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Welcome

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I am so honored by your visit today. My name is Kristi and I am married to my college sweetheart(I refer to him here as "Mr. Incredible"), momma to my 2 beautiful girls who are growing much too quickly, a high school computer teacher, photographer, and a gardener (at times~right now I'm growing weeds). I love to laugh, drink strong Starbucks coffee, take pictures, and be anywhere my family is. Jesus is my Savior and I try so hard to be the wife and momma that He has called me to be. I often fail but He lovingly picks me up, dusts me off, and encourages me that with Him all things are possible. Feel free to join me on this journey of faith, stop in and say hello, look around, and leave a comment~I love comments. Why "Kiki's Corner?" My nephews call me Aunt Kiki and I love that too.

Don't Touch the Jewelry!


I can't believe that it is Friday. Mr. Incredible and I had a fun anniversary celebration. We went to our favorite Sushi place, watched a romantic/comedy movie, and enjoyed coffee (me, not him) and Italian chocolate cake from Johnny Carinos (Thanks Mom and Dad for the sweet treat). It was fun to have a date night with my man.




I missed posting my Word Filled Wednesday post because I was taking my last teacher workshop for the summer. It was fun, but long.


Yesterday was filled with mowing and more mowing and braving my life to climb the ladder, disconnect my outside lanterns and spray painting. I am loving the new look. I'll try to post pictures of the house soon. Mr. Incredible was less than thrilled that I was on the ladder while he was at work. He actually asked me if I remembered to throw the breaker before handling the lanterns. Uh....yes...yes I did! Duh! (I mean that in the most loving way possible).


Rachel is at a squad leader band thingy all day today so last night Hannah asked me what I had planned for the day. I told her that it might be fun to check out an estate sale today. I am on the lookout for a large coffee table for our family room. The advertisement listed furniture and James Avery jewelry too, which all 3 of us girls adore. "Does that sound like fun?" I asked. After tucking my sweet girl in bed and kissing her goodnight, she responded by saying, "So basically we are going to buy some dead person's jewelry?" Nice! She has such way with words sometimes. It kind of sucks all of the fun out of estate sale shopping, doesn't it? If you see us, we will be the ones avoiding the jewelry! Oiy! Ya'll have a great weekend.


Joyfully,

Kristi

Only God Could Love You More!

It's hard to believe that we are old enough to be married 19 years today! 19 years? It seems like yesterday that mom was helping me with my veil and my dad was walking me down the aisle. Where did the time go?


It was so fun this morning to look at our rehearsal dinner picture that is hanging in the closet and giggle together that we looked so young. We still do...or at leas that's the story that I'm sticking with.

We may look a little different when we look in the mirror each morning but we are still that young couple who fell deeply in love at Baylor University so many years ago. I'll never forget how you told me that you loved me before you even kissed me....I think that was on our 2nd or 3rd date. It didn't take this heart of mine very long before I realized that you were the one that I had been praying for my whole life. What an incredible gift you are to me.

I can't imagine journeying through life with anyone else but you. Our life together has not been perfect by any means, and at times it has even been a bit difficult, but it has always been blessed and I wouldn't trade any of our memories together. With you, my joys are somehow even more joyous, and the deepest sorrows are somehow easier when you are right there beside me.

It is the Lord that brought us together and I am so thankful that He did. We share many similarities....like our heritages of faith, our deep and abiding love for the Lord, a desire to serve Him faithfully, singing together, snorkeling, etc....but we have a few differences to make life interesting. For instance, your gun closet is filled with guns that I can't pronounce....my gun closet holds a well used hot glue gun, but I can wield it like no other. You would rather watch UFC fights on television, but I prefer Hallmark movies...but still we both compromise...I'll watch the fights with you (I can't believe I even remember their names....my students think that is cool) and you watch Hallmark's Christmas in July movies with me....while adding a few funny commentaries.

Our two best blessings, next to Jesus, are still sleeping this morning. How can they possibly be 16 and 12? The tears are already streaming down my cheeks, so I'll just move on. What a joy to be their parents!

