Kicking the Bucket, so to speak....

Okay, so some friends of mine are making "Bucket Lists". I kind of scoffed at the idea at first...but now I am sort of wanting to make one of my own. Just today, I have thought of 2 things that I want to put on this list..skiing, and playing on a softball team again. As soon as I add some more things, I promise to post this "Bucket List" thinghy majiggy. This may be fun? I guess we will see!

Stay tuned,

Jill

Mommy Jane turns 60.....

~not sure why the pics were blurry..maybe i had a foggy lens...who knows...~

We celebrated Jane's 60th birthday on April 16th. The kids had a great time serenading her and helping her to blow out her candles. We are so thankful for our Mommy Jane! She only gets more and more beautiful as she gracefully ages.

Make a wish,

Jilly

Happy Easter....

~Easter egg hunting!~ ~everything is a competition with Presley~

~The whole crew...lined up and ready to hear the word.."GO!"~

~Maw Maw and Joseph~

~caught a glimpse of them chatting it up, and couldn't resist a picture~~ the crowe and the hill children...matching...of course!~

~Mama Jane and Lem~

~Presley and Danny~

~our annual Easter at Jane's picture~

~Joseph and William~

~Presley and Ashley~

~My Loves~

~getting ready to round the corner to see what Easter Bunny brought them~

~and here we have it!~

This year was another wonderful Easter for our family. We began by going to our church, Eastridge Community, and then lunch at Jane's. After lunch, we met my extended family on my Mom's side at my cousin Ginger's house. It was so much fun! The kids hunted eggs, and the weather was so warm! Almost too warm! But, I loved it!!

One of the most exciting thing for me is watching the kids wake up to their little Easter baskets. When I say"little", I mean "little"! We have always told the Easter Bunny to keep it to a minimum for Easter, so that the emphasis will be on Jesus and His resurrection. Of course, the grandparents feel a little differently about not spoiling them, and that is okay. :)

I am so grateful for our little family, and I cherish every memory with these people. They make my life so full, and complete. My children and my husband are my little piece of heaven here on earth.

He is risen,

Jill

Weathering the storms....

These last few weeks have been such a roller coaster of emotions for my family. My first cousin Hal has been diagnosed with melanoma. He has a large spot on his temple and had it removed last week. We will find out the results today to see if the cancer is in his lymph nodes. He is 36. Hal has the most beautiful family consisting of his wife, Kim, and his 3 precious little boys.

Please lift him up in prayer. We are all anxiously awaiting news from his doctor.

A very close friend of mine, Michelle, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is also young, and one of the most spiritual women that I have the pleasure of knowing. She co-leads our Tuesday night bible study at Eastridge. She will undergo a lumpectomy the Monday after Easter. She has asked that we pray for wisdom, guidance and peace as she begins this process. I have full faith that God is using her for His glory, and that she will minister to many people as she fearlessly takes the path God has planned for her.

There are many, many more men and women going through heartache, sickness, and need. My heart literally breaks for those in such despair. My God is a mighty God, and I know that everything is in His control and in His power. My flesh wants to fall apart with worry, but my spirit knows better. The moans of my spirit are heard by my Father, and he comforts me like nothing else can. I will rest in the shadow of His wings, and know that He will deliver me through.

The world around me is different than it was even just 3 years ago. It is beginning to look foreign to me. Even as I write this, I am reminded of scripture that tells us that we are aliens in a foreign land. We were not created to be "comfortable" here on earth. Our hearts and minds should be set on our eternity with our Father. This is getting easier and easier for me as I see the changes in this world politically and spiritually. We shouldn't be surprised, though. It is all laid out in scripture, the Bible foretells what the world will become. Devastating, but our hope is in Him, not the world.

I am so thankful for every single blessing that God gives me. He meets my every need, and His word is faithful and true.

resting in the shadow of His wings~

Jill

Thirty something....

I feel like a new woman! My old computer died, and after a couple of months computer-less, I am the proud owner of a brand spanking, shiny, new, black laptop! My very first laptop! I am head over heels in love with my new friend. The only thing that I need to get used to is the keys being so close together. While typing this, I have already backspaced, deleted and accidentally hit the caps lock key about 150 times. Oh well, practice will make perfect, right?

This post is just a little "Jill" writing. My camera is dead, the battery needs charging, so I thought I would just write. Not sure what about yet, but it will come.

