Jul. 4, 2008~ Show & Tell Friday: Jeff's New Love & More ~
Welcome to my show& tell. This has been an exciting week for us as a family. Jeff , my beloved, was given this sweet 1982 Schwinn World Tourist bike. Sadly, it was not taken very good care of over its life, so he has lovingly began the restoration process with great eagerness. And now he has a wonderful touring bike to use when we bike as a family. In fact, Jeff now has a mountain bike, a hybrid, and a touring bike. Does this guy loves bikes or what? Well, let me just say that when I met him, a 50 mile bike ride was normal for him. However, with the years passing and having a family to provide for, he had to give up his bike touring days for awhile. But now, he's back to training and I think it won't be long before he can do the bike tours he used to love. Anyway, here are some photos of he and his new love.
Before... After... Little helpers arrive...
And here are some pictures of the kids on their bikes... One last look at Jeff and his new love. And here is my retro touring bike. Happy trails to you! We'll be out on the Monon this weekend, weather permitting.
Have a safe and festive 4th!
If you would like to join the show& tell fun or see more entires, please stop by Mary's blog for details. Please do stop by Mary's to wish her a very ...
Happy birthday Mary! You are greatly appreciated!
(((HUGS)))
"Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth." Psalm 134
Another week's provision has come our way, just in the nick of time. For this I am most thankful. The timing is Yours, Lord. It keeps us looking to You to be our Sustainer.
The rain is coming down today. Rain is a gift from You.
Thank You for my 3 healthy children sleeping upstairs. I appreciate their different abilities and their devotion to their family. Thank You! I do not take for granted the gift of being a mother.
I am grateful for my faithful, hard-working husband who loves me. Another wonderful gift from You.
I appreciate the freedom to homeschool and to worship You that comes from living in a country like America.
It's been a LONG time since I found a quiz that was worth posting. Here's one I found over at my sweet friend Rosina's. So, where should you live?
You Should Live in the Country
You are laid back, calm, and good at entertaining yourself.
You don't need an expensive big city to keep you busy.
You'll take the peaceful life over the stressful life any day of the week.
While I find myself with a little computer time, I thought I'd post a slide show from this morning. I am so blessed to live in Carmel, IN. And just about 2 miles from my house down the Monon is a quaint farmers market every Saturday morning. Here's what we saw...
Just having spent the day with 5 kids (2 not my own),exhausted, I plop down on my bed while my kids watch Word Girl. "Why do I feel so drained?" Oh, it occurs to me that I have not yet spent some time with my Lord. So, I open my Bible to where I left off earlier in the week, to Psalm 127. I read the following words...
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
This Psalm is the answer to an earlier question I posed to a friend,"How can I keep this house clean with 5 kids here working against me? Why try? I can't do it!" That's exactly right. I can't do it. But Jesus can, as we learned to say in church last week. Verse 2 above reminded me that I don't have to toil day and night. And verse 3 says these children are a gift from the Lord. So why do I allow myself to grow weary? I should look at the mess as a gift and do my best to train them, patiently and with kindness, not frustration. I don't think it is a coincidence that these verses are put together. And I don't think it is a coincidence that I found them today, just when I needed to hear them.
Jun. 24, 2008~ Early edition: Worldless Wednesday ~
I hope you'll forgive me, but this is just a crazy week and I am going to have to post my WW today, on Tuesday! Plus, it is just such a fun picture that I was having a hard time waiting to see what you'd say about this...
"My Naughty Cat"
We have lots to do the rest of the week with soccer, swimming, family coming from out-of-town. I will be a little scarce the rest of the week, I am afraid. Take care!
Good morning! It's a beautiful, crisp, cool morning here. Makes me truly thankful! Here is my offering of worship to You, Lord...
Thank You for providing all that I needed this week. Not that You have ever failed us in the past, no. It's just that some weeks take more trust when money seems slow to come, by my worldly standards. So I thank You, Lord, for an easier week.
