Baby Shoes

Benjamin had to work this last weekend and so one of the things baby and I did to get us out of the house was of course shop ;) I have been on the hunt for a nice pair of shoes that Winston can use while in his car (the wheels tend to roll over his toes now) and his other shoes take a lot of time tying laces and are getting too tight. 

I haven't been able to find him a cute enough pair to buy and at the price I need. I did find a really cute pair when I was at Target the other day, but it was just too pricey for baby shoes. 

I am so glad I saved my money! On Saturday we went to 

Once Upon a Child and found the exact pair that I had been admiring a few days earlier! I was very cheeky of course ;). I also found an adorable pair of Indian styled booties from Baby Gap. Both pairs were in excellent condition.

Total for both pairs $4.00!

Yay for bargains and chubby baby legs!

 

 

When Benjamin returned home late in the wee hours of the night, the first thing I wanted to do was show him how I spent his hard earned money!

Luckily for me he was very enthusiastic ;)

Napoleon Hill

~Napoleon Hill

~"Don't wait the time will never be just right"

Benjamin found Napoleon Hill on Youtube last week and we have really been enjoying these videos. His topics in this series is on how we think and our attitudes. 

 Worry and fear tend to be the areas that I find easy for my thoughts to dwell and rest. After listening for a few weeks, I have noticed a freedom that is refreshing and beautiful.
 Worry and fear can be very heavy! Praise the Lord for his freedom and love! 

 I'll post one of these a week until I have posted the whole series.

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:41-42

A very happy Saturday to all! 

A beautiful passage......

~Picture courtesy of google images

Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!   

The LORD has taken away your punishment, 

he has turned back your enemy. 

The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; 
never again will you fear any harm.   

On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 

"Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.        

He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love,  

he will rejoice over you with singing."  

"The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you;

they are a burden and a reproach to you. 

At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; 

I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. 

I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. 

At that time I will gather you; 

at that time I will bring you home. 

I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth 

when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,"   

Says the Lord.

~Zephaniah 3:14-20   

A beautiful passage I came across in my reading today.

~A very blessed Wednesday to all~

An Evening of Boating

On Saturday afternoon our new friends invited us over to their house for an evening of boating. We had them over the previous week and it was like visiting with family. I feel so close to them and enjoy their whole outlook on life. I think another reason why I love being with them so much is that they remind me of my parents. 

We were plesently surprised that our Pastor and his wife were invited as well. This was the first time we had spent anytme with them. I was a little shy with them due to the fact that I think that he is one of the best Pastor's in the world! :) They both were so kind and easy to talk to. 

We left on the boat from their house and spent our evening eating dinner, talking and enjoying the gorgeous breeze. Mr. Porter our host, explained all the sights and took us downtown Jacksonville. 

I am so glad Benjamin reminded me to bring my camera. I was hoping we would get to see a Gator, that didn't happen, but we did get to see a Manatee!

~About 30 minuets from their house. You can see the Henry Buckman Birdge in the distance.

~Our Pastor holding Winston who fell asleep in his arms. The water was a little choppy and I think it lulled him right to sleep!

~Our Pastor's wife on the right and our hostess on the left. The two boys were fun to watch. I forgot to take a picture of their little Chihuahua named Hershey. She was quite fearless, she would jump in the water, swim and keep an eye on her boy Paul never letting him out of her sight! 

~Here is our host and tour guide :)

~A clearer picture of the bridge.

~Look at Winston holding on to Pastor's thumb! So sweet!

~Downtown Jacksonville

 As we neared I could smell freshly brewed coffee and the aroma about knocked me out!

~Another massive bridge.

We could hear the cars driving over us!

~Here a dolphin was spotted and we all were trying to get a look.
 Winston slept through most of the evening. He slept on the way back as well. I layed him down on the soft seat, the ryhthm of the boat and us girls chatting put him right out!

~On our way back above.

 We were able to park the boat, park isn't right, maybe make anchor? Well, anyways, we got out of the boat and walked around a beautiful area of Jacksonville and had some ice cream.  When the evening came, it was just so so peaceful. The moon was bright and it felt like a dream.

The only good picture of us. Several were taken and this one was the clearest. You can see the lights of the city behind us.

I awoke this morning thinking that I head dreamt the whole thing up. I am so glad I have these pictures to prove that I hadnt! 

 A very happy Sunday evening to all :)

Fresh Shrimp

I meant to post this meal last week, but the week flew by as did the weekend! 

A friend that works with Benjamin loves to spend his weekends fishing at the seaside and does well with his catches. Benjamin asked him if he ever fished for shrimp, he said he hadn't, but if we bought the shrimp net he would gladly fish for us! I found a nice shrimp size net at the store and Benjamin got it to him before his next fishing adventure. 

The following monday we had five glorious bags of fresh shrimp! We ate shrimp almost every night for dinner last week! And I still have a bag in the freezer. 

We put together beautiful Shrimp Kabobs.
I was disappointed that I didn't take a picture of the food displayed on a plate. After Benjamin came home with all the shrimp I hurried off to the store for some essential vegetables and then after all the peeling and cleaning of the shrimp, we were quite starved and Winnie was ready for bed. Lets just say the food was eaten rather quickly ;)

~Beautiful fresh shrimpies being cooked over our little camping grill. 

~ I was glad that I had least captured two pictures!

~Shrimp Veggie Pittas 

Shrimp

Green Peppers

Red Onions

Garlic

Fresh Guacamole 

Pitta Bread

Cook vegetables and shrimp anyway you like. On the grill as a kabob really brought out the flavor of the veggies. We just slipped everything off the kabobs and into the open pita-bread. Put a spoonful of Guacamole into the pita and if you want some spice, add some green chili sauce ;)

Bon appetit!

7 Months

Be prepared for many pictures! And who else but baby Pookie! ;) These are over the last few weeks, they have been sitting in my camera and I didn't realize how many I had! Sorry for the bad quality on a few of them. A few pictures were not great because of the poor exposure. But who cares, its the little guy in them that I focus on ;)

Look at the little rolls in his knees! 

~Sleeping in our bed. Look at that cute chubby little belly button.

~This was such a cozy day. Baby and I had just returned from Sam's Club and it was pouring buckets outside. Baby was delighted to be at home back in his car.

~Hugging his little giraffe that he doesn't really take too much interest to. He prefers plastic cups to hold and staring at his hands. He still loves to smile at the fans. And lately he has discovered how to scream and does it regularly!

~A cute little outfit that his Aunty Ruthie gave him.

~Here is a fist! I need to capture him holding and staring at both his fists, squeezing tightly and then shaking and grunting! Such a boy! :)

~He finally captured the cat! He has lately been screaming at the cats he he he :)

~Another favorite pastime.

Well, that covered the last few weeks! I had felt like I had been slacking in my picture taking, but after seeing all of these, I now don't think so! 

:)

A Day of Dickens

~ Our Mutual Friend above

Labor Day is usually in our case, spent working on some sort of project that needs to be finished, but after spending most of the weekend working and working, I reached a point yesterday that I couldn't work anymore. Well, mentally that is. No inspiration, no humming in my heart as I worked, just plodding drudgery. So I told Benjamin that I needed to have me a day of Dickens and only Dickens. He smiled and said that I could indulge :) And I did! And Oh how delightful it was! I first watched Martin Chuzzlewit and then Our Mutual Friend. I really want to read the books now. It had been so long since I had sat down to watch a movie and it was delightful. Today I feel refreshed and inspired to pick up my work again with a song in my heart and continue my tasks set before me. 

I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend.

 Much love to all :)