A Vision of Living in Between

1st Quarter Round Up in Pictures

2011-04-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in so long, here are the pictures on my computer that show what we have been doing this year so far.

We started 2011 with our friends, the Baldwins, beating on pans outside at midnight.

On Friday, January 7th we celebrated Rachel's 9th birthday at Disneyland.

We also celebrated little Joshua's birthday (he shares Rachel's birthday).

Rich with our beautiful girls at Disneyland.

The girls in Long Beach in January.

Bekah at Fort Mac in February.

Abby and Emma at a tea party in February.

Hannah at the tea party.

We were able to help Nathaniel celebrate his 5th birthday in February.

Abby going after the piñata.

Hannah after trying to hit the piñata.

Rachel with the piñata.

Bekah after she won musical chairs.

The kids at the party.

My first Valentine's Day gift from Rich.

We made waffles and chicken the next night for dinner.

Richard also surprised us and took us to San Diego for a night.

Rich's Mom also joined us for our special night in San Diego.

We stayed in Little Italy. What a wonderful place with so much to discover.

Rachel, Hannah and Bekah at a park next to our hotel.

Abby being Abby at the park.

Rich and his Mom at the park.

The next morning we had delicious bagels in Little Italy.

Nana and Rachel at the bagel shop.

Abby at the bagel shop.

Hannah and Abby collecting sticker balls in Heritage Park.

Rich and I in Heritage Park.

In front of the Mormon Museum.

Nana panning for gold at the Mormon Museum.

Hannah panning for gold.

Bekah and Abby panning for gold.

A lizard Rich caught outside of Old Town Cafe in San Diego.

On March 3rd I was able to celebrate Tanya's birthday with Linda and Ruby too.

Not wanting Tanya's tiara to go to waste, I took her to Sam's for some more pictures.

She was a good sport.

She has adapted well to California weather. Boogie board and flip flops.

On Friday, March 4th

Richard and I were able to attend

the 25th Anniversary Banquet for

The Master's Seminary.

This is the only picture of us from the night. Unfortunately, it is blurry.

Air Force One above the tables (1000 people were there to celebrate this milestone).

Marine One (Our table was right next the nose)

Ronald Reagan's grave.

Rich next to a piece of the Berlin Wall.

Just a random squirrel I took a picture of at home.

Well, that is the highlights of the last three months in our lives. Hopefully, I can keep up with this in the future.

Things that Make Me Smile

2010-05-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday God blessed our family with a new GE oven. It was something I wanted, but I didn't expect. It is another tool to make things easier and more fun in the kitchen.

So last night Elisabeth and I broke it in by making My Granny's Chocolate Cobbler from the Tasty Kitchen website.

My new Oven

My Granny's Chocolate Cobbler

An oven window with a bright light:)

A serving of the delicious cobbler. Notice the thick chocolate sauce. Yummy!!!

Hello World

2010-05-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was looking back at my blog and realized it was a great way to journal with pictures. So I will be attempting to rejoin the blog world and share what is going on in our part of the world.

Resolved 2009, Pt. 2

2009-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning the conference was started off with a great time of worshipping God in music. The music was amazing and seemed to fit perfectly with every message all weekend long. I am so thankful to Enfield for leading our music for the whole weekend, they are a truly gifted group.

Resolved Session #2 (Saturday morning)

Dr. Steve Lawson
Message: Blessed Bankruptcy
Reference: Matthew 5:3

5 Keys to Truth

1. Priority- All the beatitudes come after, being poor in spirit. We can't be merciful, a peacemaker, etc. unless we are poor in spirit. In order to have riches in heaven, we must file bankruptcy on earth.

2. Promise- Blessed is the opposite of wrath. Blessed means happy now, Heaven later. Blessed is deep seeded joy. Psalm 1:1.

3. Paradox- Blessed are the poor in spirit, the world just can't understand how you can be poor and blessed.

4. Picture- Being poor in spirit doesn't mean being financially poor, a poor personality or having self-pity. Being poor in spirit means coming empty handed to God.

I have nothing

I am nothing

I can do nothing

5. Pronouncement- Theirs (those poor in spirit) is the kingdom of Heaven.

What a great sinner I am, and what a great Savior He is.

As I review this message, I am taken back to the statement that, being poor in spirit means coming empty handed to God. I can't offer Him anything. Everything I have and am is because of God. I am a sinner saved by HIS grace.

The carpet in the convention center.

Photo by: Camilo

Our group from GBC.

What a great weekend to spend with such special friends.

The Baldwin's hands.

Messing around with my wristband at Del Taco.

Lord willing tomorrow I will post about session #3.

Resolved 2009

2009-06-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as I sat down to do my quiet time, I decided to not only do my daily Bible reading and prayer. I also decided to review a message a day from the Resolved conference and think through the message and take away at least one thing I can be working on in my life. Resolved was such an amazing blessing for me, I don't want it to fade with time as just a good memory. I want to be able to go back next year a changed person from all I learned at Resolved 2009.

Resolved Night #1

Dr. Rick Holland

Message: The War Against Your Soul

Reference: 1 Peter 2: 11-12

The greatest danger in warfare is underestimating your enemy.

We are in a war (whether we know it or not) and I am the enemy. Ouch

Three mistakes we make:

We humanize God.

We glorify ourselves.

We minimize our sin.

Being a christian citizen demands the fight. If we are not fighting against sin we are dead.

Do you know the associates of Satan in your heart? Which is the strongest?

This last question is the most important thing I took from this message. I don't want to have anything of Satan's in my heart. I need to look at my heart and the sin I struggle with and understand if I am not fighting that sin, I am giving Satan a spot in my heart.

"Be killing sin or it will be killing you" - John Owen

Along with a review of the messages I wanted to include pictures from the weekend.

Here are the pictures from the first night.

The mountains outside the Palm Springs convention center.

Kathy and Valerie enjoying Sherman's sandwiches.

Our wristbands to get in.

The crowd waiting to get in. I must say this is the only part of the weekend

I did not like.

The stage. It is hard to see but there are lanterns hanging above the

stage with flickering candles (artificial). Amazing something so

simple could add so much beauty.

Tomorrow I will post about day 2 at Resolved.

Here are some links to see a lot more about the weekend:

You can download the MP3's for free at Resolved.org (you just have to sign up for a free account). Hit the media link to find all the messages from this year and 2007 and 2008. This is a treasure chest being offered for free.

You can also go to Resolved's Facebook account and see pictures from each day.

Harvest San Diego Spring Retreat

2009-05-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the pleasure of joining Harvest Church at their Spring Retreat in San Diego.We truly enjoyed the time we were able to spend with this young (in age) church. The fellowship was sweet and their desire to hear God's Word preached was great. Here are some pictures from our time there.

My favorite picture from the weekend.

Rachel is such a good big sister.

Aren't they cute. I love this picture too.

Daddy helping Hannah.

Bekah just released an arrow. She did a great job.

Daddy helping Rachel.

My baby having a special moment with the horse. She loves horses.

Look at that smile.

The helmet is a little big.

She isn't smiling in this picture, but she had a great time.

Heading home after a busy retreat.

I can't believe her neck wasn't sore after she slept like this for over an hour.

Awe, QUIET!!

Sewing with Grandma

2009-05-27T23:34:00.001-07:00

Grandma Baldwin has been very gracious to help me and my girls learn to quilt. Here are some pictures of Grandma working with Bekah.

Cutting her squares

Measuring before cutting

Grandma had soda, cookies and fresh fruit for all the girls.

Earthquakes and Friends

2009-05-20T14:12:00.001-07:00

Today, Bekah asked if we could go to the Baldwin's to see Gracie, Abby said, "No, I don't want another earthquake."

Let me explain:

Over the last few days, we have experienced a couple of earthquakes here in Southern California. It is quite humorous to me that both of the earthquakes (the ones we felt) occurred when we were at friends' houses. We were walking in the Baldwin's house on Sunday night when the first one happened and we were sewing at Grandma Baldwin's house yesterday when the second one happened.

Here is God's grace, when in front of friends you don't let your fear show (you have to be cool you know), so I have not panicked once. The important point to note here is I haven't freaked my kids out yet. Yay!

God is so good to give us friends for the good times and the bad ones too. Love you Baldwins.

I must also mention we were spending the night at the Caballero's the night of the Lander's quake ( '92). It was a 7.3 and I was not calm or cool after that one. But, we are still friends.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-03T00:14:00.000-08:00

Last week when I was sick Richard came home with a present for me.

Why would a pen be so exciting you ask? This pen means so much to me because Richard bought it for my time in God's Word. I have been notating my Bible with a ball point, but it was very big. He went and bought me a tiny tipped pen, so I could write more notes.

Thank You!

Show the Love Outreach

2009-03-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Boxes packed to go to our neighbors.

As a church we decided to use this past Valentine's Day as a day to minister to our neighbors. We realized that this world puts a lot of emphasis on having somebody to love them on this one day. We wanted to let people know that they are loved by God everyday. Here is a pictorial tour of the Show the Love Outreach our church did:

Jorge preparing the CD's.

The CD we included with each pack.

The bags are being packed.

We included a New Testament, a CD, a tract, pen, and church flyer.

Some of the cookies that were baked for our neighbors.

Notice the cross on each cookie.

More cookies. Yummy!

Packing up the last of the boxes.

All the boxes ready to go. We had set a goal of 25 boxes, our church

responded so well, we were able to prepare 50 boxes of cookies to give out.

Richard letting everybody know the plan.

This is most of the group that went out.

Abby and Richard handed out the packages as each team came back.

We kept track of all the addresses, so we can continue to follow-up.

Abby took her job very seriously.

We are praying that we were able to open up communication with our neighbors through this outreach.

The Farm Chicks Mystery Giveaway

2009-03-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am signing up for this for sure. I really hope it is for their cookbook. It looks awesome.

Go over and sign up to win too. Whatever the prize is I am sure it will be great.

