How Old Is Jack?

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How Old Is Amelia?

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

His Master Plan

Here in our community of Savannah there are always new homes being built. Right now on our street, 2 new homes are under construction. Just yesterday we were out front watching all these men working, building these new homes. As I was watching I was thinking – how do these construction men know what they are doing? How are they using the concrete, wood, nails, all these things that seem so small and insignificant on its own, putting them together, and turning them into some persons beautiful home? The process is so messy. There is dirt, wood, and nails all over the place. If you look at the lot and what is there you wonder, how do they know how the pieces all fit together? The answer is of course that there is a master plan. The master plan shows that the end result is a beautiful, well constructed home. These construction workers know exactly what they are doing and that each step in the process must be completed before moving on to the next step. They must follow the master plan exactly to achieve the desired end result.

This reminds me of life. We all have a plan, a plan and a picture in our mind for a beautiful life. But things happen in life and our plans don’t go the way we planned or wanted them to go. But the Lord is the builder, the one that has the master plan for our life. In James 4:13-15 it says, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” In the footnotes of my bible it says “It is good to have goals, but goals can disappoint us if we leave God out of them. There is no point in making plans as though God does not exist because the future is in His hands. The beginning of good planning is to ask, “What would I like to be doing 10 years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will I react if God steps in and rearranges my plans?” We can plan ahead, but we must hold on to our plans loosely. If we put God’s desires at the center of our planning, he will never disappoint us.”

I’ll be the first to admit, I do not like it when plans don’t work out the way that I wanted them to, or that I get frustrated when thing take longer to happen then I expected. But I am in the process of learning to trust in the plans the Lord has for me, to believe that His plans always work out better than I could have ever planned for myself, and that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for everything He puts us through. It is all a part of his Master Plan for this beautiful life He has made for me. So no, the plans as far as I can see don’t always look like that beautiful plan I had pictured in my mind, but that is just because He is working on all those other details that I can’t even comprehend at this moment in life. I am learning to rest in the assurance that God has complete authority in every situation and over every situation that He has put me in. We just need to be still and rest in His perfect Master Plan for this life He has given us.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Malazzo

Last night my cousin Jorden got married!!! The wedding took place at the ranch of a family friend. The whole evening was beautiful and perfect!!! The Wedding ProgramWedding on a Ranch

Father of the Bride - right before the ceremony began. I loved all the black cowboy hats!
My brother Alex on the roof of the house. Alex (along with Aaron) were the videographers for the wedding.
The bride and groom. Papa (the grandfather) was the minister at the wedding.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Malazzo!!!! Congratulations!!!!
This ranch wedding even had bonfires at the reception.
So cool...there were 3 horses in the barn.
We did lots of country dancing in the barn with the horses.
Snack time for the horses.

If you ever have a need for a videographer, these two guys come highly recommended. They do fabulous work! Calahan sure was happy to see his uncles for the short time they were back in town from college.

Yes, I know it is odd to post a picture of an outhouse, but this one is incredible! It was built special, just for the wedding by the ranch owners. My Uncle Scot even made the stained glass window on the door.

Happy Honeymoon in Mexico, Jorden and Jeremy! We are so excited for you both!

Happy Halloween

Every Halloween since we have been married, Barrett and I go around the neighborhood with our nieces and nephews while they trick or treat. We look forward to this each year. This year we were able to bring along our own little trick or treater - JAVA!!! She dressed as a ballerina in a pretty pink tutu. Our 2009 Family Halloween Picture
Our dainty ballerina - I know a delicate ballerina costume doesn't match Javas personality - but it's Halloween! She is pretending. :-)

Cal (yellow), Dylan (black), Cami (Cinderella dress), Chandler (long black hair with hat).
There are always lots of trick or treaters walking around Savannah on Halloween. This year seemed extra crowded! It is so much fun seeing all the costumes and watching all the children run from door to door collecting candy.
Every year this one home grills out hotdogs and gives them away instead of candy. Cool idea!

Dylan and Calahan
The neighbors right next door to the hotdog people had baskets of apples, pears, and bananas to choose from. No need to eat before going to trick or treat...just eat as you go! The kids really loved this.
Candy....and this is just from Korbins bag of candy!!! WOW!!!

Funnel Cakes

Okay...after a visit to the Texas State Fair and then a visit to Mckinney Trade Days where I was surrounded by funnel cakes, I decided that I must have one!!! Never really had I thought that I myself could make a funnel cake, but I hopped online and found a recipe. They were delicious! If someone told me it was a fair funnel cake, I would have believed them. Try it sometime. You will love them!
Funnel Cake Recipe
(found on allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix salt, baking powder, and half of the flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream eggs, sugar and milk. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Continue to add remaining flour, but use only enough to achieve desired consistency. Batter will be thin enough to run through a funnel.
In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown. Use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side one minute. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar.