Busy Weekend

This past weekend has been one of the busiest weekends we've had in a long time!  It started Friday, with Joel, Jaden and I traveling up to Princeton to work on our RV camper that we're gutting and completely redoing.  We left later than we had hoped (what's new with the Kautts?!), and had several errands to run on the way down, including Lowe's to pick up materials.  So, we didn't arrive on location until after 5pm, with the daylight fading fast.  Thankfully we had electricity available, so we also had lights set up once it got dark.  We worked on organizing the stuff that was in there and repairing the sheet metal that is on the bottom, underneath the wood floor.  The work is time consuming, so you don't get a lot done at once, compared to what needs to be done overall.  We worked until 9pm or so, and then had to drive over to Frisco to pick-up Abby from her nanny job.  So, I didn't end up getting in bed until past 1:30am. 

The floor in the process of replacing. 

Friday evening Mom and Dad left to attend a Weekend to Remember marriage conference put on by Family Life Today.  They said they had a wonderful and very blessed time together!  I'm so glad they were able to attend it, with God providing a full scholarship for them. :)

Abby on the way to the wedding.  She was trying to keep her hair intact!

Saturday we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the beautiful wedding of our friends Beth & Erich, up in the Greenville area.  The wedding started around 2pm, so we drove up to McKinney and picked up Caleb from his abode.  We then drove on over to the church where the wedding was being held, and arrived just as the service was starting (yes, we were late again!).  It was wonderful to behold the union of two Godly young people who loved the Lord! 

The beginning of the ceremony.

Erich and Beth, the Bride and Groom.

After the ceremony was the reception.  The cake was so unique but really beautiful, I thought!  Beth's theme was citrus, which I thought was a really neat idea. 

I loved the idea of having the citrus fruit on the top!

We saw several friends during the reception and visited with them, as well as several acquaintances who we got to know a little better.  After the bride and groom departed, and everything was cleaned up, we and about 150 of the wedding attendees went over to the bride's family's home where a huge party was being held.  Lots of food, people and a great time of visiting new and old friends.  We stayed until around 8:30pm and then headed home, for another late night!  (The story of our life!)

Abby listens into a conversation.

Ali and Johanna.  There's a funny story behind our meeting her and her sister. :)

Getting to know Ali and her sister Katrina, at the after-the-wedding party. 

Sunday morning we attended the church of some friends in downtown Dallas.  They were holding a missions conference, so we got to hear a man from Pakistan speak about his evangelistic endeavors and an Indian man from New Zealand who is a missionary to India.  Both were intriguing and inspiring; to see the work of the Lord and the spread of the Gospel around the world is awesome!

Pastor Bala delivering the message, from Colossians 1:23.  He is of Indian (the country of India) descent, but was born in New Zealand, and is now a missionary to India. 

After the service there was a potlock meal, with lots of different delicious food.  We ate and visited with our good friend/"adopted" brother, Isaac, and with a new friend, Jake.  Jake is from Michigan, just moved down here to Texas, and was telling us his thoughts on living in Texas and what it's like in Michigan.  It was very interesting hearing from an 'outsider' (ha!).  :) 

Once the meal was finished, we headed up to McKinney once again, this time to participate in a Bible Study with three other families, some of our very favorite families. :)  We talked and discussed the topic of "What is Truth?".  Then we had a delightful time of just conversing with our dear friends.  This time we thought better than to stay out late, so we headed home around 7pm.  Got home, and ate dinner, visited with Grandma, Jason and Jessica, and then had some delicious Alden's ice cream for a late night snack. 

Monday morning we kids left once more for Princeton to continue our renovation on our RV camper trailer.  We got there even earlier this time (what a record!), around noon.  I worked mainly on patching the sheet metal below the [rotten] wood flooring, which entailed drilling holes, caulking with sealant and then riveting.

Drilling holes for the sheet metal patch work.

Abby and Jaden worked on ripping out more of the old floor, and Joel worked on framing around the wheel wells, with all of us helping each other out at various times. Good sibling work spirit going on there. :) 

The framing of one of the wheel wells, in progress.

The Lord graciously held off most of the rain, but He sent us the cooler weather, which was a big blessing!  Jaden also enjoyed playing with his friend, Jadon. They did many fun activities, including wading in their pond, exploring in the woods, jumping on the trampoline and walking down to the neighbors.  He also got to see his chickens, which are graciously being housed at a friend's small 'farm'. 

Jaden and Jadon - they have lots of fun together!  They're full of energy and life!

The chickens!

After working for five or six hours, and getting completely filthy, dirty, and sweaty (well, not quite), we decided to stop in to play Ultimate with a group that plays weekly, on our way home. 

