Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday Night: Movie Night/Sleepover

We met at the church for a movie night. Then the guys went to our house and the girls went to another. It was a night of laughing, silliness, and sweet fellowship with some amazing girls. The guys killed each other in video games so I wouldn't call what they did "sweet fellowship." They were just doing whatever guys do. I will say Friday when I left for the church there were large flat, screen TVs set up all throughout my den. I wish I had taken a picture of how ridiculous it looked.

One of my girls did find a new use for sour patch kids. Gross, I know.

I thought for sure around 2:00a.m. my girls would begin to fade. Oh no.... so finally at 3:00a.m. I had to go find a quiet room. And I was dead asleep 2.7 seconds later. Finally at 4:30a.m.... so I'm told... my girls finally zonked out. I just don't think I've ever been able to stay up that late. But then again, I'm kind of a grandma when it comes to sleep.


Saturday- Clean, Layout, Workout

We met the boys back at the church at 10:00 where surprisingly almost all of our parents were already waiting. That normally never happens! So we were home and had our house cleaned by 11:15. The boys kept my house pretty clean. I can't really complain.

After lunch, I convinced my sister to come over and run with me in the gorgeous weather we were having. I couldn't believe how nice it was! Before she got there, I took my beach chair outside in my running shorts and tank and comfortably laid out. I even got some sun!

I convinced her to do a 3 mile route with me. We did more of a walk/run combo and it was fabulous! Then we came home and did some more of this....

Later that night... D took a break from studying and took KC and I to dinner with Jeff and Julsie at an underrated mexican restaurant, El Nopal. We are so blessed to have family that we not only love, but enjoy hanging out with. Before too long we had to head back home. D preached Sunday morning so he still needed time to finish preparing.



Sunday- Church, Grocery Shopping

Speaking of him preaching.... He BROUGHT IT yesterday morning. Every time he preaches a new message I think its his best yet... however yesterday really was! I have never seem him so passionately challenge himself and everyone else. It was a very convicting message about how selfish we are for sitting around in our comfortable bubbles all the while people are dying and going to hell all around us. I'll talk more about it another time. It was awesome. I overheard someone ask him, "How do you preach like that?!" And he said in similar terms... because God chewed me up and spit me out with this message. I sometimes think God called him to ministry to get a hold of me. I don't mean that selfishly... I just mean every time he speaks I feel like God said, "Daniel, this is what your wife needs to hear..." I am thankful for a husband who constantly challenges me.

On a less serious note... I found this at the grocery store last night.

I was thrilled! Until... mom looked up the nutrition value.... 1 tbsp= 4 ww pts. What?! I get 29 pts a day. I don't want to waste 4 points on creamer! ARe you kidding?! Its coffee creamer! That kind of deflated my balloon, but regardless I was going to try this bottle of deliciousness. I was utterly disappointed to find out that this was like drinking tanning oil in my coffee. The longer I drank the less bad it was....but I decided I'd rather eat 4 points of a real almond joy!

so convicting

Every morning I have a devotional thought from Dr. Rogers emailed to me. I love that I am still being challenged daily by this incredible pastor. Todays devo. punched me in the gut. It was so convicting that I thought I should share.

Him--Just Him
Devotional thought from the messages of Adrian Rogers

BIBLE MEDITATION:
2 Timothy 1:12 - "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I heard of a lady who memorized so many verses of Scripture that she quoted them back to the Lord in praise to His name. When she grew old and began to lose her memory, she could only remember one verse, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." She would quote it over and over.

Soon her memory deteriorated more, and all she could remember was just the phrase "committed unto Him." It brought her much comfort. Finally she came to a place where all she could say was "Him."

ACTION POINT:
You can distill the Bible down to that one word, "Him." Can you tune all of your life to that one note of praise? Him.

Weight Watcher Update 3

Starting weight: 163.2

Week 1: 159.4

Week 2: 157.8

Week 3: 155.8


...which means I lost 2 lbs this week and have lost a total of 7 lbs ... 7.4 lbs to be exact!

I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite foods that are making this easy.


Favorite Breakfast:



With a whopping 13 grams of fiber per serving!





Favorite Mid-Morning Snack:







Favorite Lunch:
Soup/Salad

Progresso has some delicious ww friendly soups!



