A Great Meeting!

Last week, my daughter got to meet her pen pal, whom she met through my Above Rubies e-group. She happens to live two hours from here, so we met at a park halfway. The girls had a great time, and so did the moms! Mrs. K and I have quite a bit in common. We ended up staying for five hours and they flew by. She has two smaller children who were past their naptime and they weren't even crabby. But they got to swim in a giant wading pool, so they really had fun.

An update on the house scenario: the buyer who loved it so much decided not to buy. So we are looking at two mortgages until this thing sells. Still trusting God!

It's hot here, so we are off to the swimmin' hole tonight to cool off.

The School Supply Song!!!

It's that time of year again! I picked up an ad from the newspaper and was inspired to pen these lyrics:

It's the most wonderful time of the year
There are notebooks for ten cents
The savings are immense
On cheap homeschool gear
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the hap happiest season of all
Cuz the markers are cheap
Oh what bargains we reap
At the school supply wall
It's the hap happiest season of all

There are backpacks for you
And some cheap Elmers Glue
And the pencils are twelve for a buck
There's a limit of ten
We'll go in once again
C'mon kids, let's get in the truck!

It's the most wonderful time of the year
We will stock up today,
And have plenty till May
So to ShopKo draw near
It's the most wonderful time of the year

Waiting on God

Many of our friends know that we have been looking for a place in the country for over two years. Back in April, we found one that we loved. Five acres, on a quiet road, pole barn, wooded areas, lots of room to run, a second full kitchen for our family business, and in our price range to boot! We were in the process of making an offer for it (and listing our house) when we found out it was no longer available.

We weren't sure if we should keep our house listed, but we decided to anyway. Several months went by without a single showing, and it didn't really matter because we didn't find another place anyway.

In the meantime, our church had a fundraiser to buy some property. They asked us to pray for 50 days and give whatever God was leading us to give. At the end of the 50 days, we gave an amount that the Lord put on our hearts.

The very next day, the realtor for the house we loved (see photo above) called us. Guess what? The house is available again. In faith (or perhaps insanity), we decided to put an offer on it without selling our house first, because we figured the Lord was opening this door for us. We went through the inspection and the final negotiations and secured a closing date of August 1.

Then, I began to get nervous. Our house had been listed for three months with nobody coming to see it. A friend of mine listed her house and it sold immediately to the first person through it. Another friend listed her house and has had numerous showings in the first week. Had we heard God wrong? Were we crazy to buy a house outright when we had no buyer for ours and no prospects on the horizon?

I confess, when my friend had told me her house sold to the first viewer, I became green with envy. Panic mode set in. Finally I admitted my jealousy to God and asked if He would please somehow let us know if we were being foolish.

The very next day (there's that very next day thing again!!!), our realtor called with a showing for the following day. The folks loved it and are coming back for a second look this week. They had lots of questions regarding utilities and such. Now it isn't a done deal or anything, but God is so faithful! So no matter what happens with this whole process, I have resolved to be content with wherever He puts us.

Home Again

We got home from our trip on Tuesday night. We had spent the weekend in Branson. My favorite part was a beautiful swimming beach we found, called Moonshine Beach. The weather was hot, hot, hot and the beach was full but big enough so that it didn't feel crowded. The water was crystal clear - you can swim in water 10 feet deep and still see the bottom clearly.

Sunday we drove down to Muskogee, Oklahoma for two days. We visited the Five Civilized Tribes Museum and learned about the Trail of Tears. I had heard of it growing up but had no idea what it was all about. How sad that in 1838-1839 the US government forced the Cherokee tribe in southeast United States to march 1000 miles to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

What I did on summer vacation...

We have been spending the past week on the road with dad. Here's a recap:



Tuesday July 3
We spent the day in St. Louis with auntie L who lives nearby. We visited the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, the courthouse where the awful Dred Scott decision was made, and the Cahokia Indian Mounds in Collinsville, IL. We took the Metro Link into the city.








Wednesday, July 4
We checked out of our hotel and visited Grant's Farm (previously owned by Ulysses S. Grant). We then trekked to Kansas City, checked into the hotel, and went in search of fireworks. We found good ones at Shawnee Mission County Park.








Thursday, July 5
While dad was working, we headed into Kansas City to the Crown Hallmark headquarters. We toured the visitor's center, and then went to Kaleidoscope. This is a free activity sponsored by Hallmark Cards. The kids went into a room where they were able to enjoy a card-making craft frenzy. Dad finished early so we hopped into the van and headed down to our next stop - Springfield, MO. On the way, we stopped at a farm to replenish our milk supply. What a treat! We got delicious fresh milk from grassfed jersey cows. In Springfield, we had dinner out, at the Outback Steakhouse.

Friday, July 6
We got up and headed to Mansfield, MO so mom could achieve a childhood dream of visiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder home at Rocky Ridge. (Natalie was a bit grouchy as you can see in the photo on Laura's porch). On the way back to Springfield to pick up dad, we drove off the beaten track in search of farm fresh eggs. We found ourselves in the heart of Amish country. We stopped at one home that advertised produce for sale, and met kind Mrs. Zook and bought some of her goodies. Then on to Branson, where we checked into the hotel and swam for awhile. We drove downtown and visited Dicks 5 and 10, then attempted to drive to the Titanic Museum. We eventually reached our destination although the traffic in Branson is horrendous! Ick! People LIKE this? I felt like a giant rat trapped in a giant tourist trap. Give me a nice, quiet cabin on a lake any day. Oh well, it's Saturday morning and breakfast is over, so it's out into the trap we go!

Busy Week and Inspirational Email

We got back from a weekend trip to the middle of Wisconsin where mom got to be a beverage vendor at the Sally Fallon Seminar in Arkansaw, WI. We camped in the skoolie, at the home of my friend's mom. They live on an incredibly lovely and secluded 40 acres. The kids and dads hung out all day at grandma's while my friend and I attended the seminar.

We got home this morning at 2 am and awoke early to get to church, where dd Hannah (age 10) was baptized today. Afterward, we went to a swimming pool with friends because our realtor was running an open house and we couldn't go home until after 3 pm.

We have made an offer on a house and it has been accepted, but I am going to save the details until it's a sure thing. There are lots of goings-on in the process and we still need to have a well test done. During the inspection, it was discovered that they were putting bleach into the water source. Hmmmm..... Tall cold glass of ice water, anyone? It won't hurt you, really....

Tomorrow we leave for a family trip... we are accompanying dad during his work week and will be spending time in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. While dad is working, we will explore places that we have never visited before. Can't wait for the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Mansfield, MO! I (mom) have wanted to see it ever since I was a child. We also have tickets to the Titanic museum in Branson, MO.

I got this email today and wanted to share it.

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. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself "Christian."

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.