The beautiful sunset and cloud cover on our way to Ultimate.

Got there just as it was getting dark, and just as the fun was beginning, and played a well-balanced game of Ultimate.  (Sorry, it was too dark to take any photos, and I don't think anyone would have anyway; we were too busy playing!)  Then, most of the folks left, and the rest of us who were still there played a hilariously crazy and epic game of volleyball, mainly for fun.  Did that until after 9pm, and then we headed home, ready to take and shower and head to bed! 

I'd say this was one of the funnest weekends I've ever experienced!  I'm thankful to the Lord for allowing us another weekend to serve Him and have lots of fun while doing it. 

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples
 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!"

Psalm 105:1-3

Photo Contest {Voting}

I entered a photo contest, and it would make me incredibly happy if you vote for me, here!! Thank ya!

Pictures from the Past

Jaden and I

Caleb

Dad, Caleb, Phoebe, Jaden and I with Uncle Jim

Abby

Jaden and cousin Reece

Jaden watches Caleb play the piano

The Kautt siblings

The whole Kautt family

Girl's Picnic

Yesterday, Abby, Johanna and I had a wonderful afternoon with a very dear friend, sitting out in the lovely weather and discussing the subject of 'honor' and what the Bible has to say about it.  We ran across many verses in our study, one of which stood out to me: "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility."  (Proverbs 15:33)  Something we all need to remember; humility is so important. 

We also had a  lovely time discussing other various things that were off the given topic, but were still pertinent to our lives.  Along with conversation, we enjoyed watching the children play on the playground and the ducks and geese play in and around the pond.  It was a wonderful afternoon all around! 

We three girls, with Brittany.  :)

I must have been contemplating something...

Brittany poses for the camera. :)

Abs

Where's Johanna?  (Behind the camera!)

One of the many duckies :)

And a stunning swan.

Friends

A parting verse for your contemplation:

"Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!  Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious."  Psalm 66:1-2

My Birthday Festivities

Hello all of you strangers!  I haven't blogged on here in a long time, sorry to say.  There's lots that has been happening lately, though things have slowed down quite a bit since we moved.

This past week was my 17th birthday (the 28th of August).  I had requested to do two things: have a family get together and grill burgers, and go bowling.  Well, we were able to do both (not on the same day), plus a lot of other really fun activities!

  Let's see, we'll start on Sunday, August 26th.  Mom and Dad had gone on a 'date weekend' starting on the 23rd, to Rockwall for three or four days.  Some friends of ours graciously let Mom and Dad use their 'guest house', which is fully furnished, and has a swimming pool!  We kids went over on Sunday, late morning and we had a time of singing, Bible reading, the Lord's Supper and worshiping the Lord.

Singing around the beautiful upright grand piano

Then we had a delicious and delightful lunch, after which we had dessert: home-made vanilla/peach ice cream, pumpkin pie and pumpkin sweet rolls.

Lunch around the small dining table at the M.'s guest house. 

Home-made ice cream is so much fun to make! 

 Johanna presented me with her gift for me, a paracord bracelet, which turned out to be too small for my gigantic wrist!  She and I had fun making another one that actually fit. ;)  I really like it, and am wearing as I type.  =)

I was trying on my new bracelet, with my tin-foil hat on.  ;)

After the rain, thunder and lightening quit, Abby, Jo, Jaden and Caleb went out and 'swam' in the pool.  Since we're all in the learning stages of swimming, it wasn't much, but it was still fun!

The M.'s very nice pool.

  But, then we had to quickly get out of the pool, get dried off, and head off; Abby and Caleb towards Tyler, and Joel, Johanna, Jaden and I to Denton.  Abby and Caleb were going out to Tyler to help our great aunts with a couple lawn projects.  Joel, Jo, Jaden and I went to Denton to hang out with our cousins, enjoy a ice cream social, and then stay up past midnight visiting and having interesting discussions on many different topics.

Tuesday, August 28th, my actual date of birth, was quiet and uneventful for the most part.  Half of the family was gone, so we just postponed any 'celebrations' until later in the week.

Thursday, August 30th - Joel, Johanna and I had a neat experience in touring the Ambassador hotel in downtown Dallas.  We are looking into putting together another Biblical Apologetics/Worldview conference, and the Ambassador hotel was one place at which we were looking into have it.

The old Ambassador Hotel in downtown Dallas.

As we found out, the building was built in 1905 (has been remodeled since then), and has hosted three presidents (Wilson, FDR and Truman, if I remember correctly), as well as many famous people.  It is definitely old, but very nice, not too elegant, and the elevator is really old and neat, but it DOES work!!  Anyway, we got to tour it, and see if the building is what we're needing for our conference.

