Ike Aftermath

We were very blessed during this storm! No damage to fence or home! But we did have one massive tree down right outside our fence. Here's a few pics!

This is the base of the tree.

All this bushy area is one part of the top of this very large tree. It missed our fence by about 5 feet. Lots of branches to gather after this tree is cut up. Other than that, we're good! Thank you God!

Bloomin again!

Well, the history behind this little plant is as follows: I had this little african violet for a year or so and it would give me a bloom here and there. Then my mother (she always knows the fix for just about anything) re-pots it, adds some rocks on the bottom for drainage and this thing starts to bloom like crazy...there was so much purple, you could barely see the green leaves! Everyone that visited commented on this plant. It bloomed like that for about 3 months and then....nothing. NOTHING. Not a bud, nothing. For YEARS, there was nothing. I was sad.

Then, lo and behold, we moved out to the country to a new home. I set my beloved violet on my kitchen windowsill and it's been blooming like crazy again. I guess it's all about location, location, location, right? Well here it is, revived again, and it makes me happy everytime I look at it!

Strawberries!

Wow, I just had to share this pic with you. We had some wonderful strawberries the other day and I paired them with my husband's favorite, angel food cake. All of us but one (eldest son) LOVES strawberries and mouths were watering when this was served one day last week! After looking at this, I want it again! Enjoy these last few weeks of summer, I know I will!

He's almost 2!

I was just reflecting on one of our little blessings (he was truly a gift to us and he falls into slot #5 in birth order). He will be 2 in a couple of weeks. We've been practicing using more words since he's been my one that's prone to screaming fits. I've been so encouraged these last few weeks. He's been singing songs more, clearly speaking (esp. his numbers, letters, labels for objects, etc) which really brings us a great deal of relief. He still has terrible fits of screaming, but they are less and less as we consistently train him of the proper response. There are glimpses of light in the midst of a long, dark road. Thanks to all of you reading this that have fervently prayed for our ds.

Btw, for those of you that know the whole story, please continue to pray with us that all legal battles will soon be done. We are greatly longing for closure on this situation. I know we are growing in many ways and being stretched and molded into the parents God would have us be. So, as much as we long for the circumstances to change, we know that nothing is out of control of the Father.

So rejoice with us as we celebrate another birthday with this precious child! To God be the Glory!

Gazing at the stars

He's 4, but he's a boy that knows what he wants.



This evening as I was giving the baby a bath in my bathroom, my 4yo was trying desperately to tell me something. "Mommy, I want to be an "blah blah amer." (at least that's what I heard.) And to that I kept asking "what was that you said?" Mommy, I want to be a (and he says SOMETHING I can't quite make out). I'm thinking fireman, soldier, policeman, etc. And finally I opened the door and said, "WHAT do you want to be?" And to that he says, "Mommy, I want to be an ASTRONOMER." Clear as day. Just to be clear here, I don't think I knew what an astronomer was until I was almost in middle school.



I think the fact that our telescope was tucked in the corner of our room (and he was longingly gazing at it) may have put that in his mind, but STILL, I was amazed that he remembered the actual label for a person that gazes at the stars!

Showers and blessings

I had to tell you about my day.

I was privileged to attend a baby shower for a new mom and baby today. It was a great shower and was so wonderful to sit and chat with other lovely ladies while holding several different newborns, including the showered baby (I even got to hold him while praying for him, which was really a neat thing in a supernatural, holy kind of way.) I chatted a bit with the hostess, a good friend of mine, about starting up some kind of online book talk to create community for moms that can't get away from home to go to regular studies, etc. Anyway, we got excited as we considered the blogtalkradio option. In fact, I will be starting a radio show of my own in a few days. (Lord willing.) I will keep you posted on that.
All in all, after the baby shower, I was walking with a spring in my step already...then, THAT was when I saw the GARAGE SALE.

For those of you that don't know me well, I am a garage/yard sale fanatic. Love em. Can't get enough of them. The sighting of one strikes FEAR in the heart of my husband. But, in the end, he's usually pretty happy about the good "finds."

Anyway, I walked right up and asked if the family was moving, and no, they were just moving in. "What brings to you town?" I asked. WELL. I met a super neat family with an awesome mission. This man's heart's desire is to plant small groups emphasizing the LOVE of God and focusing on the relationship aspect of a Christian's walk with Christ. (He's a pastor). Anyway, had a super awesome chat and met his wife, kids and then bought a bunch of stuff from his sale.

Some of the amazing finds were: 2 boxes of BRAND new curriculum (they homeschooled for a week and decided it wasn't for them.) A tall bookcase (trying to create space in our home by moving upwards instead of outwards), a Nintendo DS for my DH, (yes, that's right, my DEAR HUBBY loves to play the boy's Gameboys Advance, so when this fairly new one was brought out at the right price, I thought he'd like it, and SURE enough, he's been playing it for the better half of the hour...), A leapfrog globe (our globe JUST broke) and a well used, but excellent Bible for ds #2. Also some other books to add to our library (some real gems). Whew, there were a few more things that I found and really really felt blessed by having. (Isn't it wonderful how God knows even what small things you've been wanting and provides them this way?)

So, overall, it was such a wonderful, happy kind of day. My children were thrilled with some of the goodies I brought home too (along with some much needed summer things for the older boys!)

God loves us so much. What a generous Father he is! I pray God's blessings on you too!

Oh where, oh where could you be?

You MAY have noticed that I haven't been posting this past week or so. Well, there have been many reasons. One reason is that I wanted to "step back" and think about where I want this blog to go. WHAT is my purpose, my goal in starting up this blog??? Well, I just want you to know that I've been taking LOTS of notes, have LOTS of ideas and am really quite excited.

In our Sunday School class, we've been studying I & II Samuel (specifically, the life of David). It never ceases to amaze me how much I MISSED or had FORGOTTEN since the last time I studied this part of the Bible. Anyway, something I seemed to have forgotten to do was to take EVERYTHING to God BEFORE acting (especially something that can be extremely time consuming!) In David's life, whenever he went to God FIRST (before ANY undertaking), he was blessed, and had clear direction. However, whenever he acted without going to God, he was decidedly NOT blessed. He sinned, and boy did he ever. It is such an encouragement to me that David was called "a man after God's own heart." He loved God, but yet, was still a man; fallible, sinful, and yet mindful of the merciful Creator. It has been so wonderful and exciting to read about David and then read the Psalms David wrote. What an amazing story of our loving, yet just God.

So, if you are in the midst of a "horrible pit, miry clay" kind of week/day, go read Psalm 40 and be encouraged. He will put a NEW SONG in your mouth. Many will hear it and KNOW that HE IS GOD!

Keep coming back, and be watching for some exciting stuff! All in God's timing though!
Be Blessed!

Reading in the shower

I see that many of you are NOT fans of trying to read in the shower. (See, I wrote TRYING to read). I hope that I've given a few of you a chuckle. But seriously, there are times when there's just a few more sentences or an article that I'm dying to read, so yes, I HOLD the magazine (or whatever) WAY UP HIGH and as I get my hair wet, I finish reading the article. So there. That's the story. By the way, I've waterlogged several good mags with that, but hey, this season in my life warrants these little eccentricities, wouldn't ya say?