Resting Place

At our Care Group on Tuesday night, one of the ladies led us in worship. She read Isaiah 66:1,2:

"This is what the LORD says:

'Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?' declares the LORD. 'This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.' "

I've heard & read these verses before, they are underlined in my Bible. But I don't think I've really understood these verses before Tuesday night. Before, I always had a picture of God sitting on His throne in heaven with His feet resting on the earth - pretty straight forward, but never gave much thought to the rest of the words. Because of my friend sharing her insight, I now have a different perspective.

I now see the focus being more on: "Where will my resting place be?" The resting place that God is seeking is in our hearts. He is looking for a place to rest, to hang out. It was like the light bulb went on! The resting place is in our HEARTS! Not some place in outerspace but in my heart! Suddenly these verses became personal! So then I asked myself: "What kind of a resting place do I have for Jesus? What is the condition of my heart?" He wants to dwell in someone who is humble and is contrite in spirit and trembles at His word. (Contrite: caused by or showing sincere remorse; filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent.)

God wants to dwell, live, hang out in our humble & repentant hearts. He wants us to tremble, to be in awe at His word. How many times in a day do I mess up, get mad at the kids, not have a loving attitude toward Jeremy? How many times in a day am I selfish with my sleep time, quiet time, wanting my space, what I want to do...)? How many times does my work or the computer (e-mailing, Facebook, even blogging) take priority over God or my family? What a disgusting resting place I've created for the One who is more important to me than anything! It doesn't sound very restful to me! "Maybe that's why my soul hasn't been at rest lately," she states rhetorically! I know when it's time to clear the clutter of my heart because my heart is unsettled, my soul is not at rest.

God asks us: "Where will my resting place be?" My answer, taking it one moment at a time is: "Here, O Lord, I have prepared a resting place for You. I will wait for You alone."

Resting Place
Heaven is my throne
And earth is my footstool
Where is the house you will build for me?
Whom of you will hear the cry of my heart
Where will my resting place be?

Here oh Lord
Have I prepared for you a home
Long have I desired for you to dwell
Here oh Lord
Have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for you alone
Copyright © 1991 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

ERs & IVs

I'm realizing that the past few posts have been mainly about medical stuff and here I am again about to write about more!

I just thought I'd take a moment to update you on how we're doing. Basically, Jeremy & the kids are fine. We haven't heard back about a surgery date for Becca, Daniel's side effects seem to be subsiding (yeah!), and Jeremy is ready to get back to losing weight (the scale gave him a reality check this morning).

As far as how I'm doing, well, that's a loaded question! It seems to be my turn with all the medical concerns. I had a nasty cold over Spring Break but seem to be over that now (with minor coughing when I get tired). My newest adventure is a kidney infection! I was silly & didn't take care of a bladder infection when I should have. I figured I could flush it out with water & cranberry juice, but alas, it didn't work.

Sunday night (early Monday morning - 3:45am to be exact) I went to the Emergency with extreme pain in my back, knowing it was a kidney infection. I've had one once before when we were first married. I got home about 6am in time to sleep an hour only to get up to take kids to school. Monday things got much better. Yesterday afternoon/evening things took a turn for the worse. We went to our church Care Group and by the time we left I knew I was going to be visiting the Emergency again. I dropped off our babysitter then headed to the hospital.

I was very thankful for a doctor who seemed very thorough. He feels that my antibiotics are working but just haven't fixed things enough for my kidneys yet. Because of that, I had extra antibiotics through an IV last night. It took 3 attempts for the nurse to find a good vein (something about having lots of valves), but she managed to get it in. I was so special that they let me keep it in all night & all day today (yes, typing with an IV stuck in my hand is rather precarious). I get to go back again this evening for another dose of drugs via IV. After that, my special-ness is supposed to end...they'll take my IV out. I have a follow up appointment tomorrow with my doctor & Friday evening my regular antibiotics will be done. I'm hoping that I'll be finished with this craziness soon!

A friend shared today on her CarePages (a way for her to update people on her battle with breast cancer) some verses from Job. Job is suffering immensely when his wife tells him to "curse God and die!" Job responds by saying, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" I know Job's and my friend's examples are much more extreme than my current situation, but I know I can still learn something from them. This morning I didn't feel like reading my Bible but knew God was prompting me to, so finally this afternoon I spent some time reading. Nothing profound jumped out at me, but rather a quiet reassurance that things will be okay. Even if my kidneys are causing me pain and my hand hurts from the IV, I will feel much better if I focus on God (and I do). My heart is at peace again.

