OH WOW !!!!  Talk about a crazy time since last I posted !!!   We had our week of VBS...then I worked 2 weeks at my old job helping my boss.  Honestly, I didn't really care too much for it.  I had to find sitters for the kids...wake up really early...my house was a constant disaster...be away from the family all day...and on and on.  Kudos to those of you who do it, but my family doesn't seem to function well during these times.  But the money was good, and I'm happy to help out when I can around here.  Thankfully it was only a few weeks.

Then last week my sister and niece from Tennessee came in on Thursday  and stayed through the weekend.  We had a baby shower for my niece on Saturday.  Well since of course I had been working my house was a wreck and I had to clean all week...plus we had Jack and Vivi here...AND I did my last ladies Bible study class on Wednesday morning.  Unfortunately during all of this our power went out Tuesday evening around 6pm from a big storm we had and didn't return until  Wednesday afternoon when we got home.  You never saw such jubilation when we walked in the door from Bible study and we had air conditioning again....lol...we are so spoiled.  I was pretty stressed all last week and broke down one evening with Mike.  Actually, the break down helped a lot...lol...he made me feel better just by letting me vent.  I became pretty peaceful by the time my sis and niece got here.  I'm glad too, they needed to see a peaceful Christian home.  I am hoping I was able to have some impact on their lives.  They are very "worldly" and need Jesus.  They have hearts of gold, however, and  if that heart was driven for Christ we would truly have Christian warriors!!!!  There were a few very impacting incidences...one especially on their way home where they were helped by a young Christian college boy who will never realise in this life what he did for them.  God is so good my friends.  He never gives up on you.

Today Alec has a friend coming over and we have Jack & Vivi as well...so it will be a busy day.  Hopefully the weather will stay good so that the kids can swim.  Tonight the ladies from the Esther Bible study are getting together to watch "One Night With The King".  It's gonna be sooooooo fun !!    Last week Rebecca, Shari, Kim (Rebecca's friend), and I all went to see Mamma Mia.   I sooooooo loved this movie !!!  I am such a big freaky ABBA fan....hehe.  There  are some moral issues there for sure...but most of all it was a great movie.

I am not sure what I am going to do about becoming part of Women's Ministry.  I sort of feel led to it, but I don't feel like the Lord necessarily wants me to use this avenue to help women.  It's a hard decision and may take more of a commitment than I am willing to give.  Mike told me last night he was leaning against it...so I need to know I have his full support.  We have such a huge school year in front of us with Alec now starting Jr. High that I want to be more commitment free.  I have never felt more "led" than I have lately to simplify my life and focus on my family.  I feel I need to work for the Lord....but maybe not in a "structured" format...Women's Ministry might actually pull me away from the things I need to REALLY be doing with my time.  Even though it is a wonderful ministry, it may not be what I am supposed to be doing right now.

I am also considering taking a few months off of the Ladies Bible Study....in both leading and just attending.   It will be right in the middle of our school day.  Rebecca and I swap kids each week and I think that might be more of a refresher for me right now.  I am not sure I can do both.  sigh...lotsa prayer needed right now as I figure this all out.  TOO MANY good things could be the Satan pulling me away.  Homeschooling is a HUGE family commitment...it may be my major one this year....I feel in the past I have had too many other things pulling me away. 

Well there's my update....WHEW !!!!!!   It's exhausting just reading it all...lol.

Blessings,

Laurie