Weigh-In Monday

Due to being too tired from such a fun weekend, Jeremy forgot to weigh himself this morning, so we'll post his results when we know them!

Farewell, New Faces & Cooling Off

This weekend was full of farewells and meeting new people.

Saturday night we went to our home church to say good-bye. Because of the changes that are happening in our church and God calling Jeremy & I in a different direction, I submitted my letter of resignation as a board member earlier last week. Then on Saturday during the service, my resignation (along with another board member's) was announced. There was a prayer time and blessing for us (and the other family) as it was also our last time attending our home church. There were tears and sadness of having to let go and laughter of good times over the past years. Even though we aren't physically moving away, there is still a sense of loss. We won't see these friends on a weekly basis anymore; I don't think I've actually grasped that concept yet. For 12 years, the people in our church have been our friends and family, as both mine & Jeremy's families live a fair distance away. They have supported and cried with us during our hard times and laughed and celebrated with us during our happy times. I thank God for the years we had with these wonderful friends.

Jeremy & I have been in limbo with church for several months now, waiting for something "official" to happen. Now that we had closure on Saturday night, we decided to attend a church Sunday morning that we had heard about. We enjoyed it and met a lot of friendly new people. I'm glad it was a good experience, but it was still difficult. I found myself critiquing things, being more observant than I usually am. I've only ever had two church families in my life, the one I grew up in and the one we just said good-bye to. I found myself comparing this new church with the one I love. But we are trusting God in this process, so I know that as we continue to search for a new church family, God will direct us and bless us. Boy, for someone who doesn't like change, I'm sure learning to be flexible!

After church we did a bit of grocery shopping, came home, had lunch and got ready for an afternoon with friends. One of the families in our church (the one we just said good-bye to - I'm still used to calling it our church!) has a large pool. They are moving in August so they wanted to take advantage of the hot weather we're in the midst of (almost 40/100 yesterday!) and have people over for swimming. So we packed up our snacks swimsuits and headed out. We have gone swimming at their pool for several years now and will sure miss it next summer!

It was a wonderful time cooling off in the water and visiting with lots of friends. I tried my best to stay in the shade as the sun bothers me. Over the past few years, the effects of the sun on my skin have been getting worse and worse. Now, if the sun is on my face, arms or chest then I get itchy little bumps and welts (the welts are more on my face). It's not very pleasant! Sunblock seems to be helping but it's not perfect.

After swimming we had a BBQ for supper and everyone shared their food. I love potlucks! We had a great time relaxing, visiting, and enjoying a beautiful summer day. The kids were tired and sweaty when we got home so we refreshed them with a bath and tucked them into bed! We watched a great adventure movie on TV after the kids were in bed, ending a great weekend!

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!

Check it out!

I had the priviledge the other day of "meeting" another blogger when she commented on my blog. Her name is Nancy Douglas from Olive Leaf Ministries.

I've just taken some more time to peruse her blog (Olive Leaf Ministries Blog) and listened to her first video devotional. It was really good so I thought I'd share it with you.

Yielding To God's Will (Psalm 37:4)




The other thing I want to mention is that the Olive Leaf Ministries blog is having a giveaway! Donna says she can't spill the beans quite yet as to what the prizes will be, but says that the more entries they get, the more they will give away! Sounds good to me!

Here is how it works:

Now here's the best part. The more entries we receive, the more we give away. I love givin and gettin so I'm gonna delight in watching it all transpire. I just wish everyone could be a winner.

So here's what you can do to increase everyone's odds. Begin telling your blogging buddies now about Olive Leaf Ministries' upcoming giveaway. Send this link to your friends or announce it in your won blog entry. Many of you have been kind enough to add my link to your blog page (thank you dear girls) so pointing the way will be easiest for you.

Now, who says you can't get something for nothing?

Stay tuned girls! I'll give you another bean very soon, but only when I am allowed. Don't want to get fired.

I hope you'll check out Donna's blog and be encouraged. And I'm excited to see what will transpire with the contest!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again, which in the blogging world means it's Thankful Thursday. I've been having a difficult time finding things to be thankful for that I can't or don't quickly dismiss with negativity. But after spending some time with God things are getting better.

I finished the book of Hosea today! I get excited when I finish reading a book of the bible. It's a sense of accomplishment; something I struggle with - accomplishing things!