The Farm Chicks Giveaway

Hello from Down Under

2009-03-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

Flowers I bought for Richard.

No, unfortunately I am not in Australia. I am in a house where everybody has been down sick in the last 6 days. It has been an exhausting week. But in the midst of it all God has been speaking to my heart. He has honestly done a miraculous work this week. I have wanted to stomp my feet at times and say, "I am sick too," but God has shown me how blessed I am to be able to take care of my family in times of sickness. I know the day will come quickly when my girls will be sick and they won't want Mommy to hold them. And they won't want my chicken noodle soup either. He has especially given me the stomach to be with my girls when dinner visited them again in the night. I admit I usually let this one fall to Richard, but I wanted to make sure he didn't get sick this week. That didn't end up working. He got sick too. God has been giving me the energy needed to continue to care for my family in these difficult times.
What a blessing it was last night to walk into my girl's room and nobody is coughing up a lung. I love to see them sleeping peacefully after being sick.

Wow, it has been a long time.

2009-02-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I last posted. I will not draw out the history of our lives, I will just post some pictures to bring you up to date.

This is an outreach week team from the Master's College.

Abby fell asleep on a trolley ride to San Ysidro.

The girls in San Diego.

Rich in San Diego.

Rich cutting the turkey for our church's Thanksgiving potluck. Notice Grandma Baldwin keeping an eye on him.

Our annual church Thanksgiving potluck.

The girls attacking Uncle Pete on Thanksgiving.

Christmas Eve

Rachel's Birthday

Heather and Benjamin visited

Life is good and we have much to be thankful for.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Richard and I are celebrating 19 years of marriage. As I look back at our marriage I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God for His love, grace and mercy in our marriage. The road to today has not always been easy, but I honestly can say I wouldn't have wanted to walk it with anyone else.

On October 7, 1989, I thought I knew what marriage was. I know now, I didn't have a clue. I thought we would say "I do," KISS, eat cake, open presents and live happily ever after.

On that day I thought I was saying, "I do" to just a husband, but in reality Richard is so much more than that. By God's grace, He has opened my eyes to the treasure He gave me so many years ago.

Richard, thank you for being my husband and best friend. Thank you for your patience and love. You have made so many of my dreams come true already. But, even more than dreams you have given me life with you and our girls as we serve God together. On our wedding day, I couldn't have even imagined how happy I would be 19 years later. I am perfectly content to live with you, no matter where the Lord has us (Hey, we lived in the valley for 5 years). Thank you for holding my hand, touching me gently, and even watching the Broncos' games with me.

As we learned in Bible study this year our marriage has a purpose and that is to bring glory to God. I pray that as we grow closer and stronger each day, we would bring honor and glory to God through our marriage. I pray that each day I would become more submissive to God and you.

I love you with all me heart and I thank you for 19 amazing years!

Quiet Please

2008-09-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today, was a slow day for us. I must say it was a welcome change to our schedule recently. We are heading into a very busy month. October will have at least one engagement per weekend. I know today is a rare quiet treat; I am really enjoying it before the storm.
Today, as I cooked lunch Richard played golf in our living room. The girls got in on the fun too. They were rooting for him like he was Tiger Woods. I absolutely love the fact that my girls have fun with their Daddy no matter what they are doing.

Have a great day!

Being Fumigated Out

2008-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, this will be a short update.

At 3:00pm yesterday we were notified that exterminators were coming to our apartment early this morning. We had to empty our kitchen (EVERYTHING!), linen closet and bathroom in three hours. We needed to leave for church at 6:00pm. After church we came home and went to bed. We got up at 5:00am, Richard left for work at 6:00 and I did some last minute things around the house. The girls and I left a little after 8:00am. We needed to be gone while they sprayed, then we had to stay out for four hours after. I called our landlord at 12:00pm, the exterminators had just finished. So, we were at church until almost 6:00 tonight. We walked into the apartment and the smell was so strong, we walked to Subway for dinner. We decided to let the kitchen air out until tomorrow morning.

Here is what our kitchen looks like tonight.

Hopefully it will be back together tomorrow.

I didn't take a picture of my living room, because that depresses me. I would rather look at a clean room.

Have a great day!

Welcome Fall

2008-09-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

I knew I was going to have a good day yesterday. The first thing I heard on the news was it was the first day of fall. I LOVE FALL!

Though when I looked out my window the trees were still all green. I told Richard I wanted to go and spray paint the trees orange.
We decided to take our girls on a field trip since they are studying life cycles and classifications. Richard found this little wilderness center in Redondo Beach. We packed a lunch and headed out the door. Now, the internet says this place is 11 acres. I either have no clue how big 11 acres are or they lost a few of their acres.
We still had a great time. There was a lot to see. The girls were able to see ducks, koi, turtles and many little fish.

The girls looking at the turtles.

Feeding "Queenie"

My Little Abby

The weather was perfect yesterday it was a clear warm day with a slight breeze. While we were in the wilderness center, we were in shade most of the time. There were hundreds of trees to keep us cool and also allow us the opportunity to hear the wind blow through the trees. Among, all these green trees was a beautiful gift from God just for me.

A sugar gum tree that realized it was the first day of fall.

After our excursion to the wilderness center, Richard decided we would drive down to the beach for a walk, since it was such a beautiful day. We were blessed to even find free parking.

This picture is important, because they were

just supposed to get there feet wet.

The girls with their Daddy.

Tonight I made this cake for dessert to celebrate everything fall. It is a Caramel-Apple Walnut Cake. I used apples from my father-in-law's tree. It was delicious. You can find the recipe here.

A Flower for a Friend

2008-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

As I walk out my front door I am blessed to have a daily reminder of my sweet friend Gracie. You see one time when I wanted to smell a plumeria flower, and my plant was not blooming she brought a bloom from her home for me to smell. Now that my plant is finally blooming after many years, I have a wonderful gift on my porch. Not only a wonderful smelling plant with many blooms, but a reminder of my friend's kindness and love.

So my friend Gracie this is for you.

I love you and miss you.

Saying Goodbye Again

2008-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, Richard and I had to make a tough decision to release our new friends Izzy and Robin. We really struggled with this decision, because of how it would affect our girls. Our girls have had to say many hard goodbyes this year already. We didn't want to see them hurt again.

On January 1st we received a call in the morning, that we needed to go say goodbye to our dog at Richard's parents' house. It was so hard for all of us. Richard and I had bought Jelly Bean when he was only six weeks old. We had him for 4 years before we had children. The girls all loved him too. Bekah played with him for the years that she was an only child.

Then in May, Heather (Richard's little sister), Aaron and their new son Benjamin, left to move out of state. It was not only hard for them to say goodbye to their auntie and uncle, but their new cousin who was only two weeks old at the time.

The girls with their auntie and new cousin.

In August we said goodbye to our good friend Gracie. It is so hard to hear your children weep as a friend says goodbye.

A picture from last Christmas. One of my favorites of Gracie.

Now we are in September and my girls are saying goodbye again; this time to animals we caught right outside our door--their new friends Izzy and Robin.

The walk to release Izzy and Robin.

Notice Hannah has a paper and pencil with her;

she drew the animals being released.

Izzy walking out of Richard's hand. Surprisingly,

Izzy walked out of his hand very slowly.

Robin being released in a tree.

These are hard lessons for our girls, but they also provide an opportunity to talk about eternity and the need for salvation.

Hello Again

2008-09-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have not posted in over two weeks. Life just seems so busy right now. I think about posting often, but I always seem to get side-tracked. So I will let you know what has been happening in our world. School is going great this year. The girls are still having fun after a month. As part of my school day I am also making it a point to spend time with Abigail to do "school" things with her. She loves puzzles so I am doing that quite a bit with her right now. I found this great website called Chasing Cheerios with so many simple ideas for teaching children. One of the ideas was to make homemade puzzles from the front of boxes (cereal, crackers, granola bars, etc.).

Abby working on puzzle.

Abby with her first completion.

Hannah and Rachel really excited to do the puzzles too.

Rich teaching the girl's about life cycles of plants.

My first attempt at making my daughters clothes.

Back to the drawing board.

Izzy and Robin

2008-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

For all those who are wondering Izzy is doing great. We do not know if it is a boy or girl, so we just refer to it as Izzy. We are having a lot of fun watching him/her. Richard and I have been making sure Izzy is eating well. He/she seems very content, well at least as far as we can tell.
We pulled our resources and bought Izzy a new home with more room than the jar. Now the kids want to fill the jar with another animal. What have we started?

Richard has decided we will be releasing Robin the spider back into the wild this week. He is concerned that if Robin is a girl, we could have baby spiders. Yuck! Robin has grown bigger just in the week we have had him or her. Let me tell you spiders eating things is not pretty. We watched Robin suck the life out of a fly and another unidentifiable bug. This is science in action.
I keep hearing "wow," "cool," "come see this" I have to admit it is great for the kids. I also enjoy having Izzy in the kitchen while I cook. He keeps me company.

Family TIme

2008-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday is the most wonderful day of the week. We have the pleasure of going to a great church to worship the Lord. We are also blessed to be able to spend time with our church family. Sundays are long days, but they are also the most enjoyable days.
This past Sunday was no exception. We celebrated Hannah's birthday, we were able to sit in church together with our church family and learn why "Blessed are the Persecuted," we had a wonderful time in prayer in the evening and after service some of the families went down to San Pedro to the water fountain to enjoy the evening. It was a beautiful night.

Bekah and a friend enjoying the show.

The water shoots up so high.

Rachel and our friend Pete.

Some of the people just standing back to
enjoy the show and conversation.

Now, artistically this is not a good picture. But the picture is
worth a 1000 words. We are all enjoying singing along with the music
to " My Favorite Things," from The Sounds of Music.
And I must say these women are some of my favorite friends!
A friend is someone you can laugh with, cry with and even sing
loudly in public with.

Thank you God for continuously blessing us!!

