Home Improvement

The living room and kitchen when we first looked at the house

Working in the kitchen

Working in the hall bath

Hall bath finished

Kitchen finished

And with new floors (thanks to our leaking A/C), living room finished

Getting Sam's room ready

Updates on the house...and life.

Don't worry...this post will soon have pictures to follow...I promise. We got the baby's room painted, finished the bathroom, and to my surprise the floor too! The guys were going to work on it last night while the girls were at Bridgette's for our Bible Study. I told the girls I wasn't sure how much they would get done or how much I should expect. I certainly didn't want to come home and be disappointed, but when I got home...are you ready for this??? It was DONE! The whole living room and hallway was done! I was so surprised and happy... all rolled into one. I am sooo thankful that our concrete floors are gone! Praise the Lord! Seriously, what a marathon of home repairs we've been doing. All the changes were things that we EVENTUALLY wanted to do. The Lord had other plans. I'm so thankful for home owner's insurance, and that Sam will come home to a nice, newly renovated house. I told Jared last night that I feel so much better about Sam laying on this floor than the carpet we had. Talk about scary...you never know what all is in there until you pull it up!

A HUGE thank you goes out to all of the guys who helped Jared last night. We are soooo extremely blessed my each of you. Don't worry....we have a big BBQ planned in honor of all our extreme home makeover volunteers. :) I can't wait!

On another note, 1 1/2 days of school left! Yay! Hooray! Praise the Lord! Insert any other words or phrases of excitement here! I'm so ready for summer. I'm ready to be able to spend time with my family and friends and to get my house ready for our new baby. So far, my room is coming along for next year. I wish extreme classroom makeover would come to my room and repaint my lead painted room (I'm not certain on that lead paint issue...I'm just assuming). But, it is working just fine for me. Saturday we have our teacher work day and I'm planning on getting my lesson plans together for the first week of school next year. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy when I told them that, but I have a baby to get ready for people! I don't want to worry about getting everything ready for school while getting ready for him. I can't wait!

Pics to come soon....
~Elizabeth

Getting Closer...

So I'm almost to 30 weeks which is when (Lord I pray against this), if the baby should come, the baby could survive outside the womb. That's crazy to think about. I told Jared about this and he was definitely weirded out. This weekend we are painting Sam's room, which I'm super excited about. When I went to Beaumont for my dr.'s appt. I stopped by Target and bought the shower curtain for his bathroom, and its almost finished. I can see the end of the tunnel for our bathroom. Now to finish his room and our flooring. What a whirlwind of home repairs we are having!

FYI: My next dr.'s visit is in two weeks! I went from going every four weeks to every three weeks, but the third week the doctor was going to be out of town and the next week I was going to be out of town...so I'll go again in two weeks. (June 3 to be exact). June 8, which is the next week, we go for our 3D ultrasound! I'm super excited about that. Everyone's 3D that I've seen has been spot on, if they could get a good enough facial. It's crazy to think. My first ultrasound picture is saved as my background on my phone and every morning when I turn my alarm off I see that tiny little baby. It's crazy to think how soon he will be here. He is kicking and moving like crazy. Jared finally got to feel him kick.... A LOT! He thought I was making my stomach do that b/c Sam was moving around and kicking so much. Things have been so crazy at school and with my body, but the doctor reassured me that everything was normal. For all you new moms, sympathize with me please. There is all this change going on inside and outside me that its hard to know what's normal and what I should worry about. Its good to know I have great friends who have been there and can tell me its normal...even if I am a little paranoid. :)

School is almost out: PRAISE THE LORD!!! Yesterday we had field day, today we have a carnival, and tomorrow we have our AR Bookworm Blowout. When I got home yesterday I took an hour and a half nap...talk about exhausted! Then we went to Jared's last tball game of the year. That's been a lot of fun. 4, 5, and 6 year olds...half of which are 4 years old, can be quite challenging. I'm glad that Jared had the opportunity to coach though. We've met a lot of sweet people in the community through it. It just seems like finally everything is starting to shut down..including my students. 6 days left! Maybe the summer will be a little calmer, even though June is quickly filling up.

We're getting closer to summer, which means closer to Sam coming! I can't wait. I'm so excited to meet the little guy. Excited and nervous all at the same time.

~Elizabeth

Highlights from Catalyst One Day

Here are some of the highlight statements from the One Day conference in Dallas. It's like I just inherited a shed full of tools I've never seen before, and now I have to figure out how to use them...

• Momentum is sustained by continuous, systematic, and unfiltered evaluation. Nothing is off limits- everything must be evaluated and improved.


