More Pictures of Anna Verity

Ahh!...The third post I've done in the course of one week. This is quite the record for me!

I'm staying the week with my sister, Christie, to help her while she recovers. Although she's doing wonderfully and probably doesn't really need my help now, we like to take advantage of every opportunity. I'm sure I'll feel more helpful towards the end of the week when we get the three little ones back; but for now Christie and I will enjoy our quiet time together with baby Anna.

We've been having so much fun taking pictures of this precious girl! Here are some of my favorites from today...

The Arrival of a Little Blessing

We are so excited and blessed that Anna Verity Weathers arrived safely today. She weighs a whole 7lbs 3oz, and she's 20 inches long. The birth went very well, and Christie is doing wonderfully.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. The Lord has blessed us, and we are so thankful!

Patiently waiting

Anna Verity (gracious truth)

A Radiant Legacy

Yesterday marked the birthday of someone very special to my family, my grandmother, Jeananne Johnson. The word that always comes to mind when I think of her is radiant (beaming with brightness; emitting a vivid light or splendor; as the radiant sun)!

She joyfully reflects the love of Christ and I experience His love through her sweet fellowship. One of my favorite places to be is in her living room, with a cup of her delicious coffee in one hand and an old photo album of her and my grandfather in the other. I'll flip through its pages while she recounts intriguing stories from the past.

My grandparents would always strive, and definitely succeeded, in making our moments with them memorable and blessed. My sisters and I have such sweet memories of being young and waking to the sound of Mema's humming in the kitchen and the aroma of coffee and pancakes.

Mema and Papa with little Rosie

As easy as it may be for me to think she was, I know my mema wasn't just born a radiant person. She allowed the Lord to use the hardships throughout her life to mold her into the precious person we know and love.

The stories we've heard her tell time and again are the wonderful memories of her four boys growing up; the blessed marriage she shared with her sweetheart, Roger Johnson; and the extraordinary experiences of serving in the Philippines. Even though there are many hardships to share from her past, she always focuses on the blessings; sharing the more somber stories only when asked, and the stories are never told with resentment.

When I recount the trials and losses she has experienced over the course of her life (losing her father at a young age, experiencing the death of two sons and her husband), I stand in amazement at the sweet and gentle person she is today. It is a lesson I hope to remember throughout my life...to trust in my Savior and allow the affliction He brings to direct me to Him and turn me into the person He created me to be.

I could not speak my grandmother's praise enough! I am so thankful for the example she has laid out for all of her family. It is my prayer, Lord willing, to carry on her legacy to my grandchildren.

Thank you, dearest Mema, for all you have done and are doing to impact those around you! You are truly amazing and I thank the Lord for you daily!

"O Praise Him"

"Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness, tremble before him, all the earth!"

Psalm 96:9

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!"

Psalm 95:6

"Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!"

Psalm 95:1-2

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

John 4:23-24

"Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

Revelation 15:3-4

I found this music video both inspiring and convicting!
We're created to worship and enjoy our Maker. So what hinders us from worshiping when we feel led?...Our fear of man?! Ouch!

What a precious experience we forfeit because our focus is on the creation and not the Creator.

Black Forest Cheesecake...Easy!

This cheesecake is an extremely easy one to make! It's a Taste of Home recipe that doesn't require baking and doesn't have to be refrigerated over night. This is a great dessert for those dinners that you want something yummy and presentable, but don't have the energy to spend a lot of time on.

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches)

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in whipped topping. Spread half of the mixture evenly into crust. Fold cocoa and confectioner's sugar into remaining whipped topping mixture; carefully spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cut into slices; top each slice with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

My Alterations...

Because my family members aren't keen on cherries, we substitute strawberry pie filling for the cherry. I've also put miniature chocolate chips inside the chocolate layer; in our household you can't get too much chocolate.

Enjoy!

Satisfied In Christ

Over the last month or so the Lord's been pressing on my heart three different lessons that I'm learning to apply. It has seemed as if every sermon, conversation, devotion, and prayer has drawn my attention back to these three important truths...

1) Continually seek the Lord and His presence (2 Chronicles 16:11),

2) Find your satisfaction in Christ alone (Psalm 17:15,"God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him" -John Piper)

3) Strive to glorify God in your thoughts, motives, actions, and words (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The Lord has brought the above quote by John Piper to my mind many times over the last month. There's so much joy in grasping the wisdom in this truth. My fulfilment and satisfaction isn't found in friendships, physical perfection, marriage, successful endeavors, etc... but my soul is satisfied only when I am looking to Christ and drinking from the fountain of life!

I'd encourage you to listen to this sermon by Voddie Baucham: Gospel Healing for Hurting Marriages. Don't let the title fool you, it's applicable for everyone; whether you're married or not. I've listened to it four times now and still haven't completely grasped the deep truths he covers. It's wonderful!

Praise God for His mercy and love towards His children! May we find our satisfaction in Him and desire to glorify Him in all that we do.

The Busy Month of June...in Pictures

Since the month of June was so busy, I wasn't able to do much blogging. In fact, I don't know that I did any blogging!
So, here are some of the events from the month of June that I've been meaning to post...

Graduation Celebration

The three graduates from our church: Hannah, Bethany, and Kristin. We celebrated their completion of formal schooling with a church picnic...

Kara (Heather's sister-in-law), Hannah (my younger sister), Heather (my older sister), and Christie (my oldest sister)

Heather, Christie, and Myself

It's always a good idea to keep a SWAT on duty

Playing Speed Volleyball

The graduates

Our Weekend at the Lake

For a few weeks my family had enthusiastically planned a weekend camping trip for June. We prepared everything for camping. We were all looking forward to evening campfires, roasting marshmallows, sleeping under the stars (well, if you could consider sleeping in a tent "under the stars"). Needless to say, we were excited. But in all the excitement we forgot one important detail: reserving a campsite. To make a long story short, we resorted to staying in my grandparent's lake house not far from the water. Even though there were a lot of setbacks, it turned out to be a weekend of memories and fun!

Starting the morning with a yummy breakfast

First setback of the day: the pontoon boat wouldn't start.

While dad and Matt were working to get the boat started, Hannah accidentally dropped my lens cap in the water. They worked hard to find it, but in the end dad retrieved it and was rewarded with French toast.

Finally on our way! We only had one more major setback... after driving out pretty far to a secluded waterfall, the boat decided it had had enough and wouldn't crank. The engine was stubborn just long enough to give us all a scare that we would be stranded in our little cove; praise the Lord it started back after a while!

Esther enjoying the water

Hannah

Me

Josiah

David

Matt doing a 360

Matt's big wipeout

The conclusion of our day!

Celebrating Birthdays

While we were all together, we celebrated Mema's, Christie's, Davina's, and William's birthdays.

Hannah's masterpiece

Davina and our dear Mema Hamilton

I'm officially known as "Daht daht", by this little boy. How he got that from Stephanie, I'm not sure; but I love to hear him say it!

Our Garden
After spending countless hours working in the garden, we're very proud of the fruit of our labor!...

My brother, Matt, is extremely talented with woodworking. He and my dad built this arbor for the garden.

Trip to Kentucky

One of the weekends in June, I was able to go on a trip to Kentucky with some of my dear friends for their family reunion. I tagged along as the Photographer, and enjoyed every minute of the fellowship with my childhood friends: Sarah and Leah.

Praise God for a blessed month!