Another very busy day....

It seems that we never stop.....

I was up at 6am..... showered and dressed before 6:30.... then I sat for an hour in the quiet reading email, reading a few verses in Psalms..... checking on things on the internet, just really enjoying the quiet of the morning.

Eric was up and going by 7:30 and he went to wake the kids.... they did not want to get up..... so he got out the water bottle...heehee.....while he was having fun spraying cold water on sleepy kids, I was up doing laundry....

Well, the kids got up and went to get their free breakfasts (did I tell ya'll I love the summer feeding program) and everyone was fed and ready to work by just after 9.

Eric went to mow but the mower was acting up so he had to take a look to see what was the problem...the blades needed to cleaned out and around.... so he got that done and started on the yard. Travis too on the push mower doing all the trim work.

I made calls this morning trying to get repairmen here to see about our phones and a suspected leak under the house...... all are taken care of.... no leaks were found and the phones are back in working order! The electrician is coming tomorrow to put in an outlet on a wall Eric wants to put a server for the house..... he is in the process of networking all of the computers in the house together.....

I had a computer class again today at the Senior Center...... those ladies just tickle me! They get so excited and so nervous at the same time... they are so cute and fun to teach!

And we also cleaned out the storage building and put in some new shelves to help with organization in there.... it looks so nice and although we ran out of sunlight to finish today... we should be done tomorrow with that project!

Tomorrow we plane on more of the same ..... getting some things done while Eric is home for the week..... I am going to be doing more laundry.. (of course!) and then I will also be going through the office stuff and getting all of that in order, all of my sewing stuff and reorganizing it, and working some in the library and our bedroom to get stuff up on the walls ...... decorations and stuff!!!

Psa 111:1-10 (NLT) Praise the LORD! I will thank the LORD with all my heart as I meet with His godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in Him should ponder them. Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. Who can forget the wonders He performs? How gracious and merciful is our LORD! He gives food to those who trust Him; He always remembers His covenant. He has shown his great power to His people by giving them the lands of other nations. All He does is just and good, and all His commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. He has paid a full ransom for His people. He has guaranteed His covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name He has! Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey Him. Praise His name forever!

We are all together for the next week.

The kids are home from camp.... sent them to bed as soon as they came in the door yesterday.... they all slept for 5 hours or longer and then got up and ate some dinner and then went right back to bed..... they had so much fun and many adventures ...... Travis and Mia came home with several first and second place ribbons for different feats accomplished (like craziest dive, longest underwater, best animal impersonation, and memory verse recitations) and met new friends.

Today I have a pile of wet, camp laundry to wash and hang.... and just having a good day listening to more camp stories.

This next week Eric is off of work...and we have a loooonnnnggg list of things to get accomplished while he is home. So I may or may not be on here this next week. But I did want all to know what I would be up to. It all depends on how early Eric wants to get going each day and for how long he wants to work..... I am excited to get all of the work done!

Wow, this week has really flown by...

Its hard for me to believe today is Thursday.... wow, time sped away this week! But we have had a great week.... Jed (and mom and dad) has missed Travis, Mia, and Amaris.... but we have had a fun time as well. We have been swimming, played in the yard, watched movies and just enjoyed time together.....

Today I will tidy the house up a bit (it is really not bad this week.... wonder why???) Get the few things in the hampers clean and then sit back and enjoy the last day of quiet....heehee..... tomorrow I may have to drive the church van to pick the campers so I will have to get an early start.

Happy Birthday Mia!!!

I can say Mia was my fastest birth..... because of the nurse on call thought she knew better than the person in labor (and refused to call the anesthesiologist) sooo......I got to experience natural child birth..... I was not happy! But this sweet little girl with a head full of loooonnnngggg BLACK hair was brought to me and my unhappiness melted away...... can that really have been 13 years ago?

Mia, you are such a joy. You have such a vibrant and loving spirit. So often you choose to do the right thing even if you know that it means more work, giving grace and forgiveness and compromises on your part. You are such a precious and wonderful gift to me (and dad too).