I'll try to wrap this up. Only you know this heart of mine like no other. Often you believe in me when I don't even believe in myself..going back to college is the perfect example. I love how it took you saying, "Kristi, either go back to school or quit talking about it! You can do it" before I jumped back into school. You were right.

You know that I am fiercely competitive, but so are you... so I love the fact that we stayed up until almost 11:30 last Saturday night playing volleyball in the pool because I wasn't going to bed until I had won....and you weren't either. How funny that our daughters said they were tired and going to bed....game over! I love that you kissed me goodbye this morning and your fragrance lingers. Your baby blue eyes melt my heart like no other.
One look into those eyes and I melt all over again (unless of course they are your angry eyes....that I don't see very often....only when working on project like putting together the pool {I'm smiling and hoping that you are too}).

My mind is flooded with so many memories of our 19 years together. What an incredible gift from the Lord.
May He grant us many, many more years together.
Love,
Kristi

My Bond Man...007 Has Nothing on Him!

Did ya'll have a good weekend?
It was grand central around here. The painters arrived and finished repainting the trim on our house and front door....and I love it! Wanna see? You will have to check back later in the week to see what colors we went with.

Anyway, Mr. Incredible and my dad (who is incredible too, by the way) got to go shoot their pistols at a gun class Saturday.
Mr. Incredible brought home a little souvenir:

...his target whatchamacallit. What a shot....look out 007....here comes my man!

He held it up against several of the walls in the family room while trying to find the perfect spot to hang it....what??? And then he flashed those gorgeous baby blues, that I have had the blessing of seeing nearly every day for the last 19 years, and said he was just kidding and my heart melted all over again! Whew! The green whatchamacallit thingy found its perfect spot in the garage, next to the trash can.

He came home to an almost finished house and he loves it too and I am so glad! Oh, the pressure of having only a few days to pick your paint colors and then finding them on your house. The entire process happened so quickly....but for this girl who calls patience the "p" word, it was just right on time.

The painters took down a huge wasps nest that was on one of the eaves of the house with only their painting tools and their bare hands. Yikes!

But speaking of wasps, my dad has a great suggestion for all of us ladies.

It is a good idea to keep a can of wasp spray around the house not only for wasps but for protection too. It can shoot farther than a can of tear gas or pepper spray...20 plus feet. Here is an interesting article about this topic. Heaven forbid that we would ever have to use it but I think it is brilliant idea. What do you think?

Oh, I almost forgot this fiasco! Did you hear the one about the 2 blondes that almost ended a man's career at Academy Sports due to....well here you go! Last week at Academy, where we bought the pool, we met a sweet young man (boy that made me sound old) who helped me get the pool off the shelf and into the cart. Poor guy! I walked aisle after aisle trying to find someone to help me get the 280 pound pool off the shelf and to the front of the store, but no one was to be found. I spotted this "young man" with an Academy shirt and badge and asked if he would please help me. He chuckled and said that he would try. In my haste to find help, I was just looking for someone with an Academy shirt on and I hadn't bothered to look down....his foot was in a brace...and he walked with a big limp. Oiy! I am not making this up....I wish that I were! What was I suppose to say? So I muttered something along the lines that it was really heavy and I needed some help, did he mind or would he help me find someone to help, all the while thinking to myself....way to go! I felt so bad.

Anyway, he found a flatbed cart and put it next to the pool. My only job was to hold the cart steady...well that sounded easy enough...until 280 pounds of pool hits it and sends it flying. Did it already have water in it! Thankfully, it somehow landed on the cart. I didn't have the heart to ask for help getting the mass of pool to the front of the store. I simply said, "Thank you so much for your help, Jace. I really appreciate it." The "sweet young man" looked a little relieved that he was finished with us and walked away, I mean limped away, and that's when my oldest daughter burst out laughing. "His name is JacK" she said, "not Jace!" Oh really? That's what my eyes saw from where I was standing. Oiy! It's not fun getting older. Poor guy, I didn't even call him by the right name, after all that trauma.

Dear Academy,

You have a mighty fine young man working for you in your outdoor pool section. His name is Jack but he goes by "Jace."

Thank you,

the Crazy Pool Lady

I think footage of Rachel and I trying to get the pool to the front of the store may be on funniest home videos or something....nothing clears a path quicker than 2 blondes, a massive pool, and a flatbed cart that has a will of its own.

