My Grandma

A quick note asking for prayer. My grandma is in the hospital after being sick for a few days. She is doing better now and had a blood transfusion yesterday and is starting to have more energy. So I came home to Evansville for the weekend but stayed today to be with my family. I will post more later.



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The Chicago Cubs

I married a sports fanatic. I knew this way before we were married but now spending every day with him I realize that I was woefully unprepared to for watching sports. Some shows I watch, Joe may not want to watch but most TV shows are only on for a certain part of the year anyways. However, sports on year around! Before Baseball is even over, Football starts, and then Basketball and the cycle starts all over! And now tonight the Cubs have made the playoffs and today is day one! Cubs have been in Joe's blood for generations. I was also unprepared for the amount of baseball there is to watch. They play almost every day!

If you do not believe Joe's Cubs passion take a look at this cake at our wedding reception!

I really hope the Cubs win the world series this year because that will make one happy Joe!

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It's Beginning to Look like Fall

Fall is officially here. Although I do love warm weather, Fall is a welcome change with all of the beautiful colors and fall activities! Last night the youth had their outing after church and we had a hotdog roast and we sat on bales of hay and played corn hole. I really wish I would have brought my camera!

Friday night, I attended my first Jennings County High School Football game. I brought my knitting to keep me entertained during the game. I am glad that I can start knitting things that I can wear soon!

My big plans for fall are pumpkin carving with Joe, I have never done a corn maze before, getting fall decorations for our house, and I want to visit Brown County which is supposed to be beautiful in the fall. What are your plans for the fall?

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Babysitting Adventures

On Thursday, I watched our friends' children who are three and just one. We had a fun afternoon changing movies a bunch of times, playing in the church's playground and their favorite playing the piano! Joe came and played with us on his lunch break.

But what I learned from my day with children is that I love just being married right now. The kids were really fun and I felt like a mommy for a day but it really nice to give the kids back to their mom!

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Light the Night

On October 11, Joe and I are participating in Light the Night Walk in Indianapolis for Leukemia and Lymphoma research and awareness. Our friend Nathan was diagnosed with Lymphoma over a year ago and is doing really well. My goal for fundraising was $100 and I thought I would post my Fundraising Page to see if you would like to donate. Any small bit helps!

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TV Theme Songs

Did you see Josh Groban at the Emmy's? I laughed so hard!






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Packed Sundays

Sundays are so busy! We pack so much in them! Yesterday I got out of the shower to get ready before Sunday school to find Cooper chomping on a melted King Size Hershey chocolate bar! After an emergency call to the vet and carpet cleaning, I made it to church but missed Sunday school. After church the choir had a pitch in and started preparing for the Christmas cantata. After a Sunday afternoon nap it was time to go to choir practice and Sunday night services. The youth afterwards are going door to door in North Vernon asking for how they can pray for them. I had to go home and soothe my sinus headache. Why do we pack our Sundays? :)

A quick funny story. Joe came home with an Air Wick that sprays air freshner every 15 minutes or so. It is sitting on our TV stand in the living room. Every time it goes off, Bella and Cooper run over and bark! Every time! You would think that maybe they would get used to it!



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My Week

We finally got back power on Tuesday afternoon and not a moment too soon. I am so thankful that God did not call me to be a pioneer because here it was not fun! It was nice because I picked up extra hours at work so I was only home in the evening with no power. Monday Joe and I used the projector at church and watched a movie because we did not want to stay home in the dark! :)

But now I am sick with a cold. Because I work with sick kids all day long, this winter will be a doozy (yes I can use doozy!) trying to get my immune system in shape. I am the biggest baby when I am sick. Yesterday I lounged around and got up to run to the grocery store to restock our fridge because we lost so much and to make a quick dinner for Joe. I am one poor Alison! I feel bad for Joe having to put up with me. I think a Friends marathon sounds good tonight to help my woes! What do you like when you are sick?



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Power Out

Who know how much I really love electricity, I mean LOVE! Our power went out yesterday right after church and it is still not back yet! They say it could be a couple of days...and I won't even tell you what happened last night but let's just say that candles unattended near a curtain is NOT GOOD!! I had Joe let me into church to check my email so hopefully I return someday soon to land of power and Internet and Jon and Kate Plus 8!!



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This Makes Me Smile!

There are certain things that make me smile!

I came home to a clean house tonight when I got off work that Joe cleaned!

That little critter was there to greet me when I got home!

Date nights with my husband

Yarn for knitting and crocheting projects

Office supplies-It's weird I know!

Ice cream

Traveling

What makes you smile?

