Apple Family

It's been a L.O.N.G. road but officially at the end of this month everyone in my immediate family will own at least ONE thing with the Apple brand- my Dad is caving in for an iPhone! Several weeks ago I took this picture in Starbuck's. 2 1/2 years ago I decided to go back to school to finish my degree in Christian Counseling. The fall was my LAST semester before I graduated and I had a HUGE paper due for my proctorship of logged hours and describing psychological characteristics of those observations based on counseling theories. The Friday my paper was due I reigned in the help of my lil' sis and mid-way through the day Mom showed up to help edit my paper so I could get it turned in by midnight. It was hilarious because my Mom and I were both on Macs and my lil' sis was on an iPad. I think people thought it was hilarious! One thing's for sure....paper got done, edited, and turned in and I'M DONE!

WAHOO! These have been 2 1/2 very long years but I've graduated and was smiling from ear to ear when I hit the submit button one last time!

2011--ROCK my Socks OFF!

I honestly can't say how many times blogging has come to my mind the past year and even more the desire to sit down and actually blog-- but as you can see it simply didn't happen. My journey this past year has not been easy and while I wouldn't wish it on anyone else I've learned so much about myself and my relationship with my Heavenly "Daddy" is so much deeper because of it. I am humbled and awed at such a loving and caring Savior and he continues to amaze me with his goodness, grace, and mercy every morning when my feet hit our earthly ground for another day of living.

One of my goals for 2011 is to begin blogging again. Should be a simple thing to accomplish. Whether it's a craft I've done, places I've been, people I've enjoyed spending time with or something God is showing and teaching me. So, my first post is sharing some scripture that God has placed on my heart in my journey the past year. These served as daily and sometimes moment by moment reminders for me. I'm continuing to claim them and pray them over me for the new year and am excited to see what 2011 will hold for me and my journey with the Lord. In the first verse I emphasized in parenthesis and used "me, my, and I" to personalize the scriptures as well.

Ephesians 3:14-20 (NLT)
"When I think of all this, I fall to MY knees (with my face to the ground) and pray (plead, ask, make my requests known) to MY Father (Daddy), the Creator (the originator, maker, designer) of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his GLORIOUS (splendid, brilliantly beautiful), UNLIMITED (infinite, endless, countless and vast) resources he WILL empower (encourage, equip) ME with inner strength (courage, might, momentum) through his spirit. Then Christ will make his home (dwelling, take residence) in MY heart as I TRUST (rely, believe, lean) in him. MY roots will grow (increase, enlarge) down (DEEP) into God's love and keep ME strong. And may I have the power (know-how) to understand (grasp, comprehend, realize), as all God's people should, how WIDE, how LONG, how HIGH, and how DEEP his love is (for ME). May I experience (encounter, enjoy) the love of Christ, though it is TOO great (immense, extraordinary) for ME to understand fully. Then I will be made complete (whole, absolute, thorough) with ALL the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now ALL glory to God, who is able, through his mighty (strong, grand, massive) power at work within ME, to accomplish (fulfill, carry out) infinitely MORE than I might ask or think (or imagine)."

Lamentations 3:20-26; 31-32 (NLT)
"I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over MY loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: THE FAITHFUL LOVE OF THE LORD NEVER ENDS! His mercies never cease. Great is HIS faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each (and EVERY) morning. I say to myself, "THE LORD IS MY INHERITANCE; therefore, I WILL HOPE IN HIM!" The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him....For NO ONE is abandoned by the Lord forever (not even ME). Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love (for ME)."

God's love letter to us is so personal. His Word speaks straight to our heart and our circumstances. God ALWAYS has a plan and his plan is AMAZING! My personal prayer for 2011 every day when my feet hit the ground is, "OK...God, I'm YOUR girl TODAY (and everyday). Use me, mold me, teach me, and send me to accomplish YOUR great things!"

What's yours? And what has God shown you in your life personally to challenge you through his Word? I encourage you to spend some time writing out a prayer and promise for 2011. It's a great reminder for us to grab when we need it most.
Here's to a GREAT, AWESOME, and AMAZING year!

First Round Top Project- DONE!

Well, we made our Spring Trip to Round Top and I have a few "projects" on the horizon but the first was conquering something for my Lil' Sis. Back in January when I spent several weeks with the Wells, Brooke started me on sewing. I kind of never really had the drive before and really was intimidated by this "machine." BUT....I've come to LOVE it! My Mom's sewing machine my Granny bought her years ago has made up permanent residence at my house and I have had fun with several different projects in the past few months.

