My faithful friend Letitia reminded me that I DO have visitors here every now and then! She's wondering what's going on with my posts and I'll bet others are, too. I've been trying to move my posts over to my Blogger account. Way back when, I started blogging over there and, more recenlty, have set up my photography blog there. I'm finding the format easier to deal with as far as pictures go. Since I have dial-up, having to load pics up to Photobucket and the many steps it takes to finally get a post complete, is so time consuming that I hardly have the desire to write anymore.

Not only that, the Lord is moving in our hearts, as He always does. As I mature in the Lord, and as I see my children growing up before my very eyes, I see that there's more to me (and my family) than being a homeschooling family. First and foremost, we are Christians = followers of Christ. And, that may not always include homeschooling.

I hope you'll visit me over at the other TrustingDaily blog, sometime.

In His love ~ A

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Sarah and I spent a few hours shopping together yesterday afternoon. I had to stop by the mall for a quick errand and then we headed to one of the local thrift stores in the Denver area. She found a pretty denim skirt, a very dainty, crystal (probably more like glass) cream & sugar set, and a large bag of craft items. I stumbled upon this beautiful tablecloth and was so surprised to see that it was 50% off! It was originally $9.99 so it was a definite keeper. I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but it's really, so very pretty. It's round and about 7ft. in diameter. I can't wait to get it home-home (that's what Laura calls real home) to see it on our table.

Maybe I should start a trend and call it Thrifty Thursdays.

Hmmm......I'll have to think on that.

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As we headed West to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the pouring rain, I thought I'd give my Mom a call.  I noticed a missed call and after comparing it to the call Phillip had received a few minutes before, I realized that someone was calling from Nebraska. It could only mean one thing, our friends with whom we'd just parted, needed help. As it turned out, they needed gas but since the electricity was was out all over Kimball the gas pumps were not working, leaving them stranded. We turned around, found a gas can, filled it up and headed back to Kimball. On the way back, I had an idea. Wouldn't it be fun (not to mention less driving as it was 2 1/2 hrs. back to Denver in the stormy, pouring rain) to drive just 40 miles further East to Sidney (NE) and visit Cabela's the following day? By the time we made it back, I had phone in hand trying to make reservations in Sidney, home of Cabela's world headquarters. Using our hotel points, we found a (dry) place to stay, Phillip headed to Wal-Mart for a simple cheese & cracker dinner and we bedded down for the night with dreams of camouflage, tents, boots and guns dancing in our heads.  Despite the fact that our little one threw up in the middle of the night, we toured Cabela's the next morning. I took a few pictures, we bought hats for the boys and a few other souvenirs then headed for Denver. 

We may never pass this way again. I'm so thankful for detours.

Below are a few pictures of our day in Sidney. 

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It's really feeling a lot like Fall in the Denver area these days. Still no snow to speak of, at least down here in the "lowly" places, but surely we'll experience snow at least once before we leave, around the middle of November.

A dear friend, who lives here in the Denver area, broke her ankle last week. We've been so blessed to be here at such a crucial time, not to mention we've been able to spend sweet time with her since she's been off work the last several days. She's a precious friend and such fun to be around.

Later today, we'll head to the library.

Be a blessing today. Live for His glory.

Angela

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I know...long time again.

We arrived here in Denver the last week of August. We've truly enjoyed this leg of the journey. The cool air and mountain view is a refreshing change from our hot, muggy jaunt in Meridian, Mississippi over the summer. However, both have been equally rewarding in learning more about our Lord Jesus and the mercies He gives each new day. How could I ask for more?

I'm considering another change to this space ~ trying to move toward more of a specific focus. Recently, as Christa and I were chatting, I questioned the exact purpose of this blog and she reminded me that our traveling is interesting. And so...as I clicked through a number of websets, it came to me. ~ A garden theme with words I so love...."Bloom Where You're Planted"....So, I'm working on it, with a little help from my friends.

~*~*~*~

Today, Phillip & I celebrate our marriage. We've been married for 16 years. Our love has only grown deeper and we're more fond of each other than, I believe, we were the day we married. We've been given a special gift. A close friend, who lives in the Denver area, has offered to keep our children tomorrow night. Not only that, she reserved a night's stay in Estes Park for us as she knew we were planning go up if we could swing it. I'm overwhelmed at the blessed gifts the Lord is showering upon me at this point in time.