Anyway! I over the past several months, I have been reading through some Old Testament books. I find that the more I read these books, the more I gain a better understanding of the relationship between God and Israel, which in turn gives me a better understanding of my relationship with God. So many times the Israelites complained and God supplied their needs; they wanted idols like the surrounding nations so they built them; they wanted kings and princes like the other nations so God gave them their desires:

"Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'? So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away" Hosea 13:10,11.

I looked back at all the times I've been selfish, complained, and stomped my foot at God. I thought back over the years about how I struggled to feel close to God. I would have times of closeness (often during the height of a trial), but after the trial subsided, I would grow distant from God again. Then I would feel guilty about not maintaining my relationship with Christ. It really is a terrible roller coaster ride. Thankfully, last fall I really grasped the understanding that God isn't standing there ready to punish me for all my shortcomings and disobedience. That doesn't mean there aren't consequences for our actions (or lack thereof). But what I realized this past fall is that God is simply waiting for me with open arms, wanting me to see His love for me.

If you don't know, the the first three chapters of Hosea are a beautiful illustration of how God instructs the prophet Hosea to take back his adulterous wife, over and over again. God uses this relationship to parallel His relationship with Israel. Chapters 4 through 13 describe God's warning, judgement and punishment for Israel because of their disobedience, with the exception of chapter 11. Tucked nicely amongst all the "doom and gloom" chapter 11 describes God's never-ending love for Israel.

"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not man - the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath" Hosea 11:8,9.

The book ends with chapter 14, a chapter about repentance bringing a blessing to the God's chosen people.

"Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: 'Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips'" Hosea 14:2.

Then there is God's response to their repentance:

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, my anger has turned away from them" Hosea 14:4.

This is the verse that really struck me this morning. I love that part: "and love them freely". Freely; without reservation; without traces of bitterness, resentment or anger. Love them FREELY! That is how God loves me (and you!)! Despite all the times I fail Him, He loves me with a pure love - no bitterness, resentment or attitude; FREELY! No matter what I've done or will do in the future, God loves me. Yes, I still need to deal with the consequences of my actions, and no, this doesn't mean that my life will be easy. But it means that God loves me despite my shortcomings. There is a freedom in that for me.

So, today I am thankful for God's free love for me! I'd love to hear what are you thankful for. Just leave a comment and let's praise God together! To share in Thankful Thursday, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

Newest Addition to our Family!

Announcing...

Nikon D50 SLR

Jeremy and I are so excited! We love photography and hope to some day be able to get more serious about it - we're counting the years until the kids are old enough for us to get more involved with our photography.

We are in the process of buying the camera from our friend (the third friend who went golfing with Jeremy & Leigh - see this post). On Sunday after our friends left, we went to a local park, played on the playground, walked around the lake and took pictures - lots of pictures! We came back with over 100 pictures on our camera! It is so fun! We have two lenses for the camera, one being more of a macro lens. I love using macro!

Here are just a few of the snapshots we took on the beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon.

Friends & Photos

This past weekend we had some friends stay with us from Alberta. The last time we saw them was two years ago at his RCMP depot graduation in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was the first time I had been that far east since I was about 14yrs old! It was so good driving through the prairies again and being able to show Jeremy and our kids another part of God's creation.

But, that didn't happen this past weekend...! Our friends arrived on Friday before supper and left early Sunday morning. The guys had a blast bonding again. Jeremy & Leigh are childhood friends. I met Leigh after he was already married to his wonderful wife Pam. Pam & I have become good friends and we always have lots to chat about when we get together. This weekend was no exception. The guys were gone quite a bit (to the movies to watch "The Incredible Hulk" on Friday night, golfing with a third friend on Saturday and picking up Leigh's niece & nephew on Saturday evening). So Pam & I got lots of visiting in.

At first I was struggling with letting the guys go out so much because I was feeling the need for a break too, but Pam helped me to remember that this is the guys' time to reconnect. Although Pam & I are good friends now, it is the guys that have been friends for much longer. (Thanks for the gentle reminders!!) Once I was fine with the guys going out so much, I enjoyed my time at home more.

After the graduation (two years ago), I started a scrapbook of the momentous day to give Leigh & Pam as a gift. However, in my typical Leanne fashion, I didn't get it done right away. Needless to say, I started working on it again about a month ago, but really only finished it on Saturday while they were here! The guys were golfing, kids were napping - most of them, and Pam layed down for a nap too. I knew this was my chance! I had my supplies out so fast! I only had three pictures left to scrap and limited time to do it in! It's amazing how creative I can get when under pressure! Pam woke up almost an hour later and I had just finished! Talk about cutting it close!

