For Every time there is a Season...

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

 

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

 

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

 

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

This has to be one of my favorite passages in Ecclesiastes. It shows that God is soverign over all things. Shows that he has a plan...Shows that he has a "Schedule". Which means Schedules are a good thing. ;) :P

Many joys have been brought with this Christmas season. Family has come and gone. Generous gifts have been given. And all given with love. It is exciting to see the Boy's give there gifts. The delight that is on their faces as you open it and exclaim how wonderful and pretty the gift is. It is also exceedingly wonderful when you have been able to keep the Gift you bought for your mother - 2 months ago - a secret.

This last Saturday, the birthday gift I received from my Mother was a trip to see the new musical- Les Miserables....My aunt, grandmother, cousin, and friend joined us too. It was a wonderful time! There were some things that they could have been put more discreetly in the movie - but all in all...It was a wonderful show! Full of examples of forgiveness and patience.  After the movie we all went and ate at China Gardens. We had several good laughs and pleasant talk. My Grandmother was very sweet and paid for everyone's meal! :) Thank you Grandma!

When we came back to my Grandma's house, we visited with our extended family and did our Christmas with them....:) 

With the coming New Year, I look forward to sharing our families joys, sorrows, and new beginnings.. 

Happy New Year to all! And may you have "time for every season..."

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
to hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
with every  Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your Christmases be white" ~ A White Christmas



It is true; I am dreaming of a white Christmas. The joy we all -as a family- will see in each others faces on that blessed morn. And maybe - it is not the joy of gifts or the gift giving but the joy of knowing, KNOWING, that Christ has come! That he has come in human form. That he is very God of very God and very Man of very Man. "A man of sorrows, what a name! For the man of God who came! "It is a comfort to know that he understands each struggle we have as humans. He went through it all, He knows how it feels.... He came to save us from those things. He came so that we, while weak, may be made strong in Him. Christ is the one who came to give us strength in our trouble. And in our joys! He doesn't just help us in our sorrows, but rejoices with us; in the blessings He and His Heavenly Father have bestowed upon us. Thank you Loving Lord for the comfort and strength you bring!

Another Month goes by.....

Yes, another month. A month in which Children become one year older; a month where Friends and family have gathered together; a month of thanksgiving. And with all these goings on; family meetings, gathering with Friends, and fellowshipping with the Saints of God, it makes it seem that time just hasn't slowed. Rather, it has sped up.

With this time of year comes the joy of the Christmas celebration. With all the Christmas Shopping, the Santa Clause sley, the tradition of Saint Nick.....we have not forgotten the Christ of Christmas, the the reason He came, nor have we forgotten the pain he has gone through. As of late, He is almost always on my mind. A few Sundays ago I became ever so grateful for the freedom of belief. The freedom to serve the God we love with an open devotion. As Americans, we don't have to go underground to serve the Christ we love. We are not bombed by falling missiles, nor are our families killed around us. No, we have so much to be thankful for! How wonderful it is that Christ has chosen us! That he saw fit to seek us and call us unto Him! Who could live without His Grace and His Mercy!?

A Few Side Notes

Li'ora turned a year last month and she is now walking EVERYWHERE! The greatest thing about her is she loves to make people laugh! She has such a sense of humour.

Malachi turned six and I think has finally hit a growth spurt! :P Malachi can win you with his cute little faces! Even when he is being naughty! :P :| Which is not always good....:P

A New Tradition

The thought or the idea of it started with studying the Sabbath one Bible Study. Well, everyone knows how an idea works. You think of it, then you think a little bit more, and then you use it.  The idea has worked so far and it has made our Sundays - Sabbaths - more restful.

Let me tell you how our tradition now starts.

On Saturday we prepare and clean everything that can be done before sundown. Sundown is when the sabbath begins. There is no Television on the Sabbath. We either go to some friends house or go home and spend time with each other. I am sure we will have people over sometime after church too. :)  On Sunday evening we look to the sky for three stars. The three stars represent the Trinity and the end of the Sabbath.

It does not seem like much when I write it down....but it is wonderful to be able to enjoy ourselves on Sunday and come home to a neat home. ;)

A Soccer Tournament won - and other side notes.

This last Saturday Elias' last game in soccer ended well. They won the game and the time for the tournament game was at 5:00. The tournament game was intense! The teams were neck to neck for a while. The Black team gave our yellow team a run for our money. Near the end of the game the police had to be called in! One of the young boys' mother told her son - thinking that she could not be heard :( - to "take the the boy who was scoring most of the goals out". Yes! that is what she said! She told her son to take the boy out! Well...The boy "obeyed" and tripped the goal boy so well that the boy rolled! Of course the Referees called that and then the mother got all - not nice.Well, that is when the police were called in. Thankfully, all things were settled without violence. When the game ended, we found that our team had won! It was very exciting to see all of us get so worked up! Even my grandparents were getting into it!

