Week of God's Power!

I absolutely LOVE snow & ice! Today around 6:30, the University of Arkansas cancelled classes for tomorrow because the weather is suppose to be nasty.  Although it is so great to be out of school and get to sleep in, it is SO GORGEOUS outside.  I just love the winter season and getting to see the power of God and his works.  I challenge everyone to just walk outside tomorrow and admire the beauty of God.  

Valentine's Day Wreaths!

I love me some Valentine's day!!!! And I love crafts! My new crafty deal for this year is that I am going to make a really cute wreath for every holiday! I was playing around at Party City the other day and noticed that they had heart shaped wire things that had red tool around them for $3!!!!!!!!!! WOW!! Cheap! Hobby Lobby has many red and pink ornament balls that are cheap as well as other little nacks to add into a wreath.  I googled "Valentine's Day Wreaths" and here are the ones that I fell in love with! I am going to make one this weekend of my own from these ideas!

Children & Heaven

As many of you know, I have a true love for children.  I am an avid babysitter to many families and I have a special place in my heart for a few little ones.  To me, children are a GIFT from God.  Yes-a gift! By a gift, I mean, they bring us joy, laughter and hope.  There is one child in particular that I am very attached to that always makes me feel so good when I am around her.  She constantly makes me laugh and just lets me breathe from anything that is going on in the "real world."  Children give people hope.  They can always cheer you up to where you know that life is really going to be ok.  I am so attached to some of my babies that I honestly do not know what I would ever do without them.  AND I am only a babysitter! Not even a mother with my own child yet!


Point of this post----->


This past weekend, a precious 7 year old boy from my hometown, Marshall Arkansas, passed away.  Him and his father had a car accident and upon arriving at the hospital, he was put on life support and soon died.  This little boy was an only child to a young set of parents.  This child was a funny, loving little boy.  His parents were so attached to him.  He had a great family with so many people who were so attached to him.   He brought joy, love, compassion, hope and so much more to everyone that he came in contact with.  He was such a Razorback fan! For the past 2 football seasons, he would always sit in front of me during a couple of games.  I was even really lucky one game to have him sit in my lap and then one time take him to the concession stand.  Ben Warren was just precious.  But why him??? 


This is not the first time that we have experienced a young child's death.  Why does this happen?? I do believe that God has a master plan.  The conclusion that I have come up with is this...


God has his master plan.  At the time, we will never understand it.  God sends children down to be angels for people.  I know that this little 7 year old touched my life as many others as well.  God has special jobs in heaven that he needs little ones for.  Although it is painful for his family and they do not understand and probably never will, God will never give you too much that you can't handle. Everything happens for a reason.  As cliche is that is, it is so true.  God works in the most mysterious ways but all for good.  


Tonight, I pray that God will give the Warren family peace at heart and understanding.  This is something that is a nightmare to any young family.  But like I previously said, God will never give someone more than they can handle.

Show us your Singles: Meet my best friend Jen

So it's "Show us your Singles" over at Kelly's Corner, and since I have the most amazing best friend who just happens to be single, I figured why not show her to all of yall!

Meet my best friend and roomie: Jen

Jen's in her 20's, in graduate school at the University of Arkansas and teaches high school science. 

She's one of the sweetest people I know.  She loves the Lord and has a passion for His word.  We've done Bible studies together for the past several years and I'm always amazed by her ability to overcome ANY obstacle.  I have the privledge of living with her, and I promise what you see is exactly what you get!  

The man she ends up with is going to be one very lucky man!  She's so much fun to be around.  She loves going to concerts, eating out, working out, and simply spending time with friends and family.  She has a servant's heart to the core.

I'm SO ready for Jen to meet an amazing guy who loves the Lord and will be captivated by her, like we all are! 

So if you know a guy who fits the bill, have him email her!  

jbradley@uark.edu

Oh and I promise I'll tell her I'm doing this, AFTER I post this! HA

Happy Birthday Little Sister-Brandi!

