Merry Christmas!

Here is a copy of our Christmas letter that we mailed/emailed out this year:

Well, here we are, once again. Christmas is quickly approaching and it’s time for another Dail family Christmas letter. We have quite a bit of exciting news to share with you all. First, we’ll start with updates on how we have been doing.

Jeremy is continuing with his job at Corvest. He is feverishly preparing for catalog printing. This means that his business trip will fall a little closer to Christmas than in the previous years, possibly even after New Year’s Day. He has also been doing a lot of freelance work this year and designing for various church ministries. Sarah started working part-time as a Mary Kay Consultant in February. She loves the idea of working from home so that she can still get things done around that house. We are still actively

involved in our church and are encouraged to see how God is working in our church family. Our congregation keeps growing. Four years ago we had about 30 on Sunday mornings. Now we have about 75-80 each week!!

In June we celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary. In some ways it seems like the years have just flown by us. In August, we had to make an emergency trip to Indiana. After 92 years, Sarah’s Grandma Martin passed away. We miss her very much, but we know that she is in a better place and we will see her again someday. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

In November, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our nephew, Samuel Philip Martin. He was born on November 21 at 2:41pm. He weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 22 1/2 inches long!! He is very precious to our family. Congratulations to Sarah’s brother, Andy, and sister-in-law, Elizabeth!

While we’re on the subject of babies, we would like to announce that we will be adding to our family in June!!! We are very excited, nervous and quite impatient. It seems as though there is so much to do in preparation for another human being to be living with us. Sometimes we’re not sure how it will all get accomplished (or how we’re going to pay for it!) but we know that God will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

One thing that we think about during the Christmas season is how much we are loved. Of course, we love our families and are loved by our families. But the love that we are most thankful for is the love that our Heavenly Father bestowed upon us when He sent His only Son to die for all of the wrong that we have done (John 3:16). And, as Romans 8 says, NOTHING can separate us from that love.

Please keep us in your prayers throughout the next year, as we strive to raise our family as one that glorifies and honors God. We trust that you all will have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

With love, in Him,

Jeremy & Sarah (and baby Dail!)

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels

nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height

nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us

from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The pictures you've all been waiting for . . .

Our little nephew: Samuel Phillip Martin!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe that this day is almost over. Thanksgiving is always a time for us to look back on the year and remember what we're thankful for. This year, we weren't able to be with our families. It was a little difficult for me because I wasn't able to meet our new nephew. His name is Samuel Phillip and he was born on Sunday, November 21 at 2:41pm. He was 9lbs. 15 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long. Once we get some good-quality pictures of him, we'll certainly write another blog post!! We are so thankful for our families and we missed not being with them this year.

We are also very grateful for the friends that God has placed in our lives. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with a few friends from our church and it was such a blessing. We really had a blast with them today!

Lastly, we are thankful for the life we have in Christ. We would be nothing without Him and on a road to destruction and eternal damnation. Sometimes we take our salvation for granted, but we truly are thankful for Christ's sacrifice for us.

James 1:16-18 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Thanksgiving already??

So, I guess it's been a little while since we have last updated our blog. We just got back a couple of Sundays ago from a trip to North Carolina. Jeremy was in a friends wedding and we also took some time to visit with our families that were near the same area. We were hoping that our nephew would come while we were visiting but he has decided to wait a while. His official due date was yesterday. We are hoping to "meet" him very soon.

I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving already. It seems like the year has flown past us! This year we are planning to spend Thanksgiving with some friends from our church. They have family who live in other states as well. I usually love making and preparing all of the food that I usually do but I am actually looking forward to relaxing more this year. I only have to make two dishes!!!

Christmas is only six weeks away! Thankfully we have most of our shopping done already. We have actually been shopping throughout the whole year. It is a good feeling to be this far ahead of the game. And shopping this way was much easier and less stressful . . . at least for me, anyway. I think this year we will be staying home for Christmas as well. We have made a lot of trips this year and just don't really have the finances to travel. It will be sad, but hopefully we'll get to spend some part of the holidays with family.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I will try to blog more regularly in the future.

Fall is almost in Florida!

Okay, so it has been a while since I have written. Sorry about that. A lot has been going on around here. I will try to fill you in on the happenings of our summer or most of it, that is. Some of it went by in a blur. You will see why in a moment.

