An "out of the blue" grateful-for-my-family post

This is a picture post.  Pictures of sisters and family.  Pictures of lovely times spent together eating ice cream and drinking coffee at Mary's house.....

Us five sisters in age order at a recent reunion

Rhoda & I 

A happy mug with coffee & creamer goodness

Ice cream.....Amazon storm & cappuccino chip

Mary, Rhoda & I,   (Dorcas was behind the camera ;))

Naomi gets a picture all by herself on here because she wasn't at the 'party' :)

Aubrey, perhaps a future pianist..... *wink* :)

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.  
~Author Unknown :);) *wink*

Rhoda, the favorite aunt, with the nieces and nephews

 This older brother & sisters of mine are such a good thing in my life ;)

 Naomi & Mary

 Dad & Mom

You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.  
~Desmond Tutu

Things Change....

Recently I have been thinking about how things change. Constantly.things.change.

So I decided to find a couple old pictures of myself to show ya'll.... ;)  

(Yea...I'm way glad that I look different now then I did back then! ;))

  This was alot of years ago....
and that's my brother Micah beside me.... (he has changed too.. ;))

             ________________________________

   _________________________

    

It was only a matter of years between then and now...

I don't think I really look like the same person but they say those are the pictures of my childhood so I will believe them.

Along with growing up, my family also moved from Wisconsin to Missouri.   From winter wonderlands & lush, happy green summers, to winters that are less wonderland-ish & summers that are very hot & brown.  But since this sounds like we didn't gain anything I will tell the things we have gained.... the surreal beauty of the Ozarks  and getting spring about 2 months quicker then those in the grand north.

So there is definitely good and bad, beauty & not so beautiful things about both places....(but I will say that the north has trickled into my blood from a very young age and will undoubtedly stay there! )

And so just now I will post a favorite picture from a place known as the far South to those in Wisconsin and at the same time, it is now known to me as my home of 4 1/2 years. Missouri. It saddens me to not have any pictures of Wisconsin Winters and summers but they are on another computer that doesn't work so this is it. You cannot tell me that the picture below is anything, but...

....Simple.beauty....

....I  have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. Phil 4:11

And the winner is..........

    Rachel Gingerich!!

Congratulations Rachel! You are the winner of this fine CD! :)

So here's what you must do: Send an email with your address to  schannah95@gmail.com and I will stick your CD in the mail and you will have it within days!

Yay!!!! It's a GIVEAWAY!!

  This is it!  I am giving away this CD to whoever wins it.  It is one of my biggest favorites ever!

 

It has a value of about $14.00 and it could be your very own for completely FREE!

How to enter:
Just leave a comment with your name and then the winner will have to email me within a week with an address.  If I don't hear from the winner within a week then a new winner will be chosen.
The deadline to enter is July 23.   So let the fun begin! Tell your friends and relations and try to believe that you just might win it!! ;)

Hi peoples! :)    And so I see that it has been a little while since I posted last.    This is very quick..... Today Wes & Sara came and then this weekend all of Mom's brothers & sisters (my friends & relations) will be together at a retreat center of sorts by the lake for my aunt Karens 50th birthday....
and then...................... keep reading.................. next week I will post another giveaway!   It's very exciting! ;)  I am happier about this giveaway then the last one I did because it is something that everyone (nearly everyone) wants, (or has) (& the people that have it really like it ;))...
So please go ahead and guess what it is and then next week I will reveal the wonder to ya'll! :)

Have a happy weekend!