This week.

 

May is wonderful.

I am really enjoying each new week of flowers,

right now it's the week of irises, can you smell them?

At PD's track meet this week the air was thick

with their scent, it was amazing.

 

Speaking of PD's track meet, Miss E and I spent 6 1/2 hours

there on Monday.  He did awesome, but then, I'm his mom.

I've always hated running.  Obviously...

 

 

Tea in a red transferware tea cup is also wonderful.

So calming, which I seem to need lately...

I am almost done with this Bible study,

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God,

by Lysa TerKeurst.  I would definitely recommend it.

The DVD sessions are also good, you can borrow the DVD

from me if you live local!

 

I will leave you with this quote from St. Patrick,

that I read this week.  It's all about Jesus!

 

Saturday morning play dough recipe

Do you need something fun to do with the kids today? How about making some play dough? This is a recipe from our old church cookbook, by my friend Liz. (: Enjoy!

Play Dough--

1/2 c. salt

1 c. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 c. water

1 T. vegetable oil

food coloring

Mix dry ingredients in large saucepan and add remaining ingredients.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture gets rubbery.  Turn out and knead.  Store in airtight container.

Bad Luck?

 

You know those days where it just feels like you have the worst luck ever?

Like if it wasn't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all?

 

I've felt like that lately.  It's probably the same kind of stuff everyone faces, but you know, my list feels pretty bad at the moment- and this is just this week!

 

One of the kids needs braces and I can really think of a lot of other things I'd rather spend thousands of dollars on.

 

Our personal bank information came out of the envelope while in the care of the post office so who knows if our identity has been stolen.

 

I had to wash little girl throw up out of her doll's hair this morning.

 

One of the boys stepped on a big nail and had to go to the doctor twice this week for antibiotics.

 

(The flowers are sure beautiful right now though!)

 



 

So anyhow, as I was feeling sorry for myself and thinking about what rotten luck we have this morning, all of a sudden I realized, "Wait a minute, our lives aren't ruled by luck.  God has allowed each of these things to happen for a reason."  Maybe our identity will be stolen and our credit will be shot.  But you know what, we would still survive! (:  Maybe God wants us to live more simply anyways.  Who knows.  But I do know that God knows and he has a purpose for the things he sends my way.  I just need to keep trusting, which seems to be the story of my life, and maybe yours too?

 

The earth is the LORD's,

and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 24:1

Teatime

 

Miss E and I enjoyed a little tea and biscuits the other day outside in our yard.

The tulips and lily of the valley were blooming so nicely beside us.

 

My aunt shared these lily of the valley with me a few years ago

and they are blooming so nicely this year.  Thanks Aunt Agnes!

 

We used our Romantic England teacups featuring Anne Hathaway's cottage.

She was the wife of William Shakespeare.

 

 

The vintage quilt was an estate sale find last year.  It's so fun to find treasures!

 

We both enjoy our teatimes and I hope to continue this tradition as Miss E grows up.

It's such a nice time to relax and visit a little.

 

How great is the love the Father

has lavished on us,

that we should be called

children of God!

And that is what we are!

1 John 3:1

 

I'm joining Tea Time Tuesday again.

Duck, duck, goose- are you it?

~we got 10 little ducks in the mail this week, so cute!~

 

We first met Miss E 8 months ago, and now she feels so completely ours!  Only God could have orchestrated our lives to come together like they did, and just how she fits in with our family so well, it's amazing.  But there are many others just like her that are still waiting...

 

For the last 8 months I have not let myself look at our state waiting child lists, because I was afraid to look.  But last night I looked again, just to see if the girls we had looked at were all adopted now.  But they're not.  Of the girls ages 12 and under that we were looking at, 23 of those that were on the list 8 months ago are still there.  23!  And it gets worse.  There are 4 girls under age 12 that were on the waiting list 3 years ago, when we first started looking.  Is there really nowhere for them to go?  I know they have troubled pasts and they would have their difficult moments, but they are worth it.  Surely there is someone out there who God is calling to be their Mom and Dad- maybe it's you?

 

If you have questions about adopting through foster care I would love to talk with you!  If you would like to view our state's waiting child lists, click here.

Redecorating

It was high time for me to do some redecorating at our house- the Easter décor was gone and everything was looking a little sad and dusty.  So after finishing up I decided to share some of my favorite areas with you.  Sorry about the lighting, our house has very little natural light so it's hard to take great indoor photos.  But anyways, here's the mantle Andy made over our woodstove.  I used a farming theme for the summertime.  The wheat and milo are from our fields.

 



 

I love Paul Detlefsen artwork and was fortunate to find this one at an auction a few years ago.

Now on to the dining room and the pie safe.  This originally belonged to my great-grandparents and was painted green, I painted it red about 10 years ago and it is a great place to keep my red transferware collection.

 

This beautiful secretary desk was a gift from my parents in high school.  I love it!

 

I am joining A Return to Loveliness today.

I hope you are enjoying springtime wherever you are!

Seasons of Life

 

I am in a stretching season of life right now.

I know, I know, life with six kids, homeschooling 3 of them,

2 of them teenagers (and all that entails),

1 of them a 2 year old (and all that entails!),

shouldn't be that hard, right?  Hmmm.

 

I know, from past experience, that this season of life

will soon pass and they will be grown and gone.

But that doesn't help me in the nitty gritty, day to day.

 

So when I read this quote this morning,

it was a big encouragement to me.

God is always there for me!

 

"The seasons change, and you change,

but your Lord abides evermore the same,

and the streams of His love are as deep,

as broad, and as full as ever."

~Charles Spurgeon~