I better get going....I have an appointment with my eye doctor...go figure!

Joyfully,
Kristi

Just Thinking

I don't really have a clever way to begin this post....my mind is going in a thousand different directions today, it seems. So, I'll just share a few of my thoughts from the week. Is that okay?


1. Picking new paint trim and a new front door color is hard but so much more fun with the help of amazing blogging friends. I'm liking this look below, I think....well for now....do you have an opinion about it? (That's the cool thing about paintshop pro/photoshop it's not permanent yet!



2. It's hard to watch your oldest daughter continue to have daily headaches....since December 25th....which is way too long. Rachel still has not had a day without a headache. We've tried several medications and dosages and we are anxiously waiting for more brain scans and appointments in the coming weeks.

Please, pray with us that we will find the answer to headache free days very soon. School is only 4 1/2 weeks away and I thought she would be so much better by now. It's hard to be patient. I'm thankful for Leslie, the pediatric neurologist's nurse who is always so quick to return phone calls.

We know that the Lord is working in this and that He is showing Himself so faithful to Rachel and to us. We are still praying that this will somehow only be a short season and that she will come out of this more like Jesus and able to share the amazing work that God did in her life through this diagnosis and treatment. He is doing a mighty work in her life, I just know it!

3. Standing up for what is true and right isn't always easy, especially when it happens in a youth committee meeting. The easiest thing would have been to just sit there and be silent but when the Holy Spirit stirs your heart, your best choice is to obey even if what you feel led to say isn't well received and personal attacks seem to follow. It was still the right thing to do and the Lord has been so gracious to minister that to me.

{sigh, my heart is still a bit broken over this one}


4. A trip to the garden does wonders for the soul. There is beauty in squash blooms, even the ones that have bugs in them. Is that how we look to the Father? He sees it all, doesn't He...and yet He loves us...what a thought!



5. I am greatly anticipating seeing these sunflowers in full bloom. There seems to be a competition to see which one can reach the sky first. As a Kansas girl, I love glorious sunflowers.




6. I use to be an above-ground pool snob....until we priced an in ground, custom pool. Do you know the easiest way to overcome being an above-ground-pool snob? Yes, it's buying one and putting it in your backyard. We've joined the countless ranks of pool owners ...and we love it.


Our little bichon, Tinkerbell, loves it too. She enjoys floating on my raft with me. The chihuahua, Lizzie, not so much.


7. Summer rains in July are absolutely a blessing. Rachel and Hannah delighted in seeing little birds looking at us through our windows. This little one was so wet!

8. Last one, I think! Basketball camp can wear a girl out and make one very sore. Rubbing icy-hot on Hannah's legs can bring out the funniest giggles.
I better get to mowing. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful new day.
Have a blessed day in the Lord today.
Joyfully,
Kristi


Please Help Me Pick A Paint Color Before I Lose My Ever Loving Mind!

ASPTL


Today is DIY day at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land. Many extremely wonderful and creative bloggers will post their finished projects. Been there done that, last week. This week I am pleading with all of you to help me make a decision so that I can finish this project. Please??? Pretty please, with sugar on top?



We were blessed to build our home in 2000. I can't believe that this December it will be 9 years since we moved in, the week before Christmas, I might add. Did we have a tree that year? Oh, yes we did and stockings and presents and guests. We may not have had a dining room table, but we had a Christmas tree.



Anyway, I'll try to get to the point of this post. Our trim needs to be repainted and Mr. Incredible suggested that we change it up a bit? Say what??? Who is the decorator around here? But, I got to looking at the house and....should I admit this....oh, alright, Mr. Incredible is right. But, I need your help before I take the giant leap into a new trim color and a new color for my front door.



The painters are ready to go. In fact, they would really appreciate it if the projects were finished yesterday. I'm not kidding! It was pouring down rain today and they wanted to come paint. That might be a problem for 2 reasons, it's wet and I haven't decided yet!


Okay, here are a few pictures of our house now:










Please, pardon the mulch that is ready to mulch my front flower beds.




You can see we have white trim, white grout, and a fabulous white door.