The next day was Sunday. Another one of those wonderful Sundays that you don't want to end. The Sermon was very convicting. It was about Vain Worship. :| Pastor H. talked about how "our works" tend to get in the way of our worship, because we see our works as what WE have done for God. Instead of us seeing what God has done for us.

Today has been very nice. Mom went to her birthday lunch with her Dad and I stayed home with the littles. While Mom was gone, I made an Apple pie to take to the Reformation Party we are going to tonight. I hope to have lots of things to tell! Last year we played Musical Chairs - with adults! Talk about some hilarious memories! The pastor ended up jumping on my dad and completely/practically/rolled over him/missed him and fell on the floor! Or whatever he did! :P He was alright! Ah...We laughed SOSOOS hard!
The Apple Pie I made:
I didn't tell Daddy I was making it....I hope he is surprised! :)

Preparing for Marriage: Desiring God - Free eBook 5 stars!

Preparing for Marriage. With only 4 chapters in this book, I find it hard to summerize all that it has to teach. It is very understandable and Mr. Piper keeps your attention. He starts off with a list of questions that you and the person you are courting should ask each other. That was very helpful to me in the sense that, it showed me what I need to study and what I need to believe on some subjects. The second chapter was about marriage being lived for the Glory of God. Mr. Piper speaks about why this is important in marriage and how it can be lived out. All in all: It was a very well written, biblical book on what marriage is and should be. I would highly reccomend this for marrieds and unmarrieds!

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/preparing-for-marriage-free-ebook

BBB- Blackshear Birthday Bash

With August came the thought and planning for the Birthday Bash. With September came the anticipation....With the week before the birthday bash came the cleaning and setting to rights the rooms and guest beds...It came with cooking 100 rolls ahead of time, 10 pie crusts, and cooking the meat for the stew. The week before the BBB was busy! Then, Friday rolled around. Bringing with it our dearest friend Rebecca. We caught up on hugs :P and talk. Friday night came with starting the Stews...Cutting up and peeling about 40lbs of potatoes became easy when you had about 8 people peeling and cutting....:) "Many hands makes light work!"

After visiting and preparing for the next day, we headed to bed for some much needed rest!  I was so excited about the next day that it seemed like I was awake every 2 hours. At midnight I awoke to some of friends arriving from Branson, MO. Finally, dawn came and instead of laying there any longer, I deciced to get up and get ready for the day. Yes, it was 6:00 am....but, I was TIRED of sleeping. ( Pun may have been intended.) :P

For breakfast Daddy started a campfire and cooked toast and sausage. I love toast and if you do too, then you will think that campfire toast is the BEST!

At about 9am or so, my family started doing some last minute cleanning. By the time the  kitchen became clean, and the lunch mostly prepared, people started to arrive. :) We had 80 people this year. Smaller than what we normally have, but it was still a wonderful party! I was able to visit with many people. In the past years, I have not been hospitable to anyone except my age group. This year I wanted to make sure to talk to people who came to see us and have a wonderful time. It was a big blessing.... To be able to visit with so many people that is. The Almighty, has been very good to give so many WONDERFUL friends!

Though gifts were not requested -because your presence is gift enough- we had some friends give us gifts anyway! Thank you all for the gifts, attending, and making our birthdays special! :)

Prep, Prep, Prep....

Preparation! That's the word ya know? Yes, preparation.....This past week has been full of deep cleaning and baking, making pie crust. You wonder why we may be doing all this extra work? Well, I will tell you.

It all starts in August. That is the thought. There will be camp fires, people - maybe 100-, a big meal, lots of fellowship, friends, and joy. It's an annual thing. It is the Birthday Bash! Where we as a family celebrate our birthdays with friends and family! I am so excited!

Life is Highway!

Saturday- Our plans to travel to AR for the weekend were canceled. The family we were supposed to stay with had to cancel because one of their children got sick. :( Poor little J.H...:(
That afternoon we headed over to the Soccer field for Elias' 4th game. His team lost. But I think that was a good thing. :) Lowered some ego issues....:P
That Saturday evening we....let's see....what did we do...??? I think we hung around the house...AH! Guys watched some movies and Mom and I watched North and South WHILE doing jewelry! :) I really love working with her. SHE IS GREAT!!!!

