How to do the Grocery Shopping

(My husband has been encouraging me to write a book for Allyson, and other young people, describing how to do lots of important things in the home. Today, I'll share how I tackle the huge task of grocery shopping.)

Step 1: Determine your needs: How many people are you buying for? What special needs do they have? The Bible teaches us to "look every man on the things of others..." and this is especially true as a mother and as a parent. Be honest and reasonable as you determine both how often you should do the shopping and how much to budget. If your family has $3000 in monthly obligations and $3500 in income, budgeting $500 a month for groceries is not only foolish but unrealistic. Work within your means.

Step 2: Get the Sunday paper: Every weekend, the major paper in your area contains advertisements and coupon bundles that will soon become very valuable to you as you learn how to use these together to save quite a lot of money on the things you need.

Step 3: Make your list: I write my list in sections titled: Produce, Dairy/Frozen Foods, Grocery, Meat, Non-foods, and HBA (Health/Beauty Aids). I make one list for each store I plan on going to that week. Some weeks, I go to one store, some weeks, three. I decide how many stores to go to by determining if the cost to me in gas and extra time merits an additional store added to the trip.

When making the list, consult the advertisements. Look at the sales taking place for the current week at each grocery in your area. I make my main list based on the sale that week that benefits my family's needs the most. Pork chops might be dirt cheap at Kroger, but if that is the only good deal there, I won't be doing my big shopping trip at Kroger that week. I have found I use grocery store/superstore for my main shopping, and a drug store for almost all of my HBA needs.

Many moms plan the menu they will use for the month, and then go shopping for those items they will need. Instead, try making the menu based on what is on sale that week. As you begin shopping by utilizing what is on sale, you will build up a surplus of items and your menu choices will grow.

Example List:

This week, my grocery store has the following on sale:

Philly cream cheese: 4 for $5
Campbell's Cream Soups : 4 for $3
Sarah Lee pies: 1/2 price
10 lbs russet potatoes: 2.88
Land o'Lakes Butter: 2 for $4
Hilshire Farm smoked sausage: 2 for $4
Suave Body wash: $1.77
Loreal Bare Naturale makup: b1g1free

(Not an exhaustive list, but you get the picture)

My drug store also has:

Maxwell House coffee: b1g1free
Revlon lip color or nail color: b1g1free
colgate: b1g1 free

Step Four: Clip Coupons: One my list is complete, I pull out my coupon booklets. I keep them in their original booklets form, not cutting them until I use a particular coupon. I store them in a drawer, oldest on bottom. Going through each booklet, I search for coupons that I can use this week. I can generally find coupons for almost every national brand item I have on my list.

Check the coupon policy for your grocery store. Many stores will double coupons up to $.50, some even to $1. Most drug stores only give face value for coupons used.

I will use the Revlon deal as an example of how one can save:

This coupon gives $1 off any Revlon product.

The sale at my drug store is "Buy one get one free" I will bring two coupons-I will get two items. Lets say I choose two nail polishes. They are generally about $4.50 regular price, but I am getting one free, so that is $2.25 each. When my coupons are credited, I will save another two dollars, making each $4.50 nail polish a steal at $1.25 each, a savings of $3.25 each! Nail polishes and lip glosses are great stocking stuffers, and I also like to donate some to our churches mission store.

Step Five: Shop! Once I have all of my coupons for that trip, and then add any items our family needs that are not on sale that week, I head to the store. I like to go in the evenings, and I like to go alone. Going in the evenings (during the week) means less crowds in my area, and going alone means I can keep to my list without having sweet little hands wanting to add more cocoa puffs into the basket.

I start in the produce section, because produce is essential, and there are never coupons for produce. I determine a set amount for produce each week, and shop according to the sale-if broccoli is on sale, this week, we are eating broccoli!

