Happy Birthday for Hannah!

Hannah had a birthday a few days ago.

The morning of Hannah's birthday she came to our room and knocked on our door and asked, "Am I four today?" She had a hard time believing it, because she was not as big as Ruth when she woke up.


She told us a few months ago that she wanted a Banana cake for her birthday. Scott baked and decorated this cake. He used a yellow cake mix and chopped bananas into it. Then he iced it with white icing and put Bananas on the icing. Then he topped it off with the first strawberry off our strawberry plants. Then I put the four candles on it. She really liked her cake.

Now you may be wandering if you follow my Dad's blogs why he has a birthday picture of her with a different cake. That was on the same day but different location. We had her first small birthday party at home and then another small birthday party at Memaw's and Daddy Jim's house.

This is Hannah in her new BibleMan costume. She now wants to be BibleMan when she grows up. We bought her a BibleMan DVD set. She had been begging us for a BibleMan light saber for over a month. We found some light sabers and were even able to find her a BibleMan costume which was marked down because it is a seasonal item. When Joshua heard that we found one of the two last BibleMan costumes left until October, he said, "God must have provided Hannah a BibleMan costume because he knew she wanted one."

I love this picture of the kids with their light sabers. Even Jonathan was in the mood. We bought him a foam squirter to use as a light saber. We figured it was softer than the plastic light sabers and it still extended like theirs. He loves to get involved with their play. He tries to be just like them. Tonight after our devotion time, Jonathan put on Hannah's mask upside down and started walking around with his arms in funny positions showing off. We think he was trying to be BibleMan too.

Then the highlight of Hannah's birthday was her getting a whole vitamin at bedtime. We had told her months ago that when she turned four she would get a whole vitamin. She has been looking forward to that for a long time. She feels so big and grown up now.

Over all it was a very good day. On our way back home we stopped by Uncle Justin and Aunt Sarah's house. (Aunt Sarah is my sister.) My sister served us a very good dinner and we enjoyed getting to visit with them. The kids really liked all the animals they have.

Next time we go to visit them, Uncle Justin is going to have to teach us all how to fish. I took the children to a Fishery about a year ago and even in a stocked pond we still didn't catch anything. I still don't know what we were doing wrong.

Now we are back home. Tomorrow I will try to post about our special Fifth Sunday Services we had today. All the kids participated and it went very well. So check back soon.

Surprise!

I was right. The kids' big surprise for me was that they cleaned the girls' room. It looked pretty good. Only thing that would have made it better was if they had made their beds. So tomorrow I plan to work with them on it a bit. I'm going to try to help them keep their room nice.

Tomorrow Joshua thinks they should clean his room next. So I'm going to allow them to work on it in the morning. However the afternoon will be for Homeschool lessons. They will be having to double up tomorrow afternoon to make up for the lessons they didn't get done today. But I felt it was worth missing some lessons for their big surprise.

Hannah will be having a birthday soon. I plan on blogging some more before we visit family for her birthday. Keep checking back for more pictures.

Planting Weeds

The other day Joshua and Hannah came into the house with this wild flower they had uprooted. They wanted me to plant it in a pot inside the house. I explained that those kind of flowers really do better outside. Joshua was real excited and asked, "So can I plant it in my garden."

Scott and I just smiled at each other as I agreed and assured him that it will probably grow pretty well outside. After he and Hannah ran back outside to plant their flower, Scott and I both had thought of the same Bible passage about the Wheat and the Tares. Tares being weeds. In that passage it's talking about how an enemy had gone into the garden and planted the weeds among the plants. However Joshua is planting the weed in his own garden. Hmm... Well, at least it is a pretty weed and may grow better than some of the other plants he has out there.

Matthew 13:24-30
(24) Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
(25) But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
(26) But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
(27) So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
(28) He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
(29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
(30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Scott loves to tell me, "Now that would make a good blog!" So here it is.

