Progress Part 1

Here is some progress we have been making at our house. You know we have been working on the basement for awhile now.......well we finally have it more livable......

Garyn's 2nd (yes second) playroom downstairs

The Before....drab no color or organization

The After.........much more colorful and usable

The horse to the left was Tyler's and Garyn loves it. I like it but wish it wasn't so big!

I still have some pictures to hang and toys to transfer from upstairs but it has come along quite well!

Next is our living room. I don't have a before.....

Our new loveseat, couch, end table, center table and rug!

The new couch reclines on both ends, we mix and matched to get a good deal and to get the reclining feature!

Also, notice the red wall.....it was a khaki color like the rest of the room

And this is my photo collage from my goals....

I have been wanting to get this pictures up for a while and am glad to finally do it!

More to come!

Summer: It's over?

 I think it has hit me that summer is over.

Football's first game is this week; Garyn starts Mother's Day Out tomorrow;

I start Bible study tomorrow........

The only area that hasn't changed is the weather! Man, it's still HOT!

Well I wanted to post some summer photos that I haven't yet to remember all the great moments.... 

Won't forget the beginning of the summer started with Six Flags!

Lots of water Fun!

So much yummy Ice Cream!

~All Boy~

New fascination with Toy Story with the release of the new movie

Will never forget my wonderful trip to Honduras!

Can we say guitar fan......

Garyn became a golf fan, too!

Garyn really has his favorite buds now...

He can drive! oh no!

Great 4th!

Beach fun

 

Daddy spent so much time writing his paper this summer, he often forgot to shave!

And last but not least, Wii games are still in high priority!

(In fact, while I am writing this Garyn is playing)

The summer went by so fast, but it was a lot of fun!

Got fruit?

My garden has come along and produced some fruit for me. Although, I have learned some lessons from it this year.

If you remember, Tyler really didn't want me to do one this year mainly because he didn't want to work at getting the soil ready, plant, and then it all die because I am not the best gardener. I was determined though, and set out to find a closer spot to the house and a smaller one. I attempted to use some concrete borders we already had to make a raised bed. He helped me get the soil in it and weed killer. Then I planted.

I had six plants (squash, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and 2 tomato plants).

Well I had a couple squash sprout then some cucumber. And I had one pepper spring forth.

But then the tomato plants grew and grew. Along with some type of bugs, the tomato plants killed off the other plants! I am getting 2-3 tomatoes a week from the massive things. Pretty much every green limb you see stems fro the 2 tomato plants. I still have some pepper buds but everything else has died off.

{notice, too, that my concrete borders are pitiful now}

This is the brown remains of the squash and cucumber plants.

So I have learned lessons this year. Not just physical gardening lessons but spiritual ones, too.

1. The garden was too small or I was trying to fit too much in. (I am wondering why I planted 2 tomato plants since I am the only one that eats them......?)

2. Stake, Stake, Stake!!

3. Need some type of bug killer

4. Weed preventer and wet newspaper work great! (that was my biggest problem last year)

5. Space things out better

Now spiritually, I can't help but notice how these lessons can apply.

1. How often do we try to fit too much into one day or our schedules. For me, I tend to half do things and forget the important aspects cause I have so much I want to do or have planned.

2. We all need support; God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and great family and friends are the best support. I often think I can do everything on my own and then get overwhelmed and accomplish very little.

3. Bugs = Satan in my gardening parable. Satan so often kills every lead we make in trying to serve Christ because we let him. Tyler and I frequently talk about how we feel attacked just when we are trying to focus on being a better Christian.

4. Pertaining to #3, we need to prevent and prepare for those attacks Satan uses. Reading the word; focusing on listening and praying to God; "weeding" out the unimportant events we fill our lives with; taking steps of faith instead of hiding in fear.........These are all ways to be one step ahead of Satan and be walking with God instead.

5. Space things out better---that is an understatement for me. I want everything done now, just so I can plan something to do next week. When in reality, God wants us to worry about today only. I need to be conscience of how much I am trying to fit into my daily life.

Jesus says, "I am the true vine, My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." John 15:1-2, 5, 8

I want to bear fruit, not be taken away. Pruning is ok, we all need it. I have already been pruning at myself. The lessons God has taught me (as stated above) have helped me to inventory whether or not I am bearing fruit. Some things in my inventory do nothing to bear fruit for God's kingdom. I aim to weed those out so that the branches I do have that have potential to bear fruit can produce.

So, Got fruit??

August Goals

I know we are a week into the month already but I still would like to have some goals for the other 3 weeks!

Fun:
Go swimming once a week
Invite some friends over for dinner
take Garyn to Sprayground
Have a date night with my hubby!
Feed the football defensive players one night (this is actually fun although it probably fits better under cooking)

DIY/Home:
Paint the end table (explanation later)
Keep my gardens and plants alive!
Paint downstairs some
Paint the living room wall completed today!

Craft:
Have a playdoh day with Garyn ( I am always reluctant to get this out...)
Frame and hang picture collage

Cooking:
Freezer day! (didn't accomplish in July, must do this month!)
eat at home all but 3 meals a week....includes lunches

Cleaning:
Clean floors downstairs
Straighten extra bedroom

Reading:
Continue "Don't make me count to three"---I know its been like 3 months but I haven't had much reading time and I really do want to finish it!

