hey its Wednesday......again!!!!!!

~there's no better view than the view from a swing!~

 ~ other than a dimple in a cute little chin,

What's more adorable than

a toothless grin?~

Mercy literally "lost" her first tooth.....its no where to be found!!!!

she is in awe of this event!!!!

She insisted on calling her big brother in Australia and

also her big brother in MD!!!!

~you are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.

What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play

and run around all day long?

Never in his life will he be so busy again~

a funny memory:

if you were to ask the oldest 6 what they remember their 

mom doing all the time, they would say "sewing!!"

if you were to ask the youngest 6, they would

say " I didn't even know she had one of these things!!"

hahaha!!!! my how times have changed!!! 

I just had to do some mending today and back in the

closet it goes!!!

I always sewed out of necessity, I never "liked" it!!!

too many mistakes on the project!! 

some folks love it, i DON'T!!!!!

Elijah made it home safe last night from Illinois. Anna, Bethany and Micah Lord willing are driving back tomorrow!! Caleb made it safely back to MD from his proposal weekend and is back to work to save, save, save for the wife to be!!! Daniel is safe in Australia as of now BUT he did have a wee bit of an incident!!! I cringe every time I talk to that boy...er.....man!!!! Of all the people in our family.....it ALWAYS happens to him!!! He truly is the most gracious one in our family to receive unlikely situations with such a giant attitude of "no big deal!!" I talked to him last night and he paused a moment and said " well, I did have a little thing happen!" Not wanting to tell me I could tell!!! He went on to say that he kinda ran into a car with his bike, or actually NOT his bike because his had gotten stolen like the night before and he was riding this crummy bike with only one hand brake!! NOT GOOD!!! Said he was speeding right along and a car pulled out in front of him and with only one brake, the likeliest thing happen......he runs in to the car, he is thrown onto the guys windshield and breaks the windshield with his shoulder, BUT he survives with only a few scratches!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! I told him, its a good idea to wear a helmet!!! He said you have to over there!!! I asked him if the other two friends saw it happen he was riding with and he said  no, they were up ahead of him and once they figured he was not behind them anymore, they came back to see where he was!!!! SOoooooooo, he had to walk back about 45 minutes to the YWAM base!!! He  had a $100, so he offered the guy whose windshield he broke and he took it. Put Daniel at the TOP of your prayer list for safety please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This next week he and French friend are renting a car and traveling all around for a week, camping, site seeing, snorkling, staying on islands?!?!  I would be blessed to have him get home in one piece......ALIVE!!!!! hahaha!!! Seriously. pray for him if you think of it!!!!

Talked to Sue this morning! (Kristen's mom) we had to get a few giggles in of how it use to be, what it is now!!! A true saying," we've come a long way, baby!!! God is good and bigger than us, our schemes, and our prayers!!! We are both happy mommas!!! and when the mamma's are happy, ALL are happy!! hahah!!! Please continue to pray for Sue and their whole family as Sue will begin chemo shortly! Please ask the Lord for his mercies upon her and to protect and give grace to enjoy this beautiful season of their lives!!!

It gonna be great weather today and tomorrow!! Spose to be 78 Thursday!!! I'm going to to stay outside ALL day!!! (i think)

Have a super Wednesday!!!

Cindy

last free day and a beautful proposal story!!

Couldn't pass up the last free day at the Zoo!!! And it was pretty nice weather, so we went!!! They know their way around fairly well now and have their "hot" spots they like!! One is feeding the ducks with 25 cent rations from a machine that sets so conveniently right beside the water!! a good day!!!! Small joys that make lasting memories!!!

 Kristen wrote out their proposal story on her blog  so  hurry on over and be blessed this morning!!! You will smile, laugh and cry!!!!

yes!!!!

YES!!!!!!!

..........on bended knee, with the fireworks

exploding in the sky,

over Cinderella's castle

at Disney in Florida,

she said YES!!!!

Caleb proposed to Kristen!!!!!

They are engaged to be married!!!!!

Exciting!!!!! We are so happy for them!!!!!

May the window's of heaven be opened and pour out

great grace in the days ahead of preparation and lists, lists, lists

of things to do!!! May His peace abound in decision making!!

May His provision for every day abound with great riches of wisdom,

for the mind, soul and body as they desire to

have a joyous celebration for

family and friends to witness.

May love be shared in a deeper way as they plan together, as they

talk and meet people that will "help"

them make their "day" one to remember forever!!

We give God the glory for what is has done

and is doing for them!!

Please continue to pray for Kristen's mom and

family!!!!

We love you two!!!!!

Friday fotos!!

Hey!!! It's Friday!!! That means no school for a couple days and no schedule!!! Yay!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Wednesday!!

Wednesdays tell me there is only 2 more until the weekend!! Yay!!! Wednesday tells me its two days until grocery day! Yay for new food!! Wednesday's also tell me it's cleaning day! Yay! Wednesday also tells me it's my running day on the treadmill!! Boo!!! Haha!! I'm still working toward the 5K but I don't know if I will make it to the end, man, it's tough and my knees are not 20 yo knees!! Boo! But I will give it my best shot!! I am happy with the results of how I feel more toned so it's worth it!! Yay!