I still wanted to color photo-copy the finished album, so I went out by myself and got it done. I was happy to finally be able to present the album to them at supper that night.

By the time they were leaving Sunday morning, I realized I didn't get any pictures of them (we did get some great funny poses with Jeremy & Leigh but they are downloading in the wrong format - not sure how to fix that)! I couldn't believe it! So all the pics are from Sunday morning as we were saying good-bye.

Joel & Rachel all ready to go!

Our friends driving away (sad moment!)

We loved having you and your kids here. Becca missed your kids as soon as you drove away! We are looking forward to our next visit (next year, maybe two years?!) and meeting the newest member of your family!

Weigh-In Monday

Yo-yo! Yo-yo!

Down a couple pounds one week, up 6 pounds another! Ya, Jeremy went up 6 lbs this past week. Overall I think he did fairly well, but we had company this past weekend so things were more relaxed. I guess that did it!

Jeremy is still determined to keep losing weight, it's just frustrating when it's such a yo-yo game.

Weight Loss Update

I know I'm a few days late in posting this, but I figured better late than never!

Drum roll please...

237 lbs!

Those were the numbers on the scale this past monday morning! Finally under 239! We're hoping it's all "down" hill from here!

Catch Up!

My mind has been preoccupied this past week so I haven't been keeping up with my blogging. See my "Thankful Thursday" post (coming up next) for more details. Today I feel able to summarize the adventures of last weekend.

On Friday, I received a birthday card from my Mom & Dad and found a "little something" in it, so we decided to go out for supper with the gift. The kids are getting to the age where they want to celebrate mine & Jeremy's birthdays with us so we thought going out for supper would be a great way to celebrate. We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory. It's the first time we've been to the new one in our town. I had manicotti stuffed with spinach & a variety of cheeses ~ Mmmmm!

Saturday ended up being a different kind of day. Due to some circumstances at his work, Jeremy had to work for the day. This left me with the kids. I still had to take care of the little girl I have (every Saturday morning), but after that we went out to do some errands. On our way to do errands we were driving past the new hospital that is being built (it will be open near the end of August). It turns out there was an open house to tour the new hospital so I turned around and the kids and I enjoyed a tour of our beautiful new hospital. We even got to see the medic helicopter on the helipad! At the end of the tour they had BBQ going so we sat on the grass and enjoyed our lunch of hot dogs, chips & popcorn.

Sunday was Father's Day. We woke up early and drove to a city nearby (about 45 mins away) and went to church. Our friend, Bob Dobson, was speaking. This man has an incredible testimony of how God is sovereign and present, even in the midst of tragedy. Just briefly, two years ago in June, he was on holidays with his wife, mom, daughter & son-in-law and 14-week old grandson. They were driving in Oregon and were on their way to their holiday destination when they were hit head-on. Bob's wife and mom both died from the accident. Bob, his daughter & son-in-law have had multiple (over 40 each I think) surgeries so far - with more to come - to repair their damages. The baby came away from the accident unharmed - praise God! Last Sunday, Bob was speaking at his church, sharing his testimony of the past two years. He is an incredible man of God. At the end of his testimony, Bob said that if God doesn't receive the glory in this tragedy, then the price was too hard to pay.

After the church service, we raced back to our town for a birthday party for the little girl I take care. She turned 2! The kids had a blast as it was at the local gymnastics gym.

The Birthday Girl!

Daniel having fun in the foam blocks

Trying to decide if she should let go & fall into the foam pit!

The party was finished around lunch time, and we didn't have any plans made for the rest of the day. We are trying to keep our expenses down so instead of going out for lunch, we picked up some steaks for BBQing later in the day. When we got home, our friends called. Their dad was sick so they couldn't celebrate Father's Day with him. So our two families went to a Father's Day Car Show (we were happy because the admission was by donation!). The men were in their glory and us wives watched the children play in a creek on the property. The men were happy to check out all the old & newer vehicles, we were happy because we were in the shade and the kids were happy because they were playing with water! How much better can it get?!

Daniel's perspective of the car show!

When we'd all had enough, we went back to our friends' place and had a BBQ with them. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Jeremy being a father.

So that's a wrap up of last weekend. Sorry it's a few days late!

