I'm Having Fun

I am really enjoying the practice I'm getting with making cakes lately! This week I'm working on Ethan's birthday cake. Of course, he chose the most difficult cake I've ever made...a 3 tiered frog cake.

It's my fault. I found several frog cake ideas because he wanted a "Leap Frog" cake (which is NOT the popular item this year). I printed them out and asked him to pick one...never did I think he'd pick the "tallest mountain" (his words). So I'm experimenting with creating frogs, lily pads, cat tails, and rocks with a homemade modeling chocolate recipe I found.

It only took me about 1 1/2 hours to create the first 2 frogs but then I started getting a tad bit faster. :) Here are some of my creations so far.

Stayed tuned for the final creation...his birthday is Sunday, so it won't be long! :)

Memory Verse #17

It seems that all I've had time to do with this blog lately is post my memory verses. I am going to get back into it more regularly but life has been super busy this summer. I'll have to post my "SumMER SumMERy" soon.

So here are my verses. I'm going to work on memorizing Romans 12 with Evan. He has to do this his Fit to Serve class. He has to memorize 1 or 2 verses each week. So here's what I have for this time. (I already memorized Romans 12:1-2 when I was younger and Romans 12:3 was one from last year, so I'm just polishing up on those.)

Romans 12:1-5 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy & pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to everyone of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Memory Verses #15 & #16

OK, so I've haven't posted anything in a month & even then it was only my memory verses. I guess the summer has been pretty busy & then my computer has been dying a slow & painful death because a virus has been attacking it. It makes me not want to get on here much at all...my brother, the computer guru, even said my dear computer might not make it until Christmas!

So...I'm hoping to update you soon on some fun & festive times we've had this summer, but for now I'm just going to post my verses & head to bed.

Memory Verse #15

Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."

(Verse 11 has been one of my favorites for over 20 years when my friend, Pam, shared it with me, but I decided the next 2 verses are pretty special too. I need to commit them to memory as well.)

Memory Verse #16

3 John 1:4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

(I read this verse during my quiet time this morning and thought, "that is my hope & prayer for my boys!" I need to keep this in the forefront of my mind so that in whatever we do, we try to teach them God's truths.)

Memory Verse #14

I've taken a break from the internet, blogworld, and facebook for the last few weeks so I could focus on getting some things accomplished like cleaning, organizing, visiting with friends and family, cake decorating classes, and doing 2 Bible studies. So I have some catching up to do with my blogs.

First and foremost, it's time to post my next memory verse. This marks the completion of memorizing 1 Corinthians 13 (The LOVE Chapter). I'm not there yet, but I am consciously trying to show more love, more patience, and more kindness.

1 Corinthians 13

(verses 1-3)
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have the faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

(verses 4-5)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.


(verses 6-7)
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


(verses 8-10)
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.


(verses 11-13)
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put awy childish things. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.


What verse are you hiding in your heart right now? I'd love to hear it!

Memory Verse #13

I am still working on memorizing "The Love Chapter" (1 Corinthians 13). By the end of July, I will have the WHOLE chapter memorized!

I'm going to practicing what I know so far & end with this time's verses (8-10).

(verses 1-3)

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

(verses 4-5)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

(verses 6-7)

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

(verses 8-10)

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but where perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

Completing Him Challenge-Week 3

I'm participating in the Completing Him Challenge from Courtney's Women Living Well blog.

This week the challenge is to pray more for our husbands…to pray for them daily.

She suggests using Stormie Omartian’s "Power of a Praying Wife" to use as a guide.

I must admit that I have this book & I’ve read parts of it in the past and then quit reading and actually praying for Eric like I should. I guess sometimes I get frustrated that the prayers don’t work quickly enough, but in reality the problem is usually me. So this week I’ve committed to seeing this book through to the end and then reading it again and again. It is divided into 30 little chapters—different areas to pray for our husbands. Here are a few of them:

1. His Wife -what a good place to start

2. His Work

3. His Finances

4. His Affections

5. His Temptations

6. His Mind

7. His Fears

8. His Purpose

9. His Choices

10. His Health

11. His Protection

12. His Integrity

13. His Reputation

14. His Priorities

15. His Relationships

16. His Fatherhood

17. His Attitude

18. His Emotions

19. His Walk

20. His Faith

Since we July starts tomorrow, I thought it would be perfect to read a chapter a day during the month of July and pray for those specific areas of his life each day.

