Us

Us

Monday, August 20, 2012

Losing my mind & my keys....

So, this week I have already:

  • lost Presley's brand new Nike tennis shoes (which i finally found..IN HER CLOSET)
  • lost my CAR KEYS! hello?! who does this? (still haven't found those)
  • forgot to deposit a check that REALLY needed to be deposited
  • spent too much on some make-up (oh, and I knew better) (see above sentence)
I hope I am not the only one that feels like her head is spinning around in circles. 

The funny thing is: I have such peace through it all. I feel God's presence with me, even in the midst of the chaos.

He is so good like that. The calm in the storm. Always.

My head may continue spinning, but my heart will stay steadfast on Him. It will never leave.

Okay, back to looking for some car keys. 

hoping i don't lose my second set,

jill

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Our week in pics 8/12-8/19......

Our week in pictures. 

my favorite girl and me
danny and presley. 2 peas in a backseat
"look mommy, i look just like you!"
our fun friday faces
my favorite new shoes. gap clearance. 7.99. BAM!
beka, me, elan, and mary celebrating bek and mare's birthdays!
elan (my little sis--not really, but kinda), pres and me.
friday night date night! hello, sushi!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Love Dare #2 here we come....

So, I posted this yesterday and it disappeared. Weird.

Love Dare #2 is coming up, girls!

Last year, a group of us did a love dare together and it was so much fun! I sent an email every day to the girls with a dare/challenge. We did it for 25 days!

Our husbands were kind of curious by day 3. It was so fun to hear every one's stories.

At the end we had a big love dare date night at our house. Lots and lots of laughs!

So, if you want to be included in the fun, shoot me an email and I will add you to the list.

lemandjill@gmail.com

We are doing it a bit different this year. All of the girls will have a day to post a challenge, instead of me just posting the challenges! Won't that be fun?

September, we will start this.We will prepare a calendar and each girl will get a day that she sends the dare email.

I cannot wait!

happy weekend,

jill


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Mopping floors over here....

I love when the Lord works quick on us. It's astonishing. Like He's been waiting for us to acknowledge our "mess" the whole time. Just waiting with a big fat broom to sweep it clean.

Or, more like a mop. With ammonia.

I had lunch with a friend last night. (Lisa) She spoke truth, she spoke Life.

We went to Lifeway and bought "Prayers that Avail Much" by Germaine Copeland.

Go get this book. Now.

We prayed a specific prayer in the book as we returned back to the car.

I love a friend that will just stop you dead in your tracks and pray over you. Hello!

I left and I felt God's power. Immediately.

I could feel the anointing from His healing hands. Just waiting to pour the oil over me.

Ah!

If that weren't enough, I met my precious friend, Erin Spinks, for coffee today after our run.

She text me as soon as we finished running, and asked if I was "okay". I KNEW the Holy Spirit had prompted her to reach out.

The Lord knew she would have words for me to receive. She has been down an almost identical path, and she knew exactly where to "meet" me.

Y'all God is so ready for whatever you got. Whatever you are struggling with. Give it to HIM.

Trust Him with it.

He is waiting with His big ol' white mop to sop it up.

I love me some clean floors. Don't you?

still wet,

jill


Monday, August 13, 2012

Listen closely...

Presley and I are lying next to each other in the bed. I am finishing up my SHINE post, and she says she wants to pray for Papa Danny.

Papa is having heart surgery tomorrow morning.

She prays Psalm 91. The whole thing. By memory.

I am amazed. Simply amazed.

God speaks through our kids, y'all. He does.

Listen to them. Listen to your kids. Don't let the "loudness" of life drown out their little voices.

Children are so close to God. So close.

We can learn so much from children. Like trust. Like forgiveness. Like purity. Like innocence. Like honesty.

My prayer every single day is to have a heart like a child's. I want to love others like children love others. There is nothing more pure and beautiful.

Adults are messy. We have been pulled through the dirt and we are covered in past hurt and sin.

Children get dirty, but they don't live in the dirt. They brush it off and move on. Never looking back. Only looking ahead in wide-eyed wonderment.

I love kids. I do.

"And he said: 
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,
 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:3


Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, 

    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

    from the fowler’s snare 

    and from the deadly pestilence. 

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

    and under his wings you will find refuge; 

    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

    ten thousand at your right hand,

    but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways; 

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble,

    I will deliver him and honor him. 

16 With long life I will satisfy him

    and show him my salvation. ”

Saturday, August 11, 2012

SHINE shirts.....


Let me know if you want one, friends! $15.00 plus shipping...unless you live near me.

Sizes Youth small-Youth x-large and Adult small-2xl

You can go to the SHINE blog and order online to make it real easy!

Email me if you have questions: shinegirlsshine@gmail.com

Happy Weekend!

Friday, August 10, 2012

And then there were Three...

So, this week I FINALLY got to catch up with one of my very best friends, Tracey.

I was filling her in on the goings-on of the Hill Family. As I poured my heart out to her, I realized that I needed to eventually get all of this down on paper. Or blog. Whichever. 

Actually, I much prefer typing, so this is it for now.

Two years ago, I sat in a bible study class at my church, Eastridge. Mary was sitting to my right and Kelly to my left. The class was ending and we were sharing prayer requests. Suddenly, I felt a HUGE nudge (or push) from the Holy Spirit to share my heart.

I was petrified. I wasn't sure how much to share, but I did anyway. I told the girls in the room that I felt like God had a little blonde haired boy that He wanted us to help. I would look in the back seat of my car and visualize a car seat with a small child sitting in it. A boy. With blonde hair.

