Courageous! [the movie]

Dave and I got to go see a prescreening for the new movie, Courageous, that will be coming out in Sept. Here we are with one of the actors (the boss who interviews Javier). We were blown away by the movie!!!! It is the best movie Dave and I have seen.

Here's a bit of the synopsis (italics by me):

Filled with action-packed police drama, COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. (the ones who made Fireproof). Riveted moviegoers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering (It's true. We laughed! We cried! We cheered!) as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.(I was challenged and inspired just as much as the dads in the audience! Anyone will be impacted by this movie). Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That's courageous.

And here we are with another actor in the film who plays the main character's son, Dillon.

I think all the Pastors in our area got the invitation to prescreen the movie along with any other ministry team leaders of the church. We cannot wait to watch it again! We can't wait for our kids to watch it too.

Just as their third film, Fireproof, had the following book, The Love Dare, Courageous has 2 books: The Resolution for Men and The Resolution for Women. We got a sample chapter from each book and I am snatching up the Resolution for Women right now! I want to do this book with my book club in the fall. I was so convicted by the sample chapter; guess what it was all about....contentment! (goodness knows I need that) Perfect timing. Great writing by Priscilla Shirer. See info about book here.


To make the night as perfect as could be...Dave and I had a steak dinner before hand...just us, good food, and some crayons. What could be better?


luv :)




Bottom line- make sure you see this movie when it comes out. It will change your life and inspire you! (and make you cry...multiple times)

our artsy 5 year old

She is colorful

and creative

never boring

she is always on the look out for more scotch tape

her room is her canvas

her latest sculpture, "Hanger Surprise"

Everyday is an adventure with these children of mine. Thank you, God, for trusting them to my care. I pray that each day would be one that I would embrace as a time to love and teach. To listen to them and take the time to look into their eyes. That I would not seek to just please myself and take each moment I can to sneak off to do my own thing...but that I would use those moments to talk to my precious ones about You. To tell them of Your wonderful Love and salvation. To read them stories and answer the many questions they have. I pray that You would bless this summer- that You would help me to respond to my children in the right way and to enjoy each moment. To savor this time and to be thankful in all things.

cupcakes!

We went to Gigi's cupcakes for our last day of school celebration extravaganza. It was an extravaganza all right! These cupcakes are amazing. Gigi's is a chain- so you may have one close to you. The cupcakes are so rich, that I would recommend eating half there and the other half later. I was in a coma for the rest of the day after eating half of my strawberry shortcake cupcake, bites of my girl's Midnight Magic Chocolate on Chocolate, a bite of s'mores, and a taste of the middle child's banana split cupcake.....


About the diet and the weight loss...........:)
You remember I was on the 17 day diet for about 15 days- typical sara-style- get it almost done.


I missed carbs so much that I am basically back to eating like I have always eaten and I gained back the 3 pounds that I lost- BUT..



But- I have started doing the 30 day shred work out video. I've been doing this for about 3 weeks and feel great. I have so much energy. My new philosophy is to work out like crazy for 25 minutes a day and then eat like crazy the rest of the time and this equals happiness ;) To tell you the truth, I would love to get to a place where I am working out like this (it is a good, hard workout for your whole body; strength training, cardio, and abs) and eating super healthy. But I can't seem to do all of that at one time.....yet.



God has been teaching me; little by little, to be content. To not be obsessed about trying to be thin- to not be obsessed with eating, to not be obsessed with eating only organic- to not be obsessed with anything but serving Him to the best of my ability and then to work out every other area in my life in moderation. Have I mastered the art of this balance??? NO! I am such a work in progress. But there have been several things helping me on the way....

1. The Bible- always the best source for any subject.
2. Dave- he is a calming influence in my life and when I freak out about a new diet- or why my workout is not causing me to lose 5 pounds a day...he calmly gives me good advice and helps me to see the balance and also the slow progress I am making.
2. These pod casts: one, two, three. (Food, Beauty, and control)
3. My church- we are constantly convicted and taught in the different areas of the Christian life- and when we are busy mentoring others, teaching our kids, encouraging our friends, reading God's Word, being sweet to our husband, spending time in prayer...then the other areas of our lives (food, diet, self image, discontent) seem to get back into balance or disappear- as in the case of discontentment.



Anyway! As you can see, I am pretty up and down on this stuff....but my desire is to lead a healthy and balanced approach to diet and exercise and that my whole focus would not be on me, me, me and how can I be thin, and how can I be as beautiful as that woman I saw on tv, etc, etc, etc. And there will be days when my thoughts and actions go right back there. But my desire is that each day, I will read the Bible, that I would be close to God and that His desires for my life would be my desires. That I would be an encouragement and joy for my family. That I would not be so focused on myself that I cannot see others around me.