• As a leader, the people I lead will only do the things I have led them to do. If they won't (whatever), it's because I haven't led them to.


• The mission of our organization must be first and foremost. We can't allow the fear of hurt feelings or difficult decisions to stand in the way of our mission. (Businesses get this, churches don't seem to, which is terrible because they're handling money, we're in the business of eternity...)


• "I will do today what I can do, to enable me to do tomorrow what I can't do today." (In other words, do something today to set yourself up for future success)

And finally, I'll share an illustration with you, because it won't fit under one bullet point. The final session was a talk from Andy Stanley called "Don't Be That Couch." When he came out, there was a hideous couch on the stage. It was old, kinda dirty looking. It was an off white with brown and orange leaves and log cabins, I think. Wood on the arms and back...really ugly and outdated. Here's what he said- When your parents got married, they moved in together and realized they needed a place to sit in the living room. So they went to the couch store, and saw this beauty. It was the most beautiful couch in the store. They sat on it, they liked it, they bought it. They brought it home, and it served its purpose- it was a place to sit. It was comfortable, it was affordable and now it was theirs. Then, when you were born, momma nursed you on that couch. You and your sister sat on that couch and watched TV together. When grandpa died, and the preacher stopped by for a visit, he sat on that couch and prayed for the family. Your little brother prayed to accept Jesus on that couch. That couch has been part of a lot of good times. But now it's thirty years old. It's outdated, it's not as comfortable as it used to be, and nobody really wants to sit on that couch anymore. It's dirty, it's worn out, it's time for a new couch, but mom and dad won't get rid of it. Their attached to it. They've got all those stories and memories attached to the couch- but it's not really serving its purpose anymore. It's time for a new couch, but they just won't let it go.

(not the actual couch, but an ugly one for sure)

Andy told us that we've all got some old couches laying around our churches, and that as leaders, it's up to us to make the tough call- It's time to get rid of it. Time to throw it out and get something new. It may hurt some feelings, and people might get upset, but if the old couch is no longer serving its purpose, it's time for something new.

So that's where I'm at. Looking around for old couches. Praying for some courage to lead. It was a good conference...

-Jared

A Challenge

Yesterday, the Lord certainly met with us in His church! I know for so many people church isn't fun, but our church is...as it should be. Who said loving, serving, and praising the Lord is supposed to be boring. Who wants to be a part of that? From the beginning of worship all the way to Amen, you could feel the excitement, love, and joy from everyone around. Yesterday was senior recognition at church and Jared preached on being the salt and light of the earth. He talked about the impact that salt and light both have on their surroundings...they are "game changers". That's exactly what we are supposed to be as Christians too...game changers. Our circumstances, situations, relationships: EVERYTHING should be changed because of our impact in that situation. Jared gave each of us a domino that read "Start Something" on it . He challenged each of us to do something this week for someone who woudn't expect it. When you do something for them, give them the domino, tell them what it means, then see if they'll pass it along. As of Monday morning, I have two possible people I could be a blessing to. I think its neat how the Lord gives us opportunities everyday. Responding to those opportunities is all up to us. We make the choice. So many times I've passed up opportunities for rediculous reasons. Fear, embarrassment, whatever the reason, it all seems so silly when you step back and look at the big picture of it all.

So my challenge to you is the same Jared gave to our church yesterday. Do something. Start something. Bless someone. Change the world you live in, one person at a time. If everyone changed the world, one person at a time, I bet we'd be in a better place than we are today.

Yep- It was our anniversary

And no, I didn't forget. Although Liz did trump me- she got me a card...I didn't get her one. We did, however, go out on the town (Lufkin, that is) and have a great time. Dinner at Red Lobster (her choice), then we spent money like we had it to spend. We hit the mall, Target, Academy, Old Navy, Bed Bath Beyond, and Coldstone Ice Cream. And we had a great time doing it. We bought some clothes, a few items for Sam's room, a citrus peeler (have you seen these? It's like a ring with a blade on it.), and a few other goods.

When we got home last night, we put together the shelf/storage thing that we had bought for Sam's room. That room is really starting to fill up. Crib, shelves, clothes, toys, diapers- I still can't wrap my head around the fact that there's gonna be this kid moving in with us. I was telling Liz the other day that when my mom, or her mom, or our nieces and nephews come to visit, we know they're going to leave at some point. "They'll be gone Monday," or "It's just two nights." Not this time, amigo. When Sam gets here, he's not going anywhere. He's here for good. Living in our house, eating our food...he's here to stay. I don't know how else to explain it, except to say that it hasn't hit me yet...does that make sense?