And I do many variations of salad, but I always use spinach leaves.






Favorite Afternoon Snack:

Green apple with 2 tbsp. of peanut butter






Favorite Dinner:
Tilapia, black beans and steamed broccoli





Favorite Treat:

Thursday 1-20-11

A week ago today... about this time... beautiful snow began falling from the sky. Maybe pouring is a better word... so much so that most of our kids here at my campus were picked up by frantic parents before school was even out. Normally this kind of day thrills me. This time not so much.

Remember last week D was in Haiti. #1 Being snowed in by myself = no fun. #2 My mother in law was taking me, my 2 sister in laws, and nieces to the orpheum that night to see Shrek. I love plays. I love the Orpheum.... who cares if it is Shrek we're seeing.

So by the time I headed home the roads were pretty covered. How in the world were we suppose to get downtown and back with streets like that.... better yet with 4 women who wouldn't dare to attempt driving in it?! Then the light bulb went off.... we have someone else drive us.

Since the play hadn't been canceled and the limo service said they would be glad to drive us.... and guarantee us that no matter how bad the roads were they'd pick us back up and bring us home... we were set for a snowy night out on the town!

The limo picked us up a little after 6 and per Jules request we went and ate The Majestic's famous grilled cheese. It did not disappoint! Before we knew it we were walking into the orpheum. The weather did not keep many away! The music began, the characters danced, and sang... and I realized I was loving it. The play was awesome. The backdrops, the costumes, the music... absolutely fantastic. I have seen several plays at the orpheum and this was by far my favorite! I was thinking it would be just a fun outing to get me closer to when D came home. It was so much more. They even handed out these adorable Shrek ears!

By the time we got back to the Jerkins' house it was after 10 and even though we only had a 5 minute drive ahead of us we all decided just to spend the night there. By that time Maggie and I knew our schools were canceled so a slumber party was totally acceptable.

The next morning turned out to be a monumental day for Hallie Claire, whose daddy dropped her off on his way to work. She got her first pair of piggies!

It then became a pigtail, picture party.

Followed by a very dramatic rendention of Mary and Joseph's old song from Bellevue's Singing Christmas Tree. My favorite part is when Lily sings, "I'm still an urchin (rather than virgin) ...what would my parents say?" These girls are ready for Broadway.




So thank you Momma D for a fun snowy night!

Homecoming Week

This week is homecoming. This is probably my favorite week out of the whole school year. We have a theme each day which means our kids get to ditch the uniforms for a week and be creative! Monday was Back to the Future Day. You could dress up like anyone or anything from any era. This is me from the 80's with Gabriel. Her wings wouldn't show up if she turned sideways.... hence the soldier/germaphob? stance.

Tuesday was Western Day. Today is mix/match day. Tomorrow is Favorite Team Day. Friday is Blue/White Day. I love getting to see our kids out of uniform, but more importantly how creative these parents can be!

Try It Tuesday: Central Park Pralines

I have become obsessed with Scentsy. I love how cute the warmer looks on my table and I especially love how the warmer makes my whole house smell amazing. I always try to have a scent for each season. Since it is almost the end of January I figured it was time for the Christmas Cottage scent to come out and another to take its place. Because the wax lasts soooo long, rather than wasting it, I sat the top of the warmer in the freezer. I then popped out the Christmas Cottage wax, put it in a Ziploc, and stored it away for next year. I replaced it with............

CENTRAL PARK PRALINES

I wish I could somehow link a smell on here. If I could I would! Needless to say, I am in love with this scent. If you have a Scentsy warmer you must try it! If not, you can go here and order one. Or if you already have a warmer... just order this scent! You won't be disappointed!

My Baby is back from HAITI!

A week ago yesterday, D left with a group from Bellevue to go down to Haiti. Their particular group was focusing on installing electrical and plumbing (stuff?) for a school. When this opportunity presented itself he couldn't pass it up. We're taking a group from our church to Haiti this July. This gave D not only the opportunity to serve this past week, but to better prepare our group for when we go this summer. Their group stayed in the same place we'll be staying and worked in the same general area we'll be working.

