Travis Concert!

Last night I had the BEST time EVER! I joined some friends at FBC Woodstock for a live DVD and CD recording for Travis Cottrell. I have loved Travis' heart for worship and music for about 10 years. He has an amazing way to blend all types of music with a passionate heart for God, His Word, and equipping others to worship Him. We had a BLAST and we could have stayed all night!

We had great seats and loved catching up together! On the left are some friends from our former church and on the right is a new friend from our current church. I just LOVE hanging out with girls!! I love worshipping with them even more!
This was a live recording, so it was funny to have to clap on demand, laugh all kinds of different volumes, and scream. They will use that to edit the DVD and CD together...just in case we didn't do a good job during the concert. We also had to redo a couple of songs because some of the equipment messed up. We didn't care! We wanted to stay as long as possible since the worship was so sweet! There were at least 6,000 people there last night and WOW was that awesome to worship in Spirit and Truth with them.

In the background of this photo you can see the choir. Most of these were from FBC Woodstock...all 260 of them!!! That is the size of their regular choir...and Travis only brought a few of his friends to join them. It was amazing to sit and hear that choir! Talk about praise.

Of course Beth Moore was there also. She spoke a lot more than I imagined that she would. It was encouraging and challenging! She did a great job and I hadn't heard her in so many years that it was good to hear her heart again. Cindy Morgan was also there to so a song. She performed her song, "Praise the King." WOW...that about knocked me out! She is incredible and I really like her music...though I hadn't heard much of her since I was in college.

We were all so very blessed to have been there. Truly it was the most awesome worship time! I loved being there with friends and so many others that love Christ above all else. Thank you Father for allowing me to worship you. You are amazing...You are a BIG deal to me!

New Feature!

I am going to start posting the daily devotion each day (Lord willing that I am obedient!) both here and on the DFM blog site. So, if you follow both blogs...you will see the same things in both places. I pray that this blog makes a big deal out of God each day...because that is my delight and my honor...and I can't believe He even includes me...a sinner like me. I pray that God's Word is the delight of your soul today.

Blog book update...

I have just transfered my entire blog from 2008 into Word and have begun to format it. It is 488 pages long so far! But, the good news is that it started out at 530 pages...but with my formatting changes it is down to 488 right now. I think I can shave more off of it, but WOW that's one big book!

But, it's so much fun reading back over all the fun we had this year. Right now I am in Disney World and having a BLAST. What a wonderful year we have had...we are just too blessed!

Right now, I am just breathing a sigh of relief knowing that it is transfered and saved on my computer...but there is a lot of work to be done to get it formatted...and then there is the printing. But, man is this worth it! This is better than any scrapbook I have ever done. It's not the prettiest one...but that best. There is so much in this year's blog book than I have ever included in any other scrapbook I have ever done. I love it!!!

OK, back to work...

A YUMMY Saturday!

Good morning from the Worthington family! Our sweet Anli took this picture of us...so she wanted me to include it on the blog. I'm raising my very own blogger here. So, here's a photo from my cutie of our lazy and rainy day together!

This morning, since we had already bought all the ingredients to make a big breakfast in North Carolina...we decided to go ahead and have a fun morning of baking! Anli was completely in charge of reading, following, and cooking the "monkey bread." My mom used to always make this and my family loves it every time I make it. Anli has been helping me with for the past few times, and so this morning since we had lots of time...I told her she could do it ALL by herself.

I did give a little advice now and again...because we LOVE this breakfast and we all wanted to actually eat it. At one point she almost measured out a CUP of cinnamon!!! Can you imagine? We don't even own that much cinnamon...and never mind the fact that Jay HATES cinnamon (but he loves this dish). So, Anli made a wonderful monkey bread...