So, in June we celebrated our four year wedding anniversary!! That is quite an accomplishment--although, it doesn't seem like we have been married that long. We were able to really do anything special this year since Vacation Bible School fell on that same week. We were bummed about that (or, at least, I was) but we had a lot of fun with the kids in VBS. We were put in charge of the games and we really enjoyed it this year.

Forgive me, for I cannot remember exactly what happened in July. Oh, well.

In August, we had to make an emergency trip to Indiana. After 92 years, my Grandma Martin passed away. It has been a very rough time for my family. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to cope with her loss. We miss her very much. Thankfully, we know that we will see her again someday.

September came a little earlier than we thought it would. Yes, I know it comes the same time every year, but it REALLY came earlier this year!! I had to travel back to Indiana for my cousin's wedding. I was also able to help my parents a little bit with things that needed to get done around their house and my grandma's house. After I arrived back from Indiana, we started our Wednesday evening kids club (Winner's Circle) at church. This becomes the time of year when it really starts to get busy and stressful. (Though it seems like the summer has been full of nothing but stress.) We don't have as many kids in our Wednesday night class as we did last year. We are trying not to get too discouraged about it. God has been doing a great thing in our church family and we pray that He will do great things in Winner's Circle this year as well.

It seems as though September has brought a lot of prayer requests too. So many things are happening around us to people we love so dearly. Galatians 6 says, "Bear one another's burdens," and that is certainly what we have been doing. We have been lifting our friends up in prayer. It has truly been a summer of growing. September has also brought a lot of work to us: Jeremy is diving into another catalog season and he has been doing some freelance work here and there, there are more preparations for church going on, and we have been busy trying to find (and add) more "space" to our house.

So, now it's officially October! This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather starts getting cooler here in Florida and it is even more enjoyable to go to the beach. (Jeremy had a day off last week and we went to a beach that we have only been to one other time. We found the biggest shells!!!) We are excited about the next couple of months. We will be getting a brand new nephew soon and we can't wait to meet him! We will be in North Carolina for a wedding around the time of his arrival and we hope that he comes while we are there!!! So, until next time, take a look at some of our summer memories.

Helping with our church VBS on our 4th anniversary.

VBS game time

VBS kids

My last picture with Grandma Martin.

Lunch before Grandma's Funeral.

My cousin, Ken, and his bride, Jessica.

Smarvelous Creations

I am pleased to announce the opening of my new store: S'marvelous Creations on Etsy.com. If you'd like to go check it out, I have made a link available on the side bar just for you. Hope you visit! I have also added some pictures below. The first is of my new logo and the following are of the new special occasion/wedding collection. Enjoy!

Just a few pictures from our summer so far

My God Is Near

Jeremy and I have the privilege of singing the special this Sunday morning at our church. We get to sing quite often though, since our church is so small. Anyway, a lot has been happening all around us. Struggles with our Nation, in our jobs, in our church, with our friends, with our families outside of the home, within our homes, and, sometimes (okay--MOST of the time), even spiritually. I'm not just speaking of me and Jeremy. I am sure that there are many of you out there who are struggling in many of these areas as well.

The song that we will be singing on Sunday is titled: My God Is Near (written by a friend of ours, Mac Lynch). I won't go into detail about why this is so special to me now. I am sure you might understand when you read the words. Below the words to the song, I will add a verse passage that I recommend you all to read in which this song was based.

My God Is Near

Make me know Your presence, Lord, the King of glory here.

You know each thought and action, hope, anxiety and fear.

How can I hide from Thee? Can darkness hide iniquity?

Oh, how can I unfaithful be, when You are very near to me?

When God is near, all the world seems far away.

When God is near, every fear is set aside.

When God is near, how can I stray, how can I falter?

I'll stay upon the altar. I know my God is near!

Make me know Your presence, Lord, when I feel so alone.

You know each trial and testing, pain, the hurt that is "unknown."

Oh, why can I not see Your hand so firmly guiding me?

Oh, how can I untrusting be, when You are very near to me?

When God is near, all the world seems far away.

When God is near, every fear is set aside.

When God is near, how can I stray, how can I falter?

I'll stay upon the altar. I know my God is near!