Next, I go through each aisle of the main grocery section, sticking firmly to my list. Never stray from your list! As I shop, I remove the coupons from the envelope I carry them in, and place them in the back of the envelope. After I have finsished the grocery section, I move on to HBA and non-foods, saving refrigerated items, frozen foods, and meat for last (this keeps the perishables as cold as possible until I get them home.)

When I check out, I try and keep things organixed on the belt-cold stuff together, non-foods and cleaners together, etc. This helps the checker if she has to go back through the receipt to find a price to credit me for on a coupon. It also helps her if a coupons says "buy 2 of..." and she needs to verify that I bought two. Have your coupons ready for the checker-in a neat stack, not a wad of crumpled up papers. I remember being checker. It is not easy to stand on your feet for hours on end. If you give a coupon that is expired or can not be redeemed for some other valid reason, be polite and civil. I have seen people wig out over a $.30 coupon.

I carry my coupons in an envelope, using index cards as dividers labelled the same way my grocery list is catagorized. Read each coupon carefully, and buy the correct number of items the coupon dictates. One is generally allowed to use two coupons for b1g1free sales, and some stores will allow you to use two b1g1free coupons to purchase items essentially for free. Choose the smallest size allowed by the coupon and the sale for the most savings. You will find as you continue to shop in this way, a surplus of items will develop.

In my basement, I have several shelves of groceries, along with extra laundry items, and cleaners. The top shelf of my linen closet has enough hair care products to last our family at least a year, plus extra personal care items of every sort and lots of new make-up that I haven't opened yet!

Shopping this way has taken more effort in planning menus and making lists, but in the end, I save between 25-50% a week on groceries and household items and our family has never been in the position of having to run out for toothpaste or Cascade. I am able to donate items to the church's mission store without increasing my budget at all, and I can use some of the savings on more costly fresh fruits and vegetables for our family. I have actually reduced the amount I spend while increasing the amount of things I purchase.

Give it a try for a month and see how much you can save! Any family size, any place in the country can benefit from using coupons and consulting the ads from your local stores!

There are several websites that do the comparing of ads and coupons for you-check the web! Some sites require a fee, others are free.

Happy Shopping!

Cross-stitching

One of my hobbies is cross-stitching. I just love it. I can create anything I want with a needle and thread. It is painting-but without the mess and the clean-up, and it's portable. What could be better for an artsy nerd like myself??

Cross stitch is done on fabrics like aida and linen, where the stitches form neat columns and rows of stitches that can easily be stitched over. The size of the stitches is based on the size of the stitches in the fabric. The smaller the fabric stitches, the more intricate and detailed the picture will be.

Cross stitching is a wonderful thing to teach young girls. It teaches patience ("Will I ever finish this thing?), persistance ("It's taken me 45 minutes to get this stupid knot out!"), following directions carefully ("Aw, man, it said three stitches there, and I did four! I have to take all of that out!"), attention to detail, and the joy of being entertained by creating something beautiful, rather than watching some screen or listening to some insipid radio station.

Cross-stitch certainly isn't for everyone. My daughter, for instance, can only stand it for about a half-hour once ever six months or so. She prefers crochet, which is another wonderful fiber art.

If you want to learn cross-stitch, start with a small project, a low-count fabric (the lower the count, the larger the stitches will be), and one that uses bright colors (muted, similar colors are tougher to distinguish when counting). Follow the directions-it's prety straight forward, and enjoy!

Here are a few of the projects I have done...enjoy! Try cross-stitch-it is a blast (and a great way to keep your hands busy when you watch TV).

This teapot was completed on 28 count belfast linen,

and is probably my favorite project that I have completed.

I enjoyed this project, which I completed a few years ago.

This one I did for Jason's office at church.

It is 12"x14", and it took about a year to finish.

This is my most recent project, and it is a wedding gift.
(The wedding is this Saturday! Whew!)
The picture is a painting by Paula Vaughan,
who's work is absolutely stunning.
This piece is smaller than the soldiers,
and took about five months to finish.