Labor Day 2008

2008-09-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Can I say Happy Fall yet? Oh I love the fall! SO many things to excite the senses. Today, we were able to spend a quiet day relaxing with Richard's parents. It was nice to be cold (their air-conditioner can replicate freezer conditions). It was just a peaceful way to start our week. Our girls love to visit Nana and Grandpa's because they have a yard to play in.

My first fall picture! These are the apples on my FIL's tree.
They were quite delicious.

One of the roses in my MIL's garden.

Richard and his dad. Aren't they handsome.

Richard and his mom laboring on Labor Day.
He worked on their electronics for over an hour.

Stretching Hannah's birthday out one more day.
Yes, we have two desserts on our plates. The cheesecake and
Nana's brownies.

Happy Birthday Hannah Nanna!

2008-09-01T21:49:00.001-07:00

Hannah's Birthday Picture
August 31, 2008

Yesterday we were able to celebrate our daughter Hannah's 8th birthday. Hannah is such a joy to have in our family. She is also an answer to my Mom's prayers that I would have a daughter just like me. She is "very active" and sneaky just like I was when I was young. She also has a very tender heart. I thought I would post some pictures of her growing up. Unfortunately, we lost her birth pictures and pictures up until she was about a year old when our computer crashed a few years ago. It was such a sad day to realize I had lost my baby's pictures. But, use it as a reminder to back up your pictures, you can't get them back.

Look at those cheeks!

Hannah and Bekah - Christmas 2001
Our first Christmas at GBC!

Hannah at Knott's - 2004

Daddy and Hannah at Vasquez Rocks - 2004

Hannah at Butterfly Enclosure - 2005

Hannah is growing into an amazing young lady. She loves to serve God and people. She is always busy doing something.

For her birthday dinner she wanted fried chicken, Caesar salad and a minty cheesecake. It was definitely a day to test my cooking skills. I think everything came out ok. She was happy with the food.

Weird colored picture, but the cheesecake was good.
There is a layer of chocolate underneath.

Yum, fried chicken. I did it.
It is not hard, just time consuming.

Happy Birthday my sweet Hannah!

A Busy Time

2008-08-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

As a busy mom this post just made me laugh.

Friday Funnies at Girl Talk.

Dogs are so smart.

We Grew By Two

2008-08-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we started our 2007 - 2008 school year. It was a great day of learning. Even if we had not started formal teaching, God would have got our little girls excited about learning with everything he put in our path.

We started out our morning with oatmeal for breakfast and Richard going over his expectations with the girls. After breakfast Richard and the girls took the trash out.
On the way out Rachel found a very large spider. So Hannah runs in and asks for a jar. I don't have any jars, so I do a quick check of condiments and find a jar to empty.

They all come in and are very excited. Richard, being the great dad he is goes and gets the field guide so they can figure out what is living on my kitchen counter. No luck. I have a pet spider named Robin living on my counter now.

Now, I must add as a side note here, when I was in high school I bought a tarantula for my dad. My mom freaked out and would not let it in our house. So we had to find a pet store to take it. My mom would not even ride with it in the car. When I was growing up she would always say, "I hope God gives you a daughter just like you," or she would utter some kind of bad karma on me. Well, yesterday I called my mom and she laughed and laughed and said God was good. He is good!

So, back to the story of our first day of school, after the whole spider event we started in on school.

After lunch we took the girls to the library. We came back home and were getting ready to go to our friends' house for dinner, when I found a lizard by our car. Don't ask me what I was thinking, but I caught it, gave it to Rich and went in to find another jar. I have named our lizard Izzy. He is sitting on my kitchen counter next to Robin the spider.

As a final example of God's beauty in animals we were on the freeway and a Great White Egret took off from right next to us and flew over our car. It was so beautiful and graceful.

We finished off our first day of school with great friends and food. What more can you ask for?

Rachel asked me today if we are going to start carrying jars around with us.

Vacation 2008 - Last Post

2008-08-23T22:13:00.001-07:00

Friday (08-08-08) was the last day we did something special for our vacation. We used the Olympics as a starting theme and built up from there. We started by taking our girls to see Kung Fu Panda at the cheap theater. Since the Olympics were to be held in China.

Then we came home and had Wii Olympics for our girls. This was a lot of fun to watch them compete with each other. We even printed up medals for them and awarded them for each sport. We had competitions in bowling, baseball, tennis and golf. Here are the girls with their "hardware."

Abby was a little tired from all the excitement.

We picked up Chinese food for dinner. And watched part of the opening ceremonies. It was really neat to see the smaller countries' uniforms, they were actually original. We put the girls to bed about 10:00 pm (two hours after their bed time). I kept Richard up to watch the United States walk in. I was very disappointed with the uniforms and that the cameras spent most of their time on Kobe Bryant. I would have rather have seen some of the lesser known athletes. We were specifically watching for Allyson Felix, but later found out she did not participate that night. She was in another part of China preparing for her race.

All in all it was a great day to make good memories with our daughters.

I forgot to post my favorite camp picture. It is of my amazing husband.

Thank you for stopping by!

A Happy Return

2008-08-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

By God's grace last night I found out that one of my favorite blogs is back up and open to the public. You'll remember I wrote about Jewels at Eyes of Wonder back in January. She was one of the inspirations for starting this blog as a way of documenting our journey in life as we serve God.
If you would like to just relax and see peace personified stop by Eyes of Wonder and see what is happening in Jewels world.

Happy Birthday Gracie Loo Hoo!!

2008-08-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today is our sweet friend's birthday. Grace is an amazing young woman who loves the Lord. She is so talented. She writes songs, plays the guitar and sings. Today is her special day. Unfortunately, we are unable to see her today as she just moved out of state last week to go to school. My girls had the hardest time saying good bye to her. Driving home was so sad listening to the sniffling from the back seat.

Bekah, Grace, Peter, Becky, Ingrid and Rachel

Grace and Jewels singing.

Girl sandwich with chocolaty Nathaniel.

Grace and her family at Rachel's graduation.

Grace and Jewels leading music at Awana.

*Update- We just tried to call Gracie to say Happy birthday, but she is so loved that her voice mail box is full.

Camping 2008

2008-08-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Around the campfire. Notice the train coming from the left.

As I was transferring pictures from my camera to computer today I realized I had not finished posting about our vacation this year.
Our vacation in a nutshell was very much God's will not our plans. Many of the things we planned on doing just did not happen. As I reflected on it later I realized God kept us home to rest up for the upcoming busy season.
One detour was our week of camping. We left for the campground on Monday morning and returned home on Tuesday evening. We were supposed to spend a week there. Richard and Rebekah had the stomach flu and Hannah had Fifths Disease. We decided Tuesday evening we better head home, Richard was in pain, Bekah was just miserable and Hannah could not be in the sun. We told the girls we were leaving and they all cried, but I am happy they all got on board to tear down camp.
By God's grace I took 51 pictures in the short time that we were there. Here are some of the highlights.

The train going by overhead. These trains are so quiet.

Making smores!

Our campfire right before we put it out. Notice the pretty heart shape.

VBS

2008-08-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we are almost done with our VBS this year. It has been a wonderful time of serving along with other brothers and sisters in the Lord. I am always amazed at what God uses to encourage me, this year as well as last year God has used those serving to truly encourage me. I watch as people who are serving together are also getting to know each other better. By serving in VBS you are often put with people who are not in your normal circle of friends. I am encouraged as I watch our church grow deeper in their relationships with each other and also with God. Some of the standouts have been:

• Our director is a beautiful single woman, who is serving the children of our church and neighborhood. This is an amazing picture of Christian love and sacrifice for me.

• One of our kitchen workers is not saved, but is faithfully coming to serve dinner to our workers and prepare the snacks. Tonight, she listened to the teacher teach his lesson to her first and encouraged him as he went out to share his lesson with the children. I am praying for her salvation this week. I must add this woman just found out her cancer has returned and she is facing chemo again.

• One of our workers shared with me tonight, "This is so fun," even though she was feeling sick all night.

• My youngest daughter's first words this morning were, "Today is penny day!" We collected pennies for a local Navigators missionary to UCI today. The boys won.

• My oldest daughter has taught the young children twice this week. Tonight, she was able to keep their attention! She spent over three hours preparing pictures to show the children for their lesson about Noah.

• Most of our workers have full-time jobs, but they continue to come and serve even though they are exhausted.

• We have had many children come from the neighborhood. Also, two of them accepted the Lord.

What a wonderful week we have had. God is so gracious to give us sweet Christian fellowship as we serve Him.

I will post some of the 250+ pictures tomorrow. I need to go to sleep now.

4th Day of Vacation

2008-07-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a quiet day for us, we didn't do a day trip. We hung around the house and even took a nap (yeah!!!). In the afternoon we ran some errands and came home so I could cook dinner. After dinner the girls cleaned up and now I am blogging. I am planning to go to bed early. Here are the only two pictures I took today:

Bekah and Hannah doing the dishes.

Rachel sweeping under the table.

Hopefully, we will do something a little more exciting tomorrow.

Where is the Book?

2008-07-31T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today I received and email from Amazon announcing the EPCA Christian Book Awards: 2008 winners. What has happened to Christians when our book of the year is an audio drama.

Now I like to listen to books or dramas (Odyssey or Chronicles of Narnia) while we drive, but this is the "BEST" Christian book? Are we that lazy that we don't want to pick up God's Word and read His Words to us?

I just don't get it. There are many great Christian books out there that will challenge us and encourage us in our love and devotion for our Lord and Savior. Even more troubling to me is the youth and children's division winner.

Here is the description of this book:

Following up her best-selling editions of TeenVirtue and TeenVirtue 2, Vicki Courtney's TeenVirtue Confidential takes an even more interactive direction than before by offering God-focused answers to real questions sent in from teenage girls. The main topics here are: The Future, Guys, Body Development and Sex, and Faith.

Some featured articles in this bright and fun magazine-styled book series include "Your Top 10 Questions for Guys . . . and Their Answers," "Your #1 Question for God," ""Words of Wisdom from College Women," "Quiz: Are You a Cell-Mannered Girl?," and "Sex Questions . . . We Have the Answers."

