Looking Through My Lens

The Lord has led me lately to work on being more diligent in the things I do. I have found that it helps to get to bed really early and wake up really early too. I am learning so much every day with schoolwork, activities, ministries and projects. I decided to go out, practice and try to improve my photography skills.

Photography has always been an interest of mine so I decided to make today the day to try and excel more in this area.

 Kelly was a willing subject and we headed into the beautiful hot spring day.

It was great fun to look for new spots around our property and it was a challenge to have the right lighting.
The sun kept changing, but it was a great exercise.

My dad and Kelly both enjoy photography and I want to follow in their path and learn what they know about it.

You can make a photo shoot into a memorable experience, enjoying time with loved ones.

 

 I have been enjoying being on this more focused schedule.

Kelly always used to use me as her subject and now that I am older and can use the camera better she is now mine. :-)

I hope that I will encourage each of you to make it a priority in your life to be dedicated in your work, take hold of the precious moments and treasure each day that God gives to each of you on this earth. 

 

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my photos!
Blessings to each of you,
Elizabeth Joy

Car Accident

Just wanted to let everyone know that Tara was in a car accident about 4 pm yesterday. She was rear ended pretty hard and the police found the other party to be at fault (they did have insurance).

Thankfully, Carson was at home taking a nap. Tara is doing pretty well over all but does have some back pain. We were able to get her in to our Chiropractor within two hours from the time of the accident and he was able to make some necessary adjustments.

I am very thankful that she is ok and would ask for your prayers for her healing.

Stephen

He is Risen Indeed!

Easter Sunday has arrived! And once again it is the time when many families and relatives get together and join in the fun of Easter egg hunts, egg dying, Easter baskets, candy, getting your picture with the Easter bunny and don't forget the BIG Easter dinner! My heart becomes saddened when I see all of the ads in the paper and in magazines. They promote the artificial alluring items and events that take everyone's attention away from the true meaning of Easter and what it really is that we are celebrating. Bunny rabbits yes, are fun to decorate with and egg dying is a fun and relational activity to enjoy with your siblings. I enjoy these and grew up looking forward to my Easter basket being filled with delicious candy. But as with lots of other areas in our lives, it is important to sit back, take a look at what our focus really is and evaluate whether or not our focus is on the right things. My admonition for each of you today is to sit down for a few minutes, open your Bible up to Luke 23 and 24 and  I know that you will be blessed as I have been, looking again at what Jesus did for you and me on the cross. But it doesn't end there! Praise the Lord for the glorious victory that we have through our Lord Jesus Christ! Death truly is swallowed up in victory! 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
Jesus has conquered death, for He is not dead, but is alive! Praise God for all of the great things that He has done! So yes, enjoy your families, cherish your loved ones on this special day, enjoy that delicious Easter dinner that you have helped prepare, but don't ever lose sight of the REAL meaning as to why we really celebrate Easter. He is risen. He is risen indeed!
Blessings to each of you,
~Kelly Anne

Our dear grandmother who's husband passed away in February has come to visit!

Remember our sweet little Lexi? She has become quite an addition to our family.

We had such a mild winter that our flowers never died. They look great this spring.

Such a happy day!

Elizabeth made a special brownie for Easter. If you can't tell, it has a rock pathway that leads to an empty tomb!

I tried to achieve a very natural nature theme for the table this year. Elizabeth crafted the felt carrots to hold the silverware from a Martha Stewart show she watched with her grandmother and we added the egg salt and pepper shakers from Pottery Barn this year.

Carson's Ready for Easter Sunday!

I'm Almost 11 Months Old!

Carson Has Some Big News!!!

Hello Daughters of Vision!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carson has some exciting news that he would like to share with you!  :-)

Daddy...

and Mommy...

 are going to have...

another...

 BABY!!!

 I'm a BIG BROTHER!!!

Details to Follow!

There's Always Room for Dessert!

Finally, we have found the time to report about the First Great Christmas Dessert Competition!
First, we had to eat a great big breakfast (so we wouldn't eat all our desserts while cooking them)! :)

Finishing breakfast, the younger girls prepared to head outside to sweep the porch..

But first, this choo-choo train came running by right through the kitchen, keeping the baby very happy!

Now the younger girls moved on to sweep the porch. Unfortunately, when you live so far south, autumn arrives on the same date as Christmas.

With the sweeping sort of done (there will always be more leaves falling, so it is rather hopeless),
they came back inside and the baking began!

What fun we had in the kitchen with all our teams hard at work. And what a huge mess was made by all. It looks like we didn't take any pictures along the way, since we were all too busy with the actual work.
But now, here we were...ready for the judging to begin.

Oh, it looks as though we have some other family members that wanted to be in the picture!
By the way, the desserts did not HAVE to be chocolate. I'm guessing that we all knew that in our family a non-chocolate entry wouldn't stand a good chance of winning!

Here is our brave and very happy judge, holding the coffee that will cleanse his palate between tastings so that all is done properly and fairly with justice for all.

Here he is, digging into the first entry, which is Kristen's Decadent Christmas Brownies. Her special touch was edible glitter which she found at Michaels. It added a very elegant presentation to the modest brownie! The star is a mixture of coconut oil and chocolate which creates a magic shell when it is chilled.

The judge takes copious notes for careful consideration.

Next he digs into Kelly's delectable delicacy, Chocolate Raspberry Torte which she found in a gluten-free magazine. We already know that Kelly's wins for the longest time to make since it took almost forever. When everyone else was finished and playing games, Kelly was still working and working and working some more.
But was it worth it? Definitely! She should also be noted for the largest dessert!

