A Big Thank You . . .

to all who are serving  in the armed branches of the U.S. military. 

And we remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms.  May we never forget them or the freedoms we have.

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Dear God, please keep our soldiers safe and bless them and their families for all that they do!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

Stormy Skies

This past week we have had storm after storm.  And my, so much rain!  On Wednesday, we took cover in our basement several times as we heard the sirens go off.  My boys ended up sleeping down there one night.  For them it is an adventure.  Except for my youngest who is easily frightened by the thunder and sirens.  He asked me why God made the thunder.  I admit it's a side of God I don't often think about.  Too often I think about His caring, gentle and loving nature.  But, He is also strong and powerful, evident in the thunder we were hearing.

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The next morning I read this scripture,

"At this also my heart trembles,

And leaps from its place.

Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,

And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

He sends it forth under the whole heaven,

His lightning to the ends of the earth.

After it a voice roars;

He thunders with His majestic voice,

And He does not restrain them 

when His voice is heard.
God thunders marvelously with His voice;

He does great things which we cannot comprehend.

Listen to this, O Job;

Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God."

Job 37 : 1-5, 14

The elements of the storm did pass and all is relatively calm again.

Looking forward to lots of sunshine this week!

Last Day of School!!

I don't know whose happier, my kids or myself that today is the last day of school!  This means more sleep and freedom!  Yay!!!   With kids in 4 different schools (high, middle, elementary and preschool) all at different times, it has been nothing short of busy.  Between volunteering, parties, plays, concerts, field trips, awards and on and on it goes our schedule has been hectic.

Now, we are looking forward to doing lots of this.

My boys - Summer 2010

Now, we just need the weather to cooperate!!


Blessings on your day!

What's For Dinner?

Angel Hair Pasta w/ Fried Chili Flakes, Lemon and Arugula

I wanted to share a really nice recipe by Tyler from Food Network.  It is simple to put together and with our crazy, zany sport schedule 6 days a week it's a nice meal to prepare when we get home late in the evening.  It's too late to make anything really heavy because we'll be going to bed soon plus this dish is refreshing after being outside in the sun.



Isn't it fun to watch a chef cook? 

Blackberry Dessert

We ended our meal with a simple dessert.  Blackberries were $1 for a half pint at my grocery store.  Score!!  Plus delicious.  I just cut up an angel food cake from the bakery, sprinkled some berries and added whipped cream.

Dinner and dessert in about 35 minutes.

What's cooking at your house?

Anointing at Bethany

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"Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, 

where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, 

but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, 

anointed the feet of Jesus, 

and wiped His feet with her hair.  

And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil."

John 12:1-3

This is such an incredible story of a woman, Mary, who bestowed upon Jesus a very precious gift.  By anointing Him with the expensive oil she foreshadowed his death and burial.   What an incredible dinner it must have been!  Just think it was just after Lazarus' resurrection.  To be together again must have been pure joy.  We see Martha served the meal.  Does that mean service is her love language?  I wonder.  Lazarus sat at the table with Him it says.  Perhaps time was his love language?  And then Mary enters without any shame or hesitation to demonstrate her love for Jesus.  Would gifts be her love language?  Others as we read on ridiculed her for her extravagance but Jesus said "she has done a good work for Me."  And then in Mark 14:9, Jesus says where the gospel is preached her act will be as a memorial to her.  Wow!  Can you imagine the scent of the oil filling their home?  A scent that represented love, selfless giving and peace?

Thank you Lord for Mary and the example she is to us.  Help us to give ourselves completely to You.  Let it be a sweet fragrance to You and be present in our own homes!

Have a happy Sunday!

A Housewarming Gift

This pretty purse caught my eye from the book "Quilting in No Time."

I thought it would make a nice housewarming gift for my husband's coworker.  She is having a party and will be serving us Chinese for dinner. 

I choose the lighter peachy fabric (flowers and fans) from my stash and stood in front of the calico's at Joann's for too long trying to find 2 coordinating prints.  I instinctively gravitated towards complimentary colors but for this I figured I needed to stay within the peachy orange tones and go analogous instead.  I'm not sure I got it right as it was outside of my familiarity.  After making my decision, then I debated which stabilizer to use:  lightweight or shirt-weight???    I guessed the latter and I am glad I did as it gives the bag more structure without being overly stiff. 

There are any number of possibilities for prints and colors with this bag and it could easily be made to match any outfit for that special occasion. 

You can never have too many purses, right????

Enjoy your day!!

Out of the mouths of babes

This is the last week of pre-K for my youngest son.  He filled in the blanks of this sweet little book (okay so his teacher wrote what he said and he colored the pictures!)

The purity of his words are so touching.  I can't believe he will "graduate" in just a few days.  It is a closing of a chapter in his life and he's eager for the next one, Kindegarten.  I, on the other hand, am struggling with it!  With every step my children take towards more independence it tears at my heart, the first time being away from my baby, their first day of preschool, their first day of  kindegarten, their first sleepover with a friend, first day of high school, first date, etc.  God give me the grace to accept it and to be their biggest cheerleader, watching them every step of the way, praying they will be successful and fulfill God's calling in their lives.

May there always be sunshine!