Hmmm...okay. Hmmm...well.

Okay, so I turned 35 in January. Not loving the sound of this age. Actually, I think thirty six sounds better, younger somehow. Something about the "five"...just drags on for too long. I like short sounding numbers, like "six", or "two". I think that now is the time that I may start flubbing a bit on my age when someone asks. Oh, hush all of you people that think that we should be proud of our ages and be proud of our ever deteriorating bodies. You people make me sick. Just being honest here.

I still love God, and am grateful to be alive, but I don't have to love aging. It's just not so fun. The funny thing is that i feel so young. Well...until I say.."I'm thirty-five". Somehow that brings me down a notch or two.

And, is it me, or does it seem like everyone is all the sudden younger than me? It's like, okay, where did all of my "older" friends go?? I like being the young one in the group. Lately, it seems that I am the oldest by a year or two. Hmmm...what's up with that?

Life is flying by, and each birthday seems to come a little earlier every year. I guess this is life. Doesn't mean that I have to like it though. I find myself wanting to be around little kids a lot. It makes me feel young and spry. Maybe I will open a daycare in my home. (I can hear Lem now...hell to the no.) Oh well, just a thought.

Presley told me that I didn't look a day under thirty five. She is a girl that keeps it real, for sure. Like it or not.

aging (not-so) gracefully,

Jill

Teddy Graham....

~playing a little chess together...or acting like it anyway.

~silly, silly in the bathtub

~presley with a bubble beard...Graham had one, but it fell off before i could grab my camera..

~i checked joseph out of school to enjoy this beautiful day...(i am not one for rules) :)

~cousins are the best!

~teddy graham, graham cracker, grahamy-poo (my personal fave)..love this kid!

~cheese~

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of keeping Graham...my 4 year old nephew. (Jason and Andrea's son). I decided to keep Presley home from school to play with Graham. She was thrilled, of course. On the other hand, poor Joseph was reminded daily by Presley that she would not have to go to school so that she could play with Graham all day on Friday. Joseph thought I was the worst mother in the world for not letting him stay home as well. Guilt trip galore!

Try explaining this to an 8 year old..... "Pre-K is different than 3 rd grade..it is not mandatory. ". Ha! He just wasn't buying that at all. So, about noon, I decided that the day was just too beautiful to stay at school. I drove to the elementary school and checked my darling out. He was ecstatic! I went from being worst mother of the year, to the best mother of the year in an instance.

We headed straight to the park and played the day away. Many memories, and much fun later, we were pooped. Presley and Joseph both fell asleep on the way home. Wish I could have snapped that picture.

I love my little ones, every one of them. My nieces and nephews feel just like my very own, and I am so blessed to be their Aunt. If I could, I would adopt every single one of them! Love those babies!

Being an Aunt is second only to being a Mommy.....it's heaven.

ready for the park again,

Aunt Jilly

60 and sweet.....

~Happy, Happy Birthday to the sweetest Mother in the whole world. My Mother exemplifies everything that a daughter could ask for as a Mother. Her love and support for me go way above and beyond her calling.

Thank you, Momma, for teaching me about love, grace, forgiveness and strength. God knew that I needed your care as a Mother, and I am so grateful that He chose you for the job.

I love you with all of my heart,

Jilly

Cookies and Friends...

~Amberlee, Me and Elan~

~Vicky and Me~

Well, I am finally getting around to posting pictures from my 2nd annual cookie and ornament swap in December. It was so much fun. The night I had the party was a rainy and very foggy evening. I was thinking the whole day.."oh, no! nobody will show up tonight because of this weather!". Boy, was I wrong. My new motto is : "Have cookies, they will come."

My awesome friends all came with so many cookies and treats in hand. It was a girls dream!! Here are some pictures from that night...enjoy! p.s...the company was sweeter than the treats. ;)

There are many friends missing in these pictures. Some of my pictures that I tried uploading came out too small?? If I can fix the pics, I will post those too. Sorry!!

~Mary and Kelly show off their ornaments~

~Kelly Stapp and Heather Chamberlain~

~Kelly and Alice~

~Mandy is having fun too~~

~Stephanie and Andrea give us a smile~

~Me and Amy~

~Michelle (who drove from DAHLONEGA...i think she gets friend of the year award) and me~

~Beka and I~

~Giving Shannon a squeeze~

Catching my breath....

