Water Bottles

Would you like to purchase one of these water bottles for $10 (or more if you want)?!  Please read the following to understand better why I'm selling these:

 They are actually clear, they just have a paper in them explaining what we are doing.  Sorry if I bit blurry but I had to take off the flash to get the picture and that messed it up some.

Our Sunday School group has taken on the mission of raising $25,000 in a year to send a purification water system to a village in the country of Sri Lanka so that they can have clean water to drink from.  Not only will they have clean water, they will hear about the Living Water, Jesus Christ, and hopefully come to know Him as Lord and Savior. 

If you don't want to purchase one, which is totally fine, please do pray for these people and their salvation.  To read more about Water Missions International visit http://www.watermissions.org/.  If you are interested in our church, you can visit http://www.taylorsfbc.org/.

Thanks for reading!

More Shower Pics

My friend Jessica who helped host my shower last weekend also does photography on the side.  You should check her out here... she took my bridal portraits which now feel like years ago!  She snapped some great shots at the shower that I want to share with you.  Enjoy!

The food table

My sister went on Etsy and ordered a bunch of old baby cards, some used and some not.  I was rather impressed with her creativeness and it goes with the nursery theme perfectly!

My mama, my great aunt, JJ, and William's grandmother, Grandmama.

Chatting with Jonnie, Jennie, and Julie

Precious baby socks

Another creative decoration by Jessica

All of Abby Ruth's goodies

Baby Shower

My three good friends from high school, Jennie, Carla, and Jessica, along with my sis and Carla's mom all hosted a shower for Miss Abby Ruth and I this past weekend in Fort Mill.  It was a beautiful shower and we got lots of nice things!  It was so great visiting with everybody and I was very touched by all who came out to support us!  Here are some pics from the shower:

For those of you who don't know the above, this is how it goes:

Katie - my sis, known her since her birth

Jennie - in 4th grade class together and then became good friends in 9th grade... traveled to the beach (cruise once) with her and her family for 6 different summers

Me and Abby Ruth at 34 wks and 2 days

Carla - met in 9th grade and we began babysitting at church together until we graduated high school

Jessica - met in 7th grade but it was in 9th grade in Sports Med class that we became good friends... lived 3 out of my 5 years at Clemson with her!

Abby Ruth's grandmothers and one of her great-grandmothers!

My 2nd family - The Youngs and Jonnie to the left!

Katie and Clint's gift to Abby Ruth... she will be wearing this to eat lunch with her aunt now that Katie works for John Deere Landscaping!  And ironically enough, she bought this before getting the job!

Loved these!  Little diaper covers with her initials and name embroidered on them from one of my grandmother Ruth's good friend.

My aunt Carole added some orange and a tiger paw to this onsie!  Love it!



 As you can tell, we had a great weekend.  William and Daddy went and shot some skeet while the women enjoyed the shower!  This was my last time traveling (hopefully) before the baby comes.  We have some stuff to finish up in the nursery and make her home ready for her.  We still have two more showers and are looking forward to both of them.  We have been so blessed by all the love and support of friends and family!

When we arrived home some of my irises had bloomed... it never fails that they do this when I'm gone!  But there are a few left to go.  My daddy actually dug these up from an old homestead at his hunting club a couple years ago.  It's neat to think who planted these and how old they are and that they have traveled from Kershaw County to Greenville County now.



Busy Weekend in Clinton!

This past weekend William and I headed to Clinton to visit with his family.  It just happened to be the weekend before Grayson's 2nd birthday and the weekend that Andrew and his girlfriend, Sarah, were coming to visit.  So the whole family was there and that is a rare occassion!  We had such a great time seeing everybody and celebrating Grayon's bday!!

Grayson loves Cookie Monster, so Mollie asked me to make a cake with him on it.  I had found a recipe for chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes that I wanted to use... so I just took the filling part and put it in the middle of the cake.  It tasted really good!!

Grayson seeing his cake!