 I can not believe that my BABY SISTER is turning 19 today! Just crazy! I can't believe time flies as fast as it does.  I feel like it was just yesterday when we were living in Georgia jumping on the trampoline in the back yard or when we lived in Conway and we would race to the trampoline without Shiloh attacking us.  I can't believe that we are young adults getting ready to enter the real world.  All of our childhood at home together is over but we have such a great future together that we will share.  I can not imagine having a better sister than you.  God has blessed the Horton family tremendously with you as our baby! You truly are a great young lady inside and out.  You are BEAUTIFUL, smart, talented, sweet (when you want to be! haha), and such a loving person.  I know that you will always accomplish great things in your life.  I can't believe that you are going into your 2ND SEMESTER OF COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!!! You aren't suppose to be that old! You are suppose to be going to Kindergarten or 3rd grade at the most with you big freckles and one buck tooth in the front in the most hideous outfit that mom picked out for you with some crazy hair-do that mom fixed.  You aren't suppose to be old enough to drive or even have a cell phone! You are my BABY SISTER! Not my old sister! Well here you are as a my BABY SISTER....

Haha! Weren't you just the cutest!!!

Then you decided to grow up just a little bit...But don't worry, you aren't very old in these pictures yet either...

 Wow! Look at those freckles!

 HELLO abs!

Then you became just a little bit older but you were still the baby sister & everything was ok...

But then it happened....you started HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!! You were growing up and everyone couldn't believe it! But we all knew that you wouldn't ever get any older than this....

 You were even going to the PROM! We thought we would never see that day! Wow was that a tough one to swallow!

Then we really fell apart....You started getting ready for GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But of course, we never really thought that the actually day when you graduated high school would come...

Oh but it did come and we all fell apart!!!!!!!!!!!! You were just a baby! How were you suppose to graduate high school already & go to college!??? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I thought we would never make it on that day! It was almost as if we had to pinch or slap ourselves to make sure that we were awake! Crazy!!!!!!!!!!

-Then you moved to Fayetteville & started COLLEGE @ the University of Arkansas (just like your big sis taught you to do!) I still have to remind myself that you are in COLLEGE! Taking classes just like me! Paying TUITION! Buying COLLEGE BOOKS! Checking out your professors on RateMyProfessor.com! Living in a DORM! Getting a WEEKLY ALLOWANCE! Having NO curfew! In a SORORITY (Delta Delta Delta!)! Attending RAZORBACK sporting events w/a STUDENT TICKET!!!!!!! But I still have to remind myself that my little baby sister is growing up and becoming a BEAUTIFUL young woman!....I can tell that you really love being 19....

Wow! Just looking through these pictures gives me chills! You are such a big girl now! 19 years old! WOW! I never thought I would see the day! 

I have always called you "SIS" but I don't think that I have ever told you WHY I have always called you that instead of just sister.  Well SIS stands for: SIMPLY INCREDIBLE SISTER! And that is you! No one could ever count the amount of laughter that we have shared together or the oceans of tears that we have cried together! No one can do that unless they have an AMAZING sis to share that with like I do. There's no better friend than a sister. There's no one more loyal and true and even when sisters are different their likeness come shining through! 

I love you so much, Sis!

Remember when I wrote you this in your Kindergarden yearbook?

I always loved that! I always loved being your big sis! Hopefully I have laid out a great path behind me for you to follow.  To me, our relationship is like this...

I will always be there for you to lean on...

-Just remember, I am your best friend in ANY given situation.  You are such an amazing person.  I could not imagine having a better person in my life as my SIS! God has blessed me with you! I can't believe that today you are turning 19 years old! Just 2 more years and we can legally party together! hahahahahaha (jk mom!) I love you more than words could ever describe and I can't wait to make more memories with you over the years! Just thinking...in about 10 years, we (hopefully) will be married with kids and our kids will be best friends!!!!  I LOVE YOU BRANDI HORTON!

Now I will go and lay in my bed and cry........