My (Big!) Littlest Brother :)

Mr. Smiley Face :)

Happy Birthday (a day late) dear littlest brother! 

There is absolutely no possible way you can be 8 years old already!!!  Where did that curly-haired little boy go!?!  Jonnie, you have grown up so fast - too fast, just like any child does.  Next thing I know, you'll probably be 16 and taller than me. :) 

I need to treasure these precious moments, days, and years that I have with you.  I am so grateful that God gave you to me as my littlest brother!  I love the sweet personality He has given you, your big hugs, your gentle and loving  demeanor, and your great smile.  You are an amazing gift!

I am excited to see what our Lord has in store for your life, what kind of man you will grow up to be, and how God will use you to advance His kingdom.  You are so special to me, Jonnie, and I love you so much!  May your 8th year be blessed.

To God be the Glory,
Love,
Hannah

Me and my Buddy... :)

Summer 2011:

Elijah and I took Jonnie out on our uncle's pond to do a little fishin'. 

Love Jonnie's "squinty" face in the above picture!  :)

Chasing frogs around Grandpa's pond. 

10

Happy 10th Birthday, Christian!!! 

Wow!  Double digits already!  Truly, I can not believe how fast you have grown up. 

Such a short time ago, you were calling yourself "Creaky" and "Kiwi" because you couldn't pronounce your name.  "Rogers Rogers" was your hero, "Jommywish" was (and still is!) your best buddy, and you were singing to my (ahem...very squeaky and poor!) violin playing.  :)  I loved it when you would praise the Lord at the top of your voice...and you didn't care what other people thought (and that's probably good, because it was just so stinkin' cute!).  :)  We called you "Roundys", and you had the cutest little grin! You still do.  :)

Yes, much has changed since then, but much has also stayed the same. I really, really love you more than ever.  I love how your brothers are your best friends, and I'm your favorite sister.  :)  I still love your grin, and your laugh, and your amazing personality.  I love how you make me laugh, and I love that you are my little brother.  I am so in awe that God would bless me with a brother like you.  You mean more to me than you can know and I love you more every day.

Happy Birthday, Christian!  May your 10th year be blessed and may you be blessed with many more years in the service of our King.  Always, always, always honor the Lord with your life.  Every day, put on the whole armour of God.  Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

I love you Christian, and I am forever grateful that the Lord gave you to me as a little brother.

To God be the Glory,
Much love,
Hannah

Ephesians 6:10-19
" Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—  and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

*speechless!*

That red hair - I love it!!! 

4 of my favorite guys...ever! :) 

Scoolwork outside on a chilly Spring day.  FUN! 

I love them together!

Handsome! 

It is so fun to sleep outside (under a tarp!) on a cool fall night.

A friendly fight with their corn stalk "swords".  :) 

Hospital gloves repurposed.  :) 

Pots De Creme

 

(Pronounced "po duh krehm")

Jonnie calls them "cocoa cream".  :)

Mama bought me the Pioneer Woman Cookbook for my birthday earlier this year and I can't tell you how many amazing recipes we've used from it already. I would most definitely recommend that you buy it if you don't already own it. 

I made this recipe for the first time just a week ago and it was such a success that I made it again tonight.  I hope that you enjoy it just as much as we did!  :)  It's pure, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth (literally!), goodness. :)

Ingredients:

12 ounces, weight Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
4 whole Eggs, Room Temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Salt
8 ounces, fluid Strong Hot Coffee

Directions:

First thing to do is to take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time and let them come to room temperature before starting.

When eggs are at room temperature you can begin by placing the chocolate chips into a blender. Follow this with the eggs and the vanilla.  Add a pinch of salt. Turn on the blender.

While it is blending, remove the circular disk from the blender lid and very slowly pour in 8 ounces of strong, VERY HOT coffee. It is essential that your coffee be extremely hot in order for the final product to be the right consistency and texture.

Blend for a minute or so until mixture is smooth and fairly free of visible bits of chocolate.

Pour the mixture into your serving glasses or little demitasse cups, leaving plenty of room to add a heap of whipped cream later.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 hours so the mixture has a chance to set.

Garnish with whipped cream and maybe a chocolate curl or two and you have an easy, delicious and yes, elegant, dessert!