Thankful Thursday

Earlier this week I was thinking ahead to today and wondering what I would write about for Thankful Thursday. At the time I was struggling to find things to be thankful for. By yesterday I was anxiously awaiting today so I could share.

This past week or so has been particularly hard for me. We had a church meeting last night to determine the direction our church will go. It has been eight months of praying, seeking God, devouring His Word, processing with friends and family and surrendering our desires into God's hands.

Last night the decision was made final. Our church has decided to merge with another church in town. From the beginning Jeremy & I have not been at peace with this direction. Throughout our processing and seeking Him, we believe that God is calling us in a different direction. We don't know where that direction will take us but we have a peace (that goes beyond our understanding) that we are on the path marked for us. We love our church family so much. It hurts to say good-bye to them, but when God tells you to do something, it is better to do it than to disobey, even if it hurts.

Now for what I'm thankful for! Today, I am giving thanks to God for:

• His incredible love and patience (the processing times aren't very easy)
• The Bible, which is living and active
• My friends who have cried with me during this process
• My church family who, although they are being called in on a different path, have respected our stand and still love us

Throughout these past eight months I have been encouraged by a number of different verses, some of which I've shared on my blog. Lately, the verses that have given me the strength to carry forward are:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5,6).

"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 our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7).

Check out other thankful hearts at "Sting My Heart".

Sports Day

Today was Daniel's sports day. I bundled up the kids, packed lots of snacks and hoped for the best. When we going out to the van, "my little guy" that I take care of had a big yawn! It was getting closer to his nap time, but I really wanted to see Daniel participate & cheer him and his class on. "My little guy" did great! He stayed in the stroller fine and didn't really squawk. I think he was too enamored watching all the kids doing amazing tricks.

Daniel was so surprised & happy to see us. I love his enthusiasm! It sure warms a mom's heart on a windy day!

Here are some pictures from his sports day! Enjoy!

Daniel awaiting his turn to carry a golf ball on a spoon

Digging for uncooked pasta in the sand

Waiting his turn

Loving the potato sack race

Don't drop the badminton birdie!

Trying to find a blue beanbag while blindfolded & listening to his partner's instructions

The freezie station would have been more enjoyable if it was warm!

Squeezing water from a sponge into the pop bottle

My proud son displaying his ribbon

Birthday Date

As I wrote yesterday, last night Jeremy & I went out for my birthday.

Things were a little up in the air as to what we were going to do, but in the end we went to a brand new place in town called "Wings". As the name of the place states, they "do" chicken wings. They have probably about 15+ different flavors of wings as well as some entrees with wings. The food was good and the atmosphere was fun. It's a more trendy place so the music was loud, making conversation a little more difficult. In the end, it was okay because Jeremy & I had agreed ahead of time that we wouldn't talk about any church "stuff"; it was a night off from all the issues. Needless to say, we found it difficult to find other things to talk about! Our time together was still good.

After supper, we went to an amusement type place (arcade games, go-karts, bumper cars, etc). Instead of doing mini-golf, we decided to try to earn lots of tickets so we played "Deal or No Deal". It is a "video game" of sorts. It's like the TV game show - there are 16 cases (the TV show has more) with ticket amounts ranging from 1-400 (the TV show plays for real money, up to $1 million). You have to choose one case that you think the top amount is in. With the video game version, whatever amount you have in your case at the end or whatever amount you make a deal for, that's how many tickets you end up with.

We had a blast playing! We did pretty good at the game, winning the top amounts a couple of times! At one point, the game ran out of tickets, so a worker came & refilled the machine. When he finished refilling it, he flicked a switch a few times giving us a free game! Jeremy thanked him, telling him it was a great birthday present for me! Shortly after, the worker came back over and gave us a coupon for over 100 tickets! So not only did we get a free game, but we got extra tickets! Jeremy had over 200 tickts from a previous time which we added to last night's winnings and the free ones. At the end of our evening we had over 1000 tickets!

After you have won tickets, you can go and cash the tickets in for prizes (candy & toys). Jeremy was in heaven! We each got some candy (so much for the diet) and got a stuffed animal for each of the kids and one for me.

By then it was time to head home. The best part about coming home was not having to pay a babysitter because of the babysitting exchange we are doing. We don't have the luxury of having family close by to give us free babysitting so this was a real treat! Thank you, Cassandra!

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.

Thankful Thursday

Read other thanksgivings at Sting My Heart, hosted by Iris.

