13 Random Moments....

...in 2013. Yes, I know I'm a little behind since the year has already been for 21 & 1/2 days but hey, it's good to remember the good times right? I think so.

 

 The moments of sitting around the table talking with family...

 the most adorable moment of Haley & Colson...

 

The time I went to see my sister with friends & we went to a coffee shop... 

 The time when Micah plays with Colson...entertaining I tell you! 

The moments when we played in the snow with friends beacause we could.

The time we randomly decided to go eat fried cheese curds & cheesy tater rounds right before making supper...

That moment when your trying to stay occupied while traveling....

Walks in the beautiful outdoors with the sisters & the brother...

That moment when we step inside the door after a random trip to DQ & decide that a picture is in order..

Conversations...

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. You see, I am not overly given to hugs etc... & Rhoda loves them & somehow our expressions just make me laugh. And laugh. It's so original! :)

 And we have breakfast with friends...

Time spent with surprise guests... :)

 So there you have it. A few of my favorite pictures from 2013. 

The End.

A touch of Grace & Mercy

I'll call her Stacy. I walked into a room and there she was. A beautiful young girl in her early teens. She looked completely helpless and unattached from reality. In her eyes you could see a deep ocean of pain, distrust, depression, lose of purpose in life and anything else you care to throw in there. She told me she had no friends. That she didn't need any friends...she didn't want them. That she was on probation for having done something 'silly'. She told of a lot more pain and past and while she said she wanted to go on to nursing because she's good with people you could still tell that she didn't trust them. But when asked if she finds it hard to trust people after what her life has held she quickly replied: "Oh I trust people".  As I looked at this young girl the reality of what is considered normal for so many kids today slowly begin to sink in. They survive. Steal & get caught for it & then lie to talk themselves out of it. They try their hardest to cover their pain & their lonesomeness by putting on a fake front that is supposed to appear confident and self sufficient but under it all you can hear them screaming that they want out. They are begging for Truth and real Love. For a touch of Grace & Mercy.

Stacy's mother didn't want her and she decided that she would live with her brother & his wife, some friends of ours who live just minutes away. Several days ago my Mom saw her and couldn't believe how different she looked. In was all over her face. It shone in her eyes and changed her whole appearance. It's called Grace, Forgiveness, Mercy.... it's what happens when a lost heart meets God. It's what happens when a person comes in personal contact with the reality of grace and mercy and they realize what it means for them. I have already been inspired by this young girls passion for truth and for God. Just looking at the situation she came from and thinking about how much she has to learn about living in general could make a person think that she'll never go far. But I can't wait to see what God has in store for her. 

Because....

...Even before we are born God has a beautiful dream for each of our lives. Even YOU. He knows what our future will look like and He wants to lead us through it. He wants us to trade our plan of a future for His. Part of His dream for every one of us is that we would experience and live lives that are marked significantly by the touch of His grace and mercy. That we would allow Him to accomplish His work in our lives. 

Ultimately that our lives would bring Him glory!

"Your life as a Christian should make unbelievers question their disbelief in God."

Christmas in 2013

So it is. Today is the first day of this new year which is 2014 and I am blogging about an event from last year. You would think I am way behind but it is comforting to realize that I'm only a few days behind.... For Christmas my family was in Iowa with my Moms side of the family and since I also have a brother & sisters living there as well as amazing cousins I would definitely say it was time well spent! 

Everyone was at Grandmas house on Christmas day for a big amazing lunch...

we generally eat in the garage since there is around 50 people...

Rhoda & Allison

There were plenty of pies for everyone...

In the afternoon there were games to be played....Some of which caused people to be so desperate for answers that rafters suddenly became eligible to be a piece of furniture! ;) I won't mention any names...

There were conversations.... there's always lots to talk about you know. :)

 A few people got tired apparently...

Then there were 5.... (there's 3 more of us not in the picture)

It's me, Alli, Naomi, Mary and Rhoda

Stories for some of the youngest grand-kids by one of the oldest ones...

It has sorta become tradition for us girl cousins to spend a night together when we're all around.... there were 7 of us this time but we didn't happen to get a picture. Sadly. The above is some Triple Chocolate Mocha Biscotti that I made for the evening.... since there is always coffee you know! 

Rhoda and Chels

 Somehow I just really like this picture....It kinda shows the difference in Rhoda's & my personalities...(if you don't know us it might be hard to see. :) )

So there you have it. A few pictures from my Christmas. I have tons of posts running there course through my brain but they just haven't come to life on here yet. I almost hesitate to say what I am about to say next...but when I was writing down some goals for 2014 I "happened" to mention blogging more. Yes I did. I won't tell you though how often I hope to because...well...just because. You see 16 posts in one year doesn't exactly lay the ground work for some exciting, extraordinary change around the corner.... and 16 posts was the outstanding "record" for 2013. 

I hope y'all had an amazing Christmas. I hope that it was Merry & Bright and that the new year will bring  many adventures and exciting, life changing experiences for the good!

The End.

Thanksgiving & Then Some

Hello to everyone here on this warm, 'spring' day in December! Honestly it does seem like spring. The thin dusting of snow that we had is melting & running away & it even smells like spring... I must say though, the weather is nice. It just seems majorly incorrect to me! But since you probably didn't come for a weather report I will continue. It's been goodness how long since I've posted anything? Exactly 27 & 1/4 days to be precise. Since then my one job has quit until march & the other one has slowed down for the winter & the family was all home for thanksgiving & my sister has gone away to be with my other sister & we will go get her next weekend... Got that?

It was fun to have the whole family here again...it had been quite some time since we were all together and this time around there were 2 new additions! :)

 

There were stories to be read....mostly Winnie the Pooh...

 

 And occasionally they fell asleep while being read to...