On some unrelated notes: buy and read a book called Jim and Casper Go To Church. A pastor and an atheist travel the country and go to church together. They visit Saddleback, Lakewood, Willow Creek- about a dozen churches in all. It's a good book, easy to read, and very insightful. I bought it Monday, and finished it last night (Thursday) so I'm sure you could knock it out in half that time. Also, this Sunday, Paul (our youth minister), Waylon (our music minister), and I will be going to Dallas for the Catalyst One Day Conference with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. Teenage girls have the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, I've got Andy and Craig. It's gonna be awesome. Jealous? You should be.

-Jared

On this day 4 years ago...

Four years ago today Jared and I were married! Its so crazy to think that its already been that long. As I was getting ready this morning, we were talking and I told Jared it was hard to believe that I was getting ready for my wedding 4 years ago to the day and this morning, 4 years later, I'm getting bloodwork done. Nothing major, just the diabetes test that everyone has to do. I'm so thankful for the wonderful husband God gave me. Today, be thankful for the wonderful people in your life.

Baby Showers Galore!!!

Yesterday was my first (one of four) baby showers. This one was held at the school and thrown by the sweet third grade teachers I work with. What a blessing it was. I left my camara at home, but Leslie took pictures. Hopefully they'll be up soon. I had a great time and Sam got some really great things. By the time I got home I had about 5 minutes to show Jared what all we had gotten, then it was time for me to hit the road again for our ladies Bible study. When I got home it was about 9:15 and Jared had put everything away in Sam's room. Our diaper stacker is already full of diapers! Praise the Lord! The walls are still purple and there is still a flower fan hanging from the ceiling but that will all change in time. Getting all that stuff sure makes everything seem even more real.

On a side note, my ticker says there are 100 days to go! HOLY COW! The first 100 days of school fly by, so hopefully the last 100 of my pregnancy will too. Sam is moving like crazy. There isn't a minute that goes by that I can't feel him moving...which is reassuring. He's definately a mover and a shaker already. I'm so thankful for this blessing that God has given to us. With that blessing comes great responsibility. Responsibility that I am looking forward to. Sometimes the task seems impossible, but other times I'm overwhelmed with excitement. Our lives are soon becoming very adventurous!

Tomorrow is our anniversary...4 years. Can't believe how time flies when you're having fun. I'm so thankful that I have a God who has guarded my heart and saved it for such a worthy man like Jared. I honestly don't know what I would do without him. As I look back over the last four years a lot has happened. Got married, finished college, went back to school, taught for a year, moved to Buna, taught for another year, moved to Jasper, teaching another year, and now expecting a baby! I didn't realize how busy we've been since then. We've faced career changes, moves, and now a growing family, but the love I have is even stronger with time. How great our God is for blessing us with husbands and people for that matter that we can love.

~Elizabeth

Take five minutes

Jon Foreman is the lead singer of Switchfoot. Last year he put out a set of solo albums that are pretty great. Back in October, he performed a few songs at Catalyst, a big leadership conference I go to in Atlanta every year. When I got back from Catalyst, I immediately downloaded one of the songs he played. It's called "Your Love is Strong." About three times a week, I play this song on my computer and just bask in the lyrics. Go to the bottom of this blog page. There's a music player. It's number six. Take five minutes to listen to it. Have a fun day.


Heavenly Father, you always amaze me
Let your kingdom come in my world, and in my life
Give me the food I need to live through today,
And forgive me as I forgive the people that wrong me
Lead me far from temptation,
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window, the birds are composing-
Not a note is out of tune, or out of place
I walk to the meadow and stare at the flowers-
Better dressed than any girl on her wedding day
So why should I worry? Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need- you know what I need

Your love is, your love is, your love is strong
Your love is, your love is, your love is strong
Your love is, your love is, your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing-
Invade my heart, invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens is buried treasure-
Would you sell yourself to buy the one you’ve found?
Two things you told me- that you are strong and you love me
Yes, you love me

Your love is, your love is, your love is strong
Your love is, your love is, your love is strong.
Your love is, your love is, your love is strong.
Your love is, your love is, your love is strong.

