Christmas Capers #2

Here are some more pictures of Christmas with Chris' family. Oh, and I forgot to mention one of my personal holiday highlights in my last post, that is, going to the Morehead Planatariam at UNC to see their "Star of Bethlehem" project. I'd been wanting to go to the Planatariam for a long time, and this was certainly the perfect occasion. Education, beautiful, bible, stars...what more could you ask for?

Christmas Capers #1

Wow, Chris and I've had a very full holiday and I'm not quite sure where to start. In fact, we have yet another Christmas celebration ahead of us on Wednesday, when we will be having a "Christmas on New Years" with my family in Goldsboro.

To start the Christmas week, we had a great Sunday morning on the 21st, celebrating the savior over a delicious breakfast, in beautiful music, and with bountiful fellowship. That night, my family(who spent Christmas in Florida) took us out to dinner and stoped by for a few pre-Christmas gift suprises(pics below). Monday and Tuesday were slower days at work, unsuprisingly, and looking back I am so grateful for the refreshing time off!

On Christmas Eve we were privileged to enjoy a "Love Feast"(cinnamon buns and apple cider) service at Providence Baptist Church to even further celebrate the season.

Christmas morning was just for the three of us, though we soon headed over to celebrate the day over a delicious dinner with Chris' dad's side of the family. Lucky us, we got yet another Christmas celebration with Chris' mom's family and Grandparents on Saturday. More to come in pictures later. I forgot that we also did one of my most favorite things in the world on Christmas Eve-ice skating! So keeping with the spirit of chronological order, I'll start with those pictures first. Of course, I have tons and tons...my parents gave me a much needed(and up to date, lol) camera this year, which I am wholly grateful for and have already gotten much use from. Stay turned for more Christmas posts!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

Promise to Remember event

Last night Chris and I attended the 6th annual "Promise to Remember" event at the Carolina Theater. The event showcases arts in education and centers largely on Durham public schools. It is hosted by and in tribute to the Matthew Paul West foundation, a cause very near and dear to our hearts, my husbands especially. I had so much fun getting dressed up and seeing all of the wonderful performers, from ballet, to modern dance, opera and even the Durham youth Symphony Orchestra! And of course, I was so proud of my husband who sang "Dancing with the Angels," as seen in the video below(please excuse the quality, my camera-not video mind you- is pretty old!). I know he's been wanting to sing this song at this event for a long time, and I was so excited for him to perform it. :)


*This is the second half of the song...I thought it would be a bit long to blog the whole thing, but trust me it was good :)

Visit www.thematthewpaulwestfoundation.org to learn more.

No clever captions, just a cute Christmas puppy

A 24th B-day and a Guitar Cake

Yesterday we celebrated Chris' 24th birthday :) In true Chris fashion, I made him a guitar cake, a breedlove guitar at that! I was so happy that it did in fact, resemble a guitar AND tasted super delicious! It was alot of work, but I had a ton of fun baking and decorating, and I was so happy to be able to make the perfect cake for my hubby on his special day. It was the perfect "icing" on an amazing dinner at Kanki-unfortunately we were soo stuffed we hardly had enough room in our bellies for cake-that's okay though, I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. Happy Birthday baby!
Piper-My faithful kitchen helper, always by my side, counting on my messy baking and frequent crumblings of icing and batter. He is quite the unbiased taste tester. :)

Adventures in Buttonholes and Ric Rack

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make this o-so-cute jumper for a certain cousin of mine. And while it's not without its share of novice mistakes, I'm pretty pleased with my first adventure in adorable jumper sewing :)
For this project, I mustered up the courage and learned how to make a buttonhole- as opposed to taking the easier velcro route. I was so excited to learn that my machine has it's own buttonhole function; it made the job so much less intimidating. I'm so glad I took the tortoises way on this one, and I'm happy to report that while it's certainly a learning experience, sewing a buttonhole was not all that scary!

In addition to my first buttons/buttonholes, I also pulled out the Ric Rack on this one. "Ric what?" It's that pink, zig zagy trim at the bottom of the dress, and one of my new favorite accessories. I just love my new hobby...who would've thought fabric could be so fun!