My Lil' Sis really likes the crop knit shorts and in Round Top they were selling them with appliqued letters and when I saw the price I leaned over to Hillary and said, "I CAN MAKE THOSE!" Now...don't get me wrong. Sometimes things are worth spending the $$ because either I don't feel confident enough to make it OR it's just something I would NEVER try to conquer but for this I was UP for this challenge. After a trip to Hobby Lobby with my Mom and a few calls to Brooke with some questions I was ready to CONQUER the "machine" for this new project!

Off to Target to find Hill's crop shorts and then out with my Cricut! This is the first time I had ever tried cutting fabric and it worked WONDERFULLY! It didn't like cutting the Minky so I cut a pattern and used it instead. It's always fun when beginning a new project. I don't know about you but I always sit back and do the "What if I do this?" Or "What about that?" If you're not careful you'll "what if" yourself to DEATH! Or at least I do!

In my personal (and humble) opinion I think I did a REALLY good job! HA! I did learn a few things but for the most part I had figured out enough before I got started and it went really fast and simple! Here's the final product...I text a picture to my sister and she replied back with an "OHHH, those are SOOO cute!" So, we'll see when she puts them on and to the test if they really ARE!

A Very Special Easter...

ALL Easter's are special simply because of what it reminds us as Christians of Jesus' sacrifice but this year was EXTRA special for a very small reason. It was the first year that we were able to get a COMPLETE "family" picture! Many people know that the Day Family is very much a part of our own. It all started when this "girl" who looked and acted a lot like me showed up at Great Hills many, many years ago. I still remember ALL the stories like they were yesterday and smile at the bond that God created through that. Some of the kids to this day still get "Mom" and "Aunt Ha-ha" confused in pictures. Of course, that was pre-brunette and colored-blonde!

This FRIENDSHIP that grew into a very close knit FAMILY began a little over 15 years ago, however, it seems as if Angie and Tracey have been in our lives long before that. I couldn't have ASKED for a better Big Brother and Big Sister than they are. And I couldn't have PRAYED for 7 "nieces and nephews" such as the ones in this picture. I was at the birth at every single one of them and have always been the first to KISS them (Mom's tummy) before they entered God's amazing world. They give me more love than I need or want and my heart leaps with JOY every time I hear the words

"Aunt Ha-ha!"

My Reveal....

Several months ago I posted a picture of "something" I got from my last trip to Canton! It was such a great find for me and I was so excited to bring it home and try it out! It has now become a showcase of something that is definitely my trademark...NECKLACES! If you know me, you've seen my flashy, trashy, and sometimes CUEGLY (cute/ugly) things that adorn my neck! I'm

OBSESSED to say the least! Most of them have come from Canton, Round Top, Junior League Christmas Affair, and other places that I run across unique and different necklaces. I even have necklaces from Ecuador, Nicaragua and Africa! Most of them have stories...some don't. Some are bought just simply because! But...ONE thing is for sure...I love EVERY single one of them. Several years ago my parents bought me the neatest jewelry mirror that hangs on my wall. It is a full length mirror that "opens" into my plethera of necklaces hanging on hooks.

Sad to say I began to run out of room.

When I ran across this treasure in Canton it was one of those MUST HAVES!

I absolutely LOVE it!

Yesterday, it was time for Round Top! We went and had such a great day shopping. OF course, I helped grow my tree with 3 new necklaces. One would say, "How many necklaces does one need?" Well, for me...the number is ENDLESS! One may say, "Do you really wear ALL those necklaces?" And I would reply, "EVERY ONE!"

LOTS of Time in Ft. Worth with My Fam!

In January & February I spent a lot of time in Ft. Worth with my Wells family and it was totally and completely a God-ordained time for me! When I'm with Kent, Brooke, and the girls I can be "me!" I can stay in my PJ's all day, hang out on the couch, talk to Brooke, sew with Brooke and just get back in bed at night the same way I crawled out of it that morning! In between, I cook and play with the girls, talk and laugh with Kent, and feel loved and at home from all of them. I ALWAYS leave Ft. Worth feeling refreshed, relaxed and typically NOT ready to leave!

Brooke and I typically always go on our fabric hunt to

Downtown Dallasand this last time we found a great new place with

TONS of Minky Fabric in ALL different patterns. Our sewing project

was pillowcases and we had a BLAST! Once made we monogrammed away! Kent even begged for one...it was great! The girls LOVED theirs and Brooke is a sewing machine now making pillowcases for everyone!

