An Easter Blessing

Well we moved! I've been keeping it quiet for some time. In part because I was waiting for something to fall through (it didn't) and partly because of shock. The Hubs and I hadn't been "looking" to move but found a wonderful property for the kids to run free on and felt like it was from God. It almost felt like God had heard every conversation we had had about what the perfect house looked like to us and He said,"Here you go! Now on faith, act on it!" And so that's what we did, two months prior and here we are today. I feel so blessed. Everytime we walk outside and hear the kids running and playing, I feel like we are FINALLY home. I've been calling this our growing up home because 1) I want to watch the kids grow up here. Lord willing, that's what we'll do and 2) I don't want to do this again. Moving this time around has been stressful. Maybe it's because we added three kids to the mix:) 

But we are here finally! And so so in love. Everyday, I wake up and say,"Thank you God." Here are a few pictures from Easter and the kids playing outside. Hope you enjoy!

In this house, we watch tv in boxes;)

Having a picnic Easter lunch at a friend's house.

I just love how she's got the basket between her legs and munching away on a pb and honey sandwich.

My beautiful Baby Girl. She looks so grown up.

My Baby Boy so intrigued with opening up each egg to find the sticker.

My handsome husband and kids on a hayride.

Tiny fell asleep. Baby Girl decided to pretend she was asleep too:)

Coloring Easter Eggs! Magic to these two.

Tiny enjoyed breaking the egg apart only. Haha!

Easter Egg Hunt outside!

Love this! She was so interested in her one egg, didn't want to look for any others at all.

Look at that smile!

Baby Girl and Baby Boy had a bit of a competition. She's showing me all her eggs:)

The Easter Bunny arrived! Baby Girl

Shrilled,"He got me what I always wanted-a chocolate bunny!"

Baby Boy loves Tootsie Rolls. Here's a pic of him shoving a bunch in his mouth.

Playing outside. These kids LOVE their ride.

On some sort of adventure. Those two-two peas in a pod.

A beautiful picture of the sun setting from the front porch...a little piece of Heaven.

On the way to church Easter morning.

I love my family! I love my job. It's an honor to be their mom and his wife. I love our growing up

home. So thankful for His blessings.

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

James 1:17 NLT

A Lump of Coal in the Middle of Diamonds

I had just finished putting the kids in quiet time when a radio conversation from this morning popped into my head. The radio host had brought up the topic of judging God based on the people that make up a church. Specifically, he was talking about why people get discouraged with Christianity. I remembered him saying,"It's like having one lump of coal in the middle of all these shiny diamonds. It kind of spoils the whole

bunch." The coal was referencing people in the church who discourage others from becoming Christians based on the way they conduct their lives. It was sort of like the example of,"One bad apple spoils the whole bunch." However, I liked what one of his guests said," But thank God forJesus- He's the only perfect one." It's true though. Most people can think of one person in the church who has dissapointed them and made them think,"Well if that's what's they're like, then I want no part in the church." Don't get me wrong, going to church definitely doesn't make you a Christian. But...going to church certainly can help you in your walk with Christ. I thought about what kind of example I might be giving to others of the "Christian Walk." And honestly, it started to stress me out because I KNOW I'm not perfect. I KNOW I have made mistakes. I KNOW I am no where close to being like Jesus. It burdened my heart to think that maybe someone out there looked at me and said,"I definitely don't want to be a Christian now." But then I had a Holy Spirit Wake Up Call. It all began to click.

"But thank God you have Jesus. Thank God he suffered and died for your imperfect self so that you might have life again. Thank God  He loved you enough to forgive you of all your failures. Thank God he took you, this tarnished lump of coal and applied pressure to you and molded you into a beautiful diamond for God's glory. Thank God!"

Immediately, I thought of that song,"Redeemed" and just had to listen to it. I turned it on and clasped my hands together. In the stillness of our living room, I praised God for loving me. For working on me daily. For giving me peace  when sometimes this world fights against me and for redeeming me.

If I could encourage you, it would be to keep your eyes on the perfect one-Jesus. Don't look this way or that because Christians aren't perfect. We just keep trying to follow the one that set us free.

"I am redeemed. You set me free. So I'll take off these heavy chains and wipe away every stain 'cause I'm not who I used to be. I am redeemed, thank God redeemed."

