TX friends...

K and K visited us from Houston and we got to go to Como Zoo! My girls LOVE Como-Town, and settle for the zoo. While I think the zoo is one of the better ones I've been to. May be small, but it sure pacts a punch. Apes, giraffes, polar bears, tigers, lions. Cotton candy. What else could you want! Thanks, for meeting us there!

Oswald

Nope, not the purple octopus so many kids watch (I think he's an octopus). One of my Dad's favorite, if not the favorite, authors: Oswald Chambers. He's a really deep thinker and has spiritual insights incomparable with most.

Anyway, was reading June 16th devotional and you know my struggle with trying to live a life worthy of greatness...not just the mundane life of being a stay-at-home mom, well...

"We are not made for brilliant moments, but we have to walk in the light of them in ordinary ways."

"Will you lay down your life for MY(Jesus') sake?"

"Its far easier to DIE than to lay down the life day in and day out with the sense of high calling."

Touche'

Happy Birthday!

Birthdays are an interesting day.

Can I just say, "Blessed."

If anyone one has the out-pouring
of love, encouragement and excitement,
that I got to experience yesterday.

Wow!
You are truly a blessed person.

May Jesus Christ bless all of you for taking the time to celebrate
my birthday...through phone calls, or emails, or
facebook, or gifts , or visiting,
or text messages,
or singing in a garage.

Couldn't imagine my life without you all!

I think this birthday has been the best, yet.

Thanks
to my friend, Caroline,
for her
AWESOME
sugar
cookies.

Aging and Struggle...

2 Corinthians 4:17 (The Message)

^16-18So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

Anyone had a bad day? Tough situation? Stress? Illness? This passage absolutely inspired me this morning. Don't give up!

IT Technology

Anyway, if you check the blog to "keep up" with our life, sorry about the delay. We've experienced technological difficulties. Back to normal, hopefully, now.

We've been busy on our days "off" from the computer...

Moth catching, visiting with S (our lovely neighbor), walking Zander and learning how to wake up without anyone else...and turning on the TV to number 301.

Have you ever trained your children to NOT wake you up, if you're sleeping? Well, A. finally learned how to operate our complicated remote and turn the channel to Noggin, which is always a good choice;-) Its amazing how exciting it is to sleep in...without a little voice waking us up. Not that we mind the "little voices", you understand?!

Back to it...

Well, we are back from the wedding weekend and after napping yesterday, are in full swing. Our neighbor friend is over helping L finish her book. Almost ready for her American Girl Doll! Sunny skies today and A's appointment with the ENT doc about her tonsils/adenoids. Will keep you posted.

Wedding Weekend

J's brother got married this last weekend. What a celebration! The bride and groom were gorgeous, the decorations amazing, and the weather was better than expected. However, the show-stoppers had to be the 7 girls...actually 11 with some extended family cousins. Not a little boy among us. Just cute, pink, sweet girls. Here are a few shots of the fun...

Alone with the LORD

For awhile now J and I get up together, after we pray, he leaves for work and I head upstairs to the "new" sitting area and open my bible. With my cup of coffee, its just about the best way to start the day, in my opinion.

Part of the reason I started this blog, was to Journal some of what the LORD is placing on my heart. Do you ever think that there is something "more" for you to do? Like there is something else missing from your very full life?

I often struggle with "being content in all situations". I do not like to be uncomfortable. I like things neat and orderly and really like it to make sense (to me). Well, we all know life isn't that way.

I'm reading this devotional book called, Devotions for Homeschool Mom's, and I'm not kidding...the LORD wrote this book for me. Each day (like today and my struggle of wanting something MORE out of this life...or just to make an impact for the LORD, fearing I don't), I open this book and Philipians 4:6-7 is the passage of the day. Which says:

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good,
will come and settle you down.
It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

How can I not recognize that GOD Himself, is aware of my hearts cry/longing? How can I say, its just coincidence. HE is doing something in me, during this time of being homebound.

The author says, " I believe that when you seek the LORD'S wisdom in your time of need, He gives you just exactly what you need, whether you realize it or not."

