From the Hope Farm - Entries from May 2010

I pull into the driveway, with two completely sand- covered kids. It is 9:30 p.m.  I have what appears to be the makings of a small beach in my van. Sand, sand and more sand everywhere.

Kenimer sighs and says “well, I fink that that was a really fun beach party”.

My kids have sand caked in every crevice of their bodies. The bath episode was more like rinsing collard greens… you know how you have to rinse them 6 times to get all the sand off?

Our Church, Saint Simons Community Church, hosted it’s first family beach night. Hundreds of families set up camp around 5 p.m. There were more blankets, quilts, beach chairs, strollers, and buckets of Kentucky fried chicken than I had ever seen in one place.

There were also lots of dogs, puppies, sand toys, and water guns. Yes, the kids were in heaven. At about 9:15 we were packing up. Tucker grabs the towel and points to the sand-buried quilt and says   “I wanna lay wite der and doe night-night" Did I mention how very tired they were?

So now I am in the middle of getting rid of the small beach that came home with us. A trip to the vacuum will soon ensue - brooms and dustpans wielded like weapons. However, my heart is warmed by how much fellowship and good ole' socializin' was had last night. We made beach camp with three other couples. We set up “the spread”  on a lounge chair, using it as a table. You should have seen two families and a kids- less couple sitting Indian-style around a lounge. Laughter and good food - even if the lounge chair almost toppled every time the kids reached across.

A small grill produced hot dogs and brauts, the three ladies combined edamame, cucumbers, apples, chips, cookies, and other snacks to make a great meal.

My favorite part about this event was actually getting to mingle and talk with church family. Our church is quite large and it’s hard to socialize on Sunday morning when the fear of losing your kids to the enticing stair wells, elevators, water fountains or lake outside are always looming. Shannon and I both met several people we previously did not know.

One boy wrangling a dog while the other yells at cameraman to stop taking pictures!

We made new friends, enjoyed old ones, filled our bellies and embraced the gift of the BEACH.  Even if we came home with our own small beach!

Uh huh. Having a two yr old and a four yr old around makes for ridiculous, crazy- funny dialogue.

This summer we have summer waves season passes. In fact, we are in our 4^th summer of holding summer waves season passes. Our 2^nd time at the park this season hubby missed the turn and had to turn around… Tucker had a fit, he was saying all kinds of stuff and all we could really make out were the words banana and ride. The fit went out the window when we turned into Summer waves and was replaced with screams of joy!

SO once in the park Tucker kept pointing over in the direction of a certain slide. He was dead locked on his plea. I kept hearing banana, ride and eight. What??? I walked over to the slide where you can ride with 2 yr olds in a double tube. He pointed to the top of the slide which has a banana colored topper on it and said “wanna ride banana”, Ok - so he is referring to the slide as a banana - I get it! But then he said “I wanna ride eight on the banana”. I said “Tucker, what is eight?"  He promptly took me to the double innertubes, standing upright by the slide.  By golly I do declare: they are in the shape of the number eight. Mystery solved. I then looked at Tucker and said “Oh, you wanna ride the eight on the banana”?, and he lept with joy. We grabbed an eight and proceeded to go down the banana. It was really fun, he giggled and laughed all the way down. Actually, The whole family rode the eight on the banana multiple times

While Im telling funny stories about my kiddos… let’s talk about my acrobat.

In between services Sunday there was graduation for rising 6^th graders in the clubhouse, Shannon put together a small band and did a song during the commission. I went in there to watch with Kenimer. I was shedding a tear, looking at my friends children who are growing up. I turned around to catch MY monkey climbing on the jeep (the jeep that is a prop!) My nostalgia turned to laughter as I snapped a pic of the little monkey!

                                                           Play by play!

         Ok - so my plays are a little out of order! You get it - right?

 Today is the day. The official C.D. release of “Songs from the Hope Farm”!
After several delays with Discmakers we were not sure we were gonna get the C.D.’s in time today. Whew! The box came today.

Nothing like a good 'ole nail biting to keep you rolling! We had a super fun rehearsal last night. One of my favorites…. no problems, just pure fun rehearsal. It was one of those practices that evokes excitement instead of dread.

My Brother, McKendree Augustas is going to open for us. I’m thrilled that he was able to come! Rumor has it that a few of our out-of-town friends are coming tonight…. Can’t wait to be surprised!  It feels so good to have a long-awaited project done.

There was a nice article in the Brunswick news this a.m. No mis-representaton, accurate verbage - we were pleased. TheWorshipCommunity.com posted a review by a panel of worship leaders. You can hop over there to read it. I just have to state my favorite quote:
" My first listen through the Songs For The Hope Farm worship album was a little like my first experience with Fondu. First I thought it was a little weird, then I started to love it, then I loved it so much I wanted to figure out how to do it at home."
(Sammuel Sutter)Check out the poster below. It was done by SarahDeshaw.com She is an amazing photographer. Check her out for wedding photography and anything and everything in between.

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Uberzoot salon

 Have you heard of Uberzoot Salon?

If not your hair needs to know about it. Not only is Uberzoot a unique high quality salon but Uberzoot is  also a line of hair care products developed by Uberzoot Salon owner, Jimmy Vanboxel. It is located in the Shops of Demere, above locos.

