Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, we met my parents at a halfway point to have lunch together. (We saw Jeff's mom the weekend before.)

Grammie and Kaity

Grammie let Selah have her cup without the lid, and with a straw! Selah was delighted.

Bobba and Joe!

New toys! This little house has four pets inside. The kids love it!

Whenever Selah lifted the dinosaur flap to see the pop-up, Daddy roared! That kept her entertained for quite some time.

"K-K-K-Kaity, beautiful Kaity ... you're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore ..."

The Word on Our Walls

 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9 KJV

 In our home, we decided we wanted to have scripture on the walls. There are lots of ways to do this and I've seen some beautiful applications of the idea in other homes. The cheapest way to go, of course, appealed the most to me, and so I have chosen to paint the scriptures on the walls myself.

The top quote is not scripture, just a quote: "Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave." --Martin Luther  The one below it (on the bay window) is "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord ..." Joshua 24:15

More of the first quote.

This is my latest project, painted on the wall in our bedroom.

Song of Solomon 2:10

 I had a verse painted in the kitchen as well, but since I repainted in there I haven't redone the scripture. It's on the list!

Cooking with Mommy

Selah "helped" me make biscuits the other day. She was so adorable I had to snap some pictures!

This was the closest I could get to her looking at the camera. She was too busy!

First World Problems

So today has been a series of "first world problems". You know, like ...

 "My laptop battery is dying and the cord is over there."

"I put a Band-Aid on my thumb and now I can only text with one hand."

"I want to change the TV station but I can't find the remote."

The reality of my day is ... I forgot something when I left the house and had to drive back and get it. I left my cell phone on the back of the car and drove off. I'm not sure how many people ran over it, but the screen is kaput. Someone pulled out into traffic, almost hitting me - thankfully I was able to shift lanes and avoid her. We had overdue books at the library. Our favorite decaf coffee (that we're out of) was on sale for nearly 50% off, but my budget still wouldn't allow for it. I forgot Joe's glasses that need repairing - again. My fast food burrito was too messy to eat while I was driving. I couldn't find any good books I haven't already read at the library. I missed my exit on the interstate. A cat with a death wish threw up in the living room. Selah wouldn't take a nap.

But you know what? I love what Paul has to say in his letter to the church at Phillipi - facing much bigger issues, I might add:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:4-9) ESV

 And I could highlight dozens more verses and passages that speak to my annoyance at inconveniences. I honestly didn't get upset today - I kept it all in perspective. But I don't always and we all have One of Those Days that makes us want to scream. Thankfully, grace is a prayer and an attitude adjustment away!


So the positive reality of my day is ... I have a cell phone that, thankfully, will still make/receive calls. I have a car. God kept us safe. I have access to innumerable free (not counting taxes!) books through the library system. We might be out of decaf coffee, but we still have regular! We had the money to buy groceries this week. We have access to insurance and health care. I paid $7 and got a fast food lunch for me and three children - good deal. I've read lots of good books. We have three sweet cats that the kids adore. Selah will take a nap later.


Above all, I serve a sovereign God who not only listens to the heartbreaking, terrible, overwhelming things I bring to Him, He hears me whenever I call on Him. Even if it's just a lost cell phone.

Nobody's a Secret Agent - Chap. 2, Part 2

Nobody's a Secret Agent - Chapter 2, Part 2

by Kaity Pittard, Extraordinaire

"Well," said Julie, "If you come back tomorrow when we call you we can get you a watch and vest and all that. What color do you want your equipment to be?"

"Uh, green ... like this green," Jessica pointed to a stripe in her pajama pants. "How exactly do I call you?" Jessica had not noticed that Peter had left, and now he reentered the room holding something.

"You will use this," said Peter. He was holding a white watch. "When it beeps press this button."

"Don't forget," said Julie, "Don't tell anyone!"

Jessica turned to leave, but Peter stopped her. "After you get your vest and watch, the next day you will decide on a code name, and someone will show you around. The day after that, you will have a practice mission in a special room the agency has set up. After that day, you will do real missions."

"Well, we are going to bed," said Julie. Both people went through a door. Shortly, Jessica heard the muffled sound of one of those tube doors opening. The lights shut off and Jessica turned to go back through her tube. As she did so, she also noticed that there were no windows. It must be underground. She climbed in the tube feet first. When she came out she hit the back of the dresser. Jessica groaned. She hoped Mom and Dad had not heard. She crept silently back to her bed. She could not stop thinking about what had happened last night. She also thought, how in the world did people, no matter how tired they are, fall asleep instantly? Jessica turned over and read her book a little longer before she switched off her lamp and closed her eyes. (She didn't fall asleep instantly, though, even though she was tired.)

That morning she woke up thinking about the funny dream she had had about becoming president, but that's a different story. She went downstairs to eat breakfast. It was summer vacation but if you remember, she was home schooled. She pulled out the Mini Wheats and a bowl and poured some. She got out the milk and started to eat. She wanted to tell her mom about last night, but Julie told her not to tell about the agency. Jessica knew she could not be an agent if she told. Suddenly, her watch beeped.

The author edited this picture herself, with PicMonkey.

Chapter 2 *The Secret Agents*, Part 1

 Chapter 2 

The Secret Agents

Both people in the room were medium sized. The woman had blond hair, which was pulled back into a pony tail. She had bright green eyes. The man looked completely different, he had brown hair and eyes. His hair was messy and not very short or very long. They were both looking at her. They were also smiling at her. Jessica did not have the faintest clue what was going on.
    "Let me explain," said the woman. "My name is Julie Anderson, this is my husband Peter," she said, pointing at the man. The name Anderson sounded strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't think of where she had heard it. "We are undercover secret agents and we run the agency here, there are lots other agents here, the tube you came through is one of many that our agents use to get around. You see, we have been watching you through technology and we think you would make a good new agent." Jessica, who was normally a super talkative person, was speechless.
    "We already know your name, would you mind giving us some more info?" Jessica hesitated, these people were complete strangers. Finally, Jessica decided to tell them. It meant she could be a secret agent! Who would pass up that!
    "My name is Jessica Evans and when school starts back, I will be in 8th grade, and I am home schooled."
    "Perfect!" said Peter. Jessica continued.
    "I am guessing you know where I live, seeing as you installed a pipe thing in my room."
    " I suppose," said Peter,"but can we still get your address?"
    "Sure, it's number 8 Pine Tree Drive, Harmony Grove, Georgia." Jessica noticed that the whole time, Julie was taking notes. Jessica continued.
    "I have an older brother named Kyle, he is 15, I also have a pet cat and a pet goldfish."
    "Well," said Julie, "I think that is all we needed  to know for now. I guess if you would like to be an agent we could enroll you-"
    "Of course I want to be an agent! Who wouldn't?"
    "Well, a few people have turned down the offer -- " said Peter, Julie gave him a look.
  
To Be Continued ...duhn duhn duuuhh ...

The Lake - A Picture Post

Last Friday the kids and I drove out to Clark's Hill for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family. Mom and Berk and Stuart and the boys were there, along with my cousins Marc and Shiela and their families. We had a cookout and the kids loved getting to play in the lake.

Kaity, with Uncle Stuart in the background.

Berk with Marcus.

Mickey! (McKinney)

Our Joe.

Snarfing a hotdog.

Mom, Berk, and Selah.

Building sandcastles.

Rali! (Ralston)

Grammie and Selah!