I love the austin stone accents so I was thinking about a taupe colored trim with a black door.




I quickly did a photoshoppy thing to get an idea, because I'm a little afraid to go nuts and just hope that it looks good. You know what I mean?




Anyway, before photoshop:




And after:

I did this very quickly...can you tell? Ha! I'm not planning to paint over the window parts of my door and sidelights, this was just the quickest way to get an idea of what it might look like. I think that I like the door and the lanterns in black. It would be so safe to go with good old white again, but I'm feeling a bit more daring and I really like how the black-ish bricks seem to pop with a black door. I always like to have a wreath on my front door; I think each season's wreath would look great against a black door.



After reading my comments, early this morning, I added a few more to choose from.


At Kimba's suggestion (thank you) I tried a shiny red door:






Charcoal was suggested by another blogger:



And here is the black without painting the lanterns:



A little brown? I don't know:

And here is a suggestion from Rhoda (I adore her Southern Hospitality blog):




So, which one do you like??? Should I paint my pots black too?
Do you have any other suggestions?
Red is my favorite color and I've debated a red door for years, but I'm afraid that it clashes with my brick. In my opinion, the only red color that looks sort of decent is an Texas Aggie shade and since we are Baylor bears, we won't go there! (But, after Kimba's suggestion, what do you think?) Please, give me your honest opinion about the trim color and the door. Tell me what you like and I'll love you forever!


Joyfully,


Kristi







A Pruning and a Blessing

This verse is the Air1 verse of the day
(Our family really enjoys this station).


With the recent season that we are finding ourselves in, you can find out more by clicking this link, this verse spoke volumes to me today. I instantly thought of the last picture that I took after last week's mowing and weeding episode. Where there were once ginormous weeds, there are holes and barrenness, but if you look closer, you can see new growth.

The new growth is a beautiful, cheery green color; this is quite a contrast to the dry, barren land.
I wondered to myself if that is how our hearts look when the Master Gardener prunes away our weeds, even the ones that are so deeply rooted. The uprooted weeds in our hearts leave quite a gap that should only be filled with Him, His desires, His will, His fruit, His Son....and shouldn't that be our heart's desire?

His working in our lives is glorious, and quite a humbling thought that the King of kings and Lord of lords delights in working in the lives of His children and that He loves us far too much to leave us the way that we are, but often it is painful. But, I have to say that if the end result is the "desire and the power to do what pleases Him" and that we come through seasons somehow looking more like Jesus, than how can we be afraid of a visit with the Master Gardener?
Take it from me, stop hiding in the weed-filled garden of your heart, and meet with Him today.

(Please visit Amydeanne for more Word Filled Wednesday inspiration.)
Joyfully,
Kristi

Skip On Over to the Blog Hop


Hey ya'll! I am participating in this ever-so-fun Blog Hop party and this week's topic is Favorite Recipe. With school starting in 5 weeks, I've been thinking about my favorite crockpot recipes because, well, do you really have to ask? A crockpot is a girl's bff during the school year. There is nothing like coming home to the delicious smells of a home cooked meal, is there?

So, I really tried to narrow it down to 1 favorite recipe, but I just couldn't do it. So, here are a few of my crockpot faves. Bon appetite (that sounds so french) ya'll (that's better).

Crock Pot Fajitas


1 small arm roast
1 1/4 C dried pinto beans (rinsed but not soaked)
1 chopped onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cans Rotel
1/2 C water
2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
garlic salt and pepper


I use those handy dandy crock pot liners for easy clean up. Place a layer of spices on the bottom. Put in roast and sprinkle with more of the spices. Layer beans, onion, and green chilis. Add soup and Rotel. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours. I just shred the meat and serve with tortillas, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, etc. So delicious and so easy!



Jane's Slow-Cooked Italian Chicken (from Fix it and Forget-It Lightly)

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
10 3/4 oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained
8 oz. of Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt

Place chicken in Crock-Pot. (I use the crock pot liners for easy clean up!) Mix dressing mix with soup and mushrooms. Stir into chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. With a spoon, lift chicken out of cooker. Place in a covered dish to keep warm. Combine cooking juices with sour cream in crock-pot. Cover and heat until warmed through. When ready, place chicken on bed of rice or noodles and pour sauce over the top.


