Re-cap of 2012 by Hannah Grace

2012

Hi! I am Hannah Grace and this is my recap on 2012! Meet My CRAZY family!!!  First, there is my dad he is 35 and has a doctorate in Ministry. (He is ONE of the smart ones in the family and LOVES Alabama Football!!!) Second, there is my mom she is a pre-k teacher and is kind of a Math geek! ;)   Third, there’s me the oldest child and kind of an over-achiever. I am 10 and I am in the 5^th grade. Fourth, there is my brother Noah.  He is a CRAZY little munchkin and can talk your ear off! He is 8 and is in 2^nd grade and LOVES it!!!! Fifth, there is my sister Lily she is 6 and is in Kindergarten. She is from China and is totally adorable. Last, but especially NOT LEAST my sister Hope. She is the most crazy 2 year old in the whole state!!! She is a little ball of fire and like my brother she can TALK YOUR EAR OFF!!!!!! Well, we are all crazy but I wouldn’t trade my family for another one! So here is what in we did 2012!!!!

January: Sophie’s 4^th Birthday. We went to the cabin the weekend after Sophie’s B-day and had an awesome time! We hiked, played in the snow, watched movies, played board games, and did jigsaw puzzles. Later on, Dad got ready to go away for a month in February. So that he could write his dissertation to be able to graduate.

February: Dad leaves and is gone ALLLLLL…………………… month!!!I remember being so sad at school the whole month of February! Mom was practically going CRAZY taking care of all 4 kids by herself! Lily’s Gotcha day was spent at the cabin with Mia and Aaron.   We love the cabin.  

March: Piano auditions!!!!!! Super nervous! I memorized 3 songs, all scales, arpeggios, and broken chords. Noah played baseball and he confirmed it 7 times its baseball NOT T-ball!! Mom got hooked on Pinterest and has been doing funky but creative crafts since then!!! We went to the zoo for spring break with Anna-lee, Jordan and Ada. It was quite interesting. When you put Hope and Ada together there is no telling what might happen!

April: My tenth birthday I got…… my ears pierced, a week at summer camp, lots & lots of earrings, and pictures for my room!

May: I have a Piano Recital, but I am not that nervous because it is my 3^rd one! They are trying to take Hope to the recital, but I mean really………. We will see how that experience goes!   School Is Out!!!

June: Mom and Dad went Hong Kong. They stayed for a whole week.  We thought we might move there, but God kept us here. We stayed with Deda, Granny, and Tamara that entire week. We go to the public swimming pool a lot and it is really fun! This year we are going to like 5 V.B. S.’s which is very exciting.

July: We turned our garage into a playroom when we moved to our house in 05. This year we are adding a room into the garage. It will be my mom’s tutoring space. It is like we are on HGTV. We went to the beach and had a blast. My dad had to teach at Campus Outreach Beach Project so we got to stay a whole week in Destin, Florida. We went on a boat ride, went snorkeling, fished, had a barbeque, swam, and built sandcastles.  Lily and Hope had a birthday party.  It was a Hello Kitty and Monkey birthday party. 

August: We went to my paw-paw’s house in Roanoke, Virginia. We spent most of the time there on the lake in his yacht. We had a blast!!!!! We rode around the lake, fished, swam, barbequed, and hung-out!! School started back and I wasn’t happy. Lily and Noah started soccer they loved it!!! They won almost all of their games! Hope began going to school too.   Sometimes, she gets naughty notes sent home.  She is not really fond of nap time.  

September: My mom started working at our school. She started teaching the new Pre-k program there and she really enjoys it. I enjoy it too because I go “help” her a lot.   Noah and Lily like to go to her room every morning.    

October: Happy Halloween! We went trick-or-treating and got lot and lots of candy! We saw this talking head named Marvin  and it was really creepy. Noah turns 8 years old.  

November: Happy Thanksgiving! We went to Mississippi to visit family for thanksgiving and ate lots of good food!!!!!!!

December: My dad graduated with his Doctorate of Ministry on the 7^th. Merry Christmas! We all couldn’t sleep Christmas Eve, but it was worth the LONG night. We all got almost everything we asked for plus the big surprise which was a trampoline!!!!!! Well that was the Weathers family 2012!!!!! Happy 2013!

I will close with interviews from Noah and Lily.

“What was your favorite memory from 2012?”

Noah: When we went snorkeling on the boat in Panama City.  It was kinda funny because Hannah Grace got really scared that a shark was going to eat her.  I liked looking at the dolphins.  I saw two baby dolphins.  I loved going to the pool.   One day, when we were swimming, a branch fell in the pool next to Mommy and she screamed. The man had to get it out of the pool.    I also liked doing baseball and soccer.  