My Budding "Ar-Teest"

Warning: I am about to shamelessly brag on my kid. Continue reading at your own peril...

Kenton is seven. He likes anything remotely related to Marvel superheroes. His enthusiasm for anything wearing a cape is boundless, and his expertise is pretty impressive on the subject.
Kenton likes to spend his free time drawing his favorites, and his drawings are just amazing, so I thought I would share a couple of the recent ones with you:

Note the web-slinging action in this one-way cool!
I love the detail in the costume and the arm-crossing is pretty impressive! I know I could not have done this at his age! Just to clarify-and it's even written on this one-this picture is mine! All Mine! =)
Wow! Check out that detail!

OK, I'm through bragging now. Go back to your previous surfing, but check back here soon!

Comfort food

Fall's here...

Don't you love how it smells?

I start breaking out the cassarole recipes in the fall: confort food goes real good with crisp fall air, presidential debates, and fleece hoodies. Here are a couple great cassaroles for the fall...enjoy!

King Ranch Cassarole

(Named for the famed King Ranch in south Texas)

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked, and cut into one-inch pieces
1 vidalia onion, diced
12 corn tortillas, sliced into one-inch strips (cut the long strips in half)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
1 can Ro'Tel tomatoes (as spicy as you can stand!)
2 cups Mexican blen shredded cheese (more or less to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 325. Mix the soups, tomatoes and broth together, set aside. In a cassarole dish, layer the tortillas, chicken, onions, cheese, and liquid mixture in that order at least twice, or until all used up. Finish with liquid mixture, and bake for one hour. So yummy!

Cheesy Potatoes

(For some reason, everyone in Michigan loves this stuff...)

1 pkg. (30 oz.) Ore-Ida frozen hashbrowns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound diced Velveeta

Mix all this stuff in a 9x13 pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes, add 1 cup bread crumbs or Durkees Onions and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Broccoli Ham AuGratin

(I made this up...it's "homemade"-made in my kitchen...lol)

2 boxes Betty Crocker AuGratin potatoes
1 pre-cooked ham slice (those big ones at the grocery), diced
1 pkg. frozen broccoli florets

Mix all ingredients, and bake according to directions for potatos (be sure to follow instructions for preparing two boxes of the potatoes). These boxed potato things lend themselves to all sorts of yummy additions. Make up your own!

Summer Recap

Well, it's been awhile since I have updated everyone, which is a sure sign that there is a lot to update you on! We have been very busy this summer, and we have some wonderful memories and great pictures to share with all of you:

We went to the Detroit Zoo with GeeGaw and Grandma, who got to come for a visit a few weeks ago.
We had several of our Bible college girls over for ice cream before they all left for school. Pictured left to right are Nancy, Jessica, Ashley and Dana. Also there, but not pictured were Marsha and Caitlin
VBS! Oh man-what a riot! Jason broke every known fashion rule and had all the kids laughing until stuff came out of their noses with his Professor Little routine. His hilarious assistant, Nate, tried in vane to bring some sanity to the festivities. We had a great week-sixty-six children saved, orange kool-aid and sandwich cookies everywhere, and the Great Pie in the Face Offering Extravaganza every night...VBS is a great week. Kenton won a new Bible for memorizing the most verses in his age-group! Way to go, son!

In his spare time, (yeah, right) Jason and Eric kept up with the household maintenance.
We grew one pepper plant, and one grape tomato plant, and one beefsteak tomato plant. (Gardening scares me.) Those peppers were awesome, and the tomatoes we could catch before Eric ate them were delicious!
Summer Camp season this year was amazing. Above is the camp picture for Junior Camp. Aren't those little soldiers precious?? We had thirteen kids saved, and many wonderful decisions made for the Lord. This years theme was "In the Lord's Army". Jason actually had access to a howitzer, which they fired several times. I have never seen him smile so big! Next year, Jason wants the theme to be "Prison Camp". Oh, my....
Kenton, a.k.a. Cassanova, here flirts with Savannah Godsey, the Camp Evangelist's daughter. That boy is all charm.
Here are the three coolest kids alive at the zoo art exhibit. Kenton is on the right, Eric the Great is in the middle, and Allyson is on the right.

