friday fotos!!

Yay for Friday!!! A few "fotos!" Mercy decorated her bed, a healthy lunch, my first camera, Josiah is an Indian or something, our roses are blooming, brother and sister, a morning walk by the pond, pretty landscaping, playhouse landscape looks better than our house, garden tilling, the guys job site and Mercy made an adventure book, (Hosanna was concerned that everything was dead, but Mercy assured her the moth was "stiff!!")

Have a great weekend!!!

past.....

I know I often think of heaven!! I think of what it is like, what Joel is doing. I think of the beauties, the perfection, the glories of it! All that would be things to come, eternity future. I think most of us think about the future of heaven. We think about what will be given us in the future. But have you ever though about eternity past? Do you think about the glories of it? What was?

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our own works, but according to his purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. II Tim 1:9

Eternity past!!! Alot took place back then!! Though we were not even existing yet in body form we were existing in God's mind because it says here that before the world began something was "given us." What was given us before we were? It says a purpose and grace. AND it says it was according to HIS purpose and grace. Isn't that awesome to think about? Eternity past!!!!! To think that I was on his mind and he was going to give me something even before I was born! Amazing!! Now for anyone who "thinks" they are saved by works, this verse blows up your theory....it says he saves us, calls us NOT according to our works!! He saves us according to his own purpose which is by grace, sheer grace!! Nothing we do! To think he had a plan in eternity past to deliver sinners from sin by grace alone is amazing love! And this verse says it was given us, (sinners) long before the world began. I am blessed to think how God had, has a purpose for my life before it began. What a comfort to my heart to think about this for Joel too. To think about this when we go through trials in this life, that in eternity past a purpose was given us and grace to go with it! What a good God we have!! Help us oh Lord to "like" your plans/purposes that were "given us" in Christ Jesus before the world began!! Amen!!!

The garden is growing!! Not long till spinach n lettuce will be alongside every meal at our house!! Good stuff!!

Keep praying for Sue!! She has been up in MD visiting Kristen and she told me they got quite a bit of wedding stuff done!!! Yay!! I'm looking forward to Kristen mailing me some projects to work on as well!! That's the bad thing about being apart on the planning!!! Pray for Sue during this wedding season to have grace filled energy, strength and just feel good to enjoy all the hoopla!!

Have a great Thursday!!! .....and now you can think about and bask in eternity "past!!"

our first rose to bloom.........

my dearly beloved....

"To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace, from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord." I Tim 1:2

Of all the verses in the scriptures, if I had to "pick" one to "give" to my children i think I would choose this one. It could be addressed with me putting each individual name where it says "To________." Then the affections that Paul shared towards Timothy are words that express a mothers, a parents heart towards their child. Dearly, beloved!! Really, how can any word describe the affection I have for a child I have carried in the womb and birthed? There are 6 more words in this verse that are all inclusive of all that my children would ever need in this life! Grace, mercy, peace, God, Father, Christ Jesus, Lord!! Grace to receive faith, mercies for each day, peace knowing God is Sovereign will carry them through any journey, having God in their lives through his word, his Spirit, seeking him, trusting him, living for him, fearing him, protecting them. Having the Father for them to cry out to, to safely preserve them eternally. Having Christ Jesus as their Savior, their hope, their help, their deliver from sin. There is much more of course but this would be my verse to give unto them and say here take this verse, live this verse, believe this verse, embrace this verse, hold fast to it!! My dearly beloved children, hold on to this verse!! May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give you what none other can give you, grace, mercy and peace!!!

Sometimes just looking around us, let's us know of how great he loves us.... do you see it?!? I see it..... a heart!!

Monday!!

I don't normally sit down and do a post in the evening but most of them left!! One group to play tennis and another group to play basketball, soooo I am alone in the house!!! Scary!!!! Plus I don't feel like walking my legs are sunburned from sitting out yesterday!! A bit on the "toasty" side today!! But that's how the first getting sun goes!! I have olive skin, so by tomorrow a start tan will follow!! I guess I have always loved the sun and getting tan, goes back to my teen years when my friend and I would lay on our roof, get so hot and then jump in the pool!!! I may not gave been a beach gal but I love the pool and sun!!

I read a few verses in Isaiah this morning that spoke to me. Is 43:12,15.
....Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord, that I am God!!! May our lives show that HE IS GOD!! There are so many life stories that I can think of that prove HE IS GOD with our family!! Of course Joel 's sweet little life and journey witnesses to this truth!! I am forever thankful that I know HE IS GOD!! I would be a hopeless person living a hopeless life if it were not so!! I can think of so many unusual ways of provision that our family has had over the years. These stories of provision witness to the fact that HE IS GOD!! I can think of two very special people whose story of meeting/engagement and soon to be married witness to the truth in this verse, HE IS GOD!! Because of who God is and that he does not change, I look forward to having many more "witness" opportunities that HE IS GOD!!

