I missed not being able to join in all the fun last week. VBS did me in for a few days. But now I am rested and ready to go. Here are some photos from Grace's family party last evening. My little girl is now nine years old.
I call this one "Anticipation." Poor thing had to wait four extra days this year for her presents, as her birthday was on Monday and family could not be here until Thursday.
I call this one, "Just What I Wanted!"
Her generous grandparents chipped in and got her Kit, a dream come true.
And here are Grace, Kit and the cake. Notice Kit has changed her clothes.
This is Grace pretending to be her cake while showing us her new birthday dress.
Grace and her grandmothers.
The Anniversary Duo, 28 years strong!
Grace and her Uncle Greg.
Thank you for visiting me today. Have a wonderful weekend.
28 years ago today, my mom married a really special guy. I was just a girl and pretty scared to have a step-father and sad that my own parent's marriage had ended. Even back then, the Lord was working in my life to care for me, though I did not know it. He brought many good things from the ashes of my heart. I have two fathers to love and to be loved by. So, today, I want to wish my mom and dad a very happy 27th anniversary! I love you, both. See you tonight!
Life this summer is moving along at the speed of light these days. Today marked the 9th anniversary of the birth of my little girl. Everyone always says that they can't believe where time has gone and it is so true! We had a little friends gathering for her today and it was a sweet time. This is the first time I personally made her birthday cake. It was fun.
Big brother had a big accident riding his bike Saturday. I've included some before and after shots. I think the dentist did a good job.
The rest of this week is busy as usual. I may have to change the name of this blog to Never at Home! There's soccer, a play date, Bunko night, and on Thursday we will celebrate Grace's birthday with our family. She'll have her last cake from our bakery as it is closing in September, but you can read about that at Mama Karen's if you want to know more about that.
It feels so good to be on this side of VBS. Truly, the kids and ladies I worked with were great and the week could not have gone more smoothly. We had over 1000 kids attend each day. Our class of 5th graders was the largest with over 60! I thank the Lord that they were the best mannered children I have ever been with! And everything was so organized that no one had time to get into mischief.
This weekend I will be preparing for my sweet girl's 9th birthday on Monday. I need to make her a giant cookie. She decided on a M&M cookie. I am not sure what decoration theme she wants. That is typical. I won't know until the moment arrives! We've already changed from cupcakes to an ice cream cake, to the giant cookie.
I hope you have a fantastic weekend enjoying your family. I'll be around...hopefully.
Today went just as well as yesterday, although I could tell I was a little less motivated when I got home. Indeed, I was quite lazy! I did take a couple rushed photos of the kids before leaving this morning. It was bring an animal day. I brought three. (hee.hee,hee) Here they are...
They were a bit cheeky this morning, so the photos are not as wonderful as usual. (Ha)
Jul. 14, 2008~ Day One of VBS or Why I love 5th Graders ~
Hello. A big thank you to those of you who were praying for my day. VBS went very well. I am blessed to be working with a great team of ladies which made my day seem effortless, just kept the kids moving from room to room. And having all 5th graders was great too. I usually work with younger kids and feel so tired after a morning with them. Today was great. I even got a little bike ride with my son in this evening. I can't remember ever feeling "normal" after the first day of VBS. I did laundry, dishes and even made dinner tonight. I am looking forward to tomorrow, day 2. I hope you've had a good day too. I will try to make rounds one of these days.
Tomorrow is the first day of VBS for us. The kids are eagerly looking forward to this special week. I am working on a plan of survival. If you don't hear from me much this week, you'll know I am probably taking naps instead of blogging. Don't worry, I'll be around, just maybe not as much as I'd like. Have a great week! If you think of me, please pray that I will be an encouragement to others and that the children would grow in the Lord. Thanks much.
(((hugs)))
I have a smiling food theme going this week, don't I ? These are from our garden this week. Tonight we're having the last of the lettuce, the newly ready baby carrots, along with the above all in a big salad.
Have a great weekend! To see more Show & Tell posts, please visit our hostess, Mary.
**Thanks to all who offered help with the sewing machine. The bobbin winding mechanism is not working. This machine belonged to Jeff's grandmother and is a '79 Montgomery Wards model. I am not sure if it is going to work. I'll be really sad if it doesn't. I may need to start a sewing machine fund. Can you hand wind a bobbin? It looks like a lot of work and the manual said if it isn't done right the machine won't work. My MIL comes tomorrow. She gave me the machine. I am hoping she can get the bobbin to wind.