Oops...

Was trying to find a fun template and erased all my journal entries! Oh DEAR!!!! Told you, I'm not so good with the Technology...

Here's a house in my neighborhood, that I just LOVE! I love the understated elegance of the French theme. Reminds me of my friend Traci's vision for her home...Shabby, and very Chic.

The other house is my "dream look" for my house. LOVE the green (of course), the stone work. I could do that, right?

Zoo Fun

Took the girls to the zoo and actually had a picnic there. It was crazy busy and we sat next to a teacher with her students on a field trip, for lunch. Again, just reminded how fortunate I am to be experiencing this stage of life with my girls. Although, there is a slight part of me that wishes they could have fun with their peers on field trips too. Picture of moose for my Dad:-)

Crazy downpour and I can't resist re-enacting my childhood...

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• L and I got dressed up to go to the Kenyan Children's Choir at the Ordway in St. Paul, while A got to go to get the oil changed with Daddy.
  

Day in the Life

Don't you love tonsil shots? A's tonsils have decreased, significantly in size and whiteness...PTL! She is such a trooper. Never complains, except when her fever is real high. Loves to eat popsicles for breakfast!

L has to read 2 books before any TV time, so she read to Daddy before he had a chance to get out of bed. Amazing tool, TV is.

Yard work is never ending around the "semi-forest" of our backyard! J and L removing stumps while C and I pulled WEEDS! The weeds were definitely flowers in the wrong spot!

Ended the night with a softball make up game and dinner.
We had a very relaxing, busy day.

Craft Ideas

Since we are home I decided to commit to completing 1 craft/day with my girls. They love anything we do together!

So, the craft yesterday was using colored bubbles, blown on paper and then you let dry to see what design they make. After dumping the bubbles on the paper, throwing away our 2nd attempts, fighting over who got what color of paint, we finally completed the project.

L said, "Mom, ummm, I don't really think crafts are your thing."

Really?! LOL!!

Weed Pulling

One of the advantages to staying home, is the opportunity to do yardwork. My dad raised us girls to mow and pull weeds and not be afraid of bugs--and find satisfaction in the beauty of lines in grass. May be too much for some of you, but we LOVE mowing!

However, I HATE pulling weeds. I heard a short time ago that weeds are just flowers,
planted in a spot you don't want.

So, I looked at my plants, my flowers, and my weeds.

Left them all. Grass, here I come...

P90x...ever heard of it?

So, we started p90x Dec 31st of this past year. You know, New Years resolution time-frame.

Here's the deal. Time and Dedication are not it my vocabulary, yet.

I am proud to say that we (J,C, and I) completed almost the entire 3 months, but then had to focus on completing the Fargo Marathon Relay...running 6mi increments...which we also completed.

3 months. 90 Days. Rock hard body. Not hardly.

The beginning of April I realized that I needed to make some choices in my schedule...cuz we homeschool people...and if you homeschool, you need to be home (without guests).

So, I felt (probably from the LORD) that 3 months/90 days may be the winning ticket, to "getting/obtaining/achieving" the secret of "liking my home" enough to actually STAY home (without guests).

Well, there were already people on the calendar and events scheduled, thru July, really. What to do about that?

NO NEW TAXES, people. I just wouldn't add any more events/travel/guests.

Then, we got the MONO (3months/90days), in our house.

Events/Travel/Guests...canceled immediately.

You think Someone is trying to tell me something?

Mono + a four year old + rainy day =

• Not sure what you all think but since I am a generally "caffeinated" person (caffeine not necessary). The 3 previously mentioned scenarios, don't help my desire to always be moving and shaking. Thus, the beginning of this blog-site.
  
• I have friends that blog to keep their families updated with pictures and clips of their active lifestyle...I can't figure out how to download pix to fit on the screen...of my new, very digital, very nice camera my macho husband bought me for Christmas.
• I have friends that are real funny and thoughtful and everyone should listen when they speak.
• I have friends that are super crafty and creative and people actually follow their sites, to learn how to do stuff.
• What the heck am I doing?