Based on Psalm 139:1-12

2010 Garden

So, I was looking at our blog, and I just realized that we haven't told you about this Springs garden yet. I can't believe it! We ended up buying more tomato plants than we thought so we had to add about 6 more feet to the other side. We have already eaten lots of green beans, a few tomatoes, and a cucumber. Hopefully our cucumbers will continue to grow and our other tomatoes will ripen quickly.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Now that I have your attention, I am fine. Really, I am. I just wanted to make sure that you are all still out there.

So, it is officially summer here (in my mind). We finished our last week of our Winner's Circle kids club last Wednesday. While I love teaching the children, I am so glad to be able to be back in the auditorium with the "big people." Since, I am on the subject of Winner's Circle, I have to tell you all about the fantastic job that the kids did this 11-weeks. We have 3 sets of 11-weeks to give out points. If they make it to 375 or higher, they earn a certificate and a prize each time. This time, we are able to give a prize to 3 of the kids. We will be taking them out for pizza after they all get out of school. Apparently, the love that reward because the minute Jeremy told them, they started cheering and yelling. It's nice that we can reward them for their hard work. And, hopefully, we will have more that will get there next year.

We are gearing up for Vacation Bible School. I am a little more nervous this year because I won't be teaching a class. Instead, Jeremy and I will be doing game time. It seems to be more pressure because we have to think of something REALLY fun for all of the ages. I still don't know exactly how much time we'll have or where we will be stationed in the building, so that is making it a little nerve-wracking too. Oh, well. I am sure that we will have a blast.

My Mary Kay business is kind of stuck in a rut right now. It's a little difficult to be selling where I'm currently at. I have been in Florida for almost 4 years now but, since our church is so small, I really don't have that much client base. I had hoped that I might have had contacts via word of mouth, but that didn't really happen. I guess, in the back of my mind, I knew that it might not happen. That is basically why I started my jewelry business, S'marvelous. However, that too, seems not to be profitable at this point. I have some new jewelry designs and ideas that will come out in the next couple of months so maybe that will help. I have a fan page on facebook, so check that out. If I get a few more sells, I might be able to set up a shop on etsy.com, which is what I intended to do originally. It costs money to do that, and I just don't have the funds right now.

So, even though, I am struggling in business, I am not struggling spiritually. What I mean is that the Lord has been teaching me so much lately. Although I do not have time to go into detail, I will say that He is making it very clear to me and Jeremy that Clearwater, FL is where we need to be at this point in our lives. We are enjoying every chance that we get to minister to the people here. It has truly been a blessing to see God work in the lives of the people we minister to and minister with. For that, we are very grateful.

It's a Wonderful Life

So, this week has been awesome so far. First of all, the weather is getting a little cooler so things won't be all hot and sweaty . . . at least for a little while longer. Second of all, I have been able to hang out with a couple of my friends this week!

Yesterday morning, my friend, Jaimeé, came over for a while. We have been trying to get together for coffee at least once a week. Sometimes it doesn't always work, but we try. It has been fun actually hanging out with someone.

Then, late this afternoon, my friend, Heather (from college), stopped by! She is in Clearwater for her brothers graduation. It was really nice to get a chance to talk with her. It is always encouraging when I get to see the people that I went to school with. Most of them were there with me in some of the most difficult times in my life.

Tomorrow morning we will going to Clearwater Christian College's graduation ceremony. It will be bittersweet. We are excited for two of the students (Sarah & Ryan) who have been helping us at our church over the last four years. It will be sad because we are not sure that we will see them again this side of heaven. But . . . at least we'll get to see them tomorrow.

I know that the week will end fantastically because my mom is coming tomorrow night! She will be here for Mother's Day and I know that will be fun for her . . . me too . . . as she will be staying a whole week! Hopefully we will be able to go to the beach a few of those days. :o)

Also, Jeremy has just informed me that he is taking next Friday off. We very rarely get to spend time together, so that is a real treat!

I'm so excited, I don't think that I will be able to sleep tonight.

Sweet Sounds

I don't usually blog on Sundays. It's usually a pretty busy day. But I really wanted to share this. One of my favorite things in the world is to listen to kids singing. Every once in a while the Children's Church class that we teach gets to sing during the morning service at our church. Today was one of those days. I'm always nervous for my little kiddos to get up and sing. Today, there were only four of them there but they did a wonderful job. We were so proud of them. That is why I decided to blog about them. They are the cutest kids and they work so hard when it is their turn to sing in church. It is so great to have a good group of children that want to learn so much about God. We have been truly blessed.

