I am writing this post on the run. I head out the door in one hour for the rehearsal at the church and the rehearsal dinner that will follow. This whole week has been surreal. I can’t let myself dwell too much on the sentimentality of it all or I will lose it before the big day ever arrives. My little girl is getting married tomrorow. Wow. She’s moving out. Leaving the nest. Beginning her new life. The good news is that she’s only moving 1.5 miles down the road from me. The even better news is that she’s marrying a guy who loves Jesus more than life itself. Not to mention, he’s pretty crazy about her as well!

I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t hard to see her suitcase sitting on the floor in her bedroom, packed and ready to go for the honeymoon. When she returns home, she’ll be going to her new home. One chapter closes and another one begins. Wow, it went by so very fast. I remember standing over her crib and saying a prayer for her future husband and thinking about the day she’ll get married. And now, that day has arrived. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see God answer our prayer that she would marry someone who puts his faith in Christ above all else.

I have treasured the last few months that my daughter has lived in our home. We were already close, but this has brought us even closer together. We are at that place in our relationship where we have an absolute blast together. She is truly, my best friend. In fact, I wanted to give you a peek at a fun prank we’ve played on each other over the past couple of months. I found a stand-up cutout of Zac Efron in her room and got a wild hair to plant him in various places throughout the house to “surprise” her from time to time.

He showed up outside her bathroom door while she was in the shower. Pretty creepy, huh?

Then he showed up in my closet. Nice try, Paige. Okay, so maybe I screamed a tiny scream. And crumpled to the ground in fear.

This one is probably my favorite. He was ready to go when she headed out the door for work one morning.

Nothing like pulling open the living room curtains and finding him on your back deck…

Shower anyone?

Another favorite. All tucked in her bed with her favorite stuffed animals by his side. He was googling images of…himself.

Paige’s response to the above picture. She slid the guy right down the stairs. I’m happy to say, he suffered no major injuries.

Nothing like getting out of the shower and finding this. Peeping Zac?

Yeah, pretty creepy. Nighty-night, Paige!

She was taking an online final exam in my office. The second picture gets the downright creepy award.

But it’s not over just yet. Rumor has it, Zacky-baby may make an appearance tonight at the rehearsal dinner. I may or may not have set the fellow up on the stage right where she’ll be standing tomorrow during the ceremony. I’ll try to snap a pic or two of her expression when she’s sees her friend lined up with the groomsmen tonight during the rehearsal.

My, oh my, how I’ve missed blogging! With the arrival of the grandbaby and my daughter’s upcoming wedding, some things had to go and blogging was one of them. Oh, and wait a minute. It seems like a major holiday is also upon us. That’s right! It’s CHRISTMAS after the wedding! Hope everyone in my family is good with gift cards this year.

Seriously though, this journey has been a blast. I’m so thankful I was able to move a book deadline (a big “thank you” to my publisher, B&H) in order to take writing off my plate during this busy season. I’ll go back to writing immediately after the holidays and begin working on an update to my Virtuous Woman book, which will release in late 2012 (I think?). I love writing and have missed it terribly, but I am thankful for the opportunity to direct my primary attention to the arrival of the grandbaby and my daughter’s wedding.

We are in the final stretch with the wedding a week and a half away. With my event planning background, I rejected the idea of hiring a wedding planner. Not to mention, it wasn’t in the budget! And speaking of budgets, here is a word of advice to those of you with daughters: Whatever you think would make a reasonable wedding budget, double it. If you have more than one daughter, may God be with you. The wedding industry is a racket. There are “hidden costs” around every corner and after awhile, you are numb to pulling out your Visa card or checkbook. Again. And Again. And yet, again. Start saving now. Or offer your daughter a reduced sum on the front end if she will sign an agreement to elope. I’m kidding. But, not really.

As for Bridezilla or Momzilla of the Bride moments, they have been few and far between. I’ve had a couple of little melt downs, but overall, things have gone rather smoothly. My daughter took a 16 hour course load this past semester, so she trusted me with just about everything having to do with the wedding planning. We have very similar tastes, so it worked out nicely. In the process of trying to save money, my crafty side has emerged. Hello, Pinterest! Here are a couple of projects I am most proud of:

The rehearsal dinner table centerpieces (times 8!) These little darlings turned out cute, but I sacrificed my fingertips to a glue gun to make them. I recycled my cute grapevine baskets that I had purchased for my son’s rehearsal dinner (Tuesday Morning–love this place!) and blinged them up with ornaments and garland that was 60% off at Michaels craft store. When I think of the money I saved, it takes my mind off my throbbing, blistered fingertips.

