Mother's Day Tea 2010

Our church held its First Annual Mother Daughter Tea, the day before Mother's Day. It was so much fun to see all of the mother/daughter teams there. There were even some mother/daughter/granddaughter teams!

I have never been to a tea, but I have to say this one was top notch! Of course, my mother, Josie, organized it along with my aunt, Wimmy. They made petit fours, tea cakes, chicken salad in pastry shells, cupcakes, and on and on.

The tables were decorated with my Nanny's teapot collection. They were absolutely adorable!



We made the cutest craft! It was a teapot frame craft. We took pictures of each mother/daughter in the beginning, then rushed to CVS and printed them. Then each team decorated their frame and put their picture in it.

Here is mine and SG's picture:


Mrs. Eunice (Nunice) has adopted SG as her own grandchild, and always has little surprises for her. We surprised Nunice and asked her to come as SG's guest (I was helping with all of the pictures and such.) Here is SaraGrace and Nunice:


I do have to share a picture of the centerpiece I made for the beverage table. It is a fondant table set for a tea party.

It was a great time and the ladies really enjoyed it. I can't wait to do it again next year!

My God is SO BIG! So STONG and SO MIGHTY....

Ever heard that song? If you've grown up in a Baptist church, I'm sure this is very familiar. As a matter of fact, we have 5th Sunday Family Services in "big church" where even the kids stay in the service, and we all sing this song together, complete with the motions:)

If you have never heard the song, here are the words:

My God is so big! So strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do.
My God is so big! So strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are His, the valleys are His, the stars are His handiwork too!
My God is so big! So Strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do.

As a kid, the words get lost in the concentration it takes to remember and perform the AWESOME motions. But as an adult, those same words have profound meaning. I wanted to share with you how big my God was this last week. He showed himself in a mighty way.

If you don't know, I work in our family business. I got my contractor's license, with high hopes that I would one day be as successful as my Dad, because I've always wanted to make him proud. However, this terrible economy has affected us in a huge way. Because of this, we are making cuts, and praying that God will give us direction and that we will be able to give Him the glory no matter the outcome.

This year has been a tough one financially, for Rob and me. I have just had my third cut in hours/pay, and to describe it as "devastation" would be an understatement. However, I know that my Bible tells me to "Trust the Lord with all your heart!" and "I will never leave you or forsake you." Rob and I made a commitment several months ago, to remain obedient in tithing, even when things were tough. This has always been a struggle because we are NOT good money managers. But, we committed, so we have followed through.

Last week, things were really tight. Good ol' Satan just kept telling me that I didn't have enough money to tithe. That God would understand....and on and on. But I just prayed that God would provide our needs for the week. Well, I wrote that tithe check as soon as I got paid. By Monday, we had several bills that HAD to be paid that day. The grace period was OVER! The problem was that we needed $360, but had $10 left. I cashed in my Christmas fund at work, which gave us $350. I told my mom that I may need to borrow some money, but that I would let her know.

As we were on the way to the bank, I just prayed and thanked God for the availability of the $350. I thanked Him for his mercy and grace, and his never-ending ability to provide for His children. After we made the deposit, the bank showed a balance different than what I had. I started back-tracking, and realized that I had made a $205 deposit, and had never written it down. You will NEVER convince me that this was a coincidence. I know I am human. I make mistakes. I forget to write things down. But let me tell you, I NEVER forget to write down a DEPOSIT! It was God! He was bigger than the bills we had hanging over our head. You know, He always holds up His end of the bargain. We just have to be obedient. Even if it means putting complete trust in Him that He will not fail us. Has He failed you yet? I can't say that He has. He always shows up in a mighty way.

I share this with you, not to pat ourselves on the back for tithing, but because I think it is important to share with everyone when God does something STRONG and MIGHTY in our lives. What has He done for you? What blessings are you missing out on by not trusting in Him? You know, He's got us covered. We just have to TRUST and OBEY!

One thing I have learned in these tough financial times is that our money means nothing when we leave this earth. God doesn't care what we drive, what we wear, where our kids go to school. The only thing He cares about is how we lived for Him. I have to keep reminding myself of these things. This in only temporary. I need to store my treasures in heaven, and not get so worked up over the worldly treasures.

I have to say that I admire my Dad, Mom and the rest of my family. They have always been very forward about their Christianity with all of their clients, employees and even their competition. Philippians 4:13 rides around on our trucks, it mails out with our invoices, and even makes an appearance on our website. People know that we are Christians. But, this is when the rubber hits the road. It's easy to be a Christian, and a great witness when things are going good. But it takes a great deal of FAITH to remain a great witness in the tough times. They keep reminding us all that this is where we must live our testimony. God is good, all the time. Even when the money isn't flowing in. Even when you are having to lay people off. Even when you have no idea when a job will be awarded to you. We just have to keep praising Him.

I encourage each of you to evaluate your relationship with the Lord. What can we do to further His kingdom? Who can we share His great love with? Are you living your testimony, even when Satan throws things in your way? I pray that each day I can be a living testimony for what God has done in my life? What has He done in yours?

Bodie's Baby Shower

My dear friend, Mindy, just had a precious baby boy named Bodie. I was so blessed to get to share her pregnancy experience with her. We have once-a-week lunch dates at Moes (my favorite that never gets old!) So of course, when I found out she was having a baby, I started planning the party. She chose a woodland theme for her nursery (complete with a custom crib built by her husband!)

I love to make wreaths for the Momma to take to the hospital. Here is Mindy's wreath:




Of course I had to make the cake too! Here is Bodie's tree:


It was a sour cream pound cake with buttercream icing, covered in fondant leaves.

I didn't get a picture of the complete food table, but we had an ice cream sundae/float buffet. It was sooooo YUMMY!

Here is Mindy and me:

I also painted a canvas to match the theme, but it is on my camera who presently has a dead battery. I will have to post it another time.

Sorry for the blog slacking. I have lots to share, including my sister's wedding, along with my very first wedding cake. I'll try to post those later.

Hope you all have a great day!