Bits and Pieces of Our Life...

Life has been delightfully normal for several days in a row. Can you hear my sigh of relief? This is, of course, a temporary arrangement...there are several "routine-busters" looming on the horizon that will be here soon. :)

Last night Daddy had a meeting so the kids and I ate pizza and ice cream and played a Nancy Drew game. We had a lot of fun together! Besides, you can never go wrong with pizza and ice cream! ;)

Here are a few random pictures I have never posted....

One of many, many rain pictures I hve taken this summer. This is what we have seen out our front window more times than we have cared to count. But I have reminded the children repeatedly that I would rather have "too much" rain than not enough. (But if God is the One who gives the rain, who are we to say that it is "too much"?)



I have enjoyed so many wild flowers from my children and the children at church. This is just one of many arrangements that I have enjoyed in recent days. (All that rain brought beautiful flowers...)



My desk chair has not been much to look at....



...and some friends at church dropped this off for me! I did not even know they knew about my sad looking chair. They found this at a yard sale. I am loved! God is so good to supply all our needs----and some extras, too!



The one thing I am "famous" for...chocolate chip cookies. My kids love these better than all other cookies. I am going to make them another batch after they see this and give me five good reasons why I should in the message box in my sidebar. (This should be fun...I love you, Ricky, Ryan, Rachel, Jack, Jonathan and Joshua!)



Ryan thinks he found the frog that was climbing our window a couple of weeks ago. It is a cute frog...but the boy sure is handsome. ;)




I am getting ready to leave to teach Patch Club. That is definitely one of the highlights of my week! Teaching is such a joy!

I trust that you will have a wonderful time with God's people tonight.

And as always...

Thanks for stopping by,

You Are Loved

I love to be loved.

Don't we all?

I do not know what it would be like to live without love. I have never spent a day in my life without the awareness that I am special to many "someones" in my life. I receive constant affirmations of God's love, Rick's love, my parent's love, my children's love...and on the list goes.

Most of us have the same testimony, but some days we take it for granted. We fail to appreciate the ways we are shown love--especially the ways that God shows us He loves us. My word for the year (Amy's challenge) is Awareness. I want to be aware of God in my life. His love for me and His dealings with me.

God used a couple of special people in my life today to remind me once again that I am loved.

I had to stay home from church this morning...Ugh! I love church! I love God's people! I love the singing! I love sitting under my husband's preaching!

And I was feeling a bit left out. My husband came home from church with a wrapped present...for me! I opened the card and found out it was from Mandy.

I received some "penguin love" all the way from Maryland!



Don't you just love it when someone does something "just because they were thinking about you?" A special thank you to my special friend and fellow blogger for lifting my spirits today!


And my husband proved(again!)that he loves me...

I usually do some type of crock pot meal on Sunday for a lot of obvious reasons, but I had a package of steaks in the freezer from some sale and thought they would be scrumptious grilled. I asked my husband this morning if he would be willing to grill steaks after dropping off his van route in the afternoon and he said "yes." I had a side prepared and ready when he walked in the door and he immediately went and grilled the steaks. Smelled so yummy!!

He came inside and I went to make him a plate of food. He politely refused and said he was going to his office. Having never known this man of mine to turn down a steak I, of course, questioned him.

He is fasting today.

I usually know about this kind of thing ahead of time, but didn't today. So, unknowingly I asked him to cook steak. And he sweetly complied. And told me to enjoy it as he kissed me and headed out the door.

I am so loved!

I know God doesn't have favorites, but do you feel sometimes you got an extra dose of His all-consuming love?

Actually, we receive this love every day, but often fail to recognize it all around us.

So...take some time and be aware of God's love and goodness to you today.

And please know..

...you are loved!!


Thanks for stopping by,



Note to Mandy...how did the interview go this afternoon? And thanks again for my Americana wall hanging! I love you!

Note to Paula...I am going to do that post, but will have to do my counting very carefully! ;) I am so glad we each have a message box! May the message war continue! Love ya!

What A Wonderful Day...

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What a perfect day it has been....delightful in every way!

My day started with my very thoughtful children decorating the kitchen for me. They even made balloon hats and animals! They had set out the special birthday plate for me to use today. Our birthday celebrations are full of special traditions and they wanted to make sure Mommy didn't miss out on any of them. What a precious way to start my day!

My husband presented me with another Willow Tree. I love these sculptures as they depict family relationships. I only get one or two a year and the ones I receive always mean something. I do not just blindly collect every Willow Tree available. This one is called "Anniversary-Love Ever Endures." My husband reminded me once again that we are going to grow old together. We have all kinds of plans for when we are old! I used to dread growing old, but I rather look forward to it now! ;) Thank you, Sweetheart, for this thoughtful gift!


I started receiving phone calls and one of them was my wonderful parents wanting me to open the gift they had sent to me. I opened this while I was talking to them....



My Mom has worked for several months on this very special scrapbook for me!!