The Sunday after the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony the Children's Ministry at First Euless challenged the kids to give a Gold Medal to someone who has taught them, loved them and is there for them to "honor" them. Abby came out of Sunday School and said, "Aunt Holly, I want to put this Gold Medal around your neck." Brooke and I weren't sure what she was doing besides just giving me this cheap, plastic medal on a ribbon until she explained what they learned that morning. It was such a sweet moment!

My heart was BLESSED!

I sure do love my Abby Girl!

SNOW in Texas and A LOT of it!

My goodness....there was 12 inches of snow in February and

it stayed around for 3-4 days! I had SO much fun with the girls

playing in it and just had to get a picture of me in my flip flops!

It was UNREAL driving to Ft. Worth with snow on the ground on both sides of IH-35!

While in Ft. Worth, Kent had his Rev Weekend (Disciple Now) and there were 475 kids and adults involved!

It was amazing and as his "lil sis'"

I absolutely LOVE watching my big bro in his element!

He is, by far, one of the MOST amazing Student Pastors EVER and

knows how to reach students in today's generation.

I'm so proud to sit back and watch him minister!

He's FUN! He's REAL! And he LOVES students enough to

tell them the truth in LOVE and kids lives are changed because of it!

Joshy being his co-hort is a blessing!

To watch Joshy "behind the scenes" always teaches me!

His techie-ness adds so much to ETHING they do and it's simply AMAZING! Kent's on the stage but Joshy is making everything "cool" happen with media!

I'm back and Noble's here, too!

Well, blogging friends....I'm back! I took a blogging break

since early December for nothing more than the choice of it. I really have been taking a break in life with a lot of things but I've truly missed blogging and especially reading everyone else's! God is doing amazing things in my heart and life and though I wouldn't say this has been all about enjoyment in this part of my journey it is where God has me and HE has me right where HE wants me! My biggest news since taking a break is the newest addition to my family. My puppy was born on December 30th, 2009 and he is by far the cutest thing EVER! I've had so much fun with him and he is the sweetest, most easy going puppy!

His name is Noble. I've always LOVED that name. There is a very special man in my life and is very much a "big brother" to me. His family is my "family" so it only seemed right to keep the name in the family! His middle name is Noble. His Mom's maiden name was Noble.

It's a very strong name and one that I knew I had to pass on to someone in MY family. It seemed only right to name him this. My only hope was that Peyton wouldn't be offended that I was naming my DOG after him...he wasn't! HA! Now, the only question is...IF God blesses my life with a son one day would it be too redundant to still name him "Noble?!?!" We'll see!

Here are some pix of Noble...

Canton Find...What is it???

SOOOOO....can you guess what this is???? It's unique....It's different but when I get to places like Canton, Round Top, and Wimberly my creative juices start flowing and sometimes I see something and say "WOW, I can do this...I can do that...what about this...what about that?"

This was that to me! Of course, after I "thought" up my idea I then "see" it a few booths down and think, "Oh, okay....well, I wasn't the first with that idea!" My plan is to let everyone hang for a few days on what this is and then I'll post the picture of what it becomes!

Birthday Blessings

Obviously, I'm playing some catch up from the past month of my life but I've learned something that will SO save my Blog life from being sucked dry! My friend, Marcus, shared his sweet wife's trick on blogging everyday! SHHHHH!!! don't tell! I had always admired the fact that Anna even had an extra 15 minutes in her day EVERY day to blog about their precious Abby Lu! But, I have now learned the secret...there is AMAZING post option of choosing what day and time you want your post to actually publish! WOW! My life has been forever changed! Of course, now I've probably put more pressure on myself to not have a month go by without posting because simply stated~ I HAVE NO EXCUSE!

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 32nd Birthday..

.and was EXTREMELY blessed to be able to share it with some of the MOST special people in my life. Kent, Brooke, and the girls happened to be in Austin and was able to come celebrate with us at Z-Tejas. My sister was also already in town for Thanksgiving break so she was able to be with us as well as my precious parents!

Having "family" to celebrate with makes it so much more special!

Creative Juices

Okay, so I was wasting time as part of my 'therapy' looking at the blogs that I absolutely LOVE to spend time stalking and came across such a neat idea...Modge Podge Shoes!

I was sharing the idea with Johnna and Amy one day at work and Amy says if I bring you a pair of Avenly's shoes will you experiment with them? Of course, I said SURE!

SO....here goes it...the before and the after...

I learned A LOT after doing the first shoe so the second one went SO much easier. A few weeks back I learned how to make the posies off of someone's blog and decided to add them to the front of the shoe. I bought myself a pair to try next!