Read Garyn a Bible story at breakfast or lunch daily (summer got us off schedule with this)

Garyn's Birthday

Garyn was 3 a week ago. I still haven't really soaked it all up since we've had so much going on.

He has certainly gotten an attitude lately. He tells us to "Stop it" & "Quit doing that" although sometimes he will throw in a please. He has soo many little cute sayings now, though. For instance, he says "I'm stuckn it" = "I'm stuck", ""Can you make it so very loud?", & he often tells me everything is "a bery kinda beautiful."

I love it all. I love his little phrases; his new found independence; his interest in anything technological; and the fact that he still wants his momma sometimes. I was thinking the other day about how heavy he was when he wanted me to carry him. I even told him he was a big boy and he could walk. But then I thought, you know I will carry him for as long as he wants and I can, because all too soon, he will be pushing me away. Don't get me wrong, he walks most of the time.....

Moving on, the party went well. It was our first at a different location. There are pros and cons I will say, the main thing being air conditioning! Any who, no one had a heat stroke and I'm sure all the kids took great naps! The theme was Toy Story. He is really into Buzz and Woody. Surprisingly, he has taken up trains again while puzzles have taken the back burner. Wii is still the biggest hit!

Here are some pics................

He was singing "Happy Birthday" to himself here.

One of his favorite gifts!

Boys are so funny crowding around to "help" open presents

We had a "3" pinata. Of course, I got pics of every child hitting it but the birthday boy! I have some before pics of him standing with it and this one....oh well

We Will Remember....

I love the song We Will Remember. (I would love for you to go and listen to this song) On the way home yesterday, I was thinking about all I had seen and learned. That song kept coming to me and seemed to be a great blog idea....

Today has been an eye opening day to top off this eye opening week I had in Honduras. 

God has been opening my eyes to a lot lately.

 To start it off, I have finished Crazy Love. I would recommend the book and have had some similar books recommended to me that I want to read next. But that's another subject.

Living an intentional life is the lesson I took from the book. Not allowing yourself to be "luke warm" and complacent as a Christian, yet do God's will for your life. Do whatever it takes to do what you feel moved to do despite what our society may say or think about it. I was convicted by this and had begun to pray for God's will to be laid on my heart.

Then, I left for Honduras where I saw such poverty yet faith. Every Christian there, as far as I can tell, "walks by faith, not by sight" as 2 Cor. 5:7 encourages us to do. All of the staff, the many children, the volunteers that come, and even the sponsers of the children must have faith that God will provide them their next meal; that He will keep them safe; and/or that He will stretch their love across the world to the kids. Comprehending this concept is tiring when you first arrive. I have many blessings and have many family members to lean on. They were all from the Lord, but I don't give Him the credit always. However, they have very little and must have faith that God will provide at the Orphanage.

I want to remember these lessons God has taught me and change things in my life that hinder me to live in God's will and by faith. I will remember a lot more, as well. 

All the wonderful smiles the children give you when you just ask them their name or give them a hug.....

The love I felt for many children, especially Rosa..... 

The stress Brent and Bettye were feeling about the appointments to bring Azucena home and the sheer relief when things fell into place miracously......

The many friends I made on the trip. I left hardly knowing 2 people, but had faith that I would make friends and feel comfortable with my travel mates.......

The spanish lessons we had with our cooks. They always kept us laughing........

Playing Phase 10 with my new friends that also had us all laughing......

The worshipping children during the church services and their morning circles.........

Seeing my first pig slaughter, I won't ever forget that.....

(I will spare you from the pictures, trust me)

My time in the clinic, I felt nervous about it beforehand, not knowing what I would be doing or if I would remember pediatric nursing, but God handled that and I felt at ease......

I won't forget seeing Rosa's tears the night before I left or the feeling of my own heart breaking for her.....

I also will not forget this morning's church service where a lot of things came into place for me. Remember how I said I had been thinking about We Will Remember and this blog post? Well, low and behold we sang that song in church today. I teared up and knew God wanted me to remember this trip.

I also started thinking of things in my life that hinder me from living God's will. I started writing them on the bulletin and showed them to Tyler. I was saying how Crazy Love and the trip were showing me areas that I needed to change in order to live in God's will.

All the while, Pastor Dooley was speaking and I wasn't really hearing him but then as if his microphone was turned up, I heard him talking about how to live in God's will. He was speaking on how God will show you His will for your life through events and feelings and on His own time. I really started tearing up then. It was a wonderful moment to know that the ideas and thoughts I had been having over the last week were of God. He was making me aware of areas that I had become complacent and afraid to step out on faith.

Furthermore, not but 5 minutes ago, in the middle of me writing this post. My father n' law was here and I was telling him about my trip. Not knowing anything about my day or this post, he even said " So they really live by faith there." Just another statement that reinforced what God is showing me to do.

Friends, our God is amazing. I hope you know Him and are able to trust Him.

I can't wait to return to Orphanage Emmanuel and see Rosa again. If God wants us to, he will provide the way.