Vicki Courtney is a greatly trusted name among Christian moms, and TeenVirtue Confidential is a safe and cool pick for their precious daughters.

Here is my advice (it's free!):

• Read the Bible to your children.

• Give your children a Bible to read when they are able to do so.

• Ask your children questions about the Bible.

• Do not dumb the Bible down for them.

• Study the Bible yourself, we will pass on our excitement to our children.

• Have great godly books in your house for yourself and your children.

Warning Against Apostasy

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14

3rd Day of Vacation

2008-07-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to enjoy the Orange County Fair for our third day of vacation. We each took a new children's book and received free admission and a free carnival ride. Once again, we had beautiful weather. Here are some snap shots from our day.

Not a family member, just a really cool looking goat. He was causing trouble in his pen.

I still can't tell how he was able to see anything.

Yes, my girls are milking a plastic cow. And yes, Hannah is standing behind a cow.

This pig is 4 years old, she had just given birth to 5 pigs three weeks ago.

Look at Abby's face, she had just touched her skin and said very loudly, "It's hard."

This little guy is only 11 days old. He was on everyone's favorite thing of the day list.

Very appropriate, this is one of the girl's favorite foods.

Saboo. This is a sad looking water buffalo.

All my dairy girls.

This was our first time going to the OC Fair, we had a lot of fun. I honestly, could not believe the amount of food booths in such a small area. It did smell good though.

2nd Day of Vacation

2008-07-29T23:19:00.001-07:00

We had a low-keyed day today. We took the girls to the movies this morning for a free showing of The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. When we were leaving we saw a woman staring at us in the parking lot. She said, "Did you feel it?" "Feel what?," was my response. She said we had just had a big earthquake. Praise God we did not feel it.

After, the movies we ran errands and went and worked at our church for a few hours. Not so relaxing, but definitely a productive day.

Hopefully, I will have pictures tomorrow.

1st Day of Vacation

2008-07-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yummy!

Today, is the first day of our vacation. We have decided to stay home this week. We could not have asked for better weather. Here are some of the pictures from today, the 6 loads of laundry not pictured.

Rich enjoying a good book and the weather.

The girls are recycling flowers and tree limb.

She is still not sure of this pole.

Just playing with the camera.

One of our snacks today courtesy of our good friends' thoughtfulness. You guys rock.

What I am reading this vacation.

He Has Skills

2008-07-28T18:06:00.001-07:00

On Friday night we had the privilege of hosting our monthly Family Life Fellowship. We did a family picnic outside. This gave the children and adults a chance to run around and play. Here are a few pictures of our night.

Gearing up to show off his skills.

Getting started.

Look at him go.

Such beautiful brown eyes.

Weeeeee

Picnic on the lawn.

Daddy with his baby.

James goes everywhere him.

She is only doing this because her younger sisters did it. (Notice her face)

Always ready for the camera.

She was going so fast I am surprised she didn't fly off the front of it.

There he goes again.

The men discussing their lesson.

This monthly fellowship is a great time of friends, food and God's Word.

Getting Ready

2008-07-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

Today (technically yesterday) I had the privilege of working at our church in preparation for our upcoming VBS.

VBS is kind of a mixed bag of emotions for me. I am always worried we haven't done enough, therefore it causes great stress for me before it starts. Then, when VBS starts I am humbled by God's grace and how He always puts everything together perfectly in ways I could not have even imagined. I love to see our church come together for the week and work as a team. Watching as our teachers share the gospel with the children is what it all boils down to. I want the kids to have fun, but the most important thing is to see them saved from an eternity in hell. That is worth all the sweat and tears.

I remember attending VBS as a kid, but I only remember the crafts and the prize I received for perfect attendance (it was a latch hook kit). How thankful I am now for all the hard work that went into planning for VBS when I was young.

This sign is one of the things I was able to work on today.

What I Learned Today

2008-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

A random picture from our travels today. This is a new water fountain in San Pedro.

Tonight, at Bible study we were looking at Psalm 25: 6-7. Specifically we were looking at some of the attributes of God. This message was so timely for me as I have been struggling with doubt recently. God is so good to teach me through His word and His shepherd.

God is merciful- Psalm 25:6

God's love is steadfast (This is a covenant love) - Psalm 25:6

God is forgiving- Psalm 25:7

God does not give us His mercy, steadfast love or forgiveness based on our merit. These are gifts from Him, because He has made a covenant with us.

We need to constantly remind ourselves of these attributes. We need to humble ourselves in front of our living Father so we can experience these wonderful gifts.

We also looked at Psalm 103:11-14

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

What a wonderful reminder of God's love, grace and mercy.

Please pray for Suzie

2008-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Would you please join me in prayer for this beautiful little girl? Her name is Suzie Lorraine Sanderson and she was born on July 18th (three months premature). She only weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. at birth. She is having serious health problems. Please pray for God to heal her if that is His will, if not that God would give the whole family His grace.
Here is the link to Suzie's grandmother's blog with updates on the right hand side.

Lesson 2 from Oregon

2008-06-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

While at the convention, God really impressed on my heart the fact that I should be discipling other women. Now, I have always believed in discipleship, but more for the men in our church. I guess I thought of it as more of a leader training. I think women's Bible studies are great, but I believe discipleship is taking it one step further (actually many steps further).

Matthew 28:16-20:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I need to better apply the words of these verses:

• "...make disciples of all nations..."- I need to be involved in sharing with others how to follow Christ. Also, this should not be limited to any one people group. So, going back to Lesson 1 from Oregon, I need to be witnessing to the lost.

• "...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded..."- I need to be training others to follow and obey Christ. This is what I would call the discipling area. Honestly, this is an area that sometimes scares me. Opening myself up and sharing my faith and failures is a hard thing to do. But, being obedient to God is more important than my reputation is.

Lesson 1 from Oregon

2008-06-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

During our main sessions at the IFCA convention Dr. Alex Montoya spoke to us about church planting. Each message had a specific area of church planting as it's main focus.

Dr. Alex Montoya

The first message was why we need to church plant.

Many things touched my heart, but most of all I was humbled by my lack of obedience in the area of witnessing to the unsaved.

Dr. Montoya said this of Matthew 28:18-20, "This is the Great Commission, not the great suggestion."

I have been trying to witness to our neighbors through the friendships we are cultivating. But this is not enough. I need to witness each time God gives me an opportunity.

This was just two blocks away from the convention. Notice the flag. This world is filled with lost people who are going to hell.

I am praying and asking God to give me boldness and wisdom as I strive to be more obedient to Him in this area.

One change I will make this week is, I will be going out into our church's neighborhood on Saturday to witness to our neighbors. I do not want to miss another opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel with anybody. I also want my girls to understand the importance of sharing Christ with others. What better way for them to learn, than watching Mom step out of her comfort zone and share with others.

Oregon

2008-06-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my husband and I were able to travel to Oregon for the IFCA national convention. It was an amazing time to be both challenged and encouraged by God's word. Unfortunately, we did not see too much of the scenery outside, but here are a few pictures of the beautiful area we did see. I am not complaining in anyway. Learning more from God's word is more important than anything. It was an amazing blessing to attend this convention.

This is a train station. At the bottom of this "monument" it has mileage to all kinds of places, some local and other places around the world.

This is a quiet corner in a used book store we found. They had an amazing amount of books for sale. This is the children's section. I almost started to cry because I missed my girls so much. My girls all love their books, this would be like visiting a candy store for them.

This is one of many little animal sculptures around this city. He was my favorite. I liked him so much my friend Monica and I took pictures with him.

I love this house and it's placement in the woods. I understand it is actually a museum with people who are dressed for the period. I would have really enjoyed seeing the inside. I took this picture from the 12th floor of our hotel.

Last but not least, this is my presidential picture. Doesn't every candidate have this thinker picture? This is actually a self-portrait. I was so excited to be on a plane and my husband was trying to read. So I tried to entertain myself with the camera.

Just a couple of things for everybody to know:

• This was the first time I have flown in 21 years.

•This was the first time Richard and I have been on a plane together. (In October we will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary).

• I was extremely excited to be flying somewhere. I am usually the one dropping family off at the airport. Last Friday I was able to get out of the car and walk into the airport with luggage. My wonderful friend Elisabeth and her Grandma dropped us off. I must admit the two hour wait was kind of a bummer.

• I am still a little kid at heart. Driving to the airport was so exciting, I honestly felt like I was going to Disneyland. I kept smiling at Richard and he kept laughing at me.

Over the next few days, I will share some of the things God challenged me with this past weekend.

Father’s Day Bonanza ($533.99 for $43.36 )

2008-06-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

This year’s Father’s Day was a huge blessing. Two weeks before FD, Mervyn’s had a sale. You bought one polo you received two for free. They also had many of their men’s clothing on sale.

Then last Monday I read the following blog post over at Families.com. The title was Dress Dad for Father’s Day. Here is the deal I did twice.

Sears is giving away a $75 Shell gas card plus a $10 reward card when you purchase $100 in Dockers men's apparel and accessories. Purchases may be made online or in the store. Visit Sears or print out a rebate form and mail it in with the original receipt. You can make this deal a little sweeter if you combined it with the Kmart Hulk movie deal. Go to Kmart first and purchase two $50 gift cards. Take the Kmart gift cards to Sears and exchange them for a $100 gift card. Use the Sears gift card to make the Dockers purchase. When you are done, you will have a $75 Shell gas card, a $10 Sears reward card, 4 free movie tickets to see the Incredible Hulk, and a Father's Day gift. Remember Sears will price match 110% on exact items. Does any other department store have Dockers on sale cheaper? Purchases must be made between June 7, 2008 and June 15, 2008.

Also, Sears had many of the Dockers on sale too. So here is what we got.