I have asked you all to pray for a special friend! The special friend is Kristen's mom, Sue! We were so blessed at Christmas to be able to go to Florida and meet their family! They are an amazing family and we had a wonderful time of laughs, fellowship, going places, eating tons of fabulous food, and just being together!! I think our families "gel well" together!! Well, if you would continue to pray for Sue and their family! Sue recently had some concerns and sought to get them checked out through tests and the results are showing she has cancer in one of her lungs, it is not
lung cancer but breast cancer in her lung. Kristen is there in Florida being a wonderful cheerleader for her mom, making her stay in the hospital more cheery, encouraging her with lots of pampering! So please pray for their family as they journey this path, for wisdom, for grace for healing and strength, for endurance and for joy in the midst of all of this! Sue is an amazing woman that has God's peace and it is displayed through her smile I have seen in several photos that Kristen has posted! Let's surround them with prayers!!

I think Spring is around the corner!! Terry got some onion plants so gardening time is nigh!! It's suppose to be 73 today!! I do have my flip-flops on for the occasion!!

Bethany bought a bottle calf!! I think Mercy likes it!! That's what farmn' is about, baby animals, children learning about God's creation! I will never grow tire of country life!!

Guess Terry and I will be "home alone" this weekend and first of next week.... olders are heading to the slopes!! Skiing!!!

Have a great Wednesday!!! Why do you like Wednesday's!?!?!?


Cindy

Couples Valentine Dinner party!

We hosted our 3rd Annual Couples Valentine Dinner again this year! I started this 3 years ago as a way to use the space in the new kitchen area God has blessed us with and to give different couples each year to go on a date!!! It has been alot of fun to see as the years go by, the different people that God allows us to meet and fellowship with!! This year some of the most dear and wonderful folks came, our church family!!!! We have grown so in love with these folks! We love our church, the church are the people!

Soooo all these folks got to be "guinea pigs"!!! A new recipe was tried out on them and they said they liked it!! I found it in pinterest! It is called Spinach Lasagna Rollups! I did the noodle part just like it says bit added 3 to one feta when it called for mozzarella and also we used Anna's homemade spaghetti sauce for the marinara instead of their recipe! Bethany made the breadsticks and I used Kristen's grama's recipe for the salad dressing! I made three cheesecakes, Turtle Cheesecake, Cherry Cheescake and the most delicious cheesecake in the history of cheesecake eating, the Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake! (I made this before and posted the recipe somewhere) I also found the little heart cakes in a book, "Sweetheart Cakes!" and of course Sugar Cookies! Way too much dessert!

I like to blog from my phone but the only hindrance is I can't upload the photos in order, soooo you will have to look over that!! It bugs me but it's just easier to do it from my phone!!

Please pray for my friend I have mentioned! Huge challenges ahead!! Hopefully soon I can share more and you can pray more specifically! Please, please pray!!

Today... getting all the party stuff put away, birthday shopping with my hero, Jeremiah Morris!! This kid is amazing!!!

Have a great weekend!! I love you all!!

Cindy

Valentines is not over!!

Hope you all had a fun Valentines Day!! I am enjoying the wonderful Valentines gifts Terry got me, the double oven and the new dryer (our other one croaked!) I have no idea why anyone would do it, but where our washer and dryer are in the laundry room, they designed the appliances to sit down below the height of the floor, so yesterday Terry filled that space up with concrete and now the washer/dryer are at floor level! Small things like that make my day!! Plus I don't have to bend over as far!! Yay!!

Valentines is not over around here!! Getting ready for our 3rd annual Couples Valentine dinner in our home! We have 10 couples coming plus us, so 32 people!!!! In the 3 years of doing this little "date" night for couples we have been able to bless 40+ people with a night together and dinner!! It is a lot of work, but something I enjoy doing, decorating and getting it ready!! And the good thing is, I dont have to purchase much now since I have been gathering stuff over the last several years!!

If you prayed for my special friend, keep praying! I know so many people interceded on our behalf and I what to be able to do what blessed us so much..... prayer!!!! God is not a God of chance or coincidence!! He is a God of divine appointments!! This morning as I sat in my room, looking for a scripture to text my friend for the challenges she would face today, I looked at many but I finally decided to send this one;

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour... Is 43

I pasted and sent it through a text and it wasn't long til my friend text me back and shared how grateful she was to receive the same verse from another friend, how God had put the same verse on two different hearts to share with her today! That is NOT coincidence!! It's called Providence! I was blessed today to think about how I was used in a very small way to share in the "workings" of His Spirit as he prompts and works in lives! May each of us be sensitive to "hear" and do!! I need to do it more often!!!

Well, all seems good on the homefromt!! Thankful for blessings, food, a place to call home and then all the wonderful things that make our lives easy.... conveniences!

Happy Thursday!!!

I see sunshine...... yay!!!

Anna got me some chocolates from the coffee shop she works at.... the real stuff!!! Hosie, Mercy and Jeremiah made cupcakes yesterday!!! Like ALoT.... 40!!!!! Haha!!!


Cindy

blessed!!

I am in appliance heaven today!! Our dryer bit the dust again!!! Possibly our 7th or 8th. dryer!! Eeeek!!! We also got the last appliance for our kitchen, a double oven!!! I am most excited about this!! So blessed for God's provision!!

Oh a few extra photos i thought I would throw in!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Cindy

happy saturday!!

Hope you all have a great Saturday!! Mine is starting out "healthy!!" it is soooo cold, but we have a toasty warm fire going in the wood stove!!

Enjoy your day!!!