Right now I am waiting on the kids to finish working on my surprise. I came into the kitchen earlier today and Hannah announced, "We have a surprise for you, Mom!" Her older sibblings immediately started shushing her. So I smiled and told her that she was doing really well not telling me. They told me that I would need to go to my room while they finished my surprise. So I told them I would come in here and blog.

It was suppose to only take them a few minutes but it has actually been quite a while. I think their surprise is they are cleaning their rooms. Don't tell them I guessed it. I plan on smiling and being really surprised. I think now they would have liked to done their homeschool work first instead of working on their "surprise". Joshua just came to check on me and to tell me that it is sometimes really hard. I asked if they needed any help with it, and he gave a weary, "No we've got it. We're almost done, I think." Their rooms aren't really all that big, but they have a lot of stuff and could really use help organizing it. To bad it has to be a surprise, I may check on them in a little bit to see if I can help. Maybe we could turn it into a surprise for Daddy.

I'll probably post a picture of the "surprise" in my next blog.

Donkey Business

I wasn't sure how many people had heard about the possibility of us getting a donkey, and wasn't sure whether to even blog about it. Scott went to get some eggs at our friends' house and met a man there that was looking to buy a pony from them. He told Scott about two donkeys that he was wanting to sell for a real low price. Scott was real interested and was picturing the kids riding the donkeys around the yard. They were supposed to be miniature donkeys but turned out being a little taller. So the man was wanting to buy a pony and sell the donkeys.

That was Thursday. Scott was wanting to at least go look at them and see how they reacted to the kids. We couldn't see them on Friday, so Scott did a lot of Donkey research. I even called my sister to find out if her husband had any experience raising donkeys. He thought that it was a good deal, and that they would take them off our hands if we bought them and it didn't work out. So I decided maybe it would be okay to get them.

The owner called us this morning telling that he had picked up the pony and was on his way home, so we could come out and see the donkeys this morning. We loaded up in the car and was on our way over there, when the man called back and told that his wife didn't want to sell the donkeys. So we turned around and went back home. So I guess we're not donkey crazy after all. I had my camera, but we didn't even look at them. Now we're just thinking about maybe getting some Chickens, at least they lay eggs.

And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the donkey with a staff.

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

And Balaam said unto the donkey, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

And the donkey said unto Balaam, Am not I thine donkey, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?

And he said, Nay.

Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine donkey these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the donkey saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
(Numbers 22:27-33)

Horse Crazy...

I walked out the back door the other day and had to take this picture. Ruth's feet are touching the ground on that horse. I call this horse crazy. It's been a little over a week since she's ridden a real horse, so I guess she is taking a ride on the toy horse. Jonathan is her riding partner here. His feet are touching the ground too.

This is more like it. Jonathan is the size I remember Joshua being when he got this horse for his second Birthday 8 years ago. Ruth wasn't quite born yet. It's amazing how fast they've grown. Joshua and Ruth used to be Hannah and Jonathan's size. Where does the time go?

Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:
(Ephesians 5:1)

Great, Grandparents

We took a couple of days of spring break and got to visit with all of my grandparents. I took some really good pictures of the kids with them. This first picture is of the kids with Daddy Jim, my maternal grandfather. I got to hear about an owl he and his brothers kept as a pet when they were kids. I guess they used to get to keep the animals they would catch as boys. All I know is his mother had to be pretty patient.

This second picture is of the kids with Memaw, my maternal grandmother. I have so many good memories over at Memaw and Daddy Jim's house. I remember going there and playing with my cousins when I was little. I remember singing in their family room when we were teenagers. Daddy Jim sang bass and Memaw sang Alto. That was how I learned to sing harmony listening to my family singing the different parts. We had a lot of fun singing different hymns in that small family room.

This third picture is of Mamaw, my paternal grandmother with the kids. She still works in her garden and helps my dad and his brothers with construction work on my dad's house. Seeing my daughters' rose bush always makes me think of Mamaw's roses.