Mervyn’s

Price paid Regular

Boxers $ 5.99 $12.00
T-Shirt $ 4.99 $10.00
Polo $30.00 $30.00
Polo 0 $24.00
Polo 0 $24.00

Total: $44.36 w/tax $106.00

Went to Kmart twice and bought gift cards. Received 8 movie tickets at $7 each.

Sears (Used Kmart gift cards)

Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers Pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers pants $29.99 $29.99
Dockers shirt $23.00 $45.00

Total: $111.47 $174.99

Sears #2 (Used Kmart gift cards)

Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers socks $ 8.40 $10.00
Dockers shirt $18.00 $36.00
Dockers shirt $18.00 $36.00
Dockers socks $10.50 $15.00

Total $113.53 $197.00

Here is the final breakdown

Mervyn’s $ 44.36
Sears $111.47
Sears $113.53

Total $269.36

2 Sears GC -$ 20.00
2 shell GC -$150.00
8 Movie Tix -$ 56.00

Total OOP $43.36 $533.99 in clothes and tickets

My husband now has 5 new outfits, socks, underwear, a t-shirt and movie tickets.

Praise God!

MMMMM

2008-06-16T20:39:00.001-07:00

Don't you wish they made blogs with scents?

I have made these cinnamon rolls from Cooking With Littles Under Foot twice this week. The first time I made them at night, so they would be ready for breakfast. My husband had one warm out of the oven and he said they tasted like Cinnabon. So you know I made them again for Father's Day. They are delicious. I am sure they are not healthy, but they sure make the house smell good and they taste great.

They are messy, but oh so good!

A House of Women

2008-06-14T00:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend my husband has the opportunity to join 3,000+ young people at The Resolved Conference in Palm Springs, CA. This will be a great time for him to get to spend with the young people in our church, especially the two young men he is sharing a room with.

This afternoon I relaxed on my couch with my Victoria magazine and King Arthur Flour Catalog. It was nice to enjoy the quietness of a Saturday afternoon.

CVS this week

2008-06-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been quite awhile since I have hit the CVS stores with force. Usually I am just trying to roll my Extra Bucks so I don't lose them. This week I did 8 transactions, whew.

Here is what we got:

6 boxes of cereal

2 bottles of Dove shampoo

2 bottles of Dove conditioner

2 Brut deodorants

11 bags of candy (used these for fillers mostly)

1 Fusion razor

2 packs CVS cotton swabs

3 boxes CVS band aids

4 picture books

3 Nivea travel packs for men

4 Nivea shaving gels

4 powerades

4 Garnier facial scrub

4 Kotex pads

2 Kotex pantiliners

1 Coffeemate creamer

Drum Roll please.

$174.68 in merchandise

$15.00 in EB

$11.68 OOP

I believe I could have spent even less, but the cashier rang up the photo books weird. I went in with my transactions already figured out, but that really messed me up. I would not be able to do this without the help of two awesome websites. Money Saving Mom and

The "Cent"sible Sawyer are tremendous resources for helping to find all these great deals.

Thank you for stopping by today.

She Did It!!

2008-06-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

Rachel all dressed up and ready to go!

Rachel with her most handsome Daddy. I love how she has her hand on his coat.

Rachel receiving her "diploma". She was asked what do you want to do when you grow up, her answer was "I don't know". Her Daddy told her that was ok she was only graduating from Kindergarten.

I was very thankful to our home school group for making this such a special occasion for all the little graduates. Also, we had many people who joined us for Rachel's special day. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who took time out of their busy schedules to come to her graduation.

I am finishing up grades and portfolios now. I have already started shopping for next year's books. The kids are already asking about books for next year. The good thing is they still love school, I haven't wrecked it for them.

Have a great day.

Graduation Season

2008-06-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Rachel at her graduation rehearsal.

This time of year is always a nostalgic time for me. Whenever I go to a graduation I am always moved by the ceremony and the closure that comes with it. Now you should know I have had my fair share of graduations to attend.

My husband graduated with his BA in 1997

My husband graduated with his M. Div in 2003

My daughter graduated from Kindergarten in 2006

My husband graduated with his D. Min 2007

My other daughter will graduate from Kindergarten next week.

Plus, all of our friends who have blessed us with an invitation to their special day. I am always surprised when I feel emotional at such a happy celebration.

Yesterday, we had a graduation rehearsal for my daughter. I just sat and watched my little shy girl walk up on stage and shake hands with our headmaster's son. Then tonight we attended a family friend's 8th grade graduation.

I am overtaken by the fact that this phase is over in their life. I always sit back and wonder, did they accomplish what they wanted to? I also think about the parents who have encouraged and supported their student for so many years.

When my husband graduated this last time, I started to cry as soon as he marched in. I was so overtaken by the emotion of his graduation. Just knowing how hard he had worked and how much he had sacrificed to accomplish this goal.

I always think about heaven when I am at a graduation. When I get to heaven, will I be one of those graduates who slips in barely by the skin of my teeth. Or by God's grace will I be one who has accomplished much for the kingdom of God (with honors). Will my Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Witnessing in My Neighborhood with Bread

2008-06-05T06:04:00.000-07:00

Yum!! Fresh bread.

Here is my plan to witness to one of my neighbors. Our neighbor's son has just moved back home after graduating from college. He has an interview for a teaching position at a local school district today. I am going to take them a loaf of bread and let him know I am praying for his interview today. I hope this opens the door to talk to him more about Christ.

I used this Classic Baguettes recipe to make this bread.

This is just a random picture of my baby concentrating on her coloring.

Witnessing in My Neighborhood, Part 2

2008-06-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Another aspect of the Sunday morning messages that has been on my heart, is the fact that God has specifically put people in my life that I only have access to.

Here is an example:

We have a gentleman in our church who owns his own construction company, he has many men who work for him. This last week he was able to share the gospel with some of the men. He invited four of them to come to church and two came.

Our Pastor pointed out that he was faithful with what God had given him. Our Pastor or anybody else in our congregation couldn't have walked on the job site and started witnessing to these men because they didn't know them. But this business owner knows these men and more importantly they know him and watch him. So he was able to share the gospel with them.

There will be people like that in my life, people who God has intended me to witness to. Maybe the checker at the market, or the teller at the bank or maybe one of my physical neighbors. If I am not obedient, the Gospel will not be presented to them (at least not by me). And to be quite honest that is shameful for me. We are not talking about saying nice things or flattering somebody, we are talking about sharing the truth so they will not spend eternity in hell.

Witnessing in My Neighborhood

2008-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Where is my neighborhood? I guess I would say the area of homes all around me. But I am often in my car going to the store, bank, Sam's or even church. Do these count as my neighborhood too? Why am I having this whole conversation you wonder.

The last two weeks in church the message has been on evangelizing the lost. Now, to be very honest these messages were not the "fluffy and you make me feel happy" messages. As a matter of fact, I joked with someone in our church that the Pastor was smiling but I think he was smacking me upside the head at the same time. I truly welcomed these messages because they help to me think and evaluate my life according to God's word.

Am I broken over the people I meet each day who might be going to hell because they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Honestly, I would have to say no. I am usually just trying to complete all the tasks on my list and make sure I still have four little girls with me.

I have been praying that God would open my eyes and heart to see all the lost people around me as an opportunity to share God's amazing love. Also, that He would give me boldness to share in any situation.

Here is a quote from Sunday that still is causing me to ponder how I live my life:

"It is easier to die for Christ than to live for Him"

I want to live my life daily for Christ not just die for Him. That means I need to come out of my comfort zone and be obedient to share the gospel with the lost.

USS Midway

2008-05-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

This week we had an opportunity to take our girls on a field trip to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum in San Diego. We all had a great time, there was so much to see. We were on the boat for over 4 hours.

Richard and the girls in jail.

Now, this is a mixer.

Thanksgiving in this kitchen would be easy.

The girls giving Daddy a haircut.

My beautiful girls on the flight deck.

The girls with the soldiers (these are wood cutouts).

Inside one of the helicopters on the flight deck.

Rachel after our field trip.

I am loving my Mother's Day gift

2008-05-23T23:06:00.001-07:00

This is what my family gave me for Mother's Day this year.

This was the first thing I made in my pan, Rosemary-Lemon No-knead bread.

Today I used my pan to make one of our favorite soups, Charlotte's Tortellini soup. The house smelled so good as I cooked the vegetables with the sausage. I don't have a picture of it served up yet, this is tomorrow's dinner.

I am so excited to have this new pan, it is like getting a new golf club if you are a golfer. I know some of you are wondering why a pan makes me happy, because it is another tool I can use to serve my family. My husband took the time to buy me something I would not only like, but that would be useful too.

Thank you!!!

Pray for the Chapman Family

2008-05-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to my husband sharing the news of Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter's death. My heart just broke, I can't imagine the pain this family is suffering through right now. I know we serve a mighty and powerful God who is comforting this family in ways that we can't even understand. I thank you Lord for your grace and love.

The story

Math Test

2008-05-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today, as I was correcting my oldest daughter's math test I noticed she kept breathing hard. I asked why she was doing that and she answered that she was nervous. I explained to my daughter that tests are to help us, not make us nervous. We need to learn things in life and tests help us to know if we understand things correctly. She passed her test which means she finished her book. She made a couple of small mistakes, so I had her sit next to me and we worked on them together to make sure she completely understood. I do not want her to go to the next level of math unprepared because I was eager for her to pass.
As a homeschool mom, I need to be very careful that I do not put pressure on my children to make the grade I would want(to somehow validate me as their teacher), but that they are learning and having fun doing it. As a HS mom I constantly feel the pressure to make sure they are learning what their friends are learning in school, but as I pray God reminds me I have them home for another more important reason. That is to mold my girls into godly women. To not just say "sit down and do your work," but to explain patiently to them how to figure things out on their own.
When I was in school I would cram the day before for a test and forget everything as soon as I wrote it down. I want my girls to remember what they learn because it was enjoyable to learn about in the first place.
Homeschooling for me has been God working on me in so many ways. I am so thankful that God uses every detail in our lives to teach us of our dependence on Him.