Lily: My favorite thing that I did this year was go to DeDa’s house.   I like to spend the night at her house.  I also liked going to the cabin in TN with Mia and Aaron.    I love to play ping pong with Noah.   I love being in kindergarten.  We make crafts.  I like to make lots of them.   Oh, and when we went to the beach. I swam in the deep water.  I like riding on the boat and going snorkeling.   We had a party on the boat.  Oh, and I love my Lalaloopsy doll.   I got it for Christmas.   That’s all.

                                                             Hannah Grace

Playroom!!

Well. It's almost complete! There are a few walls that are still bare, but overall the main renovation is complete!!!

I am super excited to have my own space just for tutoring. I should have done this years ago!!!!!! My students are LOVING the new space and so am I!!! Everything is super organized and I have plenty of room for everything.. Including my laptop! All of the furniture came from IKEA. The white board is just a shower board from Lowes ( $13.00). The boards usually last me about 3-4 years. Not bad, huh?

I almost tossed the TV entertainment system, but after some research ( on Pinterest. Lol), I decided to prime it and paint it. It turned out great. The only problem is that the paint is peeling in a few places. But, overall, I'm happy with it. I also decided to keep my table. It was pretty nasty so I just repainted the table-top red. I had some leftover paint from my kitchen table project.

The wall with letters was super fun. Almost all of the letters came from Hobby Lobby. This was my first project to use Mod-Podge. Yeah. I'm hooked on that now!

I'm thinking about using the big wall in the play area to make a wall with calendars- bulletin boards for each of the kids. Just a place where we can stay organized. I am learning that the key to raising four busy children is organization!!!! Otherwise, we run around like crazy people.

Enjoy the pics.

Trip to Virginia

We had such a great time visiting my dad in Virginia. We spent most of our time on his big ole boat! The kids thought it was really cool to sleep on a boat! The bottom had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room area. We spent the day taking long boat rides, fishing and swimming. The kids really loved it when paw paw took Them to the islands on the lake and went exploring. You see, Paw Paw is really just a big kid!!! We also got to meet Katies two little boys.. Victor and Vincent. I enjoyed catching up with my sisters. It was sad to leave but hopefully we will be back soon!

Over due update.

So much has been going on in the Weathers' life over the past 3 months. I want to kick myself for not being a better blogger. I wonder if 20 years from now I will wonder why I went missing for 3 months???


God has been so good to us and we are thankful for how He has been working in our hearts. He has taken us to far places to show us His great plan. We are looking forward to the future with great hope and joy as we devote ourselves to ministry here in northeast Alabama. We are also very thankful for our incredible church, Grace Fellowship. There is honestly no other church like them. We are loved and cherished like family and vice versa. We are incredibly blessed to serve with some amazing people whom we adore.


So.... Moving forward. To July.


We have been on a little renovation kick these past few weeks. We have given our playroom a total re-haul. And boy, oh boy is it looking good!!!! This coming week.. they are going to build me my own private space for tutoring.      This has been a long time coming!   Right now, I am working with 16 students from all over Calhoun county and that list is growing!!! I am hoping to add a few homeschoolers this coming year.   I feel truly blessed to be able to work with such sweet children and parents.  


So... I'm going to leave you with "before" pics. I'm almost horrified to post these.  These pics were taken when we began the process.   It is super messy and very unorganized...so no judging....ok?   lol Y'all just won't believe the transformation that is happening right now! 

Yeah baby!!! I'll be back soon to post "after" pics.   Think....IKEA.  

More Kitchen Pictures

Soooooo many of you have emailed me wanting to know more about my kitchen re-do. Let me clarify a few things.
-I did not mix my glaze with my paint. I painted the table, distressed it, and then used a brush to apply the glaze. Last, I used a rag to wipe off the glaze. You can play with the glaze and apply it to your liking. It takes the glaze 45 minutes to dry completely.
- I did not sand the furniture completely. I think its just important for your furniture to not have a shiny gloss on it. They paint will stick much better if the surface is not glossy. I also advise to prime.
-I am sure you could use spray paint!! I say go for it!
-I purchased a quart of paint for each of the chairs (1 quart for both blue chairs). But, really, I could have bought the little sample bottles for $3 and had enough for one chair!!! Oh well, live and learn.
-The table took about 1/2 gallon of paint.
-I would not use the spray can protective gloss again. It did not cover like I wanted it too. I would use the wax next time.
-The project took 2 full days to complete.

As you can see, I have added new window treatments and painted the kitchen walls. The color of the walls is an "aimee creation." I wanted the color to flow from my living room, so I went back to the paint store where we purchased our living room color. There was not a lighter color of that same shade, so we cut the living room color by 75%. Its perfect. It blends very well. I need flow. I'm just weird like that. See..I told you painting my chairs different colors was a big step. lol

The window treatments were purchased from Lowes. I got a sweet, sweet deal on them. These custom wooden shades are regularly priced at $58.00 per shade. And lo and behold, I found the size I needed on a clearance cart for $14.82. I broke out in a happy dance right then and there.