Sunday- we headed to Grace Covenant as planned for Sunday. After the sermon and fellowship with wonderful Friends; we headed to the Shack's  farm....WHAT a blast! There new house is BEAUTIFUL! They have almost 200 acres and it is beautiful hiking grounds!  After a Splendid day of fellowship we headed home at 8:30. We really did not want to leave-but it was late and we had a long drive home. :)

Monday and Tuesday Mom and focused mostly on making Earrings for the Craft fair. Thankfully, we now have enough for a display. Lord willing we will sell alot!

Today-Oh MY! what a day! I could almost say that we moved again. Only we are still at the same address that we were at before. :P Now, it will not look so cluttered for the Big Blackshear Birthday Bash coming up! :)   That is the end of the last week..... ;)

Graduation Pictures!

This last school year I graduated. It is soooo nice not to have to worry about getting your school done anymore. :) Anyway, Here are my Graduation Pics!

"Our only Peanut" and his last walk...;'(

I have told myself before that dog stories are for children....That is until I realized that if you have a wonderful dog; you get a good dog story. Not only for children. God gave us this gift and I want to tell the story aright. :)  A sweet and sad story.

Emma Rose was not more than 1yr. It was the weekend of Bible study night. My Uncle and his wife were over and we sat on the front porch. While we were talking, we all heard a strange noise under the porch. In our curiosity, some of us got up and looked over the rail. Out ran a tanish brown - or was he brownish tan-  puppy. He looked somewhat  like a cross between a Chawawah and lab mix. Though he was never taller than 12 inches. On seeing him, covered in fleas and barely any meat on his puppy bones, we fell in love with him at first sight. Because of his color and small stature we named him Peanut. The name suited him. He was tame and gentle. Loving and kind. I know dogs are not human and that we shouldn't compare them with humans; but dogs do have characters. And that character is either good or bad. Peanut - he - he was good.

During 1 wonderful year, our affection for him grew. And his affection for us grew. He was good and gentle with the little children. He knew they were week and fragile. Peanut knew what babies were.  Never jumping or getting hiper around them...but always giving them a slobbery dog kiss. He played wonderfully with Emma when she became old enough to get a little rougher with him. Emma had always known him. She loved  "Her only Peanut."

When we would take walks, Peanut would tag along. When he would sometimes be on a chain, he would bark at us. Telling us that he didn't want to miss that walk.

Last night, was his last walk. We started out. 1/3 of our walk complete. Some of our path is beside the highway. Our Peanut was distracted and not paying any attention to traffic. We all heard it...Our Peanut...The Gift was given and taken away... Thank you Lord for the gift of Peanut and fun He brought to our lives.

"The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." ~ Job 1:21

"Would you go with me?"

That is the name of the song. Sung by Josh Turner. He also sings Long Black Train. Would you go with me?

The song is about a young boy and girl who always played together...They grow up get married and the wife dies...:( And he says "would you go with me? " That is where I cried. After a while they are together agian. It is my new FAVORITE song!

What a Month..Week...day...WhatEVER!

That is right! Busy as a Bee Hive seems to be the title nowadays! Mom and I have been busy preparing for a Craft fair. Some of the things we have made are in our Etsy Shop. :)That is on top of all the house work we have been doing.
The school, and having company and Bible Studies.

This past Bible study was very good. We studied the Sabbaoth and had a wonderful discussion. The only problem is that, that is the only thing I can really remember. :P I  will remember when I need to though. ;)

Here in MO we are having early fall weather. :) I am really enjoying it! I hope it will be nice and chilly for the Birthday Bash! We may have to have more than one campfire to keep our 100+ people warm. :)

Little Memories ~ October

October 1st

Last night Malachi walks in the house saying: " What are you guys getting me for my birthday?!" Elias, Jericho, and I all announce at the same time "Nothing!"
Malachi in a much dejected state of mind says : Uh! Yes you are!"
Elias: " It's true. We are not getting you anything. We don't have any money."
Malachi: " Oh. Well, I'll give you some!"
So Malachi marches up the stairs; comes back down handing out $1 bills! LOL! This was all very earnest! None of it was a joke to his little mind. :) :) :) :) :)

I forgot about you blog!

Yes, its true. I forgot about my blog. I don't know how I managed that- but I did.

Instead of writing a huge artical-  I will only put down the highlights. :)

Labor Day weekend:

Dad was off for 3 days! Saturday we hung out as a family and played card games inside - as it was raining.  Sunday we went to Church. Monday we went to the Kent's house! There we had lunch, played wiffle ball, laughed, shot guns, and danced to the Cha Cha Slide!

On the 8th we went to the Jason's house. They have just moved and we got to stay at there new house! :) On Sunday we attended Grace Covenant Church. Seeing old friends, having a good time and wonderful visits!