Summer has been jam packed, and we are excited for what fall has in store! Check back soon for more updates and cute kid pics!

How to Help Kids Get the Most Out of Big Church

Eric enjoying the Big Church service

Parents nationwide are experiencing a crisis that no one really talks about these days:

The church's children's workers are on Summer Break. Aaauuugh!!

What's a parent to do? Do we send all the younguns to the nursery (offering to compensate the workers monetarily if need be), even though the oldest is twelve? Do we just stay home on Sunday and Wednesday nights until the workers come back to man their posts? Do we brave the auditorium, knowing that we'll be in and out for at least seventeen potty emergencies, our mouths will be bone dry from "power-shushing" for forty-five minutes straight, we will have to listen to little Johnny sing the all of the songs real real loud, a measure behind everyone else, and we will be peppered with icy stares from people who are thinking (sometimes out loud), "My kids would never do that!" (Note: people who say things like that have not had any children.) The turmoil is real, my friends. Oh, yes, it is real.

I think children's church, choirs, and other kid's programs are wonderful tools that benefit the spiritual growth of children, but there is real value in having the young children in the main auditorium listening to their pastor. In many churches today, the vast majority of children couldn't pick their pastor out of a line-up, and they have never heard the man speak, much less actually met and talked with him. This is a tragedy, and summertime is a great time to rectify the situation.

Toward that end, and in an effort to ease the minds of parents and other church attendees everywhere, here are some things I have found that help kids adjust to "Big church".

1. Have High Expectations.

You get what you expect from children. If you expect chaos, you'll get it. On the other hand, i you expect good behavior, you will get that, too. The thing is, you must tell the children specifically (key word!) what you expect from them:

• When someone prays aloud, you pray, too, but silently. You bow your head and close your eyes, and listen carefully to what he says.
• When you are asked to stand, you stand.
• When you are asked to sit, you sit. You sit like a lady or a gentleman, and not like a bum watching a baseball game on the couch.
• When you are told to sing, you sing as best as you can.
• When special music is going on, you listen politely and quietly.
• When preaching is going on, you pay attention, learn all you can, and let the LOrd work in your heart.
• You do not make unnecessary noises or movements unless you are on fire. You do not ask to leave the auditorium unless you are about to throw-up or spontaneously combust.

If you keep your standards high, and the kids slip, they won't slip as low as they would were the standards lower.

2. Help kids meet your expectations.

Kids need help developing the skills it takes to maintain self-control and attention during a worship service. Provide them with tools to help them. Here are some things that have helped us:

• The List: Once the preacher names his text, quickly glance over it, and make a list of five to ten words for the child to listen for. Have them keep a tally of how often they hear the preacher say those words. You can add words to the list as the sermon goes on, as you hear recurring themes. This gives the child something to physically do (especially important for boys) while also concentrating on the message.


• The Race: Once your kids can read, and they have a good grasp of where the books of the Bible are, have a race to the text once the preacher names it. First one to the text is rewarded after the service, as long as good behavior is maintained. Sometimes the rewards can be little, but change things up from time to time, and make the reward something bigger, like a new basketball, or letting them pick the lunch destination, and order dessert.


• The Follow-Along With Me: If you are blessed enough to go to a church that uses the hymnal, let the child hold the book with you, and follow along with your finger. I can't remember when I actually figured it out, but constant years of doing this as a child helped me understand how to read music-what a blessing!


• Praise!: When the children do well in the service, praise them at home-tell them how proud you are of them. When in the service, praise them to others, when they think you don't know they are listening. (side note: when they mess up, remember they are learnng, and that even though they are young, we as parents must respect them: correct them, and punish if need be, in private.)