Thankful Thursday - UPDATED

Here it is January 3rd, 2009 and I'm just adding pictures! Jeremy found the cord for transferring pictures from our camera to our computer. So I thought instead of creating a whole new post & having to describe each picture again, I would simply put the pictures in where they should be.

Hope you enjoy!

I have much to be thankful for today! I have been wanting to post all week, but haven't because I want to post pictures with it. I can't seem to find the USB cord to transfer pictures from our camera to our laptop. So today's post will have to be without photos - Sorry!

November 9th, Jeremy & I celebrated our 12th anniversary! That is the super-condensed version! Despite not having much time today, I will elaborate a little more than that!

Earlier this fall, Jeremy told me that we were going to go away for our anniversary. He didn't want to say anything until a day or two before we left, but because of my new business & my babysitting schedule, he chose to give me fair warning. I knew we were going from Friday night to Tuesday (it was a long weekend because of Remembrance Day), but that's all he told me. I had no idea where we were staying or what we were doing.

This is how the weekend played out for me:

• Nov. 7th, Friday night - babysitting kids go home; we're packed but so are the ferries. We decide to wait & go in the morning.
• Saturday morning (Nov. 8th) we (Jeremy, the kids & I) headed for the ferry
• Saturday noon, we met my parents at Walmart near their home & left the kids & their stuff with them; Jeremy & I left for Victoria for the night to celebrate our anniversary
• Saturday - on the drive to Victoria, Jeremy hands me Envelope #1. Inside it told me where we were staying for the night
• Saturday - mid-afternoon we arrived at our Bed & Breakfast Mountainside Luxury Resort & Spa (turns out it was very close to where my grandparents lived when I was growing up!)

View from our room

The Parliament buildings in Victoria, BC

• I rested a little, showered & got ready for our evening out; Jeremy presents me with Envelope #2 telling me where we were going for dinner; Jeremy puts on his new suit (he looked awesome!)
• We go to Il Terrazzo Ristorante for dinner. We went there on our honeymoon & both LOVED it! If you're ever in Victoria and looking for a great place to eat (it's a little higher priced & not as suitable for children), definately check it out
• Saturday early evening, during dinner - Jeremy presents me with Envelope #3, telling me where we were going after dinner
• Saturday evening after dinner we walk to the Royal Theatre to watch a perfomance of the Victoria Symphony & El Viento Flamenco. It was like Celtic dancing meets Spanish music - excellent!
• After the perfomance we head back to our B&B. The next morning, Jeremy presents me with Envelope #4 telling me where we were going for brunch.
• Nov. 9th (Happy Anniversary) Sunday morning - brunch at Samuel's by the Park
• After brunch, we attempt shopping for a bathing suit for me with no luck
• Sunday afternoon we drive back up Island and meet my parents & the kids at my aunt & uncle's (their kids planned an open house to celebrate my aunt & uncle's 25th anniversay).
• Sunday early evening, my parents & the kids leave early from the open house to drop some things off at another aunt & uncle's; we leave shortly after and meet my parents & the kids at a swimming pool (my parents have time shares in Parksville so they can use the pool there whenever they want for free).


• Sunday evening my parents take us out for dinner in Parksville to celebrate our anniversary
• Sunday evening, dessert time for the kids - the waitress brings the kids their desserts & hands me an envelope!
• Envelope #5 - "Actually, there is one more thing!"
• Inside the envelope:

Dear Leanne,

You are the wife a man can only dream of having. You have walked with me through some of the hardest days of my life and some of the best days of my life. You have encouraged me, loved me, supported me, and embraced my inner being with deep love & great affection. God has blessed me beyond what I deserve by giving me you. What words or actions, pledges or wonders could I ever do to express the deep gratitude of love I have for you, my best friend.

I have worked on this anniversary since January of this year, looking at ways I could show my appreciation for all the work you have done and all the love you have put into our family. I hope our time in Victoria achieved my desire to let you know how much I love you and how much I appreciate all that you do for me and this family.

BUT, as I said, I could never do enough.