The 14th the Barry's came over! They stayed until about 7 the next night. All the older Children went on a hike. It had been raining off and on all day. When we started out, there was only a drizzle in the trees. Then it decided to pour on us. We finished our walk, coming back to the house soaked!

Oh yes! And we went to Elias's first soccer game. He is the gully. His team won the first game! We were so pround of him. He blocked a total of 14 balls. The score ended up being 8 to 1. It was a good game.


Mom and I have been getting a jewelry business going this past month. You can look at our stuff here. Treasures by Peachtree  We also now have a FaceBook page. :)  Those are the highlights of the last month or so.....:)

Life goes on....

It's true. Life goes on. Each day bringing something new. Maybe, we don't see what was new that day, but its there. It could be as simple as a day with sunshine. Or as simple as someone learning a new sound. That is a new thought...:)

The past week or more has been quite busy. Planning for the parade. Bible Studies, school, cleaning, laundry....And as I said in my title: Life goes on.

We had company last night. It was very enjoyable. While eating dinner, One of my friends showed me the meatloaf she was eating. There was a fly in it! We couldn't stop laughing! How awful! I was proud of her though. 'Cause most people would stop eating after that. But she didn't. She kept eating, while inspecting every bite. :P We were still laughing about it hours later. Hahahah!

Little Memories: August

Last Friday, Mom took me to get my ears pierced. The piercing kinda felt like a wasp sting. Just without the swelling and poison. :P The earings I am wearing are my birthstone. The Garnet. Emma was watching the entire time. Her face was that of: "Well, there is no way you are going to do that to me." When asked by the beautician if she wanted her ears pierced she said a polite but solid "No". :D

A few days ago I was teaching  Malachi how to write the letter "a". After I showed him, I turning to other "teacher prep". I here him ask me, "is this right?"
Me: "No, write it like I showed you."
Malachi: "But, I want to write it like yours..."
My handwriting is a bit fancy. It was flattering that he likes it enough to want to copy sissy. :)

Yesterday, Emma and Li'ora were playing with Peanut. Our dog. He is very good with little children. Anyway, Emma says to Li'ora somewhat distressed: "Don't pinch my Peanut! He is my friend!"
It was cute, but we had to tell Emma that Li'ora is not hurting Peanut.

Dad went out to eat with Papa B. last night. When he came home Christian had a job. He is now working full time at County Tractor and Equipment. He is growing up.....:) :| Today is his first day. :)

Saturday Night the 11th.

At about 3 in the afternoon we all loaded up and headed to Big Springs. For those of you who have not been to Big Springs, here is there website with some pictures. Though the pictures do not do it justice. Pictures can never do justice to the beauty of God's world.
    http://www.bigspringlodgeandcabins.com/726653.html

After hiking for an hour and a half we came back to the picnic sight, visiting with the Co-op group and seeing 7 or so deer. They are so used to people that they hardly noticed our presence. :) After dinner and all we headed over to the Jolly Cone. A wonderfully Yummy ice cream stop/picnic area.

When that was all over, we headed to the Drive-in. An outdoor theater. Upon the days fun, the movie and shooting stars we saw; we all came home and crashed in our beds. Literally...crashed.  That is the summary of our trip on the 11th. Mom and Dad's dating Anniversary. :) 20 years together. I couldn't ask for better parents. :)

Emily Stays a Night

Friday night of last week the Galens stopped by. Emily, their daughter, is almost 13 and she stayed the night with me. On Saturday- we did all sorts of things.We had a photo shoot. After we took all of our photos, we uploaded them to the computer and FB. That is after tweeking them a little. :)

We made friendship bracelets. We were going to use whatever colors we wanted and turned out that we both ended up using similar colors. :)  She is wearing the one I made and I am wearing the one she made. :)
After that we went and had a photo shoot. Here are some of the photos.




The photo below is the original photo. The one above is a tweeked. 1960's or something. :)

This is the original photo. The one above is a tweeked. 1960's or something. :) This one <<< is just blurred on the edges.











We were trying to figure out what pose would be best. :P We ended up liking them all. :)



These are the ones we went wild with. :) :P

<<<I love how this one turned out!
I had a friend tell me that this is where "Petra is in the Nuclear Holocaust!"














 This is not one we went wild with. I really like how it turned out though. :)

Last one....Another one we went wild on.

Birthday Boy! and a flunked test....

Jericho's birthday was on the 2nd. He celebrated his 11th year. For dinner we had lasagna and for desert we had Chocolate Chip cookies. We made them together. :)

He received 11 gifts. Books, flying helicopters, a movie, cards, and some other things. Grandma and Papa Rh. came over and celebrated with us. 

