a mini date !

Last night Terry and I went on mini-date with Dave and Kate!!! Anna kept Lilian here with most of our little people as well! We went to Lowe's. I had to get black paint for the bathroom cabinets. Dave and Kate had to get a few house building supplies. There is a joke amongst Dave and Kate that if you go on the plumbing isle, marriage stuff begins to happen, like smooching and all that stuff!! When we got back in the vehicle, I told them, Terry did not need the plumbing isle!!!! LOL!!! He's a certified plumber!!!! It was a fun, brief little outing. Our family LOVES being with them,we are so blessed to have them in our lives!

Yep, I am almost done with the bathroom project. Walls a brown tone, ceiling an orange-red and the cabinets black! I love the look of it, western looking. I will still need to add some things to the walls and such but in time. I ended up scraping the popcorn off the ceiling and I really like the look of the flat ceiling. I need to do that to every room, but oh, what a mess it was!!! One project down, a million to go it seems!! I have so much I want to do outside and I even have strong men that I do not have to pay but as the Lord provides extra we'll get to those projects I guess!

Tomorrow the guys are helping Dave pour his slab for his new house and then in the evening he is buying pizza.....sounds great!!

We got a big rain the other evening, it was great for the garden. The potatoes are up, there are so many blooms on the strawberry plants and if I would quit snitching the asparagus, we might have enough for a meal!! It is unbelievably tender! Once again, Mercy has her big talk in the bed and she says, "I'm tellin' you the truth, He (Jesus) pours it out!!" (speaking of the rain) She is something else!!

Hope you are all pressing on in the Word. It is my very breath in the mornings as I so desire to hear from Him. Even after 3 years of missing Joel, my heart needs to be reminded of HIS plan and that it was and is for His glory. I read a verse in Hebrews 9:15, And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Its hardly thinkable that we have to experience such trials as a child dying but we did and now I look to the blessed hope of promises and truths to keep me afloat! I was encouraged by the phrase, "by means of death, for the redemption." Of course Jesus had to go though this, death and it was for OUR redemption. We too go through "deaths" not just of children, but trials in this life. Many times it is by the means of death and for redemption that the Lord's plans are carried out. The redemption can be of learning and growing in grace, faith can be grown, others lives can be changed and many positive things can come forth. I am so thankful that as I read the scriptures God has not forgotten about how I still need to "know" that Joel's life was important and purposed and with verses like this it keeps me looking forward to that great day of seeing him again and gives me energy to live "today" for the family I have here!

What is the Lord teaching you??

Mercy wants me to read a book, so better go.......