• Meet the Preacher: Introduce the kids to the pastor. Let them talk with him and ask him questions. If they get to know him, they will probably like him, especially if they find out about his secret candy drawer in his desk, and his ability to do the Rubik's cube in twenty-two seconds, or his ridiculous knowledge of all of the Laffy Taffy jokes ever written.


• Be an example: Whatever you do a little, they'll do a lot. If you dig in your purse looking for that elusive piece of gum, and take a sec to check your lipstick, text a friend, and add something to your grocery list, little Suzie will spend thirty minutes irritating the entire congregation rifling (loudly) through her Strawberry Shortcake Pretty Pink Purse.


• Timing Matters: Make a habit of taking everyone to the Tinkletorium right before the service, and firmly establish that "You ain't leavin' unless you're on fire" rule. If the kids will starve to death if they don't have a snack before the service is over, give them a snack before the service, not during. There is nothing more irritating than the mom who brings a stinking picnic basket with her and her seven brats to the third pew. They won't die. Leave the snacks outside of the auditorium.

As your children grow, they will mature, and get more and more out of the "Big Church" service. In fact, they will come to treasure that time. Remember, the Bible commands us to train our children in the way they should go, and training them to be still in church is so important, because when we are still, we can learn that He is God.

How to Destroy Your Faith

My homeschool geek forum is buzzing...one of the mainstays-a super-geek, as it were, has come out and announced (literally-he posted a new thread announcing this) that he is an atheist.

The geekroom has lost its footing.

See, the SuperGeek was once a staunch advocate of the whole Christian thing: he claimed to be born-again, he knows his bible, he used to go church, the whole nine yards. But now, the unthinkable has happened, and he actually denies the existance of the One he spent much of his life supposedly devoted to. For him, apparantly there is not enough credible evidence.

Now, for some of us in the geek room, this announcement was not a surprise. There were obvious signs. I'd like to share them with you all, in an effort keep someone else from falling off the turnip truck.

1. SuperGeek quit going to church. The bible clearly tells us that church and collective worship with other believers is vital to our Christian growth.

2. SuperGeek was not a bible student, but a bible scholar. Big diff: the student is humble, the scholar is seeking to correct the textbook and question the teacher. He was indeed "ever seeking, never able to come to the knowledge of the truth". The bible says "faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of God." If you convince yourself the word of God is full of mistakes, your faith will shatter on such a shaky foundation.

3. SuperGeek was consumed with himself. Every thought and action of this man seems to be self-serving. He over analyzed his own faith. Always looking inward, questioning his faith and his actions that stemmed from that faith, he neglected sharing his faith with others, and his faith just shrank.

4. To try to stop his crisis of faith, SuperGeek looked to different denominations and religions. Instead of turning to God's Word, he turned to whatever scholarly type he could find in the Christian bookstore, various different faiths, and science. Sure enough, by neglecting turning to God's word and prayer, in repentance and with humility, he continued his downward spiral.

And so now, he is a one-man wrecking ball on my geek forum. Since he was obviously the smartest "Christian" there, and he's denied it, so many other geeks are questioning their faith. It is the most depressing thing I've seen in a long time, and I have watched more than one Todd Bentley video.

The Bible says "an heretick after the first and second admonition reject". However, so many in the Geekroom are still conversing with SuperGeek on this topic. In their arrogance, they think if they say just one more stunningly brilliant thing, he'll get back on the Happy Train. And, instead, the more they try, the more their own faith rattles. God knows what he's talking about. Part of Christianity is trust-we must trust the Lord in these areas as well as trusting Him to save our souls.

Please pray for the SuperGeek. He's a husband and a father, and his influence is, well...large.

In Defense of the Hymn

I responded to another blog post about hymns, and I thought I would post that thought here for y'all:

In Defense of the Hymn
(To the tune of "There is a Fountain")

There are songs so sweet and special
They outlast the new stuff by a hundred years,
And if you pay attention while you sing
You'll stain the page with tears.