Courtney also suggested that we ask our husbands each morning how we can pray for them that day. I started this a few days ago, and I think it will help us communicate better and help him to know that I care about what he’s doing at work each day.

Finally, she suggested that we say a short prayer for our husbands every time we see our wedding ring. I love that idea. I’ve been trying to be more conscious of that as well.

So you’ll have to keep me accountable and check up on me throughout the month of July to see if I’m keeping up with my commitments!

Becoming more like HIM!
Kim

Our Wedding Day

I'm participating in the Completing Him Challenge from Courtney's Women Living Well blog. I seem to be a week behind on each challenge (VBS last week...does that explain it?), but at least I'm trying to work on it, right? She asked us to tell our Wedding Story this week, so here it is.

The Date: Saturday, May 27, 1995 (just 2 days after we finished teaching school for the year)

The Place: Rose Hill Baptist Church, Texarkana, Texas

The Time: 3:30 pm

We had a wonderful day and everything went great! I loved having all of my relatives from Illinois and Eric's family from Florida with us and a bunch of my life-long friends from high school & college.

I remember my friend, Ashli, coming and offering to get us all some lunch since we were hungry & stuck at the church getting ready. She's so sweet!

One of my favorite things was all of the music we had in our wedding. I LOVED having the handbells play one of my favorite songs, Pachelbel's Canon. It was special to us because we were both in the handbell choir. I also loved having some of our friends singing "Seekers of Your Heart."

I love this picture of us lighting the unity candle & holding hands. I don't know why the picture is so tiny though. :(

Here we are sharing our vows. I was so nervous...I still do NOT like being in front of people...makes me VERY nervous! My goal for the day was to make it through without crying.

Our wedding party...

Bridesmaids: Rosemary (friend from college & taught together...helped get us together), Deena (OBU college roommate), Pam (friend from high school), Allison (friend from Memphis while I was in graduate school), Jeni (my cousin from Illinois), and junior bridesmaid was Sondra, flower girls were my niece, Mauri, and a friend's daughter, Christiana

Groomsmen: Eric's friends from college, Gart & Rick, my brother, Kevin, my brother-in-law, David, and our friend, James Henry (Rosemary's husband that helped set us up), and ring bearer, Ethan

Here are my relatives from my mom's side of the family...most of them from Illinois

OK, this is a little page out of my scrapbook that I just had to show...Eric getting the garter off of my leg...SOOOO embarrassing once again. And then little sweet Mauri telling me goodbye...I can't believe she's 18 now! How times flies!

We had a lovely reception at the church & then got ready to leave. Eric's friends decided to "pay him back" for his little pranks at their weddings. They created a yarn web across the steps of the church leading out to the car, so we had to cut our way out!

Remember, my goal was to NOT cry! Well, I made it UNTIL Eric dragged me down the stairs & I FELL! Right there in front of EVERYONE as they were throwing the bird seed & he was cutting the yarn! I was SOOOOO embarrassed & all of those pinned-up emotions just fell out when I hit the steps! All I wanted to do was GET IN THE CAR & GET OUT OF THERE! You could have heard a pin drop when I fell! Right after, I was asking if anyone got it on tape because I just knew we could win $10,000 on AFV! But of course no one got it on video. :(

And do you see Deena walking behind us with MY purse on HER shoulder? In all of the confusion from the fall, she still had my purse when we drove off (and this was BEFORE cell phones). We realized it when we stopped at a car wash on the other side of town. So we turned around & went back to the church. In the mean time, she took off down the interstate looking for us. Then, we had to go back to my house & finally caught back up with her. It was ok because we got to tell everyone good bye again. Those are always the funny stories to remember anyway. :)

So there are a few memories from our wedding day...what a special day to always remember! What a blessing God gave me with my very best friend! I just love him so much!