I have arranged for us as a family to spend the rest of this week, until Sunday, at Pacific Shores Nature Resort. I told ___ & ___ (babysitting parents) that you are not available this week and the Epicure party you booked for this coming Thursday has been re-booked for the following Thursday. I have arranged with Daniel's school for him to be away as well and have brought his work to be done.

What do I have planned for this week? Nothing. I have talked with my family about us being here and we can visit them through the week and do whatever else we want to do. This is our family vacation in honor of you and all you do for us as a family. Thank you, Leanne."

Needless to say, the tears were flowing down my face! So in the end, what I thought was going to be a weekend on the Island with Jeremy & I gone for one night, turned into us staying for the entire week! I was completely shocked!

That week was SO good! It was the first time we, as a family - Jeremy, the kids & I, had ever had a holiday by ourselves. When we have holiday time, we always go to visit family. Even when we went to Saskatchewan a few years ago, we travelled with my parents. I am so glad they were with us, but there's also something to be said about just being by ourselves with the kids.

We had a great week hanging out just the four of us. We took the kids to a movie, I finally bought a new bathing suit (yeah!), we played tourist, took pictures (sorry, I still can't find the cord), relaxed and visited family. I loved it! Each evening I'd sit in the living room, look out the windows into the darkness, look at the lights reflecting on the ocean water & sigh. It was so perfect.

My Dad - I love this picture!

Daniel's photography

Cousin time

Family Time

It's been good being home again, but I think I could have stayed another week! Maybe next year!

Thank you to everyone who played a part, in some way or another, in planning this surprise for me. I was completely shocked and amazed at all the details that went into it!

To Jeremy, THANK YOU! I don't know how else to say it! You touched my heart in a very deep way & I love you more than I can put into words. I am SO thankful that God brought us together. Two people who grew up on the Island, with common friends, going to the same church camp at the same time, but not meeting till years later...God's ways are perfect! I love you and I'm looking forward to the next 12 years and beyond!

Thankful Thursday - Learning Part II

First off, if you haven't read my post from yesterday, read it first (click here).









Now that you've read that post, we can move on to today's!

I'm excited to answer the question at the end of the last post - what did I learn this past week?

I believe God said that I can pursue this new venture but I need to stay focused on Him. I need to glorify Him in this process and not become prideful. The attitude of my heart is crucial. I can't become complacent in my relationship with Him, allowing life to get too busy. Having my relationship with Jesus Christ get stronger and stronger still has to be my priority. The priority of my business will come a few notches down on the ladder after God, Jeremy and my kids. I also need to make sure I have time for my church commitments (when we find one).

So, with that being said, I'm excited to announce that I am a new Independant Consultant for the 100% Canadian company, Epicure. Epicure is an amazing company that offers herbs, spices, and professional-grade cookware along with a few other things. Their food products are versatile, healthy and delicious and one of the things I love most about the company is that their products are affordable! So if you happen to live in Canada (sorry - it's not available in the US) and would like to hear more about it, leave a comment on this post.

To summarize, today I am thankful that God has opened the doors for me to move forward with this new adventure, that He has already been blessing me. I am also thankful that I placed the whole business opportunity in His hands to see what He would do with it. I'm thankful that I am at complete peace about this venture and that I seem to have a permanent smile on my face! I love it when God puts His hands on something and blesses us with it!

I would love to hear what you are thankful for! Click on the comment button at the end of the post and share from your heart! If you would like to join others as they give thanks, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Learning

These past couple of weeks I have been seriously contemplating taking a big step in order to increase the amount of income I bring in. Monday evening I attended a meeting so I could get a feel for things before I make a commitment.

I really want to do this venture. Jeremy has concerns but is willing for me to give it a trial run to see how things go. Everything has been falling into place. I even filled out an Application/Agreement form.

I hadn't faxed it in yet to make it official. Somewhere in my heart, quite near the surface to be exact, was this uneasiness. I had asked God what He thought about me taking on this new venture but quickly ended my prayer, not really waiting for an answer. Because I am so excited about this I was scared that God would say "NO". Of course, in not waiting for His answer I also missed out on hearing if His answer was "YES". To me, on paper this looked like a no-brainer, but I knew I still didn't have an answer from God. And one of the things I've learned these past several months is that just because something looks good on paper doesn't mean it's the best thing.