A Thanksgiving Medley

Chris and I had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving weekend with family. A few of my highlights, aside from a delicious Thanksgiving feast in Goldsberry, would be:

*My first experience in pie making-pumpkin and chocolate pudding to be exact. I actually made two pumpkin pies, considering that Piper got his sneaky paws on the first and devoured almost half of it before he was caught. Lesson learned-don't put out pies to cool on the edge of the counter! Needless to say, I got some extra practice in, and the second was better than the first if I do say so myself:) See Exhibit A: RIP Pie #1.

*Decorating the Abrahamson family Christmas tree. I'm was so glad to take part in this special family tradition even though I'm married and "grown up" now...it's such a blessing to be close to family, and I'm so glad we can advantage of it during the holidays :)

*Going to dinner at one of Chris' favorite restaurants, Texas Roadhouse, with mom and grandpa. Grandpa lives in FL, so it was a treat to see him over Thanksgiving.
*Shopping! While black Friday didn't turn out to be a sweep for us, I was able to get some great deals on a few Christmas presents. On Saturday, my mom and I spent the day shopping in Durham with my beautiful cousins Gara and Vive :) A leisurely lunch at an all time favorite PK Changs definitely iced our day.

Another milestone of the long weekend was having my mom spend the night at our house-a first in our married/grown up/homeowner life. It was alot of fun and I can't wait for our next get together. All in all, a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend-topped off with another great Sunday in church, playing with the kiddos and getting to know a friend better in the nursery:-)

Thankful...

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adventures in Tote Making

Alas my latest sewing endeavour-the simple tote. As I am still climbing the learning curve of sewing, this very easy project was met with much trial and error. Thankfully, with a little perseverance and some serious pep talking, I finished my project with success. Whew! And to think, I was starting to worry... The second time around was much much easier than the first, and I have to say the third time was a charm. This isn't the greatest picture in that you can't see the little details-i.e the folded over/top stitched top and my mad ribbon skills- but that may be a good thing, lol. It's true, practice does make better :) I'm so excited to start putting my budding sewing skills to good use for gift giving, these totes are just the perfect Christmas/Birthday present(or at least a fun and stylish wrapping for them)!

And of course, Piper(camera hog extraordinaire) had to get in on the picture! What a cutie :)

Youth Weekend, Christmas Cards, Meeting Mr. Coffee, Ect.

Chris and I had a great time this weekend with the youth at Old Mount Vernon Church. Chris had the privilege of leading worship for their fall retreat, themed "Holiness in the Home." Aside from the awesome Scavenger hunt that Chris enjoyed with the youth on Saturday, and the good, gospel centered talks with the teens, I also had the joy of seeing some old Campbell friends. Thanks again to Aaron(the youth pastor) and Sarah Swain-you guys did an great job organizing this weekend and your faithful investment in the lives of these youth shines bright!

In other big weekend news, Lifeway is having a "buy one get one free sale" on CHRISTMAS CARDS!! Yes, it is that time again(well, almost). I was so excited to buy our Christmas cards and can't wait to get them out, I really do love every part of the Christmas season!

To conclude the weekend, we bought our first real coffee maker. I know I know, it's a little overdue. We have super snazzy, overly complicated tazo thing-a-ma-gig, and a french press, but we did'nt have just a regular coffee maker. Also, the fact that I'm not a big fan of coffee, combined with the fact that Chris worked in a coffee shop for so long, slowly but surely pushed the coffee maker purchase to the bottom of the priority list. Anyways, we officially commemorated the moment last night with fresh coffee and pastries, mmmm. Who knows, maybe I'll become a coffee person after all?