I was blessed with verse 15, I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. I am so thankful he is "my King!!" A King rules and governs and is over all! What a peace to know he rules well and right and with holiness! He is a good God to us!!

Please continue to pray for Sue and the family! For strength, for few side effects as possible, her bones to be strong, for a good appetite, for peace and trust in Gods plan!! And just for the family as they all work together to make their home run smoothly!! I know that they are being a witness as the verse says to the truth that "HE IS GOD!" And also just be praying for Kristen and Caleb as they plan, prepare for the wedding in August. A big job and I just want it all to be fun for them!!! Alot to do in 135 days!! Yay!!!

Eleven days until Daniel makes it bs k to Oklahoma, Lord willing!! So ready for him to be home!! Or at least for a little while before his next adventure!! At least the next adventure will be in the USA!! Haha!! From the photos, it looks like he "beefed" up, lots of kangaroo I'm sure!! Eeek!! I know he will be sharing at church soon after his arrival, I'm excited to see all the photos!!

A few photos of around the farm!! Sometimes I wonder "what else" I can take a photo of but something always comes up, and with using my phone for a camera so much, you just "see" things differently!! I love the photo of our driveway.I was standing out in the pasture and just pondering what a place God has blessedus with!! I hope that driveway will always be a welcome sight to all the children. When they drive in, I hope they remember and say things like, "I use to read books in that tree, I use to swing on a rope over that pond, I would race down that hill on my bike, we sat over there late at night and just on and on!! Home...or rather our temporary home, may it always be a special place in their hearts!!

We had one more bd thing to do for Mercy's Tangled bd but had to wait on the weather/rain to move on! I has ordered sky lanterns to set off like in the movie!! She was just in awe of them going up in the sky!! If the neighbors would have peeked out, I'm sure they would have thought they were seeing 27 UFO's!! So it was a fun evening to do that with her!!

Have a blessed week!!

Happy Saturday!!!!

Have a a great Saturday!!!! Looks like wonderful weather/my kind!!!! Hahaha!!!

Friday fotos!!

~If you can dream it, you can do it.~ Walt Disney

another birthday!!

Today is Andrew's birthday!! 16!!!! It's just getting harder to grasp I have so many "older" children!! Two 24 yo's, almost a 23yo, a 21 yo, a 20yo this fall, an 18 yo and now Andrew 16!!!! There are more "older" ones than younger ones now!! What gifts they each are, their own individual uniqueness, personalities, skills, abilities, if you think about how many people we have and all those aspects, there is alot of diversity in our family!! It's neat how we can all be so different, yet work together and Lord willing fulfill plans and be vessels for God's kingdom and lights for His glory as a family! Thats my prayer, always no matter where they go, what they do, may they always honor and glorify the Lord!! Happy Birthday Andrew!! Celebrating with a special dinner of his choice and a giant choice Snickers Cake!!

Spring is here!! Plus with the rain, everything is just popping with color!! I just stare at all the buds and blooms that announce "life!!" I am always blessed by Joel's tree in our front yard! So thankful for the reminder that Joel is alive and well and safely waiting for us!! So thankful that as long as we are on this earth, that in every season whether Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter or even in seasons of life of sorrow, pain, health, aging, sickness, or even raising children.... He is with us....at all seasons!!

"And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came to Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons." Acts 20:18

I asked Mercy what she told Anna when she was in the girls room late after her big birthday night. I guess Anna walked into the room and Mercy was talking.... she was talking to Joel and telling him all about her birthday, that she missed him and when she was telling me the story she said "and (Joel) he knows all about it, right, cause God is in heaven!!" oh, that girl!!!

Yay for Spring!!!!

We Tangled!!

If you were to ask Mercy if she had a good birthday, she would say "yes, a great one"! And that's exactly what she said!! I am glad this party isn't lasting "an entire week!" as Flynn said! Seems like it's all over far to soon compared to the preparations for the party but if a little girl or a little boy remembers their party, the work that a mom poured into it, it is worth every moment!!

Lots of photos via iPhone, but hey that's alright, documentation is what it is all about!!

One of the highlights for Mercy was Daniel skypeing her from Australia!!!

And to end the evening/birthday blowout.....the movie, Tangled!!!!