Today . . .

So things have been crazy busy since the last time I wrote. I just got back from visiting family in Indiana. My dad turned 60 so we had a surprise party for him. It was such a busy week but I had a lot of fun visiting with friends and family. If I didn't have so much to do back home, I might have stayed a lot longer. The more I go back, the harder it gets to leave. Sometimes I wish that everyone would just be in one place. Anyway, I am feeling really mopey today and I think that I caught something while on the plane because I have a sore throat and no energy today.

I have some exciting news to share! My brother, Andy, and sister-in-law, Elizabeth, are going to have a baby!!! We're so excited and thankful that God has worked everything out for them. Be prepared for pictures around November or December. :o)

I just wanted to let you all know what has been going on lately. Stay tuned . . .

Guess what?!

I am so excited to tell you that I have officially found a name for my fabulous jewelry line! I created this 'company' so that people can purchase stylish and unique handmade jewelry at affordable prices. So, how did I come up with the name? Glad you asked! I am a HUGE fan of Audrey Hepburn and have a goal to watch every single one of her movies this year. One of the movies I have watched was Funny Face, in which she co-starred with Fred Astaire. There is a delightful song in the movie entitled S'wonderful S'marvelous. Thus, that is where the name comes from. Where can you get this jewelry? Glad you asked that too! Just become a fan of S'marvelous on facebook! Don't forget, you must be a member of facebook first. Don't worry. It's easy to join and FREE! Hope to see you on there!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

We tried this recipe the other day. We LOVED it. Just thought I would share it with the rest of the world.

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 pounds tilapia fillets

*Preheat broiler. Grease broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

*In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

*Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Just a thought for today . . .

The will of God will never leave you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

Happy Monday!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was still running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I guess it is because I identify with little Alexander almost on a daily basis. Yesterday was no different. By the way, if you've never read the book, I definitely recommend it to you.

The laundry has been piling up for a couple of weeks due to a broken washing machine. Jeremy was able to fix it on Tuesday evening of this week. First, let me tell you that I have been fighting a cold or allergies (or something!) for about a week now. Well, yesterday I thought I was feeling a little bit better so I decided to tackle the laundry. I tore off all of the bed sheets so I could wash them first. I went outside (our washer and dryer are located in, what we call, the utility shed) and set the wash cycle to begin. I came back inside and decided I felt well enough to wash the dishes . . . luckily, we now are the very proud owners of a portable dishwasher! So, I started that cycle. About 35-40 minutes I went back out to put some more laundry in the wash and heard the sound of trickling water. I opened the utility shed to discover water seeping out all over the floor but not dripping down the machine itself. (Mind you, I was already sick and it is a bit chilly out for Florida this time of year.) I opened the lid to discover that the water had not stopped the filling process and so the water level kept rising and rising. Panic immediately set in but I still managed to shut the machine off before I ran inside to grab the phone to call Jeremy at work. Then I started the removal process of all our gardening equipment that had been sitting in a pool of water. Fortunately, Jeremy was able to take a half day off and rushed home to assess the damage.

Next, let me tell you that I was already so frustrated because I was not feeling well and it was cold outside. Then, I realized that the washer was filled with our bed sheets and if we didn't get the problem fixed, we would be sleeping with no blankets that night. All of this came in the middle of other problems that are going on this week and so, I was in tears when Jeremy arrived home from work. Jeremy looked inside the washer but outside the washing drum (which the water had been trickling into and all over the wires inside). He checked to make sure everything was alright and looked for the cause of the overflow. To make the story not quite so long, he called our neighbor (and landlord) --who was also sick-- and he came to check out the situation. It turns out, the tubing that tells the water when to stop filling up, popped off.

Now all things are fixed and I was able to get two loads of laundry washed last night. Bad news, I am feeling worse today than I was yesterday. Although, yesterday, I felt very much like Alexander.

Update . . .

Just wanted to let all of you readers out there know that we are still alive. There just hasn't been much to blog about in a while. We will let you know as soon as anything interesting happens to us! Until then . . . watch a movie or something.

A new beginning . . .

Okay, I'm still here . . . please forgive me if I have been a little preoccupied. You see, I started my own business!!! I am now a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. For the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to iron out all of the details. I still have a little ways to go before I know all that I'm supposed to. But it's been really fun so far.

