Easter brunch and New Things

 Ted was away on Easter weekend, so we tried our best to have fun without him (but missed him). On the way home from church Dorathea invited all the neighborhood kids to an Egg Hunt in our yard.  I was expecting lunch guests so I darted around the kitchen while they darted around the yard hiding eggs.

When lunch and egg hunts finished.  We lounged in the back yard with friends.  I have a plate of homeaid cream cheese danishes to my left and a giant latte in front of me.  Backyard heaven. Life is better when the dishes are far away.

Next selfies on the back porch;

Ted and I are praying about lots of jobs and things this April. Seeing new things on the horizon. We are hopeful and full of faith. Things are not easy (don't be deceived by pretty photos!) but life is hard and good, frightening, but I refuse to be afraid. Hopefully soon I won't be so vauge!

"She laughs with no fear of the future" Proverbs 31

Jesus has conquered all my fears.  He lives and so I live. I choose to live in the brave and the beautiful.

Happy Easter.

Journaling Croatia Days 1 & 2

I gave myself the job of chronicling our trip to Croatia.  Assignment; take photos of my sisters Monica, and Leigha as we put on a Conference for Children's Minister's in Croatia, and keep a journal of our adventures.  Now I am going to share both journal and photos with you :)

Before  the trip we met many times to talk about what we thought we were supposed to speak on.  We would compare notes on what we had heard from the lord as we prayed.  I just heard, "Love", Monica heard specifics about managing volunteers and ideas for amazing kid's activities, and Leigha heard 

" turn the hearts of the fathers to the hearts of the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" Malaci 4:6

Monday morning the day of departure; Rick Sizemore called us at 6 am and asked us to leave earlier so we could beat the storm to DC.  This was a great idea because soon after we left our families were snowed in.  It had just begun to snow when we left Lucie Monroe's Coffee shop in Christiansburg at 8 am. 

I had a money freak out on the way, having forgotten that it was President's Day and my local bank was closed. I called and got some help accessing my account by atm by a very kind lady at my bank.  This turned out to be an even bigger blessing because it cost less to get money out of the atm in Croatia and London then to convert dollars to other currencies their.  

I pasted the itinerary in my journal before we left.  It was handy to refer to as we checked in;

There was snow in Dulles as we waited 4 hrs for our flight time.  We were delayed an hour as the plane was de-iced.  We sat back with coffee and excited conversation. 

Our flight to London on Virgin Atlantic exceeded our expectations.  They pampered us, and we made friends with the sweet stewardesses with darling accents. When we got tired we each settled into an empty row of seats- the flight was only 1/3rd full!!!

Us with flight loot!

We arrived at London an hour late at 8:30 am and passed through maze after maze of tunnels, to our flight to Zagreb, Croatia.  But even after the maze and a delayed flight, we were two hours early so we had a lovely coffee break before heading off to Croatia.

Our drive to Branca's house looked a bit like this;

upon arriving we play with sweet children, and we eat a feast of  a lunch prepared by Branca.  Tara shyly draws a picture of the three of us. We immediately warm to this loving family of eight.  We talk into the evening with Branka about her vision for the children's ministry conference we are holding for her staff. 

Leigha shares the Malaci scripture with her as the direction we received of teaching for the Conference.  Branca tells us that after a time of prayer and fasting she received the same exact scripture.  We all have this feeling, that will repeat itself many times during the trip, that we are all linked as the family of Christ. That we are all the same.

Next, Days 3 and 4; touring Croatia!

the Close Together Christmas

We took Christmas on the road this year to the Keys house, the other Keys.

 My parents many times took us to my Grandmother's house to spend Christmas night there.  As an adult however, I've enjoyed a Christmases at home with my own little family. The long drive to one part of the family only to spend a few days home before a long drive to see the other relatives just seemed like too much at an already hectic time.  Right now I am resting between trips. How did my parents do it?  I guess I'm just a Christmas homebody.  The kids however ate it up!

Dorathea was especially happy to have a Christmas "close together" as she said with more family. So here is our "Close together Christmas";

Stories on the night before Christmas

I found 9 blankets (no exaggeration) on the kids bed in the morning.  Nana makes sure they are warm.

Dorathea woke up first and waited patiently to open up her stocking.  This girl is growing up!  Here she is drawing with her much desired 12 colored ink pen from the stocking as she waits.

Jonathan with sugarplums dancing.

Jonathan wakes up!  The stocking pillaging begins!

There were little treasure boxes in the toe with gold chocolate coins inside.Then we had a quiet breakfast with Nana and Papa waiting for Uncles and Aunts and Cousins to arrive.

First came Uncle Bob, and Aunt Kim!  Then lots of cousins, then...

Aunt Kristie and Uncle Kieth! Jonathan has on his elf hat that he also stashes small  toys in.

After a BIG lunch of ham and smoked turkey, It's time to open presents!

The kids gave their Aunts and Nana calendars I bought at Micheal's that they pasted photos and scrapbook paper in.

I got a hand painted plate from Jonathan! Dorathea gave me a thoughtful jar candle she bought at the Awana Christmas store for me.  These kids are getting so big!

They opened box after box of Legos together. Then 5 awesome boy cousins helped them put them together.  They are such sweet guys!

Ted and his parents and sisters!

Home unpacking the Legos into their new home, a Lego table Ted made a couple years ago.

As we rest and play here in Legoland we wish you a

Merry Christmas!

Tree trimming!

Next year remind me not to show the kids the tree till it is fully arranged and lit.  I forget how many times children say, "Can we put the ornaments on NOW?". I even had them put the tree together this year by themselves, yet waiting for me to finish the lights was apparently torture!  

Next year I am going to cover the whole thing in saran wrap as seen here like my friend Monica suggested, lights and all, to save the hours of ornament questions. Sorry to whine, but we three have been fighting the whines all day, How do we fight the whines?; by beating it over the head with TOGETHERNESS and JOY DAD GUM IT! 

Dorathea took a rare and much needed two hour nap and when she a woke, WA LA, the tree was lit and ready for ornaments!

I bought receipt tape (from an office supply store) and use it every now and then to write verses to stick on my walls.  I need to keep certain beautiful words around me.  I liked this trend of using "Happy Holidays" ribbon as a tree garland, so I wrote out "Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth Goodwill to Men".  I like it!

 Dorathea is holding an ornament of her baby photo.  

 These two have reached a new milestone; I didn't have to rearrange the ornaments after they put them on the tree!  They have learned how to evenly distribute them!  Its the small parenting victories that make me happy.

 The larger lights are ping pong balls placed on the lights.  I saw this pin 

and picked up a pack of 10 ping pong balls at the Dollar Tree. I slit a hole in them with a knife and just stuck them on 

I hosted a baby shower this weekend and wrote the Wordsworth poem below on the mirror with dry erase marker. I'm not ready to erase it yet.

The box below is another Pinterest find. I just placed the tree base in a stack of bricks inside the planter. 

This chalk art was for the party as well and is from this pin.

  I am in love with them, even if I whine about their whining.  I love that my family just enjoyed throwing two parties with me last week, and then happily helped me host my Dad and brother overnight last night. Sometimes it's the quieter hours at home that are harder.  Right now the house is quiet and peace has won the day.  I love my job even if it's hard and sometimes whiney,

-Allison