A Food Demonstration

Sarah had the opportunity to do a Food Demonstration at a local Farmers Market. Here she is cooking up some squash, zucchini, and onion on a griddle. It was very tasty and Sarah had a great time.

15 Years Old

We celebrated Sarah's birthday this past weekend with grandparents! On Friday Bryan's parents (Pop and Gigi) came up and Gigi brought us some delicious lasagna and butterfinger cake! YUMMY! Then Pop, Gigi, Bryan, Elijah, Timothy, and Joanna went to watch Sarah in the play she was in (more about that later). Then on Saturday my parents came up and we all celebrated Sarah's birthday at lunch. I fixed some of her favorite foods. She and I made a cheesecake for us to enjoy. On Saturday night my parents stayed and was able to attend the play that night. 

 Pop and Gigi got Sarah a set of luggage for her birthday. She had asked for this because she is always ready to go somewhere. She was able to pack the biggest suitcase and take it to 4-H Round Up...perfect timing!

 My parents got her clothes, which she asked for and needed. She took these to 4-H Round Up.

 Sarah was playing the piano while Bryan and Gigi sang along. It was very special!

 Here is the cheesecake we made for Sarah's birthday! It was a caramel pecan cheesecake and very delicious!

Here is Sarah with Pop and Gigi. We are very blessed to have the grandparents come up for birthdays and celebrate with us!

Sarah is one special young lady! I know God has something special for her and He is going to use her to do great things for His Glory! She loves an adventure and a good book. Sarah is such a blessing to me and a great help around the house. She is learning to care for others and one day care for her own family. I love this girl and very thankful that God made me her mother.

Donations for 4-H Round Up

Sarah has gotten really involved in 4-H and enjoys the opportunities 4-H has given her. In the spring she had the opportunity to attend 4-H Congress. Then she wanted to attend 4-H Round Up, but she had a couple of things to accomplish first. One of the things she had to do was be inducted into the 4-H All Stars AND she had to raise the money to go to Round Up. She decided that to raise money she would bake cakes and take donations for the cakes. Sarah began taking orders for either strawberry cake or Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake, then she did lots of baking and in the end she had raised enough money for the Round Up fee and for items she needed for the trip. I was so proud of her for all her hard work and accomplishments. On July 14, she attended Round Up Readiness Day and was inducted into the 4-H All Stars...she was now ready to attend Round Up! Here are the cakes she made...

 Sarah's Aunt got her these cake plates and made these cute decals.

 Here is the strawberry cake

 Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake

Sarah made these cupcakes for two of the youth girls at church that ordered cupcakes. The cupcakes are chocolate cake with a cream cheese frosting.

Which one would you choose?

Where Has the Past 15 Years Gone?

On June 19-21, Sarah led a Culinary Camp at the 4-H Extension Office. She planned the camp and led it with the help of a dear friend. There were twelve 4-6 graders that attended. They had lots of fun and Sarah enjoyed it just as much as they did. They learned new skills and each day they prepared food and that was their lunch. Sarah had such a great time and a great response that she will be leading a 4-H Culinary Club this next school year.

Today is Sarah's 15th birthday!! Where has the past 15 years gone? I will post more in the days to come about this precious blessing! Lots going on in her life lately and can't wait to share! Love you so much Sarah!

Camp Family 2018

While at Kids Camp the children worked on a musical performance and presented it at church on the Wednesday night following our return from camp. They did a great job! Here is our family in our kids camp shirts on the night of performance. I love my family and very thankful for the times we have together. We are truly blessed!

Kids Camp 2018

June 22-25 was our kids camp days! We left on Friday morning and headed to Linden Valley Conference Center. We arrived around lunch and had a picnic under the pavilion. God is good, we were all able to attend Kids Camp (just like we were all able to attend Youth Camp). Bryan was the Kids Camp pastor. Isaac, Sarah, and I were some of the leaders. 

 Isaac and Sarah were the only youth that went as leaders and these two did an amazing job!! Not just saying that because they are mine but that is what the other adults that were there said too. Very proud of them! Isaac was the sound man and a leader in his cabin of boys. Sarah was one of the leaders in her cabin and she helped with the musical that the kids were working on.

 Here is Timothy with a couple of his buddies. He had a great time!

 Here is Elijah with his friend. He enjoyed being at camp and being one of the older children there.

 During one of our breaks Joanna went to the store at the camp and got an ice cream treat.

 Had to get a picture with my girl! She was in my cabin and was one of the younger children. She did really well. One day she did get tired and I had to pull her out and take her to the cabin for a 30 minute nap...she was good to go after that.

 Timothy bought these sunglasses at the camp store and we had to have a picture of us in our shades!

Here we are...love this man more than he will ever know! Very thankful for such a godly man to lead me and our children closer to the Lord! His teachings during kids camp were great! He does a great job at getting on their level and teaching in a way to help them understand God's Word.

Father's Day 2018

 We were able to spend some time with both our Father's for Father's Day. We took Bryan's dad out to eat. Bryan's dad enjoys spending time with Bryan and the boys (actually with all of us). Very blessed to have him!

I like having pictures of these guys! I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am that my children have Bryan as their daddy. Our children would not be who they are if it wasn't for having Bryan as their daddy. He is such a godly father and does all he can to lead his family closer to the Lord. 

 I have a very special place in my heart for this man! He will never know how much he means to me and how much I love him!

He has made me laugh countless times and being with him is always an adventure. We are blessed to have both our dads still with us and it time with them is very special!