And how about these cute little guest favors (inspired by Etsy):

For the record, the tag attached to the miniature Christmas cookie cutters are manilla Avery shipping labels that yours truly tea-stained in order to give them a vintage look. And yeah, I won’t be doing that again. Fortunately, I only have ONE daughter. I’ve mumbled that line quite a few times during the wedding planning and check-writing process.

Well, that’s just a glimpse of what my life looks like right now. I can’t believe my little girl is about to be married. And I can’t begin to tell you what a joy it is to see your children end up with wonderful, godly spouses who love the Lord and are committed to living first and foremost for Him. Thank you for celebrating this happy time with our family. Now, I’m off to Costco for the third time this week!

 

Credits: The engagement picture above was taken by one of Paige’s bridesmaids (a long-time church friend since the age of four), Jessica Scott. She is local to Austin and incredibly talented. She just took my grandson’s newborn pictures, so I’ll be back to show you more of her work next week. If you’re local to Austin, click here to check out her work.

UPDATE: We have a winner! Congrats to Rhonda W. Thanks for sharing your amazing traditions. I enjoyed reading them so much!

I haven’t done a give-away in awhile, so I thought it would be fun to do a quick one in honor of Thanksgiving. Comment below with your favorite Thanksgiving tradition and I’ll enter your name in a drawing to win a gorgeous HCSB study Bible (brown and tan) along with an audio copy of Crazy Love by Francis Chan (over $50 value!). I’ll announce the winner on this post one week from today.

As for my favorite Thanksgiving tradition, we head to my in-laws ranch in East Texas and gather with lots and lots of extended family. The property has been in the family for a long time and my husband and his cousins (all around the same age) grew up spending many weekends at the ranch. We eat a ton, ride four wheelers, play yard games, and celebrate the blessing of family. This year, we’ll take a day trip to see my dad (who is an hour’s drive away) and eat another big meal with him…and then back to the ranch. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece will also be joining us at my in-law’s ranch and I’m super excited about that. This will be the first time for my 7 year-old niece to visit the ranch (or as we call it, “the farm”) and I can’t wait for her to experience it. Anyway, that is my favorite Thanksgiving tradition. Now, it’s your turn! What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

P.S. And did I mention that I have a new grandbaby? Ah yes, I believe I did in the previous post, as well as my Facebook album of over a hundred pictures! But, I just can’t resist sharing my latest picture from yesterday when they brought the little fella home from the hospital in his Auburn smocked white gown with an embroidered tiger paw print. For the record, Ryan said that’s the last time he’ll be wearing “a dress!”

Mother, father, and brand new baby are all doing great! Suffice it to say, we are all completely smitten and madly in love with this little boy. Welcome to the world, Walker! You are much loved and we thank God for you.

Thank you on behalf of the Walkers (Casey’s family) and the Courtneys for your support, prayers, and celebrating with us over this precious new life. We cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for Walker (and his amazing parents)!

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3)

A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon the amazing talent of The Piano Guys (pianist, Jon Schmidt and cellist, Steven Sharp). I saw a link in my Facebook newsfeed for a YouTube clip called “Love Story meets Viva La Vida and have been a fan ever since. If you haven’t heard it, you can check it out by clicking here. (Note: This is not The Piano Guys YouTube channel.) They basically merge Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and the result is a stunningly, beautiful work of art. It became a huge YouTube overnight sensation and rightly so.

Well, The Piano Guys are back with another song that is sure to make you smile. And their back-up dancers will make you smile even more. In a world that is often filled with bad news and depressing headlines, I found this absolutely refreshing.

I saw this picture on Pinterest and thought of my oldest fur-child, Lexie. Lexie has …. how can I say this gently? Lexie has …. issues. Depending on her mood (which can change on a dime), she will either greet you with wet kisses and roll over for a belly rub OR bare her teeth and behave like a pit Yorkie. I believe the medical community refers to this as a “personality disorder.” In our house, we refer to it as “psycho.”

Anyway, every time I look at this picture, I can’t help but laugh. I thought I would pass it along to you to brighten your day. Chances are, you’ve encountered someone a cute furry animal, who matches this description.

Have a great weekend!

Bag packed: Check.

Nursery ready: Check.

Car seat strapped in back seat of car: Check.

Camera battery charged: Check.

New 16 gig memory card for camera that holds over 1000 pictures: Check.

Family members’ phones on highest ringer volume possible: Check.

Birth of most adorable grandchild on the face of this earth: Pending.

We are on standby and down to the final stretch as we anxiously await Walker’s grand arrival into the world. Isn’t his nursery absolutely adorable?! I took this picture of Ryan and Casey just yesterday. Note the packed bag in the bottom right-hand corner! Let’s zip that bag up and get this show on the road!