I was going to post an update earlier in the week, but the Sheila in me came out and I didn't want to publicize that I was staying alone all last week. Although I did leave almost every light we have on at all times, blinds were closed, and when I was asleep or not home I left ESPN on the downstairs TV so it would sound like a guy was watching it. :) I'm pathetic... I know. I did manage to stay the whole week by myself... well except Thursday night. It was too bad to drive home so we had a slumber party at my in-laws. I kept myself busy with friends and family and thankfully the week flew by!

Though I missed him, I was so excited that he had this amazing opportunity to go and serve. He is one of the hardest working men that I know... besides my dad.... which may be one reason I love him so... anyway back to D being hard working... this trip they went on was a working trip for sure. They worked until sunset. He did get to build some sweet relationships with the Haitians that helped them work and then some boys that hung out at the missions compound. These were his buddies.

Hearing story after story makes me so excited about going and serving... even with the 100 degree heat and cold showers! Just listening to him share some of his experiences breaks my heart and makes me so grateful for what God has blessed us with while at the same time feeling selfish and materialistic for having 1000 pairs of shoes when these precious people have almost nothing. Here is a picture of a family getting a new bed for the first time.

God is doing some amazing things in Haiti. It doesn't make sense that 300,000 people lost their lives in 48 seconds.... however... God is using something so tragic to bring himself great glory.

Weight Watchers Update 2

The snow day yesterday threw my blogging off! I didn't forget about my update though, I just got busy being productive!

Thankfully there is a meeting that is across the street from my neighborhood so I didn't have to go far in the snow on Thursday night. I stepped on the scale anticipating even bigger results than last time. Wrong. A whopping 1.6 lbs lost this week. What?! The only thing that kept me sane was the shiny gold star they gave me for losing a total now of 5 lbs. 5lbs lost in 2 weeks.... I will definitely take it!

I use to think that WW was a cruel way of dieting.... not being allowed to eat what you want and having to count points. No thanks. Not for me. The more I began learning about WW, I realized there is almost more freedom in doing it. I choose what I eat. If I want oreos I can eat them. (Oreos and milk are my weakness! Unlike Heather who eats 15 at a time.... I'll limit myself to 3 now. :)

The competitive side in me loves WW! I'm basically playing a game with myself. Balancing what my body needs and what it wants. Increasing exercise and making wise decisions. I'm having a whole lot of fun with it.

So glad I took this challenge! I feel great and look forward seeing those LB's come off!

Wordy Wednesday: Are You Willing?

I have spoken before about one of my favorite books, Becoming God's True Woman by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. To my delight, I found out that we're going to be going through this book for our next women's bible study at church.

I excitedly pulled it back out and began reading it again. I feel like I'm learning more reading it this time around than before. Now there isn't anything profound that I'm getting, but simple truths, that if applied to our lives, can be life changing. And I'm still only in the introduction!

"The feminist revolution was suppose to bring women greater fulfillment and freedom. It was supposed to make us feel better about ourselves; after all , "you've come along way, baby!" But we see the poisoned fruit of the revolution in the eyes and pitiable cries of women who are drowning in the quagmire of serial divorce and remarriage and wayward children ; women who are utterly exhausted from the demands of trying to juggle one or more jobs, function as single parents, and be active in church; women who are disoriented and confused, who lack a sense of mission, vision, and purpose for their lives and who are perpetually, pathetically shrouded in woundedness, self doubt, resentment, and guilt."

Its no secret that the feminist revolution has even crept into our churches. There is hope though. The feminist revolution began with a hand full of women. So....

"What would happen if a hand full of women would begin to pray for a revolution of a different kind- a counterrevolution- within the evangelical world? What would happen if women were willing to repent , to return to the authority of God's word, to embrace God's priorities and purposes for their lives and homes, and to live out the beauty and the wonder of womanhood that God created it to be?"

This won't be an easy feat. The world is telling us one thing while the word of God says another. Its not a matter of "winning" this war, but are we willing to "wage" this war? My flesh does not want to fight! I am naturally a fearful person. I hate confrontation. I hate arguing. I am not a fighter. I am a peacemaker...at least I try. And this is what got me....


"But greater than my fears and reservations is a passion for the glory of God."