 We sat and talked. And ate pie. I believe we consumed 15 or 16 or 17 pies over the weekend! 

Random.... 

 Haley majorly loved Colson & often asked if she could take him home. 

 Making horses & turtles & kitties etc. from 'melty beads' .

 Jacob & Dorcas...they make me smile some. Just 'cuz. :)

 

 I just really like this picture for some reason...

Jaden & Lena.

 The whole assortment of us...

I am blessed with family. None of us are the same. But if we were it would be boring! 

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A-random-piece-at-the-end-of-this-post
Lately I've been very intrigued with making things from sheet music. And with redoing old things to make them look like new things etc.... below are 2 of my recent creations...

For the picture board I spray painted an old frame that we've had ever since I was old enough to remember things...than I took cork board that I had on hand and glued it to the backing of the frame. It seems to have worked quite well except that a few of the pictures have a problem sticking.  For the flower I looked around online until I found sheet music that I liked, printed it off, stained it in coffee and made a pattern & then cut 10 pieces & stacked them. Then I stuck a brad in the middle and 'crunched' all the pieces together. Simplicity I tell you!

The card is one I made for my boss when she got married. I didn't feel like buying a present so I settled for giving money since I hear that it never hurts to get a little unexpected funds when one is getting married....correct?  I thought it very boring to just lay funds inside the card so I made a sheet music pocket to dress it up a little. It turned out quite nice but I forgot to take a picture before I wrote in it. :)

Happy Monday to all!!!

Thankful-Grateful-Blessed

I know this time of year everyone and their dog is doing 'thankful' posts and I guess I shall join the ranks with them... it does make me cringe a little though when I think of how many people -including myself- tend to complain about various things in life that we just really think should be different or we think that life should be treating us more fairly then what it is at the current moment and we forget that life isn't all about US & that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord.....and then November comes along in the calendar year and we suddenly turn all thankful for everything & we participate in the "30 days of thanks" challenge....which is all great and wonderful I just need to remind myself that November is indeed not the only month for remembering our blessings and giving God thanks for them. Thus I shall continue:

-20 Thankful things-

• Family- This is big on the list! The picture below is only the ones of us that are still at home which comes out to 0.25 + 1 of us kids and both parents so that totals to 0.50 of the immediate family plus there are 2 sisters & 1 brother that have been added happily as well as 7 grandkids! :) get that? :)

• Gods Grace. This has taken on a whole new meaning for me in the last year which I might blog about later.
• Fall! -yes please!
• Music - if you know me very well at all you know this is true
• Pinterest -actually, I think this is called being thankful for inspiration. :)
• Wonderful bosses at both jobs. -Seriously people. This is a big blessing!
• My new keyboard that I have owned for barely a year. :)
• Black Friday!! -this is an awesome way to buy shoes people! Go to the store & decide what kind/size you want, wait patiently for the sale then buy them online! You don't have to go out in the scurry of fierce people & you can often get a free shipping code... $$$$ are saved! :) 
• Good encouraging books
• Godly friends
• Thrift stores. :)
• Forgiveness
• The power that is available to us through the Holy Spirit 
• Freedom. -Let me never forget the price it cost
• Health
• The privilege of being homeschooled
• A house to live in -and nice people to live with! :)  
• Laughter 
• All the different personalities that make up the people in this world. -and like I tell people who complain about a personality opposite their own: "The world would be severely boring if we were all the same." 
• The very fact that God completes what He starts. -I have thought about this tons & tons in the last while & the verse on the picture below has become a new favorite. This subject deserves a complete post in itself but I will just say a few of my thoughts right now. It is not a new thing heard of that we -without God- are nothing. And I am so thankful that God views us as worth His effort. And because I like illustrations I will illustrate what I mean. Suppose you were trying to help a person that has/had a deep addition to drugs. Lets say that this person has even kicked the habit twice already but always keeps going back.... I don't know about you but I think that after a while one would begin to view this person as helpless & hopeless and all those sorts of things. But what if that's how God viewed us every time we messed up or deliberately went against what we knew he wanted us to do? I'm just so grateful that when God starts something in each one of our lives that He finishes it. To the very last day of our lives.  He doesn't give up. And the great thing is that He has started a work in each one of our lives. Yes, that includes YOURS and He will continue to perfect it until the day it's completed when Christ returns! It's such a glorious thought!

On this November day...

Hello people! I don't know how it is where you are residing today but I am quite aware that this is an absolutely awesome fall day! I went to work at 8 a.m. & got off at precisely 2:26 p.m. and came home & Rhoda and I listened to all sorts of happy music very loudly & made monster cookies! :) 

-The dough. Rhoda just adores pictures like this! ;)-

The finished product.  

You see we really did have to make them because my boss at the bakery wanted the recipe for an extra something to stick in the doughnut case & I had to make sure these were good... y'know how that goes.... :)

After the cookies were done we went on a walk. -please excuse the somewhat blurred self image...as in. this image is not completely clear. :) that's all. :)

 We have this gorgeous maple tree abiding in our front yard! I took this picture the other day while it was losing it's leaves and now the tree is almost completely ready for winter! :)

I am in love with this super simple printable! I so cannot wait for thanksgiving. ( more reasons then one here! ;)) I know for sure that the pie eating part will come to life!

This makes me happy. So much fall goodness that sits on our kitchen table.

What I'm currently reading. I find it surprising that I am reading 2 books at once! I am so not a reader & for me to really like a book it has to be challenging & beneficial to ones spiritual life plus there seems to be very few writing styles that I actually like. This is like the third or fourth time I'm reading 'The Cross & the Switchblade' & 'gods at war' came in the mail today as a birthday present. I can't wait to read through the whole book 'cause it looks really good! 

That is all for now.... I do sincerely hope that y'all have an amazing weekend! :)