I really like this company. Mary Kay Ash founded it on the principle God first, family second, and career third. I have never been a part of a company like this. They focus on the importance of God and family. Not to mention, it's nice to be able to work the hours that I want so that I can be available to take care of my home and my husband.

With that being said, if any of you need anything, you can visit my website. I am so excited about this new opportunity and I couldn't wait to share it with you! Please pray that things will run smoothly as I step out into entrepreneurship. I will try to keep you posted on how it goes!

Thought for the day

Just meditating on this passage today . . .

II Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Cleaning rituals, enthusiasm, and faith . . .

I am in the middle of cleaning our house from top to bottom. We have some friends coming to visit us tomorrow evening and they will be staying with us for a few nights. We are so excited because these are our first overnight house guests that are not family!

So--a part of my cleaning ritual is to listen to music. I don't know, it kind of gets me in the right mood because, come one, who really likes to clean?! I must admit it, there is a sense of satisfaction when it's all over and everything is spotless. But, to really have a cheerful heart about it, I need to listen to Christ-centered music. As I was dusting (one of my other cleaning rituals), a song came on that really got me thinking about our upcoming revival at our church, which then caused me to start thinking about my life and the sin and struggles that I face every day. I must confess, this doesn't happen every single time I clean. Usually I am so focused on the tasks that lay ahead. But God was tugging on my heart today and I am SO GLAD that He did!

You see, sometimes I feel so weak. I am not a perfect person. Whether I am out shopping, at church, or cleaning at home, I am constantly sinning. Can you honestly say that you can't sin for even a second? Even wrong thinking is a sin . . . you know, like when you can be so disgusted at your 4-12 year olds for their lack of enthusiasm in the lesson during Children's Church. Well, how many times have I lacked in my enthusiasm for spiritual things? Christ died for me! Even if I was the only person on earth, He still would have died for me! I can at least be enthusiastic about that! So, what song caused all of this thinking, you ask? My Faith Still Clings . . .

My sin is great, my strength is weak,

My path beset with snares;

But Thou, O Christ, hast died for me,

And Thou wilt hear my prayers.

Refrain

To Thee, to Thee, the Crucified,

The sinner’s only plea,

Relying on Thy promised grace,

My faith still clings to Thee.

The world is dark without Thee, Lord,

I turn me from its strife

To find Thy love a sweet relief;

Thou art the light of life.

Temptations lure and fears assail

My frail, inconstant heart;

But precious are Thy promises,

And they new strength impart.

Unfold Thy precepts to my mind,

And cleanse my blinded eyes;

Grant me to work for Thee on earth,

Then praise Thee in the skies.

Pictures of the Week

Sorry it's been so long since we've blogged. We have been busy getting back into our routine since we returned home from Christmas travels. Not to mention that we have been sick with the flu this week. But, we are back!

We are lucky that we live in such a beautiful are of Clearwater. We live in the city but are located in an area that is surrounded by trees and wildlife. We are about 1/8 of a mile off of a busy road so we barely hear the traffic. It seems as though we live in the country. We have often heard sounds of coyotes and our neighbors have seen them. Last week we were able to see two of them and quickly snapped a picture of one of them before he ran away!

Then yesterday, I was sitting outside and something flew over my head. I looked up and saw this beautiful hawk! Aren't God's creatures amazing?!

Picture of the Week

This weeks POTW was taken at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

Pictures from Christmas 2009!

We spent Christmas in North Carolina with Jeremy's family this year. We also were able to see Sarah's brother and sister-in-law as well. They live in the same city as Jeremy's sister (and also attend the same church)! It was nice to see them before they headed up north for Indiana and Michigan. We were also able to attend a UNC game and visit with some friends while there. So . . . here are some pictures from our trip up north.

Christmas at Andy & Elizabeth's house (and Aggie, too!)

Sarah & her brother, Andy

Taken at Andy & Elizabeth's church

Jeremy & his sister, Megan

The Dail siblings & the Martin siblings

Chapel Hill, NC - UNC game!

Jeremy's family: Rea & Eric, Megan, mom, and us!

Harker's Island, NC

Atlantic Beach, NC

Chapel Hill, NC - UNC Basketball Museum

Sarah was SO excited!

Our first picture of 2010!