Peace

Peace, Peace, wonderful PeaceFlowing down, from the Father aboveSweep over my spirit forever I prayIn fathomless billows of LoveAfter a few days of turmoil due to family circumstances, God has brought me to a place of peace in midst of it all. I have this song resonating in my spirit as I lay it all at the feet of the only One who can restore lives, heal hurts and bring salvation to those who are lost and in deception. Thank God for peace.

Return of the Jedi Happy Sahm

Well, we're home. I'm glad we had such a great time. It's good to get some distance from the chaos of life and to just get time with your family, who truly loves you for you and not for the things you can do or the way they like to manipulate you to do or believe what you want them to believe. (Although I do have a few friends who would fall under this catergory as well that I love deep as family and from whom I never need a vacation) I love my family and the time I got with them. I know we fostered some very important memories with the kids and are believing that the times now will continue for them together as siblings with quality relationships and strength of character. Don't get me wrong, they are siblings in the real sense, they do get on each other's nerves and bicker from time to time, but they have deep love and a dedication to each other. They help hold each other accountable and build each other up, pray with one another and have learned how to truly humble themselves to one another to grant or ask forgiveness with a pure heart....no ulterior motives or digressions. I am so proud of them. As I see other adults go down destructive paths I take time to pray for my own children and ask the Lord to keep them faithful and true to His calling on their lives. In the midst of things going on around, I also take time to pray this for people I know..."He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it!"

Our visit to the zoo and other stuff

We are having a really good time as a family. Our time with Daddy is so rare, it makes our trip even that much better. My beloved is such a wonderful father, with strength and kindness. I am so proud of who he is and the way he is a part of raising our children. This time has surely deepened the bond between him and our children. For anyone who does not know, he works retail, which means that he works on Saturdays and many weekends. He does not always get to be at gatherings, he misses most sports events the kids are in and many concerts/events, not ever by choice, but by work obligations. This is something that he rather dislikes about his job, but he feels called to his career, so he works willingly and catches up with most things through video. :) Anyway, this trip is a jewel of great value in the crown of our family.

Here are two photos from yesterday:
Daddy and Christi


Ryan wresting a snake... bronzed snake Blessings on your weekend.

More fishing pictures....

Christi's fish....

Ryan fishing....

Bria, Niki and Christi fishing together.

I'm Baaaaaack

Whew! It was a whirlwind of tent set up, cooking out, fishing, swimming and general family togetherness. We only got rained on once...Here are some pictures....
Our Campsite...the front set up is ours, with the gazebo and orange and gray tent


The Roaring River where we fished. More to follow tomorrow. :)

Gone Fishing

We are packing the tents, lining the poles, digging for worms (OK, actually buying them at the bait store) and loading the van for a little communion with nature. So for the next couple of days I welcome you to think of questions or subjects you would be interested in my writing about. If you have a picture or photo subject you would like considered, let me know and I will work on getting it on the site for you. :) God's Blessings on your week, see you back here Wednesday or Thursday.

Readying the vehicle for the trip

OK, so this isn't our vehicle, but there was a day not too long ago when this was my mode of travel....of course it was the 70's and 80's and I was merely a child. But it is with much chagrin and some fondness that I view this car. For those of you really young people, it is called a station wagon...for Jean 2, it looks just like my dad's car, huh? Although it's not the most updated of cars, it would come in handy on a trip like our upcoming camping expedition. Hm, maybe I'll stop by that house and see if they want to loan it out. LOL

Here's to memories of bologna sandwiches, riding down the highway laying in the back (nope, no seat belts) waving at people who drove behind us, and no air conditioning since Dad said it made the car use more gas.

Putting Around

This week our oldest two daughters have been gone to Youth camp, so our youngest two got the privilege spending special time with Mommy and Daddy. One of our days, we went to a little mini-golf, one of Ryan's ideas. We all had a great time.

Hay! It's a barn.

I have this fascination with barns, I don't know why, but I do. I love the look of them. This is one I photographed recently (Yes, Laurie from Jean 2's neighborhood, it's your barn). There are a few others that I plan to photograph in the next few weeks, I might even share them.
Here's to a pastorally restful night.

It has been raining here. Lots and lots of rain. Our areas are under flash flood warnings, the rivers are swollen beyond their banks and more rain is forecast for next week. All this would be no problem if it weren't for the fact that Husband and I have booked three days of camping on the banks of the Roaring River. Now the question remains for us, will the river be roaring beyond it's banks when we go, will it rain us out, will be end up in a hotel with the kids and call it camping? All good questions for which we still don't have answers. The only thing I do know for sure, Husband is taking a week of vacation and we get to see him everyday. Yippee! Rain, Rain go away. Come again some other (far in the future) day.

