Sugar and Spice....

As I was brushing Presley's hair tonight, she out of the blue says..."Mommy, I try really hard to be nice...it's just SO hard!" I giggled. I promptly replied that I can relate to how she feels. Being nice takes every ounce of effort sometimes...i get it.

Love my girl and her candid heart.

Fanciful Fun....

My little Fancy Nancy!

This fancy  nancy loves to pose!

Joseph & Fancy Nancy head to school!

Karoline and Presley aka "Fern and Fancy Nancy"

Sarah and Presley both as Fancy Nancy

I just love our schools. This week was book education week and each day was something fun for the children. Friday was book character dress-up day. Of course, Presley chose Fancy Nancy! (as well as about 95% of the other little girls at school!)

a splendiferous day,

Jill

Viewer Beware...

~Halloween 2010~

viewer disclaimer: Scary costumes ahead!

the witch and the scary skeleton

Kim, Cali (the veterinarian), and Griffin (the gangster)

Presley, Cali, Anna-Joy, Royce, Joseph, Griffin

silly kiddos

Happy Halloween from one scary bunch!

taking a break while trick or treating...presley getting sleepy

my Halloween cookie pizza

anna-joy eats pizza before heading out..she is a UGA gymnast

amberlee doing presley's witch make-up

presley was LOVING the make-up and hair

also celebrating Kim's birthday

riding home from all the fun...one tired little witch

I LOVE Halloween! This year we celebrated hard by trick or treating 2 nights! On Saturday night we trick or treated from some friends from Madison...the Cardwell's. Joseph is good friends with John and me met up at their house and trick or treated in downtown Madison. Very fun!

On Sunday, the 31st, we headed to my sister's house and trick or treated there with the Jayne's as well. It has been our tradition the last couple of years to trick or treat with them and we love it. You guys KNOW how I love "traditions".

We had a spooky good time!

Happy Halloween friends,

Comfortably Numb...

I have learned to never get comfortable. God wants me to be always ready for change, always prepared. Well, you can bank on that as soon as I get comfortable in a particular area of my life, God comes in and shakes things up. Comfortable=numb. And numb is the farthest place He wants my heart to be. Anything but numb.

So, here I am once again. I guess God thinks I need some humbling. My heart is heavy and I find myself on my knees asking for His forgiveness in an area that I just can't seem to get a hold of. Just when I think my spiritual life is hunky dory and everything is peachy, this thorn keeps popping up. I can't seem to prune this thing. Probably because God is the ultimate "pruner" and I have a hard time letting Him at this one.

He wants control in this area, and I want desperately to give it to Him. Or do I? Why do we want to be somewhere where God doesn't want us to be?? Why can't I just realize that He wants better for me. If I can relinquish control to Him, I would be much better off. Uncomfortable.

The lyrics to a song keep coming into my head when I get uncomfortable with what God wants me to do.

"Sometimes my life just don't make sense at all...I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want, than to take what you give that I need."

These words bring me to tears. Why can't I just get out of my comfort zone and know that He wants better for me. I can't get myself out of the way. Insecurity creeps in, and I fall into the same predictable pattern.

I love my Lord. He knows me and knows these areas that are overgrown in my heart. He loves taking those hedge trimmers and going to town. It hurts, but oh the beauty afterwards!

Slowly, but surely, I will get there. Step by step, prayer by prayer...He will see to it.

Rich Mullins song "Hold Me Jesus":

Sometimes my life just don't make sense at all

When the mountain looks so big

And my faith just seems so small

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shakin' like a leaf

You have been King of my Glory

Won't you be my Prince of Peace

When I wake up in the night I feel the dark

It's so hot inside my soul

I swear there must be blisters on my heart

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shakin' like a leaf

You have been King of my Glory

Won't you be my Prince of Peace

Surrender don't come natural to me

I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want

Than to take what you give that I need

And I've beat my head against so many walls

I'm falling down, falling on my knees

God please

And the Salvation Army band is playing this hymn

And your grace rings out so deep

It makes my resistance seem so thin

So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shakin' like a leaf

You have been King of my Glory

Won't you be my Prince of Peace

slowly surrendering,

Jill

The Wild, Wild West Part Two......





a female moose!

thank goodness this grizzly is stuffed! wow!

elk antlers make pretty picture





a close encounter with this bear..

the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole



the most beautiful sunsets out West



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peek-a-boo we see you, mr. bear

hiking on a five mile trail!

posing as we take a break from hiking

lem made me do this..

presley napping after our hike!

so glad someone offered to take this pic of all of us..

this elk was right in the middle of the road

yellowstone~this place was unbelievable

a  coyote...in the parking lot!

one of my faves...the kids waiting for old faithful to erupt~

me and pres...love this girl

another bear!

my little country girl

can you believe this sunset?

Our hotel in Yellowstone..The Old Faithful Snow Lodge

Yellowstone was like no other place I have ever seen before. We stayed at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge.  I highly recommend this place to stay if you plan to visit Yellowstone. It is right across from the Old Faithful Inn.

Of course, when we visited it wasn't covered in snow like this picture, but it was still very beautiful. I hope to go one day when there is snow covering Yellowstone!  I bet that would be quite a site!

Hope you enjoy the pics..we have so many more. I will try and post more soon.....

Again, if you haven't been out West to see these places, you MUST put this on your bucket list. Fun for the whole entire family!