I assure you though the fears and reservations are there! Then I read on, "And God is glorified through thankful, trusting, obedient, compassionate, serving, virtuous, joyful, feminine women who reflect to our world the heart and character of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. As we are filled with His spirit, we radiate His beauty and make the gospel believable."

So the question is, are you willing? Are you willing to give up your agenda for His? Are you willing to wage this war against what the world is throwing at us? Are you willing to be used by Him regardless of fears or reservations?

"The call to return to biblical womanhood resonates within Christian women who have tasted the bitter fruit of the feminist revolution and who know within their hearts that God's ways are right."

Try It Tuesday: Yogurt Mountain

I am in love.... with yogurt. Yogurt Mountain to be exact. TCBY you just don't compare.

We ate at this little place in Alabama in September called Frost Bite. Directions: get a cup, fill it with as much or as little yogurt as you want, then go to the topping station and add anything and everything to your yogurt. Every kind of cereal, candy bar, fruit, etc. is an option. You should have seen Daniel Jerkins cup... it was ridiculous! Then they weigh your cup and you pay based on the weight of the cup. I remember thinking what a great idea for an ice cream/yogurt place.

Then wha-la! We get one... Yogurt Mountain. I have now been there several times and I really think I could eat there every day. They even have the nutrition facts listed.

My personal favorite is the strawberry yogurt sprinkled with granola and bananas. Based on how much yogurt I get plus the granola, the best I can estimate my cup is only worth 4 or 5 ww points which makes it a very delicious and reasonable treat!

This was my cup from our first visit. I clearly tried a few other things with the strawberry yogurt. If you haven't been there then you are really missing out!

Weight Watcher Update 1

I guess for this month Friday will be my Weight Watcher update day because I go to my meetings on Thursday nights. I am happy to report that my official first weight watchers week was successful! Last week I posted that I weighed 161. Well, that was from my scale at home and without clothes. Fully clothed in my winter attire at the meeting, I weighed 163.2. I'm blaming the clothes.

This week wearing my running attire, I weighed 159.4 which means I lost a grand total of 3.8 lbs! My fear was that I had worked so hard this past week and I was either going to have had no weight loss or have gained...you know because of (cough) stronger muscles. :)

Ok... I know what you're thinking because I thought the same thing. You could easily lose 3.8 lbs. with a good poop. I even said it to my mom, but regardless lost weight is lost weight! I even got a star that says, BRAVO, from the lady who weighed me.

So far I am really enjoying this program. Its easy to do. You can still eat what you want within reason. I also love that it has encouraged me to eat more fruits and veggies. I feel so much better and I can tell that's attributed to what I'm eating. Don't worry I'm not only eating fruits and veggies. I like food too much for that! I'll start posting some of my favorite weight watcher friendly finds soon so that you can see how this food lovin' girl still gets her chocolate fix!

I chose to buy a monthly pass so I could attend the ww meetings for one month and learn how this really works. You go once a week to the meetings where you weigh in and then they encourage you with some helpful tips for the next week. I also bought 2 books that inform you on how many points each food item has. My favorite book is the restaurant guide. It has almost every restuarnat listed and almost everything on every menu. And then I bought a points calculator that I can punch in the nutrition facts and find out how many points certain things have like if I'm at the grocery store. You don't have to purchase all these extras, but after my month of meetings I plan to continue on my own so I knew these things would be very helpful. And they have been a huge help!

So yay for weight watchers. Now go have a good poop and you can celebrate your weight loss with me!

Just Dance

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from D. He was kind of laughing and said, "You're not going to believe it, but they've canceled church for tonight because of the cold weather." What?! It makes since that many people wouldn't come because they didn't want to get out in the cold, but our youth could care less about the weather. So we decided just to have whoever wanted to come over to our house. We had food, D gave a great devotion, and thanks to, Rachel, we had Just Dance! Yes, I know we're baptist...blahblahblah...

This may be one of the greatest games ever invented! Whats so great is that no matter how good or bad you are at dancing you have a great time looking ridiculous as you are trying to copy the characters on the TV. There's no looking cool with this game... unless you play it all the time and have all the moves memorized... which is definitely none of us!