Guess who's spending a lot of time outdoors these days. Yep. Us! My youngest two are simply enamoured with the outdoors. We sit and watch the light fade, the fireflies appear and then we count....how many blinks in a minute. Christi is now determined to find the perfect jar to punch holes in the lid so we can make a "real live lantern". We'll keep you posted.

How memories must look

While playing outside tonight, as dusk was falling around, Ryan and Christi were playing in the yard. They were swinging pool noodles pretending they were fishing. I thought to myself "Oh, I hope I remember this moment!" I pulled out my camera and shot a stream of photos. This one, in it's blur and shadows and multiple images within the same shot put a lump in my throat as I mused, "this must be how a memory looks from a distance".

Peace falls as dew on the flowers

Last night, Bria and I were out watering the flowers and watching lightening bugs fill the air. There's something so significantly peaceful and right about a night like that.

Toe-tally summer feet

(Ok, so ignore the sausage shaped toes and just concentrate on the beautiful polish job and cute little flowers. And yes, my feet are crossed in the picture)

I love getting pedicures. There's something that is rewarding about suffering through the filing, scraping, buffing, cutting and cuticle pushing that makes the toes look so summer-y and flip-flop ready.

Batter Up!

The first baseball game of the season on Tuesday night was a very exciting one for Ryan. He is a member of the Bears, a Boys and Girls Club sponsored team. The game was full of hits (he didn't make it on base, but tried with all his might) ending with a score tied 11-11. Everyone cheered for everyone else, the coach is a very even keeled and encouraging guy and the team supports one another. I am very pleased. Not to mention how cute he looks in his very first pair of baseball pants, now if i could just get him to leave his shirt tucked in. :)

Here's to a summer full of popcorn, nachos and cheers. GO BEARS!

Chalk it up to Zzzzzzzz's

Our house
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

Tomorrow our home becomes "Summer Central". Yea! The kids are excited, I'm excited, my hubby is even excited. Of course, most of our excitement comes from the knowledge that we get to sleep in mornings. :) And frozen ice pops. Yum.

No Thanks, I'm stuffed.

Christy and Christi
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

Christi and I made a trip for essentials one day last week (read that as "went to the mall") . We had received a 10 bear bucks to Build-a-bear in the mail the week before, so Christi felt it was necessary to bring along her Bunny Christy (guess who she's named after) to get a new outfit. After much deliberation (a half hour of mind changing, waffling and indecision) it was settled that they should have the same color on for the rest of the day, right down to the pink bow in the hair/hare.
I am so thankful that I have one more sweet girl to watch grow up and become a young lady.

In Memory

Nana (Ruth) White, my husband's grandma...kids great-grandma, passed away tonight a few minutes before 11pm. She has been very sick for a long time, and with God's mercy, has now passed into a constant state of peace and joy of in the presence of the Lord.

The chorus to a song that springs to mind is "In the Presence" the words are:

In the Presence of Jehovah

God Almighty, Prince of Peace

Troubles vanish, hearts are mended

In the Presence of the King.

Guinness Anyone?

nicki
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

On Friday, June 1st, 2007 my daughter's middle school set out to break a world record "Largest Human Chair". They had to bring in 4th and 5th graders from the feeder schools to add to their numbers to have enough students to break the record and sit upon each other's laps for a minute and a half. It was a process that required much patience, a lot of "scoot closer" and then a 785-person "SIT" as the principle counted 90 seconds on a bull horn.

They did it and now, my daughter is part of a world record! Kinda cool huh?

...walk beside me and be my friend.

walking
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

To love another person is to help them love God.
-- Søren Kierkegaard


My youngest two and I took a walk with Jean 2 yesterday. In the circumstances of the day, my only goal was to show love.

Future Blogger?

Future Blogger?
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

We recently made a trip to our local mall. While my older two were clothes shopping my younger two and I took refuge first in Border's and then set up camp at a table at Starbuck's. My son had managed to convince me to let him purchase a Junie B. Jones (and Me) jourmal. {The book allows the reader to take turns with Junie answering questions journal style, thus creating a journal together} He was so excited that he asked for a pen right away. He wrote and answered questions for an hour and a half without one complaint about how long he was having to wait for his sisters to finish shopping. For those of you with son's who just "love" the mall, will understand the greatness of that moment.