rewind the last 4 years- September

Let's recap what we have done the last four years for the month of September, which is the month that Veritas was "born!" Really funny story about the first day sitting in a room with about 20ish people in a circle discussing what the idea behind the class was our name, verse, demographics, different roles you could take part in, and goals for the class! After we discussed those topics we were to go around the circle introduce ourselves, how long we had been married, and something interesting about us...Well Andrew and I were about 12 weeks long, pregnant, with Archer and were super excited to share with the folks that we were in the newlywed class with UNTIL the new directors of the class mentioned that our class was pretty much a kid free class and that I'm sure in a few years we would start adding them to the mix...OH MY heart feel at that moment and I leaned into Andrew and said, please don't mention it just yet and he was like shocked I said that and we should because we were super excited and we were just going to be trendsetters for the class! We disclosed and everyone was excited, the directors were thrilled and said things evolve and not to fret! Also, that very same day I stepped up to be social coordinator thinking YAY that is perfect for me and I hope people don't think oh dear the prego girl is going be the social person- joy, but I proved them wrong and by the next meeting I had a flyer with the next 6 months of activities and dates for events that seemed like fun- and they were!



1st year: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was the name of the event, we went to Charlie's (they are now closed down) hamburgers off West Gray for burgers and fries and chilled till everyone was done, then we carpooled over to the FABulous Chocolate Bar off Richmond about 5 minutes away for dessert, which is were we spent most of the night chatting away and listening to music! NOW I will warn you changing locations can be tricky with a group of folks, but if it is a younger crowd and no kids are involved then GO FOR it! It worked four years ago, but I wouldn't try it now, so I think...

2nd year: "Veritas' 2nd birthday bash" was the event, we went to oh gosh a Mexican food restaurant across the freeway from church where we had a private room, birthday cake, and balloons! It was traditional and it was fun! Folks- not all your events have to be full blown ordeals, but do make them special by tying in details like this one- was simple, but was a "traditional" family style birthday party! PS- Brooke Richards was a HUGE help for this event, Andrew and I were super crazy "busy" for some reason and she stepped up and put forth lots of effort in making this a success! Peps- what I am about to say is HARD for me because I wanna do it and do it all, but it is OK to have others help and you should not only for the sake of your sanity, but for the reason that as a leader we are called to raise up other leaders and if you don't allow others to help or assist then you can never "send" people out to grow his kingdom in other classes- this is a VERY VERY hard lesson for me and I'm still trying to learn it!

3rd year: I SKIPPED, I know that is NUTS for me and I won't advise, but the previous month's event took enough energy to cover me for two months and folks were okay with that! You will soon one day get to ready about that one- it was AWESOME and that's all I'm saying for now "Veritas' Wedding Reunion"

4th year: that brings us to the post about the Hoe-Down, check it out for minor details and after the event I will post the full blown details!

That's the last four years of Veritas for the month of September, so gather some ideas for when it's time to celebrate what GOD has done in your class and enjoy the celebration! PS- you really should STRESS about these events, this is suppose to be fun, and suppose to be a blessing to others as well as yourself in witnessing GOD's word amongst HIS people!

where do you begin?

Trying to plan a social for a class or group of people? What should you do, where should it be, when should it be? Those are all really good and common questions to ask yourself and I would just keep it simple till you get a following! But how do I do that you ask? Well if the weather is amazing outside do picnics, games in the parks (baseball is GREAT because both girls and guys will play), cookouts, pool parties, game night at someone's house (something for indoor fun) or scavenger hunts with an ice cream treat to follow after wards (team building activities are great for creating bonds between folks)! Keep in mind not to do something where it is difficult for people to chat or stay together, for example the zoo would not be a good first social for a class- trying to keep up with everyone and stay together is a task in itself!

First thing first: create a theme around the event- it helps to bring excitement to the event and brings curiosity to what is going to take place! For example plan parties around the season and what you are doing: "Pumpkin Patch Picnic" is a great idea for the fall time, especially in October! Depending on the age group of the folks and if their are kiddos involved plan an adventure to a pumpkin patch where you can enjoy picking out pumpkins to decorate your homes with and then once everyone is done sit back and chat the afternoon away with a picnic lunch or dinner! Another example for a theme for game night would be: "Don't be "SORRY" you missed!" it involves the the title of the game, SORRY, and creates a sense of "ohh!" I better not miss this! I could go on forever, but hopefully you get the idea and as you follow my blog you will see how each month I follow the trend of naming themes for the events! Also, it shows you are really put forth an effort in planning something for your class or group, therefore if they see you are committed right off the bat then they are more interested in what you are presenting them! GOAL: GET THEIR ATTENTION in the beginning, otherwise it just may not work out!