Enjoying a quiet morning...

The older 3 kids are at camp..... and Jed is still sleeping so this morning I am sitting here relaxing and enjoying a nice quiet morning.... reading friends blogs, the news and listening to the dishwasher going. I plan on getting up and going in just a few minutes (right after I post this) and get a few more things done this morning. I need to call and make an appointment for Jed's shots and then make sure I am here to fix a lunch for Eric then after lunch I plan on visiting my sister and her new pool! Whhooohoooo!!! Then to come home and get Eric fed some dinner and do a few more chores around the house to finish out my day.....

Thursday.....

Here is a run down of what I have accomplished today....


** Got Eric sent to work with breakfast...and a snack
*** Read for about an hour this morning after Eric got off to work.
**Hung out 7 loads of laundry on the lines (the last load is up drying now)
**Travis and Mia have been out in the Garden off and on all day weeding.
**I went for a walk up at the congregation's CSC Building (she has asthma and cannot walk in this heat )
** Fixed Eric lunch, sent the kids for the Free Lunches (Our School provides free breakfasts and lunches on a summer feeding program.... they serve it at 3 different locations around town and one of the locations is just about a block away) and ate a bit myself.
** Cooled down for about an hour in my in-laws new pool..... Jed loves the water!
** Going to fix something light for dinner... its way too hot to heat up my kitchen.
** Need to make a run to Wal-mart (the kids are going to camp this next week and are in need of a few items)

**** Must finish cleaning up around the house.... we have company coming tomorrow!


That is about it for my day.... hope everyone out there has had a good day!

Wednesday's Word

Psa 128:2 -6 (ESV) You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out in blogland. I hope that you find your day filled with the joy of being a father! Dads are so very important. They ground a family like no other person can. So whether you are a new dad, a dad to few, a dad to many or a dad by choice through adoption I say keep up the good work.


Here is a poem I found not long ago.......

WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY

WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY
SAID A LITTLE CHILD, SO FRAIL.
I'M FOLLOWING IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS,
AND DON'T WANT TO FAIL

SOMETIMES YOUR STEPS ARE VERY PLAIN
SOMETIMES HARD TO SEE.
SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY
FOR YOU ARE LEADING ME.

I KNOW THAT ONCE YOU WALKED
THIS WAY, MANY YEARS AGO,
AND WHAT YOU DID ALONG THE WAY
I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW.

FOR SOMETIMES I AM TEMPTED
AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY,
FOR I MUST FOLLOW YOU

SOMEDAY WHEN I 'VE GROWN UP
YOU ARE LIKE I WANT TO BE
THEN I WILL KNOW A LITTLE CHILD
WHO WILL WANT TO FOLLOW ME.

SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY
FOR WE ARE FOLLOWING YOU

~ Forrest Flowers ~

What a big game of follow-the-leader....dad, as you are following Christ, your children are learning from your walk because they are right behind you. They are always trying to "fill your shoes". Even babies love to walk around in daddy's big boots..... children learn about life so very much by seeing how dad lives. Walking plainly in Christ for your children to see is the best decisions you can ever make. Its a big responsibility and God knows it.... remember, He is our Father in heaven. He knows the joys and the heartaches of being a father.Remember dad, you are being followed!

Update on Saturday

Well, the water fun day got canceled.... we got a major down pour of rain about half an hour after I posted.... so I had many phone calls to make..... (Thanks Heather and David for helping out! )

So, got some things done around the house instead..... Eric had a job to do so, he was gone most of the day.... and while he was gone we got out his Father's Day gifts and wrapped them and such..... he came home to a small pile of presents to look at for the rest of the day....

Well, I hope everyone has had a great day..... post again soon!

Good Saturday Morning!

