Day #3 of Summer Vacation

Our friends came over and we enjoyed our first bonfire of the season last night.  Lots of laughs, yummy smores, and good memories.


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Flag Essay

Our son, Bennett won 1st Prize for the following essay and I thought today was an appropriate day to share it with you.  The following essay was written by Bennett and I have copied it just as he wrote it.  He won $30 from the American Legion for this essay.

THE FLAG
By Bennett - 5th Grade


You get to the game at the high school and you buy your popcorn at the concession stand.  Then take your seat by your buddies.  The home team comes out to do their warm-ups.  Next, after awhile, they announce the starting lineup.  Then finally everyone puts their hand over their heart and the men take off their caps.  Everyone stares at the flag while the National Anthem is being sung.  At that moment is when I feel proud about my country.


To me, the American flag means freedom. Brave heroes fought in wars and other things to keep our country safe and strong.  That we kept our independence after certain events affected our country.  These are some examples: 9/11, also the Pearl Harbor attack and even the Civil War (other wars also).  But all of these times we never gave up.  That makes me very proud to be an American citizen.


There are many symbols that I see each day that remind me about how proud I feel about my country.


In my perspective, I think that red stripes on the flag stand for the blood and the fighting in all the wars that we have had, and that the white stands for heaven and liberty.  The stars stand for the fifty states and to me the blue means freedom.


I'm very proud of my country, my freedom, and especially my flag. That is what the American flag means to me. 

My First Try at Making a Wreath - My Patriotic Wreath

I saw an idea for making a spring wreath on PINTEREST.  But, then spring came and went and I still really wanted to make it.  So, I made a trip to Michael's thinking I could find something to make some sort of wreath with.  I wasn't able to find the exact stuff I wanted, but while there, I had the idea to make a patriotic wreath.

Supplies:

• Foam wreath form - white or green
• Red, white, and blue flowers
• Patriotic ball sprays
• Sparkly yarn
• Patriotic ribbon
• Hot glue
• Wire cutter

I wish I had gotten a white wreath instead of green, but they were out of the white.  It just took more yarn to cover it.  I purchased three skeins of yarn but only used two.  You just start wrapping the yarn around the wreath...adding hot glue as you need it.  Continue wrapping until you have reached the desired fullness.  Then you can just start adding the embellishments and flowers as you want.   Make it yours!

I am truly not a crafty person, but I was happy with my wreath.  It took me only an hour to make it. All the supplies I bought cost about $30.   I plan to keep it out for Memorial Day through July 4th.

Have you made something that you saw on Pinterest?  How did it turn out?

Scenes From Our Week - Week 34

This week was full of memory making.  We closed out the last week of school with a talent show, a spelling bee, a trip to Orange Leaf (a first for the kids).  

Patrick and Bennett performing with the band for the talent show.

Patrick sang a solo at the talent show, "Please. Please. Please" by Shout Out Louds

Patrick had his Pony League Pre-Season Tournament this week.  

Patrick won the 5/6 Grade Spelling Bee with the winning words being "dynamite" and "evidence"

The last day of 6th, 1st, and 5th grades

A surprise trip to Orange Leaf after the last day of school. The kids LOVED it!
Birthday girl and cousin Ali along with her friend Brittney joined us

Ali's biggest fans waiting for her graduation to start.

Godfather Pat and the High School Graduate, Ali

Proud parents with Ali

Our family is so proud of her!

After getting home on Saturday, the kids begged and pleaded for a water fight and got one.  They were so excited and as you can see below....had a great time!

Summer has officially started for our family.  Stay tuned for all our adventures!

Summer Vacation Day #2

There seems to be a food theme here.  After our niece's graduation, we went to one of our favorite places, Carlos O'Kelly's for lunch/dinner.  Bennett LOVES their cheesecake empanada!

Summer Vacation Day #1

We had a make-your-own-subway lunch today.  We got all the fixings and everybody made their own.  Lots of fun and delicious!  We'll be doing this again soon!

Book Review: Making Life Matter by Shane Stanford

MAKING LIFE MATTER

By:  Shane Stanford

Published:  April 1, 2012

*****

In a world of fast-paced schedules and priorities, conversations about what makes for a life well lived are a rarity and a luxury. But what if the daily pace of life held in itself the way to make choices more significant? What if the daily to-do lists gave a glimpse into how people might change their future? What if the daily grind, as arduous as it might seem, held the key to a life full of meaning and potential? What if everyday, simple steps, instead of some complex list of seemingly unattainable principles, showed how to make life matter? Making Life Matter answers these questions and shows that the steps for making life matter are found in rather ordinary decisions, attitudes, and patterns found in normal routines. This book is about our story and our journey, and what we do and feel along the way.

The author of this book has had to overcome some amazing life-changing challenges that were pretty early on in his life.  But, he chose to choose life and happiness.  This book chronicles his life-choices along with other famous people who have had struggles and chose to rise above rather than give up.  People like Felix Mendelssohn, Gilda Radner, Zacchaeus,  and Don Sutton (baseball pitcher) are featured throughout the book and give you a glimpse into a life you didn't realize happened before the "good stuff" arrived in their lives. Each chapter focuses on a different mind-set and challenges you through Scripture and deep, thought-provoking questions, to think differently.

When I saw the premise of the book, I thought, that is my life.  Is all this that I am doing...the craziness, the volunteering, the unending to-do lists.....does it all matter?  Is it really getting me anywhere? Is there JOY in my everyday living?  Well, this book will bring it all together for you.  And, as this book will explain to you, if you are going to take this trip through life and make it matter, Jesus needs to be along side of you.  

Some excellent quotes from the book:

"We are not measured by the events that surround us.  No, we are measured by what we do with those events, circumstances, and situations and by whether we allow them to get the best of our journeys or whether we make each moment of each day mean something more."  Pg 6

"We do have a choice.....in making that choice each day, we give ourselves a chance to make life matter."  Pg 12

This quote was one of those "AHA" statements for me, and maybe it will be for you too....

"God's goal is to bring us closer, not to send us on some game of theological hide-and-seek.  He wants us to find Him, and then find each other through Him."  Pg 53

Finally, another of my favorite parts of the book was Stanford's focus on THE LORD'S PRAYER.  For so many of us, it is basically a prayer from memory, but when was the last time you actually thought about the words you were saying.....not just speaking them from memory.  Stanford breaks the sentences down for us and gives us a beautiful reflection on the prayer.

This book isn't added work, it is bite-size and manageable in your everyday schedule to ponder, reflect, and really think about what matters.  If you are looking for direction or focus, check out MAKING LIFE MATTER by Shane Stanford today.  You can purchase the book HERE.

Shane Stanford is a teacher, speaker and author committed to connecting people in significant relationships with Christ and each other. Shane is committed ot helping people make life matter.  He is the Senior Pastor of Christ UMC in Memphis, TN and the former Senior pastor of Gulf Breeze UMC in Gulf Breeze, FL.  Shane travels extensively sharing his journey as a HIV+ Hemophiliac and Christian minister.  He is the author of eight other books.

"One way or another, by your action or inaction, you define your journey.  Wouldn't you rather it be for the better, making a difference that can change your little piece of the world?"  Pg 16

This book was provided to me free for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  This review is my honest opinion and I only review products that will benefit myself and my family. Thanks to Abingdon Press and pumpupyourbooks.com for providing the review copy.