What We Did For Mother's Day

2008-05-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

Our morning started early when my husband and girls woke me up to give me my Mother's Day gift and cards. Each of my girls and my husband made my Mother's Day cards this year. Each of the cards are so very special to me. They will be treasures I will come back to time and time again.

After we got ready we left for church. The men, some of the children and one very beautiful young woman cooked a wonderful breakfast for all the moms of our church. They cooked:

15 dozen eggs
6 pounds of bacon
Waffles
French Toast
Chorizo and egg burritos
There was also a lot of fresh fruit and juices.

They even went farther and served all the moms and all the small children.

CoCo and me.

Some of the women in our church. Notice my little one standing on the side.

This evening we had the pleasure of attending the graduation exercises at The Master's Seminary. Tonight the seminary honored our pastor of many years with an honorary doctorate degree. It was a very moving presentation as the whole sanctuary (approx. 4000 people) gave our Pastor a standing ovation. My husband and I discussed this as we drove home and how our Pastor has impacted so many lives. Pastor has been my husband's very wise and straight forward mentor for many years.

Pastor addressing the crowd at his party.

My girls enjoying the party clean up.

Mother's Day

2008-05-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is a confusing day when you are a young mom (at least I think I am young). The world says "this is your day," but I keep thinking about my mom and mother in law. I don't think this is a bad thing . I love both of my moms very much and I want to honor them for their love and dedication over the years.
I really feel like Mother's Day is everyday, just to be blessed with four little girls who love God, their Daddy and Mommy. I can say because of my girls my life is NEVER boring.

The reasons I am a Mommy.
Yes, these outfits include underwear, paper towel holder, belts, ribbon and socks.

Thank you to my moms and all the women who have poured their lives into me to make me a better mom each day.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:3-5

Do Not Provoke Your Children

2008-04-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

As a mom I struggle constantly with trying to be a good mom. Many times I carry "Mommy Guilt" around. Guilt that I am somehow going to wreck my children for life. I am always happy to come across godly counsel, even if it cuts me deep.
Last night as I was reading blogs, I came across a great article by John MacArthur based on his commentary on Ephesians. The whole article can be found at Pulpit Magazine. It is an article worth reading. Though I will be honest it is not a feel good article to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Hopefully, the result will be more beneficial. Here is one of the ways I do provoke my children:

Well–meaning overprotection is a common cause of resentment in children. Parents who smother their children, overly restrict where they can go and what they can do, never trust them to do things on their own, and continually question their judgment build a barrier between themselves and their children—usually under the delusion that they are building a closer relationship. Children need careful guidance and certain restrictions, but they are individual human beings in their own right and must learn to make decisions on their own, commensurate with their age and maturity. Their wills can be guided but they cannot be controlled.

This morning I asked my husband to read the article too. I asked him if he would keep me accountable in these areas. With God's help I will use this information to grow into a better mom.

A Cooking Class and Birthday Party

2008-04-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a busy day. I started out at the house of an older member of our church. She is a Korean woman who cooks good food. I asked her several months ago if she would teach me how to make her wontons. She asked me to come over her house yesterday so she could show me how. So I took good notes and took pictures. Here was our process:

This is a half of pound of spinach that was blanched and then squeezed till all of the water was gone.

This is Toni trimming and cutting up three pounds of pork roast.

This is the spinach, 2 bunches of green onions and part of the pork.

These were cool! These noodles are made from potatoes. We put them in boiling water and then let them sit for a long time. After they were done, Toni cut those up.

This is the completed mix. Toni added 3 pounds of hamburger, then mixed it very well.

Here is the mix stuffed in wonton wrappers and sealed with egg. This part was sort of difficult, because Toni wanted a lot of meat in each one. Every
time I tried to put in a lot of meat, I tore the wonton wrappers. It was fun though.

Toni fried the wontons until they were brown and floated to the top of the oil.

Don't they look good. After we were done with the wontons, my family came over and we enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Later in the afternoon we were invited to a birthday party. Here is Abby and Rebekah enjoying the jumper.

This is Luna and her Daddy with her cupcake tower.

We were very busy yesterday, but very blessed by the families in our church!

Field Trip

2008-04-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we took our girls on a field trip to Pt. Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro. We had a wonderful time, we had a picnic at the tables in the park and then we walked around the edges of the park looking down along the coast.

We were able to see seven sea lions on a rock below.

While we waited for the next tour of the lighthouse, a volunteer in the gift shop offered to take us over to the little gardens on the property. He had planted most of the plants himself. He took us through every bed. He even pulled off leaves and let us try several of the edible plants.

This is the kitchen in the lighthouse. There is a wooden high chair in the background.

On the other side of the kitchen was this washing machine. The tour guide explained to our girls how clothes were washed during that period.

The sewing machine was in the master bedroom along with this rocking chair.

The girls were able to dress up in keeper clothes.

We were able to go up to the tower of the lighthouse. This is the view looking up the coast to Palos Verdes.

Rachel feeding the very friendly squirrel, he ran up to us as we left the lighthouse.

A very enjoyable day in Southern California!

Tax Day Baby

2008-04-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, my beautiful nephew has arrived. He was born Tuesday (4/15/08) at 4:10pm.
He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and is 20 1/2 long. I really can't tell who he looks like.

Auntie Wendy looking at his head.

The happy, but very tired Mommy and Daddy.

Benjamin Asher Smith

Adventures in Odyssey

2008-04-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago we were blessed to receive a CD of Adventures in Odyssey. We have really enjoyed listening to them with our girls. Yesterday as the girls and I headed up to my parents for a visit we listened to an episode we have listened to three times this week. Something struck me just yesterday as we listened to it. Yes, I am a little slow. Here is a summary from Focus on the Family of the episode we listened to:

The Ill-Gotten Deed

Calvin is mad at his brother, Ronny. So mad, in fact, he is searching the library at Whit's End for a book of mean tricks to play on his sibling. Calvin tells Whit that Ronny is always double-crossing him. Whit hears Calvin out, then Whit says he does have a book for Calvin after all.

The book is called The Ill-Gotten Deed, by John Avery Whittaker. It's all about two identical twin brothers named Horace and Grover who live in Virginia with their wives. Their father dies, leaving behind his land out west. But instead of dividing it up, the father's will states that the first of the brothers to reach the land gets it all! It's supposed to be a fair contest, but unfortunately Grover ends up double-crossing his brother. Grover wins the contest and cheats Horace out of the land.

Grover and his wife, Rachael, arrive first and the deed is signed over to them. But as soon as the deed is signed, they learn that the land is actually a swamp for most of the year. It's overrun by range cattle and, worst of all, surrounded by hostile Indians-who decide at that very moment to go on the warpath! Grover and Rachael fight the Indians off as best they can, but it looks hopeless. Suddenly, the Indians ride off, chased away by a huge herd of range cattle. And behind the cattle is Horace! He's saved Grover and Rachael, despite what Grover did to him.

Grover still has one more swindle up his sleeve, though. He insists that Horace take their father's land! Horace, not knowing all the land's drawbacks, agrees. He turns over his small farm in Virginia to Grover.

Calvin can't believe it until Whit reads the rest of the story to him: The swamp land turned out to be fine when a few strategic drainage ditches were dug. Horace built himself a lovely little town on the property, a town he ended up calling "Odyssey." Everything turned out all right for Horace in the end-and Calvin discovers why it's best not to overcome evil by evil, but to overcome evil with good.

At the end of the episode, Mr. Whittaker is talking to Calvin and he explains that Horace didn't believe that he should judge anybody--that was God's job. Mr. Whittaker went on to tell Calvin that Horace wasn't harboring bad feelings toward his brother, just thankfulness for what God had done in his own life.

Many times I am blinded by my hurt and anger because I have put my eyes on those things that hurt me and not on what God has done for me. It is actually my pride, saying I didn't deserve it.
I somehow feel if I carry around the pain, I am justified. If I was honest, I would say that I lose too much sleep (that is when I keep going over and over things that are bugging me) dwelling on past hurts. But yesterday I was reminded by a fictional character that I need to let God take care of it. I also need to thank God that I don't get what I truly deserve, which is eternity in hell.

I need to focus on God and His continual grace in my life.

Learning Through Moving

2008-04-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

I am learning through this move that I have way too much stuff and not enough room for all of it. I want all my toys (fabric, patterns, pictures, kitchen stuff and books) around me, but there is so much stuff I can't find a place for it. I find it so easy right now to just give things to Goodwill. I am thankful that God has given me the ability to just let go of things right now. I just wish I would have been able to do this before we moved all these boxes here.
I have had the deep desire to live a simpler life. Now is a time for action!

I want to live a simpler life because:

• It takes a lot less time to clean up.

• You can find things easier.

• I will have more time with my family.

• I love to relax in a clean uncluttered room.

Somebody might ask why I don't sell the things we are getting rid of to help our family. My simple answer is I don't want to have things sitting around waiting to be sold. Plus, there is always a temptation to just keep things. We have been living with boxes for over a month now. It is time.
My mantra for this week is, "Simpler is better".

I am alive

2008-04-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hello world. I am back. I just wanted to let you know what has been happening in our life for the last few weeks. We are officially moved now. We love our new place. We still have unpacking to do, but we are getting there.

Abby enjoys singing songs in Awana. Her little friend Luna was tired.

Some of our Family Life kids at the park.

My three girls actually getting along in a hammock.

Abby with her birthday cake.

My little girl on her birthday. Her outfit was put together by her six year old sister. All fun!

My girls on Easter Sunday. Bekah turned 12 on Easter.

Bekah and her Nana share their birthday cake. Bekah loves that she was born on her Nana's birthday.

What I have been doing today.

2008-03-10T19:11:00.001-07:00

My living room is turning into box city.

Can you tell from the picture what we have been doing today? Yes, we are packing to move.

One thing you need to know about me, I don't like change. My husband makes fun of me because I am a creature of habit. When I was small and my parents would take us to Bob's Big Boy I would always order chili spaghetti. I never tried anything different. I still like things to stay the same.