I was going to fax off my application a couple of days ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Something else I've learned over these past several months is that the time I spend with God on a daily basis (at least I really try to make it daily) is very precious to me; the time I spend reading the Bible seems to be closely connected with whether my spirit is at peace or not.

Tuesday afternoon I saw my Bible sitting next to our laptop. I knew I needed to spend time reading God's words - even if it is just about the Israelites and how they have turned away from God yet again. Funny how this scenario is repeated over and over again, but I keep learning from them! So, I took a lawn chair, my Bible and journal out to the back yard (in the shade - the shade is my friend) and sat down to see what God had to say to me.

I must pause here for a moment and say how thankful I am that during the time I was reading my Bible the kids were quite well-behaved. I still had to get up to take care of things here and there (and was slightly distracted by a mom desperately trying to raise her child - see Tuesday's post), but overall, my kids weren't squabbling or misbehaving! That in itself is a small miracle!

Anyways, I continued reading where I had left off - Amos 5 (click here to read the chapter). At times I quite enjoy reading the books from the Old Testament, but sometimes I just want to quit and move onto the New Testament. But for the time being, I am sticking with the Israelites. I started reading chapter 5 and came across this verse, "This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: 'Seek me and live;...'" (verse 4). That seemed to speak to me. Here I am wondering if I should start this new financial endeavor and the words that speak to me are "Seek me and live". Hmmm. What does this mean in my situation? Is God trying to tell me something through this?

Then I read verses 21 - 23:

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps."

Now I don't claim in any way to know deep theological truths, especially from the Old Testament. The things that stood out to me may be completely out of context, so I can only hope that I am not misguiding anyone with what I learned the other day. When I read Amos 5:21-23, those verses made me stop and think. God is speaking to the Israelites. They have been making sacrifices to Him along with all the pagan rituals they have adopted. God is saying to His chosen people that He cares more about their heart attitude than He does about their religious rituals. The Isrealites were offering sacrifices to Him, as He had taught them so many years before, but they meant nothing to God because of their heart. They weren't focused solely on Him, forsaking all the other religions, worshiping only the one true God; they were doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that. God hates this kind of behavior. God really is a jealous God. He created us to worship HIM, not other things or people.

The rest of chapter 5 (verses 25-27) is God reminding the Israelites about the 40 years they spent wandering in the desert and how they brought sacrifices and offerings to Him but they also worshiped other idols made by their own hands, therefore not honoring the LORD.

My heart was beginning to feel more at peace about this endeavor but I wanted to take some more time to hear from God. So yesterday I read chapter 6 (click here to read the chapter). The chapter starts out very strong: "Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!" That's pretty strong!

I realize this post is getting lengthy so I'll summarize the rest of what I learned yesterday morning. God lists the disobedient things the Israelites are doing (v. 3-6) and tells them what will happen to them (v. 7). The rest of the chapter the LORD says that they are rejoicing over nothing; they had empty praises. Also, the Israelites were praising themselves for defeating a strong city, but in reality, whenever they defeated an enemy, it was God that made it possible (v. 12,13).

So what did I learn from all this? Check back tomorrow to find out!

Taking My Own Advice

Have you ever overheard someone who was totally oblivious to those around them? Have you ever thought to yourself, "Is that what I sound like when I forget others can hear me?"


I had that experience today and I must say it was a humbling experience. I could hear myself in this struggling mom as she attempted to be in charge of her child. I sat there wanting to offer parenting tips over the fence.


The longer the situation took, the more I realized I have done the same thing with my children. And as I was listening to the very frustrated mom, my head seemed to "have all the answers". The problem is, when I'm in the midst of a situation with my children I don't always remember those great parenting tips! Funny how all logic can slip out the window when you are under pressure.


While hearing this woman struggle to wrap up the situation, I made a mental note to remember this situation the next time I am in her shoes. Perhaps a lot of my parenting frustrations would be relieved if I would only adhere my advice!

My Senses Remembered

Jeremy and I were channel surfing tonight when we came upon the Gaither's singing on Vision TV. They were promoting their album/DVD called Rock of Ages. At the time we turned to the channel, there were three people, the Martins - of the singing group One Voice, singing a song that instantly brought back a flood of wonderful memories.

Have you ever experienced that? Ever heard a song and all your senses remember the original time of experiencing it?