Hello all, this week has been one more busy week! I do hope you all have had productive weeks (and a productive week on vacation is doing the things you do to help rejuvenate yourself, don't forget that!) I am up a bit earlier this morning that I usually am on Saturday. I had gone to bed early and now I am up early, the house is quiet (except for me pecking away at the keys here) and the weather is a bit wet. I will be getting the family up in just a bit so that we can get ready to go to the Water Fun Day for the 5th grade and under that is taking place at our congregation's Christian Service Center. Our family is in charge of the food prep for today's activities and I am hoping for a good turnout. I chose hot dogs and pizza bread along with chips and cookies for the kids today. There was 2 different reasons for the choice....one, most kids that age like hot dogs and pizza. And the second is it works well with the budget .... we had lots of hoagies and french bread left over in the kitchen of the CSC building that had been put back in the freezer..... so lets use it to make pizza bread! A bit of sauce (I use spaghetti for this), some pepperoni and cheese and bake it for a bit and you have a great snack! Its a great way to use up some of the left overs from previous events.

Well, I wish you all could join us in the fun today! I plan on taking some pictures!

Wednesday's Word ~ Service

Eph 6:5-8 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

The word slaves here has 2 meanings... see, there were those that were true slaves, those that had been bought or traded for, but there was another "type" of slave as well, those that had gotten into debt, or out of some personal reasons, put themselves into the service of another for a length of time. However, the verse talks to both types of slaves. And too, it is talking to us today as well.

Rom 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

See we Christians are the slaves of God, a people that have been set free and have chosen to put ourselves into service to the One that has set us free. It is a choice, we are now the willing slaves of righteousness. But our service should not be that of someone looking for recognition. Our service to the Lord should always come from the heart, doing those things we do best.... whether that is out in front were everyone sees our service or.... in the background doing those things that no one seems to notice. Both are important and both are needed. The body of Christ needs both hands and feet.... but so often it is the hands that get recognized for the service they do.... the feet go about their work "in a shoe" so to speak and not many realize that what they are doing is essential for the hands to do their good works. Both are vital to the spreading of the Good News.


I did have this post ready to post on Wednesday.... then forgot to hit the publish post option... so it was only saved as a draft. However, with the post options I can show that it posted on Wednesday! Yippee!

I have been soooooo busy!

This past weekend I decorated and hosted a baby shower for one of the ladies at our congregation..... so much to do and so very much fun (and a bit stressful since I had never done it before!) then we also had a Youth Committee meeting to set the schedule for the next few months for your Youth Group. What a busy day Sunday was!

Then yesterday we had an Art Day Camp for the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes Program...... we are trying to get more things done early before convention this next year! Mia and Amaris both got their photos done and Mia is doing a drawing and a collage and Amaris is doing a painting and a drawing for the other artwork..... they are so excited to have that done behind them!

Travis has been gone to a friends house since Monday and he will be home tomorrow. So he did not get to join us in the Art Camp this week. He will be doing his art later on. Jed colored some yesterday but then got to running and playing and ran into a table and now has a bad black eye...... poor guy.... mommy loved him lots to make him feel better!

This afternoon I am finishing up a present to the new mom from our shower group and then there is Bible Study tonight..... I have to remember to take the table cloths back that I brought home to clean.

Then Saturday we are in charge of the Water Fun Day for the 5th grade and under. I decided we would grill hot dogs and have pizza bread with chips, cheetoes, and cookies for the eats and must get all the food there and ready for the day..... whew..... makes me tired just thinking about it. But I know the kids will have a blast! And there will be lots of fun water games! And that is always fun!

Be back later in the week! And I won't for get to post a Wednesday's Word in just a bit!

What do you smell like?

In my Wednesday night Ladies Bible class we have started studying a new book, Fragrance of Faith: Discovering the Aroma of Christ in the Beatitudes by Cassandra Martin. It is a personal study book, but we are going through the lessons weekly. In the book the writer talks about the "Aroma of Christ" and how we, as Christians should smell like Jesus.

Sounds a bit odd at first.... but the Bible uses such language to help us understand our relationship with God through the different senses, see, hear, taste, touch and smell.