On a random closing note, this picture was taken last weekend at the infamous Whirlygig Festival in Wilson. I think it's one of my favorite family photos to date :)

Fun White House Facts

· There are 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, and 6 levels to accommodate all the people who live in, work in, and visit the White House. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 7 staircases, and 3 elevators.
· The White House receives approximately 6,000 visitors a day.
· The White House has five full time chefs.
· For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, a jogging track, a swimming pool & movie theater (thanks to Roosevelt), a billiard room, and a bowling lane.
· At Christmastime, the White House, which will feature 33 Christmas trees and 232 wreaths. President Bush will mail 895,000 Christmas cards. Visitors will consume 20,000 cookies, 700 cakes, 10,000 tamales, 700 pounds of crab, 320 gallons of eggnog, 600 pounds of asparagus and 1,000 pounds of shrimp..
· Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird that flew freely around the White House unless Jefferson had guests.
· Millard Fillmore established the White House library. Before this time there was no permanent collection of books in the White House.
· Rutherford B. Hayes had the first telephone installed in the White House. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, gave Hayes personal instructions on how to use it.
· Grover Cleveland is the only president to have had his wedding inside the White House.

Take THAT Trivial Pursuit!

"America has chosen a president"

My thoughts resound with Albert Mohler this morning in his response to our newly elected President. While the overwhelming Democratic sweep was both surprising and undeniably unsettling to me, I am so thankful today that my hope and confidence does not ebb and flow with the elections. So while I disagree with many of Obama's pillars of change, I know and rejoice in the fact that God is sovereign, he "sets up kings and desposes them." I echo Mohler in saying that it is our duty now to earnestly pray for our new President and his family, and to support and respect him for his God given authority as President.

Below are some of Mohler's concluding thoughts on the election from his article "America Has Chosen A President." Read the entire piece here.

"Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.

Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.

We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.

We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all "

*Soveriegn Grace Ministries has also posted a some great thoughts on their blog entitled "After the Election."

It's Election Day!

Fall Back!

Don't forget to "Fall Back" this Saturday, November 2...I know I need a reminder!

NC State Fair 08!

Chris and I finally made it out to the long anticipated North Carolina State fair this week! Chris especially loves the state fair, and looks forward to it every year. I'm happy to report that we had a great day at the fair, with beautiful fall weather and free parking to boot! It also happened to be World Hunger Relief day yesterday, so we saved big and paid our admission in canned foods :) Here are a few highlights:

When you go the State Fair, you must eat, and eat, and eat. This year, we ate:
1. Polish Sausage
2. Awesome Roasted Corn
3. Authentic Kettle Corn Popcorn
4. Deep Fried Milky Way
5. Funnel Cake
6. Hot Chocolate
7. Misc: Hush puppy samplings, a gigantic Dill Pickle, and a few tubs of honey.

In other fair happenings, we entered to win a collective $15,500 in raffles and free gas giveaways, not to mention a pickle prize package in a "guess the number of pickles in the jar" contest...I'm pretty sure we'll win this one. And what's the fair without NC's finest cows, duckies, and prize winning pastries? We even got to see a free BMX/Motocross show. And did I also say that we got a free "ChamWOW" sample on our way to the Villages of Yesteryear? Ahh the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair...they are truly one of a kind.
This was our third year at the fair together, and were already looking forward to #4! I think I'll have to submit a dessert of some kind next year, or maybe even a photograph. After touring the fun food and art displays, I'm pretty sure that ANYONE can enter, lol. Blue Ribbon, here I come!!! Dare to dream :)

Adventures in "I Do"

In anticipation of an upcoming marriage seminar Chris and I will be attending this weekend, the strictly scheduled, preparation loving angel on my shoulder prompted me to dig around for some "spoilers" so that I would have an idea of what to expect and gather some thoughts beforehand. I found some free marriage and family devotionals on the sponsoring website, and while they certainly would'nt rank in my top 3 as far as resources go , I did find some great pearls of wisdom in the bible verses used and their related thoughts. The verses used in this particular devotional were especially sweet to me because you don't commonly hear them in relation to marriage specifically, though they certainly permeate all aspects of our relationships with one another. I'd challenge you to take some time with your spouse and talk over a few of these simple and encouraging thoughts listed below.

1. "The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you." 1 Corinthians 12:21

-What keeps you from easily and openly admitting your need for your spouse? Tell your spouse why and how you need them. Ask God to give you a true perspective on your limitations, your own dependence Him and each other.

2. "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." Ecc 4:9
-Make a prioritized list of the way you need your spouse-encouragement, parenting, romance, balance, honesty, accountability(a few suggestions)- and then share it with one another. Thank God for giving you someone to experience life with.