I cried my eyes out as I told the story, because I knew that we could not have more children. Lem was "fixed" and the last thing he wanted was another mouth to feed.

At the time, my friend Heather was dying of cancer. She had a son that was Joseph's age, Scotty. I have written about him a lot on this blog.

I thought maybe Scotty was the little boy that I kept seeing in my heart for us to help. I wasn't sure though. Scotty was too big for a car seat. 

The girls listened intently as I spoke from my heart. Even as the words spilled out, I felt for sure that maybe I was crazy.

After hearing my heart, they all gathered around me and laid their hands on me and prayed for this "desire" in my heart to help children. Or have more children. Or whatever it was.

Fast forward to this week.

My nephew, Danny, has come to stay with us. He is 5 years old. He has blonde hair. He sits in a little blue car seat in my back seat.

It is the greatest honor to be able to have Danny stay here with us and go to school with our children. We are beyond thrilled to have another little person to love on. 

Ironically, Lem and I were finished with our fostering process and were ready to receive children by mid-August. 

What do you know? Our first child to love squeeze on is our very own little nephew. 

What a blessing!

If I could tell you one thing right now it would be.....listen to the Holy Spirit. Listen intently to Him. There are many voices clamoring to be heard, but the only One that is worth listening to is His. Sometimes we have to be still and quiet to hear it. Sometimes we have to turn off our flesh and our mouths to hear Him.

Sometimes we are so busy listening to our voices, that He is missed. 

I know I have missed Him many times. I am sure of it. However, when we do hear Him...we know without a doubt that it is Him. We know that we could never have come up with that on our own. It has to be Him.

Seriously, the Lord amazes me. He never ceases to blow me away with his intimacy. It gives me chills to think how close He really is. I can barely fathom the thought.

Here is our first week with Danny. Which is also our first week of school. Fun times around here, and many more to come!





good morning sleepy heads! first day of school

i love this girl.
top of her head to bottom of her little feet.
.

all smiles for second grade!

1st grade
"i just can't believe i am in first grade, aunt jilly."
he has said this at least 87 times. just today.

yeah, I'm cool.

hello 6th grade! watch out!

these faces are so typical of their personalities.
wasn't the best picture out of the 112...but it was the MOST like them!

the loves of my life. 

we still kinda like each other.

who's taller?

i had to post this picture.
classic joseph using the bathroom outside.


super cousins!

we are all growing.
 (if you love me, do not zoom in on this picture. thank you.)

my 2nd grader. <3 td="td">



"aunt jilly, that's enough picture taking already."

up the hill to FIRST grade!!

danny and mrs. huff.
the sweetest teacher around!


drew, our little neighbor, just so happens to be in danny's class.
yes, God was all over that one too.


Our insta-week 8/5-8/10....

Rain, first day of school, a birthday walk, a note from a friend (the best), spicy chicken bites-hello yummy, fun Friday snuggle time.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Wake up call....

What a weekend.

Please say a prayer for my family if you are reading this little bloggy of mine.

Lem's Daddy had a heart attack early Saturday A.M. We received a phone call at around 4:00 am. 

Phone ringing that early=NEVER a good thing.

I have to say something about the Lord, though.

At 1:10 am that same morning, I woke up. I looked at the clock, and got up. I felt weird. I felt like something was wrong.

My first instinct was to go and check on the kids. I did. They were fine.

Then, I went back to the bedroom and felt anxious. I felt a panic attack coming on of some sort.

I started praying for my Mom and Dad. I just felt something was wrong. I prayed for their health and protection. 

I got back in the bed and started praying Psalm 91. I prayed it, and then must have fallen back asleep. 

A few hours later, Lem's step mom called about Lem's dad having the heart attack around 1:45 am. 

Y'all, the Lord was nudging me to pray! He was! (I just wasn't quite sure who I was praying for.) :)

I am still so blown away by it. It is so completely amazing that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would wake me up to pray to Him.

Seriously, I just cannot even believe His awesomeness.

Lem's Dad will have triple bypass surgery soon to repair the clogged arteries. 

Please keep him in your prayers.

Oh, and if you wake up and feel the urge to pray.....DO IT!! :)

still in awe,

jill

Friday, August 3, 2012

Insta Week 7/30-8/3...

So, we start school next Wednesday.

How do we end our Summer fun?

At the beach, of course!

We joined Momma Jane, William and Danny for some farewell to Summer beach fun.

Amelia Island was the perfect host for our little rendezvous.


so, this is what happens when you visit a restaurant more times than you visit your kitchen.
chili's in conyers is redecorating and they offered to let me take some of the current decor home.
hello? yes!!! more things coming!
full moon on the beach at amelia island. heavenly.
my two faves. ever. 
presley and danny have the most fun together.
a little sand art. 
my heart. my fave. my boy.
missing my lem on this trip. 
old school mini golf at the beach. loves.
soaking up my man. and my doggie is soaking him up too
danny is a boy after my own heart with that yellow ball.
me love yellow too!
hello, thirty-something feet. meet soft comfy beach sand.
danny is a little serious about his mini golfing.
this is the life.
did i mention that i missed lem on this trip?
and, a vaca is not complete without a visit to chili's.
for some chips and salsa and all that goodness.
danny agrees.
my sunshine girl. with a red kool aid mouth. 
momma jane and her loves. at the surf. a yummy beach dive.