Tuesday Night

Of course it was wonderful tonight!

I got to be at church

I got to see some friend from Faith Baptist
I got to hear great preaching
I got to hear one of my favorite singing groups! (picture below)
And we were able to get some items from Pastor Gomez tonight and I am looking forward to reading them.

I am off to do a few things and then going to bed. Sleep well my blog buddies!

Scheduled For Sugery

www.clipartheaven.com

Well, we had the appointment with the ENT, and I am not surprised by the fact she is going to have surgery (we already went through this with Kyle several years ago), but I was surprised that she took it so well. They took us to a little "room" to watch a movie about having the surgery and that is when she looked at me and said, "they are gonna have to cut them out?". She just sat quietly watching with an occasional question for me. Her main concern was not being able to go to Emily's birthday party! The surgery is scheduled for Friday, August 17th.

She has to have a physical about a week before the surgery and the hospital will call us on the 16th to tell us the time we need to be at the hospital. The only thing we know is that Dr. Gartlan does it in the afternoon, so the earliest we would have to be there should be about 10:30.

A Birthday, Potluck and Preaching

Happy Birthday Cindy!! You are the best!

There was SO much food...why does this surprise me....

A BIG thank you to everyone that brought the food and to the hospitality team

for such a great job with everything. You all are the greatest team!!

One of the many wonderful couples at Grace Baptist!

Pastor Gomez signing Bibles

Wonderful preaching!! Funny, but got his point across.

Sunday already??

Today was so wonderful to have Pastor and Julie back at church. Everyone did a wonderful job while they were out of town, but it is excellent to have them back.

This afternoon we came home, ate and then headed out the door to get Boston to the "I Luv My Pet" vet... good thing we don't all have to LOVE her to go there ;) We arrived at 2:45 but it didn't start until 3:30, so we just stood in the line that was already forming!! We finally got the paperwork and the shots done by 4:15. We got home as fast as we could without speeding, Kyle got changed back into his church clothes and off we went to church.

Tonight I set up the tables and put the tablecloths and skits on, with the help of Jim, Beth, and Emily. Thanks everyone!! I also made the lemonade and put the water bottles in the fridge, so I don't have much to do tomorrow. I am really looking forward to the next two days. I don't know what it is, but I can't wait.

Another Doctor Visit

Well, today we had lots of running around to do, and got an "extra" one added.

Beth had a tick on her head on Saturday and I pulled it off... YUCK! Everything seemed like it was fine but today she complained of the "bump" hurting her. So, I check it out... and it was rather large. I had to call the doctor's office to see what I should do, and being that it was a tick, he needed to see her. Well, the bump had gone down some by the time we saw the doctor and 3:45 and he didn't seem to think much about it. There wasn't any "extra parts" left in her head and it was already beginning to scab. He gave us an Rx for and antibiotic cream and that is that.

She has an appointment on Tuesday with the ENT, so we will know more then about her throat, which isn't bothering her... the pain in her thighs is gone however! Remember, we never get strep in a normal way in this house!!

Going out to date in a little bit! Have a great night.

Strength Exercise

I got this from Cindy and I loved it. Don't skip ahead to the ending or you will ruin it!!



Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

Well, today we did lots of stuff:

Beth and Kyle played with new friends
We went to the library
We went to the doctor
We ran a couple errands
I took Ms. Nancy dinner
We had dinner together
We watched a movie

The short version today.... Beth has strep again; 5th time since October, so now we need to see an ENT. She is actually not feeling really bad. You know how this family is with strep, it is not usually a sore throat thing: this time it was body aches and a belly ache.

An Awesome Day!

We went to the Kankakee airport today to see the B-17, B24, and the B-25. These planes are awesome. We were able to walk through the B-17 and the B-24 and spent about an hour doing that. We missed the planes landing, so we went back later as they were talking people for a flight in the B-17 at 5:15, so we watched it taxi down the runway and take off... awesome!! We stayed for the flight to return and we saw it land too. Take off was much more exciting. The wind from the propeller was amazing! We were getting cooler just because of the air flow! After all that we went to dinner at a place called Coyote Cannon and that was good. I think I might have to get most of the pictures put on actual pictures because there are so many good pics to show. We also got a bullet fired from a B-17 or B-24... VERY exciting to Kyle and a couple of pictures of the planes in the air, and a picture of them actually building the planes. All very neat stuff, and made our unit on WW2 really come to life!!

It was an awesome day!! If anyone can get there, they will be there Tuesday 9-5 and Wednesday 9-noon.

B-17
This is one of four propellers
Hmmmm... do I need to explain this??
B-24
Oh my! After a couple times of walking across this she did very well. It was a tight squeeze for some of us...
The favorite part!
Ditto!!
Cockpit
Well, I had to get one of us in here....
I love this picture!!