Hello, it's me, the lady who used to blog here several times a day! I've been MIA the last 2 days. Real life has been so sweet. Having my dear husband home for 3 days was such a blessing. Going back to reality today at full force today did not leave me with a lot of time to blog either, and I see the same in my near future tomorrow with soccer, swimming and babysitting. I did update my nature journal with three new posts this weekend if you are interested. Oh, and I just remembered that I also promised Grace to sew her new sun dresses we bought material for. I just taught myself to thread the machine and am working on threading the bobbin. Of course, now I realize I should have done that in the opposite order! Live and learn. I am just so happy to have my sewing machine manual. Oh, and another project keeping me busy is that we got another bike to restore, this time my mom's. She wants to give riding another try. I hope to post pictures soon. Until then...I hope to see you at My Nature Journal.
Jul. 4, 2008~ Show & Tell Friday: Jeff's New Love & More ~
Welcome to my show& tell. This has been an exciting week for us as a family. Jeff , my beloved, was given this sweet 1982 Schwinn World Tourist bike. Sadly, it was not taken very good care of over its life, so he has lovingly began the restoration process with great eagerness. And now he has a wonderful touring bike to use when we bike as a family. In fact, Jeff now has a mountain bike, a hybrid, and a touring bike. Does this guy loves bikes or what? Well, let me just say that when I met him, a 50 mile bike ride was normal for him. However, with the years passing and having a family to provide for, he had to give up his bike touring days for awhile. But now, he's back to training and I think it won't be long before he can do the bike tours he used to love. Anyway, here are some photos of he and his new love.
Before... After... Little helpers arrive...
And here are some pictures of the kids on their bikes... One last look at Jeff and his new love. And here is my retro touring bike. Happy trails to you! We'll be out on the Monon this weekend, weather permitting.
Have a safe and festive 4th!
If you would like to join the show& tell fun or see more entires, please stop by Mary's blog for details. Please do stop by Mary's to wish her a very ...
Happy birthday Mary! You are greatly appreciated!
(((HUGS)))
"Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth." Psalm 134
Another week's provision has come our way, just in the nick of time. For this I am most thankful. The timing is Yours, Lord. It keeps us looking to You to be our Sustainer.
The rain is coming down today. Rain is a gift from You.
Thank You for my 3 healthy children sleeping upstairs. I appreciate their different abilities and their devotion to their family. Thank You! I do not take for granted the gift of being a mother.
I am grateful for my faithful, hard-working husband who loves me. Another wonderful gift from You.
I appreciate the freedom to homeschool and to worship You that comes from living in a country like America.
It's been a LONG time since I found a quiz that was worth posting. Here's one I found over at my sweet friend Rosina's. So, where should you live?
You Should Live in the Country
You are laid back, calm, and good at entertaining yourself.
You don't need an expensive big city to keep you busy.
You'll take the peaceful life over the stressful life any day of the week.
While I find myself with a little computer time, I thought I'd post a slide show from this morning. I am so blessed to live in Carmel, IN. And just about 2 miles from my house down the Monon is a quaint farmers market every Saturday morning. Here's what we saw...
Just having spent the day with 5 kids (2 not my own),exhausted, I plop down on my bed while my kids watch Word Girl. "Why do I feel so drained?" Oh, it occurs to me that I have not yet spent some time with my Lord. So, I open my Bible to where I left off earlier in the week, to Psalm 127. I read the following words...
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
This Psalm is the answer to an earlier question I posed to a friend,"How can I keep this house clean with 5 kids here working against me? Why try? I can't do it!" That's exactly right. I can't do it. But Jesus can, as we learned to say in church last week. Verse 2 above reminded me that I don't have to toil day and night. And verse 3 says these children are a gift from the Lord. So why do I allow myself to grow weary? I should look at the mess as a gift and do my best to train them, patiently and with kindness, not frustration. I don't think it is a coincidence that these verses are put together. And I don't think it is a coincidence that I found them today, just when I needed to hear them.
Hello. My name is Jenn and I am striving to be a servant of Jesus Christ. I am a wife of 13 years to my best friend and a stay at home mom of 3 wonderful home educated children ages 10, 8, 6 here in beautiful Central Indiana. Titus 2:5 says to older women that we are to teach younger women "to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." This blog is my way of encouraging others to be Busy At Home.
I have a smiling food theme going this week, don't I ? These are from our garden this week. Tonight we're having the last of the lettuce, the newly ready baby carrots, along with the above all in a big salad. 
Before...
After...
Little helpers arrive...
One last look at Jeff and his new love. 
And here is my retro touring bike. 
Happy trails to you! We'll be out on the 