My husband has had two Uberzoot hair cuts/color. Both expreinces have been fabulous. His color/highlights have lasted longer than other color treatments.

Following Shannon’s Uberzoot appointment last week, He called me to say that Jimmy had shaped his long hair into a "metrosexual bob".  Let’s just say I was more than a little worried. The worry all faded away when I saw his hair. Here is a pic of Shannon and I with our crazy manes of hair... we both have a lot of it!

Shannon's bob ( ha!) I love the colors!

Me with the summer "do"!

Other cool things: Jimmy has competed nationally and internationally including the Olympic Hair styling team, winning several national and international awards,   They are currently distributed in salons from Chicago to Palm Beach.
You can read an article about him here

Jimmy is definitely passionate about creating workable hairstyles and effectively delivering. After five minutes of discussing hair with him, you know he has a wealth of experiences and knowledge regarding haircuts. I was really impressed with the verbage he uses while discussing my hairstyle.

For me, I have gotten a little hot-iron happy the last few months... I needed to get rid of some heat damaged front layers. Jimmy create a layered, tousled, finger-run through kind of summer "do" - as he called it - that would work without the hot-iron. He took the time to show me exatly what he was doing while styling my hair.
Chris Moncus of ChrisMoncusPhotography.com said it best "Uberzoot is seriously the premier salon in the area."  I wholeheartedly agree. The attention and service is superb.

Sidenote: The best thing about Jimmy Vanboxel is his sweet, fun wife and their three super fun kiddos. (ok, he's cool too!)
Treat yourself to an unberzoot haircut today! Anyone out there wanna hire me to promote you. It comes naturally I tell ya!

We’ve turned a corner.  Yes siree, a major corner.

I (mom to two boys, age 2 and 4, and a health-conscious eater, myself) am constantly trying to instill healthy eating habits for my boys.  Yeah - we sometimes eat fries and burgers: we eat the worst during busy times.

My standards are improving weekly and I strive to follow a healthy diet.

With that being said, I make salads for Shannon and I with dinner. The boys? They get what I call creative salads. The process of swallowing lettuce and spinach has historically been a challenge. Maybe it's kinda stringy for a 2 and 4 year old pallete?

Their salads take on the form of one of the following:

 Cucumber slices with lemon pepper, carrots, bell peppers, celery or tomatoes with ranch or some other dip.

But.... last.... Sunday...  A Most Unbelievable Happening ... well... HAPPENED!.

This particular Sunday, Kenimer (the oldest) rode the staff bus home with Daddy and I brought the two year old home. The youngest had already eaten and was napping. I made myself an amazing spinach salad with some carrots and cucumbers then I bathed  it with Hidden Valley Hickory Bacon (a new type) dressing!

Kenimer walks in with Daddy, comes to the table, and says “mommy I want a salad just like you”. "You're kidding" – My thoughts are – "you spit out lettuce every time I try to coerce you into eating it." I attempted to explain to him that he didn't like spinach. He said, "no mama, I want a salad just like you." My Kenimer is a four year old that knows what he wants.

So I made him a salad just like mine. I even put it in a glass bowl - like mine. I sat down beside him and to my surprise he ate every single bit. He even "mmm’ed" and talked about how yummy it was. He said things like "I'm eating a salad like mommy",& "I like salads like mommy." I couldn't decide if he really liked the spinach salad or if he just wanted to do what I was doing.

Nonetheless - HE ATE A SPINACH SALAD – every last bite.

Yesterday was Thursday – it was not a good day.

Yesterday does down in history as 1 of the top 5 most discouraging days in the last 6 years.

So, it’s a good thing that I started reading  Strengthen yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson to my husband last week.

It’s a good thing that I wrote a blog on Wednesday about HOPE. 

It’s a good thing I read a devotional Wednesday night about trust and provision.

It'a s a good thing I woke up this morning with the start of a new song. 

It’s a good thing that He said if we wait upon Him, He will renew our strength. He also said we will mount up with wings like eagles.

It’s a good day.

Saint Lewis (yep, that’s us) is opening for the Matthew West concert tonight. I'm excited and honored to be able to share three original songs with the crowd.

Here is another good Friday! May 21 … Check it out...

My husband has quite a way with words.  He has a  long history of writing reviews for anything and everything (It goes way back to college while working for, and co-founding his own, magazines). He continues to write reviews for many bands, authors etc. Mail is always fun when we get a brown envelope with a new C.D. or book.

So the other day, we received something we had never reviewed before! A children’s book titled Our Home is like a Little Church. More fun was sure to ensue when hubbie announced he was going to let the kids help review it!

This book is a phenomenal way of showing parents how they can be primary spiritual leaders in their children's lives.  However, I do have one concern: the book definitely emphasizes the Father as the spiritual leader of the home. I strongly agree with this position, however what about children raised in single-parent homes, or homes where the father is not a believer?

Otherwise, the book is a beautiful illustration of teaching your children the ways of the Lord- and while I could try to recap - it’s best told in his words.  You can read Shannon’s review here.

Consider buying the book for under 5 bucks!