50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly

I am so very excited about Shutterfly online photo service's latest Holiday promotion. They are offering 50 free Christmas cards to those who choose to blog about their cards. Shutterfly is not only a great place to order prints of special moments any time of the year, but they also have an awesome selection of Holiday cards. We ordered our family Christmas cards through them last year, and we were already planning to order from them again this year. Here is a link to last years card:


http://www.shutterfly.com/ssc/viewPreview.sfly?fid=e2289b47feb69f2f328a6b68bbcad23c5625c431369d420afd12f45bbad520ea94fc9b6de9c1aa5f186fdf054b74914a

We were very pleased with how it turned out!



I love how they have all kinds of different styles from classic and traditional

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/pine-cone-toile-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93496&fe=1&fc=1

to modern and contemporary



http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/family-wall-red-christmas-card-5x7-flat

I have been considering using this one this year, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/berry-merry-christmas-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&fa=4&storeNode=93496&fe=1&fc=1



They have a variety of colors to compliment the photos you choose to use. From the simple traditional red and green

http://www.shutterfly.com/ssc/viewPreview.sfly?fid=e2289b47feb69f2f328a6b68bbcad23c5625c431369d420afd12f45bbad520ea94fc9b6de9c1aa5f186fdf054b74914a

to the ultra modern Christmas blue!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/ho-ho-ho-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93496



Whatever your tastes and choices you can depend on receiving great, quality, creative Christmas cards when you order from Shutterfly!


They also have beautiful photo books that are easy to compile and make wonderful memorable Christmas gifts to be received by those you love!

I heart faces: Scenic Black and white

I heart Faces Challenge: Silhouettes

I heart faces entry

"Simple Pleasures"

Apple Hill

The weekend before last we decided to go up to a place called Apple Hill that we had been told about. It's right past Placerville, CA, about 45 minutes from where we live. It's a large area with several different u-pick apple farms, prepared apple foods for purchase, kids activities, etc. We had a very relaxing time and Gray really enjoyed it. He loves the cartoon "Caillou" and on one of the episodes, he goes apple picking. Gray always says he wants to go apple pickin' :) Here are a few pictures from our day.

Boo!

Did I scare you? hahaha. I bet no one was expecting a blog post from me! I don't know what happened. I was so excited about my new blog and intended to write something every day, but I guess the new wore off. Well, I guess it started with having family here to visit for two weeks, and then after that, no excuses...just didn't get back into it. But anyway, here I am. So, let me just talk about the main things that have happened since the last time I blogged. Like I said before, my husband's mom, my "Mom-in-love" came to see us at the end of July. We had such a wonderful time with her being here. She spoiled all of us. If you know her, you will understand what I mean when I say that if you don't love this woman, something is wrong with you. She is truly the best mother-in-law anyone could ever ask for. I am so blessed. We did so many fun things while she was here. We went to the state fair, ate, went to the Folsom Zoo, ate some more. You get the drift!

Then my parents came for a second visit of the summer! They were here along with my mother-in-law for a couple of days. It was really cool having all of them here for a church service and my birthday.

A couple of weeks later, there was a knock at my door. It was a package that I assumed was a new carseat cover for Gray because I put his in the washing machine and it ripped. But when I opened the box, it was a NEW CAMERA. At first I was confused because I had been looking at this particular camera for several months and hoped I hadn't accidently purchased it somehow. Then, I remembered my dad asking me about it and tears of joy filled my eyes! It has been a dream of mine for a couple of years to get into photography. Here are a few of my favorite shots so far.

Gray goes to the dentist

So I finally got Gray to the dentist today. I think the last time he went was in September. The process of moving and getting insurance set up, etc. put us behind. And of course I wasn't too thrilled about taking him anyway. He doesn't normally do very well in these types of situations.

1. He HATES to have to sit still as I'm sure most 2 year old little boys do


2. He doesn't even like to have his teeth brushed by me


3. He's going through a stage where he is terrified of noises, including the clippers at the barber shop

So I post on Facebook about how "excited" I am about taking him today, and Gordon comments, "Maybe this will be the time he chills out and just sits there...LOL!" Well, I guess he had SOME faith because that's exactly what he did. He was SO good the WHOLE time. Didn't cry not even once. Not only did he not freak out about ANYTHING, he even helped them by opening his mouth, etc. Even the dentist couldn't believe how well he did for his age. I was SO proud.

As soon as we left, he was back to being his rowdy little self and I was left wondering whose child that was in there! But I still love my strong-willed little boy. We took him to In-n-out and Target's dollar section for a reward!

