Story Time with a Special Guest

New Starts

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 3:13,14 NKJV

Psalm 31:1-5

In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.

Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.

Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.

Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

Meme

It's been a while since I did a meme. This one's from my sister-in-law. Leave your answers in the comment box or post them on your own blog.

1. What color are your socks right now?
I am not wearing any!
2.What are you listening to right now?
"c is for cookie"
3.What was the last thing you ate?
a banana
4.Can you drive a stick shift?
nope
5.Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My mom
6.Do you like the person who sent this to you?
I like her a lot!
7.How old are you today?
31
8.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
olympic events
9.What is your favorite drink?
COFFEE--decaf
10.Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yup
11.Favorite food?
Pizza
12.What is the last movie you watched?
Twilight: New Moon--For a class people!!! Don't give me any slack!!! (No pun intended, Patty)
13.Favorite day of the year?
Summer
14.How do you vent?
Call Lela
15.What was your favorite toy as a child?
strawberry shortcake doll
16.What is your favorite season?
Spring
17.Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries
18.Do you want your friends
to e-mail you back?
Yes!!!
19.Who is the most likely to respond?
Mom
20.Who is least likely to respond?
Gk
21.Living situation?
Married with children
22.When was the last time you cried?
yesterday
23.What is on the floor of your closet right now?
storage bins with my "skinny clothes"
24.Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to?
depends on who reads it
25.What did you do last night?
Took care of my sick hubby and baby
26.What are you most afraid of?
Becoming a "cat lady"
27.Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese
28.Favorite dog breed?
Border collies
29.Favorite day of the week?
Saturday
30.How many states have you lived in?
3
31.Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds
32What is your favorite flower?
Rose to look at, Lily to smell

Cool Tools--Part 1

In the picture above are two of my most favorite cooking "tools". They both hold olive oil and make it easy and convenient to cook and grill. A bonus is that I don't have to buy another can of non-stick spray again!




In our quest to be healthy in 2011, Geoffrey and I are using a food scale and rationing, I mean "portioning", out our meals, It has been pretty handy and beneficial in learning about portion size. In a "super-sized" world, it's like re-learning how much to eat! You may notice a couple of other things I use often, my peppercorn grinder, my spoon caraffe, and my environmentally safe cleaner.

Stay tuned for more episodes of "cool tools".

It Stuck!

Little Boys, Big Pumpkins

Fall Fun

Sunday was a gorgeous day for "picking pumpkins". Although we don't have a wonderful pumpkin patch here in Juneau, we do have a small place to go and get a few photos. Here is a preview of what we selected:

"Don't make me pull this car over!"

Yes, I can...Yes, I did.

For the first time in my life I said the words I heard so often as a child (to my brother, never to me! Yeah, right!), "Don't make me pull this car over!" I don't know if Eli understood what I was saying, but he certainly understood my expression. And for one car trip, he didn't un-do his seat belt.

This just may be the first of many phrases I never thought I'd say to my child.

Oh well, I turned out okay, right!?!

Trusting God

It's hard seeing someone you love in pain.

This week has been full of pain and trials. The boys are sick, Geoffrey and I are exhausted, and my Grandma is still in ICU. My thoughts are filled with prayers to God for healing, for strength, and for understanding.

Today I am home, missing an event that I have been looking forward to for so long, so I can care for Lucas. Life can interfere with our plans, but I must cling to my trust in God that he has a purpose for each of us.

Please God, give us peace, give us healing, and give us strength.



Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Driving Boy

Found My Thumb

sleeping babe

"Healthy" Addictions

As our family continues to grow and our commitments continue to increase, I find great pleasure in a little addiction I was introduced to by my sister (in-law). Lately, I have little "cracks" of time that are filled by a couple minutes of word-finding fun named Lexulous. She'd tried to include me in this game before, but I've brushed it off for "lack of time". I am thrilled that I finally spent the $1.99 to purchase this app for my iphone.