Our God in heaven, hallowed be thy name above all names;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Give us today our daily bread, forgive us weary sinners;
Keep us far from our vices and deliver us from these prisons

-Jared

The Little Things in Life

So today is my first baby shower...I know. I'm really excited. Kinda nervous too. This weekend I went shopping with my mom and bought a new top to wear to the shower. When I got home, I showed Jared all of my jewels that I bought over the weekend shopping trip (he was so excited he could barely contain himself). Anyway, after showing him I realized that my new shirt had a tiny hole in the back. Uggg! Jared was going to Beaumont yesterday, so I asked if he would take my shirt back and exchange it for me. In the event that they didn't have my size I asked if he would pick me out a new shirt. The only rule was it had to be short sleeves (school rules) and somewhat dressy. Now, I know what you're thinking. What in the world is she thinking? Who can send their husband to find a top for them? Well ladies...I can! He did a great job. I know, I know. I'm the luckiest lady in the world. I have the best husband ever. You may argue, but he is. After much deliberation with the saleswoman and his friend Paul, the winner was picked out. It was a springy yellow top with somewhat puffy sleeves. Way cute, just my style. Bright, but not too bright. Sassy, but not too sassy. Cute, but not too cute.

I'm wearing it today with my white capris. Very summery I know. Jared already told me this morning how cute I looked. Again, I repeat...best husband ever! When my students came in this morning, I'm checking my emails getting everything ready and one of my students says, "Mrs. Hollier, you look just like the sunshine!" How cute is that! Its sweet when a Kindergartener says that, but when it comes out of a 3rd graders mouth, it means so much more. Most of the time, I'm telling them to be kind and treat people the way they want to be treated, and someone says something as sweet as that. It just made my day even better. Its good to see that parents are teaching their kids manners and that their sweet spirits shine through in a world that is full of darkness at times.

Just that one little kind word, from a student who had no idea the impact his thoughtfulness had on me, meant the world. How powerful our words are. We have the power to tear down or build up. Which one will you do with your words today? I know this student has definitely challenged me to choose my words wisely. To choose to build up rather than tear down. Thank you, Lord for the children you have blessed me to be around everyday...even if they are going crazy at times! :)

Why we went to the hospital instead of the rodeo

***Before I relate this story, let me tell you not to worry. Everybody is perfectly fine. Me, Liz, baby Sam- everybody is ok. As you're reading, stay calm- this has a happy ending.***

The rodeo in Jasper is a big deal. A BIG DEAL. On Wednesday, school let out early for the rodeo kickoff parade, every night there's a concert (I've never heard of them, but apparently they're big country music stars), everybody goes- so we were gonna go.

It didn't start until 7:30, so when Liz got home from school, she did a little laundry while I watched a little TV. The plan was to leave about 6:00, get a bite to eat, then get our rodeo on. At about 5:30, she decided to take a little power nap. She had been laying down for about five minutes when she yelled for me to come to the bedroom- "Something's wrong," she said.

When I got back there, she was coughing and wheezing, had splotches on her neck and chest, she was itching all over, especially her ears, neck, and hands. I got her to sit up and tried to calm her down. I was thinking that maybe if we cooled her down, it might help. So I cranked up the a/c, took the covers off her, took her temp (which was normal), but it wasn't helping. Our friend Candie, who's a nurse and possibly the sweetest person alive, was working at the hospital in Jasper, so we loaded up and went to see her.

When we got there, Candie looked Liz over and recommended taking some Benadryl, as it was obviously an allergic reaction. By the way, Liz was very splotchy at this point, and coughing a lot. After a quick consult with the doctor on call, Candie changed her recommendation- "Go to the E.R." So we went.

After some quick paperwork, and an uncomfortable encounter with a bleeding teenager and a rude child, Liz was escorted to bed B, where it was quickly decided that benadryl and solumedrol were needed. Blood pressure was good, pulse was good, quick stick- IV is in, blood drawn, solumedrol injected, shot of benadryl to the hip, "Lay back and relax. We'll check on you in a few minutes." And within minutes, Liz started feeling better. The splotches faded, her breathing got better, her coughing stopped- she even dozed off for a few minutes. The doctor came back to check on her two more times, and decided that the crises had been averted. We were there about two and a half hours total, which went by pretty quickly, then we signed some papers and headed out. A quick stop by Wal-Mart for some benadryl and McDonald's for dinner concluded our adventure. Liz slept like a baby, and everything is ok.

And that's why we weren't at the rodeo.

-Jared

Getting Ready...Nesting???

So just like Jared's last post, we are trying to patiently await Sam's debut. Lots of things are running through my mind. Let's see...