This is a picture of Papaw, my late paternal grandfather. This, the latest picture I have of him was taken after the birth of Jonathan in 2007. I felt like I should put his picture in here as well, since he was a great grandfather too.

My grandparents are all such a wonderful blessing. I appreciate how they raised my parents to love the Lord and to walk in his ways. It was by their examples that my parents were able to raise me and my brother and sister to do the same. Now it is a wonderful thing to see my own children wanting to follow the Lord as well. That's how it is suppose to be though, one generation teaching the next generations to do what is right.

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
(Proverbs 17:6)

How does your garden grow?

The children have started themselves a garden. They each have their own little section, which they help dig, plant, water, and weed. They have in their gardens, marigolds, corn, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and sunflower seeds. This has been a great learning experience for them, and I include it as extracurricular in their homeschooling. Of course I don't call it schooling with them, they just see it as outside fun, but they are definitely learning whether they realize it or not.

In this first picture, Joshua is holding a worm he found. He has really good eyes for those types of things, I would have never seen it but as he was shoveling the dirt, he stopped. I asked him what was wrong and he said "I found an earthworm!" He had to watch for a few seconds before continuing to dig.

Ruth saw these blossoms on our lemon tree. She also found a bug and wouldn't go close to the blossom until Joshua removed it. I decided removing insects from plant leaves was a good job for Joshua. Although I think Hannah might like helping him at times.

Hannah and Ruth have a flower garden. The center attraction being "Hannah's" Roses. Ruth has other items she's planted so we let Hannah claim the roses. Each morning since we've planted them, Hannah has come into the kitchen announcing that another of her roses is big now. We clipped a couple to put in a vase inside. Plants that grow fast are great for younger children.

And last but not least, Jonathan loves to help with digging. He saw everyone else getting to use the shovels. Scott let him have a turn with the smaller sharp shooter shovel. He loves to be like his brother and sisters.

Scott even has his section of the yard for gardening. His garden is a little more practical. He has a box of strawberries, different herbs and spices, some tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and bell pepper. He also has two fig bushes, two blueberry bushes, two pear trees, and a lemon tree. I'm sure there are some others that I'm missing.

As far as my garden grows, I consider my family my garden. Everything I do with and for my children is helping them to grow and mature into well nourished little plants. The more they learn and grow the better fruit they will bare. I love my little garden.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
(2 Peter 3:18)

A Flat Tire...

I walked out the door to see Scott pulling the jack out from the shed we have behind the house. We were about to go into town but we had a flat tire. I had the camera planning to take some pictures of the kids at the park but we had to go to a tire place. So instead of taking pictures of the kids at the park, I took a picture of Jonathan "helping" change a flat tire.

There are people in this world that would get upset, if this had happened to them. But we see these things that happen to us as opportunities from God. Maybe the people at the tire place needed to meet Scott. Maybe one of the kids could have been hurt at the park. We may never know what all the purposes are, but God knows and he is taking care of us.

They didn't find the leak in the tire, even after airing it up and testing it with water and soap. Scott thinks that when the air was added to it, it may have closed the leak up for a while. So we may have another flat tire in a few days. Maybe the people at the tire place need another visit.

Life isn't a card game that things just happen to us by chance. God has a reason for everything. He is so good to take care of us. Knowing this makes life worth living. We know we are here for a purpose. Even a flat tire can't stop us from fulfilling His purposes.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28)

I Forgot!

Poor Jonathan had the best surprise look so he gets his picture put on here for my forgetfulness.

The time changed today! Why do they make the time change be on a Saturday night? Thankfully Scott automatically goes to the church about an hour early anyway, but I was late.

I woke up at 8:30 this morning. Scott fixed breakfast while I put some clothes in the dryer to dewrinkle. I sat down to eat a quick bite looking at the clock in the kitchen thinking, "Hey, I actually have time for breakfast this morning." I don't always manage to get breakfast Sundays. I usually get myself dressed and find clothes for Jonathan while the kids are eating.

