God's Masterpiece

I was reading my Bible yesterday while Halle was napping and I was having the worst time focusing. I would read a couple of verses and my mind would wander- focus, wander, focus, wander- it was very frustrating. Finally I decided to read aloud and the words seemed to come alive.

God saved you by His special favor when you believed.

And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,

so none of us can boast about it.

For we are God's masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (New Living Translation)

God's masterpiece. It's awe-inspiring and humbling all at the same time. I'm sure I've read that before but it's never struck me the way it did yesterday. Actually, the NIV version says that we are God's workmanship but the word masterpiece brings a whole new dimension to it. It makes me think of Leonardo DaVinci's Last Supper. But we are more than that. We are created in the very image of our creator. It makes me look at myself differently. To know that my creator looks at me as His masterpiece is truly an awesome thing.

Funny Stuff That Chloe and Halle Say

Chloe and Halle were taking a bath last night and I heard this coming from the bathroom, "Mommy, it's too hot in here we're turning red!" (sound of running water) "OK, it's working, we're turning back to peach!"

I polished Halle's toenails a few nights ago and she started referring to her toes as "pinks". As in, "Hey, wook at my pinks!", "where my pinks go?", "See my pinks?" It makes me want to keep her toenails polished forever.

Chloe, "Mommy the next time we rent a movie, I'll rent Jimmy Neutron for you."

Super cute!

What's Your Design Style?

Find your design style here. My design style is below or rather what I wish my design style was if I had money for decorating.

Ethnic Eclectic

Your style is a mix of bohemian chic and contemporary ethnic flair. Whether you travel extensively or shop locally, chances are good that your home is filled with a collection of interesting accessories. By contrast, a neutral color scheme and furniture with simple lines is the best backdrop to accentuate your most colorful pieces. To achieve this mix-and-match design style, look to nature. "The concern with the environment is playing a big role in interior design trends – from colors you find in nature, to high-end natural fibers in wall coverings, to exotic woods and stone being used throughout the home," says Denise Turner, an interior designer in Alta Loma, California. It's all about simple lines and natural materials as a backdrop for your collectables and artwork.

Design Tips for Ethnic Eclectic

Contemporary and chic accessories go with any style. Dress up family-friendly comfort in the dining room with a sophisticated Murano glass light fixture that's out of the reach of little hands. Or, make the master bedroom your grown-up retreat with soothing colors from the garden and a wooden platform bed with a trendy upholstered headboard.Ethnic Eclectic
Your style is a mix of bohemian chic and contemporary ethnic flair. Whether you travel extensively or shop locally, chances are good that your home is filled with a collection of interesting accessories. By contrast, a neutral color scheme and furniture with simple lines is the best backdrop to accentuate your most colorful pieces. To achieve this mix-and-match design style, look to nature. "The concern with the environment is playing a big role in interior design trends – from colors you find in nature, to high-end natural fibers in wall coverings, to exotic woods and stone being used throughout the home," says Denise Turner, an interior designer in Alta Loma, California. It's all about simple lines and natural materials as a backdrop for your collectables and artwork.

And the Design Star finale is tonight! I'm very excited!

I Probably Shouldn't Post When I'm Grouchy

But today I'm not grouchy so hopefully this post will be more cheerful than the last. I woke up this morning with the girls, letting Travis sleep because he was up a couple of times last night for work related things. I was so tired though, my legs felt like lead and I was freezing. Apparently I've come down with something. I refuse to stress out about it though. I'm doing what I can to stay healthy but I've had 3 sick kids in the house this week so I'm not blaming myself this time.

As I said in my last post, Chloe hates school. I suppose I should have said that she intermittently hates school. She has begged me to take her temperature and she jumped up and down and shouted when we found out that she did, in fact, have a temperature. But after she missed Thursday she woke up without a fever on Friday and I was going to take her but I called the school office and they said I should probably keep her out one more day. She was happy and we spent a little time at the park with friends and had a great day. I've been praying about the school situation since before Chloe started saying she wanted to stay home with me and I have definitely felt that God has something different for her. But without any open doors there really isn't anything I can do. I think I would like for her to do the academy at church. It seems like the perfect blend of school time and at home time but I think that God would have to do some changing in me to make me the home school mom I should be- not to mention the finances. It really breaks my heart to see her struggling so much with something she thrived at last year. Our house is an emotional one these days.

Amanda is struggling with her first big breakup and is moping around the house quite a bit. They're still friends but it is not the same- apparently. It's kind of tough for me too because you get attached to "the boyfriend" too and then they're not around, ugh. It's not like I wanted them to stay exclusive forever because Amanda has some big decisions to make in the near future that need to not include a boyfriend but I hate to see them hurting so much. I didn't' like dating when I did it and I really don't like it for her.

