I was checking my email, and ran across this quote: "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby. HOW FUNNY!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Pretty babies
I just had to post these pictures we had done of the girls a few weeks ago. It was a fundraising event for a MOPS group in Frankenmuth, I heard about it from a friend at church. Anyway, they have all of these cute props and stuff, and they supply the little dresses and hats (or bib overalls for little boys). We got a 10X13 (and the sitting) for $10, then we could buy extra pictures for an exorbitant amount of money. Needless to say, we only came away with 3 pictures. At least my mother in law gave us a scanner, so I can send copies to everyone. (Copyright infringement? What's that?!?) I figure it this way, I'm not using the pictures to make money, and they are pictures of MY kids, so if someone has a problem with me copying the pictures - oh well. And maybe this could be a little bit of free advertising for the company - it's called Antiquities. They take beautiful pictures, and the photographer we had was very patient. The girls totally stonewalled him and pretty much refused to smile, but the pictures still turned out pretty good, IMHO.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
When Blessings Abound
Wow, what an astounding week our family has had. It's been so full of God's love I just cannot even put it into words adequately enough.
Last Wednesday, a friend of ours surprised us by bringing all the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast. What a generous and thoughtful gift! She said she'd been thinking about us and wanted to make sure we were able to have a nice dinner for Thanksgiving. The extra food came in handy, because...
On Thanksgiving, we were blessed enough to have some of Ande's family over (the total number of people at our house that day ended up numbering 21!!!). Some of his relatives came from Wisconsin, and much to Bubber's delight, two of the boys stayed the weekend with us.
On Friday, my sister & her family came, and we had a delicious brunch of waffles & bacon, then munched on leftover Thanksgiving goodies for the rest of the day. My dad even stopped by for a while, and gave my sister and I a laugh about his request to my sister earlier in the week to be the "executioner" of his estate. (I guess that would be funnier to you if you know my dad). He also informed us that we would be his beneficiaries, but that it was subject to change. We cracked up, and asked him if he was getting married or something. Anyway, we had a nice visit, and my dad seemed to be really happy to see all the kids.
Saturday I took the kids to visit my mom, whom I haven't visited in a looooong time. It's a story that would take me too long to tell, for those of you who don't know the details, so let's just say that it's been a tough few years. Anyway, we had a pretty nice visit, and the kids wore my mom's new puppy out. By that evening, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.
Sunday was fairly restful, and Monday was spent trying to catch up on some laundry that had been piling up. Tuesday was spent on a bit of housecleaning, and preparations for Ande's cousins to come visit again.
Which brings us to today, Wednesday. Money's been tight lately, especially with Ande trying to get an amp built to be ready to ship by this weekend - last minute purchases have really added up. So we have been praying about our finances, and trying to spend what we do have wisely. We received a card today with a significant amount of money in it, probably enough for Ande to finish his amp and maybe a little left over!!! I cried when I opened it.
My dear Lord - I know that you will always care for our needs, because you care for the birds in the sky and the flowers in the fields - and we are so much more important to you. What amazes me is the depth and breadth of love and generosity you so freely pour out to us to fill our needs! You know exactly what we need, and you ALWAYS are there to provide it when we ask. Help me to have a generous attitude, as you have given those who have given in your name to supply for our needs!
Last Wednesday, a friend of ours surprised us by bringing all the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast. What a generous and thoughtful gift! She said she'd been thinking about us and wanted to make sure we were able to have a nice dinner for Thanksgiving. The extra food came in handy, because...
On Thanksgiving, we were blessed enough to have some of Ande's family over (the total number of people at our house that day ended up numbering 21!!!). Some of his relatives came from Wisconsin, and much to Bubber's delight, two of the boys stayed the weekend with us.
On Friday, my sister & her family came, and we had a delicious brunch of waffles & bacon, then munched on leftover Thanksgiving goodies for the rest of the day. My dad even stopped by for a while, and gave my sister and I a laugh about his request to my sister earlier in the week to be the "executioner" of his estate. (I guess that would be funnier to you if you know my dad). He also informed us that we would be his beneficiaries, but that it was subject to change. We cracked up, and asked him if he was getting married or something. Anyway, we had a nice visit, and my dad seemed to be really happy to see all the kids.
Saturday I took the kids to visit my mom, whom I haven't visited in a looooong time. It's a story that would take me too long to tell, for those of you who don't know the details, so let's just say that it's been a tough few years. Anyway, we had a pretty nice visit, and the kids wore my mom's new puppy out. By that evening, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.
Sunday was fairly restful, and Monday was spent trying to catch up on some laundry that had been piling up. Tuesday was spent on a bit of housecleaning, and preparations for Ande's cousins to come visit again.
Which brings us to today, Wednesday. Money's been tight lately, especially with Ande trying to get an amp built to be ready to ship by this weekend - last minute purchases have really added up. So we have been praying about our finances, and trying to spend what we do have wisely. We received a card today with a significant amount of money in it, probably enough for Ande to finish his amp and maybe a little left over!!! I cried when I opened it.
My dear Lord - I know that you will always care for our needs, because you care for the birds in the sky and the flowers in the fields - and we are so much more important to you. What amazes me is the depth and breadth of love and generosity you so freely pour out to us to fill our needs! You know exactly what we need, and you ALWAYS are there to provide it when we ask. Help me to have a generous attitude, as you have given those who have given in your name to supply for our needs!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
When you ask, God answers...Just not always in the way you would think
The other day, I had one of those moments where God just totally wrenched on my heart to get it back in the right place. Ande and I were in Borders with Puckey & the Jib. We went back to the kids' section so Puckey could "ooh" and "ahh" over all the books (which she absolutely LOVES). So we're back there browsing around, and this couple comes back there. The young woman was pregnant (quite far along by the looks of her belly), and she was looking intently at one of the sections. The young man made some sort of comment like, "well, there's the kid's religion section over there...they gotta get to them early". I don't remember the exact words, but I do remember the snide tone of his voice and the haughty look on his face. The girl said something like, "uh-huh" and continued looking. I heard her say something about The Giving Tree and how she wanted to find that book. They were looking at a shelf with Shel Silverstein's books on it, but The Giving Tree wasn't there. After a few moments, the guy said, "Let's check the computer" and they walked away. I was pretty ticked off about his comment against religion, and had several smart retorts swirling through my head. For whatever reason I didn't say any of them when they were standing there. I DID say to Ande after they walked away, "Did you hear what he said? It made me want to punch him in his head!!" (Yeah, I know, GREAT Christian response, right? Good thing my body doesn't do what my heart and head sometimes want, or I'd be in BIG trouble.) So anyway, as I was leaving that section, I looked down and saw The Giving Tree. Now, being that this is one of my favorite books EVER (I cry every single time I read it), and I think the message of the book is similar to what God does for us so often (He gives and gives and we take and take), it only took me about half a second to decide what to do. I picked the book up and walked towards the couple. I said, "well, it's not a special edition or anything, but it comes with a CD. This is one of my favorite books.", as I handed it to the girl. She thanked me, and as I walked away I heard the guy say, "That was nice. It really surprised me." Now, I don't know if he saw the daggers shooting from my eyes when he made the comment about religious books for kids, or if he'd just never had something nice done for him before. Either way, I had been asking for God to help me to walk a better Christian walk, and He gave me the opportunity to do something nice for someone who said something that really offended me. Now, if only I can use ALL of the opportunities God gives me like that!!
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