Okay, I have one more favorite recipe! My faithful blog followers have already seen this recipe, for the rest of you...this is a gift to you....you're welcome! Our family adores having a good ole shrimp boil in the summer. Have you had one? Oh, it is great and shrimp is on sale this week at HEB. Here is the recipe:


Shrimp Boil (Our Family Favorite!!!)


10-12 whole small red potatoes
4-6 small ears of corn (I use the frozen ones)
1 pound of cleaned, de-veined shrimp w/ tails
2 links Cajun smoked sausage cut diagonally
2 T Old Bay Seasoning


Boil 8 quarts of water, add salt and Old Bay Seasoning. Add potatoes and cook for 10-12 min. Add sausage and corn on the cobb and cook for 7 minutes. Now add shrimp and boil another 3-5 minutes (just until pink). Drain and pour contents onto your newspaper lined table(now that is an easy tablescape....newspaper that's it!). Sprinkle w/ salt and serve w/ butter, Old Bay Seasoning, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. So delicious!!!

Thanks for stopping by today! Happy blog hopping!

Joyfully,
Kristi



MckLinky Blog Hop

Do the Miss America Wave

Every year our town gets together to celebrate.
Family members and friends return home where high school reunions, family reunions, and get togethers abound. It's a time to remember great stories from the past and rekindle memories as long as the west Texas sunset. There are games on main street, a community barbecue, and even a dance, but the most fun can always be held at the Saturday morning parade.

Now I'm singing that old, old song, "I love a parade!" Do you know it? Um, me neither, just the title, that's all. It seems most everyone comes home for the celebration and parade.

Our family has participated in several. One year I looked at Mr. Incredible's sad, old golf cart and decided to give it a makeover so the girls could drive it in the parade. We painted it hot pink with white daisies...and it was cute....at least the girls and I thought that it was. He hasn't played golf since. Oh, I'm just kidding. He has played golf, just not with the pink golf cart.

Anyway, back to this year's parade. My sister-in-law, Melissa, decided to get a family float together 2 days before the big event. Go Melissa!
She rounded up the whole family....wanna see?

Need a close up? Can you see my girls?

You can tell that everyone had a great time, just look at those smiles.


Here they are headed back to main street:



Oh, another shot. Can you find Rachel & Hannah?
Do the Miss America wave....please? pretty please? Oh, alright, moving on!



Cheerleaders, family floats, class reunion floats, and John Deer tractors!




There was even a "Princess" float in honor of a girl in our town that is turning 40 sometime this year. I think she is one of 6 or 7 sisters and she has had a 40th birthday float for all of her sisters in years past. They decided to do her float, "up big" as they say around here. Her throne was made up of hay bales, I think, and they had pictures of her all over the float, and they topped it off with a ginormous pink tiara. Would you like to see that? Me too, but I was so dumbfounded that I forgot to snap another photo.

Here is another shot of the parade. It was hot outside! See the umbrellas?





And then the 4 wheeler gang:


A man on a red tractor. I love the flags on the front.


And then "the law" showed up and the parade was over. Not really, the law did show up but that was just the last photo that I took.


After the parade it was time for family, food, fellowship, and fun.

I had fun brewing the beer....I got your attention, didn't I?

I had fun brewing the Root beer. Have you ever made root beer?
Rush right out and buy root beer concentrate and make your own.
It is sooooooo much fun and delicious too!

I found this recipe here and just knew that I had to try it.


Here is what you need:
5 gallon thermal container
fill the container 3/4 of the way with ice cold water (the colder the better)
2 ounces of root beer concentrate (you can find it next to the vanilla extract in the grocery store)
5 pounds of sugar (yes, I know that is a lot!)
and 7 to 8 pounds of dry ice


Directions: Add the sugar to the cold water and stir until it is dissolved. Add the root beer concentrate and stir well. Using gloves, place the dry ice in the container and let the fun begin!
It will bubble and crackle and sound like it is boiling...the kids loved it!



