Perfect Reverence

Too long...

2009-11-06T23:10:00.002-05:00

It's been six months, almost to the day, since I last blogged. I've thought about closing up shop but tonight I looked through some old post and just couldn't do it. I guess I can add blogging to the LONG list of personal things I want to accomplish during the day. I don't know how it will rank with Bible reading and exercise but I'll give it a try.
Things are going well. Vance's job is good, not perfect, but good. At this moment he's planning on going back to school next fall and we're excited about it. He's also about to start a part time job getting a compounding department open in a local pharmacy. This should be a temporary thing until our debt is paid off. We've been working hard on if for years so it shouldn't take long at all.
Our house in Orange City is currently occupied with plans to repair and get it on the market early in 2010.
This girls are doing very very well. It's nice to be near both sets of grandparents. We've made friends and have joined a preschool homeschool group. There is a lot to do here and since Vance can either take my dad's truck to work or ride his bike or the bus we have transportation every day. That's the biggest difference between here and Orange City. I'm able to take the girls to the park or the museum without it being a big production.
Living with family has proved both rewarding and challenging. While I love my parents I do miss having personal space. Because of the layout of the house Vance, myself and the girls are all in the same room. I would say 95% of the time it's not a problem, but there are times we get the girls to sleep and aren't quite ready for bed. There's not a place for us to just sit and talk alone. We were just talking the other day about living with other people outside of our immediate family and that is the only thing we feel we would need to make it work for a long time. Two private rooms. One for sleeping, one for private time away from the community living.
On the flip side it's nice to have other people around. For example, I'm not at all stressed about Vance taking this second job because I won't be by myself for 12 hours a day. My mom will come home and she's great at taking the girls outside long enough for me to get dinner on the table and take a deep breath. Just like everything, there are good points and bad points.
We're still praying for wisdom and the future. While God continues to direct us in small areas we're still waiting for bigger things to come. I'm not complaining, it's just where we are. I was getting antsy just this week and I felt Him strongly say "Wait!" so I stopped what I was doing and continued to wait. That was the night Vance heard about the part time job. I know that He has BIG plans for us and sometimes it's hard when I don't see us moving forward in big ways. The dreams I feel He's given me seem impossible from where I'm sitting but this God I love specializes in the impossible.

Happy Birthday Ivy

2009-05-05T21:17:00.002-04:00

Busy Busy Busy

2009-04-30T14:05:00.004-04:00

We have been so busy lately I just can't find the time to blog. I'm updated Facebook regularly with info and pictures so if I know you in real life, please make sure we are "friends" on Facebook.
The super quick update before the girls wake up.
Yesterday was Ivy's birthday!!! I can't believe she's already one!! And she's WALKING all over the place and getting into anything and everything.
Her party is this weekend and I can't wait!!!
We are loving Gainesville. I am so happy to be so close to family and we're making new friends super fast. Things are going really really well.
I've been catching up on my reading and there will soon be a review of Misplacing God authored by Joanne Heim. This great book and some amazing revelations by the Holy Spirit have finally gotten me into the habit of a semi-regular (working on regular) quiet time.
I can't wait to share more but I must get back to life. Please keep checking in!!!

Memory Monday

2009-03-23T12:59:00.002-04:00

I'm finally back and am starting from scratch!

I started reading Donna Partow's Walking in Total God-Confidence and I'm going to be doing the memory verses from there. So for this week:

O Lord, we love to do your will! Our hearts' desire is to glorify your name.
Isaiah 26:8

