This boy!!

There is NO denying that this is my kid! (especially if you knew me 20+ years ago!).  Levi swept off the little porch-like stoop out back and is outside, barefoot, in his shorts, hot chocolate in hand, enjoying the fresh snow that fell overnight!  He is just as crazy as his mama!  Love him!

I love my nifty gummy bear mold for making homemade Thieves drops!  Great for soothing a sore throat, quieting a cough or just for an immunity boost. Essential oils are SOOOO versatile!  The possibilities are nearly endless.

A year ago was a very dark day for us ~ our brand new puppy's eye had been seriously injured the day before.  As we left our follow up appointment at the animal hospital, cradling her tiny body, we were told there was little hope for her eye.  We were strongly encouraged to schedule surgery right away to have it removed.  I've posted before about my stubbornness and utter refusal to settle for that prognosis ~ and my decision to go against their advice and try my oils on her . . . and more importantly to wait - and continue praying for God to heal her (rather than give up so quickly).

As you can see in the top right picture, things got much worse before they got better. BUT, God has been so kind to restore her eye almost completely since that time.

This little stinker of a puppy has been such a GIFT over the past year! She is sweet, scruffy, super snuggly, semi-psychotic (!) and oh, so smart. I KNOW that she would have been just as wonderful (and just as loved) if she had ended up losing her eye . . . but what an incredible blessing to look into her precious little face, day after day, and be reminded of God's faithfulness and healing power.

I don't even pretend to understand all they ways of God (and I know, all too well, that many a child, parent, spouse or other loved one, has died when that same God COULD have healed them . . . but for whatever reason chose not to). What I DO know is that in my own little world, where something seemingly insignificant, carried the emotional weight of a mountain, God stepped in and showed His mercy. Perhaps, He even chose to heal her JUST so that I could have an obvious, tangible (and daily) reminder that HE CAN! I'll never know the reason, but I am so thankful He did.

Our silly Samuel!

This boy cracks me up!  I found this taped up on the shelf next to his school supplies.  Oh, to be ten again!!

We started out our New Year with the dismantling of our broken futon and the (VERY) enthusiastic demolition of our yucky, old couch.  The boys LOVED that part!  We splurged on a much needed, new (to us) sectional sofa.  $200 on Craigslist.  Probably the most money we've ever spent on a piece of furniture in our 20+ years together.  New furniture has obviously never been a 'value' of ours (although maybe it ought to be!).  The rest of the day was spent rearranging our living room.  Happy!

Ninja!!

My son just brought me a dish of cold, purple, yumminess!  It's got the consistency of a Frosty, but is made from fruits and vegetables (& a little milk too).  He even hid some broccoli and kale in there! Sweet Mr. Ninja (blender), where have you been all my life?!!

Three Dog Night!

Good job Emily and Kevin managing to get them all cooperating and facing the camera in the same picture - thank you!!!  I've been wanting a picture of all three together for months!

Christmas Eve!

Candlelight church service, fondue dinner, a few Christmas Eve gifts, family game time & The Veggie Tales "Toy That Saved Christmas" . . . I love Christmas Eve!! (tomorrow is our sweet puppy's 'Gotcha Day' - she was SO little!  Thank you Jesus for the best gift of all so long ago in Bethlehem.

Star Wars!!!!!

They really DID wait in line 5+ hours for a movie (but this is not just 'any old movie', this is Star Wars!!).  Anna and I didn't even go to the movie, we just went for the mall!

Twenty-two years ago I was a twenty-two year old, walking down the aisle to that mysterious place where two arrive and one leaves.  Where butterflies abound, where far more than your name gets changed, where dreams soar, joy overflows and truth be told ~ you know scarcely little of what you are stepping into.

At that time, I was absolutely certain of God's faithfulness.

Today, I am even more so.

I've now been married for approximately half of my life.  I am so thankful for a husband who has been willing to stand behind the words "in joy and in sorrow, in plenty and in want, in all of the circumstances of life, I commit myself to you". He has done so with patience and kindness, over and over (and over!) again ~ many moments when it wasn't returned to him. 

There has been much laughter, great joy and sweet memories.  But, as it turns out, marriage isn't easy. Life is hard, families are complex, we often don't treat those we love the most the way that we want to. The scenario in the book of Romans is ever near ("I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do"). Sometimes we are blessed beyond measure, and other times our expectations are simply not met.  

On countless occasions, it might have been easier for him to walk away - but that isn't who he is. That option was eliminated when he held my hands, looked in my eyes and uttered those words.  

He meant them. 

I meant them.

 . . . and that has made all of the difference.

Thank you, Kevin, for being the man I always dreamed of walking through life with.



   

The things that I hear at my house! . . .

"Hey mom!, I haven't had a clumsy accident in a couple of days ~ like when I was dancing backwards in the kitchen and tripped over the dishwasher, throwing my corn (on the cob) against the wall!"

Handsome boys

These two are utterly silly, but they 'clean up nice'!  Heading out for the school dance (hosted by our enrichment program).  Truth be told, they only went for the food!

Love my Thieves Oil!

I am constantly amazed at the results of studies on Thieves oil!

I stole this from a friend on Facebook.  Here is Katelyn Watson's testimony:

I am in a microbiology class and we had to take two plates home. One SDA plate and one NA plate. We had to open them up for 30 min every other day for four days. Well, this is what is growing on mine! This is in the air that we breathe everyday, we have different types of mold spores, bacteria growing. The mold spores here, found in the air, can trigger allergies and cause upper respiratory infections if they have a food source to grow on. I asked my teacher if I could have two more plates to repeat the experiment. I did the very same thing again except I added five drops of thieves to the plate. I had it in the same area of the house for the exact same amount of time. NO GROWTH! I am so excited to show my teacher this tomorrow. She was very interested if the Thieves would actually kill the fungus and bacteria so it could not grow and reproduce. These oils are 100% pure goodness.

San Francisco ~ short, but sweet

Toes in the sand, time together, long lost friends, Breathtaking.  Beautiful. Short but sweet.  So thankful for a quick surprise escape to San Francisco!


                                      

Early morning assembly line . . . baking gluten free goodies for the pumpkin patch!  (this explains the dreams of being chased by mini loaf pans and giant bags of gluten free flour!)

Our beloved Kenosha Pass

We returned to Kenosha Pass for our (fairly) annual fall camping trip.  Such sweet memories in that place.  We are grateful for quick escapes and somewhat flexible schedules . . . and so much beauty right in our own backyard.