I can remember it now as if I had just happened. I was 18 years old, at bible school, singing in the choir. This particular Sunday our choir was singing in a small community church, the same community where the bible school was located. I remember the church being small (no more than 100 people, probably more like 50-75) and wooden (the church is on a small island, surrounded by nature; the church was built to fit its surroundings).

Our choir sang our rehearsed songs, then listened to the sermon. During the end of the service, one of the older congregants had a medical emergency and friends and family helped to take her to get medical help. To help refocus the service, the pastor requested our choir to sing one of our songs again.

The song we sang is called "All People That On Earth Do Dwell". Each time our choir sang this song, we sang it a cappella standing in a circle facing the congregation. The tenors, sopranos, altos and basses were all interspersed, helping the harmony to sound more mixed. It also made it more difficult for each of us singing because we couldn't listen to the person next to us if we forgot a note! But the effect of it was breathtaking! I remember having chills on more that one occassion while singing this song . This Sunday morning was no exception.

So tonight when I heard that ancient hymn being sung so beautifully by the Martin's, I began searching the internet to find the words. I found several sites with words and even music, but better still, I found a YouTube clip of the Martin's singing the song! I just had to share it with you!

And maybe, just maybe, if you turn up the volume and close your eyes, you'll hear my voice, along with my fellow bible school choir members, singing praises to Jesus!

36!

Happy Birthday to...

ME!

Yup! It's my birthday today! I am now closer to 40 than I am to 3o! I'm not too sure how I feel about that, but what's a girl to do?!

Tonight Jeremy and I are going out for supper and then maybe mini-golfing. We'll play that part by ear. My theory for going out in the evening is that we can't come back until the kids are in bed and asleep, otherwise it's not worth going out!

We are swapping babysitting with some friends so we don't have to pay for a babysitter. Her birthday is on Monday so I'll go over there and watch their kids then. I'm all for saving money!

I'll try to post tomorrow morning about our fabulous date but it's Daniel's sports day tomorrow and I'm hoping to go watch.

Farms, Neighbors & Rain!

This post is a medley of happenings from yesterday and today. Enjoy!

Yesterday afternoon we met some friends at a local farm. This farm sells ice cream that they make (mmmm!) and has a barn open for visiting the cows and whatever else is in the barn.

The closest I got to the cows

Now, if you know me personally then you know how much I don't "do" farms. Before I got married I had a list of "qualifications", non-negotiables if you will, that I was trying to abide by for choosing a husband. If my memory serves me correctly, this was the list (not a comprehensive list):

• I won't marry someone from Bible College (technically Jeremy & I didn't meet at Bible college, we met off campus at a kids' ministry!)
• I won't marry someone younger than me (Jeremy is two years younger than me)
• I won't marry someone from Vancouver Island (Jeremy is also from Vancouver Island)
• I won't marry a pastor (Jeremy has a heart for ministry and if someday God calls him into a pastoral role then we would accept)
• I won't marry a farmer

First of all, please be sure that wasn't my full list. I really am not that shallow! Anyway, as you can tell, the first four "I won't"s went out the window when I met Jeremy! Somehow those four didn't matter anymore. But, the one I just couldn't compromise on was the "farmer" one. I have never been able to tolerate farm smells: hay makes me gag, farm animals have a "certain" aroma, etc. I have tried through the years but I have simply learned that it's better for me to avoid farm situations than to explore them.

All of that said, I went to this farm yesterday with my family & friends. On the way there, when I realized that we were going to a real farm (as opposed to a place that has a little petting "zoo" that sells ice cream) I said to Jeremy, "Is this our friends' way of getting me to a real farm?!" As much as I don't like farms, I appreciate what they give us (food, milk, etc) and the hard work and sacrifice it takes to run a farm. And I am trying really hard not to taint my children's perspective of farms and all that goes along with them. So far I think we're okay. Jeremy and the kids went in the barn to check out the cows and my kids loved it. I happily waited outside. I love that my kids enjoy farms and part of me wishes I could tolerate the smell.

After the kids washed their hands from looking at the cows, they ran to the play area. Daniel loved climbing up and sitting on the tractor. He was so proud!

Photo courtesy of Daniel

After checking out the little store, we went back to our friends' place and enjoyed some of the nummy ice cream cones (Bubble Gum and Caramel Swirl - separate, not mixed!). After some visiting we headed home. I popped the kids into the bath and tucked them into bed.

