The Lord has blessed us with many wonderful sitters. Last night we said good bye to another wonderful "daughter" for that is what they become. She is graduating and taking a job in Colorado. Sounds like fun huh?? Here we are last night meeting her family for the first time. They have done an excellent job of raising her and she is a wonderful young lady. We are going to miss her terribly.
Bye Caroline…..We love you….
Julie
I saw this on another blog here and thought it was really cool so I decided to share my story.
When my husband and I got married in 1996 we purposed for me to be a stay at home mom and wife. Of course we didn’t have any children then but we knew we wanted to become used to one income. I had worked corporately up until just a few months before we got engaged. Two corporate jobs just didn’t sound like they would equal one big happy family for us.
So after we got married I began a Mary Kay business that I still run today. I did work part-time at a jewelry store for a little while. I remember it did take a while for me to get used to the fact that his money was our money. But it did happen. I think that is easier with kids because I know all the work I do would earn 140,000 in the job world. In fact, I think that’s a little skimpy!!
Two years after we got married we became pregnant with the first of four children. Today we homeschool and are parents to an 8,7,5,and 3 year old.
I hate to think what working outside the home would be like today. YIKES. I’m very content with the life God has called us to. Yep, there are days I long for the privacy of my own office with no distractions but I’m learning that will happen soon enough. And then I’ll wonder where all my kids went. I just hope they give me a bunch of grandkids to play with when I’m old.
IN Christ,
Julie
Last night we camped out again at the farm. It is just such a blessing to have a place to go and spend the night and it feels like a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the day. Time seems to stop there.
So this morning dawned a little chilly. At 7am I got up to turn on the heater in the camper. I thought my children had been abducted by aliens because they were so nestled down in the covers to ward off the chill. It was all I could do to get up and paddle over to the heater to click it "ON".
Here are the kids nestling down last night
After snuggling in bed for about another hour the kiddos began to awaken. The day suddenly turned from chilly to a toasty 90something degrees. And the little tiny gnats were horrible. So I looked up at the sky and said, "God we really could use a breeze here." You see these pesky things were everywhere… Can you see them in the photo below? They are crazy!
We went about washing horses, swatting flies, and dodging gnats and the next thing I know the breeze is gently blowing from the west. Wow. "Lord?" "Was that you?" Of course you know the answer…it was. And it made me smile to know that the God of the Universe, my God, cares enough about me to send the breeze to blow away the pesky gnats.
So the kids got to enjoy a homemade swimming pool we made out of a horse trough .
Thank you Jesus. For caring about the small things.
julie
After my husband’s first week-long trip in quite a while I found myself 5 days into his absence feeling like a hole would be a wonderful place to live. A nice quiet dark hole! With no kids. Or dogs. Or cats. Just me.
It was Thursday night. The boys had a flag football game. It was cool outside. It had been raining and storms were still threatening. I was tired of cooking, trying to figure out what to feed my kids AGAIN. Fast food sounded horrible and I wanted MY mommy.
My Beth Moore Bible Study has taught me to pray, "God, Be HUGE." So as I was feeling sorry for myself and praying for God to be huge, to do something that would lift me up, change my pity party or make a steak and baked potato meal appear on the side of the highway with my name on it.
We had to go to Wal-mart after the ballgame and then headed to the farm for a night of camping in the rain and thunderstorms. As we rounded the corner headed home this is how God, indeed, choose to show me just how HUGE he is….
From one end of the world to the other there was the most giant rainbow. It seemed to stretch all the way around the world.
The other part of this story is that my youngest son has been praying to God that he would allow him to see a rainbow for about 6-8 months. And Thursday night God shifted everything in me by answering my boy’s prayer, showing me his "HUGEness" and taking my eyes off me and back onto him.
What a God, huh???
This weekend my sister and her two girls came for a visit. It was fun having her around. My daughter loves my niece Kensley. She got so excited when she learned that Kensley was going to sleep in her room. It was like having a slumber party each night they were here. Here are some pictures from our weekend.
The boys playing football yesterday afternoon…
My sister taught my daughter how to pose while she was here…
But she couldn’t do a thing with those boys of mine!!!
The night we went to watch the boy’s flag football game it was so cold. Here’s a photo of me and my niece Korey…
We had pizza at The Mellow Mushroom last night, it’s one of our favorite hangouts. This is my oldest son. I love this picture of him.
Here’s me and baby girl at The Mellow Mushroom last night. Do you think we look alike??
BLONDE??
Yep! I’d say so.
More of the crazy boys!! This is my oldest and youngest son.
Hope you had a great Easter weekend too!!
Love,
Julie
Let’s see….
when they first went out to the camper it was about 8:30pm…..that was time for getting blankets situated, all the stuffed animals that live in the kids beds to the camper and pillows and sleeping arrangements.
then they needed popcorn, the laptop to watch Starwars, Gatorade and napkins.
but the movie wasn’t loud enough so they needed speakers.
"okay set for the night. Kiss. Night!"
Are you kidding? Even though I specifically took them a pee bottle there have been multiple trips to the inside bathroom. One trip back down to the fire pit area for a forgotten Starwars Gun, one trip back in for Benedryl, just ONE more blanket and a teeth brushing and I finally think I’ve got the boys settled in to the brand new camper for the night. It’s 11:26pm. Let’s see if I hear the front door open any more.
Meanwhile me, baby girl and sparky the dog are all cuddled up in my big old kingsize bed getting ready for a little snooze ourselves.
whew, this camping stuff is work. even when the thing is set up 15 feet from our front door!!!
Happy Risen Christ Day
IN HIM<
julie
Up Up Up She Goes!!!
And Here She IS…..The Worthy Wagon!!!!
We are so excited!!!
In Him…
Julie
We are now the proud owners of a "sleeps 8" pop up camper. My husband has wanted one for so long and we spent some of our tax refund on it this year. I can’t wait to see it. We’ll put it up and take pictures tomorrow. So you’ll get to see it soon!
IN HIM,
Julie
Does anyone out there make your own fabric softener or laundry detergent???
Please let me know if you do or know anyone who does.
Thanks
Julie
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