Asheville, North Carolina-A Romantic Getaway

The Hubs and I really needed some time away. But living so far from family made it inconvenient to find that time. It had been over a year since we had went on a trip together alone. Unbeknownst to me, Dale planned a secret weekend getaway for just the two of us. He asked his parents to watch the kids and when all was set up, one night he spilled the beans.

"Kim, I'm so excited! I have to tell you something. But I don't want to tell you the where, just the what." 

I looked at him with a smile and said,"Alright Dale. But you're going to have to tell me everything because I know you, and you look too excited to hold it in."

"Well are you sure you want to know?"

After some back and forth, he finally told me his special surprise. He had planned a trip to Asheville, North Carolina for us, tickets to the Biltmore, a cozy cottage to stay in, everything was already taken care of. He is so romantic; that's what I love about him.

So about two weeks later, we were on our way to Asheville. Childcare was provided by Momaw and Popaw St.Clair. So over the hill and threw the woods to the grandparents' house we went!

Love that chocolatey smile. This was her first trip away without me! But I knew she would be well taken care of and loved on.

We stayed in the Asheville Cottages, a one bedroom house complete with the softest spa sheets you could imagine, Sleep Number Bed, Gilgrist and Soames Shampoo and Body Wash and a smorgasbord of muffins, juice, and cider.

Perfectly romantic:)

Day 1: Biltmore Estate, Winery and Tupelo Honey Cafe

On our first day, we visited the Biltmore Mansion. At this specific time of year, the event featured was Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film. It was so neat to see the actual gowns displayed in movies such as Emma and Pride and Prejudice.

I've always wanted to hear the history behind the Biltmore. So we each purchased the audio guide to listen to as we went room by room. I definitely recommend the audio tour if you are a bit of a history nerd.

The breathtaking view from the loggia-otherwise known as the back porch;)

The mansion was decorated with fresh flowers everywhere, as if a real wedding was about to start.

Ms.Bingley's gown from Pride and Prejudice.

Emma's wedding gown worn by Gwenyth Paltrow.

The Biltmore actually has a bowling alley! It's said that the servants would stand at the end and set the pins up while the guests would play.

The indoor pool would be filled up from a mountain top reservoir but would have to be drained after about three days because no  water filtration system was available.

The kitchen was fit for a king:)

Next on our list of places to visit was the Biltmore Gardens. This place was special to Dale and I because 12 years prior, this is where we were engaged.

Walking to the Bass Pond. You can see the floating gazebo to the left where he proposed:)

Of course, I'm willing to go up to anyone and ask them to take our picture. So when I spied a young couple coming our way, I explained why this place held

so much significance to us and they gladly took our picture.

After a long day of walking and visiting the Antler Hill Winery on the Biltmore property, we sat down to dinner at a fabulous restaurant called Tupelo Honey Cafe.

 

Fried Green Tomatoes on a bed of grits...oh so southern.

 

Scratch made biscuits and a Honeysuckle Lavender Flip cocktail for me and Tupelo Honey Rye Ale for The Hubs.

 

On Day Two we found a Pottery Barn Outlet about 80 miles away. Soooo, since having a slight obsession with all things Pottery Barn and discount we hopped in the car and spent the morning at the outlet mall. That evening we decided to venture out to Downtown Asheville. The waitress at Tupelo suggested we go "people watching" when I told her we needed non-touristy things to do. At first, I thought it was odd for her to say we should people watch but once we drove downtown, I understood perfectly. Downtown Asheville was full of life from the young college age, to the retired enjoying life age and you cant forget to mention the unique hippy crowd. Your eyes had so much to take in!

 

Here is a picture Dale took of a unique wall we found..."Before I die" wall.

 

After walking around and visiting a few stores, it was time for dinner. We had already made reservations at a quiet restaurant called Chestnut. 

 

The restaurant was said to have reflected the era in which it was built, 1924. As soon as we stepped inside, we did notice the quiet romantic atmosphere.

The trout was amazing!

 

Last on our list of things to do was visit the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. We had read that for the chocolate lovers this was the place to be, from drinking chocolate to chocolate truffles and chocolate cake, there was something for everyone. Behind the fence, you can see a long line of people waiting to get in. Well worth the wait :)

Coffee and cake to finish the night was special but spending the weekend with my love was priceless.
I need to always remember these moments. The easiness of our love combined with the qualities of a best friendship makes him absolutely perfect. I'm forever thankful to God for bringing him into my life so long ago.