3. "Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."James 1:19
-How often are the words "Your not listening to me" spoken between you. Think about one way you can become a better listener.

4. "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up." 1 Thes 5:11
-This devotional talked on the very destructive power of the tongue, and encouraged us to praise each other with our words and to use your tongue to build up and not to tear down.

*Visit http://www.famiylife.com/ for more information.

Grooming Gone Wrong!

Astonished looks, gasps...
Wide eyes..disbelief.
"Piper? Is that you?!"

We took Piper to get groomed for the first and LAST time yesterday. Suffice it to say, Chris and I are down right upset about his first haircut gone terribly bad. Our puppy was hardly recognizable to us. His rich, curly locks that we loved so much are all but gone. The stubborn hair on his head that always stood straight up and that I loved so much about him-gone. Friends, it is NOT cute, and worst of all, he hardly looks like a yorkiepoo anymore! Rather, he now looks like a girl, a dainty, awkward poodle. Apparently, what we meant by a trim was interpreted as a slightly longer buzz. The shear horror.

Fortunately, we know that his hair will grow back, and yes, it is just hair. Even so, we couldn't help battling those initial feelings of "this isn't our dog...where did our dog go?!" Dare I say, we were even a bit embarrassed coming out of PetsMart and I even felt the need to justify his look and explain that he was just groomed to perfect strangers! We had planned on taking some cute fall pictures at a local pumpkin patch with him-now were not so sure. Worst of all, as Chris and I eyed his horrific new do, we knew the unspeakable-that this cut has seriously jeopardized his chances of winning the "Howl-O-Ween" PetsMart costume contest.

I know this sounds ridiculous, it is just hair, but it's just plain ugly. And that is no exaggeration. Piper himself is also going through a mourning period over his lost hair. After barking incessantly at his reflection in our glass door, we decided it was best not to let him see himself in the mirror, at least until his hair grows out a bit-he is terribly upset over it. Not to mention, I'm not sure he was in love with the his first grooming experience as the words "a little wild" and "lost his dinner" were mentioned.

The worst part is that he just does'nt look ANYTHING like the puppy that we've come to know and love for these past two months. I keep telling Chris that it's just a bad haircut, and he is still our sweet puppy and for this short season of his life, we'll just have to get used to it. We're hoping upon hope that his hair will grow back super fast. Oh what new heights of vanity we've reached! Tisk tisk. But of course we love him no matter what he looks like :)

I would post a before and after picture here....but I couldn't bring myself to take the after.

Piper Pics :)

Our sweet puppy turned 4 months old at the beginning of October, soI decided it was high time for a fall photoshoot. He's getting so big(long) and is in dire need of a puppy cut! Chris and I have lately noticed the tufts of hair growing over his eyes, but as I look at these pictures I can hardly believe it...I think I need to stop putting it off and give Petsmart grooming a call PRONTO!

Our Studmuffin...
Infamous "Lion King" pose, background music...

And my favorite, drumroll please....

If only...

We could drive our cars like the Flinstones...
Think about it-
1. Fresh air
2. GREAT exercise!
3. Natural parts-good for the environment
4. No need for ridiculously priced gas
4. No worries about broken down boots, worn out axles and rusty routers!


I mean, not seriously....but seriously.

45 Minutes Well Spent

This past Sunday at Christ Baptist church was especially meaningful to me not only because of the fellowship shared, the celebration of communion, or the blessing of unity that comes from being a member of the local church, but also because of this powerful, God glorifying sermon. I strongly encourage you to take some time and listen to this amazing message by Justin Childers on the Christ centered approach/attitude/response to suffering and grief, made possible only through Christ who is our ultimate life and Resurrection. I know I'll listen to it again, most likely on my way to or from work(because our sermons are now available as Podcasts!). Words I would use to describe this message: Biblical, powerful, life challenging, painfully clear, encouraging, fear quenching, and liberating.

"The Resurrection and the Life" from John 11:1-27.

*You can download all of our sermons at Christ Baptist church at http://www.christbc.com/sermons.html

Scrapbooking anyone?