So I'm sitting at the table with a bite of pancake in my mouth, when Scott asks me from the living room, "Why does this clock say 10:00? Was the time change this weekend?"

I panicked, just a little. I hurried the kids to get their shoes on. I still had to get dressed, and I had to get Jonathan dressed. But I made it to church only a half hour late. Which if the time hadn't changed, means I would have been there about an half hour early. I had actually planned to be at the church 10 minutes early. Everyone was good humored about it, so I didn't feel too bad. Now, I know that I can get everyone ready for church in just an hour if I have too.

At least we didn't lose any sleep over the time change.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Writing for Children

This picture shows a common sight around our house, the kids reading. I'm so glad that they have finally gotten that joy of reading. The better they read the more they will be able to learn on their own.

Scott and I took our kids to the Keepers of the Faith meeting today. Joshua's group is actually called the Contenders of the Faith. I went to the girls class and watched them make flower arrangements. Scott got to help the boys make bird houses. Everyone had a lot of fun.

I stayed up late last night working on my assignment for the Institute of Children's Literature. I was so tired last night that nothing sounded good. I was afraid that I would never get the story to turn out well. Then Scott suggested I get some sleep and work on it some more today.

He was right. I got some sleep and worked on it a little before we left for the Keepers of the Faith meeting. When we got back home, the kids were all wanting to play outside and Scott was working in the garden. I got the story finished! It's such a good feeling when you finally get it done. Especially when you have someone read it and they react to it, exactly how you expect. Now that my story is finished, I'm going to print it and try it out on my best critics, my young'uns.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Dog Ears

This morning Hannah showed me her doll and told me that it was a boy doll. I told her that I thought it was a girl doll because of her dog ears. Hannah said that it was a boy with dog ears. Which I told her that boys don't wear dog ears. She then informed me that dogs are boys. I, of course corrected her by telling her that some dogs were girls, too. At that moment I didn't catch the logic she was actually trying to impart to me.

She told me, "Well, Ms. Lauwa has a horse and it's a boy, and it has dog ears. Well, actually it has horsey ears, but it looks like doggy ears."

Then I understood her meaning. Since boy dogs have dog ears, why can't boy people have dog ears too? I'm not sure how that argument would hold up in a Logic and Argumentation class in Seminary but it works for her. It's hard to argue with a 3 year old.

Fun on a Ranch

Scott and the kids had a good day over at the neighbors' ranch. They all got to ride Jinglebob. Scott even rode the horse. They all had fun and came home all excited about it. Scott brought me some of the pictures they took. I thought this posed picture of the kids and Scott was cute. They not only rode horses but they helped plant potatoes and cleaned out a horse trailer while they were there. They really had fun.

Jonathan was taking a nap, so I decided to stay home with him and get some work done while he slept.

Below I have a video of Ruth riding JingleBob. She is really getting good at riding. I'm already looking forward to our next visit over there.

Mother - Daughter Tea

Today, Ruth and I went to a Mother-Daughter tea. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the skit and the presentation brought by a Mother and her 19 year old daughter. It was so inspiring. The whole theme was that our daughters need to trust God and wait what God has in store for them.

This is a message that I want so badly to get out to the young girls out there. Just like the mother said to us mothers, these girls need to learn to trust God and make the right decisions while they are very young, so that when they reach the age where they must make their own decisions then they will be able to make the right ones.

Another lesson in the skit that I found very good, was that when our daughters do get to be older and teenagers that we need to give them the chance to make their own decisions. We should be there to help them and guide them as best we can but they will have to decide for themselves whether they will follow God or not when they are older. They cannot just go to heaven on our faith in God but they need to trust Him and make the right decisions to follow Him for themselves.

Ruth also got something good from the skit. She said that the girl in the skit made the right decision not to go to the party that the other girls were going to. When I asked her why, she said that there might be bad people at the party and they might do bad things there. If Scott and I keep working with our children, with God's help I know they will grow up to make the right decisions.