THE MOST important thing to remember- is to pray about it prior to announcing it, while planning it and before everyone arrives because GOD is the sole one responsible for building the community in which HE has blessed you with! This is something that I learned this summer after our class had the opportunity to "birth" another class, Inside Out, and we had to relaunch our existing class! We did have a relaunching party, but I'll save that for a later post- stay tuned! It was though we had to start all over in planning events, the attendance was low, which was extremely abnormal, and I didn't know what to do- I kept thinking "what can I do?" Finally it clicked one evening at our small group book discussion that GOD was the only one that could bring things back together- I am just the driver of the vehicle, but HE is road in which I drive on, providing me streets to drive on and directions to go! So I began to pray more about what I was planning and the people that it involved and I brought our social back to the basics- so with LOTS of prayer and a "HOT Doggin good time" at our house we had our group back together! We grilled hot dogs, everyone hung out inside the house chatting the evening away, because it was SO hot, and the kiddos ran around playing! We did set up water activities in the backyard for the kiddos and some of the "big" kids played too!

So remember: PRAY, plan a theme, PRAY, and keep it simple till you have a following and have built a community that is strong and desires to be together doing life the way life was intended- with GOD!


Happy Fall planning- get creative and play on words! Just for fun- check out this blog on how to make these cute lil' pumpkins (pictured above) for SUPER cheap! PS- you could plan a social around this! HOW: "Got some spare time?" Join us for a pumpkin treat! Have everyone bring some spare wood, (everyone has random wood sitting in their garage or their parents!) a pumpkin inspired treat to eat and drink, and make sure to provide a saw and the safety equipment that goes along with it! Do it at someone's house, let the guys work in the garage cutting away and have the gals inside painting away their pumpkins (provide the paint and ribbon and have everyone pitch in $ to cover it)! Once everyone is done- then sit around for a treat! Volia- a themed event, easy, fun, and cheap all the while at someone's house! Plus everyone goes home with a party favor! Don't forget to send an email (keep it themed as well) out via evite, pingg, or punchbowl (all free resources- there are plenty more, but these are the three I normally use) at least 3 weeks prior to the event with reminders every week!

Ciao for now...

a new task in life

...so my husband, who is a great encourager to me suggest after watching me one evening "stalk" the blogs I do that I start blogging more about our family, but also about our class socials! I thought why? I barely have time to blog about my family- actually I haven't blog about my family in who knows how long, but after lots of encouragement from him that I could help other classes I'm gonna give it a shot- it's only once a month!

Class socials- you are probably wondering what I am talking about if you are not in my Sunday school class, well...Andrew and I (mainly I, but he puts up with the stress and joy of it, so Andrew and I) took on the role of our class socials over 4 years ago and have been extremely blessed by this role in our class! So I never realized what an impact it makes, but I have been told by many members of our class and those outside of it what a blessing it is to have someone pull together an event for others to be able to build community within, but that it is done in full force- not one detail left out and the ideas are outside the box! Some may think I'm crazy to go to some of the extremes that I do (details to follow), but I really feel like GOD has blessed me with a talent that I can help grow fellowship amongst friends...

So I will eventually blog about all the different socials we have done in our class, but I'll start with this month's plan...a hoe-down to celebrate Veritas' 4th birthday! I felt it was time to dust off the boots and have a celebration as to what GOD has done in our class over the last four years!

Minor details for now: event to be held at Pappas BBQ private dinning room with some good food to eat and then we will have an instructor come in and teach us an intro to the two step and then a country western swing dance to finish us off! Now most of us are true Texans (mainly Aggies too), so no need for a full blown two step lesson, but a swing dance that is gonna be some good fun that I can't wait to witness! Below is the email invitation that I sent out via PINGG at no cost (there are some on their website that cost) and below the decorative invitation are all the details, but you are only able to view if you have been sent the invitation via email (I blocked it for privacy reasons)!


Further details to follow with pictures of the night after September- I don't want to spill the surprise for those attending!

ps- I almost forgot (perhaps pregnancy brain-dear LORD help me) that a dear friend also encouraged me to blog about this as well, Allison White, so that one day when I'm "famous" for blogging about this subject matter, she can assist me in writing a book! She is the grammar junky, so I'll leave that stuff to her! Folks- you just never know where the LORD will lead ya, so pray hard and think big...

February posts

Peps I've gotta a LOT of typing to do cause this month has been an amazing month! As I type this Archer stops me and warns me to be careful of the polar bears because if they catch me they are going to each me up! (he bites the air) Then he informs me that his tongue has got to grow longer, so he can catch things with it! Now he is hiding with his sword from Andrew as he brings Fozzie in from the back yard!

So...this month we've had Ashton's birthday party at Pappas Burgers, a friends (Cason White) surprise 30th birthday party-fiesta at the Saxe's, Valentine's- dinner and a movie at Studio Grill, my birthday- MOPS in the morning, lunch with my mom and boys, and dinner with Andrew at Mia Bella (Cody and Meredith watched the monkey and squirmy worm), Archer's birthday party BASH with his partner in crime-Micah, check out Ally's blog until I update mine, and then Andrew's birthday which we did a low key dinner (PF Changs take out- Brett and Rachel watched the boys)- picnic on the WaterWay in the Woodlands and finally Emilee's birthday party today! Gosh that is lots in itself, so just imagine how much I've gotta get blogging to catch up to date!

PLUS I want to start blogging about the fun socials that Andrew and I put on for our Sunday School class and oh the M&M playdates too! I think I need another week in February just to do the above stated!

