On his blog, Jon Acuff challenged everyone to set goals to finish for the year.  Comment, or tweet with the hashtag #FinishYear to share your progress. One thing he said really resinated with me was: “Fear always tries to isolate you when you go on a new adventure, and dreaming is best played as a team sport.”

I think this is one of the reasons I love to dream with Jason.  I feel when we dream together and combine our goals, we have a unifed outlook and can hold each other accountable.  I love the idea of us accomplishing things together, walking through each high and low of the year, but at the end of it all, we will be able to say…”We finished _____________”

I will admit it is VERY vulnerable to put out there what I want to finish this year.  I feel like if I put it out there, then it is real.  It is something that I will have to follow through on.

So, here is what I am committing to finishing this year:

1.) I will journal at least 4 days a week, and I will complete three bible study courses this year.

2.)  I will finish Couch to 5K to jump start my running again.

3.) I want to run at least two 5Ks this year (I really want to do between 3-5 and one half marathon next November, but I am committed to finish some 5Ks).

4.) Borrowing one from Jon: I want to empty a box of thank you notes.  I am so thankful for so many people, and I want be better at telling them how precious they are to me.  There isn’t anything more wonderful than a handwritten note.

5.) I will finish 6 non-fiction books and 6 fictions books (one a month)

6.) I will set a 5 year buisness goal.  These goals will be realistic and written down. This way, I can look at the present and see what I will need to do to get me to the future that I dream of having.

7.) I will go on a road trip to somewhere new that I have never explored before.

8.) I will create a 2012 memory book of personal pictures to remember each month and why it is so precious to me.

What will you finish this year?  I can’t wait to hear, and I look forward to helping you along in your journey!  See you down the road!

enjoy!

2.)  Family Time! I love spending time with my family.  It doesn’t matter if it is my small family that lives at my house or time with Amy and Jason and their crews.  It all delights my soul!!

3.)  Christmas lights!  When the world begins to twinkle with little glowing lights, my heart dances!   I love it!  It makes everything so friendly and peaceful!

4.) TWO WEEK BREAK!  By December, I need a break from school.  The kids and I are exhausted, and it is time to step away, rest and refocus for the next semester!

5.) Buying Christmas Presents!  This year, we have had to really scale back our present buying which is so hard for me.  I love giving to other people.

6.) Mail!   The mail is so exciting in December!  I have some amazing, creative friends and family.  So, I LOVE getting their Christmas cards.  Each day, I can’t wait to see the pictures, hear about their year, and celebrate the precious lives that surround me!

7.) Peppermint!  I really enjoy all things peppermint.  I LOVE a Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha. I love peppermint candy, cheesecake, etc.  I get really excited!

8.)  Decorating Our Home!    As mentioned in the Christmas Lights post, I enjoy the spirit of Christmas.  I love getting all of the decorations out and filling our home with memories, colors, and deights….even if no one enters our home besides Jason and I.

9.)  Christmas Sweaters!  I know the fad now is to have parties where everyone dresses in a “tacky” sweater.  However, I love the ones I have.  I don’t consider them tacky.  I consider them to be joyful and fun!

10.) Belting out Carols!  We have some favorites that we pull out every year, but I always keep an open mind to new albums.  We LOVE Point of Grace and Amy Grant.  They are constantly playing in our home!

The Chisums have found themselves in the middle of a precious community!  My sister, brother-in-law, nephews, and soon niece have been blessed with friends that adore them!  I am so thankful for these beautiful ladies!  When sister found out she was having a girl, she was too excited.  However, she didn’t want to have a shower because it was her third baby.   Her precious friends insisted on hosting one for her, and we all traveled out to Lubbock to celebrate!  What an AMAZING blessing it was!  We took mom with us and had a blast celebrating Amy and Ellyce Margaret!

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My sister cracks me up! She and Dub are expecting a little girl at the end of June! We are elated and can not wait to meet little Ellyce Margaret. Sister had a shower this weekend (pictures in the next post) and so we traveled out to lubbock to shower her with goodies. While I was there, I told her let’s take some shots of that baby belly!

Needless to say, cotton growing country isn’t lush outside, but we took advantage of what we had:  boots, boys, trucks, RV, wheel barrow, belly, and jalepeno pickles (yes, this was one of sister’s strongest cravings during this pregnancy).

 

 

 

enjoy!

Keegan loving on Penelope!

It’s been a busy weekend!

Riding back home!

Those are some sleepy eyes!

Sweet baby profile!

Tired of me taking her picture! 

These pictures are just simple pictures of a family at dinner.  The amazing thing is that this is MY family!  While we were in Lubbock for Sister’s baby shower, we all went out for some mexican food (a family favorite besides pizza!).  I tried to take more pics this time of interations between my family.  I adore each and every one of them.  These are just a couple of my favorites! 

Okay, this boy is amazing!  I love taking pictures of him…even when he is eating!  He makes so many faces (which actually may be a family trait because we have several people that make funny faces when the camera is on them!)  He is a delight!  We had a blast with him!

Aunt Kristen, you are too funny!  Look at this face.  It totally looks like she is up to something!