I was so inspired by the whole event, I came home all excited and jabbery. I practically talked Scott's ear off. At least I didn't overload him with the details on what everyone was wearing or what all the different tea sets looked like. All I know is that I feel more than ever that I need to get serious about my writing.

I want so badly to have an influence on children, not just my children but all children. I want to help them while they are young and before they make life-changing decisions. The decisions these kids make in their youth can affect their lives for the good or the bad. They need to be reached before they take the wrong path. It's so much harder to take the right path after going down the wrong one. If these children can be directed down the right path before they get off it, they can live a life led by God and walk forever in His care. They will be ready for the good things that God has in store for them.

I'm not very good at speaking, however, I love to write. I believe the way the Lord would have me reach out to young people and to help them is through the words I write on paper. David said in Psalm 45:1 "...My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." For me, my pen is the tongue of a ready speaker. Take my pen, Lord, I'll write for You.


Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)

Nobody Knows Noses?

Yesterday, Jonathan learned a new game. We ask him, "Where's Ruth's nose?" and he will go over to Ruth and point to her nose. Then we ask him, "Where's Joshua's nose?" and he will point to Joshua's nose. Then after being asked he will point to Hannah's nose, my nose, Daddy's nose. He will even point to his nose.

This would be a more age appropriate lesson for Ruth to teach Jonathan, instead of trying to get him to learn his numbers. I'm looking forward to him saying, "Nose" when we ask him. Right now he is just content to point.

He did say, "Mama," for Banana yesterday. The "a" is the short sound not the normal sound you would use for mama. So he is beginning to say some real words.

I got in an order of new math books yesterday, that I am very excited about. They are called "Practical Mathmatics" by Strayer-Upton. It is a Three book series covering 3rd through 8th grade. Now when I say 8th grade this is back in the days when you learned a lot by the time you were in the 8th grade. This set of books were first copyrighted in 1928. These are wonderful text books to have and I will be able to reuse them with Hannah and Jonathan. I only ordered one set for Joshua and Ruth to share, but I plan on buying another set. They are that good. They don't have a lot of fancy bells and whistles. They are simply practical, which I like. I plan to start them from the first book on Monday. If you are homeschooling or know someone who is, these are an excellent set to look into.

This is the website where I ordered the Math books.
http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/Catalog/Math_Books_73.asp

Tea for Two...

It's amazing how well our children are able to play together. This picture shows Ruth and Jonathan having pretend tea together. They just turned to smile at me while I took their picture but I had gotten this second picture as well showing Jonathan actually pouring the tea into Ruth's cup. It was so cute to watch.

Ruth has been doing a good job helping with Jonathan. Jonathan has been wanting to have a "lesson" also, while Hannah is learning. So Ruth has taken it upon herself to teach Jonathan his numbers.

Joshua and Hannah are doing well with their lessons. Hannah has learned the letter F today. She has been really bragging to everyone about how Joshua is her teacher. She considers it a really special honor that he teaches her. Kind of like she has her own private tutor, that no one else has. It is really sweet and I praise him for how well he works with her.

The only problem Hannah has now is telling Ruth that she's not her teacher. So I explained to Hannah that Ruth is Joshua's assistant. She can teach Hannah things too. There seems to be a misunderstanding with Hannah as to who a teacher is. I've tried to explain to her that anyone that knows something more than someone else can teach what they know. I think she thinks you have to be big to be a teacher. Little does she know how much she teaches Jonathan.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)

Shave and a Haircut ... 2 Bits!

I cut Scott's and the kids hair today. No, I didn't get two bits for it. But I did think about it. This picture shows them all after their haircuts.

I started with Hannah's hair. It is hard to get her bangs straight, since she doesn't sit still very well. I used to try keeping a hair band in her hair and I hoped that she would eventually have her hair long enough to stay behind her ears, but the hair band would get lost and her hair wasn't staying out of her face at all. So out came the scissors. It's nice seeing her eyes.