Can you say WOW! It takes like a million times better than it looks. Great job baby!
Daddy and Virginia made sausage balls...another family favorite! Virginia was a little shocked because this is kind of our holiday breakfast (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.). She couldn't believe we were making it today...since it was JUST a Saturday! Hey, any Saturday we stay home for the day (as our little Virginia is recovering from her sinus and throat infection) is a HOLIDAY to me! She did such a great job helping and they rolled those balls out perfect...these are my two diligent cookers. Anli and I, meanwhile have sugar, flour, and cinnamon ALL over us...but we have fun:)

Jay is off tonight to spend some fun time with his guy friends...and I plan to work on organizing and formatting my 2008 blog scrapbook. I can't wait:)

We've had the best two days together as a family and I can tell you that it's been awesome! Jay and I have had time to really talk about our focus as a family and work on some really great ideas. We've enjoyed lots of cuddle time with the girls...and Virginia is feeling better every day. Sometimes, God allows us to be a little under the weather...to slow us down and help us to rest...and that we have!

This Week at the Worthington's

We've had a good week...but my little Virginia has a sinus infection and a throat infection. So, we were not able to celebrate Jay's mom's birthday. We were really bummed about that...but it has been nice to have an unexpected weekend at home to rest.

On Wednesday night at AWANA, the TNT group was able to have an ice cream party because they brought in the most shoeboxes over Christmas for the children in Haiti. They had a wonderful time and it was very YUMMY! So, yummy that many of the boys had tummy aches from eating so much of it! They survived though:) Here are some of Anli's sweet friends enjoying their treats!

The leaders had an ice cream eating race. Jay got some major brain freeze, but did great! But, it was Mrs. Dawn that won...I am her assistant.

After all that yummy ice cream they made theses precious Jesus loves me bracelets. Anli made hers with Auburn colors to give Grammy for her birthday. We'll have to mail that to her! It was so sweet of her to remember and make one for her birthday.

I am still a very bad member of the 5am club. I have been dragging in around 5:45am...but it has been wonderful! I've had some really great time with my Father and have loved getting so much done in the morning...it really sets my day out right...instead of rushed!

For the past month, I have really enjoyed some wonderful new group fitness classes at Lifetime. They have been really tough...but a BLAST! I usually like to do my own thing when it comes to exercise. I like to put on my music and get to work. But, a few weeks ago a lady invited me to an water circuit class...since I was sitting on the side of the pool watching the girls and Jay play water basketball in the indor pool. Well, I agreed and it was AWESOME...really hard...but awesome! So, I looked over the group fitness schedule and found lots of classes that I wanted to try out.

So far, I have been attending a fitness Pilate's 3 times a week, water circuit training 2 times a week, cardio resistance training 1 time a week, and a dance jam class. They have been really good and it's great to be pushed farther than I would myself and the accountability of a class. I wanted to be consistent for a while before blogging about it...you know how that goes:)

So, it's been a good week and Virginia is feeling better today...just needs more rest this weekend. We are enjoying some rest too:)

Let Us Pray!

A lady in my Life Group emailed me a WONDERFUL link yesterday to join the presidential prayer team. I went to the site and joined not only to get weekly prayer requests...but to join the first 100 days in office updates. PLEASE consider joining this team and REALLY praying for our leaders. I hate to admit that I have never joined this before...but now more than every I feel the urgency to obey God's command in His Word to pray for those He has placed in office and their cabinet.

This is an easy way to have requests sent to your inbox...and then take just a few quick minutes once a week to pray for our leaders. I think we can all do that!

Here is the link to the prayer team...and then check out the 100 days prayer team too. I think these first 100 days are crucial! We need to pray...and not just speculate and criticize.

Thank you so much for being proactive about praying.

Here is the link:
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org

5am Club

Well, my week as a member of the 5am club...should result in an immediate suspension of said club! Monday wasn't so bad as I was able to be up and feeling pretty good at 5:40am. I had a wonderful time with some fabulous hot tea, my Bible, and my journal. I enjoyed some extended time of study and then time to write. I loved having the quiet apartment to myself for a while. When you homeschool...that is about as alone as one gets:)

Yesterday I felt good. I attended my favorite fitness pilates class (it was super hard yesterday!) and even felt great heading into Bible study last night. When I got home...my sweet man had lit some wonderful candles, made my favorite bedtime tea, served up my homemade chocolate chip cheesecake...and we sat watching the snow my the window. That was wonderful...but we talked way longer than my bedtime (now earlier due to the 5am club). I was pretty tired!

