I Am A Princess

I Am A Princess? 

I Am  Royalty?

I Am the Daughter of a King?

We have all watched the movies, read the books, dreamed it, wished it, played it and imagined it.

I’m talking about a Fairy Tale Princess.

As little girls, it’s our biggest fantasy. We want to hear every story, own every dress-up gown and watch every Disney movie about a Princess. There is just something about a Princess that captivates the smallest girl to the “most mature” seasoned lady. 

Maybe, it’s because she is unique, different, rare, gracious, beautiful, and kind. Maybe it’s because she lives a life we can only dream about or maybe because she is the daughter of a King. ( Or it's because she has the most exquisite gowns and a sparkly crown...just keeping it real!)

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Then there is another type of a Princess....
The ordinary girl who meets a Prince.

There is just something about the girl who gets the Prince!

There is magic in a story when an ordinary girl becomes a Princess. 
She wasn't born of Royalty, it doesn't run through her veins, yet, she is as much as a Princess as the Prince is a Prince.

I think that is why most of the world has fallen madly in love with Kate Middleton.

I would dare say that almost the entire universe watched her wedding.

All eyes were glued to the television. Every woman anticipated to see what her dress would be like. What type of veil she would be wearing. How her hair would be styled.  What color flowers she would choose.

Why? Because, she is a modern day fairy tale.

She was just a normal girl who is now a Princess.

We love to see how she is dressed everyday.

We love to hear her speak.

We adore the pictures of her beautiful family.

She has such grace and humility yet she is confident and poised.

We just can’t seem to get enough of her.

I believe this is how Christian ladies should be.

We should be wrapped in grace and humility, yet have the confidence of a princess.

There should be something different about us.

We should walk different and talk different.

We should have all the confidence that Kate Middleton has.

We have the ability to be self-assured, positive and poised.

Not because of Who we are but because of Whose we are.

We belong to the King of Kings and we too are a Princess.

We are a child of the King.

Yes, we belong to the Royal family.

We are a Princess!

We were that ordinary girl and then the King of Kings took us into His Royal Family.

We are also a modern day fairy tale.

However, I believe we should live in a manner that is a little different than the Royal Family. There should be some differences in our lives.

1. We should be approachable.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would throw myself on top of the Queen and give her a big ole hug. There are rules and protocols you have to follow when you are in her presence.

In the old days if you came before the King uninvited he could simply order “Off with your head” if it pleased him.

But the King of Kings has a different way of ruling His kingdom. In Hebrew 4:16 He says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” We have an amazing God who is totally approachable. We do not have to fear coming before Him. He wants us to come to Him. He even said we could come boldly before Him.

As Christian ladies, we should live in the same mindset. We should be approachable to the people around us. We should never give others the impression we are better than them. We should not be stand-offish. We need to be the type of ladies people know they can run to in the time of need.

2. We should draw people to us.

The Royal Family attracts attention everywhere they go.

People draw to them.

They want to be near them.

See them. 

Hear what they have to say.

Our King was also this way. But He drew people in a different way.

He served the people. He ministered to the people and preformed miracles.

When word got out about this Miracle Healing Man and what He could do; people flocked to Him.

Men, women, boys and girls wanted to see Him.

They wanted to be near Him.

They wanted to hear what He had to say.

I believe this is how we should live. We should live in such a way that it draws others around us. James 4:8 says “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…”

We should have such a walk with God that people can feel His presence on us. Others should want to be around us because they know there is something different about us.

We should draw people to us, not because of who we are but because of Whose we are.

3. We should live our lives differently

The Royal Family has to live life in a different manner. There are some places they can not go and some things they just can not do. And I believe as a Child of the King, we are representing the King of Kings in everything we do. There are some places we should not go and some things we should not do. There are words we should not say. Drinks we should not drink. Music we should not listen to, clothes we should not wear. Friends we should not have and jobs we should not take.

