Meal Planning Monday

Monday: Deli chicken roll ups with fruit and veggies (I'm on my own that night)
Tuesday: Ladies bible study, Drew's on his own
Wednesday: Grilled chicken and veggies
Thursday: Weight watchers chicken fried rice
Friday: Church

Meal Planning Monday

Monday: black bean and chicken tacos
Tuesday: Ladies bible study (Drew's on his own)
Wednesday: Pesto grilled shrimp and veggies
Thursday: Lettuce Wraps
Friday: Church
Saturday & Sunday: Leftovers

Welcome to my class...

I am excited to officially be settled. The first 2 weeks of school are done, and I have a great group of students. I feel completely blessed by my job and the people I work with. Come on in to my classroom.

Welcome to my little home away from home

My personal space, I don't spend a whole lot of time there.

My book nook and listening center

The back wall and independent work space (and of course my aggie corner)

My small group area 

I put up all these framed pictures, I'll need to take a closer picture and post it later, I think it turned out reall cute.

Math center

Writing center

I absolutely love my second home, it feels so cozy and warm to me.

Birthday Girls

This month our sweet baby girl turned 8! How is that possible? It seems like just yesterday we brought our little puppy home. She definitely brings such joy to our life. Buttercup always has a smile on her face, she loves to snuggle, and she is very dainty and proper. We love her to pieces and we can't imagine life without her.

Baby Buttercup at 12 weeks when we brought her home

Now eight years later

Last week our little Lily girl turned one and it's been a quick year. Lily is full of energy and love. She follows me around everywhere. She loves affection and attention, she is quite the jealous dog when her sister is getting some love. She is my little cuddler and instigater, she enjoys antagonizing her big sis. She is definitely a great addition to our family and Buttercup loves her too!

Little Lily 

Now one year 

She's so grown up

Gardner Happenings

Well, it's been a while since my last post. I figured I would do one large update and get you all caught up in one post.

March:
Our life group embarked on a co-ed softball team. We are the Chase Oaks Slowpokes, and we live up to our name (or at least I do)  :)

April:

My cousin Natalie had her fairy tale wedding and married the man of her dreams.

We headed to Vegas for a weekend with Drew's parents. We saw the fountains, went to several shows, ate and ate some more, and gambled a little. It was a great weekend.

I turned another year older. We celebrated by dinner at Seasons 52 and going to wee Wicked (it was amazing)

May:

I went away with the life group girls to Rockwall for a weekend away. We had a great time eating and hanging out by the pool.

June was a boring month, I taught summer school...not so eventful.

July:

July has been a tremendously busy month. In the last two weeks, we have been to Boston, New Orleans, and Nebraska.

While in Boston we went and toured Fenway Park, it was a great tour and has some great history.

We headed to North End for a little Italian food and pastries.

I have been to Boston several times with Drew for business and we finally made it out to see Harvard.

We the proceeded to New Orleans where we stuffed our faces with amazing food, listened to Jazz music, and just wandered the crescent city.

Dinner at Dragos, Mmmm...broiled oysters

 Dinner at The Bombay Club listening to Jazz music

We finished our whirlwind of trips in Nebraska for Drew's cousin's wedding.
Her husband in a trucker, and they all brought their trucks. It was quite a sight driving up to the church.

All the cousins that came to the wedding.

  It's been a busy spring and summer, and there is more to come. I am a little sad that summer is coming to an end, I have definitely enjoyed my days off and getting to spend lunches with my hubby.

Meal Planning Monday

Monday: Dinner at the Steele's
Tuesday: Ladies bible study
Wednesday: Bobby's baked tilapia with strawberry mango salsa and a salad
Thursday: Salmon with Crash hot sweet potatoes and grilled Zucchini
Friday: Church and Softball-something quick before
Saturday: Life group murder mystery dinner
Sunday: Sweet potato and black bean borritos

Love is Sacrifice

Six hours, one Friday. Mundane to the casual observer. A shepherd with his sheep, a housewife with her thoughts, a doctor with his patients. But to a handful of awestruck witnesses, the most maddening of miracles is occurring. God is on a cross. The Creator of the universe is being executed.

It is no normal six hours. It is no normal Friday. Far worse than the breaking of His body is the shredding of His heart. And now His own Father is beginning to turn His back on Him, leaving Him alone. What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims? They were the most critical hours in history.

Nails didn’t hold God to a cross. Love did. The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).


It's Friday...But Sunday's a coming!

LIFE:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
DEATH:
Luke 23:44-45 “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”
Matthew 27:46, 50 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”…” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”
PURPOSE:
1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”