I hope I have answered any questions.

I look forward to blogging on something totally different next time!

Kitchen Table Re-Do

It all started with some late night clicking on Pinterest and a nice little cherry wood table. You've been a good table to our family, but we are tired of looking at your dark, dreary color. You must have a make-over!

Look out kitchen wall...you are next!

Choosing the right colors was the hardest part. We were trying to compare the colors to the picture we saw online. Below, you will see my inspiration picture. I could not for the life of me find the name of the paint on her website. I think we ended up coming pretty close without having the names of the paint colors.



BUT, It was very difficult. Jami was with me and we sat down on the floor in Lowe's and made us a little pretend "table". We had all the cards laid out on the floor in the shape of a kitchen table! People must have thought we were a little nutso! We were pretending the cards were tables and chairs. Hey...whatever works...right? And it was kinda fun.

Please note: We used BAYSIDE and not Reflection Pool for our blue choice. The light yellow is called EVENING GLOW.
The table was painted in a vintage cream color. It came from walmart. $10bucks for a gallon. It was the same color I used on the shutters a few weeks back. Sorry, I forgot the color name!

Besides the paint...we picked up a nice size jug of glaze. Valspar Mocha Glaze to be exact. It was around $17.00.

First thing we did was SAND down everything!!

Here is Jami with her power tool. Hint Hint.. Mother's Day is right around the corner..I would really like one of these. It's a Dewalt Orbital Sander. I think they will run you about $70 bucks at Lowes. But, honestly, I would pay double for that handy little thing. We sanded the table and 6 chairs in no time. That thing ROCKS.

Hannah Grace got a hold of my phone and took this from inside the porch. She text this picture to her Daddy and said...Look at mommy with that machine. HAHA

So, after we sanding everything, we started painting. We did not prime the table, and we paid dearly for it. It took 4 coats. We primed the chairs and it made life so much easier. I think we did 2 coats. It was a beautiful day, so the furniture ended up drying rather quickly. We were able to start distressing. This is the FUN part!!

The next step was the glaze. This stuff really made all the difference.

Below: the chair on the left is glazed. See the difference? I'm not so sure you can really tell in the picture. But, in Real life, it looks amazing. So old and dirty. Looks like its been sitting in my Granny's attic for ages. lol
The glaze really gives it that vintage feel.


And the final picture is the finished product ....yippee!!

We have really been enjoying our table over the last few days. I really wish the picture would do it justice. Its hard to see how distressed and OLD looking the chairs look! After a week, I spray painted them with a clear coat of protective spray. It was very easy. It's funny how when you start a project, one thing leads to another. A few weeks ago, I did the shutters and it just lightened up the space so much! Now, after the table, our kitchen space is much brighter and happier!! I honestly smile every time I walk in the kitchen. Who knows, I may get sick and tired of the colors in a year or so...but for now....I am loving it!!!

Catching up!

Whoa. Long time. No post.

Life is so, so busy!

Here is what has been going on in the Weather's house.

We all waited on winter to arrive, but she didn't. So needless to say, we have been enjoying lots of time outside! The weather has been beautiful. Hope LOVES the outdoors so that is where we spend a lot of our day. We have already made a few trips to the local park. She loves to run around and I love the fact that it wears her out and she takes a really good nap!!

Our week days are pretty scheduled. We have a different plan for each day of the week, but its the same pretty much every week. With four kids, it works well to get "into a groove." Of course, there are many times when that schedule is interrupted. Our weekdays are filled with things such as, going to the gym with mommy, washing clothes, meeting with college girls, grocery shopping, cleaning house, running errands for Daddy, washing clothes, going to the library or park, preparing for Bible studies, have I said washing clothes?, going to Bible Studies, and TUTORING! Lots and lots of tutoring these days!!! Right now, I am working 6 afternoons a week! The need for additional help outside of the classroom is significant. I mostly focus on math (Algebra), but I have a few young ones that I teach how to read. I really enjoy it. I truly love teaching. I also have several students who come to me because they are not being challenged in the classroom. I love setting high goals for these students and see them succeed. It's amazing what children can learn. Amazing.

The kiddos are doing well. Hannah Grace has a piano audition on March 31st, so she has been practicing almost every afternoon. Noah has started baseball. And I must say...we have quite the little baseball player. I think this might be "his thing." Noah is not a big child (the term scrawny has been used often..lol) , but he has got an arm on him!! Wowza! Lily is doing super at school. We have had a few bumps in the road, but she is adjusting well. We are so very proud of her. She is reading like a big girl now! And Hope...well, she is Hope. She is unlike any of our other children. She is curious, brave, feisty, and head strong. And we love her fiercely. Thank you sweet Father...you have blessed us immensely!