Now wait a minute, you are going just a little too far with all of this Royalty stuff!!!

Am I?

1 Corinthians 10:31 has a little to say about that.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”

Everything we do, as a Christian, reflects back to the King. It will either bring honor or dishonor to His name.  I Corinthians 6:19-20 goes on to say “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Although this is not popular teaching in today’s society, we live in a “if it makes you happy ,then do it” generation, but that is a very ungodly way to live. We are to do what makes God happy and He calls us to be different, bold and in a manner that pleases and glorifies Him.

This is why so many people do not want to go to church or have anything to do with God. They see how many Christians live Monday- Saturday.  They see there is no difference between them. So why should a lost person want Jesus. Why should they go to church? Why should they sacrifice a day off?  That is a great question.

I pray my life and your life will be lived in such a way it naturally draws people closer to God. A light that shines so bright the lost world wants what we have. A kindness so rare and so genuine everyone around us knows there is something different about us. We need to live a Holy life. A life that reflects God and makes the lost world want and crave what we have.

We should be separated.

We should have peace the world can not understand.

We should have joy unspeakable.

We should extend mercy and grace to others.

We should be hard workers and honest.

There should be places we don’t go and things we do not do.

Not because we are better than anyone else but because we represent the King of Kings and we should desire to bring Him glory through our lives.

A family trip to Branson

Have you ever been to Branson during Christmas? Put it on your Bucket list if you haven't.  I went years ago with my parents and sister one Summer and fell in love with the town. But put Branson and Christmas together and it becomes this magical Santa-land. It was absolutly awesome and I highly recommend for everyone to do it once in their lifetime.

This trip was exciting for us because we were taking a mini Christmas trip to meet up with my husband's siblings. We had not seen them since we moved to KC back in September. This is the longest we have gone without seeing them.

 We rented a cabin right smack in the middle of down town. So we were close to everything. There are so many fun family activities, lots of shopping,  amazing restaurants and of course,  Silver Dollar City.


Due to my husband's work schedule, we got in late Friday night. I was bummed about this because I hate being the last person to arrive. I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun. The drive there seemed to take forever. Once we finally arrived, everyone was already comfy cozy in their PJ's and a big bowl of Chili was ready for us to eat. The kids had fun running around and exploring the cabin.

I was so excited to get my hands on those active little twins. My little Lilly Bug was glued to me for the rest of the weekend. She is an Aunt Dorothy 's Girl all the way and it totally melts my heart. However, sometimes the little Arlee Bug get extremely jealous!

After we put the kiddos to bed we stayed up talking for a bit, then we watched a movie. The next morning we got the kids bundled up and went to a local Pancake House and enjoyed a yummy fattening breakfast. Then, we dropped the kids off with the men folk back at the cabin and we girls enjoyed some long over-due shopping time!

And of course, we had to have matching shirts!

After the Kids had a good nap we loaded up and headed to Silver Dollar City. Not knowing what to expect or how cold it would be, I brought a wagon and packed it up with blankets. Good thing too, cause it was freezing!

Most of the rides were closed due to the cold weather, but luckily, a few of the kids rides were up and running and Arlee and Jackson had a blast.

Below is a picture of Arlee in a Bounce House, it was pretty challenging for an adult. You had to crawl through very small spaces, dodging tons of hyper screaming kids, all while trying to keep  up with a 3 year old who refuses to wait on you. The kids loved it, but none of us adults were crazy about this one

While we were there we found out they would be having a Rudolph the Red- Nose Reindeer Parade. We were told the parade started at 5. So, we found perfects seats and we waited, and waited and waited. Don't know if you have ever done this with children...you know, freeze your fannies off and tell kids to keep waiting....well, the parade never happened. The twins were past the "I'm Tired" mark and we were all so cold. We found out that the parade didn't actually start till 7....ugh. So, that was our sign it was time to leave and get warmed up and find some dinner.