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Fall Reading

I posted a section on the right side bar with what I am reading this fall. One is for my SWI class, some for church ministry, and some for personal like cooking and home decorating! I have always enjoyed reading and frequently bother Joe with my night stand lamp at night when he is sleeping! It's wonderful to be out of full time school and able to read and enjoy the books that I want.

What are you reading this fall?




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Peace Making

On Monday night, Joe and I along with Mike who is the Discipleship Pastor at our church and his wife April, attended a conference at Southern Seminary (where Joe attends) on Peacemaking for Marriage. Ken Sande, the author of The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict was the speaker and did a really good job of providing Biblical and Simple ways of bringing peace in your marriage. What really struck me was when Ken said that good communication is not the key to marriage because good communicators can also be good manipulators. The key to a Biblical marriage is forgiveness. That is something so simple but so hard in any relationship but important in displaying God's love. I know that I can personally harbor bad feelings for days without speaking of them but it can show in my attitude or how I treat Joe. Monday night was a good reminder to breathe grace to the people around me, especially to my husband.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:34-35

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Bird Feeders

We have three bird feeders in our yard. When we left for our honeymoon, families from church came in and cleaned our house for three days and left us surprises. One of those were bird feeders. And we always have birds! These feeders are in the yard in front of my kitchen sink. As much as I hate doing dishes, I like to look out of the window and see our neighborhood birds! Does this make me an old lady?

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Getting More Out of Sermons

I have been convicted about the application of sermons I hear on a weekly basis. It is so easy to get convicted from a sermon and then forget it the next day. I was reading through Thabiti Anyabwile's book What Is a Healthy Church Member? about what it means to really listen to preaching and apply it in our lives. My new resolution is to apply what I hear on Sundays. My wonderful husband is going to preach through 1 Corinthians in the morning services and Exodus through the evening services. My goal is to take notes during the service and throughout the week I will look at the notes and study them. I also can prepare for next week by looking ahead. Thabiti mentions that you can even ask your pastor what text he will be using next week. I am sure Joe would be thrilled if someone did that! I wholly suggest getting his book if you want to know more.

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Salsa Recipe

I have been wanting to make some homemade salsa. Joe and I love to go to Chili's and get the chips and salsa so I found a recipe that tastes similar to that.

You need:
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes and juice
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes and green chilies
4 teaspoons of jalapenos
1/4 cup yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of sugar

I pulled out my food processor I got as a gift and first added the onions and jalapenos and pulsed that for a few seconds. Then add everything else and process it and stick in the fridge for a couple of hours for the flavors to come together.

Easy as that!



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Meals

I have found that I kind of enjoy cooking. And I have found that I am not half bad at it. I like to grocery shop and try to find meals. But I am horrible planner of meals. If I have a day off and want to cook, I look through a couple of cookbooks and then go to the grocery store and cook that night. But as seen by this past week, that didn't happen. In fact I haven't cook in over a week. So I need to get better at planning meals! I just finished searching for meals for the week, which includes vegetable soup, pork chops, and roasted chicken. I wrote down all of the ingredients and about to head to the grocery store. I know this will make hubby happy! How do you plan for meals?



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Cooper: Bug Catcher

I know I give Cooper a hard time. But there are some really funny things about Cooper. In fact, Cooper is a bug catcher. Yes he is. If you say to Cooper, "Cooper, get that bug!" he leaps up and tries to find what you want him to get.

This is unsuspecting Cooper

Cooper!

Get that Bug!!

Are you sure there is a bug?

Time for a nap!

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Georgia!

We returned tonight from our weekend trip to Georgia to see the Beck family! It was a fun relaxing weekend just spending time with them! They serve at New Holland Baptist Church. We also visited Joe's old youth minister Rob who serves as Music Minister at Blackshear Baptist Church which is only a few minutes away. Bella went on the trip with us too so she could visit the Becks. We couldn't trust Cooper in their beautiful home so he stayed behind and had a boys weekend.

We attended both churches on Sunday morning. We had already left for Blackshear when the Becks were leaving for morning services. Bella went outside with them and they felt so bad leaving her that they took her along to church with them! They put her in Jon's office and let her listen to sermons on the radio. I think we are refreshed to start our new ministry here at Bethel!


This is Bella on the way down. She slept in the backseat of the Bug.





















This is Bella and the Beck dog Lucy.

















Us with the Beck family at church after Joe preached Sunday night.















What did you do for Labor Day?





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Off to Georgia

Joe and I (and Bella) are off to Georgia to visit our dear friends the Beck Family. Jon was former pastor of our church and he officiated our wedding. They have three students in high school. We are leaving as soon as I get off of work and will return on Monday so I will be absent from the blogging world for a few days. Georgia here I come!

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Snapping Pictures

I got a new camera so I decided to have a Cooper and Bella photoshoot.














































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