Last night ended up being one of my favorite events that we've ever done.... and it really shouldn't be called an "event" because it was just a random gathering thrown together at the last minute but thanks to technology...text messaging saved the day. We had a house full of teenagers and adults eating, laughing, and looking like fools. Thanks so much Rachel for sharing your game. It was a hit! Its on our list of things to get next time we're at the store! Hopefully they'll have it this time!

Sister

I refer to her as sister because that's what she is and thats what I call her to her face. Her real name is Kacie for those of you who don't know her. And she's awesome. And gorgeous. And totally making fun of my crazy eyed smile in this picture. And I love her.

Monday= Snow Day!

Sunday night we anticipated our winter "storm" heading into our area. Knowing that at times our weather men are not always accurate, I tried not to get my hopes up. There's nothing worse than thinking we'll get out for snow and then not. Its happened more times than I'd like to count.

Sunday night I'm sitting in church listening to D preach and I look out the side doors and see snow coming down... I mean really coming down. Like almost peed in my pants with excitement because I knew it could possibly be enough to keep us at home on Monday. As we drove towards the restaurant after church, the roads were getting nastier. While eating dinner with everyone, I got it. THE text from administration. MR CLOSED. I almost jumped up and did a happy dance but I refrained and continued eating my salad with pure glee.

Being a teacher, I love snow days! I think there's something so special about being able to turn off the daily set alarm, sleep in, and curl up by the fire all day knowing that there is a blanket of snow covering our house. I love it! Maybe more so than my students...

Our backyard...

At 9:00 D and I decided it was probably time to get out of bed. 9:00 sure beats 5:50! While we ate breakfast, I managed to convince him to do p90x with me. We were a sight. We are both athletic, but watching us do some of the moves while dripping with sweat literally made me laugh out loud. He looked like a pro. I was ridiculous. We did the cardio x and ab ripper. Needless to say when we completed it I was literally a hot mess!

After a shower and some lunch, it was nap time. D was working from home so he was upstairs in his office so it was just me and the fireplace from 1:30-3:30. It was glorious until he woke me up because we needed to go run errands. I told him Starbucks would put me in a better mood to run errands. He doesn't like coffee so after pulling through to get his milkshake from Chickfila (yes, he eats ice cream religiously year round!), I got my weight watchers friendly skinny caramel latte...thats only 2 points. His shake... a mere 17!

After running errands, we headed to a National Championship party. D is all about the SEC but I sure thought Oregon had cuter uniforms. It was a great night to celebrate football... which normally I could care less about... but it was a great ending to our football watching season. Ok, I'll be honest... the best part was that I got to play with my favorite nieces. (and Julsie and Sister but I didn't cuddle with them like I did Mags, Lily, and Hallie.)

So snow days... you are welcome here anytime!

One Minute Bible

Last year we took our youth through the One Year Bible. As you can imagine most didn't finish. We tried to think of a better way to get our kids in the word and how to better hold them accountable. That's when D discovered the One Minute Bible. It will take you through the bible in a year with its daily scripture reading. I know what you're thinking... how can you read through the bible in a year reading only one minute a day? Or you may be thinking, you're telling your youth the bible is only worth reading for a minute? Well, first of all the main meat of scripture for that day can be read in a minute. Then there are additional verses at the bottom pertaining to that subject that will take them deeper into the subject.

We, as a youth ministry, will all be reading this everyday then on Wednesday nights D will speak on some of the things we've read throughout the week.


Second of all our kids are excited about this opportunity to jump into the word. The point of this is to get them in the habit of reading scripture every day and then eventually getting them to dig deeper. Once they see how life changing God's word is then when this year is up (or maybe before!) they will choose to spend more time in it on their own. And this is what gets us excited!

10 Things from 2010

In no particular order...

10. I rode a camel... hesitantly...sweaty palms, racing heart and all.... but loved it.

9. I celebrated 4 years of marriage to my favorite person on earth.

8. God used Beth Moore and sweet friends to transform my spiritual life.

7. My sister got married.

6. Heaven got a little sweeter on September 8th. I was so blessed to have had my mom's dad in my life for 25 years.

5. My 2 favorite 5 year olds, my niece Maggie, and my cousin Taylor, started kindergarten. I can't believe it!

4. We did winter jam, grizzly game, memphis game, guy/girl sleepovers (separately of course), d-now, refuel weekend, graduations and graduation parties,
summer camp at the beach, pool parties, fireworks, lake trip, lock-in (or out rather), lazer tag, tailgate parties, ball games, paintball, zoo lights, ice skating, d-groups, gatherings, fusions, snow skiing for winter camp, and so many things that I forgot! Most importantly though we saw many kids come to know Christ or rededicate their lives to him through these crazy activities. We are truly blessed to get to hang out with such incredible teenagers. They keep us busy!