The Awesome Preacher

Today we had a wonderful preacher!! :D

Jim has come such a long way since we got saved about 5 years ago. God has been doing wonderful things in this house! I am very blessed to have him as my husband. Today's message helped me to remember his side of the story and keep my priorities straight. I was really thrilled with the fact that he was up there.

Thank you God for working such great and mighty things!

Jeremiah 33:3

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Youth Activity, Soul winning and Shopping

Today was Sunday School Soul winning! I like that the people of our church do what should be done, even with Pastor away. Jim and I went together and Beth went with her teachers. Kyle was at the youth activity with Jeremy and Mark. He told me he had an awesome time and thanked us for letting him go. He left the sweetest message on the answering machine to say how the day was, thank you, and what time to pick him up. Sorry Ms. Julie... I am keeping him :)

After that, Jayne and I went to IKEA. I have never been there, but I was looking at the catalog they sent me a while ago. I got a table for the living room, a magnetic board, magnets, clips for chips and stuff, an ice cube tray (for bottles), and an awesome wardrobe!! The wardrobe was an as-is sale and I got it for a great price. Fortunately for me, Jim loves it also!! We came by the house to drop off my purchases and decided since the boys didn't need to be picked up for 30+ minutes, we would head to Family Dollar. Jayne needed coffee, which they didn't have... but we each spent 10-15 dollars anyway! I again, got some good stuff. Not only did I get some great stuff, but I got to spend some really nice time with Jayne.

I came home again about 5 pm and Jim was already mowing the grass, so I started dinner. We ate dinner and Jim went back to work outside, this time on my van putting tint on the windows. I called Jayne and we worked on our announcement and I did the dishes.

I am really tired now, so I am gonna finish some things and get to bed!

Blueberries, Library, A Book, and a Date

Today we went to pick blueberries with Jayne, Ryan, Bradley, Patrice, and Jacob. It was great. We went to the same place that we took our Mom's of Grace field trip last year, Tammen Farm.
The weather was wonderful and we brought home about 7 pounds of blueberries; the cost was great too at only 10.03 for all of it.

After that we went to the library for a craft. The theme this year is "Mission to Read" so the kids made a paper rocket.

Of course my kids didn't want to come home with me, so off they went with Jayne. I came home did a couple things and then started reading a book. It was not what I expected, but nonetheless it is interesting and making me think. I believe that anything that will make me a better Christian is worth reading, but I do find I have to filter with this one.

Jim and I had date night tonight also. He picked up dinner and we sat outside on the back deck enjoying the wonderful weather and talking.

It Was Only a Quarter

I got this in an email from a good friend of mine and thought I would share.

It Was Only a Quarter

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change.

"The driver, with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday."

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. I thought this was a good reminder that little things are just as important as the big ones.

Painting.... Again :)

Today I painted the two kitchen walls that have a chair rail. The sponge painting was good to cover little hand prints (that is why we did this about 7 or so years ago), but it has been driving me crazy lately. I am trying to get my home to be a peaceful place.. and with that flooring and the sponge paint... it was making me nuts. I decided to do this about 2 weeks ago and I got paint from Tracy (THANKS!! You are the best!) and I felt like it was hovering over my head because I haven't done it yet, so I did it today. I was gonna do it last week... but with the kids gone for a few days, it sounded like work... and that word was not welcome here last week. :)

So here it is...

BEFORE

AFTER

Taking A Breath and Animal show

Today I could finally take a breath!

It has been a couple busy days. Of course everyone saw the pictures on Julie's blog... Saturday and Sunday are rather a blur of activities as there were so many wonderful events.


Today was a morning of me spending time with God. I reviewed the Sunday School lesson and Pastor Dave's sermon. In the afternoon we went to the library to see an animal show. During the Summer Reading Program they host different activities and today was animals. There was a llama, miniature horse, chinchilla, rat, geckos, chicken, duck, bunny and a few more. The kids loved it, and so did I.

The Kids Are Home

This evening we went to Camp Maverick for the evening service and to bring the kids home. The service was very good and wild... those kids are crazy!!

We have been hearing bits and pieces of the week while they were gone, and both kids really enjoyed it.

I am very, VERY grateful to Pastor and Kina for taking their entire week for the kids (again). I appreciate it very much.

Congrats to Pastor Dave on getting the award for the best counselor.

I got this email from Jayne and of course I LOVE IT!!

Doctor Visit

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot.

My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems.

He said "Eating is just thinking in colors" so fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.

I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately.