Look at 2Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV) But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Do you see that? We are the aroma of Christ! Paul says that Christ, through us, spreads the frangrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. How wonderful are the ways God uses us to spread the Good News. Not only are we the hands and feet of Christ but we also wear the sweet smell of Jesus......

I like how the writer puts it in the book...."As a daughter of the king, you wear an expensive perfume. Every ounce of this beautiful fragrance was paid for, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus." Jesus is the only way that you may have this perfume..... only through His sacrifice can you bear this pleasing aroma in the presence of God and to the world.

But look again to the verses...a fragrance from death to death, See, the world may not smell you the same as God, Jesus and to those that have been transformed by Christ.... to them that are perishing it reveals the horrid stench that is sin. This aroma of Christ does not "mask" the stench of the world it, instead it reveals and magnifies the repulsive smell of death and decay of sin.... giving those that are dying in sin only two choices... to become clean through Him or to reject Him and wallow in the filthy stench of sin.


...a fragrance from life to life. Oh the wonderous smell of clean! I like the smell of fresh laundry off the line.... the cleanness of it is so invigorating! Just thinking of easing between newly hung sheets is so restful, so peaceful feeling..... but the to actually do so is bliss. How much better does a life cleansed from sin smell. How wonderful it is to rest in the arms of the One that has cleansed you so!


Lord, thank you for opening my sense of smell to you. Father, let me spend time in Your Word so that I may be able to spread Your knowledge like a sweet fragrance to others. Lord, let my life always be the scent of sweet sacrifice in Your name. Thank You for the cleansing of my sins through the precious blood of Your Son, Jesus. May my actions always reflect what He has done for me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Wednesday's Word

Isa 49:7 (NLT) The LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by a nation, to the one who is the servant of rulers: "Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will bow low because the LORD has chosen you. He, the faithful LORD, the Holy One of Israel, chooses you."

Work, work, work, an unexpected visitor and a slight case of the sickies....

Lots of work going on .... we worked on laundry, organizing, cleaning, and Eric mowed and worked in the garden. Saturday was a busy day! I believe I hung out about 6 loads of laundry (no small task since I still walk up to Granny's) and cleaned and stayed busy all day! Eric cleaned the mower, had the blades sharpened and mowed the yard then worked in the garden too..... the kids helped out but then went down the street for a birthday party for a neighbor's son. Believe me it was a good day for work.... the temp was around 92F but felt more like 96.... but there was a light breeze, so although it was hot it was not completely unbearable. And this is just first of June.... can you imagine the temps in just a few more weeks!

Eric motioned for me on the way down from pulling the last of the laundry off the line Saturday to show me an unexpected visitor to our neck of the woods.......




..... a huge snapping turtle! We knew there were some up in the ponds in the back fields but this guy was out for a stroll...... and boy was he fast.... Richard tapped him from behind on his shell and before he could pull his foot away the turtle had snapped Richard's boot..... Let's just say we kept a respectful distance!!! Here are a few more pictures.....





here he is crossing the drive to go into our yard...




and there he goes.... he just used our yard to pass through to the fields behind us....

It was really neat watching him make his way across the yard.


Sunday we woke to a thunderstorm and hail! Yes, pea sized to marble sized hail rained down along with lots of much needed rain for a good hour ...... most of the day then was hot and muggy until another storm formed and gave us a good rain.... oohhhh, how the garden is growing!!! (Must take some pics)
Sunday's storms, also gave Eric a migraine.... and Jed was running just a bit of fever (not exactly sure why...perhaps he is cutting some molars .... either that or perhaps just a bit of a cold) so we did not make it for services. Eric's migraine was not any better by the time for evening services so I took the older kids with me and left Jed with Eric since they were both snoozing away in the floor of the library.



Today, we have gotten more work done.... more laundry, cleaning and I put together the 2 bookcases for Eric's office.... so now he can get the rest of his office books unpacked! We are nearly all unpacked!Yippeee..... still need about 3 more bookcases..... man, we have a lot of books! Dinner tonight is pork chops (baked) with hashbrown casserole and green beans.