Again, how could I ask for more?

Blessings to you from a Texan in Denver ~

Angela

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One day while on a shopping trip, I told mom that I wanted to get serious about the subject of cake decorating. Mom said that we could get a book while we were there. On our way home Mom gave me an assignment. She suggested that I research the subject.

We went to the library and I looked up some books. My favorite book is Fabulous Cake Decorating. I made a list of the items needed to get started.

One week later, we went to Wal-Mart and bought tips, decorator bags, and Mom said to get a rose nail. We also got two colors of concentrated paste; pink and blue. When we got home, before Mom knew it, I was practicing with the tips. It was very messy! But, I like messy things.

It was fun! A little while later, I made a cake from a mix. After it cooled I spread white icing on it. Then, I put the colored icing in a bag and decorated the cake. It was really pretty.

Eating the cake was fun, too. My cookbook says that legend has it the cook should always serve the cake or food. I like that idea because I usually serve anyway. It was very good, but not as good as a homemade, made-from-scratch cake.

The whole process was very fun. I can’t wait to do another cake.

 By Sarah G. (age 11)

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Douglas came to me this morning and said with delight....

"Hey Mom, guess what!?!?!"

"I found a penny dated in 1982, that was a loooong time ago"

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Sarah has been wanting to learn about cake decorating. So, during last week's grocery shopping trip, we bought a book about it. On the way home, I gave her an assignment. I asked her to begin researching cake decorating and find out what she would need to begin, including recipes, and make a detailed list. The entire past week, she's been searching books from the library and indeed made a list of necessary items to get started. So during our grocery shopping this week, we were able to get a few things on her list. When we got home, almost before I knew it, she was elbow deep in icing, tips, concentrated coloring paste, and decorator bags. Even Laura and Douglas got into the action. Below is her finished product.

It was yummy!

Disclaimer: Sarah has made a gazillion cakes in her short 11 years, and even decorated them with the store bought icings in the tubes,etc. Two years ago, she also had a "Christmas Cookie Decorating" birthday party; icing, bags, and tips included. However, THIS is her official "first cake" after a more serious concentrated effort on her part (not mine..) Some time in the coming week, she will also write a discriptive essay explaining how she did it. We will post it here.

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On May 29th, we headed out for Meridian, Mississippi. It was an easy drive, only about 6 hours from home. We decided to take both trucks so I would have means of getting around during the day. We can do that when we're not too far from home. Otherwise, the gas is too expensive for our budget. Thankfully, Phillip's employer reimburses gasoline expenses at 100% for his vehicle.  We are grateful.

Soon after our arrival, we discovered the library where the kids joined the summer reading club and very quickly met the requirements for obtaining all three prize levels. They were thrilled....at first. The thought of a free kid’s meal to "Some Place" sounded appealing in theory. However, there are just so many chicken nuggets a "traveling kid" can eat before the excitement begins to fade!!  I'm grateful two of them prefer salad and I certainly don't mind paying for them. Just today Laura was pouting during our lunch at Applebees because nobody wanted to share a salad with her that included croutons! It's not out of the ordinary for us to share things but sadly, for her, nobody was in the mood for croutons. Instead, she got spinach salad from Phillip (didn't come with croutons...), a small piece of steak from the Olders who shared, and some cheese fries which we all shared. We rarely buy a meal for her. Most places in America serve enough food in a single entree for two people. It's easy to share with a four year old.

The church we've attended has ministered to us greatly. Not so much in the way of outreach or tangible needs which were not expected, but spiritually our hearts have been fed with solid Truth from God's Word and for that we are grateful. The children attended VBS which by the way, has only been the second time (first for Laura) they've ever been to VBS. It was an exciting time for them and not only were they blessed but they also were a blessing to others. I am grateful to the LORD for His goodness.

The children and I plan to leave on August 12th, heading for home. Phillip will leave the following week, hopefully. There was discussion about Denver being our next assignment but after being on and off several times, it's now "off", at least for us. Another employee will be managing that project. So we don't know what's in store for us at this point. I've come to realize that God has asked me to live for this day, and trust Him for the next, whatever that looks like. More times than not, the view is cloudy at best. And the winds change ever so quickly. I'm learning to be still. And to watch....and wait.

God Bless you,

Angela

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