My husband on the other hand will move furniture around, just because he is tired of the arrangement.

Opposites do attract!

Now that I am moving, I feel like my world is turning upside down. I don't like putting my life in boxes (actually, I am going to be happy to box up all those papers on our desk). But, this is what God has for us and I will face it with a smile. I know God is good and He loves me more than anybody on earth ever could.

Anyways, this is a great time to spring clean as we move.

My empty dish cabinet.

A Shower for Benjamin

2008-03-09T23:04:00.001-07:00

A sweet baby that was under the umbrella made of cupcakes.

Yesterday my mother-in-law and I hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law Heather. Because Heather has been having complications with her pregnancy for two weeks our shower had to be very simple. But, to tell you the truth it was better that way.

Originally, we were going to cook a meal for 60 - 65 people and have a lot of decorations. The plan was scaled down to sandwiches for the meal and shells and boats for decorations.

A good idea, but the kids wanted to play with it.

The great thing was there was no stress and I actually had time to sit down and eat with my family. I was able to visit with family members I hadn't seen in quite a long time. Simple is better.

Aaron, Heather and my nephew Benjamin (tucked away in Mommy's tummy)

CVS Deals

2008-03-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

Here are our CVS deals this week. We did 6 transactions, in 5 stores.

Here is what we purchased:

2 bottles Pantene shampoo
2 bottles Pantene Conditioner (1 missing in picture)
1 Fusion Razor
1 tube of Colgate
2 Oral-B toothbrushes
5 Lypsyl Lip moisturizers
1 box facial tissues
4 bags of Russell Stover chocolate
4 packages Mach3 razors
5 CVS heat pads
2 candy bars
2 packs of gum
1 box Mentos (not pictured)
1 bag CVS candy

Here is the awesome part:

Out of Pocket $10.39
EB received $57.94
Saved (per receipt) $127.43

Thank you Money Saving Mom and The "Cent"sible Sawyer

Shepherd's Conference

2008-03-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

One of the blessings of living in southern California is the opportunity my husband has the first week of March every year. It is to the attend the Shepherd's conference at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. This conference is totally designed to train and serve our pastors and lay leaders.

I am always so excited to see my husband go to the Shepherd's conference. It is a time for him to be encouraged and challenged. Also he is able to see friends from seminary and bring home lots of free books.

The staff and volunteers go out of their way to serve the 3,000+ leaders in attendance. There are food tables set up all over, a well stocked bookstore with great discounts, a shoe shine booth, wireless stations for checking email, a concierge desk and many other things that serve the men. They also serve the men lunch Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The teaching at this conference is awesome. Not only do they bring in the big names for the main sessions, they also have the staff teaching amazing seminars to help the men in their ministries.

This conference is so important because it rejuvenates our leaders for another year of service to our Lord. Many times our pastors serve us all so well, yet they are not served by us. Grace Community Church has taken this task on and does a superb job of equipping and encouraging our pastors.

As a bonus this year, Grace Community is offering free live audio stream of the main sessions. The sound quality is great. Here is the link: Shepherd's Conference Live Stream

Using the dishwasher for drying

2008-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share a tip for using your dishwasher. When we used to have a dishwasher and the weather was very hot, I would use the dishwasher as a drying rack. This way I would not use the electricity during the day to do a load of dishes. I would hand wash the dishes and put them in the dishwasher to air dry. It kept my counters clear of a bunch of dishes. This was especially nice when we would have company. It is also helpful when you have limited counter space.

Beautiful Day

2008-03-03T23:42:00.000-08:00

We had an opportunity to drive down to the coast today.

Catalina island from Trump International Estates.

Neighborhood Church in Palos Verdes Estates.

The sun setting.

A lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes.

What a beautiful day to see all that God has blessed us with in His creation.

One of the Reasons I Love My Church

2008-03-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

We had a church workday today. It was so exciting to walk around and see people working hard serving the Lord and their church. What was amazing was that we had kids, adults and seniors all working together. So much was accomplished.

Our church was thoroughly cleaned, including the removal of a foul smelling dead opossum under our church.

The kids cleaned out the nursery and wiped down all the toys.

Our women's restroom faucet was fixed. Yay, two sinks again.

Our driveway wall was repainted by painter Ricky.

The outside lighting and roof were repaired.

Making sure no more opossums come to die under our church.

Making sure the pews were very clean.

My church is a wonderful family, which loves to serve the Lord together. What a blessing God has given me to be able to be a part of this church.

The Importance of Hospitality

2008-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

In our fast paced world, we sometimes neglect ordinances given to us by God. In an effort to protect our family time we close our door to preserve what small amount of time we have together. Our family is to be our first priority, but not at the expense of serving others in the name of God. This is a ministry our whole family can do together.

I recently found this blog entry on hospitality over at The Purple Cellar:

Romans 12:13: "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality" and on 1 Peter 4:9: "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." Susie says that when seeking to have a hospitable heart, there are four primary things to keep in mind:

1) Hospitality isn't based on having the "right" house.
2) Hospitality isn't always convenient.
3) Hospitality isn't always comfortable.
4) Hospitality is always about serving others.

Please go over and read the entire entry here, it is thought provoking. We can all think about a time when we were welcomed into someone's home for a simple meal, but much love. We should all follow that example.
Strive to use your time and home to serve the Lord in this important ministry.

Family Day

2008-02-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful busy day. We started out this morning with a trip to my parents to pick up boxes. In addition to being able to see my dad and mom, we were able to see my two nephews. I was so excited to see them, I have not seen them since Christmas Eve 2006. As soon as I heard they would be there I charged my camera battery.

Dallas and Maverick

I took a lot of pictures of the cousins. I might have taken too many (see Bekah).

After we left my parents, we went to church to clean. Then we came home and fixed lunch for my father and mother-in-law. They came to bring us invitations for my sister-in-laws baby shower. I love my father and mother-in-law so much. They have always treated me very well.

Nana and Abby looking at pictures.

Bekah playing jacks.

Rachel watching the rain.

Today was a wonderful day with our extended family. As a bonus we had a nice little rain. These days are just filled with so many memories to look back on during a busy life. God is so good to bless us with family to share our lives with.

This week's deals

2008-02-22T19:32:00.001-08:00

CVS

We purchased the following:

2 packs Huggies newborns (For my nephew who will be arriving in less than two months)
2 packs of Ziploc bags
4 packs Ziploc bowls
1 Venus razor
1 pack Scalpicin
5 tubes of toothpaste
2 cans Glade airfreshener

Paid OOP $18.33
Received $31.00 in Extra Bucks
Receipt says I saved $103.49

Walgreens

We purchased:

1 Mascara
1 Bronzer
1 Foundation
1 Finishing Powder

Paid OOP $4.05
Receipt states I saved $20.48

So the bottom line:

Spent $22.38
Saved $123.97
Still have $31.00 to spend

Woo Hoo!!!

Thank you Money Saving Mom and Thrifty Florida Mama for all your tips.

Please pray for us

2008-02-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

I am sorry posts have been slow this week. We have had a lot of things going on this week. Last Tuesday we found out we need to move as soon as possible for safety reasons. So we have been looking for new housing.
We have a lead on an apartment, but we are praying that God would provide us with a house.
Please keep our family in your prayers.

Keep the Peace

2008-02-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

As wives we have the privilege to set the tone and pace in our homes. We can either live frantically or slow down and take things as they come.

I naturally tend to be a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of girl, but I am realizing (I'm a bit slow) it makes our home stressful. When I stress, my kids stress and then when Richard comes home he feels the stress. Not good. I need to prayerfully plan out my days, so I bring stability into our home and not chaos.

I want to have a loving and peaceful home. Where is Jewels when you need a great example of peaceful living?

Valentine's Day Recap

2008-02-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's Day Dinner

Well, we had our annual Valentine's dinner. As I mentioned before we invited our single friends over to share the night with us. We ended up with 6 friends joining us. Our Valentine's dinner was never so lively, Pete can make anybody laugh I think. After dinner we played a couple of games and did the mailbox. I gave my girls an hour and a half earlier in the day to make all the cards and they still ran out of time. But our guests had plenty of cards to take home.
There were a few things I learned on Valentine's Day this year:

1. Simpler is better. I started off wanting to make an elaborate meal for our friends and realized quickly that it was not going to happen. Too much stress.

2. It is hard to make a meal that does not include garlic or onions.

3. I thought I was serving others, but God used our friends to totally bless me. As we sat around the table just talking, I just kind of sat back and looked around and thanked God for all our friends.

Thank you Pete, Elisabeth, Amy, Grace, Julie and Ricky for making our day so special. We love you all.

For My Sweet Valentine.

2008-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

My Dearest Richard,

I want to say Happy Valentine's Day to you and thank you for being such an amazing husband. I honestly could not imagine my life without you.
I am putting your Valentine on my blog, so everybody will know I love you. Plus I can do this better than draw you a picture. We both know you are the artistic one and I am the social one.

Richard, I love you because:

You are my best friend (I am happy just hanging around with you).

You have given me 4 beautiful girls.

You make me laugh.

You protect me from others and from myself.

You still give me chills when you kiss me.

You chose me to be your wife.

You comfort me when I am sad.

You constantly challenge me to be a better follower of Christ.

You are a man of integrity.

There are so many other reasons I love you, but this is enough for the world to see.
I love you more and more each day. I truly thank you for making my life so complete.

My Refuge and My Fortress

2008-02-14T00:11:00.000-08:00

About 6 and 1/2 years ago I was reading through the Psalms for my quiet time. Just after 9/11 I read Psalm 91 and it truly gave me comfort through a time when our world was radically changing. After the first reading of Psalm 91, I kept reading it over and over to just remind myself of God's power, strength and sovereignty. It was a great help to me.
Once again I find myself turning to Psalm 91 in times of anxiety, going to remind myself of God's goodness and love. I am so thankful that God left His Word here to teach us, reproof us, correct us and even comfort us in times of trouble.
This morning as I was teaching school my husband walked in and said, "You need to read Peril in Valley of Vision today, it will help you." So later as he was teaching his part of school I read it and it did speak to my heart. As a matter of fact I read it several times, just to take it all in. I wanted to share this wonderful prayer with you.