How about you, which part of the cycle are you on? Diet + exercise, or trying to find a Gigi's Cupcakes nearest you?!?!

chalk + clipboards

I copied the chalk pots idea from Country living. And I can't bear to erase the 5 year old's graffiti. That is her rendition of my name, 'SAOA' (what can I say? She is homeschooled)


These clipboards are handy + fun- I can change out the displays easily and clip up a recipe if needed.


Clipboards and chalkboard paint make this space so customizable! I can change things at a whim.

Are you having a good Sunday? I hope so. Looking forward to this week- our first full week of summer vacation. I saw a good post to kick off the summer with here. It's all about being there for your kids. Parenting is not for the weak of heart!!!!!! But with God's grace and help and wisdom, we can teach our kids and love them and enjoy them daily. My goal this summer is to keep the outside commitments to an all time low so that I can keep commitments with my family. I don't want to be running crazy and neglecting my #1 job!!!

new

A rainbow has come to our table!


Green!


Redish!


Blues...


Orange ya glad there are orange patches?


I am so happy with the eclectic colorful result of my late night sewing spree.


This pile is a happy pile


And the backs! Look at the back!


Surprise! Flower, you used to be on a dress worn by our girl! How special that you were recycled into a friendly mat.


mmmmmmm


Roll call:
Blue!
here
Green!
here
Yellow!
I've been here (that was the one I made about a year ago....it has been waiting.....)
Orange!
here
Red!
present


I love you in the morning....


And in the afternoon....



I love you in the evening underneath the...
.
.
Saturn.



Backwards or forward...


This one looks like summer shorts


Each meal you will get a different feeling...and a different color


Best for last. As much as I love the patchwork side of the blue, the polkadots are loveable too :)

just an old burlap sack

Do you love it as much as I do?? I saw a similar idea in an old Country Living...and I stitched this up with many knots and tangles of red thread. I like to make it look like I meant to do that....shabby knots and frayed edges. Sara's Shabby Slapdash Sewing!


Maybe because today is the last day of school (!), maybe because we found so much inspiration when we went strawberry picking, who knows why....but I have been on a creative surge. Last night I stitched up 4 patchwork place mats. I was getting ready to go to bed and there was this magnetic pull to my art room and before I knew it, there were fabric patches all over and the sewing machine was smoking! Can't fight that creative urge when it happens :) I'll share those place mats soon.

jam and paint

We completely reveled in our fresh strawberries.

We ate strawberry salad....


Strawberry jam on toast......

I won't tell you how many jars of strawberry jam we have already eaten :) :)


Inspiration struck!! We drew strawberries, traced them with black, and painted with watercolors.


What could be more beautiful than a strawberry?!


Paint, paint, eat a berry, paint, eat some jam....


My kitchen likes the new art.


My chalkboard wall likes it too.


Strawberry LOVE


Strawberry + purple paint + polka dots = happiness :)
....................................................

Thanks for voting for your favorite room in my house. That was super fun. The upstairs hall/book wall won hands down. You guys are great! I love your feedback. It has been good to hear from some new readers too...thanks for visiting me here. Please make yourself at home at my art house :) :)

strawberry day

Yesterday was a little overcast- but the rain held off so we could get our berries!



First off- we checked out the flowers. Isn't that chair adorable!?


I even bought a few tiny little flowers. I am scared. I know I will kill them and it makes me sad that I would buy them only to kill them :( But you never know. I am a tiny bit hopeful that if I plant them in a pot by the door, we will see them and be reminded to water them.


More flowers! Pretty.


Time to pick!


Pick and eat. One for the bucket- one for the mouth....




All in a days work....


We got to feed the fish and.....


play around with the wagons. See! There are my pink flowers! Take a good look...because you may never see them alive again.....



The night before I had made a jello pie (make jello, mix with cool whip, put in a graham cracker pie shell, refrigerate)


A nice compliment to our strawberries.

OK- now on to our next mission: We are going to make..............no, no, I can't tell you yet- you'll have to guess...........


Cutting the strawberries......




Mashing the strawberries....(do you know yet?)


Mixing the strawberries with sugar and more sugar and more sugar and a little lemon juice, and some certo....you must know- YES! We are making jam for the first time ever!!!!



We made freezer jam which is really easy (but very messy).



I feel like Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart all in one!!! Although I am sure their kitchens do not look like mine did! It was a disaster and sticky everywhere. But it was worth it- and in the next weeks when we open the freezer and see the jam ready for us- that will be PRICELESS :)

The jam tastes awesome. At first the kids said, "it doesn't look like Gramma's jam. The chunks are too big."

But then they tasted it and their frowns turned to smiles :) :) It was my mom who inspired the jam-making. She is always bringing us freezer jam and Dave adores her freezer jam. So she told me to go pick berries and make Dave some jam.

Here is the freezer jam recipe we used. Have you ever made jam? Are the berries ripe where you live?

(blogger has been weird the last 24 hours, right? It was totally down- I could not post anything, and then it erased my last post. Sorry about that.)