Me, Well, I took my driving test yesterday. And flunked! I was disappointed and mad at myself that I broke down and cried. I got a very nice teacher and she praised me on what I was really good at; like parallel parking and checking blind spots. :) She also told me what I needed to work on. Hopefully, I can pass it on the 16th. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." ;)

What's Happenin' ?

Well...Not much. Not much to report anyway. :P

Last Friday, Mom and I went to a Co-op meeting. That was enjoyable. :)

Saturday, we CLEANED house. Saturday night we had Bible Study. We had a new family come. The Dale's are a wonderful family! I loved how they - how we- did not lose our tempers and acted like Christians studying the Bible. :)

Sunday, we went to church. I am beginning to love this church. It was hard to make the transfer from GC to SGRC. But now I don't like missing a Sunday. :)

The rest of the week was pretty normal. Monday and Tuesday night the Blackshear mowing business mowed two lawns. While we were mowing, I looked up into our friends big front window to see 3 little girls waving away. :)

Little Memories: Part 2 of July

Last week I wanted to try my future wedding gown on to see if it would fit better. It was to tight the last time I tried it on and since I have lost 10 pounds I thought it might be worth a try.  When I came out of the closet Emma says: "Hehe. Your a princess. " She just about made my day. Then later after I had taken it back off and put it away, I came to see where she was and she goes: "Ahhhh. Where's your dress?" She thought I was going to where it all day. :)

We (Malachi, Emma, and I)  made bookmarks today. I gave Christian 3 and he showed them off to Mom. He said it was much better than the Barns and Noble bookmarks that Mom looked at for him. :)

Emma fried her first batch of scrambled eggs! She did a wonderful job. She loves to work in the kitchen!

I filled the hummingbird feeders up and they have been swarming the feeders! They are a so wonderfully designed! Thank you Lord for the beauty in nature.

Emma has gotten to where she is always telling me that she likes me. The other night we had been in bed and as I was reading, I heard Emma say: " I like you..."
Me: *Sigh* Not again. "I like you too Emma."
Emma: " I was not talking to you! I was talking to my Eeyo!" Eeyo means her stuffed Eeyore. :)

Emma and Malachi were going to go swimming. I told them it would be in the little pool. The Kiddy Pool. So Malachi asks if we will be getting in the kitten pool. :) :P

Elias the other day was talking about what he had seen out of the corner of his eye, only he said: " I saw it on the tip of my eye. ;)

Here Come the Water Slides!

Last month we planned to go to my Uncle Jay's for the a weekend. So on Friday the 20th Dad came home early and at 3pm we set off! On our way to Cape we stopped at our favorite China place and Hobby Lobby. I love that store! So finally at about 6:30/7:00 we arrived at our Uncle's. My mom's brother.

On Saturday, We went to a water park. Cape Splash. It was so much fun watching Emma and Malachi go down the "big" children's slide. There little faces were so adorable! I went down the big water slide. Ahhhh...it was soooo much fun! It was also nice, because there were life guards EVERYWHERE. It made you feel much safer. Esp. with the little ones. :) ! We stayed there for 2 hours. The crowd was really starting to get HUGE. We went out to eat for lunch. While we were eating Ryans, I saw an acquaintance there. I met her last year. She was the last person I expected to see. :-P Saturday evening we hung around the house.

Sunday, Jay made some omelets. They were so yummy! He put salsa and Velveeta in the middle. MMMmmm....After breakfast we left. Poor Jay. I think he was a little choked up when we left. Before we left Cape we stopped at Barns and Noble and drank some Starbucks coffee. I would not recommend the Caramel Macciatto. It wasn't anything to brag about. :P We spent at least 2 hours there. :P I got a crochet book and Pooh Bear to read to Emma and Malachi. Jericho bought me the Secret Garden book for my graduation. Wasn't that sweet? :)

Well...That is the summary of the weekend. It was such a blast!

A few highlights...

The night of the 10th we went to the Har.'s house. We were having such a grand time that we ended up not getting home till midnight! We only live 15 minutes away from them - thankfully.

The rest of the week was kinda normal. Until Friday. Mom went on a date with her Dad. They went to Jonesboro for lunch and Barns and Noble. I got to be the "mom" for a day! ;-) :-D I got to make all the luncheon and dinner.

Saturday we had Bible study. It ended up being very short. All the "discussers" were not there.