Peril

SOVEREIGN COMMANDER OF THE UNIVERSE,

I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief, in a felt spiritual darkness.

My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude, and I cannot act faith at all.

My heavenly pilot has disappeared, and I have lost my hold on the rock of ages;

I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves, in horror and distress unutterable.

Help me, O Lord, to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee, for better, for worse, without comfort, and all but hopeless.

Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind, morning joy that comes after night heaviness;

Water my soul richly with divine blessings;

Grant that I may welcome thy humbling in private so that I might enjoy thee in public;

Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low.

Thy grace can melt the worst sinner, and I am as vile as he;

Yet thou hast made me a monument of mercy, a trophy of redeeming power; in my distress let me not forget this.

All-wise God, Thy never-failing providence orders every event.

Sweetens every fear, reveals evil’s presence lurking in seeming good, brings real good out of seeming evil, makes unsatisfactory what I set my heart upon, to show me what a short-sighted creature I am, and to teach me to live by faith upon thy blessed self.

Out of my sorrow and night give me the name Naphtali - “satisfied with favour” - help me to love thee as thy child, and to walk worthy of my heavenly pedigree.
- Valley of Vision Page 184

May God continue to work in my life as He sees fit.

Our Valentine's Day Celebration

2008-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

We try to make Valentine's Day fun for our girls. Usually for art that day I have the girls make Valentine's Day cards for each other. We have a Valentine's Day mailbox (an old shoe box wrapped in wrapping paper) we have been using for about 5 years now. It is in pretty bad shape, but my girls get so excited when it comes out. We put all Valentines in there, even the ones from Grandma and Papa that come in the mail.

On Valentine's night the girls and I make a simple dinner and decorate the table. The last two years we have had enchiladas, rice, beans and salad. I usually buy Valentine's Day paper goods, so the table looks really festive and we have more time after dinner to enjoy our Valentine's. Now, for the most important thing (as far as my girls are concerned) we put conversation hearts all over the table and after dinner we read them and eat them. It is a great family time for us.
After dinner is all cleaned up from we sit down and open all our cards. Dad usually makes each of his girls a card. Handmade cards are so special and meaningful.

This is the way we celebrate Valentine's Day.

This year my husband and I decided to change things around. We have invited single friends to join us for our Valentine's celebration. We want our girls to look around and see who they can serve and this is a wonderful way our whole family can serve those who are single. My girls are so excited, they asked if they can make Valentine's for our guests today. It will be an interesting dinner, so far we have two single guys coming. My husband will be happy I am sure to have other men at the table. It will be a change for our girls who are usually just silly at dinner, we will be able to work on those table manners we have been working through in school.

A Good Prayer Life

2008-02-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

I need to get back on track talking about being a godly wife. I believe the one area that I have always struggled with is a good prayer life. I struggle because I have no problem going to God when things are bad, but when things are going good I am not as faithful. Then guilt sets in and I have a whole new reason not to humble myself before God.
In our ladies' Bible study last month we read a chapter on prayer, that really challenged me. We are going through, Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes. Here is a quote from the chapter:

Apart from the well-known scriptural calls to prayer, there are two great human reasons why we ought to pray.
The first is found in the fact that prayer is the source of power for growth and perseverance in our spiritual lives.
...The second reason is that prayer bends our wills to God's will, which is what submitting our lives is all about.

The second reason is what really speaks to me, I want to be in God's will always. I therefore need to be in prayer constantly. God knows I am a sinner and knows I will fail, but He also knows He sent His one and only Son to save me from myself.

How does this affect my marriage? When I am not living in God's will I am trying to live in my own will, which is saturated with selfishness, pride and jealousy. All elements which make a bad marriage. However, when I am praying to God constantly He is able to work in my life as I bow my will to His. I need to change daily and only God can make my hard heart, soft and pliable again.

When I am living in God's will, I am able to love my husband selflessly without any expectations of what I may get. Thank you God.

Sickness

2008-02-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

I want to let you know I have not fallen off the end of the earth. I have been taking care of our sick children. I hope to be back tomorrow.

Wendy

A Beautiful Day

2008-02-06T14:39:00.001-08:00

Here is how our morning started, quiet and relaxing. The two older girls were working on homework and the two smaller ones were playing quietly together. Wow.

Here is a close up of my two big girls. Notice my Hannah has her little legs crossed.

Remember the free M & M's a few weeks ago at CVS, I am making them work for me now. I am using them as little rewards for good listening in school. I don't give out very many, just at key times to keep their attention. They are all very excited when they see the M&M's come out.

In an effort to use what I have on hand, I am using this bucket that has been on top of my refrigerator for three years to store the M&M's for school.

And this was our lunch today. I am not usually a mac and cheese person, but today it was all good.

Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

Well today is almost over, and all of the results are coming in. You are either very happy right now or very disappointed with the results. No matter who you voted for, we must keep this all in perspective. God is still sovereign today as He always is. We can't let our pride in a candidate cloud our eternal vision. We must continue to pray for our nation, pray for those who are running for office and those who are already in office. Pray that the leaders would be saved and that our country will turn their hearts toward God. We can't put our hope in a candidate to change our country, only God can change man's heart.
As we look to the future we must be in constant prayer for our country and do our part and vote.

Happy Anniversary

2008-02-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today is a very special day for two of our friends, Ed and Monique. They are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary. My husband has known Ed since they were young boys and I met Monique right before they were married in 1989. God has truly blessed us with Ed and Monique. Our lives always seem to follow similar paths; from getting married the same year, and attending the same church for many years, to living near each other twice. Ed and Richard even graduated from the same seminary. We have enjoyed many family vacations together with all our children (7 children in all).
It is such a joy to watch how God has worked in their lives.
Ed and Monique, may God continue to bless you. We love you both.

Trust

2008-02-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. -Psalm 31:11-12

Our husbands need to be able to trust us in every area of life. They need to trust us as we raise our children, in the running of our home and in our finances, to name a few. We cannot be too careful when it comes to our husband's trust.
As the above verse states, "The heart of her husband trusts in her...", we need to think about that as we make every decision. Are we going against what our husband would want? Are we breaking his trust?

Let's look at this practically.

In raising our children, we are usually with them more than our husbands are. We need to teach them diligently about God's word. We also need to teach them obedience. If we fail to teach them correctly they will suffer many consequences and they will also bring shame to their parents.

In running our home, we need to make sure we keep it presentable. If our husband needs to bring someone home, he should feel comfortable about calling a half hour before to let us know. We also need to make sure we provide for all the needs of our family: food, clothes, toiletries, etc.

In our finances, we need to be very careful that we are not being wasteful or building debt. Our husbands work very hard to provide for our needs, and we should honor them by doing the best we can with the money they have earned. We need to be frugal and wise.

Our husbands should be able to trust us in their hearts with no doubts. We will make mistakes, but we must humbly admit to them so we do not lose their trust.

Home Education in Our House

2008-01-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

Our local volcano

The little stickers are the girl's villages

Today, my husband and children gathered around their volcano to watch it erupt. They built the volcano last week, painted it yesterday and today was the day to watch the explosion. The eruption was quite small, but I was happy since this great event was happening on my kitchen table.

My husband has been teaching our girls about volcanoes in science and this was the culmination of lessons. I believe our girls will always remember these lessons.
When I was teaching our girls science, I would just read the lessons to them. My husband is quite the opposite, he does every experiment with them.
That is what makes learning fun for all of us.

What's for Dinner

2008-01-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, I wrote a post about Ways to say I Love You to your husband. I used one of the ideas, I made one of my husband's favorite meals last night. We had a modified Greek dinner. We had chicken, salad and pitas (Tammy's Recipe). He asked, "What is the special occasion?" I told him it is just because I love him. He smiled and I realized all my work was worth it.

There is no better investment of my time than to show my family how special they are to me.

I am ME

2008-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't the bloggy world great. You can learn how to do anything you want from the comfort of your couch. Here is my biggest pitfall. I want to do everything and I want it to be perfect, just like all the beautiful pictures. On any given day I will visit the following sites:

Money Saving Mom- She can save us all a lot of money. She runs a successful home business that helps her family financially.

Like Merchant Ships- She has an amazing sense of style and an eye for treasures at yard sales and thrift stores. She makes me want to redecorate (actually, just decorate) my home.

Tammy's Recipes- Her food looks amazing. I use many of her recipes each week.

Girl Talk- They inspire me to live and love my girls, not to just get through my day. Also, to read more books. As a bonus, Janelle is so creative with the camera.

Happy to be Called Mommy- She is a truly gifted artist. She even makes her children's drawings into stuffed animals.

As I look at any blog, I need to keep myself in check and remember I am not that person. I am ME. God made me for His purpose, to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. So I need to flourish with the gifts and talents God gave me, not the gifts He gave to someone else.
I am thankful that God has made us all different, this world would be bland if we all had the same gifts. Thank you Crystal, Meredith, Tammy, Carolyn, Nicole, Kristin, Janelle and Bethany for sharing your gifts with us on your blogs. You truly inspire us.
Thank you God for loving us so much to make us each different and unique.

I Praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
-Psalm 139:14

Ways to say I Love You

2008-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some simple ways to let your husband know you love him:

• Say "I love you"

• Make his favorite meal for no other reason than your love for him.

• Clean up (shower, hair, face, teeth, etc.)

• Mail a love letter to his work, put it in his Bible or in the car.

• Make sure the house is clean and calm before he comes home.

• Watch a "boy" movie with him.

• Scratch his back or massage his feet.

• Don't spend more than he makes.

• Always listen when he wants to talk.

• Don't neglect his physical needs.

There are thousands of other ways to express your love to your husband. Find ways each day to let your husband know how much you care.