Time With Family, The Roughton Family

Father's Day weekend was full of family and fun! We met my cousin and her family at my parents house and was able to spend a couple of days with them. We usually only get to visit with them once a year. I posted here about our visit with them last year. We arrived on Friday night and had so much fun! My parents had purchased a used paddle boat and these kids had the best time! 

 Here are 6 out of the 7 kids on the paddle boat. Isaac decided he would sit this one out...too many on there! LOL!!

 Joanna caught her a fish! Fishing before breakfast and all through out the day...never know when something will be biting.

 Here is my cousin (Dodey), my dad, and me. We are pretty much all that is left of our family. My dad's two brothers and his parents have all passed...he is all that is left out of them.

We are first cousins and growing up were like sisters. We have so many great memories and now our children have some great memories too!

 Here are all the kids together! They have grown so much!

Here is our family with Dodey's family. Very thankful that we were able to spend this time together,  laugh, and just enjoy being together. Already looking forward to our next time together!

Look What Elijah Found!

When we had our first child, a boy, I just knew that he would be bringing home frogs, lizards, and bugs...not so! Isaac was never one to be interested in those things, much less pick something up and bring it to me. LOL!! BUT Elijah has made up for all that! He brings me enough to make up for all that Isaac didn't bring in. One day Elijah brought home this little guy to show me and the other children. He found him up at the pond.

 This is not the first and won't be the last thing that he brings for show and tell.

He let this little guy go and now we have these pictures to remember one of his many creatures. Love it when we can learn and investigate right at home! God's creation shows us His marvelous works!

Youth Camp 2018

Our full month started off with our family attending Youth Camp the first week of June. This was the first time we all were able to attend and it was a blessing to be together. The week started by leaving our church early Monday morning and traveling by bus to east Tennessee. Bryan and our youth minister have been doing this youth camp together for 9 years! Isaac and Sarah have been attending for a few years and always look forward to camp! There were a total of 8 worship services, a breakout session each day, games, devotions, and much more! The theme for the week was "He in Me", we learned that its about daily denying ourselves and allowing Jesus to live in and through us. Galatians 2:20 Wanted to share a few pictures from our week.

 Here is a picture of Sarah with one of her friends from another youth group. These two were excited to see each other and had a hard time leaving each other at the end of the week. On the day I took this picture they decided to dress alike. Love these two godly young ladies and can't wait to see all that God has planned for them.

 Elijah and Timothy actually got sick on Tuesday and ran a fever for a couple of days. They both were troopers and I was able to take them and rest most of those days they felt bad.

 Timothy thought this rock was cool! It was right outside the chapel and it had a place in the rock that looked just like a sit. Just had to get a picture of him sitting on this special rock.

There was another family at youth camp and Joanna was able to play with their little girls. They really enjoyed the play ground. It was also great to have another family there and we could help with each others kids. 

 Here is Isaac with a buddy from church. Isaac had a great time at camp and did a great job of making the younger youth boys (first year at camp) feel welcome and apart. I can see this young man maturing.

 On Friday morning the group hiked up the mountain. It was a big hike and these two did a great job of keeping up and trucking along. Proud of how well our three younger children did at youth camp.

 Here is the view from the top of the mountain we hiked up. When everyone arrived at the top we had biscuits and then our final worship service. It was amazing!

Bryan and I start the hike back down the mountain. I think our family would enjoy hiking together often. Makes us remember all the missionaries that have hiked up and down many mountains to get the gospel message to those who have never heard of Jesus. Praising the Lord that we are healthy enough to make hikes like this.

June was BUSY!

June has been one busy month! I can't wait to share all that has happened the last month. It has been busy but FUN! Let's just say that June was full of Camps (no pun intended)!! The month started off with a week of Youth Camp which all seven of us was able to attend, then Sarah led a cooking camp, four of our kids attended a soccer camp, and then we all were able to be a part of a Kids Camp!! Of coarse everyday at our house is a Camp day!! LOL! So much to share and I am very thankful to God for these opportunities we had!

I will start with Memorial Day weekend...I had an event/show where I had a booth set up to sale Lilla Rose. I took Elijah, Timothy, and Joanna with me. I wasn't busy and there wan't a huge crowd, but the kids had a great time!

 Right behind my booth was a pond and the boys got to fish. After the first few cast Elijah caught this and that was the only thing they caught while we were there.

 Here is Timothy fishing. He tried the most out of both boys but he didn't catch anything.

 Here is the U-Pin from Lilla Rose holding up a messy bun. Beautiful!

 Here are a few hair photos from the few ladies that stopped by my booth. This clip is called Freestyle.

Loving the Hues of Blue!

Joanna was playing with another little girl and I wasn't able to get any pictures of her. Since I wasn't busy this ended up being a chance to be with the younger children and the to enjoy playing and having fun.

Elijah Turns 11!

Can you believe how fast time flies! This young man is now 11! Sarah made his cake just like he asked for and he added the M&M's to the icing. This boy is a builder! He can be very tender and loving. Yes, he is almost as tall as I am, which is not a whole lot. LOL! This boy is very independent and likes to be in charge. He is a great helper and has a huge imagination! This boy likes an adventure and he is 110% all BOY!! Elijah enjoys reading books! We are crazy about this young man and know that God has great plans for him!!

The Fisherman

Isaac really enjoys fishing! Now that he has his drivers license he is able to go fishing at a lake close by or with a friend. Here is a fish he caught last time he was at the lake.

He enjoys fishing and was tickled when he reeled this in! His favorite fishing partner is his Paw!