3. Read through the bible.

2. Running fever began.

1. Our Israel trip... simply life changing. I will never read the bible the same way again.

I'm sure I forgot so many other wonderful things that happened in 2010. God has been so good to us. We are so excited to see what God is going to do in 2011!

Wordy Wednesday

Phil Wickham's song, Cannons, is currently one of my favorite songs. We sang it at camp and since then I've had hard time getting it out of my head. It gets me every time.

It's falling from the clouds
A strange and lovely sound
I hear it in the thunder and rain
It's ringing in the skies
Like cannons in the night
The music of the universe plays

You are holy great and mighty
The moon and the stars declare who You are
I'm so unworthy, but still You love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great You are

Beautiful and free
Song of Galaxies
It's reaching far beyond the milky way
Lets join in with the sound
C'mon let's sing it loud
As the music of the universe plays

All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours amen
All glory, honor, power is Yours forever amen

My favorite part of this song is, I'm so unworthy yet still you love me. One thing that I am learning is that the more I know about Jesus the more I learn about how truly ugly and unworthy that I am... yet he chooses to love me regardless. Here's the song live. I think I may have posted it before, but who cares its a good one!

Try it Tuesday

I've been running for over a year and have lost some weight. I am very thankful for that, but I know I have a few more pounds to shed... Like 15-20 would be awesome. I just want to be healthy.... not jiggly and out of breath after walking up the stairs. I do enjoy working out, but I know I can def. up my workout routine. I am currently in the process of doing that, but I think my biggest problem is what I eat and how much. I love food. Any kind... I'm not picky. I especially love junk food. My love for food certainly isn't helping the weight loss process.

I have several friends and family who have or are doing weight watchers and it has been very successful for them. I like that you can still eat what you want, but within reason. So... after talking with the hubs, I'm going to give weight watchers a chance. I began Jan. 1 and so far so good...true its only been 3 days, but its been very do-able. I will go to my first meeting this Thursday. I will then decide if I want to continue with the weekly meetings or go the online route or just do it on my own. I am very excited about this new adventure. I know it won't always be easy,but I'm willing to commit to becoming healthier. I will boldly say that on Jan. 1 I stepped on the scale and it read 161. Heffer. I do know that I don't want to see that number or anything close to it ever again. I'm not embarrassed to post my weight because I plan to keep you updated on the weight loss. And if thats not accountability I don't know what is!

I also know that in the next few years when Baby Jerkins comes I will put on a few pounds. I've just always known that I will be one of those that people see and go, "Wow, how many does she have in there?!" I am trying to avoid that at all cost! So I want to begin now eating healthier and staying in shape so when Baby Jerkins comes I won't exceed 200lbs and become a diabetic. Is that petty and sad? At first I thought so, but for me to be the wife and mom I need to be, beginning a healthier lifestyle is the best thing I could do for my family.

So smaller pants, toned legs, and lower numbers on the scale are definitely reasons to lose weight, but what got me the most was when I was reading Becoming God's True Woman. In the book there is a chapter on appearance. It said (and I"m not quoting because I can't remember it exactly...) We shouldn't strive to get healthy to please others or for the sake of appearance, but so that we can adequately serve the Lord no matter the circumstances. This stepped, jumped, and smashed all over my toes.


This doesn't mean I will deprive myself from my favorite foods, but it does mean I will make wiser choices in what I eat and how much I eat.

So here's to trying...

...for hopefully all the right reasons.

Marine Sgt. Garrett Misener

While on our ski trip, we found out that one of the guys we grew up with in our youth ministry was killed in Afghanistan. We weren't close to him, but we have many friends who were. He bravely protected our country and literally gave his life for it. Please pray for his friends and family today as they celebrate his life.

Marine Sgt. Garrett Misener

Here's the article from the paper today.