After Hannah's hair cut, I cute Joshua's. His is the easiest hair to cut. I just use the razor with a fairly short guide and shave it all over the same length.

Then I cut Scott's hair. His is the most stressful. He likes his hair a certain way, but he's not sure what that way is. I know that he doesn't want it sticking up anywhere. He has very straight hair and it has specific calic spots. Which makes his hair rather difficult to work with. It turned out pretty good though and he seemed pleased with it. He's definitely pleased with the price, he doesn't complain nearly as much after I cut his hair, than with someone professional that he has to pay.

After Scott's hair, I cut Jonathan's hair. This was his first real haircut. We had tried to cut his hair before while he was asleep but it wasn't a very good one. This time I took him to the bathroom and stood him in front of the bathroom mirror. I showed him the electric hair shaver that I was going to use. I turned it on for him and let him hold it. I wanted him to get used to the sound and not be afraid of it. Then I turned it off and brushed his hair with the comb of the razor. Then I showed it to him again and turned it on for him again. Once he was used to it, he started playing with some of the combs I had set on the counter top. That was when I started cutting his hair. He didn't mind at all. I kept talking real cheerfully with him about how pretty his hair looked. I think hearing me praising his haircut and having seen that the razor wasn't going to hurt him, he wasn't scared and didn't mind.

Scott took Ruth with him to a Mission Rally today. I chose to stay home with the younger two kids and Scott gave Joshua and Ruth the choice to stay with me or to go with him. It was going to be a pretty long evening, since Scott was going early to play some music with another man from the church there. I didn't know what there would be for Hannah and Jonathan to do. They would get bored and 4 hours of trying to keep them out of trouble sounded tiring. Ruth brought her mandolin along. She also brought her book with her in case she got tired of playing and wanted to read. She had a good time.

Our kids are growing up so fast. God has richly blessed me with a wonderful family.

The Professor and his Student

Joshua and Hannah were having some major personality conflicts. Hannah would take great pleasure in annoying her big brother, who in turn would get incredibly upset with her. It was becoming quite a problem for the two of them. It even got to where Hannah didn't have to do very much and Joshua was just sure she was annoying him on purpose. Sometimes she did annoy him on purpose, but she didn't have to work very hard to do it. After much scolding and telling them they had to start getting along, I finally came upon the perfect solution.

Joshua is now Hannah's special Alphabet instructor. Everyday he is to work with her on learning her letters. They have to work together. She must listen to him and he must teach her without losing his patience with her.

I told them that learning to work together in this way would help them when they are grown and must learn to work with other people. So far they have taken to this project with great gusto. Joshua is constantly thinking of new ways to teach Hannah her next letter. For a reward he gives her an index card that he draws a picture on of all sorts of things that begin with the letter she remembers. Right now she has Aa and Bb down. Tomorrow they will be working on Cc. After she meets his expectations and he is satisfied that she knows a letter well, she then has to undergo a test that I give her. If she passes my test she then gets to add a sticker to her card that Joshua gave her. So far this is working well, and they have actually been getting along better.

When I first presented this idea to Joshua, his first question was, how long do we do this. I told him, until she learns to read. In other words he is to keep working with her for a long time. This isn't meant to be a torture session, but they are to have fun and work together. My goal for them is not so much that Hannah learns her letters, as it is for them to learn to work with each other. I'll be sure to give updates on their progress.

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

How to live Happily-Ever-After...

This a picture of my husband and me a little over 12 years ago. A lot has definitely changed over the past 12 years. Just looking back on my life, I'm amazed at all the different experiences God has given us, and all the things we have learned during that time.

Marriages don't last 12 years very often these days. I remember the time I taught a group of ladies in a class and their one burning question was how do you find that right person to marry. This is a problem that many women, and men for that matter, find themselves shaking their heads and wondering how do you find that special person to spend the rest of your life with.