When Lucas calls me in the wee hours of the morning it is just enough time to fill in a word. Though the points may be few compared to my sis' cognitive dictionary, I still feel a sense of accomplishment when I am able to find a word in the few spaces that remain. I currently have 9 active games, 4 with my sis, and 1 of which I am hoping my mom will join me in. Either way, I am enjoying filling in the "cracks" of time with this little addiction.

It feels like I am sharing a conversation with someone I love. In a sense, I am. I love you, Patty!

Eli shares a picture

Eli Loves You!

A Special Thank You.

My dad has spent most of his summer helping Geoffrey and I.

He traveled from Missouri to Juneau just a few months after a traumatic injury to his leg to help me while I was on bed rest at home and in the hospital. He cared for children in my day care. He folded laundry. He cooked dinner. He finished house projects. And when we were life-flighted out of Juneau to Anchorage, dad didn't hesitate to step in and care for Eli. Dad was there for us.



During his August visit, he helped keep the house clean, fixed things, cooked, kept Eli occupied with "monies" and lended a hand wherever he was needed. This was a blessing to us once again since I spent most of that time with pneumonia. Dad stepped in right when I needed him. Not once, not twice, but over and over.

Our heavenly father does the same thing. He gives us exactly what we need over and over again.

Thank you, God, for my Dad.

Momma's Flowers

My little boy loves spring time, being outside, and picking my flowers!

Mother's Day and Bed Rest

This Mother's Day is different than the other special days I've experienced. I won't be going out to brunch, I won't get to hug my own mom, and in fact, I won't be doing much of anything. On Wednesday, my physician put me on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. 5 weeks until my scheduled C-section. I've heard stories of women put on bed rest earlier in their pregnancies or having to endure the rest in a hospital bed and although I am blessed with a less severe experience, it is still difficult to comply.

I feel the burden that Geoffrey must now undertake, caring for Eli, myself, the house, our friends, family, and his 3 jobs! I know that he is putting on a brave face and caring for me in sickness and in health, but it doesn't make it easy to watch. I want to help him. I want to clean up after Eli. I want to take care of the chores, make the meals, and serve him. God has placed in me a desire to be my husband's help-meet and I am grieving that loss just as Geoffrey must grieve the loss of closing out his classroom.

I must say that I am not the most willing and obedient patient. Geoffrey and I need your prayers. I need help in being obedient to the doctor and my husband's orders and directions. I need help not to put myself and the baby at risk by doing chores that I shouldn't be doing. I need help letting others do for me. I need help. I need prayers. I need strength to let go and let God.

Also, I ask for your prayers for Geoffrey. He needs help, too. He needs help with Eli, with his classroom, with cooking, and with caring for me. Most of all he needs the strength to be our family's leader. Please pray for him as he is relying on God to receive that strength.

We believe that God hears our prayers and has already taken care of us. We thank our friends and family for the visits and calls, for the help, for the meals, for the generosity and prayers that you've given to us. We thank God for the blessings in our life. We thank God for our lives, even during its' trials.

This Weekend's Home Project

In a previous post I mentioned that Geoffrey and I have committed ourselves to completing a home project each weekend. This past weekend was no different as we accomplished a major goal--downsizing our belongings and having a garage sale. Though we have not truly finished our quest to downsize, we are $300 better off, and now have access to our garage. I'd say the 4 hour morning was a success.

Eliminating some of our "unnecessary" belongings was sometimes difficult, but mostly we felt liberated. I've always been more of a "pack rat" than Geoffrey, so I blame most of our accumulations on myself...it also doesn't help that I enjoy shopping. I am always striving to better myself and to let go of the things of this Earth. One new rule that Geoffrey and I have made for ourselves is that every time we buy something new, we must rid ourselves of something old, too. But for now, we will put our downsizing on the back burner and look ahead to this weekend's project.

To Do:
1. Dust off the shelves on top of our kitchen cabinets.
2. Wash our display plates and decorations.
3. Paint the wall!!! (Yeah--I am most excited about this!)
4. Dust and clean all of our light fixtures and ceiling fan.

What's on your list for the weekend???