Try to put the lid on the container, very gently, you don't want to seal it off completely because then you might have an explosion, but you want to try to cover it so the dry ice can carbonate the root beer. After about 10 or 15 minutes you are ready to enjoy the best root beer ever.
My oldest nephew said, "Aunt Kiki, this is way better than A&W root beer!"
We just needed some homemade vanilla ice cream to go with it.
It was a fun day! Does your town have annual celebrations too?
Joyfully,
Kristi

Careless Weeds: Where the Wild Things Grow

Got weeds? Man, do I have weeds....and I'm not just talking about the ones in my backyard, I'm talking about the ones that have been allowed to take root in my heart and in my mind.

Yes, I'm going there today. Friday's are normally my least visited day, according to my Sitemeter. So, I feel a little safer in my vulnerability on this day.

I don't want you to think that I always have it together and that everything is perfect in my little corner of the world. {I laughed out loud when I read that last sentence! If you have read my blog for awhile, you couldn't possibly think that anyway}

But seriously! I've had fun joining different blog memes lately. While they have been a blast to be a part of and I have learned a tremendous amount of things, they have also come with a little baggage.

You know...or maybe you don't.... I didn't feel up to snuff, so to speak. Every nook and cranny is not perfectly organized in my house. I have more than one junk drawer. I photoshopped out a few cobwebs in yesterday's post because my stinkin' camera is so good that it caught the ones that I couldn't see with my bare eyes. Yes, I did.

Just yesterday, I fed my family a delicious meal from the Sonic dollar menu because my sanity could not possibly take another moment in Walmart where the temperature inside felt like 100 degrees and every other shopper was in a grumpy mood. So, what's a girl to do? I turned around and walked out of the store only to return another day.
{I have to add that I didn't have anything in my cart. There I feel better!}
So, mentally I beat myself up about all of it. We are our worst critics, aren't we?

In my effort to show you that my life is not perfect, here are photos of my backyard:

Can you see the trampoline? Um, me neither!





It was the worst that it has ever been. Our front yard is perfectly manicured and my vegetable garden looks so much better, but the backyard, that is hidden from plain sight, was out of control.



I hate to admit it, but it was quickly becoming a sore subject between Mr. Incredible and I. He has planned to mow it for the last 6 weeks, but he has been too busy.
I'm not working {for money anyway} this summer, but I just didn't want to deal with weeds that were almost as high as my fence.



I started feeling like a fraud...our home looked beautiful from the street, but not from the backyard. It took me several hours this past Tuesday, after playing tennis with Hannah, but I finally was able to mow the backyard.



Wow! I saw a spider that was bigger than my hand, a praying mantis, crickets, grasshoppers, worms, wasps, other bugs that I didn't recognize, and a fat mouse. Yuck! Thankfully, I didn't see a rattlesnake! Now, the backyard looks much more like it should have looked in the first place. I had to tackle it head on.



I've had to tackle the weeds of my heart too! I've been avoiding the Master Gardener in a few major areas and my heart was starting to look like my weed-filled backyard.



In my effort to be transparent with you, I'll share a few of my weeds with you, but only as long as you understand that the issues are with my heart and how I've chosen to let some things get the best of me. I'm not trying to bash anyone, ever:

Okay, here goes, I'm trusting you with my heart right now:


I've struggled with our place at our church {which is one area I've never really struggled with like this before} and a minister who wrote my media ministry off as "easy" and another minister that didn't listen to my concerns about a future mission trip that would involve my precious daughters staying in homes that even the minister would not know....I don't think so! Mr. Incredible and I did that while we were in a singing group at Baylor. We stayed with a man and his mother in Florida and he pulled a gun on us that night. I've never been so terrified in my life!



Struggling with your place in your own church is hard and I don't like it very much! I am the pastor's daughter for heaven sake! My heart condition is so bad that I am having trouble praising the Lord in church...and that has always been one of my most favorite things. It would be so much easier to go to another church, but I'm not sure that is what God has for us right now and besides that, I am a firm believer that when you change churches it should not be out of anger. So, instead of being vigilant about praying about our place and the circumstances that I am finding myself in, I let resentment and bitterness grow like the careless weeds in my backyard. It was easier to just ignore it...or was it?