I thank You, Lord, for the lower humidity and good sleeping weather. Summer is fast on its way and I know this brings more humidity and heat. I thank You for a little respite.
Thank You for new beginnings. Our new flock group starts this Sunday. Lord, I ask You to bless our little group's efforts to please You and bring just the right family to make our group complete. I pray for the rest of our old group. They need Your help too, Bless them and bring families to their midst who will be an encouragement to them. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be in a flock group for these past 5+ years.
I thank You for my in-laws. Thank You for my mother-in-law's willingness to drive down each week and make memories with the kids. Thank You for a goofy brother-in-law who loves his niece and nephews. Bless our family time this evening. Help us to show them Your love. They need You and I am not sure they know it.
Thank You for VBS, which is going to start in a few weeks. Please change my heart and help me to put aside my fleshly desires of ease. I want to serve You with a happy heart.
Outside My Window...is a beautiful morning in progress. The humidity is low. The birds are singing.
I am thinking... (honestly) I wish my son would stop interrupting me! And I feel bad because I know that one day it will be all quiet here and I will wish for these interruptions.
I am thankful for... my family. Yesterday was a time of sweet fellowship with extended family. My grandparents are so precious to me. What a blessing that I can spend an afternoon with them, honoring my grandfather for Father's Day. (Thank you, Mom!)
From the kitchen... (chicken was on sale last week, can you tell?)
Monday ~ grilled chicken over romaine from garden
Tuesday ~ roasted chicken & vegetables
Wednesday ~ patty melts & side salads
Thursday ~ pizza out with in-laws, (try to be good)
Friday ~ grilled chicken quesadillas
I am creating... a big "to-do" list. I've taken a couple weeks off and I need to get some things done.
I am going... to work on being a blessing to others this week.
I am wearing... blue capris and a white shirt, my hair is still wet and I am barefooted.
I am reading... 2 Samuel and Weight Watcher's Magazines from the library
I am hoping...to get our school boxes organized and put away for the summer.
I am hearing...the clock tick, faint noises of children playing upstairs.
Around the house...I need to keep up with the housework, thin the carrots, train the cucumbers to vine where I want them to vine. I'd be really nice if I could clean the carpet in the sunroom.
One of my favorite things...is to take pictures of my garden.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... This is the last week of basketball camp. I'd like to go to the library and Wal Mart. Soccer camp continues on Tuesdays. I babysit on Wednesdays. Grandma comes on Thursdays. And, I hope to get out to see my grandparents again on Friday.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you...
If you would like to join us in The Simple Woman's Daybook, please see our Hostess, Peggy, for details.
Jun. 13, 2008~ Show & Tell: Grandma's Weekly Visits ~
For the last 10 years, my dear mother-in-law has made the 2.5 hour trip to our house once a week in the summer months when she is not working as a science teacher. The kids and I really enjoy this weekly visit because that means we get to take her to all sorts of fun places. Then when Daddy gets home we eat a nice meal together which includes my brother-in-law, Uncle Greg.
Now, you have to know that Uncle Greg is a big boy at heart and the kids just adore him and he likes to pick on them play with them. Sometimes we have to ask his mom to speak to him about his behavior, but all-in-all, he's a great uncle.
This week we stayed close to home because of basketball camp in the afternoons. I just now realized that I did not take photos of our morning at the splash park. But you've seen those here before, so I hope you'll forgive me.
Here are some photos of our late afternoon and evening. On a funny note, instead of walking both ways to the restaurant, we drove the van to town because it was so humid. After eating dinner, we decided to walk the 1.5 miles home as it was really nice out by then and we had eaten too much ice cream, needing to walk it off a little. My sweet Jeff biked back to get the van. I just love living so close to downtown, sometimes! I won't tell you how he had to bike back home for his van keys. No, that might be too embarrassing.
Even while Mary is away, she is able to pull off her hostess duties. Thanks Mary!
Jun. 12, 2008~ Thankful Thursday & Garden Update Link ~
"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whetther thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16
This verse speaks to my heart today. I am thankful for creation. That 's my whole list today! Here is a photo that illustrates God's glory...