Too many people are looking for the wrong thing, when they look for a spouse. They look for someone that will lavish them with praise and flowers. They think that life long happiness comes from what they can get out of the other person. That isn't the way it's suppose to be though. Such a relationship will end, as so many are these days, in unhappiness, bitterness, and then the ugly bitter divorce, which breaks up homes and families. Leaving the hurt embittered person looking for the next relationship that will give them more, only to be disappointed yet again.

So today while love is on everyone's minds, I'm going to offer some advice. First to the singles that are still waiting and looking for the right person. God will provide you with the right person, however you must do your part too. You must be praying for God's will for you and for the person that he will send to you. Then pray for God to help you to be the person worthy of the one he will send.

Why would God give one of his jewels to someone that isn't worthy. When I was praying for a Husband, I had a list of things that I wanted and expected in a potential husband. If I met someone that failed in one of those areas I would not have given him even one date. Every young man I met in college went under great scrutiny. My Dad knew I had high standards and he too was keeping his eye out for someone. He saw Scott in Seminary and told me, "Stacie, Scott is different." So I agreed to one date. Of course Scott was quite different and after a short time I knew he was the one that God wanted me to spend the rest of my life with. Scott also had high expectations for a lifelong mate.

If you want to marry one of God's jewels you need to keep yourself polished. First make sure your saved. It helps to belong to the King of Kings before you can have the blessings he has in store for your life. Then live like God would want you to live. It is good to have high standards for your future mate and not settle for less, but you need to keep high standards for yourself as well. Because the right person for you won't settle for less either.

I know a lot of people that might read this and say, "It's too late for me. I've done messed my life up and I am undeserving of a jewel." Then let me tell you, that you have just made an important step, you admit your not good enough. It's not too late though. God may still have someone for you and what you need to do is starting right now turn yourself over to God. Don't worry about anyone else right now, you need to work on your own life and be all that you can be for God. Only then, can he offer you what he has in store for your life.

Now then for those of you who are married. What about you? Can you say that you are happily married? Would your spouse say that you are happily married? Do not look outside of your marriage for marital happiness. Leaving your spouse will not make you happier. Yes, you can be happy with your present spouse. It requires work, but you can do it. Don't look at your marriage as, "What can I get out of this marriage? What's in it for me?" No, look at what you can do for your marriage. Be a giving person. Don't just take, take, take. And don't give grudgingly. Don't do things for your spouse, expecting something in return. Give freely. Your making an investment into a happily-ever-after marriage. If your spouse doesn't seem to notice at first, think about how God notices. God loves you and knows what you are trying to do. He will reward your efforts in His own time. And believe it or not the more you do, your spouse will start noticing too.

God wants you to be happy. If anything must change in your relationships, it has to start with you. Only with God can you truly live happily-ever-after.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
(1 John 3:18-22)

Last but not least...

My "allergies" were giving me a terrible time yesterday evening. I went from coughing to having a sore throat. Then after having a hard time sleeping last night, I woke up with a headache. Then I started sneezing and finally succumbed to taking my temperature today. I am now taking my turn with a fever. Needless to say, I'm not too happy about it. Everyone else is feeling fine, why can't I? Oh well, I'm going to try being as gracious as possible, and rest as much as the kids will let me. Maybe tomorrow will be another pretty day.

A Beautiful Day

Today, is a beautiful day for everyone to be feeling better. Right now all four of my darlings are outside playing. Scott went back to work today, and all is good. I took the kids' temperatures just now and they were all normal. Which they were very excited, since I would now let them go outside.

Scott planted a couple of Blueberry bushes today, and a couple of strawberry plants. It will be really neat to have fresh fruit growing in our own front yard. I plan on starting a garden in the backyard soon as well. I already have a bean plant started in a butter dish. I will transplant it as soon as we have the garden spot prepared.

Spring is right around the corner. I'm looking forward to the warmer days ahead. Of course, come summer time, I'll be looking forward to the cooler days. At least there is always something to look forward to.