Also, I just finished an amazing journey of faith with the Lord by going back to school to finish what He called me to do. I was hired as a teacher for next year, and then overnight it seems, self-doubt rooted its way in my heart. What? Thoughts like, "What if I won't be good enough? I'm suppose to know all about computers...because I am now the computer teacher...what if I fail?"



Great thoughts, huh? The bad part is that I started believing them. I was having my daily quiet time with the Lord, but I was not addressing any of these thoughts, I was avoiding them like I avoided my backyard...and the weeds/thoughts continued to grow.



This afternoon, I took much joy in looking at my backyard. That is much better, I said. Why didn't I take care of that weeks ago?

And then I felt the Lord say, "My child, let's work on your heart."
He and I went to a quiet place where He began to speak to my heart
about all that I had been avoiding with Him.



He gently reminded me that I know better than to believe the evil one's lies. I know to match up what I hear or think with Scripture and see what is really True.
He reminded me that the media ministry at church was His idea from the beginning and together He and I have done some pretty cool things....things I never could have done on my own. They were talents given to me by Him...they are not my own...so how could that be an easy thing?!

He reminded me that I may be on the other side of my calling, that I may have reached the finish line, as far as school goes, but He would never leave me there. He still has so much for me to do and that together He and I can do anything.



I was reminded that in my weakness, He is strong. I may have an issue with self confidence about teaching this coming year, but He always equips the ones that He calls and that if I am completely relying on Him, and not my own strength, than it is going to be an incredible year.



As far as the "knowing all about computers because I am now the computer teacher" goes, the Lord reminded me that computers are always changing, how can one person know it all anyway? Besides that, I know the One who is true Wisdom and He has all the answers I will ever need.



I don't have my answer about our place in church just yet, but I do know He is allowing this strange season for a reason and I'm going to choose to trust Him because He has always been faithful. I cried many, many tears with the Lord today, but at the end of my tears, I felt relief. I've been long overdue to meet with the Master Gardener who was patiently waiting for me all along. He knows my desire is to bear much fruit for Him....but it's hard to do that with a heart full of weeds; they choke out the fruit.



Normally, I wouldn't share something so deep and so personal, but I felt like I needed to share it. Maybe you need the reminder too to line up what you think about yourself with Scripture. If it doesn't match, than it is simply not true. I'm still a work in progress. I'm definitely not perfect but I am a daughter of the King who loves me far too much to leave me just the way that I am and I am so thankful for that. More of Jesus and less of me, that's my heart's cry.



Kristi



Are You Game for Some Decorating?

DIY Day @ ASPTL


After Tuesday's post on Love-40 and reminiscing about my old tennis racquet, I realized that I have never shown you what I did in my family room.

There is a weird space above our built in cabinets in the family room. After we moved in, I wasn't sure what to do with the space and I really didn't want to spend anymore money so I looked around and came up with an idea.

All of the sporting equipment that was too old to be very useful but was full of sentimental value was stored in the attic. Hmmmm....let's get it out and use it!

I had some greenery from Hobby Lobby and some Styrofoam, so I cut it to fit the 11 foot width of the top of the cabinet. I stuck the greenery in the Styrofoam and placed it above the cabinet.

Then I had fun placing my tennis racquet, my basketball from UT basketball camp, my volleyball from my high school days, my husband's favorite golf club (that he doesn't use anymore), a signed baseball bat, some deer antlers (not mine), a couple of wooden ducks, a Dr. Pepper collector's edition bottle from Baylor, and a vintage Uncle Sam tin sign.

Wanna see it?

Need a close up? (Please, ignore all of the dust and cobwebs...I can't be bothered by dusting with such important tasks like teaching my youngest daughter to play tennis!)

See my racquet?




You can see the big, black box in this photo:


It's Mr. Incredible's surround sound thingy....it's ugly but a man's gotta have his surround sound...or so I've been told. I think it looks a little better hidden in the greenery.

And how much did this little makeover cost? Nothing! Now, that's my kind of makeover.


Joyfully,
Kristi

Beautiful Feet

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" Romans 10:15

I love those feet pictured above. They belong to my dad, my mom, Rachel, Hannah, and my husband. They are beautiful feet. Each foot has a story to tell; they have all walked many, many places with the Lord and with each other...and that is a beautiful thing!