 

Behold Our God

Daniel Renfro introduced our family to this great worship song while he was here.  This is another of those songs that you need to look up and listen to!  :)

Behold Our God
By Sovereign Grace

Who has held the oceans in His hands?
Who has numbered every grain of sand?
Kings and nations tremble at His voice
All creation rises to rejoice

Chorus
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come, let us adore Him
Behold our King—nothing can compare
Come, let us adore Him

Who has given counsel to the Lord?
Who can question any of His words?
Who can teach the One who knows all things?
Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?

Who has felt the nails upon His hands?
Bearing all the guilt of sinful man
God eternal, humbled to the grave
Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign

You will reign forever
Let Your glory fill the earth

Hunting, Thanksgiving, and Daniel's Visit

Where does the time go!?! Such a short time ago, it was Thanksgiving 2011, now Thanksgiving 2012 is over and gone, and the month of November is slipping away so quickly!

We enjoyed having Daniel here so much! I loved watching my brothers interact with such a great friend and brother, being encouraged in godliness, playing strategy games, building awesome forts, learning how to process deer (I didn't know all of the different cuts of meat before), laughing together, discussing theology and the Bible, having meals together, learning about each others likes and dislikes, and welcoming the men home from long days of hunting. It was very sad to say "goodbye" on Tuesday, not knowing when we will see the Renfro family again.

The Lord has been so good to us and provided 6 deer for our men this gun season. Papa got one, Jeremiah shot two, Daniel shot his first last week, and the others were roadkill. :) We are so grateful for our Lord's provision and a full freezer! :)

We had our family Thanksgiving on Tuesday (the 20th) and then spent Thanksgiving in Iowa with our grandpa. It was a very sweet family time which I will never forget. While we were in Iowa, the guys built an incredible fort. I'll definitely be posting pictures later on.

I am thankful for so much this year! One of our Thanksgiving traditions is to write a list of 5 things we're thankful for and then share them around the dinner table. I am notorious for combining things and making them sound like just one thing. :)

This year has been a wonderful year of learning to trust more fully in the Lord who "does all things well". He knows the plans He has for me, and they are NOT my own (praise the Lord!). His ways are higher than mine as His thoughts are higher than my thoughts.

I am so grateful that through my life "never once did I ever walk alone; never once did He leave me on my own". HE IS FAITHFUL!

I am also so grateful for Joy (this was one of those "cheater" items on my list!) - joy because Christ has taken my sins upon Himself and borne the holy and just wrath of His Father, the judgement which should have fallen upon me; joy because our God is sovereign; joy because trials make me more like Christ; joy because I have a life to live for an eternal purpose; and joy because I will be with my King forever!

Isn't our God so good!?! How often I forget Him and His greatness, His abundant goodness to me in everyday life. And yet His mercies are new every morning! His grace is infinite! What a glorious thing it is to be a child of the one true God!

I am also so grateful that we were allowed to spend these days with Daniel. Here are a few (ahem...several!) photos from our time together.

WARNING:  There are several photos that include bits of the butchering process.  Proceed with caution at your own risk.

After church one day, I went out hunting with the guys.  I had this (super cute! - or maybe not?) full-body blaze-orange suit.  Don't I look exactly like an overgrown pumpkin!?!  :)  I can't believe I actually wore that thing, but it was awfully fun! :) 

The guys with Jeremiah's deer. 

Skinning... 

Best buddies.  :) (See Jeremiah's "bunny ears" behind Daniel.) 

Working on Rump Roasts. 

Lawbreakers! :)

They had tons of fun on the dirt bikes at Grandpa's. 

They shot bows on Thanksgiving morning. 

After they finished up shooting, they started building this incredible fort... 

Building the walls. 

And this is how it looked the next morning (it was c-o-l-d!!!) before we left.  Quite an impressive one-day project, wouldn't you say? 

On their last day of hunting, Jeremiah got a deer in the afternoon and Daniel shot his just moments before closing time.  God is so GOOD! 

After many long days and many more  long hours of perseverance and braving the cold, it was a great thing to see the Lord bless Daniel with his first deer.

Oh deer!

This was when I learned how to skin a deer.  (Don't tell anyone I said this, but it was really fun!)  :) 

Jeremiah making a snowball to throw at somebody.... 

....and that somebody got him back.  :)

It hit him right there!  :) 

We enjoyed our time with you, Daniel, and miss you very much.  May the Lord bless and keep you and your dear family.