Settling In

2009-03-20T14:06:00.002-04:00

It's been a good week. This was our first week just the girls, me and my dad. Vance started his job on Monday and he keeps telling me that he likes it. He's riding the bus daily so he's gone longer than I'm used to but we're making it work. Since he works for Shands he gets to ride the bus for free, saving us the gas money, wear and tear on the van and the cost of a parking permit which is over $200 a year!
We dug a small garden patch and are headed to the farmer's market tomorrow morning to buy a couple small veggie plants to get us started.
The girls and I have fallen into a nice routine, something we had trouble with on our own. They are also having loads of fun with Grandma and Grandpa.
It has been difficult not being alone all day. I remember reading in Blue Like Jazz about how going from living alone into a community was so hard. I understand that now. I get up and fix my dad breakfast every day so this morning when I got a phone call from Jen first thing I talked to her rather than making breakfast and poor dad went hungry. I'm going to have to remember to have some easy stuff on hand for times like those. Luckily we had some yogurt in the fridge so he didn't starve and I made lunch a little earlier than usual.
Yesterday some pest control guys came to look at two stumps in my parents front yard and said both had termites!!! They are coming back this afternoon to climb into the attack and look around. I'm scared to death.
Plus, shortly after we arrived my mom informed me that the roof needs to be replaced. They had estimates done a while back and it can cost between $10,000 and $12,000, just for the roof. It could be more if they find damage in the process.
We need MAJOR prayer for the roof issue. The way things are looking it would take us YEARS to save that kind of money.
We also continue to pray that dad's disability would come through. They are working with a lawyer, filling out tons of paperwork, visiting doctors and waiting waiting waiting to hear something.
On a positive note, something I was stressed about before we moved in was cooking dinners, but this week went wonderfully, and I already have the plan made for next week.
Anyhow, there's another quick update for you. Our room in 80% done and should be totally finished by Sunday night. It's going to be a busy weekend but we'll survive! I'll post pictures ASAP!

A Very Quick Update

2009-03-17T08:52:00.003-04:00

Ugh... so sorry it's taken me so long to update. We moved the computer into our room and we don't spend much time there so it's been hard for me to do much more than a quick scan of emails. I've got 115 new blog post to read on Reader this morning!!!!

Anyhow, we made it to Gainesville. Two days before we were scheduled to move Elise got the stomach flu. We weren't able to visit with Jen or Rachel. The next day I got it. I was totally unable to help move so Vance's dad and brother came down and loaded our stuff into the truck. The girls and I rested in bed while they worked. We drove up that afternoon while I prayed the whole way I wouldn't be sick in the van.

It was SUCH a blessing to have Vance with us that first week. He had to take a week off between jobs to go to some appointments. He was here with us the majority of the week and we got a lot done but the process has still been slow. Our room is very very slowly coming together and I'll post pictures when we are done. We've taken boatloads of stuff to goodwill. I've managed to get our clothing into a pretty small space so it's not taking up much room within our room. And all our books and the indoor toys are in our room.

Things are going well. Today is toddler time at the library so we are headed there shortly. Please continue to pray that everything goes well.

New Friends and Old Ones

2009-03-04T21:59:00.004-05:00

Melissa came over today. She brought her brand new baby Ethan for us to meet. He's such a cutie!!! Melissa and I met at Grace House a couple years ago. We always have fun getting together and talking because we have a lot of similar ideas about childbirth and parenting. And Elise loves playing with Melissa's oldest, Elijah, so everyone was happy about their visit! Another thing I love about Melissa, she takes GREAT pictures of us. She's got this super fancy camera and every picture she's taken of me I LOVE. Check it out at her blog.

After nap we headed down the Casselberry to visit with some friends from college. Christa and Jared are my oldest friends in Central Florida. Christa and I met in my first class at UCF. We had to pair up with someone sitting near us, then tell the rest of the class about them. Christa and I paired up and became fast friends. I can't remember how exactly I met Jared, but she's a great Christian woman, we found each other and have stayed friends since. Jared do you remember??

Tonight Christa's new husband, Daniel, treated us to chili, brownies and ice cream. We had a great time. The girls ran around with Jared's little boy and everyone laughed a lot.

Tomorrow Jen is coming over. I think she would have come today and stayed the night if I would have let her. She's so excited about spending the day with us and I'm excited too!!!

