makes going places much easier and more enjoyable with the little ones. I’m normally all for the snow, but I must admit, if I could choose I’d keep the spring days. Speaking of taking advantage of the spring days we enjoyed a short family picnic at the park tonight before Brandon headed to Ponca City for the night. It was a lot of fun and I even made fried chicken for the very first time ever for the occasion. A beautiful day, family time at the park, and a picnic dinner of fried chicken. Sound wonderful? It was. Elizabeth had a blast playing at the park. Katherine will be out there playing with her before we know it but for tonight she just slept in the carrier.




I love it that Elizabeth is getting enough hair to really fix it! Her pigtails are so cute in my biased opinion. She looks pretty funny after we take them out though.

Katherine is doing wonderful. Can you believe she will be two months old on Sunday?! Wow! She is pretty much sleeping through the night all of the time now. She sleeps from 10:00pm until 5:30ish. She seems to really be getting on a good schedule. Hurray! It is difficult at times not to wish the time away. I know however that I should do whatever it takes to enjoy this time in life for all to soon they will be gone. So if you have kids or grandkids in your house right now your should go love on them a little!


Hope all is well with each of your families!!!