Life as Mrs. Emerson

Eva wearing her Mamaw's dress that I also wore!    It's hard to believe that Evangeline will soon be one year old!  As the weather begins to change I find myself remembering back to this time last year: the wonderful Babymoon we took to Columbus two weeks before she was born, the many walks we went on as a family, a good friend's wedding, the Woolfest, the final days of gardening, and the last week or two leading up to her birth. Eva is waving hello in this picture. Eva continues to be quite the little jabber jaws.  :)  She says mama, daddy, uh-oh, and hi.  Evangeline has also been trying to say Bekah and Brother which comes out kind of like Bubba.  I am often asked if Eva is as happy as she appears to be.  She has her moments but most of the time she is just an absolutely delight and a bundle of joy.  I love her giggles and how her face scrunches up when she gets excited.   Eva has started WALKING!  She took her first step about a week ago while holding h

The beautiful wedding decorations which we enjoyed.  This picture does not do them justice. We are adjusting well to life with myself in school and looking forward to fall.  Here are a few of the things we did the last two weeks to save money and enjoy life to the fullest!    My husband had a great surprise for us Friday night.  The kids and I bundled up after dark and headed next door to our church's prayer garden with blankets.  When we got there the happy hubby had plugged in the lights that had been strung in the trees for an upcoming wedding reception (he had permission).  We laughed, giggled, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We also had a time of family worship.  Such a fun memory!  Just a great example that you don't have to spend money in order to have a great time.   Produce we picked from the garden last week included: lemon cucumbers, 1 golden zucchini, three tomatoes (including a Green Zebra variety), okra, and 7 peppers.   Our garden has turned

August Reads  This past month's reading list is notably shorter than before.  I guess I should photograph my Anatomy & Physiology Textbooks because that is what I have really spent my time reading this past month.  :)  Even with a busy schedule I am sure that I will be squeezing in a few books so I would love to hear what you have been reading.   ESV Women's Devotional Bible :  I was so surprised when Crossway Publishers sent me this new Bible in the mail.  The ESV (English Standard Version) is the translation that I use most often.  It is the one that I use for personal devotions and the translation that I usually teach out of.  This was my first experience with a "devotional" Bible and I must say that I really like it.  Every few pages the Bible contains a short devotion about a particular passage of Scripture.  Usually I'm not a big devotional fan but so far these devotions have been top notch.  I even quoted from one of them last week during my Sunda

Every day I am amazed by the incredible thoughtfulness and kindness of this guy! So blessed to call him my husband. I'm sitting here writing while I sip a steaming cup of hot tea.  I look outside and I see the beauty of summer quietly slip away and I can't help but be incredibly thankful.  I have a million blessings in my life but the one I often forget to mention is the blessing of my husband.  Almost six years later he continues to amaze me with his kindness and thoughtfulness. He is currently on his way to Walmart with two tired children in tow to make a return so I can rest.  Our sweet Evangeline was up a lot last night and neither one of us slept well.  We both drove 7-8 hours yesterday.  Yet he has given me a wonderful gift-the gift of time to rest.  An hour to drink a cup of tea, write in my journal, read a passage of Scripture, and take a short nap.  What a gift!  Few women are so blessed and yet how often I forget to tell him how thankful I am for him.  So honey

A bouquet of flowers picked from our garden.    Life has been CRAZY around here lately!  (Crazy in a good way.)  I have finished 3 weeks of school and my sister recently got engaged.  I have my first Anatomy test this Thursday!  We are trying to keep up with our usual frugal ways despite the decreased free time around here.  :)  (I'd love any of your suggestions by the way.)  Here are a few of the things that we did last week to save money:  The happy hubby took Eli to the zoo.  We purchase a zoo pass each year so there was no out of pocket cost for the trip except for gas.  I packed lunch for them and they spent $0 at the zoo cafe.  I'm so proud of them! We have enjoyed a number of zinnia and dahlia bouquets this month.  I have zinnias growing in our landscaping and also in our garden.  These zinnias and dahlias were grown from seed from Renee's Garden.  I absolutely love them!  I think I actually took this picture a few days after they were cut.  Next year I plan