Zane on his birthday in June...he turned 6
My cute husband!
My cute Sheldon!
Zane's birthday cake with Army Men on it...
if you look closely you can see that one is dying! :)
Abigail with the Pillowcase Dress I made for her!
+ Our broccoli is done producing and we have gotten some cauliflower. Our Squash plants are huge and I am anxiously awaiting seeing some fruit on them. The Corn, Potatoes and Tomatoes are doing well, too. I have been able to freeze so many herbs from my herb garden! :)
+ VBS week went well. It was stressful. I helped in the 3-5 year olds since Sheldon and Abbie were both in there. There were 25 kids in that age group but I was able to help and minister, so that was great. The kids LOVED it, as they always do! I made a new Army wife friend, there, named Rachel. Turned out she lives on the next driveway past our house! :) I am about to go email her and see if she wants to come over on Wednesday to let her little boy play with my kids and just to get to know each other! She seems really nice! :)
+ James is done with Cross-fit so we finally don't have to get up so early! His shoulder was really bothering him towards the end of the program. I think he has a torn rotary cuff , and the workouts really irritated it. He is going to the e-6 board in September. I hope they pick him up. It would be a very nice pay-raise that we could really use!
+ I have gotten a lot done on Abbie's scrapbook, and am looking forward to doing Sheldon's!
+ Cash got stung by a bee on his butt this morning. Poor dog. I told all the kids to go pet him and make him feel better because "he got stung by a bee on his butt and it hurts real bad!" They all felt so bad for him.
+ My in-laws are all coming on August first so I have a lot of housework, meal planning and shopping to do. I am so excited! They will be here for a week! I think we will go to the aquarium in Seattle, but not sure what else we will be doing. We will have 5 kids and 7 adults between us.
+ My sister Sarah called the other day to tell me that my sister Naomi is pregnant! I was so excited and then very super excited when she told that she is also pregnant!!! Sarah is due in February and Naomi is due in April! I am so happy for them, even though it makes me sad that I am still young enough to have another baby, I want a baby, and I could be included in their special time, but it can't happen. I am praying for contentment and just a sense of peace with where we are in our life right now....including how many children we have. Even though I am struggling with my own feelings, which are none of my sister's faults, I am extremely happy for them, in this joyous time in their lives, and I am thankful for my own dear children. My kids are so good. My kids are healthy, happy, obedient and exuberant. I need to be grateful for that and keep asking God to take the baby ache away, or do something about it. :/
+ It's so nice and hot! I love it when it's 75 to 80 degrees. It's actually been 90 lately, which is fine, but we don't have air conditioning so the house does get pretty hot. We don't have any trees around the house. We keep the windows open all night and close them in the morning and that helps for most of the day.
+ I have been trying to try out more summer recipes. Just more recipes that are main dishes, but cold, instead of hot. Tonight, I made Salmon Stuffed Tomatoes. They were really good. I have a lot of main dish pasta recipes that I have tried, too, but the kids aren't too fond of them.
+ I am amazed at how patient I have been with the kids and how rested I feel. Even though I get a lot done throughout the day, I am not pushing myself too hard. I've really been enjoying my summer. God has really done His work in me, the past few months. I feel like a better mom, everyday. I am confident concerning homeschooling next year. I am very sure that it's God's will right now that we continue to homeschool, and that I can do it and that I am ready to take on another year. I feel very adequate! I have a lot of homeschooling support at church, and the kids have made so many new friends. It's so nice to know that they are being able to enjoy being around other kids and that I can go to several different moms at church if I have homeschooling questions.
+ Yes, church! I am in love with our new church. I am making my own friends and socializing a lot with other military wives. We are at church on Thursdays and Sundays, and I think we both feel very confident that it's where God wants us right now. Our pastor is very blunt and really lays it down for us, which I really like! :) It's my favorite style of preaching. Every Sunday I am challenged anew. I think my husband is, too. Our pastor cries quite often, also, so I know he feels very, very deeply about what he is doing and what he is preaching! I love it! I am looking forward to helping in AWANA, soon.
Well, I think that's all for now! I don't have any spiritual ponderings to close with right now, unfortunately. I would love it if I did. I am staying in God's Word and keeping my ears open to His messages, but I have none to share at the moment.
Except maybe... :) Did you know that there is nothing that YOU can do to become saved? There is nothing that God requires of you, but a heart that sees its own sin. A heart that believes and a heart that breaks when it discovers that it is lost and can't make it alone!!!
Titus 3:3-11
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, decieved, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one-another.
But after thatthe kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man, appeared.
Not by WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to His MERCY he saved us, BY the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Which he shed on US abundantly THROUGH Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Being justified by HIS grace we should be made HEIRS according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that though affirm constantly, that they which HAVE (past tense) believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are right and profitable unto men.
BUT, avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and STRIVINGS about the law; for they are UNPROFITABLE and VAIN.
It is only by grace and mercy that we are saved. What we do with it after that, shows that we ARE saved and points others to Jesus. God prepares your heart, calls your heart and leads your heart to HIM. There is a point when you are unconverted, asleep to your personal sin, and ignorant to your need of Salvation. And then, there is a point when you are awakened, your heart is broken because of your sin, you see no way out, you don't know what to do, and then God pricks your heart. After this, God converts your heart to Him, causing you to believe UPON Him and UPON His blood, and not just IN Him. Most people believe in God. Even the demons do. That's easy. But do you believe ON Him??? There is a difference!
I love you all and just wanted to pour that out to you for some reason! :) Have a blessed rest of the week! :)
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