This is my absolute favorite flower. And I have waited almost a year to learn what color it would be, as I bought it after it had bloomed for half the price. Just today, as I wrote my garden journal update, I wrote that I thought it would be a deep orange-red. Now, if it had been that color, I would have thought it was nearly just as wonderful. But, the Lord knew what color it was and He also knew that this is my favorite color! Thank you Lord! To see my garden journal update, go here. I am so thankful for this little plot of green. Giving God all the glory...
Basketball camp is in full swing. The really neat thing that happened is that Ryan was assigned to the group of boys led by his favorite high school player. They do a lot of drills and work them pretty hard, so this is going to be an excellent chance for Ryan to learn and grow. Here are some photos.
For the first day, we stayed the whole time to watch the action.
The best part was that Daddy was able to come too!
The kids got to go here today...Jeff and I were able to have an afternoon date. What a deal! And what a blessing. Thank you Centennial Bible Church saints.
Hello Dear Grandparents who read this blog faithfully:
All of a sudden it is hot and humid in Indiana, just the way it always happens. So, we have had to find ways to keep cool. Yesterday, instead of staying home, like I thought, we ended up at one of our favorite splash parks. Here are some photos for you, our wonderful grandparents. (If you are not one of our grandparents, you can have a look too. I just wanted to make sure you knew that. (lol) You are the only ones who leave comments! )
And last night was the end of karate for the season until August 14th. Above, Grace is sparing for the championship! She came in third place, which was a great honor.
Here is her prize, glitter pencils and Dots.
Ryan won a second place ribbon in academics. He only missed one question on a written exam. See his new white headband? He earned that doing practice points this year. That was over 2000 crunches, push-ups, and other exercises!
Trevor was just glad to be along for the ride and the free candy. But he did have a great week. Here is a picture of him at soccer camp on Tuesday.
Here it is, Thursday again. Wow, the weeks fly by, don't they?
"You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word. You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes. The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces."
Psalm 119:65-72
Thank You for Your Word, LORD. I love Your Word. The above verse is from my readings this week. I especially loved these verses this week.
Thank You for a loving, supportive family. They are helping me make the changes I need to make in order to be healthier.
Thank You for my friends. They truly are gifts from You and enrich my life. I've had a couple sweet times of fellowship this past week. (Hey Amy, I threw away my slice of cheesecake. No one here needed to eat it, if you know what I mean. )
I am thankful that I can go to the grocery store. I need to work on my attitude about this chore. I need to be more thankful for Your provision.
Thank You for the rain. I know the dry days of summer will be here soon. I thank you for the life-giving rain You sent this week. My garden is growing! (Be sure to check out my nature journal to see the updates, if you are interested.)
Thank You for air-conditioning. This week has been so muggy because of the rain. It helps my allergies to have the air on.
Please have a wonderful weekend and thank you for stopping by.
Hello. My name is Jenn and I am striving to be a servant of Jesus Christ. I am a wife of 13 years to my best friend and a stay at home mom of 3 wonderful home educated children ages 10, 8, 6 here in beautiful Central Indiana. Titus 2:5 says to older women that we are to teach younger women "to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." This blog is my way of encouraging others to be Busy At Home.
Before...
After...
Little helpers arrive...
One last look at Jeff and his new love. 
And here is my retro touring bike. 
Happy trails to you! We'll be out on the 
"My Naughty Cat"
What a deal! And what a blessing. Thank you Centennial Bible Church saints. 
Above, Grace is sparing for the championship! She came in third place, which was a great honor. 
Here is her prize, glitter pencils and Dots.
Ryan won a second place ribbon in academics. He only missed one question on a written exam. See his new white headband? He earned that doing practice points this year. That was over 2000 crunches, push-ups, and other exercises! 
Trevor was just glad to be along for the ride and the free candy. But he did have a great week. Here is a picture of him at soccer camp on Tuesday. 
Thanks for the new shoes Grandma B. 