I am thankful for my identity, as a Christian, in Jesus Christ. I am thankful that because I am a child of God, I can stand firm against Satan and his armies.

Who I Am In Christ

I am accepted...
John 1:12
I am God's child.
John 15:15
As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17
I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10
I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16
I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure...
Romans 8:1-2
I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28
I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39
I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4
I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6
I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant...
John 15:5
I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16
I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6
I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10
I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

"The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!"

(From Victory Over the Darkness , by Dr. Neil Anderson)
Copyright © 2006 Freedom in Christ

All Rights Reserved

Check it out!

I read these two blogs this morning and was encouraged and challenged by both of them. I thought I would share them with you. Feel free to check out these wonderful ladies' blogs:

Susan from Penless thoughts: Susan has a two-part post called "Authentic and Vulnerable". For Part 1, click here; for Part 2, click here.

Heather from Mumblings of a Mommy Monk: Heather has a post called "Pessimism" (click here to read it). She works through Philippians 4:8 and looks in detail. I was challenged to relate this to my parenting. It's longer than most posts but definately worth reading!

Weigh-In Monday

Jeremy has now designated Mondays as his weigh-in day.

He's really having trouble getting focused and back on track. He didn't bother weighing himself this morning because as of yesterday he had already gained 2lbs. We are still in the midst of some potentially major changes with our church. The stress of it is making it difficult for Jeremy to concentrate on his eating. For Jeremy, when things get stressful he turns to eating.

Jeremy hasn't given up completely. He is still eating a healthy breakfast and I'm doing my best to provide healthy suppers. Most lunches end up being good as well. It's the evening snacking that's hard to give up. One step at a time! And again, hopefully next week will have better news.

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!

FREE is Good!

There is an on-line organization in our area (and in many areas) that facilitates people swapping things that are still of good use. If you are finished with something but don't want it to go in the garbage, or if you are looking for something, you can advertise on this website. The best part is everything is free! The organization is called Freecycle. I recently registered and have been offering and looking for things. I'm realizing that you have to be quick to respond. There have been a few things now that we have missed out on. But...

I am so excited because today we just picked up a garden shed and a composter - for free! Jeremy & Daniel, my hard-working men, just returned and finished setting up our new finds.

The garden shed is quite small (just over 5' high, 2' wide and about 18" deep) but it should fit our gardening tools quite nicely. The insides of the doors even have pegboard with some hooks for hanging smaller items. I would have loved a larger shed for storing outside toys during the winter, but I'm still excited with this little one. If we had bought it new it probably would have been $100-$200, so I'm not complaining at the FREE price!

I have been wanting a composter for a few years now but we just never bought one - I guess I'm too cheap! And now I have one - for FREE! I can hardly wait to start filling it up! I think it takes one or two years before the compost is ready to use in the garden, but that's okay! Internet research - here we come!

Weigh-In Saturday

If you are waiting for a weight loss update, you'll have to wait until Monday! Jeremy has decided to make Monday mornings his official weigh-in day. He was finding that once he would way in on Saturday, it was far too easy to "cheat" on the weekend knowing he had a whole week to work it off. Jeremy is hoping that by weighing in on Monday will keep him sticking to his eating plan better over the weekends.

So check back Monday for his weightloss update!

Thankful Thursday

Many thanks to Iris for hosting Thankful Thursday.

I am thankful for:

• having to kill only one ant inside the house so far this morning; maybe the liquid ant poison is actually working!
• my husband who challenges and encourages me
• my two children who think I'm the best Mom in the whole world
• friends who understand
• God's Word coming more & more alive in my life
• unexpected cancellations that make the day a little less hectic

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6

What are you thankful for today?

A few days ago I wrote a post called "The Power of Jesus Christ!". The church website now has a written format of the sermon we heard on Sunday. If you are interested in reading the sermon, click here to access it (you will need Adobe Reader). Unfortunately, I think the audio of the sermon wasn't recorded. If that doesn't work, click here to access the church's website and follow the Sermon link.

If you read it, I'd love to hear what you thought about it. Feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the "Thoughtful Responses" at the end of this document.

Praise & Coffee Giveaway!

I missed posting this on the 1st, but it's still not too late! Head on over to Praise & Coffee and leave a comment before June 10th. That will sign you up for this month's prize:

1 bag of Starbucks Coffee
and a
Steven Curtis Chapman's latest CD, "This Moment, Cinderella Edition".