The sight there a simply spectacular at night and the Christmas music was so festive and fun....pictures and words never do somethings justice. Even though it was cold, it was so much a wonderful day. 

We found a fun little pasta place and to our luck they had a special guest that night. The kids were all excited to see Santa until the little girl in front of us pitched a fit and screamed the whole time and that did it in for our kids. So, Sarah and I got to be a kid again and talk to Santa too. 

That evening we go snug as a bug in our matching PJs , took some fun pics and made Gingerbread House....oh the memories!

Imagine all that sugar right before bedtime!!!!!

The next morning we had a lazy morning and enjoyed pancakes in our pjs. We got ready and went to an outdoor mall. It was very misty but at least the rain held off untill the very end of our shopping. We stopped for lunch at a seafood restaurant and the kids enjoyed a little more playtime.

All to soon we said goodbye to Jessica and Tanner and the rest of us headed back to the cabin. We started to packing up process and before we knew it, it was time to leave. 

Living 9 hours away from our family makes goodbyes a little harder. But knowing we would see all these faces again in a week made it somewhat easier....

Recap of the Holidays- Festivals and Pumpkins Patches

It always amazes me how quickly the holidays fly by. In fact, other than the extra pounds I gained, there is no evidence they even happen, I feel like I blinked and they were gone.

With a calendar full of activities, I seemed to have gotten behind on my family blog posts. So, If you will bare with me, I am going to do a recap of all of our holiday activities. And of course, I'm going to start where I left off, my favorite season of all...Fall

 (Fall is the official holiday kickoff for me and my family)

Fall is no doubt my most favorite time of the year. Being raised in the South, I'm not sure if  it's just in my blood or part of my heritage, but when the first signs of Fall appear and the weather begins to get cooler, I get giddy.

This year living in MO it seemed we got to enjoyed Fall a little longer. We moved here in September and I thing we only ran the AC maybe 2 or 3 times. The rest of the time we  opened the large windows and welcomed the fresh Fall air into the house.

I know for a lot of my Southern friends Fall means Football, Tailgating and Halloween. But for me it's the fresh air, the beautiful radiant colors of the trees, the hayrides and  bon-fires, the cool nights, the pumpkin patches, the corn mazes,  family time, traditions and  memories made. (and yes, maybe a little football..lol)

This year with us living away from all of our family and not getting to be a part of our family traditions there, we ventured out and made our own family memories.

We heard about an Apple Festival in a town about 45 mins away and thought we would give it a try. They had a Farm Market, a live band, lots of yummy food and several kid friendly activities. The first one that caught Arlee's attention was the hay maze.....

        I honestly did not think we would ever get him out of there..... we may have bribed him with food...lol

 His first time trying a caramel apple and my first attempt at fried Oreos. They were good but, I think I prefer regular doubled stuffed Oreos and milk

                 The music was awesome..it was a jazzy, cajun group that was very entertaining

 My favorite moment of the day was when he was riding his pony and grabbed on to me and said "Mommy don't let go." Well,  you don't worry,  my sweet little darling, Mommy won't ever let go!

It was a great day with some wonderful memories made. 

Our next fall family outing was the Pumpkin Patch. The KC area had so many to offer and it was a bit overwhelming trying to pick the best one for us. One caught my eye above all the others because it included a train and with my son's love for trains it seemed the obvious choice. Plus it was the closest to our house which was a huge bonus.( The words pumpkins donuts may have had a huge pull too...lol) 

                                           of course, our first stop had to be the train ride....

                                                       proudly showing off his train ticket....

 after walking around and watching the pig races we hopped on board the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch...

After having some fun in the pumpkins patch it was off to the playground, some lunch and then the barn...

Arlee loved feeding the animals. He told me he will be a "barmer and have a barn and lots of chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, camels (yes, camels..lol) horses, bunnies, dogs, cows, kitties and a tractor." 

We had a wonderful time and ended out fun day with a pumpkin donut! Cant think of a better way to end a perfect day.