Oh boy...
I bought a scrapbook at Michaels today. My plate of creative hobbies has quickly grown over me like a monstrous weed...and I love it! Of course I had told myself that I'd eventually get into scrapbooking again- maybe in a few years or when we start to have children, but hey, what better time than the present? Curse those Michaels coupons.

Against all odds, I have told myself that I will not go completely berzerk over scrapbooking-precious time and resources do not allow for it(although there is a new "Archivers" store near us and boy do they have some cute paper!). In any case, I refuse to accumulate an unoranized stack/box of pictures. After all, what's the point of even taking them if your not going to enjoy them?

And while I don't plan on going to Michaels every other day and spending countless hours cutting up pictures and tons of money on zig zag sissors and fun stickers, I am nonetheless so excited to rekindle my relationship with scrapbooking :)

Favorite Beach Pictures

The Lifegaurd Sequence: Chris to the rescue!




A few others:

Adventures in Aprons

So I tackled my first official sewing pattern last week-what a disaster! The pattern was of a very cute apron, both long and short, with a dainty ruffled edge. Not only was it written in another language(literally and figuratively), but it was also incredible assuming(that I was an experienced seamstress) and not "Sew Simple" as the title would suggest.

After way to much time reading the pattern instructions over and over again,I threw in the towel(I then did not stand back and watch as Piper mercilessly tore the pattern and it's carefully cut peices to shreds, and I certainly did not encourage such bad behavoir-nope, not me). So I decided to make my own apron, a la carte! Miles of milestones later, I came out with this:

I was pleasantly surprised at my hard work and am so proud of my first apron. Yes, it has its rough edges, and no, the back does not look nearly as good as the front-but that's okay. I was worried that by the time I had slightly found a clue that I had cut down the fabric so much and it would be way to small for me. It barely passes for my size, and would be a great child sized apron I decided. I'm sure the next time around it will be much easier-after all practice does make better.

In other news:
*As you may notice, I accidentally deleted my previous blog background(oops) and in looking for the original, stumbled across one I liked even better! A sweet mistake.

*This upcoming Sunday we will celebrate the two year anniversary of our Church, how exciting :)

*Last but not least, drum roll...we are beach bound this weekend! Hopefully we will have some sunny weather for our few days in Wilmington. Piper is coming with us too; stay tuned for pics!

Fall Favorites

It's that time again...
The pumpkin shaped candy corn is a Scott family favorite. Like the girl scout cookies, I'm sure the candy corn will become a regular item on our grocery list until the season ends. Just one more thing to love about Fall. (By the way, I'm aware that the official start of fall is September 22nd, but I think it's safe to say that fall starts with candy corn...air go-Happy Fall!)

Praying for Ike

Reading the news on hurricane Ike lately has freshly reminded me of the Mississippi outreach & disaster relief trip I took with BSU at Campbell after Katrina. Having that experience has forever given me a small glimplse of the powerful impact a hurricane can have on a place and people. It's easy to remove yourself from a situation when it's not occuring in your backyard; this article on WRAL this morning awakened me to the need to think and pray for the families in Texas affected by Ike.
The above picture is of a church hit by Katrina(you can see the steeple in the top left). It is one of my favorite pictures I took while down there, and will always be to me a faithful reminder that the church is more than the four walls of a building, and that it will endure forever.

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" - Isaiah 40:12

Tuity Fruity

*Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 kiwi, sliced
1 banana, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1(8 ounce) container peach yogurt

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender, blend the kiwi, banana, blueberries, strawberries, ice, orange juice, and yogurt until smooth.

If you don't prefer some of the ingredients, there is tons of room for creativity-pineapple or fruit punch instead of orange juice, different flavored yogurt, etc. In any case, this recipe gets a healthy 2 thumbs up from me! Oh, and don't forget the whip cream to top it off:) Thanks allrecipes.com!

