The House That Built Me

Feeding Your Soul

2012-01-25T21:20:00.000-05:00

"A woman who thinks and reads, will serve others well and invest wisdom to those in her sphere of influence."

This is a quote from a blog post I was reading this evening by the amazing Sally Clarkson about leaving a legacy of spirituality, influence, wisdom and grace. She talked about one of the characteristics of women that have a great impact is that they have invested many hours in engaging their minds in scripture, with great thinkers and biographies.

"A woman cannot give out greatness of mind if she has not invested her mind in great thoughts."

I have always been an avid reader so this got me to thinking about those books that have most left an indelible mark on my heart. What are the books that I find myself coming back to time and again when I need inspiration or want to offer a word of wisdom to others. Here is my list:

L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Elizabeth Prentiss 'More Love to Thee' by Sharon James

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick

Sermons by Tim Keller, Sinclair Ferguson

I would love to know what would be on your list. Please share!

Confession

2012-01-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

So I have a confession to make. I love reading health/diet books. Just looking over my list of books read last year it was evident to me that I may have a problem. Just last year I read:

Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure
Your Best Body Now by Tosca Reno
Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
Made to Crave by Lysa Terkuerst

Plus I think there were a couple others mixed in there that I forgot to write down. Frankly there is tons of information out there on the healthy foods we should be eating from polyphenols to antioxidants to organic to local, etc. It all makes my head spin and leaves me overwhelmed with how to incorporate new habits into my life. But when I am honest with myself and turn off the food noise in my head, the core of what I would like to see in my life is for me to be moving more, my doctor recommends an hour a day, and to choose healthy options when I eat.

I want this to be a fun journey of moving towards better health for me and for my family. I don't want to be enslaved by anything but want to lead by example of a healthy lifestyle. So I thought it might be fun to share here on the blog healthy new foods that I find that are yummy and share recipes or tips with all of you. It will help me to have accountability to start incorporating all the information I have gained through these books into my life. Plus, I would love to encourage all of us to be making healthy choices this year so we are in shape to fulfill the purposes God has given each of us.

So without further adieu, my new healthy food tip is Greek yogurt!

My favorite brand is Fage (pronounced Fa-yeh) and my favorite flavor is the 2% honey. It is so yummy mixed with sliced strawberries or blueberries. It has a thicker consistency than normal yogurt and is higher in protein so it keeps you full longer. So grab one next time you are at the store and let me know what you think!

Run Baby Run

2012-01-14T19:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a momentous occasion for David and me. We ran our first 5K! Around my 30th birthday I made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish this year and one of them included running a race. So when my best friend Ansley called and said that she was considering doing the Shrimp & Grits 5K in Charleston I was reminded of this goal I had set for myself. Of course I pushed David to join us along with Ansley's husband Brandon because the more the merrier right!

This morning I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into when we woke up and it was 31 degrees outside. FREEZING!!!

Ansley and I made a pact that we would stick together and run the race side by side while the boys quickly sped off and headed to the front of the pack. I'm not normally a runner so this was a huge feat for me but I was amazed at how easy it was. We ran more than 2/3 of the race and made it to the finish line. I was SO proud of us! I had so much fun! I think I may have caught the running bug.

The best part about the Shrimp & Grits 5K is the free shrimp & grits you receive when you finish the race. It was delish!

After the race, little did we know, but the real adventure was about to begin. When we arrived in the morning, we ended up following a small flow of traffic into a fairly large parking lot. "Great! Plenty of parking close to the event!" After running and having our fill of yummy food and enjoying the band, we decided to head back to our car.

That's when things got a little interesting. A car pulled up beside us and the people inside said they had been driving around for about 30 minutes trying to leave the parking lot, but they couldn't. The only entrance was now blocked by a mass of people, tables and...the finish line! "Surely there is another way out!" So David and I along with our friends got in our car and circled the parking lot, but sure enough there was no way out! We were trapped. A few police officers said we would have to wait until the marathon was over (well into the afternoon...it was currently 10am). As 5 or 6 cars circled around, David spotted a very narrow walkway between bushes that led to another lot. Granted, this was extremely narrow and dipped down another a sidewalk. With no other option left, we all got out of the car to see if it could fit....and it would fit...by a few inches. By now we are drawing a small crowd who helped David navigate the narrow walkway with steep bushes and curbs along the side. Success!...or so we thought. Another driver met us on the other end saying he had been trapped in that particular area for over an hour. Great! After much conversation with the people around us we decided to take our chances...continue down the sidewalk and enter what ended up being the old Navy shipyard. There just HAD to be a way out that way...so many roads, so many options. Maybe the guy who was stuck didn't try hard enough.