It contains many letters of love and encouragement. It also has many pictures of precious friends and family. I was overwhelmed to hear from so many who have loved me and invested in me. I cry easily when something touches my heart and today was certainly no exception!



Thank you, Daddy, and thank you, Mom, for this priceless gift. I feel so very loved! (And I am looking forward to the fact that you are adding to my scrapbook each year. Thank you!)



My day has been full and overflowing of good things. We held services at the assisted living center we go to on Fridays. We went to Friendly's for lunch. The children were very excited that I was sung to by the employees. They were so delighted that the manager came back to our table to teach the children the Friendly's birthday song....and I heard it the rest of the day! They also enjoyed the helium balloons I was given by the employees. ;)

We stopped at a park on the way home, then came home where I gave 5 haircuts. We had a relaxing supper. Then it was cake time. Daddy and Ryan decided that the cake needed all 38 candles! Hmmmmmm! >:( I endured several fire department jokes...

I cannot begin to tell you about all the phone calls, e-mails, blog comments, snail mail, etc. I have received today! Tonight some precious friends brought over some of my favorite baked goods.

It truly is a joy to go through life when you are as rich in friends as I am! Thank you for being my friend!!



And for my Mom....you asked about my camera a couple of different times, so here is a picture.



And to my new friend, Susan...I am thrilled to meet a kindred spirit! I especially thrill at meeting pastor's wives. I plan on answering your e-mail, but have been busy....I am looking forward to getting to know you better.

Thanks for stopping by,

A Precious Gift From A Friend....

Several months ago my friend Joanne told me she was making a special surprise for me. Then a couple of months ago, she showed me the work in progress. She was crocheting a beautiful blanket and pillows in the colors of my bedroom!

On Tuesday she completed it and brought it over.



I am enjoying my birthday gift...



Honestly, I am one of the richest people in the world in the friend department!



Thank you, Joanne! I feel very loved!


Thanks for stopping by,

Blessing From the Homefront

I am home on a Sunday.

It is not the first time and I doubt it is the last.

Moms of little ones know that there are different kinds of illness and fevers. Let's take fevers for an example. There are times I will have a child with a fever who acts fine. They want to eat and play though their fever has climbed high. Then there are fevers that seem to sap the life out of your child. They do not want to do anything at all and you miss seeing their smiles and hearing their play.

Joshua has one of the latter. Last night and early this morning were miserable. This morning after lots of love, a good nap, some medicine and pedialyte he is walking around a bit and getting a couple of toys. The fever is still with him, but he is not miserable.

All that said, it made the following encounter with him all the more sweet....

Joshua is almost 31 months, but does very little talking compared to our other children at that age. He has two or three two-word sentences and maybe a dozen words he uses. Everything else is through his own adopted sign language and gestures that get him what he wants. His hearing is fine, he just doesn't choose to talk. We practice words with him all the time. He repeats after us when we tell him to-just doesn't choose to use those words on his own.

I finished giving him a banana late this morning and he was feeling a bit better with the medicine kicking in. I cleaned him up and sent him to pick out a Thomas video to watch. I started to clean the table as he left and I heard, "Love you! Bye!" and looked up to see him give me the hand sign for "I love you" and then wave good-bye as he disappeared around the corner. My heart melted as for months my husband and I have had him repeat "I love you" but this is the first time I have received it without prompting him.

I am home on a Sunday...and I am loved!

Thanks for stopping by,

Life Is Better Now

I love lilacs! Seems like lilacs have a large fan club...I continually meet others who claim it as one of their favorites. I never paid much attention to lilacs growing up--I just knew they were my Mom's most favorite and she searched diligently each spring for sources of lilacs to bring home for our fragrant enjoyment.

Now I am all grown up, and I, too, thrill at their delicate color and heady scent. But I rarely get to enjoy them up close. My ter-Rick-fic husband has planted lilac bushes the last few years for me...but they are not mature enough to give me blossoms. But my husband found these on the side of the road and stopped to get me some. I am spoiled and loved.

I have been soaking in everyone's blog pictures and smelling the lovely scent in my memory, but I must admit I am enjoying my own so much more!

Thank you, Mom, for my love of lilacs.

Thank you, Amy, for teaching me the importance of taking pictures of my lilacs.

Thank you, Sweetheart, for spoiling me and bringing me lilacs.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for creating lilacs and so much more for our enjoyment.

Thanks for stopping by,

I Am Loved

We just returned from our weekly visit to a local nursing home where we hold services weekly. Mommy and the children provide the music and our wonderful Daddy runs the services and preaches. When we arrived home the children scattered to get Mommy a "surprise". Of course, I did not have a clue as to what was going on! ;) They came in with happy grins and these flowers. Few things say love like freshly picked Dandelions from my cute crew. Isn't it interesting how some see Dandelions and think "weeds" and some see Dandelions and think "love"? I guess it is all in how you look at them...How is your perspective today?