Hard Times

So, I'd love to pretend our life is perfect, and only remember the good times, but let's be honest, that's just not anyones reality and it doesn't do any good to go through hard times if you can't look back on them later. So today I'm going to talk about the church plant. We haven't had alot of success through our invites and outreach as far as getting people to come to a service. So, we decided to put more effort into Bible studies. A couple of weeks ago, Gordon went door to door at our apartments asking to do a survey about church and culture. The survey asks questions such as "Do you go to church regularly?" If not, "why?" "What do you look for in a church?", etc. The final question asks them if they would like a Bible Study. Out of the five people he talked to, he got two Bible Studies. I would say that's pretty good odds. The only thing is we aren't seeing positive results after the Bible studies. The last one, Saturday, the guy said he wanted to get Baptized. He said he would come to the church and get baptized after service. We got everything set up, including borrowing a portable baptistry, and the guy didn't show up. I understand the law of the harvest. I know we have to sow before we can reap, but we could definitely use a little glimpse of hope!

We had a great day full of family time today. Spent the afternoon at Folsom Lake.

Gray enjoying a push up at the "yake"

Fourth of July

This past Sunday was the 4th of July, so we decided to cancel our church service since most people would be spending the day with family or going out of town. So...we decided to go out of town ourselves. We ended up going to Visalia (the town where Gordon grew up) for a weekend of no obligations or responsibilites, just a time of relaxation and fun. We didn't even tell anyone we were going. We had no plans except for the 3 places we wanted to eat while we were there. We spent a lot of time outdoors. I'm convinced the sun is more intense in the central valley than here.

Gray's farmer tan

Every time we go somewhere, we always have our days packed full of activites. So, it was nice to just be able to get away and do nothing.

Too much fun in the sun

Gray and mommy wading in the creek at Plaza Park

Daddy and Gray playing at Jefferson Park

Food Friday

So, I haven't done a post in a couple of days. I guess sometimes my life as a stay at home mom can be a little monotonous. We did take Gray to Vacation Bible School in Auburn last night. I guess he's not quite old enough. Either that or it's just the stage he's going through where he seems to be scared of everything. Bro. & Sis. McCool and their church did an awesome job.

Anyway. I've been inspired by my new friend Amy http://miraflorfamily.blogspot.com/ to start blogging about food on Fridays. This isn't difficult for me because I love food and I love to cook. Well, I love to bake especially. So, most of my recipes will probably be desserts!

I'll share this recipe for my first post since I just made it last night!

TennTucky Blackberry Cobbler

courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1144182

Okay, that's all for tonight. I seriously need to go to bed. I don't know what's happened to me since I moved here. I used to go to bed at 11:30 every night. And lately Gray has abandoned his "too good to be true" habbit of sleeping until 9 every morning. I don't know what it is, I can be exhausted all day, but when it gets late, I get a second wind. BUT, if I don't make myself go to bed, I will feel like a little too much wind hit me in the morning...ya know...a tornado :)

Memories of Yesteryear

So, I'm feeling kind of nostalgic today. Thinking about when Gray was first born and even before that. It's hard now to remember what life was like without him. I've been kind of sad lately seeing how much he's maturing. He's really not a baby anymore. There's only a couple of baby traits left, and they're the ones you want him to grow out of. Children grow up way too fast! I love looking at old photos! Sorry for the overload...

THE WONDER YEARS

Young Love

Honeymoon

Simple Pleasures

Along came Gray and our life will never be the same

I loved you before I met you

First moments

Sweet Angel

Little Man

1st trip to the beach...San Diego

cuddly bear

Revival in Rancho

After our two o'clock service today, we grabbed a quick bite to eat, ran home and freshened up then headed to Rancho Cordova to preach at Way of Life for Bro. & Sis. Tempke. We were beginging to wonder if we would make it before the service was over because we got lost trying to find the place. But someone saw us driving around and led us in the right direction. I don't think the devil wanted us to be there tonight. It was a blowout service! The presence of God was so powerful in that place. God spoke so many things to individuals and the church as a whole. What a great church full of great people! Rancho Cordova is definitely ready for revival!

Fun with Friends

We had a great time tonight with our friends...The Tempke's. Great food and fellowship with great people who have similar goals in life. They made grilled tri-tip sandwiches and baked beans and we brought some potato salad (my mom-in-love's recipe of course) and a peach cobbler for dessert!










We always have a great time together. Gray loves going to their house because they have so many toys and a BACKYARD.

This is their youngest Dawson, isn't he just the cutest thing.

I am so thankful for the new friends we have made!

Sis. Tempke and I

I also have some really exciting news about our church planting endeavor! Gordon went door to door doing a survey about why people don't go to church today ending the survey with asking if they want a bible study. He knocked 9 doors and talked to about 5 people and got Bible studies scheduled for 3 of them. Thank you Jesus for the possibilites we see ahead!

Sorry for the rant!