But, then I did it. I took a melatonin ('cause I really wanted to fall asleep quickly and hard...so I could get up at 5am). Well, when you need to get up LOTS earlier than you normally do, I would advise NOT taking a sleep enhancing herb!

So, this morning I was rolling in to the 6:30am club this morning:( Well, there's tomorrow! Why join this club you might ask me...

Well, we have finished writing Genesis and the pilot ended last night. It was amazing! If you are interested in Foundation Bible Series and what it's all about...please go to www.desertflowerministries.com. So, now we are moving on to the book of John. I want to stay serious about writing and not take a break...because that is the death of me! So, I want to get up earlier to have a good long time with God on my own, and then enjoy some writing time when the house is silent and I'm not neglecting my kids or husband.

So, perhaps you want to join this club with me? The hours are kind of crazy...but definitely worth the investment...or at least they will be when I finally become a member;)

Take a few moments to pray for our new President and cabinet. Pray for George W. Bush and his family also as they find a new normal. Thank God for being in control and being GOOD!

School Days!

Last Tuesday, the girls had their first day at Timothy Ministry. This is a wonderful homeschool co-op. They offer all sorts of classes for homeschool kids ranging from academic ones (physics, chemistry, language arts, math, etc.) to electives and even languages and orchestra. I couldn't even tell you how many classes are offered.

Many kids go all day because they offer classes from 8am until 4pm. Since the girls already have a private online school...we are only using this for electives! They had a WONDERFUL time meeting all sorts of new friends and enjoying some fun classes!

They are required to wear uniforms...so here they are in their approved hoodies. They have polos that have the logo on them...but it was COLD! Don't they look precious?

Anli is taking:
Bible Study - Wrong Way Jonah: A study on Obedience
Musical Theatre
Home Economics - these are the YUMMY peanut butter balls she made!
Virginia is taking:
Bible Study (same as Anli)
Musical Theatre
Spanish I - Here is her book with all the shapes and colors!


They just love this time! I love it too because I had 3 straight hours of working time. I got caught up on emails, writing, phone calls, blogging, etc. It was heavenly! I am so looking forward to Tuesday and being able to have some time just to work on those things that get shoved to the side! I stayed at the school to help them change classes.

They have to move from the 2nd floor to the first floor and this church is HUGE so it is confusing for us all. In a few weeks I may leave and run errands during that time too. But, I kind of like the time to write!On Wednesday night it was crazy hat night in AWANA! Here Anli poses with her friends. I am the assistant in her class and they are awesome girls! I love getting to hear them memorize scripture and read the Word of God. It's right up my alley!

Jay brought Tulips this week...sigh. They are so pretty!

Happy 8th Birthday Virginia Grace!

Yesterday was my baby's 8th birthday! She wanted to have a Build-A-Bear birthday party with some of her girlfriends. So, we were thrilled that all the little girls were able to join us for an afternoon of stuffed fun!
Virginia picked out a cuddly bunny that was SO soft! She loves bunnies and it was perfect to hug and cuddle. This girl loves stuffed animals and sleeps with a bed full of them each night. So, this was a perfect party for her.

After the girls had their animals stuffed, they got to bath and fluff them. This is Virginia's favorite part!
Here all the girls show off their freshly fluffed friends. What a pretty group of girls!

Then, they all headed to name their friends. Virginia named her little bunny "Fluffy" and Anli named her adorable Koala..."Koale." She also has a bear named..."Beary." We are very creative around here!

Group Hug!

Here the girls show off their friends dressed and ready to eat CAKE! They had a wonderful time and so did we. These girls were wonderful and were a breeze to handle. We told all the moms to go shop or just get a Starbucks for an hour.

Jay left the shop a few minutes earlier to set up the table so that it was all ready when the girls arrived. He did a great job and it all looked so festive! He's a great daddy!

Virginia asked for a Build-A-Bear cake, so this was the result! I had already ordered all the Build-A-Bear plates, napkins, and cups for the party online. So, we just used that as our inspiration. We just used a 13X9 cake pan and then cut the shape of the head out and then used the hat from the left over cake.

We always make the girls' birthday cakes and we LOVE to take on a challenge...though this one was quite easy. The tough part was frosting the cut edges of the cake. Jay is a huge help and it turned out wonderful! She was completely thrilled with it and that's all that matters!