~ ~ ~

While I put the kids to bed, Jeremy went over to our neighbor's and helped him pick up some wooden planks from the store and take them to his backyard. We are really enjoying getting to know our neighbors more. Jeremy is always looking for ways to connect with our neighbors. The ones on either side of us are not Christians (yet) so with each friendly interaction and helping hand, we hope that they will be able to see Jesus in us, in our everyday lives.

~ ~ ~

This morning I considered putting some laundry on the line. Am I ever glad I didn't. About 10:45am the clouds opened up and spilled forth their contents! I haven't seen or heard rain like that for a long time. Within minutes, the gutters were overflowing.

Our neighbor's house

Because of the immense amount of rain, a poorly-made seam (by the previous owners) started leaking into our house. We dealt with leaking after we first moved in but haven't had to deal with it since Jeremy and Adrian (we originally bought our house with Adrian and his wife, Patty; we bought out their portion this past fall) did a temporary (3-5yrs) repair. As soon as I discovered the dripping by the back door I knew what I had to do.

After setting up my kids (thankfully the little guy I take care of was napping) with their TV shows, I went outside to conquer the rain. I was armed with my rain jacket (it was still raining hard), a plastic kitchen stirring spoon and the telephone (I always figure if something goes wrong at least I'll be able to call 911 - hopefully!). I positioned the ladder, climbed up and onto the roof. Oh the gunk! Decaying leaves, pine needles, small branches, sludge, pine cones, and cold water! Out it all came allowing the water to flow!

I decided I was finished when I was drenched and cold, the phone was ringing in my jacket pocket (Jeremy was checking in on how the leak was going - go figure!) and "my" little guy's grandma was here to pick him up. The leaking stopped! I saved the day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Six years ago I celebrated my first official Mother's Day! The year before that I was pregnant so I wasn't officially a mommy yet. I thought it would be fun to show a few pictures leading up to me becoming a Mommy for the first time!

Jeremy & I at our friends' wedding

(approx. 20wks pregnant with Daniel)

May '01

Sept. '01 (38wks pregnant)

I'm a Mommy at last!

Sept. 30, 2001

Approx. 7am

Our new family

Jeremy, Leanne, Daniel & Richard (our former foster-son)

Then 2 1/2yrs later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Rebecca, into our lives.

Yesterday's Mother's Day celebration was pretty low key but ended up being very relaxing and enjoyable.

We began our day by going to church, something that is weird for us! We normally have church Saturday night (our church rents another church's building, so we meet Saturday night so as not to "push" each other out on Sundays). This past weekend we joined with another church and met Sunday morning! It did kind of throw off the feel of our weekend a little but it was all good. So after church, we headed to the first restaurant that didn't have a 2hr wait! We managed to find one with only a 15 minute wait!

After lunch we headed home so the kids could give me their gifts. Daniel made a cute card and a very nice candle holder at school. It was very sweet!

Then, the kids - along with Jeremy - gave me the gift they all worked together on. Jeremy says I can't keep plants alive (I keep disagreeing but after looking around at the variety of dead plants, I'm beginnig to think I might have to agree!), so I was presented with a beautiful planter full of artificial silk flowers placed in real soil! I love the colors (blue being my favorite) and the kids were excited to show me the the flowers they each picked out. Daniel chose the pussywillows and Becca chose the blueberries. The great thing is that last summer I kept looking everywhere for a taller planter but, not wanting to spend lots of money, I didn't end up buying one. And here they gave me one for Mother's Day! It was perfect!

I was out with some ladies from our church on Friday night and ended up being out quite late, so needless to say, I was still tired yesterday. Jeremy took Becca grocery shopping while I stayed home and napped and Daniel watched some TV. Later, Jeremy put the groceries away, made supper and got the kids ready for bed. I really felt like I had a day off from "Mommy Duties". That is probably one of the best gifts I could have, especially these days with the extra kids I take care of!

After a phone call with my Mom and sister, Jeremy & I relaxed with some TV and headed off to bed. It was another great Mother's Day!

Fun Meme

I saw this over at Penless Writer and Praying Karen's blogs. It originally came from an e-mail so a few of the questions don't apply. I thought I'd take a crack at it!