Sunday we went to church and for Church fellowship we went to the Hub'.s house. We were having a fish fry. I was so afraid I wouldn't get to help with anything. (I did not want to be board....) So Mr. Hub. put me to work. I got to bread alllllllll the fish while he fried it. It was such a blast. Oh yes! Dad made his famous tater chips. :) They were GooooD too. ;)

Today, Grandmother came over. She just left about ten minutes ago. She is so wonderful! I love hearing her and Mom talk. It seems like I have not seen alot of her recently......

Last night I had some fun playing with my camera and taking pictures at different angles. It makes me glad I did not buy that other camera. The one I have does just fine. :)

That are the only main highlights of the week....I know of several things we will be doing soon.....BUT you will not get to here of them until I get the full even written. :P I shall leave you in suspense! Hehe. j/k

Little Memories; the first 10 days in July.

Emma came up to me while I was washing dishes and tells me with her hands held out that her "doggy is dead."
Me: "It is. Are you going to go bury it?"
Emma: "Uhu. The fox killed it."

A little while later the fox came back dead. :P Where do there little minds go. :)

 July 4th we went and saw a movie. There is a big black bear in it. And for a two year old - and 17 year old :P- the bear is really scary! During one of the bear scenes Emma yells " I don't like that lion." Me: Ssssshhhhh. Emma"  Emma whispering and leaning over to me: "I don't like that lion!" LOL it was so comical!

Saw Papa B. in town one Friday and he was rubbing Li'ora's head while I was holding her. He was asking her how she was and then he did it to me too. Rubbed my head and everything. :) It was special.

Giving night kisses the other night Emma says: "Kisses all gone." Meaning, she did not want to give anymore out. :P

Last Sunday Mom said that I looked esp. pretty today. :D :)

July 4th and NO fireworks!

Unfortunately, this year was so dry that we ended up receiving a firework band. That ment no sparklers or anything. :(

Instead of seeing fireworks though Jericho took us all out to the movies. We watched Brave. I really enjoyed. Except one of the scenes were a bit inappropriate. I liked it because it was not all about falling in love and prince charming. No romance (boy/girl stuff) in it. It was a very nice change for a Disney movie.  It was lots! of fun.

That night we attended a Bible Study. He played a really good Sermon Jam and I hope I can share it here. Maybe.

Last Saturday we went to Papa B. house to swim. It has been so hot that the water fungus is terrible this year. They cannot keep it down. After that we came home and had some homemade deep dish pizza. It was BEawsome!

Emma and Malachi and I were making Oatmeal Cookies today. When we went  to put the oatmeal in we found out that the can on the shelf didn't even have 1/2 a cup of oatmeal! And I needed 3 cups! Bummer....

Other than the things I have posted, life has seemed to slow down. I am quite contented. It has been such a joy to be serving my family.

Time tends to fly...

Several weeks have gone by and I hardly know where to start!

2 Weeks ago we came down with the flu. Only two of us escaped. :| I thing I got it the worst though. For 2 days I had a headache and I took Aleve on an empty stomach and just about passed out from doing that the next morning. I lost my vision. It was crazy!

Dad's hours for work have changed again. He is now no longer off on Mondays. He is now off on Saturday. We will miss our Mondays. :(

So last week we did not have much going on. BUT this week we had everything going on. :| Oh, Yes! We went to Grace Covenant 3 weeks ago. It was so wonderful to see all our Family in Christ. The H. all gave me graduation presents. They are such a wonderful family! After Church we went out to the Shackleford's farm and Abi and I had a swell time going for a four wheeler ride and blackberry hunting. :)

On Monday (Dad's last Monday off) we went to the river. I actually went under the water this time and when I went under I saw a Carp or a Catfish. He was BIG! And the funny thing is, he was right beside me. It made me jump up out of the water in excitement. :-P

Wednesday through Friday we Shopsitted for a lady. 

Saturday- What a day! Mom did tons of cooking. She decorated a cake and made the cake too. Made some bread, Green Bean Salad. and at 2:00pm we went to my Grandpa B.'s house. We played in the pool, went on a Hot-rod ride- Dad drove. He really can drive! Screeching tires, complete stops to 80 MPH! It was Awsome!- , ate dinner, cleaned. All that wonderful stuff. My Aunt Jess (Mom's sister) came down with her husband and my Uncle Jay (Mom's brother) came down too. (The cake was for his birthday.) He stayed the night with us. We are planning on going up to stay with him soon. :) He lives 2 hours away.

Today- is a normal day. School, Clean-up and funny stories with children. :)

Little Memories

Month of  June:

The other day Mom was holding Li'ora while I talked to her.  Li'ora saw me and waved to me. Fingers and all. :)

While I was babysitting one day, Li'ora was fussing on the floor. I picked her up and she gave me a kiss and a hug. It was so sweet. I cannot believe she will be 8 months old this July. July 4th too.