A Sauer Goodbye

2009-03-03T21:58:00.005-05:00

Today was such a great day!!! Kim, Renee and I got together to hang out and make sauerkraut. Sauerkraut, like anything that takes a lot of time in the kitchen, is much more fun when you make it with friends. We spent four hours shredding, pounding, salting and talking dirty to 11 heads of cabbage. It probably should have taken us 15 minutes, but we had to stop every 35 seconds to hold a baby, fix a kid food or make sure no one had drowned in Renee water feature (aka retention pond). But, I will say that without Brittany, Renee's oldest daughter, watching the kids (all EIGHT of them) Kim and I would probably still be at Renee's house and we might be half way through one head of cabbage.

Not only did I have boatloads of fun, but I walked out with two huge jars of kraut, two exhaused kids and two bags filled with cloth diaper fluff. Covers, wipes, prefolds and even some Fuzzi Bunz are now spread on the bed just waiting to be used. Thanks Renee!!! Kim even got some wool covers and I can't wait to hear how they work!!!

I met both of these great ladies through our raw milk co-op. We love to talk pregnancy, childbirth and healthy eating together. I'm going to miss you both soooo much. And as soon as Renee gets a fold out couch and another 40lbs of cabbage we've got another kraut date. Deal?

Another Goodbye

2009-03-02T22:30:00.003-05:00

It's funny how you meet people. How they come into your life and you either hit it off or you don't. Denise and I met at church and we hit it off. She's beautiful, funny, spiritual, strong and just an all around great friend. We talk on the phone a lot and try to get together to do fun things like pick oranges and chat about health food and chickens. Today we talked about parenting, God, church, our marriages and our futures. She even brough me some BEAUTIFUL free range eggs with bright orange yolks. Within five minutes of her walking in the door I had three cracked and frying on the stove for breakfast. And within five mintues of her leaving I had more frying for lunch. I love you and I'll miss you Denise!!!!

We sold a couple more pieces of furniture today. Then Vance went around filling in nail holes and fixing spots in the drywall. I've got the pantry half way packed. And tomorrow we're making a trip to the dump first thing in the moring to drop on chemicals then we're headed to the post office to fill out the change of address paperwork.

Tomorrow Kim and I are driving over to Renee's to process 49lbs of cabbage!! Stay tuned!!

Discipleship

2009-03-01T23:26:00.004-05:00

Some quotes I found about discipleship at Christianity Today:

The form that discipleship takes is conditioned by the historic times in which one lives, as well as by the context of an individual's life, but the underlying principle remains the same: each of us is called by love to love; called out of our narrow individualism and our small private world, to allow ourselves to be "turned around" by the allurement of God, and to live for him, as Jesus did. Thelma Hall, Too Deep for Words

To become a disciple means a decisive and irrevocable turning to both God and neighbor. What follows from there is a journey which … never ends in this life, a journey of continually discovering new dimensions of loving God and neighbor. David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission

The first and last word for a disciple of Jesus is "Obey!" I mean to say that today the word "believe" is not as important as, "You who believe, obey him whom you believe!" Of what use is believing if you cannot obey? Johann Christoph Blumhardt in Thy Kingdom Come: A Blumhardt Reader, Vernard Eller, ed.

All true knowledge of God is born out of obedience. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

It's hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples, citizens of God's new age, a kingdom of surprise. Stanley Hauerwas, quoted at PreachingToday.com what does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it. You will as a result better satisfy your heart than with that toward which you yourself are inclined. St. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross

It is not our responsibility "to make people 'Christians'" and get them baptized into a particular denomination, but rather to help people decide to follow Jesus and his radical message. Maybe this is why the New Testament writers only use "Christian" three times but "disciple" on 269 occasions! Tom Getman, World Vision International, personal correspondence

Evangelism is not selling Jesus, but showing Jesus; evangelism is not mere telling about Christ, but about being Christ. Lee C. Camp, Mere Discipleship