I got to experience my first Daddy Mac Easter Egg hunt... which means that the eggs contain money!  We had a great time and all the grandchildren and great-grandchild hunted eggs.  I know it isn't Easter yet, but this is the last time we'll all be together for a while, so we went ahead with the festivities!

I thought this was such a sweet pic and was wondering how William got Grayson to sit with him until I saw what was sitting on his lap... pretzles!  Still sweet though!

Me and William... I think this is our only picture of us together and being visibly pregnant.

Mollie and I took our last pregnant pic together before the girls come.  Next time we see each other we'll have to take another picture but we'll have doubled in number!  So excited about the girls coming, but it makes me wish we lived closer to each other!  I'm 33 wks here and Mollie is 34 wks.



As you can see we had tons of fun this weekend!  This week William and I are pushing hard to finish the nursery.  He's been fixing up an old bookcase of my grandfathers that needed a bit of TLC as William says... and I'm so thankful that he has a lot of it!  Then we will finish painting frames and shelves and get those on the walls.  I also found my 8 pane window that I have been wanting while in Clinton and I'm super excited about the project with that.  Can't wait to get all projects done and posted... it's getting harder and harder to work on things too! 

As for this week, besides working on projects, we have our "preparing for baby" class one evening to help us get ready to take care of Ms. Abby Ruth.  Then on Saturday I have a shower which will be hosted by my 3 good friends from high school and sister... super excited about it!  Also, on Thursday, I have to go have a different fasting test done b/c I had some sugar in my system last week.  I have to go in with nothing on my belly and have blood drawn and then I eat my breakfast and have it drawn again in 2 hours.  Please pray that it goes well and that we won't have a big baby b/c of it.

 

Advice from Billy Ray Cyrus

It may be hard to believe, but Billy Ray has been quoted saying something I think all parents and kids need to hear:

“How many interviews did I give and say, ‘You know what’s important between me and Miley is I try to be a friend to my kids’? I said it a lot. And sometimes I would even read other parents might say, ‘You don’t need to be a friend, you need to be a parent.’ Well, I’m the first guy to say to them right now: You were right. I should have been a better parent. I should have said, ‘Enough is enough—it’s getting dangerous and somebody’s going to get hurt.’ I should have, but I didn’t. Honestly, I didn’t know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere.”

Amen, Billy Ray, Amen!

One of the saddest things I think I've witnessed with both my generation and the one I was teaching at school, is that parents want to be their child's bff.  Both William and I were fortunate enough to grow up in homes in which our parents were our parents first... they became our friends overtime but that wasn't the original goal.  Becoming your child's friend should be a lifetime goal, something to be reached more around college age.

Parents should be there to instruct, guide, discipline, and of course love and nuture.  If Abby Ruth "hates" me b/c of a punishment she receives, too bad.  I know in the long run that she'll appreciate it... I know I appreciate my parents doing that. 

And if her teacher calls me to tell me she did something she wasn't suppose to, you can bet that I'm not going to automatically assume she didn't... fellow teachers understand.  After being in the classroom, it bothers me how much parents want to be liked by their child, when the child really needs structure and boundaries more than anything. 

As parents, William and I know that we will make mistakes, that's part of it.  We also know we aren't going into it as just the two of us... we are depending on the Lord to show us how to raise our children to follow Him.  My child will be told that something they have done isn't right b/c it isn't how the Lord wants us to act or do.  I truely believe that some of the lack of Christianity in the U.S. is due to parents caring more about being liked by thier children than instructing them to fear the Lord.  Shouldn't our first and only goal be to lead our child in the ways of the Lord and pray for their salvation?!  Yes. 

I want my children to understand that the ways of the world are so far from the ways of the Lord.  The world teaches us that having money and things is important, living together before marriage is okay, gay ppl were born that way, and on and on.  All of this is totally and 100% against the bible and it saddens me that I know my children will grow up with more of this than we did. 

Anyways, that's my input on Billy Ray's realization... too bad it might be too late for him to do much about it.  I hope not.