So, with this wonderful weather we're having I have been dying to get out of town. At the very least we're going to go to B'ham to visit my parents but I'd love to take an actual vacation. Travis wants to go to the beach since he hasn't been in years, 3 1/2 to be precise but I'm doubtful that we'll be able to. But it did make me think of a place I used to go with my parents. Every year from the time I was born until I was in college we used to visit each set of grandparents in the summer. One week in B'ham, one week in Booneville, AR. No really, it was much more fun than it sounds ;) But one year a guy from my Dad's work told him about a little cabin he'd bought in Franklin, NC, that he planned to retire there but he'd rent it to my Dad for $35 a night- or something like that, it was cheap anyway. The cabin wasn't spectacular but it was clean and had a two story porch that overlooked a great stream. You could sit on the porch in the morning in July and it would be in the 50's. It was surrounded by a national park and felt very secluded. There were waterfalls and hiking trails, kayaking and white water rafting. The little road leading to the cabin seemed treacherous with a gorge 200 feet below the road. But the town was relaxing and not too tourist-y. Of course, there are gem mining outposts promising the "big one" but there aren't tacky T-Shirt shops everywhere. A bit farther up the mountain road is the beautiful resort town of Highlands. It is a charming mountain town that is quite a bit pricier accommodations-wise than Franklin but is an easy drive and is something you wouldn't want to miss. So if you'd like a vacation in the mountains that is centered on outdoors-y type stuff I highly recommend the area and here are some more links: recreation- I've been down the Nantahala and it was tons of fun BUT the kids have to be at least 60 pounds to go so you'd need to vacation with family or close friends and swap the kids off. Vacationing here is actually what made me determined to live in the mountains after I graduated from college- you didn't know that did you? Accommodations Highlands- I've seen Harrah's Cherokee advertised a few times and in my opinion you'd be better off skipping it altogether. It's not that close to the area and unless you love tacky tourist traps and gross exploitation of Native Americans I wouldn't waste the time. Accommodations Franklin- unfortunately I don't have any written info on the place we used to stay. I could find it again but that would require driving there and the guy that owns it has since retired there so it's not an option. I'm pretty sure I'd be disappointed if we didn't stay in the same area. This one looks similar though and is surrounded by the national park which makes me think it is in the same area. And so ends my informative post on something most of you weren't even thinking about but I got some of my own research done and blogged at the same time so I feel productive.

Why Oh Why...

am I up so late blogging? Well, because my husband is working late (again) and Chloe has a sore throat and fever which means I will not be up at the crack of dawn to take her to school and so I don't have to go to bed early. Of course, Halle will not sleep any later and I'll still have to get up with her but I don't sleep well if Travis isn't here anyway so I might as well stay up.

I suppose I don't have that much to write about. It isn't that stuff isn't going on here it's just not stuff that I want to take a long time to blog about. For instance, Amanda broke up with her first "real" boyfriend. She's sad, he's crushed. It's just not that feel good stuff that everyone wants to hear about. Chloe hates school and is begging to home school. Travis works a lot. I'm babysitting again- he's a super-cutie and his Mom and I are becoming friends. That's kind of exciting. I guess the only "real excitement" I have is watching Design Star. I voted for Kim. She wasn't the best designer on the show but she was the best out of the final two. I actually dreamed I was in the final two on Design Star- it was the best dream I've had in quite some time. It definitely beats out the "teeth falling out" dream that I had a couple of nights before that. I really should get a life.

But I thought I'd share a recipe I love, love, love. It's basic buttermilk pancakes with several variations. I have only made the orange chocolate chip variety and they are amazing! The recipe calls for grated orange rind but I haven't had oranges on hand and Travis hates the bitterness whenever I put rind into anything (I know it's bitter if you get to the white pith but I'm not talking about that) he complains of the bitterness so I put a couple of capfuls of orange extract into the mix (two capfuls for a doubled recipe it's probably close to a tsp. but you could certainly add less or more depending on your taste) and it tastes very much like a chocolate orange; the kind you buy at the store that's wrapped in foil that you whack on the counter. They're super-rich but very, very yummy. I highly recommend them for a Saturday morning with the family.

So You Think You Can Cook?

This sounds like fun. Thought you might like to know....

Approaching Fall

Finally. My favorite season is nearly here and I think I appreciate it now more than ever. I love the weather in Tennessee. Although the winters that are really cold I could live without. Since I'm from Florida I hate wearing lots of clothing. No, really I do. I hate layers and I really hate wearing a coat. Fortunately for me we've had a few mild winters and I've been able to wear sweaters mostly, with a coat occasionally. But according to the Farmers Almanac it's supposed to be really cold this year. The only consolation I have for the bitter cold is snow. Floridians pray for snow every time the temperature dips into the 30's. It seems silly I know but we do. So I always dreamed of living in a place with mountains, where the leaves changed colors, where the houses had more than one story and weren't made of cinder block, and where it snowed. I-have-been-gypped. We haven't had a decent snowfall since that huge storm we had almost 5 years ago. But I digress, this is supposed to be about Fall, right?

Since the heat wave embraced our region this summer I have been in a cooking slump. Really, who has been turning on the oven in the 105 degree heat. It was impossible to keep the house cool as it was without creating internal heat. So we've survived on salad, sandwiches and things I could stick in the crock pot. Which I discovered puts out more heat than I originally thought. I couldn't even light candles without it heating up the place. I guess it's just like that in a small house. So with Fall approaching (although I see that the forecast for the highs are still in the mid-90's) it opens new doors for cooking. My poor neglected family can eat again and I can cook. I'm looking forward to trying new recipes and hopefully working them in on a regular basis. Of course they have to have a reasonable amount of ingredients, which pretty much rules out anything in my Southern Living cook books. Any time I've made a SL recipe it tastes amazing but there are so many ingredients that I don't have on hand I end up spending a ton on stuff I'll use once. I need an herb garden. Maybe I'll get some little potted herbs to keep in the window sill.

When we first moved into this house I got several offers for magazine trials and accepted a few of them. One of them was Simple and Delicious. I opted to not get the subscription, I don't remember why. It seems like it was too casserole heavy but maybe not. At any rate there was a cute idea for the kids. So I give you Jack-O-Lantern pops. Since I really don't like Halloween (no matter how many times Pastor Davis tried to convince me to) I will make them just look like pumpkins. I'm sure the girls will have a blast making them with me and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Pictures For Grandma

My M-I-L has been after me for a while to get the girls picture taken and I really just haven't been able to. So she finally asked if I'd just take their pictures outside so she could at least have something to put in her wallet. There are a few that turned out pretty good and I thought I'd share them with you. Of course these were taken on a 3.1 MP camera so the quality isn't as good as I would like but I like several of them quite a bit.