It has become popular to preach a painless Christianity and automatic saintliness. It has become part of our "instant" culture. "Just pour a little water on it, stir mildly, pick up a gospel tract, and you are on your Christian way." A. W. Tozer, Jesus, Author of Our Faith

Suffering is the true badge of discipleship. The disciple is not above his master. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Feeling the Love

2009-03-01T20:55:00.003-05:00

This morning was our last Sunday at SonRise. Our first Sunday there was a Spirit led service and our last Sunday was a Spirit led service. We sang songs, we shared stories and encouraged each other. It was great! At the end we went up front and our church family prayed for us, for our move and for our family's future. Then we hung out with goodbye cupcakes. This is such a great group of people. I'm going to miss them so very much!!!!

After church I got to visit with three girls who mean a lot to me. I met these girls at First Baptist when I agreed to lead Acteens. I honestly wasn't thrilled about the job and got roped in because I couldn't say no, but it turned out to be a blessing. I forgot how much I loved these girls until they showed up on my doorstep. We had a great afternoon of pizza, cookies and catching up.

Taylor, Alyssa and Nicole, I love you girls and if you're ever up in Gainesville you better let me know so we can get together!!!!

My goal for the week is to post my goodbyes each day, since I've got a goodbye scheduled for each day this week. I can't wait to share with you my dearest friends!

By our Love

2009-02-26T18:12:00.004-05:00

OR

by our bumper stickers

by our political affiliation

by our t-shirts

by seeing us leave the house Sunday morning

by holding signs on street corners

by our judgement

by our pride

by our music

by our movies

by our words

want to add anything??

Just noticed that this is post number 100!!!

Jelly Fish

2009-02-26T15:05:00.001-05:00

The Move Story

2009-02-26T13:39:00.004-05:00

I've been wanting to post about the moving situation for a while now, but I wanted to wait until everything was rolling pretty good, just in case I was hearing God totally wrong. Plus, it's a long story and it's hard to find the time and the energy in the same day around here!!!

A couple years ago my dad had a stroke. We felt so far away when it happened. He was fine (mostly) but since then we have been talking about moving back to Gainesville to be near family. Both mine and Vance's family live in Gainesville.

My dad was doing pretty well, on lots of medication, but not really improving. He should have been getting better, but he wasn't. The company he worked for was so nice, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the time came where he wasn't able to work anymore. This was very stressful because it cut back my parents income. Luckily, they were still able to pay their bills, but there was no extra. Plus, now without a reason to get up and get out of the house every day, my dad was struggling.

Now we really wanted to move to Gainesville. I was hoping that with myself and the girls close by we could get my dad up and moving again. Vance also wanted to move, dreaming of going back to school for computers. We started to pray, to ask God if this is what He wanted for our lives.

My mom was getting pretty stressed out. Not only did she have to work full time, but she had to take care of most of the housework and money was tighter than ever. I encouraged her to ask the church for help. Then I prayed for her and continued to pray about moving. I asked God what should we do and He showed me this:

If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need. 1 Timothy 5:16

I had to call my mom back, tell her what I had found and encourage her that we believed we were supposed to come.

At this same time was when I was battling with the rich man scripture. I was feeling burdened by our stuff and feeling a change coming, but I wasn't putting two and two together. It wasn't until I was giving a friend an update on my life that I saw two pieces of the puzzle fit together. God was working on our relationship with our stuff. Moving in with my parents would require us getting rid of most of our stuff. DUH! I started to cry.

Vance looked and looked for jobs. I continued to pray for signs of encouragement that this was the right decision.

Little things fell in our laps. I was stressed at one point about the amount of room our baby stuff takes up. We want more children but we didn't have the money to store it and we wouldn't have the room living with my parents. The bouncy seat was always on my mind. Everything else could be boxed up pretty tightly but the bouncy seat was just huge. I had a travel one, but I had given it to a friend of a friend who needed it.