1. We don't have anything "ready". The only things we have are a baby bed, some outfits, and a glider. Now, normally I would be freaking out. I'm such a planner/organizer/list maker. I'm still all of those things, but I'm not worried in the least bit. I know that the Lord has everything under control. The only struggle is waiting. I'm so excited for us. I'm ready for Sam to be here like yesterday. I'm starting to get uncomfortable and its hard for me to imagine how much more my belly can grow. For all you mothers out there...don't laugh. My stomach is already tight and stretched to maximum capacity. I weighed last night knowing I had gained like 20 lbs. I know right? That's what I feel like...good news. My 20 lbs. was only 2 lbs. Seriously, my sleep is starting to get hindered and if you know me at all you know I love and need my sleep. Through it all God is so good. I feel so blessed to have this little baby growing inside of me. He's moving so much now! I'm starting to feel more like a mom than a 24 year old who has no idea what's going on with her body. It's neat to feel him moving at different times. Sam still moves a lot when we jam out in the car, but now he moves a lot when I'm trying to go to sleep with the basketball game on. I know that will make Jared proud.

2. "DELIVERY". Enough said. That freaks me smooth out. I know that the whole birthing process was designed by God and that my body can survive, but come on Eve! I'm a weakling! Really I am! I'm praying that the Lord will give me peace as the time for Sam to come gets closer. I'm excited and ready, but everyone always tells you all of their horror stories when they find out you're pregnant. Seriously, how is you telling me your awful delivery story going to help me become more excited. I vow, today and forevermore, that no matter how awful my delivery may be I will not tell it to a new mother. I'll probably wait until she's as far along as I am, then tell her. Then she will feel like I will. :) Just kidding.

3. School. Sam is expected to arrive three days before school starts. I know, I know...my timing is impecable. I had hoped to have the baby in May, but I know God's timing is perfect. He knew when we would be ready. So, after Sam comes I'll have a long term sub while I'm on maternity leave. I don't know who my partner will be next year. It will most likely be a new teacher, which worries me. Not that it won't be a good teacher. I'm sure it will be. It will just be hard to have a long term sub and a brand new teacher as partners at the beginning of the year. I'm trying to get all my beginning of the year activities together before school lets out. That's the planner in me I suppose. As far as a baby sitter goes, praise the Lord, I think we've gotten things taken care of. I'm so thankful for that.

4. Our house. The insurance guy said that they would speed track our claim and get a check to us sometime this week. No check thus far. I'm "wishing and hoping and thinking and praying" that our floors will get done soon. I really don't like concrete living room floors. I'm so thankful that everything has worked out like it has though. By the time Sam gets here he will be living in a new house practically. I'm so thankful for friends who know how to install floors...we'll be calling you soon! I'm also thankful for friends who help me to see the silver lining. In this crazy world we live in, its so easy to get caught up in the little things that don't really matter.

5. The Lord. Our bible studies have been going so good. I really need the encouragement and accountability that they've been giving me and hopefully I've been giving to them as well. Last week, Satan was attacking everywhere. It was a really busy, tiring, spiritual warfare of a week. This week, I've started waking up earlier, spending time with the Lord, and getting my day started off the right way. Even my kids at school have noticed. "Mrs. Hollier, you don't look as sleepy as you normally do." Ordinarily that might hurt my feelings, but I know that they can't quite figure out the difference that they're seeing like I can. Out of the mouths of babes, right? I've been convicted of several things through Jared's sermons...which is a tough thing as a wife of a pastor, but I love it. Some of the girls in our bible study have asked me, "Do you tell Jared what we talk about?". My reply is always the same, "No." That's how I know the Lord is trying to speak to me, because those things we talked about on Tuesday nights are being mentioned in Jared's sermons on Sundays. OUCH! One of the things that I've been convicted about has been starting my day off right. Not that I wasn't spending time with the Lord at all, it was just not first thing. Jared talked about how when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for fourty years, the Lord commanded them in the very beginning to gather their food for that day in the morning. Don't store up for other days, just gather for that day. They had to rely on God each day for His provision. They couldn't rely on their own strength. When they did, their food was full of maggots. Yuck! It was such a good example of how every morning, first thing, they were reminded in a tangible way of the Lord's faithfulness. I can't even tell you how much of a difference it has made in my day, to start it off meeting with the Lord at my kitchen table. I'm currently trying and praying to live Ephesians 4:29 out...which if you're a teacher isn't always easy. I have it taped to my desk and one of my kids was reading it today while I was proofing their fairy tales. Her reading it aloud helped remind me how I'm supposed to talk, in what way. Thank you Lord for the ways you speak. You are so good.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

~Elizabeth