Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Remembering Nana

One year ago today my sweet Nana went to be with Jesus. 


Nana was a sweet southern lady. She loved the Lord, and she loved all of her family and friends. And we all love her too! Nana was the type of person who would do anything for you. She made lunch to feed an army every Sunday after church and made us all whatever kind of cake we wanted for each of our birthdays. She gave long hugs and she was always there to listen and would let you cry on her shoulder. 


I remember one time when I was coming home from the grocery store a car almost hit me head on because the driver wasn't paying attention. Needless to say, it scared me to death. I was shaking the rest of the way home. When I got to the house Nana was the only one home. I ran down the stairs and told her what happened. She hugged me and let me cry and get it all out! 


What really disappointed me was that Nana passed away before our wedding. I would have loved for her and Papa to be there. We incorporated their memories by reading some letters Papa wrote to Nana early in their marriage and putting butterflies in the bridesmaid bouquets.


Nana LOVED butterflies
Nana loved butterflies. She had tons of butterfly broaches. She wore one every Sunday to church and every time she got dressed up. Many of them were gifts from her family and friends (Charles and I included!) At her funeral, each family member and friend who was as close as family wore one of her butterfly broaches in her memory, even the boys! It was awesome.


Nana lived a beautiful life. She was beautiful inside and out. She had the love of a wonderful husband, family, and friends. And most importantly she lived her life for God and did her best to show everyone around her God's unconditional love. She was ready to go and be with her Lord and with Papa. Knowing that I will see her and Papa again in Heaven gives me such peace. 


I remember listening to "Desert Song" by Hillsong United on the way to her funeral. Here is the verse that helped me through such a difficult time:


"All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship"

I am so blessed by God to have had my Nana in my life for 23 years! She taught me so much about life, love, and God. I am so grateful for her incredible example of a Godly woman, wife, and mother. I miss her so much, and look forward to the day we are reunited. 

It gives me such peace knowing that no matter the circumstances, grief or trials, God is in control and His love and salvation are ALWAYS a reason to sing and worship.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Fall Wedding

Last weekend our nephew got married. It's hard to believe I have a nephew who's hold enough to get married, right? :)


Jason had the privilege of performing the ceremony. This was Jason's second wedding. He married a couple two years ago in Wisconsin. 


John Ryan and Emily got married outside at my sister-in-law's house. It was an absolutely beautiful day for a wedding, sunny but not too hot or cold. 


Jason and Aiden, the ring bearer and our great nephew

The Ceremony
After the ceremony and the family photos, we went to the reception at my sister-in-law's church. The fellowship hall was perfect for the reception!

Emily's bouquet and the centerpieces were sunflowers

Wedding cake and cupcakes



Now we have a new niece! Congratulations John Ryan and Emily!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Endurance

To be honest I have felt a little discouraged lately. I know that God has a plan for us, but sometimes it can be frustrating to be patient and wait. 


Jason and I are reading a marriage devotional book called No Greater Love by Russ Rice, Brad Silverman, and Lisa Guest. Last night the devotional was about the endurance of love. A passage stuck out to me because it not only applies to love and marriage, but life in general. 


"As we journey through life with our spouse, there will certainly be struggles, disappointments, and challenges. When things get tough, we may be tempted to throw in the towel, but that is not the answer for Christians- or for anyone.


Instead the scriptures tell us that in those dark times we should 'consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest [we] become weary and discouraged' (Hebrews 12:3)


It sure is easy to become weary and discouraged, but, as always, Jesus is our model. He experienced pain, suffering, and wrongs done against Him in ways we cannot imagine. Yet He endured it all, including death on the cross. 


As we look to Jesus and His example, let us be encouraged that as He grows us to be more and more like Him, we can endure, and we can have hope even in the hard times."


I may have a hard time remaining patient and enduring, but Christ is there to get me through. 

Friday, September 9, 2011

Wedding Photos

I realized that while I shared the details of the wedding, I never shared any of our beautiful professional photos! There are so many good ones, but I am going to try to choose just a few of my favorites.


Flint Hill

Butterflies in the bridesmaid bouquets for Nana

Love these shoes! :)

Our sign


The Girls


The Boys

Walking down the aisle

Love this shot

The Kiss

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Ray Ellis

Family

Bridal Party





Sweet picture of Uncle Wayne and Nicholas

Yummy Cake

First Dance

Dancing with Daddy

Jason and his Mom's dance

Friends

This one is sweet too!

I love that Jason is licking the plate. Yes, the cake was that good!

Sisters

Being showered with bubbles!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Philippians 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."



Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Dinner Time

Last night Jason decided he was craving chicken and dumplings, so I told him we could have them for dinner tonight. I found a recipe that I wanted to try and had to get a few of the ingredients from the store. I got this recipe from the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook. We are trying to eat healthy, so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. It was easy and tasted really good. Jason liked it too, but it wasn't how his mom does it. 

Anyway, the ingredients are
  1. 3 celery ribs, chopped
  2. 1 cup carrots, sliced
  3. 3 14.5 ounce cans of reduced sodium chicken broth
  4. 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  5. 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  6. 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
  7. 1 & 2/3 cup of biscuit mix
  8. 2/3 cup of milk
I seasoned the chicken before I cooked it, so I didn't use any poultry seasoning. I cooked the chicken while I prepared the carrots and the celery. 

Celery ribs, chopped



Sliced carrots



After getting the vegetables cut up, spray a dutch oven with cooking spray and saute the celery and carrots for 5 minutes. Then stir in the broth and pepper (and poultry seasoning if you use it). 


Bring the mixture to a boil. While I waited on the broth to boil, I cut up my chicken.


After the broth boils, reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken . 


To make the dumplings, mix the biscuit mix (I used Bisquick) and the milk.



Then drop tablespoonfuls of the biscuit mix  into the broth. Cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the dumplings are done.



Finished product!



Then for dessert we had vanilla frozen yogurt with peaches from Jaemor Farms! It was a yummy dinner.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day Weekend

We started our Labor Day weekend with s'mores on Friday night. We bought a nice fire pit that you can keep on your back porch. Now we can make s'mores anytime we want. I love s'mores so this is pretty exciting for me! Charles came home for the weekend, so he had s'mores with us.


Plate of ingredients for s'mores!
 Fire in the fire pit.

On Saturday we headed downtown to the Georgia Dome for the Georgia/Boise State game. The game didn't end well for Georgia. They really didn't play very well, so Boise State won the game by two touchdowns. The people sitting around us were far more interesting than the game! Since the game was at the Dome, they serve alcohol. Everyone sitting around us was insanely drunk. One guy passed out within the first 5 minutes of the game, one guy threw up on himself, and the girl behind us accused Jason of stealing her beer because he picked it up to keep it from spilling all over my back. We finally got home about 2 am. The MARTA was packed with people who had been at the game!




Sunday after church we had Charles's famous lasagna for lunch with red velvet cake for dessert! So yummy. Charles is a really good cook. I'm super jealous of his skills. Later in the afternoon I went to a baby shower. It was my first baby shower, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was fun though. Mom to be got so much good stuff and there were so many cute baby clothes! She is having a girl, so lots of pretty pink things. We had to give her some motherly advice. Obviously I don't have much of that! I think it's a good idea though. I will have to remember to ask for advice when I have a baby....sometime in the distant future :)


Today we have really just been lazy. We originally planned to go to the lake, but the weather didn't cooperate. I have definitely enjoyed hanging out in my sweats though. I got a couple of pages of the Kristen and Jason scrapbook done, and we have watched a couple of movies. Just spending some quality time together. I hope you all have had a great Labor Day weekend too!