Well one day my friend called "Hey, ____ is done with the seat, you want it back?" I know it sounds simple and silly, but this was a sign of encouragement to me. God saw me worrying about something and He provided the solution.

We were also stressing about having a garage sale. They are hard work and with both kids running around I knew it would be hard for Vance and I to do it alone. A friend offered to host a garage sale at her house and we ended up having a pretty good day, not only hanging out but getting rid of a lot of junk too!

God told us to pack. I didn't want to pack though. I wanted to wait until everything was rolling before I started packing. Vance didn't even have a job yet. Why on earth should I start packing. So I called a friend and whined about it. She agreed with me, "Don't pack, wait."

Us and our worldly ways. Right after I got off the phone with her a shelf crashed down in my bedroom. A shelf I had planned on packing first. I walked into the room and could feel the anger. I felt God saying "I asked you to do something, but instead of talking to me about it, you talked to someone else." I prayed for forgiveness then promptly started packing.

Another issue was our church. We go to a GREAT church that we love. I blogged about it here. We wanted to be involved so badly, but as I prayed I kept feeling God say "NO!" Then I got frustrated and said "Why! Why have you lead us to this great church but won't allow us to become involved?" and He said "So you'll know what to look for when you move." "OK..." In the long run I see God was stretch my definition of a church, because even though I LOVED our church, it was not what we were looking for in a church at that time. God put us there, but that is a whole nother story.

After our garage sale I expected huge things to happen. We were packing in faith, we had gotten rid of a lot of stuff, we were ready for the next step.

Nothing.

Looking back I think God didn't want me distracted with moving for Renee and my birthday buddy. I believe He wanted me to focus on this so that I could witness a miracle. I have never seen a healing like this before. I had been praying for more faith and He provided.

Shortly after the holidays I begain to pray for a billboard. I felt like I hadn't heard from God in so long (really it had just been a month) and I wanted a HUGE sign to show me we were still on the right path. Vance couldn't find a job and I felt like maybe we were wrong. (Isn't it funny how you forget all those signs five seconds after they happen?)

One Sunday night I prayed and prayed. God, I need my billboard tomorrow. I need my encouragement tomorrow.

The next day I was bumming around on the Internet. I had been doing some research about church, church history and people out there trying to change what church had become. People trying to get it back to what it was supposed to be. The kind of church written about in the Bible. I ran across the name Frank Viola and started reading on of his articles. I thought it was SOOOO interesting. I looked up a couple of the books he wrote, added them to my Amazon list and got back to my day.

Later that day I started looking for house churches, organic churches, New Testament churches in Gainesville. I ran across one and saw a familiar name, Frank Viola. Wait, I looked back at the article open in another tab and yes, it was the same name. Frank Viola lives in Gainesville! I immediately emailed and found out that a church start is in the works for Fall 09. I called Vance and a good friend. I found my billboard!

This was in early Janurary and I won't lie. Two weeks later, no jobs calling, we were getting discouraged again. Vance was considering working two jobs, just to make ends meet. Trying to do whatever he could. I hated the idea and talked him out of it. (I've asked for forgiveness to both Vance and God for this move, as I'm not sure it was the right thing to do.)

As we waited Vance filed our taxes. We were getting more than expected and were very excited about the possibility of paying off a large chunk of debt fast than we imagined. We were waiting on an exact number from the debt holder. We waited and waited. You would think they would get back to us pretty quickly, but it took over a week.

We got the call on a Monday. We could totally pay off the debt. This would free up $400 per month. This payment was a HUGE monthly burden and we were beyond thrilled!

Tuesday, Vance got a call about a job. BUT, it didn't pay enough. He told them he wasn't interested, then got off the phone. He sat down, crunched the numbers and I'll bet you can guess how much money less per month this job paid.

$400.