You will stain the page with tears,
You'll stain the page with tears.
If you pay attention while you sing,
You will stain the page with tears.

They speak of Jesus and say His name.
There is no confusion there.
You know you sing of the Lord's dear love,
"Him" or "You" could not compare!
"Him" or "You" could not compare!
You'll know you sing of the Lord's dear love,
"Him" or "You" could not compare.

There is doctrine in those dear old songs
That makes some preachers scared.
There is the blood, the cross, and the Risen King
Real conviction's waiting there.

Real conviction's waiting there,
Real conviction's waiting there.
There's the blood, the cross, and the Risen King,
And conviction's waiting there.

For, you see, the hymn is not about
"What can Jesus do for me?"
Instead, these songs cry,
"Here am I. I'll Go! Dear Lord, send Me!"

"I'll go, dear Lord, send me!"
"I'll go, dear Lord, send me!"
Instead these songs cry,
"Here am I, I'll go, dear Lord send me."
---------------------------------
Hymnwriters had no secondary motive, however noble. They were not trying to feed families, get airplay, be famous, raise money, get a Dove, crossover into the mainstream, nothing. The hymn is pure, undiluted worship. I think it is a tragedy that we have substituted a fair amount of Christian bubblegum for some really valuable meat that takes a bit more effort to chew.
Look up the history of "It is Well With My Soul" and "He Keeps Me Singing". The stories of these priceless hymns will be a blessing to each of you.

Keeping it Real

Yo, holmes (homes? homies?).
Good grief, I can't even pull that off in a blog, much less in "real life".

Every time I turn around these days, people are trying to "Keep it real", man. Especially Christians, who are actually just pretending to be Randy Jackson, hosting their own personal American Idol telethon. They'll confess openly to all manner of heinous sins just to "keep it real". They will dress however they want at church, because they are "keeping it real, dawg". Folks talk like they spend more time at hip-hop concerts than in God's Word, just to keep it real.

It's sounding real fake, if you ask me.

Apparantly, people think the most important thing is "authenticity". And, when you listen to some Christians today, being authentic sounds quite alot like the world sounds. There is a very tangible arrogance involved when folks give a testimony and it is a play by play, complete with soundtrack and laugh-track, of all of their sin. It is almost as if they are saying, "See, I'm still cool-look at all this fun stuff I used to do!" Kinda like they miss it...

I love the line in "The African Queen", when Kate Hepburn tells Bogey that human nature is "something we were placed on this earth to overcome." Ding-ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! Kate is right-we ought not glory in our past sinfulness. Instead, we should bring attention to what the Lord has done for us.

He saved us with His blood, He wants to changed our hearts, He is molding us into His own image.

If we want to be "authentic" Christians, we need to be humble. Humility does not draw attention to oneself, it draws attention to Christ. Humliity is not going to give you a detailed rap sheet, but humility will say, "The Lord has been good to me. He brought me up out of the miry clay, stablished my goings, and placed my feet upon a rock." When the Prodigal came back, (an "authentic" Christian if ever there was one), his father did not want the details. He did not care about the past.

We shouldn't either. Let it go.

How to Keep it Really Real

1. Pray. For real. Involve some confession of sin. Be specific. If you can't think of anything, guess.

2. Read the Bible. The real one-the KJV. I have a feeling that Christians will discover they have been reading a "reasonalble facsimile thereof" if they actually dared to read the Real Thing.

3. Go to church like you mean it. Wear a dress. It doesn't hurt, trust me. Oh, and real men wear ties.

4. Sing a hymn. From the hymnal, not the stinkin' overhead. Hold that book. Smell it. Sing every verse, including the third one. True authentic Christianity is found in two places: the KJB, and the hymnal.