Lily with make-up on Gotcha day!

Carlton took the month of February to work on his doctoral paper. He was out of the pulpit for 4 weeks! He spent 2 weeks up in Tennessee at a friends home in the middle of nowhere. He worked tirelessly. I kinda felt bad for him! But, there was no way I could help him. Trust me. All I could do was be his cheer leader!!!! Two bits, Four bits... Ok..I'll stop, I'm showing my age. After his 2 weeks, he learned that his 2nd chapter was approved! On the FIRST submission!!! This folks.... is amazing!!! The last 2 weeks of February were spent here in Anniston. He completed chapter 3 and wrote out all the info for the class he will teach. On Feb. 27th, he completed every goal that he had set for the month. I was so stinkin' proud!! He learned on March 2nd that Chapter 3 was approved...on FIRST submission!!! Once again....amazing!!! He will spend the next 15 weeks (well, 12 now), working on his "project". We are expecting him to complete and turn everything in by the end of June! There will be some kind of happy dance going on when that day arrives.

Me? Well....since Carlton was gone in February, I had to focus my time on something. What else? Pinterest. I would crawl up in the bed each night when he was gone and waste countless hours on that crazy web site. I decided on two projects. Here they are.....the first is some shutters I picked up at our local thrift store. $5 for both. Yep... $5. I roughed them up a little and added vaseline to the edges that I wanted to distress. (this makes the paint peel off easily), then, I painted them a taupe-gray?, next I painted them an antique white. I let it dry and then I went to town distressing them. I even got hammer and took out some frustration on them. LOl. Total cost- $30 (I have tons of paint left that will be used for my kitchen table...next project) Here's some pictures of the process.

BEFORE

AFTER


We got rid of the TV and the stand (its on our back porch now). The kitchen looks twice as big!!

Next, a very nice friend who happens to be in the construction business grabbed some windows for me out of an old home that he was demolishing. I didn't do much to it because it was already "old." I did add some dents and sand a little. I purchased the "W" at Hobby Lobby and hot glued moss to it. I tied it up with some burlap I had left over from Christmas. Total cost of project. $3.25




Last before I end this post.... I want to link the article that was in our Saturday paper this past weekend. I want the link this on my blog...1.) so you can read it and 2.) so it will archive here. We are very thankful to Brett Buckner for doing a great job of accurately quoting us. We are always a little skirmish when someone asks to to a newspaper article. But, Brett wrote the original article the on Sophie and did an amazing job. As a matter of fact...it won some award in the newspaper world! I am so humbled at how our little girl continues to share the Gospel of Christ with so many around the world. It's been 4 years and her story continues to share the love of God.

Link: http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/17822634--Joyful-sorrow-Funerals-are-no-longer-somber-affairs

Copy and pasted from article.....

No matter the tone of the memorial, its primary purpose is to worship God, said Carlton Weathers, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Anniston.

“The funeral service has traditionally been used to glorify Jesus Christ and thank him for the life of the loved one who has passed away,” he said. “A second purpose of the Christian service is to proclaim the truth that in the future, God will raise the dead to a new life in the eternal kingdom.”

Few comprehend this dueling message more vividly than Weathers, who in 2008, preached the sermon at the funeral of his own child.

‘Joy is not the same as happy’

Sophie Ann Weathers was born on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, at 8:46 p.m., weighing 3 pounds, 15 ounces. She was 21 inches long.

She would live for only nine minutes.

Sophie Ann was diagnosed in utero with a rare chromosomal anomaly called Trisomy 13. One in 10,000 babies are born with this condition; 80 percent die within the first month.

Her mother, Aimee Weathers, carried Sophie Ann to term knowing her baby would die. When she did, it was while lying on her mother’s chest in the hospital delivery room.

Nine minutes.

Long enough for her father to recite the 23rd Psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.”

While Carlton delivered the sermon for his daughter’s funeral, Aimee chose the music for the memorial, including the hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.” The memories from that day are “seared” into their minds. But for all the sadness, there was hope.

“Aimee and I worked hard to have a service that clearly presented the Gospel, reflected our hope in Christ for the future resurrection of our daughter and expressed our feeling of joyful sorrow,” Weathers said.

“Joy is not the same as happy. I do not think it is helpful for us to try to hide the fact that when a loved one dies we are grieved. The fact is that death is unnatural, and all of us, no matter our faith, feel the pain of loss when someone dies.

“But the difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is the hope we have in Jesus Christ. We want to show the world that we grieve, but that our grief is filled with hope in Christ.

Read more: Anniston Star - Joyful sorrow Funerals are no longer somber affairs