So to sum all that up, this job would pay our bills, which was basically what we were looking for, with no less, no more, because we could pay off the debt. I find this so funny. If they had called the week before Vance would have had to say No. There was no way we could have made it work. But they called THE VERY NEXT DAY after we found out we would have the debt totally paid off.

He called them back the next day. He went for an interview. He got the job. We're moving in a week and a half. And, you know how I have time to sit and write this crazy long post when we're moving in a week and a half. I'm already packed!!!

Next, miracle. Selling our house. Anyone want to live in beautiful Orange City??

First Load!

2009-02-23T21:55:00.004-05:00

This is some of the stuff we moved this weekend. Vance didn't think it would all fit, but we got everything but two crates in, plus some extra stuff not pictured.

And here it is!!! Our new room!!! Vance and I just swapped corners for the pictures. The desk is leaving but the water heater is staying. Vance is going to have to build a box for it and we will get a gas alarm thing ASAP so we don't die in our sleep.

Memory Monday

2009-02-23T10:05:00.004-05:00

Umm... I did not even try this week.

Here it is again for this week:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46

Unfortunately Lori....

2009-02-20T16:48:00.009-05:00

Found this on another blog I read. Try googling this phrase "unfortunately, (your name here)" Make sure you put it in quotes! This had my laughing the whole time

Unfortunately, Lori's health remains delicate due to the very harsh conditions she endured during the early years of her incarceration

Unfortunately, Lori fell in love with her doctor, a healer named Ronal who loved her in return, though he may only have wanted to spawn her brains out

Unfortunately, Lori fell for Mark's deceptions, and he plucked her up out of her world, and wove her within his complex web of lies

Unfortunately, Lori's is not able to ship orders to P.O. Boxes

Unfortunately, Lori was not an approved "Relocation Agent."

Unfortunately, Lori, there are no real noxious weed laws in Oklahoma

Unfortunately, Lori, they were sitting behind me and bolted during the standing ovation

Unfortunately Lori has not blogged in a long while

Unfortunately, Lori’s jet-setting big-city life isn’t what she dreamed it would be.

Unfortunately, Lori cannot overpower the swarm of burly bodyguards surrounding the mobster, in spite of her formable fighting prowess

And my personal favorite

Unfortunately Lori it's not that simple.

And my favorite from the opposite end of the spectrum

Fortunately, Lori's story had a picture-perfect ending

Add your favorite as a comment!!!

Another Grace House Get Together

2009-02-20T13:36:00.005-05:00

I'm just posting the pictures today because I've got two sick and needy kids, but we had a blast!!!!
Oh and Melissa, in this picture we were watching your birth video!!

Here's the link of our last get together!!!

Memory Monday

2009-02-16T07:54:00.003-05:00

Anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple Luke 14:33

Oh it has been such a busy week. Vance got a new job in Gainesville, 2.5 hours north of us, where my parents live. We'll be moving in with them to help out around the house and with my dad. We knew this was coming, however I was in denial the past couple weeks because things were moving slower than I wanted them to.

I have already done quite a bit of packing and decluttering but there is always more to be done. I have much more decluttering to do than I previously thought. Maybe that's why this verse means so much to me.

This whole situation is a God send and a blessing. We need to move. I want to share the exact details because they are so obviously God but there is just so much to do. It'll come...

Anyhow, back to Memory Monday

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46

This plan, moving to help my parents, is our pearl. It is God's plan and it will bring us closer to His kingdom.

Hmmm.... anyone else see the theme here!

Memory Monday

2009-02-09T08:09:00.004-05:00

Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God Psalm 20:7

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because those who come anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exist and that He will reward those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

OK, sorry for the MAJOR slacking. I got a little cocky and thought I could do it faster with less effort and ended up WAAAAAAAAAAAY behind.