1. Who were you named after? No one - my mom wanted to give me and my siblings each a name that kids couldn't tease. My middle name is my mom's first name.
2. When was the last time you cried? While watching a movie on Friday night
3. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes. I have a messy style (don't care for it) and a neater one - I prefer the neater one.
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Probably chicken or turkey but I'm not much for lunch meat; I keep thinking about how many chemicals must be in it. I never used to think like, but with Jeremy trying to eat healthier, I tend to think of these things more.
5. Do you have kids? Yes, 1 boy & 1 girl (apparently it's called the "million dollar family"!)
6. If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself? I hope so!
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Who me?! (I guess I do!)
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope - they were taken out when I was 8 or 9 yrs old.
9. Would you bungee jump? Not a chance!
10. What is your favorite cereal? Shreddies
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Every time!
12. Do you think you are strong? Physically - not really; spiritually - it's a work in progress; mentally/emotionally - I like to think I am!
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Funny thing - when I was growing up I didn't really like it. Now I prefer vanilla loaded with everything; either that or sherbert.
14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Probably their clothes (Wow, that sounds so shallow! Guess I'll have to work on it!)
15. Red or pink? Pink, although neither one is my favorite
16. What is the least favorite thing about you? My negative attitude
17. Who do you miss the most? Hmm, probably my sister - Karen, but I also have lots of friends I miss...Leila, Pam, Danika, Susan B, Cindy & more if I thought about it longer (be sure to leave a comment if you're reading this)!
18. Do you want everyone to send this back? (One of those "doesn't apply" questions)
19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? I'm wearing grey sweatpants because my favorite jeans are in the wash; and I don't wear shoes in the house, but I do have socks on.
20. What was the last thing you ate? Left over birthday cake last night; I have eaten breakfast yet. Although I think my tummy's getting ready to talk to me!
21. What are you listening to right now? Kids playing quietly (a rare thing - quietly! Or maybe they are into things!)
22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Definately blue!
23. Favorite smells? Fresh coffee (don't care for the taste as much but love the smell), Freesias, lilies, lilacs - any beautiful smelling flower!
24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Good question! I haven't been on the phone yet this morning; I can't remember if I was on the phone yesterday; maybe it was Saturday!
25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Not really applicable, but I do like Susan & Karen whose blogs I saw this on!
26. Favorite sports to watch? I'm not really a sports person - they all have pretty much the same excitement level for me - not much!
27. Hair color? Brown with a touch (more than I would like) of grey!
28. Eye color? Blue
29. Do you wear contacts? Nope, but I have been wearing glasses since I was in grade three
30. Scary movies or happy endings? Definately happy endings
31. Last movie you watched? "Reign Over Me" with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle (it was pretty good by the way! There were definately some parts that were inappropriate, but it was a very touching movie - made me cry, hence the answer to Q. 2)
32. What color shirt are you wearing? My cozy grey fleece sweater
33. Summer or winter? I've always loved the summer but not my skin gets super itchy from the sun so I prefer Spring.
34. Hugs or kisses? Hugs, but when I'm hugging my husband and kids, I can't help but give a kiss with the hug. The two just seem to go together!
35. Favorite dessert? Depends what time of the month it is! I'm beginning to appreciate cheese cake more, and most chocolate things appeal to me at certain times.
36. Most likely to respond? Another "not applicable" question.
37. Least likely to respond? Another "not applicable" question.
38. What book are you reading right now? Besides reading the book of Daniel in the bible, I am slowly working through "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" by John Piper.
39. What is on your mouse pad? Don't have one - we have a laptop
40. What did you watch on TV last night? Not much - there wasn't a whole lot on; did a lot of flipping
41. Favorite sound? Silence, good worship music or good piano playing
42. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Neither
43. What is the farthest you have been from home? I guess that would be Switzerland, but France, Spain, England & almost Germany (I was about 15 mins away) would be in close second.
44. Do you have a speacial talent? I don't think so - maybe someone else knows better?
45. Where were you born? British Columbia, CANADA. I will omit the name of my hometown, but I was born at home. I guess I was coming too fast for my mom to make the 20-30 minute drive to the hospital!

If you decide to do this meme (either on your blog or via e-mail), please let me know by leaving a comment on this post so I can read yours!

Joy???

I don't have joy in my life right now.