Rainy Day

Peter, Fisher of Men

I am so looking forward to studying First and Second Peter with the women of Christ Baptist Church. Last night at our monthly Grace Group kickoff we were introduced to the books of Peter after sharing in some fun food and fellowship. I am already encouraged by this ministry and am excited to grow and learn alongside such Godly women.
Somewhere along the way I have set down my awe of Peter and his great influence on the work of the Gospel. Last night I was freshly astonished and WOWED by his faith, boldness, doubt, triumph and confidence in Christ. Taking Carol's lead, I want to share just a few of the many(more than 100!)significant occurrences of "Peter" in the New Testament:

*In Matthew 4 Jesus calls Peter, a fishermen, to follow him & be a "fisher of men."
*In Matthew 14 it was Peter who boldly stepped out of the boat and walked towards Jesus on the water... "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out,'Lord, save me.' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat,the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God."
*In Matthew 16 Peter declares Jesus as the Christ. Jesus asks "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" and Peter answers "You are the Christ, the son of the Living God."
*Jesus says to Peter in Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you,you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church"
*In Matthew 16:21 Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer and be killed, and then rise again on the third day. Peter rebuked him and said "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." Jesus replies "Get behind me, Satan!
*In John 13 Peter can't comprehend the savior humbling himself to wash his feet, but when Jesus answers him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me," Peter replies "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"
*In Matthew 17 Jesus took Peter, along with James and John, to the mountain of transfiguration
*In Matthew 18 Peter is the one to ask how often one should forgive, Jesus answers 70 x 7
*Peter says in Matthew 26 "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away" and "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you."
*In John 18 it is Peter who cuts the servant's ear off when they try to arrest Jesus.
*In Matthew 26 just before the Crucifixion Peter denies Christ 3 times, just as it was foretold. He weeps bitterly after declaring "I do not know that man."
*In John 21 when Peter is fishing with John and they see the risen Christ, Peter is overjoyed, jumps into the sea and swims toward Jesus!
*We see Peter's 3 fold forgiveness in John 21 when Jesus asks him three times "Do you Love Me" Peter resounds Yes each time.
*In Acts 2 Peter boldly delivers the sermon at Pentecost that "cuts to the heart" all those who heard
*In Acts 3 Peter heals the lame beggar saying "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"
*In Acts 9 Peter raises a girl, Tabitha, from he dead
*In Acts 10 Peter is given the vision of nothing being unclean, symbolizing that there is no "Jew" and "Gentile" in Christ, but all are one, thus paving the way for Paul's ministry to the Gentiles
*In Acts 12, an Angel of the Lord rescues Peter from prison

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13

There is so much more! I am particularly moved by Peter's fierce Love for the Son-he is passionate and bold, he does not wait but jumps out of his boat to swim towards his risen savior! Though he clearly doubted and wavered, he repented and believed. His example to others was clear-this man had been with Jesus.

Adventures in Photoshop

Replacing color in an image/adding text.
Contrast/levels for bright colors & brush strokes.

Lasso & the "Gaussian Blur"

Isolating an image/background fill.

Cheers to a three day weekend!

What a nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend we had. My favorite part-probably sleeping in on Monday! On Saturday Chris and I, puppy in tow, went to visit his dad in Durham, and stopped at the Eno river along the way (so much for Piper's bath on Friday night!). After an outside lunch on Duke's famed Ninth street, we made a short surprise visit to his Grandparent's house on the way home. Needless to say, the puppy had quite an exciting day! He is without a doubt the center of attention wherever we go. We are so thankful that he is friendly and gives sweet kisses to his many unfamiliar admirers.




On Monday we had a great time walking around and exploring Downtown Raleigh in search of the "city market." Despite the fact that mostly everything was closed, it a beautiful day for a walk in the city(Piper agreed). Every time I go Downtown I am freshly awed at it's rich history, tall buildings, beautiful park areas, meaningful monuments and it's o so enticing street side cafes & restaurantes. We did find the City Market(A great Photo-Op for those artists at heart!), and look forward to going back soon when things are OPEN...all in all, we had a wonderful time and, as always, vowed to come back more often.



Other weekend highlights-Having a delicious lunch at "Pei Wei," one of our favorite restaurantes-finishing a good book-making Jello and Snickerdoodle cookies-homework(for Chris)-catching some of the Jon and Kate marathon-a cute movie-Piper's first official bath-annnnnddd laundry!