Thanks to Brandon's iPhone we used the map app to try to find our way. "Head towards Avenue F" "You mean Avenue Failure?" "Operation Failure here we go!" Yes, David and Brandon were making light of the whole situation. Every road that we thought was an exit was locked up. Finally we saw a way leading to a road...which turned out to be the route of the marathon. The event staff said our only option was to drive through the barricade, avoid making the cops angry, and try to make our way out. So of course David just that and the next thing we knew we were face to face with a massive group of marathon runners all around us. David put on the hazards, drove calmly down the road, and the rest of us rolled down our windows and cheered the marathon runners on! (Yes we acted like we were the Encouragement Caravan). The runners definitely bought it as they highfived us, gave us the thumbs up (except for a few people who realized that a car really shouldn't be driving towards the runners on the road). We avoided the cops and continued on for miles. Laughing, nervous, afraid to run over someone, we finally made our way to safety (after several turns which of course always led to more runners, they were everywhere)!

The 5K only took us about 30 minutes to run, but leaving took about an hour and a half :) It certainly will be a memory we will laugh about for years to come :) Looking forward to our next race!

Where Are You Going?

2012-01-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

I am a person who loves making new year's resolutions. I love the idea of a fresh start, a brand new year to start over and dream big and be made new. Usually I have my goals and plans made and laid out by New Year's Day so I can immediately dive in. But this year we are in the second week of January and I am still struggling to lay down some goals and make plans towards pursuing them. It isn't for lack of things I want/need to change or lack of inspiration. I think instead what has been happening for me is too many things that I want to pursue. Now that we have the blogosphere I have seen tons of ideas of challenges that I want to join in on. The problem with this is my head is swimming with information and changes that I long to see in my life but I'm so divided between different paths that I have no direction to pursue. I fear that I will have all the best intentions and yet no substantial disciplines in order to see change. So I am searching for some quiet time alone where I can search my heart and listen for what I need to focus on this next year.

Here are some questions from Sally Clarkson's blog, www.itakejoy.com, that I plan to walk through as I evaluate what direction I need to pursue this year.

*Evaluate what are the good habits and what are the bad habits that you practice and how they influence your soul, and your heart and consequently, your worship of God, as we are commanded to worship Him in our minds.

*Make a plan of how you will grow in wisdom, beauty and truth this year. What will you read? When will you have a quiet time? What do you need to stop doing?

*Make a plan for all the ways you will pour beauty, goodness, wisdom and truth into your children this year. What books and stories will you read to them? When will you have devotionals with them? How do you need to change to reflect love and graciousness to them so that they will form their relationship habits on gentleness and generous love?

*What do you need to focus more on investing instead of just passing time with emptiness? (internet, television, computer, etc)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God who gives to all men

liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

I hope if you too are still searching for some direction this year that these questions will help you to think through what changes you would like to make in 2012.

Road Trip to the Upstate

2012-01-02T13:06:00.000-05:00

Last week after Christmas we hit the road and drove up to Greenville and Anderson to visit David's brothers and their families.

Our first stop was in Greenville to deliver Christmas presents and hang out with David's oldest brother Kirk and one of his sons, Grayson. I just have to brag on Grayson and say that I was so impressed by how much he has grown. He is in third grade now but looks like he could be in middle school. The DeWeils have always been tall boys. Grayson is such a conversationalist and talked so eloquently about sports he's involved in and trips he's taken this past year. I also was blown away by his mechanical skills. He is definitely following in Papa D's footsteps with a love for trains. He had a track set up around the Christmas tree and was changing it's course and showing off the train's horn to Caroline. She was in awe of course.

After Greenville we headed to Anderson to visit David's other older brother Scott and his wife Jennifer and their girls Mycah and Sienna. Caroline is the youngest in the family so these girls are who she looks up to like older sisters. Mycah and Sienna were so generous in finding fun activities for them to all do together. They enjoyed a tea party in the afternoon to warm up after painting and drawing on the sidewalk outside.

There were three beverages offered in tea pots: hot chocolate, milk, and Sierra Mist. Along with a bowl of marshmallows and slices of chocolate cake.

Mycah also gave the girls tips on how to hold their pinky fingers up in the air while drinking. So cute!

David and Scott decided to try out Mycah's new Wii game - Just Dance 3. Their instructor on the screen looked like some indian chief and their song went something like "Get on it! Get on it!" It was pretty hilarious to watch! Of course it brought out some brotherly competition and silliness.