Adding a little sas to the hat!

Every now and then, we will capture Tanner like this!  I’m telling you…this boy is too much!  However, I am absolutely in love with him!

Tucker and his cute mommy!  I absolutely adore my siblings!  They delight my soul!

Tucker John had fun with Keegan.  He is VERY excited about being a big brother again and this time with a sister!!

Tanner Robert CRACKS me up!  There ususally isn’t a pictures without his funny faces!  These three boys have STOLEN my heart!

So BIG!  I had to include this one because I simply can not believe he is so big!  He stands like a kid now…not a baby learning any more! 

This one cracks me up because I am sure he is telling me something VERY important!  I love when he looks at me and starts telling me all his secrets.  It is one of the best part of being Aunt Mandy!

He has gotten so big, but every now and then, there is a sign that the sweet boy is still little.  He isn’t supposed to suck his thumb, and if you say, “No thumb!” he will take it out.  But I had to take a picture of it first!  I love this guy!!

So much to show Aunt Mandy when she comes over to visit!

This boy love to read!  I love to read with him!  He gets very excited to show me the next one!

Spring Pictures

Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Dallas Arboretum

The Tulips are in bloom, and it is beautiful! 

Space is limited, so email me at info@mandynabors.com if you are interested in a time.

Sunday, March 27, 2011 at TWU in Denton

This is a lush location with beautiful rock and a variety of textures.

Space is limited, so email me at info@mandynabors.com if you are interested in a time.

So, the 10 days started with hanging out and looking at what my sister had decided she wanted to use for the nursery.  We had a mission for the week, and we had to get our mind wrapped around it.  You see, my sister, Amy, found out at the end of February that she was having a little girl.  She already has two of the most amazing boys, and she was hoping this one would come out with a tutu, big bow and ballet shoes.  Her wildest dream is coming true which means we need to decorate!  So, here was where we started.  Sister found the paisley online.  She had emailed it to me, so I started crocheting.  I made hearts and flowers.  The week before Spring Break, she found the polka dot at Joanns.  So, we were off!

Crochet!  I love it!!!  I have learned so much aleady.  So, Nabors stayed in West Texas until Sunday and then he headed back for work.  I stayed out there and finally fired up the sewing machines on Tuesday evening.  We spent Tuesday out shopping….picking up the fabric that we needed, grosgrain ribbon, yarn, Lego Indiana Jones for the Wii (trust me, we NEEDED this!  It kept the boys occupied so sister and I could let our talents pour fourth….or something like that!),  needles, ric-rac, tulle, batting, etc.  It was a long list, but we had a blast putting it all together.  When we got home, this was the scene:

We got to work.  Both sewing machines were going.  I tell you what!  It was awesome!!!  We worked for about 4 hours, and we got the bumper done.  We pieced different fabrics together and used the ric-rac for detail.  It was one of the most fulfilling thing I have ever crafted.  We were thrilled!

We got the bumper just about finished, and then we decided to get some sleep.  We had to be up at 3:45 to leave for Zumba.  So, we figured we could work when we got home. 

So, now we are at Wednesday.   This day was really productive.  We got the crib skirt, the chair and ottoman, and the valance just about finished.  We also managed to find time to lay out and get a great amount of sun out in West Texas.

Finally, Thursday morning (the day we were leaving for the metroplex), sister finished hemming the  valance.  I got the minky dot pillow for the chair recovered, and the hearts sewn onto the ric-rac.  Finally, sister and I stood on chairs and got the tulle up to canopy the bed. 

When we stepped back, we couldn’t believe what we had accomplished.  We called ourselves Sew and Sew Sisters all week!  So very fun!  Thank you, sister, for giving me the chance to help make room for this sweet little sugar!  I adore you, and I can not wait to meet my niece!

This is Kelly and Paul!  I met Kelly at church about 4 or 5 years ago.  She is one of the most giving, loving souls that I have ever had the chance to know.  She loves Jesus, and she has been waiting for the man of God that is supposed to walk with her to share the gospel.  Finally, she met Paul!  He is a delight!  Paul loves Jesus, music, and he is crazy in love with Kelly (just look at how he looks at her)!  It made my heart dance when she contacted me about shooting their wedding!  I insisted that we HAD to do some engagements so they met me early on Sunday morning before church to take some pics.  I am SO thankful that we were able to work it out because these are precious examples of love!

Paul is very musical!  His proposal included a song he wrote for Kelly.  SO, when I found this wall down in Dallas, I knew we HAD to take some shots here! 

We had so much fun!  I had to put together a collection of some of my favorites!

This couple is amazing!  They laugh so easily together and they think each other is hysterical!  So fun!  I pray God will continue to fill their home with love!

Paul proposed to Kelly at the Murry Street Coffee Shop, so we met down at  Deep Ellum to start here! 

  Kelly and Paul, I can not wait to shoot your wedding!  I am honored to be able to share these pics with the world and share just a slight glimpse of your love!  I pray God will continue to bless you with laughter, love and worship!  Thank you for being so willing to share His love and the gifts you have been given!

enjoy!