5. Listen to the preaching. Not the "sharing" (gag), or the "talking" (puke), the preaching. If all you get is sharing and talking, find yourself some preaching. Take notes. Read them later. Go on, get crazy and sit in the front.

6. Participate in the invitation. If your church no longer does an invitation, ask the pastor to bring it back. There is no time folks are more "real" than at the altar. Make a decision for the Lord. Seal it at the altar like you really mean it. Follow through. Really.

I believe most places that are obsessed with "keeping it real" wouldn't know Real if it came and sat in their lap. Real Christians, and real churches aren't concerned with their "authenticity" or their image, or whatever else occupies the thoughts of the "Keeping it real" crowd. Real Christians are just out there serving the Lord, loving their families, and meekly inheriting the earth.

Va-Ca!

YEA!! We had an awesome vacation.

Come along and see all we did:

We drove to Tennessee to spend the day with GeeGaw.

We picked honeysuckles, ate pancakes and had a wonderful visit.

Jason and GeeGaw even had time for a chat out back in the evening.
On our way out the next morning, we stopped at MeeMaw's gravesite.
We travelled all day. It was really obvious when we reached Texas:
When we got to Houston, the first thing everyone wanted to do is hug Grandma!
And then, of course, we all had to hug Jazzy!
The cousins-looking cute!
And Uncle Jake-the Baby Guru!
I am afraid we wore Charlie out:

Auntie Jenn brought presents which the kids loved:
We took a drive downtown-it's just amazing!
And we went to the Houston Zoo with Grandma
We saw some wonderful animals

And we had a great time together
Isn't he cute? We couldn't fit him in the van, so he had to stay
Eric loved the meercats:
Aunt Laurie was so much fun!

And the cousins had a blast together, especially boxing with the Spidey Aunt Jenn brought

On Friday, we met our dear friends, the Greens-missionaries to the deaf in Merida, Mexico. These are their kids: Caitlin and Dallas
We met at the Transco Tower (which someone had the audacity to rename the Williams Tower) and Water Wall. The Water Wall is on one end of the field, and the Tower is on the other.
Here is a view of the tower looking straight up. It's a monster:
We then went to the Galleria and had cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory!

Say "amen" right there!

Dallas and Kenton
Goofy kids...
Bill and Jennifer Green
Eric

This is my dear friend Chelly, who I have known since the 10th grade
Grandma and Jazzy
Jason and Jazzy
Chelly and Allyson

Eric and Jazzy
At Uncle Jeremy's house, an arm-wrestling contest broke out...

between the ladies! Here, Aunt Laurie shows off her "mommy guns"!

The cousins: (l-r: Eric, Adriana, Allyson, Kaitlynn, and Kenton)

One of my favorite pictures of the trip:

The Bruces

We went to Laurie's for bbq. Dude, the girl can cook!
The kids swam in the pool
Aunt Chelly was able to get us two tickets to the Astro's game...

in the second row!! Jason and I had a blast!
Can you believe these seats?!?

Auntie Jenn and Eric
Our last night-the three Little Kids, all grown up

Jeremy, Jennifer, and Jason

I haven't even scratched the surface of all the fun we had, and all the friends and family we saw. One of the best parts of the trip was having everyone together to hear Jason preach at Bruce and Marti's church, Christchurch Baptist Fellowship. What a wonderful church! The people were so sweet and friendly. The pastor, Dr. Johnny Pope, is a wonderful man, a great preacher, and he was so kind to us. Jason and I got to have a great meal with Dr. Pope and his wife before the service on Wednesday. The Popes were great fun to hang out with, and they are Godly examples for anyone to look up to.

We left early Thursday morning, sooner than any of us wanted to, and drove to Tenessee. We spent the night again with GeeGaw, woke up at 4 a.m. and drove back to Michigan, where everything is in bloom.

We had such a wonderful time, but man, now we are pooped!
Thanks so much to all of you who prayed for us as we traveled, loved on us while we were in Houston, and missed us while we were gone. We love you all!