Next we have Tara's fabulous peppermint patties which I believe she found at http://www.elanaspantry.com/peppermint-patties/  They are ridiculously good and could almost be considered healthful. Stephen and Tara were seen running from the freezer and warming them with a blow-dryer, which I think is somewhat suspicious, but we will leave it to them to explain their actions. Anything to win, I suppose. :)   We also have a report of S.C., caught trying to hide Kelly's cake, peering over shoulders for garnishing ideas and swiping tastes from the competition! I'm beginning to wonder if some entries should be disqualified.
But it was Christmas, after all, so I suppose all is forgiven (but not forgotten) :)

Now it was time to try out Elizabeth's Chocolate Cream Pie. She found the recipe at http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-cream-pie/  It was simply amazing. Her advice would be to always read your recipe ahead, because if you didn't know to chill your coconut milk ahead of time, it is a little late to do it when you need to use it. This pie is standing alone without it's whipped topping for that very reason but you can see that it stands alone very well and we never missed it.

Our judge exclaims in total ecstasy! He promises us that all four desserts were truly fabulous! Now wasn't our judge wise? It appears that we have four winners! (I noticed you'all couldn't choose either. :)  So  here are the final results.
 Kristen's brownies won the "Most Festive"award,          Kelly's cake  (or possibly "Kelly's Kake"?) won for "Most Creative",       Tara's mints won the "Most Minty" award, and    Elizabeth's pie won the "Best Chocolate" award!    Now it was time for all the contestants and extended family members to join in the tasting! I think this is something we would definitely do again, providing all the fun of family working together and providing all the desserts we needed for the holiday.
May God bless and keep you tonight and enjoy the Lord and your precious families tomorrow!

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Psalm 116:15

My grandfather, my dad's father (our Pepaw) left this world on the 5th of this month

 to be with our Lord and Savior in heaven.

My family and I just returned home from California where my grandfather was honored with a beautiful memorial service on Saturday and a military burial on Monday. He served his country as a pilot in the United States Air Force for 22 yrs.

Looking at my grandfather in the casket was one of the hardest times in my life. It reminded me once again about the frailty of life and the shortness of time that each of us are given to serve our Lord on this earth.

May we flee from rebellion, foolishness, bitterness and squandering the opportunities given to us by our precious Lord and Savior. May we use these years for the honor and glory that is due to the One who gives us our breath.

 Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

 His love for Christ was evident and I am so glad that we know where he is dwelling right now. Psalm 73:25-26

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

         I love you so very much Grandma and pray for God to heal your broken heart.

                                 He will heal all of our hearts...it will just take time.

                                      As I heard on the movie Courageous, 

"losing a loved one is like learning to live with an amputation, you do heal, but you are never the same."  

                               Psalm 30:5

                " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

I was privileged to sing a tribute in song for my grandfather.

I thank the Lord for the strength, peace and grace that He gave me to hold my emotions together as I sang. . 

My dad delivered a moving speech, honoring his father and delivering my grandfather's dying words to us all.

. 

I had the pleasure about a month ago of flying out to California with my dad

 to help my grandparents move into a new retirement community. My Grandfather was recovering from pneumonia and was on a steady uphill climb. He had decided to move out of his big house and scale down to a more manageable one. I was in charge of doing the interior decorating for their new house.

As we were wrapping up the details and our trip was coming to an end, Pepaw came down with a fever and was admitted to the E.R. with a staph infection and trouble breathing.

I went into his room and told him all about the new place that my uncle and aunt, dad and I had prepared for him and Grandma. I asked if I could pray with him and he said that he would love it if I would.

I did so and thanked the Lord for giving me such a precious grandfather .After doing so, with a look in his eyes as if he knew he might never see me again, he said, I love you, so so much.

 Even being as weak as he was lying there in that hospital bed he mustered all his strength, pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed it. Little did I know that it would be the last time that I would see him.

It was a total and complete privilege being his granddaughter. 

I will never forget my name that Pepaw would always call me...

 "Kelly Girl"

My prayers and heart go out to my dad who is in the middle of dealing with all of the emotions that a son experiences in saying goodbye to a father. I'm afraid no matter where you are in life or whether you are expecting it or not, the void, pain and heartache will just be there.

I am in prayer also for my uncle Clark (above left) and aunts Carolyn and Tracy who are feeling the loss and separation from their dad as well as our many relatives and friends.

Let this be a lesson, to fully appreciate, value and cherish each and every moment that God so graciously gives us with our loved ones. Just like I did not know and was unaware of the short time that I had left with my grandfather, so each of us is unaware of just how many days we have with our earthly companions. 

Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

The night of my grandfather's passing I didn't sleep much but God's peace was there all the way.

 Laying in the dark on my bed, I had a beautiful picture of Pepaw being lifted by our Lord from his sick and dying body and suddenly being overwhelmed by the beautiful and glorious face of our Savior. Picturing my grandfather kneeling and thanking the Lord for His nail scarred hands, enveloped in perfect peace and comfort as he rests in the arms of Jesus who loved him so much, was a great comfort.

My Pepaw was always a pleasure and a joy to be with and had a very personable way of relating to his grandchildren. He always had an encouraging word to say, a cheerful spirit to add to any day, a servant's heart towards others. My mother testifies that in 40 years of knowing him, he was always loving and supportive and he never said an unkind word to her, even once. He was truly a man of remarkable character.

 I know that all of this was Christ’s work in him as he allowed God to conform and

 mold him into the image of His Son.

 He was such an inspiration to me, being the man of faith that he was.

 (Pepaw) your life was full of loving deeds,
Forever thoughtful of our special needs,
Today and tomorrow, my whole life through,
We will always love and cherish you 

-Anon

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4