Easter Weekend

I love Easter.

Not only because of the meaning behind it,

but because of what it means to my family.

Easter was always a big deal for my grandparents. 

My grandfather had the greenest yard in the world-no lie.

And my grandmother made every single dish known to our family.

I have fond memories of eating rolls until I was sick

or eating boxes of Peeps with my aunt.

Although they're in heaven, it's still a great holiday.

Any time spent with family is good time.

Hope you and your family had a blessed Easter.

Here's a look into ours.

Marigrace had her first vegetable...

And my aunt and I kept with tradition.

We thought MG would love to try one, too.

She's my new, most favorite photography subject.

And I think she knows how much I love her.

My favorite people on the planet.

Breath of Fresh Air

Lately I've been going non-stop at about 100 miles per minute.

I haven't felt like I've had time to slow down and enjoy friends or write or even sleep...

but then yesterday came.

I had the day off because I had an interview in Cookeville for Winshape camps 

and was so busy the days ahead I really didn't get a chance to get excited or nervous.

Yesterday came and I hit the road to Cookeville.

The interview was wonderful, 

but what I was really looking forward to was spending time with my sis, Hannah.

I got to her house and she had a lovely lunch prepared for us.

Marigrace was clearly happy to see me.

After lunch we chatted about life, boys, marriage and being a mom.
It felt like we were 10 again, playing with our American Girl dolls.
All those feelings of growing up together came back as we reminisced
and saw how cute we were as kids.

We also talked about our attempts at getting crafty and that struck a cord for the rest of the day.
She showed me this dress she made for Marigrace from some fabric we wore in her wedding.

Marigrace wanted to model it for me and show me how cute she'll be as my flower girl...

but she prefered to show me how cute her diapers are.

We then attempted to get crafty with the rest of the fabric.

We started with some fabric flowers...

...and that went into a brooch for Hannah...

...a headband for me...

...and a headband for Marigrace.

As a few hours came to a quick end, 

I felt a calming peace come over me.

I was so thankful to have yesterday with Hannah and Marigrace.

It's hard to make time to see one another, 

but yesterday was such a blessing.

A blessing for my heart and my mind.

Everyone needs time to relax and just share life as it happens.

And every girl needs a pink headband made by her aunt Abb.

January Weekend

I like cold weather, but this winter is nothing like normal and I'm not complaining.

Wearing t shirts and ballet flats on a January weekend is fine by me.

This one has been especially good

and was a great way to spend some free time.

My sister, Hannah, is in town for a few days 

so I made my way up to my aunt's to spend the evening with one sweet little girl.

Marigrace and I started to catch up and get acquainted since our last visit.

We sat and chatted over how to say "Abb."

and she saved her first real laugh for me.

(Sorry, Chris.)

What a perfect way to end the week.

October, already?

I feel like the ride of life has taken up way too much of my writing time lately. My journal and blog have been put on the back burner and luckily I've had some time in the last two days to catch them up.

So, an update on me and what's going on...

Well first, I want you to meet someone...

Meet Marigrace Elizabeth Sublett.

My sister, Hannah, gave birth to this beautiful baby girl last Wednesday and life's been a bit crazy since. There were a few complications at her birth, so she's spent the last week in the NICU at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. She has definitely had some prayer warriors and only beacuse of the Lord, she'll be going home sometime this weekend! 

I can't believe Hannah and Chris have a baby, but she is already bringning so much joy into this world and I can't wait to get to know her. And spoil her rotten. I am already in love with those cheeks.

On another exciting note, my dear Army brother, Matt, will be returning home for good today. Long story short, he got injured and has been sent home. I have a lot of emotions swirling around concerning him. I can only trust the Lord with him and pray for him. I am happy he brought my little brother home, though. It's been a long two months, and I can't tell you how excited I am to see him. He even sent me this picture this morning to say I actually got to see him in his camo's.

How weird is this.

Oh well, he's still my brother no matter what. 

The last letter I got from him while he was gone told me about how my writing inspired him to write. He had enclosed another letter of his writings about his experiences in the Army and what he's learned and come away with. I'll publish it later with his permission, but I'm not the Henley who can write. 

 With all the family situations going on, I've been thankful for my friends and for being able to spend time with them fairly often. Life is just crazy, but I've learned that it's important to be thankful and important to be still. It's amazing what sitting in front of my computer can do for my sanity. All in all, God is sovereign and he reminds me of that often.

Time to catch up.

More coming soon.

Apple & Cousins

Photo booth + cousins = a little laughing chaos.

...and Garrett into a girl with long hair.

Hannah's Shower

This past weekend we got to share in the excitement of showering my sweet sister, Hannah, with blessings, gifts and prayer for the soon-to-come, Marigrace. I can't tell you how excited I am to meet her. I bet she'll be tiny and petite like her Mom. And I can't wait to hear 'aunt Abbey.' We had the best time celebrating this baby to come...

Can't wait to meet my Marigrace!