Just checking in so that you guys don't think that I fell off the planet. I am alive and well. Life is a little busier than usual between working for my Dad twice a week, and all of the other wonderful details of a life with 2 precious kids and a functioning (well, most of the time) family. :)

I am quickly approaching 35, and it seems like life goes by faster and faster with each birthday. My babies are growing up, I am getting older, but life is still great. God is so good, and He is teaching me so much right now. This year has been such a roller coaster ride. With the economy, the devastation's going on worldwide, new government, etc...the only thing that is a constant is the Lord. He is faithful in every area. He is unchanging, and I am so grateful for that.

Things are messy here on Earth. It gets tough, a lot. It's hard to watch friends get sick, relationships crumble, financial depressions, spiritual warfare, and so on and so on. It sometimes makes me want to crawl into a hole and never come out, if I am being honest.

The closer I seem to get to people, the greater the hurt at times. Isn't this true? When we get involved, when we do the right thing, when we get our hands dirty, it HURTS when things don"t go like we planned. We feel like it was all done for nothing. It's a selfish emotion for me. I have to constantly remind myself that it's not all about ME, and how I want everything to be. It's about God's plan, and His growth for me. Discipline and obedience is not the "natural" thing for me. It is hard work, and it is exhausting. Sometimes it seems that the light at the end of the tunnel will never be seen....but then God whispers to me..."I am the Light, look here, look at Me."

I am in a strange place spiritually. Strange in a good way. Strange in that it feels like I am where God wants me to be, but I feel like a small puppy on a leash being pulled by an 18 wheeler. I want to catch up, but I feel like my little legs just can't go the extra mile. Funny thing is, God always scoops me up and carries me in the end. He places me right in the passenger seat of that 18 wheeler and let's me rest for a while. Then, it's back to the "training", behind the massive truck. My legs going as fast as they can and I seem to be only running in place.

My greatest plea to the Lord is: "I want to be used! Use me, Lord!". I know He must tire of hearing it. The irony is that when we are being used, we usually don't realize it until we are down the road and look back. It is then that we go..."A-Ha!" That was IT, He was using me. I just was so deep in the forest that I couldn't see the trees.

So, for anyone reading this that feels the same way...if you feel like a puppy dog chasing it's tail, or being pulled by an 18 wheeler, this is for you..."Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

The picture of the dog above is exactly how I feel when I am emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained. Can you relate?

Just saying those words gives my spirit rest. Thank you God. Your word is living and active and sharper than a double edged sword. Pierce our hearts with it, Father.

still in training,

Jill

Eat your veggies....

Here's the recipe of the week...I skipped last week...didn't think many people would be perusing my blog the day before Thanksgiving. So, here ya go...

Looking for a side to take to the company Christmas party, your neighborhood party, or just to make for dinner some random night? This is IT! (and..i am officially a DORK after that cheesy sentence).

Rebekah shared this recipe with me last year, and I have used it many times since. It is always a huge hit, yet easy to make. If you are not a broccoli fan...this may change your tune. Enjoy!

Recipe for: Broccoli Casserole
From the Kitchen of: Gloria Hudgins

Ingredients:

~2-3 stalks of fresh broccoli cut and cooked until fork tender (in salty water)
~½ of a yellow (sweet) diced onion
~1 layer of grated cheddar cheese (2 cups)
~½ of a bag of Pepperidge Farm cornbread dressing crumbs (in yellow and white bag)
~1 stick of butter (plus 1 more 1/2 stick)


Mix these together:

o 1 Can of Cream of Mushroom soup
o 1 Can of Cream of chicken soup
o 1/2 Cup of Mayo
o 1 beaten egg
o 1/2 cup of sour cream


Directions:
Layer the cooked broccoli in the bottom of a 9x13” pan. The next layer is the raw, diced, sweet onion. Next layer your shredded cheese over the onion and broccoli.
Mix together the liquid ingredients and spread over the cheese.

Finally, microwave the stick of butter and toss the breadcrumbs in melted butter and then spread buttered cornbread crumbs over the entire casserole. Press crumbs into the casserole to get crumbs to soak up the liquid mixture. Add pats of butter to the top of bread crumbs if desired.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350° until topping is golden brown and bubbly.