4 1/2 inches

We are snowed in. Again. Now that we are 3 days over the alloted days built into the school calendar, it looks like our summer vacation will be affected. It's worth it though to see Anna Claire in the snow!

Slave by John MacArthur

My husband, Mike, read and reviewed this book.

John MacArthur writes in Slave, his newest book, that we are called as Christians to be slaves of Christ. The idea and word "slave" is the exact interpretation from the Greek and the one Paul uses over and over again in the NT. Paul identifies himself with this word in several opening statements including the opening of Romans; "I Paul a slave of Christ Jesus." This to me is a much more powerful statement than “servant”, especially after reading the true meaning of slave during this period of time.

The word is doulos from the Greek and translates exactly as “slave”. The original translators, including those of the Geneva Bible, used the word servant instead of slave for 1) the negative association with slave and 2) coupled with the Latin word “servus,” it usually depicted a person in prison or in chains…also, not an accurate description of what Paul was saying.

Paul’s idea was this, we are not hired (servant) but owned (slave). This is the image that the Bible portrays 124 times in the original text.

Of course MacArthur moves through the book describing in great detail what it meant to be a slave in Roman times and how that applies to Christians today. He takes us through the history, through the writers who used the word, and the idea of if we are slaves, who is the master.

There are notations at the bottom of the book so it feels much like a term paper from college. Don’t allow this to dissuade you from reading though. For me, it read much better than any paper I ever wrote in college or read otherwise. This is a fantastic book that doesn’t read like other theology books I have read. It’s a couple of hundred pages of what one word should mean in every Christian’s life.

Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through the booksneeze blogging program.

The Great Reveal

Did you think I was going to share about the baby? Not yet, we go in two weeks to find out!

Remember when I shared this post with you? It was about our master bathroom, complete with textured turquoise walls and a black floor.

Well, I am happy, actually thrilled, to tell you that 2011 brought more than just a turn of the page on my calendar. It brought this! A finished bathroom!

I have to give a huge shout out to my husband who did the entire project himself, tiling, painting, installation, everything!

The green looks kind of limeish in these pictures, it's not, I assure you. I wouldn't go from turquoise to lime green. It is a nice, soft green that compliments some fabric we have in our bedroom.

To replace the old vanity, which offered very little storage, Mike built this shelves and the new vanity. He bought raw wood and made the top out of walnut. The only thing I can say I did was paint the bottom of the vanity.

We found this piece from an old rocking chair at the flea market. We thought it would be something different instead of your standard towel bar.


And because I'm not afraid to show you the inside of my shower...here is more of Mike's handiwork.

I'm so happy with the results and I love it when something you have envisioned turns out exactly the way you wanted!

War Eagle!

We'll be cheering for our Auburn Tigers tonight!

 Anna Claire is calling the game....Auburn will be #1!

The "Better Late Than Never" Post

I am still here. Just recovering from a busy few weeks. We had a wonderful Christmas with family and were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate not one, not two, but three times! That may have contributed to making the weeks felt like were never going to end.

We started our holidays with Mike's parents visiting the weekend before Christmas. All I can say is that the Little People by Fisher Price are too cute. She received the fairy tree house. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of her actually playing with it--all of the shots were taken from behind.



We made the decision earlier in the year that we would spend Christmas morning at home, just the three of us. We woke up to snow! For the first time in 17 years, Nashville had snow for Christmas! Despite the disheveled hair, Anna Claire woke up with a smile on her face.

Olivia by Ian Falconer is one of her favorites and I couldn't resist getting her the Olivia doll.

The crayons and coloring books had to be the hit. When she opened up the package she said, "Oh My Goodness."

Mike wanted to make something special for her, so he built her this child's table. There are 4 chairs that go with it. It is a perfect size for her and for her room and will be nice to have for her to sit and color, draw and play with play dough!

We traveled to Ohio to visit my family 2 days after Christmas. Anna Claire came back a cowgirl! Isn't she the cutest thing? She loves the boots and asks to wear them when she goes outside!

It was a wonderful few weeks. For a few days before school started back up I was able to convince my husband to take a break. This is hard for him to do honestly because he just stays busy. He had been working nonstop on this bookshelf for my parents for Christmas. Isn't it gorgeous? I finally convinced him after we returned from Ohio to rest--which he did for a day before he was back at it again!

In pregnancy news....everything is going great. I've had insomnia for several weeks so I am exhausted but hopefully the little pill I got from my doctor will help relieve that :) We went to the doctor yesterday for my 15 week appointment and heard the heartbeat. 165. That's high. Girl? I think so. Mike is convinced that it is. We go back the end of the month to find out for sure!