I never knew eating right could be so easy. ;)

Call From Camp

Today I got two phone calls from Beth. The first call was about 5pm, the second one was just a few minutes ago. Beth was sad and cried because she missed me at some point this afternoon. She is with Ms. Kina as her room chaperon, so she used her cell phone to call. She was so cute! She is telling me bits and pieces of her day and I can hear lots of giggles and noise makers in the background. Beth said she wanted to be with me, but I of course told her that as soon as she got back here, she would say how much she missed her friends and wanted to be with them! After 20 minutes of talking to me she said, "well, there is a lot going on in here right now, so I am gonna let you go now". So, much for being home sick! :D The second phone call was about 10 minutes or so telling me about dinner, service, and something about Kyle falling into the water during a game. She very responsibly told me that she needed to get off the phone so the other girls could call their Moms too! I have been, of course, praying that she would be comfortable and enjoy her time away and not "have to" come home. I am so grateful that they both get to have this experience. A BIG thanks to Pastor and Kina for taking time again with my children.

Where do I begin?

Yesterday we headed for Milwaukee at 2pm. It was a very nice evening with Faith Baptist; we enjoyed a very nice dinner at a beautiful banquet facility and the kids had a great time with their kids playing back at the church. Kina and Trish did a WONDERFUL job with the songs and I could listen to them all the time.... hmmmm, when is the CD coming out ladies???? Pastor Dave's talk was motivating as usual. Haggie and Baggie were a bit nervous, but everything seemed to go okay. Well, that is until we mentioned the men could just not go golfing! :D The testimonies of the people were wonderful and such an encouragement. Hopefully, we blessed them as much as I felt blessed by them. We picked up the kids, headed back about 10pm and arrived at Grace about 12:30. We were very glad to be home and after dropping off Jayne, Ryan, and Bradley we came home and crashed.... for about 3 hours. Which leads us to today. We got up at 4:15am to get the kids ready for camp and left the house at 5am. We drove Kyle, Chad, Brandon and Jacob up to Elgin for camp and the other kids were in the church van and Kina's car. Traffic was actually pretty good... we arrived a little before 6:45 I believe. After getting everyone set with their belongings we said good-bye and headed home. BUT first, Jim and I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins and got a strawberry fruit blast.... YUMMY (and dairy free) and a couple of donuts. We arrived back home about 9am and went to bed as we were exhausted! We woke up a few hours later and did nothing until 3, that's when we went swimming and unfortunately chopped part of our mulberry tree. It fell down sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning. And... are garden is toast. So, is our little plastic "love seat". Good news is, it didn't land on the fence! The tree hasn't been great for... a long time. We lost a part years ago, and then a large, smaller branch and that section is actually what kept it from hitting the fence... Praise God. We haven't talked about, but I think the whole tree will have to come down soon. We have been trying to avoid that as it a female tree and didn't want the other two male trees to change to a female because the berries are a MESS. We will just see what happens.... So, we came inside a while ago and just ordered Chinese takeout... I can't believe how fast the day has gone!! (but, I knew it would)

Getting Ready

Today was not only busy with church, but we have been getting ready for our two trips.

The kids are packed for camp and can hardly wait until they get to go, but first we will be off to Milwaukee for a banquet for Faith Baptist.

I have a few more things to do before I head to bed and I am tired, so I am ready to sleep!

Have a great night.

God Is Good

I saw this verse today and I have just been thinking about it all day. How wonderful that the Lord has such compassion and every morning we get a new day to start over. He is so wonderful. I found such peace in this today, I just had to share it.

Lamentations 3:22-23

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

I feel like I haven't been blogging in forever!

I have been working on the skit for the event that Faith Baptist is having on Monday, and it has kept me and Jayne busy.

The kids and I went to the library last night and Kyle is already finished with 9 hours of reading!! He got his third prize also; they get one every 3 hours. Beth is at about 7 hours with her reading. Beth has always been a reader, but Kyle... this is wonderful!

Today we did some shopping. We needed to get some clothes for the kids for camp. It is amazing how much the kids have grown.

Tonight was date night; Jim and I went to King Buffet. He has wanted to go there for some time, but we just never seemed to get there, so tonight we just did it. We liked it. Jim loved the sushi.

Happy 4th

May God bless you today. Have a wonderful day! Thank you to all those that have served so we can celebrate on this day.

Sew-Cute!!

Tonight Beth and I went to see Julie. We have two new pair of culottes! They are SEW-CUTE!!! I love these things.

THANK YOU JULIE for all your hard work, time, and willingness to help us with this. I appreciate it more than I can say.

He Made His Momma Cry

Today it was so sweet that Pastor had Kyle up on stage to pray for the offering and to tell about his giving to the parking lot and for the houses.

I was so touched by my little man telling about his decision. Yes, I cried.

Lastly praying for the offering. What a wonderful privilege. Thank you Pastor for allowing him to do this. I am so grateful for the difference in our lives since we have been going to GBC.

I have been so blessed this weekend by so many people, but this was just the top of the list.

Just seeing what God has done is incredible; He is awesome.