Anyhow I'm keeping with my Experiencing God theme and I'm doing:

Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33

Which leads me to a question I have been thinking about for a couple days: What is a disciple? I hope to blog about that soon, but we've got A LOT going on this week including a job interview in another town and if it works that means a move in three weeks which will probably require giving up just about everything! So I may not get to it as quickly as I want but it'll come, it'll come...

Cold Night and Warm Mornings

2009-02-05T19:16:00.005-05:00

We found this great coffee on our last trip to Gainesville! Sweetwater Coffee is not only yummy but they are are organic, fair trade, shade grown and generally just everything you want in a coffee. The flavor is amazing. Vance says it's probably because it's soooo fresh and hasn't been sitting in a warehouse for years. Look here to find it near you, or you can order from the website.
I really enjoy my morning cup of coffee, especially on these cold mornings. Last night Vance set the water hose up to spray and we had ice art this morning. Pretty unusual for Central Florida.
So here are some fun pictures of my one of a kind coffee cup from the Deland Art Festival and some of the ice art from our front yard.

It is supposed to freeze again tonight so I think Vance will be making more ice art. I'll try to take some artsy pictures tomorrow!

hehe

2009-02-04T15:33:00.004-05:00

Walking

2009-02-04T12:28:00.004-05:00

Walking outside with the girls is usually the highlight of our day. It gives us a chance to talk to our neighbors, see wildlife and enjoy the warm sunshine. This time of year in Florida the weather is beautiful. Standing in the sun warms you up quickly and you can enjoy even the cooler days.

Walking also breaks up the day. We only have one car and since Vance drives it to work, walking is our outing for the day. At first I thought not having a car here would be hard, but I've grown pretty comfortable with it. The temptation to run into Target just to walk around is gone. Instead we go outside and look for bugs and birds rather than a good deal in the clearance section.

Plus, seeing all the different trees, flowers, bugs, dogs, cats, birds, clouds, people and whatever else we encounter gives us a tiny glimpse into the vast imagination our God has!

Yummy Love

2009-01-30T23:01:00.004-05:00

Today was such a fun day. A really great ending to a really crazy week.
I forgot to mention earlier, with all the lovely rash talk, that I broke the lid to my crock-pot this week. I was getting it out of the dishwasher, it slipped and hit the crock and shattered into a million tiny pieces. That's right, a million. I even had to take off my house shoes and lay down a towel because tons of tiny pieces of glass got into my shoes. It was crazy.
There has been glass everywhere since Monday. There was even some in the dishwasher. I've swept and vacuumed multiple times but I keep finding pieces. Anyhow, now I've got to hit the thrift stores in search of a lid.
Anyhow, back to the greatness of today. We had another visitor stop by!!! My friend Kim saw all the fun that happened here yesterday and she wanted to join in. Our girls had such a great time playing together and we had so much fun chatting about God, marriage, childbirth and adventures abroad. I was so sad to see her go.

Kim, you'll have to tell me more about your world travels next time!!!

I also have been busy making bread. Today I made an amazing oatmeal loaf. I took one to a neighbor along with a jar of super yummy blueberry jelly and Kim and I took out another loaf.

Here's the recipe for a large loaf (2lb).

1 1/3 cup water

5 tbs olive oil

4 tbs brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups oats

1 1/3 bread flout

1 1/3 whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp yeast

I made it on the dough cycle, took it out, punched it, let it rise again, formed it into two round loaves, let it rise again then baked at 350 for 40min. I thought it was great!!!

In an effort to make it look fancy I cut an X in the top and sprinkled rolled oats. I forgot to take a picture of it, in all it's grandeur, so you'll have to deal with a couple measly slices.

Jelly Telly!!!

2009-01-30T10:28:00.005-05:00

Jelly Telly is an amazing Bible Based "TV" station for kids that's on the Internet. Watch the video below to learn more about it.

Quacky is one of our favorites from Jelly Telly. In this episode he learns that you can never run out of kindness!

If you're a fan of Jelly Telly already tell me, what's your favorite part??