And then there were the GIFTS! This gift from one of her friends was so big we could hardly see Virginia! Everyone was so kind and she had such a wonderful time! We headed home and she played with her new Build-A-Bear Wii game, her new DS games "Tinkerbell", made a castle with her new Moon Sand, and played with her new Barbie, Littlest Pet Shop, and bunny. Whew...what a wonderful birthday!

Virginia,

You are the most precious girl. You have the kindest heart. You always ask what you can do to help, you love to clean bathrooms, unload the dishwasher, and anything else to help around the house. We hardly ever have to ask you twice to do anything at all!

You are so smart and school is a breeze for you. You are just like your Daddy in the way that you love to be at home, playing video games, watching Star Wars, and having time to yourself. You give the best hugs and have the most precious voice. You are a great listener and are quick to obey. You love to draw and are great a memorizing your Bible verses. You love a challenge and always rise to it! We can't wait to see all that you accomplish...we know whatever it is you will fly!

You are such a gift to our family! We love the way you pray most of all. Keep growing in your love for God each day! We can't wait to see what He has in store for you. We thank God for allowing us to enjoy this life as your parents. You are a rich blessing to us! Happy Birthday precious baby!

Love,

Daddy and Mommy

Sledding and Snow Tubing!

After we enjoyed a crisp, quiet, wintery morning Jay and I began to make our part of breakfast for the families and the kids got up and headed directly outside to play! One of the families brought a sled that was so much fun!
Trey, Anli, and Virginia are about to head down the hill!

Anli sleds and covers her eyes on the way down! It was really fast!!!

After a huge breakfast together, our family headed to the snow tubing slopes! We went to Hawksnest and it boasts 20 tubing routes. It was amazing and with all the fresh snow it was wonderful. Since it was a Friday...there was NO ONE there!

The girls enjoy the snow for a few minutes! Can you see how much is piled up behind us? Awesome! It was gorgeous there and tons of gorgeous trees full of snow.

While we waited for our session to begin, we decided to make some snowmen. The powder snow isn't the easiest to make into snowmen though. But, we gave it our best shot! We made teams and got to work. Virginia and I made a cute little girl with a big smile.

Daddy and Anli work on their awesome little snowman. He was SOO cute!

Then, we were headed off to the slopes! We got a little warm after a while and had to take off all our snow gear and just enjoyed the cool breeze. It was such a blast! What a beautiful mountain backdrop to tube down. It was a gorgeous sunny day.

Look at all this snow in the trees. How beautiful these two girls are...inside and out! Jay and I can't think of two other people to spend a day like this alongside. They are truthfully the most amazing girls in the world. They are the best sports...and appreciate everything we do together. It just blesses our hearts to have been blessed with such happy, joyful, kindhearted, loving, helpful, and cool girls! Thanks God!

Heading down the slopes!

Daddy and Virginia on the "magic carpet". That thing was the BEST! You fly down the slopes...and then rest on the way up while the carpet does all the work. It's like those moving floors at the airport...but slower! We went down these slopes about 100 times in 2 hours because no one was there...you can tell from behind them.

Virginia gets ready to ride! She did great...though she stayed on the little slopes the whole time. She tried the really fast long ones once and then headed back to "her" slopes. Jay and I took turns hanging with each girl so that we could enjoy both kinds. Then there were lots of times when we would race down the slopes...since there were 6 slopes lined up here.

Anli decided halfway through to go down on her stomach! I tried that once and it was WAY more scary to me. But, she is such a trip and loves high thrill stuff.

Jay headed down the slopes.

Towards the end of our session, we were quite tired. We had gone down so many times and had so much fun...it felt like we had been there all day! Anli decided to just sit and enjoy the ride to the top of the slope...so cute!

Here is my view as I'm racing with my family down the slope. Just disregard the screams...it's really fast! You can't control how you spin around either. Wild ride! Jay is the little head in the far lane at the end. It wasn't easy tubing AND filming at the same time!

We had such a wonderful day together and we can't wait to go back next year. What a way to spend a day...snow, family, and FUN!