Cherished Heirlooms- Master's Bed Table

I had fun refinishing this little table. It was one of a pair of
nightstands that I got the first few years we were married. The story
behind this little table is that it came from my grandfather's best
friend. My dad's dad, my "goody grandpa" as we called him was left
everything in the house of his best friend (Walter) when he died. My dad
and his siblings grew up on that street and called Walter, Master.
Master came to our wedding and died a few years after. Goody Grandpa
said that us kids and grandkids could go through Master's house and take
what they'd like. We were blessed with a kitchen table and chairs. The
chairs are long gone but 14 years later we are still using the old
kitchen table for our meals.

One of my aunts had taken the other nightstand table and when I saw that the other one was left I was immediately smitten with it. It's had a dark wood finish on it all this time with lots of scratches and a rusted little handle. I've been wanting to refinish it for years. We have leftover paint from our house and as a way to take a piece of this house with us, I used the paint from some of the rooms in our house to paint it. I sanded it down, painted it and then bought special paint to paint the handle black. I absolutely love how it turned out. It makes the perfect little table to put my Bible in and pray beside.

The table is sitting beside my great-grandmother's rocking chair.

THEY MADE IT!

Praising God that the Jarillos made it safely across the border from Mexico and they weren't given any trouble about their visa's and passports! They were asked some questions about where they were going, who the baby was, and things like that and then they were let go across the border. They didn't have any trouble with their car permits and all of that either. Mom and Dad greeted them on the other side and hooked up their car to the car dolly. Fiona was extremely happy to be out of her car seat and was happily sitting with a toy in my parent's RV when my sister called me to tell me they made it across. I'm praising God and weeping tears of joy.

We are truly amazed that they were not stopped by police through their entire trip through Mexico. They saw several police sitting waiting to stop people and every time they went pass them my sister would pray that God would make them invisible to them. They were not stopped even once! (The police are corrupt and stop you to get you to bribe them.)

God is so merciful! He is so great and mighty! Thank you Lord for their safe and final arrival to U.S. soil. We look forward to them coming to stay with us next week while they transition into their own apartment! Thank you again to everyone that has donated items for them to use for the baby.

on our minds and around our house

praying the Jarillos make it across the Mexico border without troubles

enjoyed God's mountain creation this weekend

babysitting Grandpa's dog, Finnegan again....isn't that a song?

wondering what God has planned next for us (many of you know that my husband resigned from his church position of 9 years approx. 4 months ago and is still out of work in a horrible recession)

wishing we could get a buyer for our home before it goes into foreclosure

resting in HOPE since God is our help in suffering

rejoicing at how much God has blessed us with each other and with everything we need

praising God that I have some houses to clean this week for work (praying for more)

can't wait to get our hands on Fiona again

packing our garage some more

trying to be patient to harvest our pumpkins

trying to keep Jon supplied with enough books to read

grateful for all the new friends I made at women's retreat this past week (I was brave and went even though I didn't know one soul) and grateful for the theme; Healing Waters. I feel very refreshed

enjoying the fall colors that are starting to appear

I've been hacked.

it appears that my blog was hacked over the weekend, hence the ad that has been placed on it. I'm contacting blogger to find out how to remove it. Thanks for bearing with me.

Overdue update on my sister and her family.....

We've been out of town over this past weekend and so I'm a bit behind on updating you about my sister. She and her husband, Elias, and baby, Fiona left Saturday from their home in Mexico to embark on their 5 day trip to the border of Mexico and Arizona where my parents will meet them and pick them up. The good news is that the trip is going very well considering and they are even ahead of schedule. They will arrive tomorrow at the border (a whole day sooner than expected) and my parents are already there waiting for them.

We are praying that things go smoothly for them when it comes to going through the border with passports and visas in hand. I will post another update once they have made it safely over the border.

Being Transplanted by the Caring Gardener

I really appreciated this post about being transplanted at times in our life and how although it feels like we are being ripped from our comfortable place, God as our caring gardener puts us in a place were we can thrive and grow (spiritually).

The process of re-potting a plant is a messy one. It involves digging up a plant that is happily settled, untangling and trying not to damage roots, then there is resettling the plant and supporting it appropriately, and finally giving the plant water, food, and sunlight, etc. The process may be initially jarring and stressful for the plant, but with a careful and caring gardener, the result is that the plant is put in a new environment in which to thrive and grow.

To read the whole post, click here.