That is the conclusion I came to today. Jeremy and I are in the midst of some potentially major changes in our church. The processing within the leadership has been going on for close to four months now. We are tired of the processing, yet at the same time know that it is a very important step in the decision making.

Because I am on our church board, I have had a number of extra meetings to attend over the past few months. Each of these meetings brings with it a big weight of consideration, prayer, seeking God and discernement. That can get tiring after awhile!

Today as I sat down to do my devotions, I opened up a book I started reading awhile back, "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" by John Piper. I picked up where I had left off and wouldn't you know it, the chapter is called "The Indestructible Joy"! How fitting! To be honest though, when I started reading the chapter, I had to re-read several sections over and over again because my mind just wasn't connecting - until I got to a verse that Piper quoted:

John 15:11
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Suddenly, my wandering thoughts came to a hault. "Joy. I don't have joy in my life right now." I am almost at the point where I just don't care anymore. I know that apathy is NOT from God, so that means it's from Satan. Suddenly I am wanting to run as far away from apathy as fast as I can.

How can a person have joy in the midst of struggles?

Philippians 4:4
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

Philippians 3:13b,14
"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6,7
"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."

I am seeking God for His joy.

Weigh-In Saturday

Ummmm! Ya!

So there was supposed to be a weight loss update about Jeremy. Right. Ummmm! So for a variety of reasons, or maybe no reason at all, Jeremy didn't stick to his diet. And I have to be honest...once he said he wasn't really working on it (or figured he might as well give up for the week), I didn't help. I went to the store and bought ice cream, brownies (just the mini ones - can you hear the attempt at justifying myself?!) and sherbert (it's not that bad for you!??!).

I know, I shouldn't have bought those things and rather encouraged Jeremy to continue eating healthy, but it had been so long since we've bought stuff like that...I had a craving...!

Needless to say, Jeremy didn't bother weighing himself.

After a little chastising from a friend and fellow co-worker who is Jeremy's inspiration (check out Barb's Journey of weight loss here), I think we're back on track for this week. Thanks, Barb!

Our goal this week is for Jeremy to get into the 230's. He's been teetering at 240 lbs for some time now (although I think he did sneak down to 2398 a couple months ago). When I first met Jeremy 12 1/2yrs ago, he was in the low to mid-230's. It will be great seeing him back there again.

And just to let you all know, I seem to be losing some weight too. While I was pregnant with Rebecca, I had a craving for Dairy Queen, or anything with ice cream, chocolate and whip cream! I even started wondering if we were having a girl because I don't usually care for the sweet things. I've always been a "salty" person. Then, after Becca was born, I was nursing and still had a big appetite. Once she stopped nursing, I kind of kept eating lots and enjoying the sweets!

Needless to say, for the past few years (and Becca's turning 4 on Friday!) I have been the same weight as I was being 9 months pregnant with Daniel! My tummy has looked about 6 months pregnant for some time.

Last spring Jeremy & I started eating healthier and that did help some to shrink my tummy and lessen my cravings. But I still had more weight to lose. I have now dropped in pant sizes and am hoping to go down one more size yet. Most of the weight I have lost is since Jeremy began dieting these past few months. I don't weigh myself every Saturday and I haven't been all that careful about what I eat, but I have been noticing that I'm losing weight. I think in the past 5 months I've lost about 10 lbs. Not too good considering how long we've been at this, but I'm happy that the numbers are going down and not up!

Perhaps I'll post a before and after picture of me at some point!

Here's to Saturday, with positive results!

The Ultimate Blog Party!

Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom (they have great little daily devotionals too)!

I've been checking out other blogs friends that are partying as well so I thought I would join in!

The purpose of this great party is to meet other bloggers and to get your blog noticed. I thought, sure, why not?!

A little bit about myself?

1. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 11 1/2 years.
2. I started this blog as a way to help our families & friends keep in touch with us but sharing about my passion for Jesus is becoming more and more important!
3. As of this summer, I will be closer to 40 than 30!
4. I have two amazing children who keep life interesting.
5. I am a child of God, continually striving to know Him better.
6. I love photography, both taking pictures and looking at others' photography (can't afford to buy it yet!)
7. I am a stay-at-home Mom and help take care of others' little ones.

That's just a little bit about me. Stick around and you'll get to know my family and I more!