Speaking of Ryan and Casey, they wanted me to pass this note of thanks along to those of you who have cheered them on in this journey:

“Thank you so much for the encouragement, advice, and well wishes you have given us as we await Walker’s arrival. Most of all, we appreciate your prayers. They are much needed, since I (Ryan) have no idea what I’m doing! We cannot wait to see what God has in store for us!”

-Ryan and Casey

And from this soon-to-be grandmother (name still pending): Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for loving my children and celebrating the blessing of little Walker. I will never forget your kind words of support and encouragement. Ever.

I posted this priceless clip of my oldest son attempting to hold a baby back in May, 2008. Given that my son is now expecting a son of his own ANY DAY now, I thought this would be fun to re-post. Consider this a prayer request, perhaps? My son is in the blue shirt and on the receiving end of the baby. His friend, Parker, is in charge of the pass-off. Clearly neither one of them has ever held a baby before. The very patient baby in this clip belongs to our youth minister, Dusty and his wife, Ashley. Their “baby,” (Hudson) is 3 years old now. He also happens to be the ring bearer in my daughter’s upcoming wedding next month!

While you’re sending up a flair prayer for my my son to improve his baby-holding skills before Walker’s arrival, toss in an extra prayer for my daughter-in-law Casey. She is, shall we say, quite uncomfortable and utterly miserable at this point. She has an appointment to be induced on Saturday, November 19th, but her doctor informed her at her last appointment this past Thursday that she likely won’t make it until then. I personally think it would be kind of cool for Walker to be born on 11-11-11! Regardless, we can’t wait to meet this little blessing.

 

I found this quote while surfing around on Pinterest and thought it was worthy of sharing. I pinned it to my Pinterest board with the caption, “Should be posted in every home with kids.” (Sorry to the non-Pintys who are struggling w/ the Pinterest lingo!) In a culture where so many parents appear to be more concerned with being their child’s friend than their parent, I found it refreshing.

UPDATE on 11/8/11: Thank you so much for all the wonderful suggestions! I have it narrowed down to a few that are my favorites! We’ll see if the little fellow will agree or rename me all together. Our winner for the drawing is Abby: http://www.lifeatitsfinest.com/. Congratulations, Abby!

Sorry for the lapse in blogging, but things got a bit crazy as I was wrapping up my fall speaking events and trying to juggle my wedding to-do list! I had my last out of town event this past weekend (Memphis) and now, my full attention will be devoted to the arrival of my first grandchild, Walker Ryan (in about 2 1/2 weeks) and my daughter’s wedding (in about 6 1/2 weeks).

Thank you so much for your amazing suggestions for Ryan and Casey in the last post. We so enjoyed reading them! As a thank you, I thought it would be fun to do a give-away! Today’s give-away is made possible by Lil Light O’ Mine who kindly donated two items (in the picture above) which would be wonderful for those of you with young children (or grandchildren!). I am so excited about these two items because 1) they were created by one of my blog readers and 2) both items are based on principles my husband and I used in our own home when our children were young. Here is a description of Lil Light O’ Mine and what you will win:

“Lil Light O’ Mine™ was conceived with a mom’s style and a child’s heart in mind.  It is something we hope shines through in everything we create,” said Courtney DeFeo, the company’s founder.

The company debuts with two new, original products – ABC Scripture Cards and My Lil Money Jars™ – each designed as learning instruments for children that can also be displayed in the home as décor.  Through this offering, Lil Light O’ Mine™ is aiming to create a new category in the marketplace by developing products that combine the best characteristics of inspirational merchandise and children’s educational materials with the sophistication of stylish home goods.

“In order for our children to absorb important life lessons, they need to experience them every day,” added DeFeo, a former marketing professional and stay-at-home mother of two young children.  “Traditional teaching materials get put up and toys and books get put away.  So, we tried to create products that can that stay out in the home and become a regular part of a family’s day-to-day life.”

ABC Scripture Cards are comprised of 26 tastefully designed 5×7 cards that feature easy-to-remember Bible verses from the NIV translation.  Each set comes with a 5” easel that will allow for a simple, elegant presentation option and a magnet for display on a refrigerator.

My Lil Money Jars™ features three 5” glass jars that sit inside a custom-crafted wooden tray, which is available in white, green or pink.  This product is designed to teach children the importance of dividing money into three important groups – Giving. Saving. Spending.  An easy-to-use chalkboard label is affixed to each jar so families can customize their own labels.

So, here’s how this will work. Toss out your best suggestion for a potential “grandma” name for yours truly and I will return the favor by entering your name in a drawing to win the two above items. I’ll announce the winner on this post one week from today and we’ll contact you by email. Good luck!

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