Night for now, but beware lots to come!

february fullers

SO this month is crazy- first let me say I made a jazzy header for our blog-I've always wanted a fancy chandlier over our bathtub and I don't have one right now, so I put it on my blog with snazzy glittery font to make my life a little girly since I'm surround by boys, which I LOVE more than I ever imagined! Plus a cute v-day background...

Alright back to February fullers- all four of us have a birthday this month- that's right all 4!
Ashton 12
Tiffany 16
Archer 19
Andrew 25

I know what are the odds- I'm not sure but that's our little family and perfect may I say! :) OH gosh not only are our birthdays this month, but don't forget Valentine's is the 14 and then March 13th is our anniversary, which we will be celebrating our 7th year that's right FOLKS 7 years and I still LOVE him to pieces! More on that later! FUN, CRAZY, and $$$$ month!
Ciao for now...
OH- so should I change our blog address to the februaryfullerfolks or leave as is? I'm thinking it kinda sets us crazy folks apart- who else has an entire family with the same month for all the birthdays?

before I forget moments

Archer I could NEVER forget these few funny and precious moments brought to us by you and your little personality!
1-back in October 2009 (I forgot to BLOG it then, but have to do it know so it is NEVER forgotten) you were having trouble sleeping due to the Halloween decorations around the neighborhood- they were scarey, which I would have to agree! Whatever happen to sweet pumpkins and scarecrows in yards- who though skulls where cool or neat in your yards? Anyways, your Daddy and I would tell you at night that God was watching over you while you slept and HE was protecting you that you need not to worry and it was okay to sleep and not be scared- you agreed on most nights after that in fact the first night we told you that I pointed to your cross and said SEE JESUS is right there in fact HE is always with you and HE will watch over you and protect you- (you took a deep breathe and quickly went to sleep that night)! So a few days later we were all playing in your room minus Daddy cause he was at work and I had to run into the kitchen to get a drink and I asked you to stay in the room with Ashton to watch over him and protect him (people our kitchen was maybe 20 steps away if that)...As I closed the frig- you were standing there and I said Archer you were suppose to be watching Ashton- you then told me don't worry JESUS is in there and HE is protecting him as you grind very proudly! HOW COULD I ARGUE over that one!
2-playgrounds and rooms where your "friends" are you run into the room like you own it and loudly say, "hey guys- I'm here let's play and you join right in with people you've never meet or those you are pals with! You know no stranger and think your 10, just like the older kids and hang with them very well if I may say so, but some of those kiddos aren't too nice and you just keep smiling and try to explain to them how to play!
3-TODAY- we meet some friends at MCM to play and you told Hudson as you touched the top of his hair- it was messy and then touched yours and said, "mine is fixed!" grinning and all- now I did not witness this, but Hudson's mommy did and she cracked up! Archer you are very particular about your hair and do not like to have messy hair in fact that is how I suggest to you most days- Archer lets fix your hair- no thanks-Archer do you want messy hair-no- okay then come here and we spike it up and you check yourself out and smile as you make sure it is standing straight up!

little man...

Why oh why does time fly when life is so good and you are enjoying every moment- that is with your kiddos that is! Ashton just celebrated his 11 month birthday and now we are preparing for his 1st birthday! I just can't believe it! My baby is almost not a baby anymore to society's standard, but let me tell you what this mamma is not having it any other way at least for a little while longer!

Dear Ashton Creed,
You are such a character, which we already knew that, but let me tell you what everyday you just crack me up! You crawl up a storm and you kinda wiggle as you crawl, especially when you are chasing your big brother around! You giggle like there is no tomorrow and smile at a drop of a hat! You and your brother are really playing more together as a team and Archer is always trying to "help" you, but you end up getting upset and crying- then Archer is quite confused! Archer has a "tool" box that has lighting mcqueen on it that he carries his favorite toys of the week around in and you were starting to really grab ahold of it as though it was your own, so we had to quickly get you one, so that there would not be brotherly feuds every minute of every day! You like to open the lid and take everything out and then put everything back in then proceed to stand up with a giant smile the size of the US and then carry on about your day! You have become attached to several things: monkey lovey, and two blankets, one of which was Archers and has his name monogrammed on it, so we are going to have your name put on it in the opposite corner, but I've gotta figure out when and how around your nap time! You are like lynoel from Charlie Brown- you wake up in the morning with it in your hand and smiling (btw: the blanket it is blue)! Walking- well lets just say you could of walked like 2 months ago, but would rather your Mamma (that's what you call me- Archer calls me Mommy) pick ya up and take you to point B from point A- it is faster! Well now I'm kinda making you until you fall onto your knees and bounce until I either walk away (tear) or pick you up or you crawl away! You LOVE TO EAT and I'm talking EAT a lot and you want whatever we are eating-forget the baby food and don't even try and fool you with it! Although you only have 4 teeth- you surely make it work for you! You are truly a lover and always hugging and kissing your Mamma, Dada, and your Arrchrrr! You even reached out this month to grab my hand and hold it while we shopped around for who knows what- I just remember you holding my hand! I love you dearly and can't believe my little man is turning one before I know it!
love your mamma-