What The Lord Has Done In Me

What The Lord Has Done In Me

by Hillsong

Let the weak say, 'I am strong'
Let the poor say, 'I am rich'
Let the blind say, 'I can see'
It's what the Lord has done in me

Let the weak say, 'I am strong'
Let the poor say, 'I am rich'
Let the blind say, 'I can see'
It's what the Lord has done in me Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

To the river I will wade
There my sins are washed away
From the heavens' mercy streams
Of the Savior's love for me

I will rise from waters deep
Into the saving arms of God
I will sing salvation songs
Jesus Christ has set me free

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

Let the weak say, 'I am strong'
Let the poor say, 'I am rich'
Let the blind say, 'I can see'
It's what the Lord has done in me

As Long As You Are Glorified

As Long As You Are Glorified

by Mark Altrogge

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night

a do for a tea party

Emilee's hair the day of our tea party outing....

time for tea

When Gramma Marie was visiting, Gram took all the girls to tea. It's a
tea house we hadn't been to before but Gram had been there and knew we
would love it. She was right. It was adorable. We enjoyed a wonderful
lunch and tea complete with scones and dessert. Emilee had key lime pie
and the other three of us shared a lemon cake that was amazing. What fun
memories we made there that day and I can't wait to go back some day.
Emilee picked out a tea cup to add to her own collection as a memory of
our tea that day.

It's tough being 10 years old.....the mind starts to go

Jonathan - "I'm afraid I'm going to be spreading something in our family (line)."
Mom- "oh ya, what's that?"
Jon- "Short term memory loss."
Mom looks at him with a puzzled look.
Jon - "I have it! I've been forgetting things every day!"

Ever wish life was a musical?

I've often wished life was a musical and had to suppress my desires to break out in song in public places....

Well, my aunt sent me this fun YouTube video. Here's the info about it first. This video was made in the Antwerp , Belgium Central (Train) Station on the 23rd of March 2009 with no warning to the passengers passing through the station at 08:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system. As the bemused passengers watch in amazement, some 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and station entrances. They created this amazing stunt with just two rehearsals!

Hope you enjoy it like we did.

Fun with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Marie

A little while ago, Grandpa Dave and Grandma Marie came to visit and the
kids had so much fun catching up with them and spending some bonding
time with them. Emilee and Grandma Marie did some cheerleading and Jon
played some checkers and chess with Grandpa Dave.

Playing with Grandpa Dave

Dear Children - Please Stop!

Dear Children,
Please stop growing up. I can't bear it any longer. You keep getting taller every day, your childish ways are slipping away and I simply can't stand it. Your little feet are getting bigger, your tiny fingers growing longer, your chubby cheeks getting thinner, just please stop! I beg you please, don't grow any further, stay small, and keep your tiny voices. Run through my house with the itsy-bitsy- pitter-patter just once more. I wish I could freeze time and keep you small or in the very least rewind from time to time. I can't believe it's almost over....stop growing, stop growing, please! Your bright eyes, your precious faces, soft and sweet. You say the cutest things and you promise me you'll never leave me. How much fun I have with you and to think one day my house will be silent.
Mom

Runs in the family.....

Emilee- "Mom, my toes are starting to look like Grandma Marie's long toes."

(Emilee isn't actually related to Grandma Marie by blood but her toes don't know that.)

Burger Memories

Emilee- "Cooking burgers (hamburgers) is fun. Cause when I'm older and I cook burgers I'll always think of my Dad cooking burgers."

we had BBQed cheeseburgers today....

on our minds and around our house.....

painting old furniture to give it a new look in our home

seeing our pumpkins turn bright orange

making an inexpensive picket fence headboard for Emilee's bed

reading Anne of Green Gables Treasury from the library

surprised that our heirloom Mr. Stripey tomato plant is finally putting out some tomatoes

listening to Daddy play and sing some new worship songs

laughing when Emilee said today "I wish Maggie was my sister." (Maggie is our dog)

loving the smell of fresh baked pumpkin muffins

welcoming our new neighbors with baked chocolate chip cookies

praying for some new clients for my house-cleaning business

thankful for each other

counting the days until I embrace my sister again

Home Decor Quiz

I took this fun quiz that Jessica posted on her blog and I thought it might be fun to record them here for my kids. Here are my results:

you are an Elegant Classic

You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

When darkness seems to hide His face....

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Speaking of anchors, hymns have been an anchor in my life with their rich doctrine and poetic portrayals of life's struggles. I'm always taken back when I think of all the saints that have gone before us that have sung these same words to these familiar tunes. I love that I can connect with the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before me by praising our God together over the centuries!