Please know that I speak all of this from my heart and from love.  I pray that the Lord breaks my heart for what breaks His... and when you pray this it happens.

Weekend Review

This past weekend, or really as of last Thursday, I headed to Fort Mill with my sister for a long weekend.  Friday, I spent the day with our great aunt, JJ.  She first helped me work on my quilt that I plan to use in the baby's room... it was made by my great grandmother (her mother) and there are places that needed to be worked on.  That is one of my projects over the next few weeks.  Then we grabbed lunch and visited my grandmother that afternoon.  It was a very nice day and nice to visit with her since I don't see her as much now that I live away from home.

Saturday, my mom and sister were kind enough to hit up a consignment sale to find Abby Ruth some items.  (Katie and I had already stopped at one on the way to FM Thursday and bought a few items)  I truely believe a boy would have been sooo much less tempting to buy clothes for and maybe God is using this to teach me something!  Although, the devil is using my sister who would bring something to me every few minutes trying to talk me into buying it!  haha, jk!  Below are just a few of the items that I bought for her and the price I paid.  Like I've said before, you won't see me paying full price for any outfits for her for a loooong time... it's such a waste of money!

The outfits above cost me $2 each I believe

and both are for Sept/Oct/Nov time.

These two white outfits are my absolute favorites of both sales. 

The smocked romper was $2 and the dress was only $1 and

that wasn't the 1/2 off day.  The dress doesn't have a size but I

couldn't resist... I even wonder if it's handmade.  White is just so

sweet to me and I can't wait to put her in them!

I fell in love with this orange dress that is for 18 months...

so I'm hoping she can wear it not this, but next football

season!  It was $2 on the 1/2 price day!

Later Saturday, Katie had another wedding shower and she got tons of nice things!  It was a lot of fun and lots of good eating too!

The beautiful cake made by Ella who did my wedding cake...

and it tasted wonderful!

Add caption

Katie with her favorite sister - me (at 8 wks and 2 days)!

Katie and Mama

Katie opening a gift full of kitchen utensils!  It was

practically a whole kitchen drawer in one box!

Opening more gifts!

Katie visiting with JJ and Nannnie

Sunday was spent at church, then a mother-daughter luncheon at my great aunt's church and then heading back home.  I was e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d Sunday night and this morning I couldn't wake up.  It was nice to sleep in even though I told myself I wasn't going to.  Last night, William said just sleep in tomorrow and I think that made me not feel so guilty.  But lots to do tomorrow now!

Sewing Projects

I've been wanting to add these onsies and burp clothes for a few weeks, but since they were gifts I waited until they had been given.  I actually made 5-6 more lately, but can't add them either b/c they too are gifts.  I have continued to learn and improve with my appliqueing and really enjoy doing it.  I want to make Abby Ruth a few more little onsies too.  Since it seems that we are leaving the "everybody is having a girl" stage to "everybody is having a boy" stage, I had to find some boy fabric.  Let me tell you, girl fabric is much easier to find... but I did find some cute boy fabric for the ones I have been making lately.

These 1st two I made for my cousin Connie's new baby, Katie.  I started making Abby Ruth one of the bonnet girls, but got a needle stuck and made a huge hole in mine... oh well, a lesson learned.  I also made one for my niece, Caroline, due one week before us, but forgot to take a picture of it.  The other is a pig b/c Connie and her family live on a farm although I don't think they have pigs... but I thought it was cute and easier than a rooster, cow, or anything.  I made a matching burp cloth to go along and have made quite a few of those too, but that is the only one I took a picture of.

The next two onsies are ones I made and fell in love with the design.  The one on the left is for my cousin Bart's little girl due two weeks before us... yes, we have a lot of little girls on all sides of the family coming!  Then the one of the right is for Abby Ruth.  I like this design b/c it can be used for a boy too with the right colors.

I will post more as I give them as gifts or make this for my own daughter!  I'm thinking I might start selling some too if ppl will buy?!  We shall see!