Emma and I getting in bed. Emma already laying down asks: "Can I pway wid youwr haer?" She has an obsession with hair. :)

Malachi and Emma are my students. This week we started memorizing bible verses. Malachi says his very well: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 Emma is still working on hers. :) She says it very well and so cute!

I'm sure there are several other "little memories" but I cannot seem to recall them. If I remember any others I will come back and update this post. :)

Peaches, Pecs, and Bushels

What a weekend! On Sunday Daddy got us all up early and we went to Cambell MO for...drum roll please...Peaches! When we went there we got fourteen 1/2 bushels and sold all but 1 1/2 bushels. Those we cut up and put in our freezer. We sold them buy the bushel, pec, and individually. :)

On our way there we had some funny things happen. My nickname is Peach and this is what happened:

Story # 1.

 My Dad is so sweet... We were on our way to get some Cambell peaches. While we were passing all the orchard Mom said: " I wish we had a peach farm."
Dad: "Well...If Petra ever gets married and has children we'll have a Peach farm. "


Story # 2.

Still on our way  to Cambell, when Christian sitting next to me says: " I can't wait to sink my teeth into a peach!" Then he leaned over and bit me! "Ah! Christian!"

Everyone cracked up. Including me. :)

On Monday we had a fruit stand. My Grandpa Jr. came to see our fruit stand. He told us all the stories about how he and his "old man" would sell fruit by the road. He said it was a lot cheaper then. That was the first time he ever talked about his dad in a positive manner. :) I am glad it brought back good memories for him. :D

What a fun weekend we had!

The First few days of June

Last Friday we had Bible Study. Reading Ephesians 1, Mr. F. brought up the subject of free will and the "age of accountability". It was a nice discussion and all dignity was held. Thank you Lord that no ones friendship has come to a quarrel.

Saturday Mom and I were lazy. We laid around basking in the sunshine and only doing the "necessary" work.

Sunday, We met with the L.'s at Pinewood. A state park. There is a lake there and most of the family went canoeing. We were there half the day and at the end it the weather changed and it started to slowly drizzle. Pitch and Catch, washers, walking/exploring, and talking were the activities.

Monday, we went to the bluff and bargain shopped. We stopped and got Taco Bell on the way home. :-D

Akamerikwang and his Wife

Akamerikwang (Akamerikwang meaning "white cow with crooked horns") was the missionaries nickname that I told you about in my last entry. His real name is Jim and His wife's name is Jenny. Jenny had a nickname meaning "white one" but I do not remember it. Jim has been in Nakaale, Uganda for 5yrs- I think. He had some very interesting things to say. Like: the women do all the work, while the men sit at home and crochet. :P He did say that some of the men are now starting to work. The young girls at about age two, start to learn how to carry things on their heads. When they become a woman, they are then able to carry 200 lbs. on their head, a baby on her back and something in each hand. They can also hold 20 liters of water on their head. Young boys start to be shepherds from age 5 to age 20.  Since the men have started to work, they have had to find a new "style". Use to, they would only where a sheet wrapped around them. Now they wear this:

Well...I cannot find a picture. So,,,, I will describe it to you. They now have their "sheet" wrapped around them like a towel and a rainbow Dr. Seuss hat. Quite a funny picture; Isn't it?

There is very little sanity there. No one washed hands. Cleans things...During the rainy season they walk up to 2 feet in mud and cow pooh. Speaking of cow...That is the Karimojong  money. The Karimojong believe that their god gave them all the cows of the world. So they take from other people what is "rightfully" theirs. The men were the "warriors and they took cows from others, often in an aggressive way.  Another thing, Polygamy is practiced there and if you want a wife you have to buy her. To buy her you have to have cows. The more cows you have the more wealth you have. The more cows you have; the more wives you may have. In all reality...they worship cows.... :-P

Please be in prayer for Jim and Jenny that they would have the courage to spread the Gospel and that the Africans would believe in the One True God. And not except Him as just another God.

The Weekend's Summery and other notes....

So Dad was off  from Saturday to Monday. On Saturday we took the day as it came. We did pretty much nothing all that day. Except when we went and got a deep freeze from my Grandparents R.

Again on Sunday we went to my Grandparents house. We celebrated my grandmothers Birthday. My Uncle Jay came down from Cape, MO. Spaghetti cook off for lunch. For dinner we made Lasagna out of the left-over spaghetti sauce. :)

Monday, we went the H's house and had lunch. Visited and then had some fun at the river! :-D Then we went back to their house and had Desert. The banana pudding was soooooo good.


On Tuesday we were back to some of the "norm".  That is until Christian cut his figure - nice and open it was-  on a glass he was washing. The poor guy... It was the hand he uses all the time and now he can't even write. I had to write down his school, while he told me the answers. We worked alot in the house and around the yard.

Today  has been a very pleasant. Tonight we are going to Sovereign Grace Church to here a missionary from Uganda speak. I am really looking forward to it. We will be having dinner there too.  I hope I will be able to tell about here later. :)

May 25, 2012

The last day to baby sit Amy. :( Mom was at the store this time with the two oldest boys and I was left home with the children 8 and under. Except, Li'ora. Who obviously has to be with Mom. Anyhow, Amy was so wonderful. I was sorry that she could not stay with me.

Tonight I am having a FB "battle" with my Mom. :) :-) She tends to always win. :) But that is ok, one day I will get her back....or.......not.

Dad has another 3 day weekend. Starting tomorrow. Wahooo!

May 24, 2012

Mom and Christian watched the Resale shop and left me at home with all the little ones. The day was very nice and Amy was MUCH better. For one, we were not crammed into one tiny office space and two she knew me. She ate very well and even played some. Li'ora is so much more active than she is. They are only two weeks apart too. Funny how babies can be so different.

May 23, 2012

This day we went to the Resale shop we sometimes watch for a lady.  Her Daughter is here from Germany with her son and daughter. I baby sat sweet little 6 month old Amy. She reminded me of Snow White. Black hair and very fair skin. Today, she did not know me. Amy was fussy all day and she hardly ate. Poor dear. She did not know me and we were at that tiny store. All 8 of us. It was trying. I was glad to get some rest after her Papa came and picked her up.

May 22, 2012 note continued

Let me see...Where did I leave off in this crazy week. AH! yes...twas my darling parents Anniversary. Well, my grandfather J----- came over and my uncle G---. We BBQed some chicken and had a lovely meal. Papa and I talked history and we both came to the agreement that we like to read about the people during that particular era and not all about the political stuff you have to read about. :)

That pretty much sums up that day. 8-)

May 22, 2012

Mom and Dad have been married for 19 years today! We are going to have some family over and relax.  I will tell more about today later. :)

May 21, 2012

The River again! It ended up not raining!  This time Float Camp was EMPTY. Which was really nice. After all the fun in the river we went and ate Chinese. Then we got some Ice Cream form McDonalds. This weekend has been so nice. Dad has been off for three days. I am really sunburned. So are all the others that were in the  river.

May 20, 2012

Sunday was just BEAUTIFUL. There was a possibility of rain the next day and so we changed our river plans to a day earlier. The river was not to terribly packed and the water felt GREAT. All you had to do was lay against the current and relax. Of course that is not all we did. Emma is so brave. I would slide her across the top of the water and she would laugh and tell me to do it again. The boys would never have done that. They cried when we tried to do that to them. It was a blast! Splashing each other and getting sunburnt, what could be better! Haha.

May 19, 2012

Bible study went really well. We studied Job. It is one of those books that you always read and see something different every time. His obedience to God is spectacular! It makes me realize that a perfect walk with God is possible. And the way to do that is to do what Job did. TRUSTing God.

Mom took my senior pictures today. Can't believe I am graduating!
Poor Mom got stung four times on her leg while she was taking my pictures. :( Don't know what it was either.)

I am tired.... Might be because I have not had my 2nd cup of coffee yet. ;~P

May 18, 2012

I got up early this morning and found myself confronted with....NO breakfast. We were out of milk. So that meant NO pancakes! Out of crackers and V8, which...meant, no crackers and V8. You probably already used the power of deduction here -  There was nothing to eat. Upon opening the freezer, I found the unleavened bread Mom had made a couple months ago. The mystery of breakfast was SOLVED!

After all of that was done I decided that bead work would have to be practiced. Wiring two beads, well.. that was enough practice for now. There was coffee to be had. Mmmm...coffee....(and Bible).

Mom woke about an hour later and we talked and she asked how the bite was on my knee. I said it seemed better. It did not itch near as much. Asking to see it and I showed it to her. " Did you have a tick there?"
Me: " Yes, now that you say that, I do remember having one there."
Research and research. Maybe Lyme disease.

Later, I drive to the Chiropractor and parallel park for the first time. It was as easy as putting on a glove. :)
 DR. says I need 13 vitamens of some sort. Prodilitc or other.

Bible study tonight and away I go.

MAY 17, 2012

Christian passes his Permit Test. He got the same grade I did. 84%