Full Song:
My Hope Is Built
Edward Mote and William B. Bradbury

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain

A strange sort of motley crew....

This is just a plain-ol' funny picture that Uncle Dave took of us with his cell phone. We were at Aunt Jenny's parent's house in California after church playing guitar hero. It was our first time ever seeing the game let alone playing it. But, we all quickly found our instrumental talent (if you can call it that) and became a circus act awesome band. We had to do some parental screening of the song choices of course which even then, oy! Jon kept saying "how come it doesn't have Christian songs?" Welcome to the world my son. We figured out that we scored the highest points with Jon on drums, Emilee on bass guitar, Mom on lead guitar (don't ask) and Dad on vocals. Dad of course always had the super high score. Our audience, in the room was very encouraging despite the fools we were making of ourselves. Isn't this what all pastor's families do after church?

Planes Outside

At the museum they also had a huge parking lot filled with several old fighting planes, transportation planes, cargo planes, rescue planes, and a selection of helicopters. Again, we took a ton of pictures (I have a picture taking disease) and truly it was difficult to get the perspective of just how huge some of these planes were. I needed a wide angle lens which I did not have.

Why is it?

Why is it that as a mom I always feel like I don't do enough? I set out each day to accomplish what I think in my mind is just a few things and yet every day I fail to complete them all. Are my expectations too high? Is my body too old? I crash in bed each night from pure exhaustion yet lay there thinking of all the things I did NOT get done that I had hoped to. Then I start thinking about all the things I want to get done the next day and how I can cram in everything I didn't finish today.

Last night, even though I was going through my regular thought pattern in resulting frustration, I took a moment and retraced my steps.

I made a wholesome homemade breakfast.
Cleaned up the breakfast dishes.
I read my Bible.
Prayed.
Showered.
Made my bed and cleaned up my room.
Threw in a load of laundry.
Schooled my children.
Switched the laundry.
Started on making two loaves of homemade bread without my bread machine.
Folded laundry and started more laundry.
Schooled my kids some more.
Made a homemade from scratch lunch.
Folded more laundry and started yet more laundry.
Cleaned up lunch mess and dishes.
Ran the dishwasher.
Put away laundry.
Schooled my kids some more.
Punched the bread dough down and let it rise again.
Vacuumed the whole house top and bottom.
Dusted the upstairs.
Folded more laundry and put more away.
Cleaned all 3 bathrooms.
Put the bread in to bake.
Swept the kitchen floor.
Straightened the kitchen.
Cleaned up school.
Straightened the whole house.
Took the bread out of the oven.
Took the kids to the library.

That was all before dinner.

Then we had dinner.
Then I trimmed all the bushes in the front yard.
Weeded all the planters in the front yard.
Watered all the planters in the front yard.
Took the dog out and played with her.
Sanded a new piece of picket fence as a new headboard for my daughter's room.
Cleaned up the sander and the mess I had made.
Bagged all the bush trimmings.
Washed up and came in the house (and put the dog away)
Sent the kids up to prepare for bed.
Tucked the kids in.

and then I was exhausted.
watched a movie with my husband but could barely stay awake through it.
Read my Bible again and went to sleep.
Only to wake up in the morning and start it all over again....only
today I made cookies for the new neighbors that are moving in today
made pumpkin muffins for some simple snacks
among all the other things.....like 3 loads of laundry and cleaning the kitchen twice.
and it's before 1pm.

Lord, help me to feel accomplished in my day. Don't let Satan tempt me to despair and tell me of the guilt within.

Travis AFB

While in Sacramento we also took the kids to an Air Force Base. They had never been on a base and neither had momma. Daddy of course has. We got security clearance and off we went through the checkpoint gates and into a whole little city. It was so neat to see this little city within a city. They had it all, gas stations, restaurants, stores, amazing. I don't know what I was expecting but I was having a Truman Show moment as we drove through the secret self contained little city. Okay, I know, I know, I'm weird.

We went there to see the museum which was really cool. The kids loved the flight simulators.

An A Bomb like the one that was dropped on Japan. Amazed by it's size.

um, ya, that's one huge engine!

They had a space section which was cool. Daddy is pretending that the kids are flying this old space craft while he is hanging onto the back. Silly guy.

This is one of those missiles that intercepts missiles and blows them up. Awesome. The inside wiring on this thing looked so complicated...it's a shame to just blow it up, but hey, it serves a purpose.

We took a ton of pictures (something we are known for) but I think that's good for now.