Friday, August 31st - Our cousins came down in the mid-afternoon, and one of them, Rachel, went with Abby on an afternoon shopping excursion with another friend.  It was actually Rachel's birthday that day.  While they were gone, Johanna, Rowena (another cousin), Mom, Grandma and I worked on food preparations for dinner that evening: potato salad, chef's salad, hamburgers, hamburger toppings, guacamole, strawberry/lemon cheese-cake, fruit salad.  Plus, lots and lots and lots of dishes!!  So, by the time Abby and Rachel got back, Uncle D. and Aunt B. had arrived, and Caleb arrived, the food was basically ready.

Grassfed burgers on the grill!  Check out The Local Yocal Fm to Market.

 There was enough food for about double the amount of people there; so no one went home hungry! 

Burgers hot 'n ready

And this wasn't even all of the food!

My fantastically mouth-watering burger.

After eating that huge meal, we 'kids' all went up to one of the local parks, and played some kickball.  Thankfully, we waited long enough for our food to digest, but not too long where the lights were off at the field.  Lots of fun, and lots of sweat on a muggy, hot Texas summer night.

Then, we headed back to the house, and ate some more, except this time it was dessert.  Strawberry/lemon cheesecake, home-made ice cream (yes, more!), Alden's blackberry ice cream (THE best!), fruit salad and chocolate cake.  Needless to say, we were all stuffed by the end of that; but very content. :)

Not the best photo, but this is my strawberry-lemon cheese cake.  Check out this recipe.

Also not the best photo, but several of us made parfaits of sorts, with the cheesecake on the bottom, then home made vanilla ice cream, Alden's blackberry ice cream, and fruit salad to top it all off.  Mmmmm...

Sunday, September 2 - We went to home Bible study, and had a wonderful time of discussion on what the Church is supposed to be, and other important topics, along with delicious food. :)  Then, after the discussions ended around 6:00pm, Abby, Jo, Jaden and I went to a birthday party for three young friends.  It was for their 12th, 9th and 2nd birthdays.  The party was at a park that is out of town quite a ways.  The parks has a lot of bike trails in the woods, along with lots of picnic tables, a pavilion and a playground area.  We ate grass-fed beef hotdogs off the grill, along with potato salad, coleslaw and other food items.  Then, the fun part came, in the form of a wonderfully hard and adventurous scavenger hunt.  Since Abby and I were the oldest 'kids' there, we were picked to be the team captains.  My team happened to lose, mainly because of THREE wild goose chases we went on.  But it was a lot of fun, along with a lot of running (probably 2-3 miles after all the wild goose chases), and a few cuts and scratches.  Definitely a great idea for a birthday party activity!

To say the least, we were all worn out at the end of Sunday!

Monday evening, all of us, along with a brother-like friend, I. (a.k.a., Scottie) went bowling.  ;)  We had a blast, despite the fact that most of us only had strikes, ah, I mean strokes, of brilliance.  Lots of gutter balls, several half knocked over turns, and a very few spares and strikes.  But we all enjoyed it.

These are not the best of photos, but we were too engrossed in the games to take many... ;)

Jaden had such a funny way of delivering his throw. 

My delivery

Before the bowling, we got together with a big group of homeschoolers, and played a round of Ultimate [Frisbee] games until it was dark.  Unfortunately, we didn't have a photographer at that event! 

Anyway, as you can see, we have kept ourselves busy over the past few days.  Now to focus on school and keeping up with all of the house-hold chores!  Praying that all of you have had a blessed summer and will have a wonderful fall!

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise prophecies.  Test all things; hold fast what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Happy Birthday Phoebe!!

Phoebe is celebrated a birthday this last week -- She's 17 (can you believe that???)

She is creative and yet careful with her words

She is athletic and beautiful

She is determined and diligent

She has amazing talents -- dancing, baseball, music, graphic design, photography, videography, attention to details, patience with little ones, good listener, and so many others

She's quiet and loving

An amazing bowler, left handed

 She's also a wonderful friend and companion

She's one of my two sisters :)

She has a special relationship with this little man - Dean, whom she baby sat for about a year

She has a passion for Truth

She has a great sense of humor and loves to have fun

---------------------

Phoebe, you are an amazing gift to our family, and I am so grateful that 17 years ago, the Lord answered my 5-year-old prayers for a sister, with you!

You are my best friend, my confidante, my pilgrim through this world.

I love you!

Happy Birthday and many many more dear.

abby xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo