It has been a while since an update, so here we go...

Our lives have seen some change in 2009. God has been merciful and given us strength and courage, we give thanks to Him in all things – joy and sorrow.
Tom is still working hard operating Sullivan Plumbing. He enjoys the work and does it well. I am very proud of him. He enjoys helping people and the chance to meet and talk to a variety of people in our area, there are many good ministry opportunities in that. Tom is still a deacon in our church and also teaches the Sunday School for Heather and Rose's age group. He has been faithfully leading our family in daily family worship and it has been a blessing to us. The children are memorizing the shorter catechism which is amazing to me and encouraging to hear the truth of God's Word coming from their mouths.

In April, we moved the office back home and downsized the company to be more manageable in the current economy. I am again running the office and dispatching from the kitchen, which works well but can be hectic. School with the children has gone well, we are enjoying learning together and they are progressing happily. I recently have been blessed by being able to hire a friend to come help me in the mornings so that I have fewer interruptions during school, help with some housework, and a bit more free time. In that time I enjoy reading and crocheting, taking pictures and playing games with the kids.

Heather just turned 12 years old and is turning into a little lady. She is in 6th grade now and enjoys taking botany and writing at our homeschool co-op as well as our subjects at home. She still loves to read and also really loves to crochet – she is working on a blanket and has made many hats, scarves, slippers and other little things. Her favorite color is green and she enjoys collecting china dolls that she finds at thrift stores. Heather is great at entertaining young children and loves babies. She has also become pretty proficient at working in the kitchen which is quite nice.

Rose is 9 ½ and still a bit of a tomboy, which is fun. She loves to run and play and ride bikes and clamber through the woods to the creek with her brother. However, she also loves to wear skirts and is growing her hair long again so has a girly streak to her. Rose is in 4th grade and enjoyed taking botany and painting at our homeschool co-op this year. In our home studies, her favorite subject is grammar. She enjoys reading (though not as much as her older sister) and playing the piano, drawing and writing letters. Rose's favorite color is red and she loves horses.

Will is 7 ½ and all boy. He loves bugs and reptiles, mud, sticks, rocks and getting dirty. It is a challenge to keep him busy enough to be happy. Will has become a very big helper at home and is usually the first of the children to rise and work through his chores. He also very often completes his math before I even make it into the school room, he enjoys math and learns it very quickly. Will took science and painting at co-op and loved those classes as well as gym time where he got to run and play with bigger boys. He also played soccer this fall and absolutely loved it!

We did some remodeling work in the living areas of our home - taking out carpet and replacing it with bamboo, painting walls, adding a hearth and woodstove, new furniture. It was fun and we are enjoying the “new” space. My dad was a lifesaver with that project, coming by to do most of the painting, and he and my brother Justin even came to help Tom get the wood floor down in just a day. Justin also made another trip to help with putting the chimney for the woodstove through the roof. Very thankful for the help of family. We are thoroughly enjoying heating our home solely with wood so far this winter. It is working very well for us - warm and cozy, and with plenty of deadwood from our land it is very cost effective!

We took a family vacation in Gatlinburg, TN this summer. It was a nice week full of fun and relaxation. Our resort was very nice and we enjoyed an indoor waterpark, swimming daily, and a day at Dollywood, also a nice drive along a trail in the Smoky Mountains National Forest. We avoided the whole shopping / tourist stuff around Pigeon Forge, not our thing right now, but we had a great time in that beautiful part of the country.

This summer we were able to plant a large garden, we had not planted one for a few years due to being so busy but since the kids are older they were able to be helpful and we enjoyed working as a family on that. We had a good harvest and canned a few things for storage. We also got a flock of chickens for the back yard, we had missed having them and eating the fresh eggs and are glad to be enjoying that again.

We are looking forward to our first predicted big snowfall this weekend. It will be a nice change from the mud and rain so far this winter. We hope that you all had a good year and we look forward to hearing from you, our prayers go with you into the New Year!

The Sullivans
Tom & Amber
Heather, Rose and Will

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” 1 Timothy 1:15

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Romans 8:34

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

“Sing to the Lord , all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day.” 1 Chronicles 16:23

Happy 4th!

We spent the day at a cook-out with friends from church in Brookneal. We then went to Patrick Henry's Red Hill for the fireworks display. It was a fun day and good to get out for a while.

Wedding Anniversary

Tom and I celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary today. It is amazing how it has gone so quickly. Thirteen years seems like a long time - it is amazing how it has gone so quickly and yet seems like forever at the same time. We figured out that we have now been together for almost as long as we were apart before. Here is what I mean, we started dating in Jan of '94 when I was 16 and Tom was 17. We dated for 14 months and then were engaged on our birthday March 9 '95 (yes, we share a birthday!). We were engaged for 14 months, most of which Tom was away at school for, and were married in May of '96. So we have been together for 15.5 years and that's almost as long as I was alive before we started dating! That's really fun to think about. :-)

Valentine's Day

Gotta brag on my hubby. As you know the kids and I have been sick for what feels like forever - so this year was my year to totally forget about Valentine's Day. So when Tom brought home a boquet of tulips (my fav), a rose for each of the girls, and a car for Will - along with some very yummy steaks which he grilled for us - and NO chocolate, I was surprised to say the least! So very sweet of him, we had a great meal together and are enjoying the beauty of the flowers, and the lack of chocolate temptations. :-)

Sullivan Christmas Slideshow

Pictures from the Sullivan gathering. We all exchanged our gifts on Jan 17th, very patient people! :-) It was such fun to have everyone together again.

Some ornament pics

Just a collection of some pretty tidbits! For more, see the photo a day page. :)

Christmas slideshow

Our Christmas this year was calm and quiet. We were very low-key and it was nice! The children were thankful for their gifts and we enjoyed opening them and really liked that it wasn't an overwhelming amount. We had breakfast and a big lunch here y ourselves and then had some friends over for leftovers and desserts. It was a good day!

Thanksgiving pictures

Some pictures from our Thanksgiving. I rigged up my tripod and set the timer so we could get a picture of all of us around the table. It was a lovely, relaxing day and surprisingly I got the whole meal done and on the table with very little trouble or worry.

We talked about the things we were thankful for later in the day.

Heather said "Parents to take care of me, a house to keep me warm, and food to keep my tummy full." Rose said "God to take care of me, a home to keep me sheltered, and a bed to keep me warm." Will was feeling sad because he had a rash from (we think) laundry soap and his legs hurt... so I prompted him a bit, finally he was thankful for "legs - even though they hurt, better than not having any, arms, and a head 'cause without it I'd be dead". Well then, there ya have it! :D

I told them I was thankful for messy toys, dirty dishes, and stinky socks. The kids were quite perplexed and laughed and laughed. I then explained (borrowing from the little poem that had floated around the internet), that those things - though they drive me crazy some days meant that I had children who are healthy enough to play, food to cook and feed my family, and a husband who worked hard and came home to me every night.

Ignore the dirty dishes in the background, and my lack of makeup. ;O

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our dear friends and family!

We are spending a quiet day at home (after our CVS haul this AM). Turkey is in the oven - yes it is upside down, trying that this year to see if it really does make the breast more moist. :) The girls and I made 2 pumpkin pies last night and put together the cornbread casserole and green bean casserole. I have stovetop stuffing and scalloped potatoes <ducking> to make still, but everything else is under control. Oh, do have to make the crisp toppings for the apple crisp. I got a 25lb turkey for $11 (thank you Kroger and coupons!), so it will not be ready until around 3:00.

Tom is playing Monopoly with the kids, I should go relieve him soon... that can be a little daunting. They always want to play it, but takes so long to finish a game - so we will take turns.

We pray you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones and are thankful for the people and things God has blessed you with, most importantly the gift of Christ and forgiveness and hope that comes in knowing Him.

Independence Day Collage

Father's Day Slideshow

Our 12th Wedding Anniversary!

Tom and I were married 12 years ago today! Last night we went out for our every other month date night. Our dear friends watched the kids and we went to the Outback Steakhouse for an early dinner. I totally broke my diet, even had a couple slices of bread and a sprite... and a bloomin' onion - yummmy!!!

There was nobody around to take our picture together, and I didn't think to ask Amy and Rich to do it but we got these while we were walking. We walked on the Blackwater Creek Trail. I am proud to say that we walked almost 2 miles and I was not winded nor did I break a sweat. Tom was impressed! I got some pics of the scenery there, it started to get a little dark under the trees, so some of the pics are dark (until I remembered the "nightime scenery" setting on my camera!). We enjoyed the gentle breeze, the gardens, the smell of wild rose and honeysuckle, the sound of the trickling creek. It was very nice.

After our walk, we went to Lowe's and I picked out some flowers. I picked up some pretty orange Dahlia's and a gorgeous, tall, elegant potted lavender Foxglove. I spotted the Foxglove as soon as we walked in and it was just so pretty, we walked around a while and before we left Tom encouraged me to go ahead and get them. He really likes them too and loves that they are perennials. I am glad he told me to go ahead and spend the money on them, we will enjoy them for many years in our flower garden.

I had surprised Tom that morning with a tent/screenroom to put up outside. We have been enjoying our coffee outside together in the mornings and often eat or just sit outside in the evenings, so I got that in order to continue enjoying those times even when the heat and bugs get worse with summer. We put it up at the end of the driveway that morning and have really been enjoying it. When we arrived home that night, we got the kids to bed and opened a bottle of wine we have been saving. I made up a tray of fruit and cream cheese dip and chocolate dip and we sat outside with our wine and fruit and enjoyed a lovely evening. :-)

I am so thankful for my husband and the years we have had together. I am thrilled to say that each year is truly better than the last! :-)

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all you moms out there are having a wonderful day with your families. It is a day when I ponder on the importance of this role, these precious gifts bestowed on me by my Heavenly Father - the weight of it can be pretty heavy, but the joys lift my soul! It is wonderful to know that I am not alone in this task... I can only do it if I rely on the strength and grace of God, a free gift given with salvation... I also have my wonderful partner on this earth by my side, and the opportunity to be blessed by, taught by, and ministered to by the other moms in my life - the Titus 2 women. I am so thankful to you and appreciate you all very much!

Tom and the kids picked out a couple of rose bushes for me to add to a bed that I have decided to make just roses. They are very pretty and I was happy to get them.

I asked Tom to take some pictures of the kids and I together, something that very rarely gets done. We finally did get a good one, but the whole process was so funny and Tom just kept clicking away... I made it a slideshow and shared it below for your enjoyment!

Christmas 2007