Looking at this photo (and I'm sorry it is so tiny but you can click on it to enlarge it) each foot is different and unique, much like our callings, our gifts, and talents but our common foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ.


Hannah and I were watching a show on TV 2 nights ago and a commercial came on that was absolutely awful. The show was not recorded so I couldn't fast forward through it and by the time I saw what was on the screen I said, "Don't watch!"
Her reply was, "Momma, I've already seen this commercial before." Really? Why? I gently reminded her of a song from her preschool days, "Oh be careful little eyes what you see..." I sang the whole song even down to this verse that says, "Oh, be careful little feet where you go. Oh be careful little feet where you go. For the Father up above is looking down in love. Oh be careful little feet where you go." And I thought to myself, that is a great reminder for all of us. Where will your feet go today and will they help spread the good news of good things?

I so enjoy being a part of Word Filled Wednesdays. Please, visit here for more.


Joyfully,
Kristi

Love-40?

After watching Venus and Serena play at Wimbledon, I started reminiscing about my childhood days of playing tennis at the Wichita Racquet Club and thought to myself, I need to teach Hannah how to play tennis.

While Rachel is away at a Student Council thing,
Hannah and I can have a lot of fun playing tennis.



We headed to Target, that's Tar-jay pronounced correctly :-), and purchased 2 racquets that were on sale. My childhood racquet is probably considered a classic. It's a beautiful Wilson, Chris Evert signed wooden racquet from 1976. The head is a little small for someone who is almost....I can't believe I'm going to type this....um 40 years old.


That's Chris Evert and her racquet, which is exactly like my classic.

I definitely needed a bigger head on my tennis racquet, so this momma isn't having to run as much! Ha! Hannah was excited. She was so excited about learning to play tennis that we practiced hitting pretend balls in the family room underneath the blessed air conditioner.

We watched a couple of lessons on Youtube....how cool is that by the way that you can pull up instructional videos for free on youtube, then she was ready to hit a few balls.

I remember beating the tar out of the garage door with my racquet and tennis balls when I was a child, so we headed outside in 101 degree weather and hit balls at the garage door. My second ball just missed the garage door and went over the roof into the backyard. I heard a familiar chuckle next door...it was my dad.

I had to chuckle a little too and then retrieve my ball. Dad gladly brought over a ziplock bag full of tennis balls because clearly we needed more to practice with. Our garage door session lasted for quite a while, well okay about 20 minutes but that is a long time especially in our Texas heat, until we could stand it no longer and we ran in for the good old air conditioner and some water.

We worked on her grip some more and waited for Daddy to come home from a business dinner. At 9:00 he came in the door and by 9:30 we were on the courts.

It was fun to chase balls all over 2 courts and sometimes across the fence into the other people's courts. Hannah was a quick learner and seemed to really be enjoying herself. Mr. Incredible and I had to play a little bit in between too. I must say that I may be older, but I've still got it....well sort of. There's nothing like hearing the heavy breathing and the knees that pop and crack and realizing that yes, in fact all of that noise is coming from you. Oiy

Feeling pretty good, I had to try to serve...and I can still do it! Woo hoo!

I heard, "Momma, when can I learn how to do that" and my heart just soared!

One of my students from 3 years ago was playing tennis with her dad. She was home from college and it was so good to see her. I apologized for my sweat laden body but hugged her anyway...and she was sweating too which made old girl feel better.

I got tickled when her father begged her for mercy and asked her to please go purchase one of those scooter things for him immediately because he wasn't sure that he could make it to the car. We played until 11 under the tennis court lights. It was so much fun!

From the backseat of the suburban, Hannah exclaimed that she wanted to get up early so that we could play again. So, here I sit at the crack of dawn. My contacts are in, my teeth are brushed and I am ready to go play tennis. Where is my child???? Oh, the young one is back in bed. She changed her mind and wants to sleep in instead! Seriously?! Mr. Incredible said that I should yank her out of bed anyway...but to be honest my body is a little grateful. I think I can wait until tonight! Do they still make Bengay?

Love (tennis talk ya know),

Kristi