Mother's Day

I HAD AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL BLESSED MOTHER'S DAY!

I received wonderfully beautiful homemade cards from my children! I got to be with Jessica to hear the baby's heart beat!!!(they also gave me a sharp knife :)  Danielle wrote and sung at church a beautiful heart touching song for me and her Heavenly mother!!! The guys all made lunch for us!!! And I got to have a cookout with my sister Darlene and her family (who gave me flowers and a griddle)!!! 

I am such a blessed mother!!!!! Thank you God!!!!!!!!!!!

We all want to know that our lives are involved in something worthwhile. Without a strong sense of calling and purpose, life is nothing more than routine busyness. 

Being a follower of Jesus gives us a distinct advantage when it comes to having a sense of purpose. 

Glorifying god means putting His character, His will, and His ways into action in all that we do. The apostle Paul reminded us that we "are being transformed into (Christ's) image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18) The purpose of our lies is to let others see what God is like as they watch and experience His love through us.

What a profound privilege it is to mirror God's love, mercy, grace, justice, and righteousness to others! Our purpose is to show others less of us and more of Him. That's living on purpose with a purpose.

Our Great Creator

I enjoy so much the beauty that God has put in the flowers! These are some of the early Spring flowers in our flower garden.

As I work around the gardens, battling the invading thistles, thorns, and weeds, I ponder the state of my own heart.

Am I like that neglected yard, or perhaps the field and vineyard described in Proverbs 24-- overgrown with thorns, covered with nettles, its stone wall broken down? The owner is lazy and lacks understanding, perhaps putting off today's tasks for a more convenient time. 

Along with the practical instruction about diligence in work, I find an application for the care of my soul. The thistles of self-interest grow naturally within us, while the fruit that pleases God requires constant weeding and watering through prayer, confession, and obedience to the Lord. Without these, the soil of our heart will become choked with the thorns of trivial pursuits and greed.

"Keep your heart with all diligence," Solomon wrote, "for out of it spring the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). That requires constant care.

The garden of our heart needs constant weeding and care.


As we till our garden and I walk through the garden it makes me think of these words that someone had once given me called;            

                                                               "Good Roots"

Help me to give my children good roots, God.

As I work with my plants I can see that the sturdiest, and those which bear most freely, are those whose roots go deep, griping rich soil; they have a base from which they can grow tall and beautiful and sound. 

Let this household furnish that kind of soil for my family, God.

Enriched with good music, good books, good talk, good taste. But above all, goodness of spirit. Goodness of action.

So that those who come here feel welcome, and those who leave here feel warm. And those who live here know, in every fiber of their beings, that they belong to people who, for all our faults, are good people. People of decency and honor, who would not willingly hurt or cheat any living thing. 

Let my children grow freely, God in whatever direction You desire for them. But give them root strength too. So that they will never deviate to far from Your desires. 

Help me to give my children good roots. 

Our 24th Anniversary

Kurt and I celebrated 24 wonderful years of marriage on the 4th. We went out for a lovely night to eat. When we came home the children had made the adorable gift for us. 

It read: 

Once upon a time there lived a "butterfinger" playing basketball player who was such an "airhead". His name was Kurt. At each game he got to see his little "hot tamale" who he had such a "crunch" on. Her name was Dawn. One day while she was cutting hair she saw Kurt walk in and  she just had to "take 5". That's when Kurt knew he had "skor" big! From that point on they had "good & plenty" love between them. On that sunny day, Kurt told her how "nutrageously" beautiful she was and asked her to be his wife. She "snickers" and then says yes! After that they had a bunch of "sugar babies" and haven't stopped the "kisses". And they lived Happily ever after! So mom & dad have a Happy .. "whatchamacallit" ?... oh yeah... anniversary!!

Thank you so much to all of our wonderful children! It was so sweet and cute.

Frogs, bugs, and cooking pails

Sorry I couldn't finish with the storm that started, I had to shut my computer down. 

Our little pond is the Franklin Grove breading place for frogs :(  But the boys are having a great time catching them and putting them in an aquarium outside. Kaleb thinks that they are great playmates!

His friend for the day.
He even likes bugs this year. He found a caterpillar.
Kaleb, Jamieson, and Isaac cooking outside. Isaac said that he could make an outdoor grill. He did a great attempt of one, but they decide it would be great to try Jordan's outdoor cooker. They cooked some fresh asparagus that they picked. They had so much fun.

Day at the Park

Wow!, there is sooooo much that has went on since the last blog! I don't know if I can get everything in. :) 

Nice days we love to take hikes at Franklin Grove Creek. It is so pretty and so full of God's beauty! He is such an awesome creator!
Some cute and sweet people in my life. 
Jamieson showing us what we can do with crawdads. The down fall to it was him  getting it to let go! :(  We did manage to finally flick it off and Jamieson still has his earlobe. :)
Jessica so happy that I am taking more pictures. :) 
We had an awesome time hiking and walking in the creek and skipping rocks.