We finished the day with a performance from Sienna who sang and danced for us. Loving the spotlight is a definite DeWeil family trait. :)

Aren't they beautiful!

We hated for the day to end! More family time is definitely on our list for 2012!

Gentleness

2012-01-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

Being a parent is a tough job. I have shared many times with friends how my dear mentor shared with me before marrying David to be prepared for all of my sin to rise to the top and be visible in ways I had never seen before. Well parenthood takes that to a whole new level. Being a mom has been very revealing of areas in my heart that desperately need transforming. One of those areas is anger and impatience. I always aspire to be a mom who speaks words of life and encouragement in our home but let me be real honest and say that there are days when I feel pressed in from all sides and have been pushed to my breaking point. Those are the days that my responses to repeated corrections move from gentleness to outbursts of a hot temper. I have struggled feeling like a failure as a mom and worried over the many counseling sessions Caroline will need when she is older. In those times I have been reminded of my need of my Savior's grace. I have had to repent and humbly seek Caroline's forgiveness.

I share all of this with you because I am very excited about a new challenge for 2012 that Courtney from Women Living Well is launching.

I will definitely be embarking on this. I hope if any of you have also been in my shoes that you will follow this challenge as well and find some encouragement and hope.

And I will leave you with some verses that have been posted on my fridge lately for my meditation throughout the day.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

A gentle tongue is a tree of life. Proverbs 15:4a

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29

Christmas continued

2011-12-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

After our Christmas celebrations in Georgia we headed back home. On the way, we made a stop in North Augusta to visit our dear friends Landon, Laura and Liam Jones. Sadly, I did not take any pictures of our time with them because we were so engrossed in catching up. These are friends who have known David and I since our pre-dating days so they are so dear to our hearts.

We got home in time for Christmas Eve where my family came to join us. Our first activity was to bake gingerbread men. Caroline was not interested in the cookie preparation but more of the decorating with icing and eating of the cookies.

Later that evening Caroline was so hyper from cookies and candy canes that she wanted to have a dance party.

Here she got her Papa and Daddy to show off their moves for her while she cheered them on. There is nothing they wouldn't do for her.

After a drive to look at Christmas lights, we all gathered in the living room for David to read from Luke 2. We wanted all of our hearts to be focused on the reason we celebrate Christmas.

"For unto you is born this day
in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

We let Caroline open one present on Christmas Eve. And of course she took him to bed with her that night.

This was David's first year having to build something on Christmas Eve. He was initiated into the brotherhood of all dads who undertake the task of assembling toys purchased for Christmas. He did a great job putting together this easel. The rest of us enjoyed watching SNL reruns on Hulu while he worked.

Christmas morning surprisingly we all woke up before Caroline. She was a little camera shy at first but it didn't take long for her to start ripping open packages.

I successfully cooked my first Christmas dinner with some tips from my mom. I made our family's traditional Christmas favorites. The menu consisted of ham, macaroni and cheese, pineapple casserole, green beans, and yeast rolls.

Here are a few family shots.

We had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas

2011-12-28T19:29:00.163-05:00

Christmas has come and gone and I am so thankful for the sweet times we got to have with our families. It was so fun watching Caroline really get into the celebrations this year. She was belting out Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman every day. She also took her Fisher Price nativity set with her to bed for every nap and every night. And she made sure to say hey to Santa every time we went to the mall although she was not interested in sitting on his lap.

We put up the tree this year BEFORE Thanksgiving and it was wonderful having some extra time enjoying the twinkle of lights in our living room. Caroline helped me put the ornaments on. We have a tradition of adding an ornament every year with a picture of her from that Christmas. It's crazy how much she has changed in just three years!

We made it to the Christmas lights at the zoo this year. It was our first time doing this and it was so beautiful. We toasted marshmallows over an open fire and enjoyed the snowfall in various spots around the zoo.

We spent some time before Christmas in Georgia with David's family. Caroline was so excited about getting to spend some time with her cousin Ella. She woke up at 5am the morning we were headed there ready to hit the road. It was a laid back time which was really refreshing. Caroline loved playing on the tire swing that held so many memories. This swing has been in David's family for over 30 years. He played on it as a child with his siblings and now all the grandchildren are loving it.

David's dad aka Papa D worked very hard on his lights display for the outside of the house. He had strung lights set to music that you could listen to when you tune into a certain radio station. Caroline was mesmerized! You can see her wearing their headphones listening to the music.

Here Caroline is helping Papa D feed the fish down at the pond. They were jumping like crazy for their dinner.

Caroline enjoyed making art with Ella.

Overall we had so much fun catching up with Papa D, Gee Gee, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Patrick and Ella.