Okay, I don't want to use this blog to gripe and complain, but it's about our life and sometimes you just gotta! I have to tell this story about our experience at a restaurant tonight. First of all, I won't say the name of the place, but I will say it was a Chinese restaurant. We had been there once before and remembered them being slightly rude, but we were with a lot of people so were too busy to really pay much attention. Well, after tonight, let's just say we won't be going back. When we walked in the hostess said, "Do you need a booster seat?" I said, "No, I need a high chair." She looked at Gray (his size) and back at me then proceeded to go get a booster seat and brought it to us. We said, "We need a HIGHCHAIR." She gave the same look and went and got it. You have to understand. Gray is big for his age, so people often mistake him for a 3 year old. But that's not the point. I don't care if he's 5, if we want a highchair, that's what she should bring us. Then, the waitress takes our drink order. I tell her Gray doesn't need anything because he has a sippy cup. She ignores me and asks him what he would like to drink, naming off his options. By this time, we're completely annoyed. Then to top it off, we're pretty sure she told him to shush because he was being loud. I mean, we've had our share of bad service, but never had them try to override our parental decisions!

"Aww man...workin'"

In case you're wondering what my title is all about. Those are the words I've heard ALL DAY from a two year old! It was no doubt the phrase of the day. Everything he would try to do but couldn't, he would say "Aww man...workin'" In other words it's NOT working! Gordon said we need to time Gray to see how long he will continue to say the same thing over and over until you give in and say what he wants you to. We made it 6 minutes and broke!

The picture you see to the above is Gray eating his dinosaur PB&J sandwiches. I found this cute little gadget at Wal-Mart for two bucks. It cuts the crust off and cuts the sandwich into two dinosaur shapes. Adorable I must say!





We didn't do too much today. Finally around 4 o'clock, I decided to go to the grocery store. And as I was getting Gray ready to walk out the door he starts saying "let's go swing", "let's go park" I wish it was possible to type in a tone of voice. Then you would understand why I adjusted my plan and we went to the park. :) You just can't resist his sweet little voice filled with excitement!

I made applesauce meatballs for dinner tonight...sorry no pic!

Time for another haircut already!

Today Gordon did the Bible study with the young man I mentioned the other day. It went well. We all went to lunch afterwards. We're praying for more opportunites to be a witness to him.

We took Gray to get a haircut this evening. His hair grows SO fast! Which isn't good considering how much he dislikes having it cut! He did better this time because I sat in the chair, and he sat in my lap. Plus, she didn't use clippers (he's terrified)! By the time it was over I was covered in hair and dum-dums!

Afterwards, we went to eat at Strawhat pizza and took Gray to Lakeshore Learning Store.

My baby got a boo-boo!

So, Gray slept through the night last night...THANK GOD. It seems he's been reverting back to infancy lately. Who knew a two and a half year old would STILL keep you from sleeping. I certainly did not. Anyway, we went to the park when Gordon left for work today, and as soon as we got there, he anxiously ran (too fast) to the playground and fell on the cement and scraped his knee.

Between that and the heat (only 85 degrees...I could have sworn it was 95, guess I've been spoiled to the 75 with a breeze) we didn't stay too long.

I had my 4th music lesson tonight with Sis. Schexnayder. She's teaching me to play the keyboard. I thank God for people like her, who give of themselves expecting nothing in return other than the blessing that is sure to come their way because of their generosity.

As I type, I am eating some delicious, fresh picked, ripe California strawberries. Oh how I'll miss them when the season is over!

It's Summer time

So, Today was the first day of summer...our first summer here in Rocklin. And I must say it was quite a bit hotter than it has been lately. But still nothing compared to the humidity in the south. It was a good day though. I cleaned like a mad woman with the help of some good music and Gray's extra long nap. Hopefully we won't pay for that tonight. I took him out to ride his tricycle when he woke up, but not for very long since it was so hot. He's so funny. He's just now really learning to ride it and he doesn't want to have to give too much energy pushing the pedals. He would much rather someone else push him especially when it comes to going uphill. And when he needs to turn, he gets completely off and tries to turn the whole tricycle in the right direction instead of just turning the handle bars.

Later on, I made tacos for dinner...YUM! Then we all went for a walk which turned out to be rather exciting. First of all, there was some type of gnat or other flying bug that was everywhere tonight so they kept flying into us the whole time, then we saw two deer probably a hundred feet from where we were walking on the sidewalk. We stopped and looked at them as they looked at us for about five minutes, then we turned around and headed back. On the way back I stepped on a cherry that had fallen off a tree above my head and it splattered all over my leg and scared me to death...pretty funny.

We also received a much needed financial blessing in the mail today! Thank you Jesus! He IS an on-time God...that's for sure!