Lord willing...

I will be starting the nursing program in August along with my close friend, Courtney!  So thankful for God's nearness throughout the past year of college and for His constant assurance that this is His will for me at the present.  Hopefully I can feel the same a year from now!  :)

Alabama

Last week I had the privilage to go on a work team to help rebuild homes destroyed in the tornados last April.  It was a blessing to be able to be a part of God's work in AL, and to build and renew many relationships.  There's just something about going away for a week and giving to others that can renew a spirit.  It was much needed in my life and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity. 

Our theme verse for the week was Psalms 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Our Group for the week.  Hope we didn't add too much spice to it!
Enjoyed getting to meet several new people, especially the older couples!

Saturday night the IL girls (minus Tess) spent the night in Athens...

At the camp Monday morn.  Every monring we had to pack our lunch for the day before breakfast.  Let's just say we never went hungry! (Even those who packed their lunch in the wrong cooler!)

Our first & second day adventure...Sanding drywall by hand!

Once sanding was done and the walls were wiped down we began the process of painting which took the rest of the week. 

I can assure you this was not the reason it took us all week to accoplish the painting! ;)

Funny how the men ate in the shade....

and the women, in the sun!

The destroyed home of the lady who's house I worked on all week.

Took a short hike through the woods to a cliff...the picture doesn't do justice!

Tuesday night we had the privilage to be a part of the dedication ceremony for all of the families whose homes we worked on.  It was a very emotional and enspiring evening.  God was definitely with us!

Sorry for the blurry pict, but I wanted to show you how good we ate...never went hungry thanks to Sparky's excellant wife!

Thursday the flooring crew came in and laid the floor...notice the completely painted walls! 
It was really neat to see the transformation we made inside the house in a few short days.  That's what I call--teamwork!

All us girls (Minus Steph and Rach...)


It's hard to completely capture the week and express it to others fully.  Pictures just don't do justice.  One thing I can say for sure is that it was a blessing for each one of us and a beautiful chance and reminder to let our lights shine for God.  To Him be the Glory and Praise!

Blessings of Aunthood

Blessing: A favor or gift bestowed by God. 
My heart holds a thankfulness for the boundless blessings God has given me through 6 wonderful children.
The blessings never end, but the moments do.
I just wanna bottle them all up inside and remember them forever.
They're so precious. So rewarding.  But so fleeting.

The newest blessing.
A new little one to hold, cherish, love, smooch, and coddle. 
We love her.  Already.
Madeira Eden - You are so precious!

She's adorable.  What more can I say? 
Perfectly made by God.  A blessing that I cannot wait to get to know better!

The next youngest just reached her one year milestone.
Times flies.  That's just it--the moments are so fleeting.
I mus'nt miss them.  I cannot blink.
This feeling was overwhelming me one day so when Miss Lexi was at our house on her birthday I decided to capture a few moments.
The kind that last a lifetime.

 Lexi.  Who's got so much to learn and so many options ahead.  This little blessing has me all wrapped up in knots with her to-die-for smile and addicting cuddliness!  I love you, missy!

 Soma adorable moments with her brother.  (he's a great poser!)

And some not-so-adorable moments with her brother.  He's such a consoling man! Ladies beware!

Piano time!  She's gonna be just like her daddy!

 Quite the composers! :)

 I hope they can keep this brother-sister relationship up forever!

Number 1!  But still very hugable!

 We had this little man (actually big brother now) while his mommy was in the hospital.
To say he's a stinker isn't even close!  Oh...he is so much fun!  I love you soo much Riv!  God has blessed me with you: an incomparable, expressionate, stinkin' adorable little toddler that never fails to make me smile!

 This was him, constantly throwing the ball at me while histarically laughing, as I was trying to do my morning devotion.  It was one of those times that you just decide to wait for a quiet time later on to finish!

The rest of the kiddos...what they don't find to play with!  Toys are becoming quite expensive now-a-days!

 Levi.  The sincere, practicle, kind-hearted, and sometimes hard-to-understand little man.  Your life is such a blessing to me.  I love you very much.

 It's always best to share!  One of life's most important lessons.

 Luke.  You are quite the little man.  Following in your sisters footsteps with that imagination.  A blessing (sometimes in disguise) to everyone!  I love ya, lil' pirate!

Lydia.  The big sis and sometimes mother.  The imaginer who you will oftentimes find off wandering and dancing in her own little world.  The oldest blessing, whom I love dearly.

So many blessings.  So little time of reflection and thankfulness on my part. 
I thank God for these dear 6 kiddos who have changed my life forever!
I pray each one can grow up loving Christ, willing to give their ALL for Him.  To choose LIFE.
Blessings!

God's Grace

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New
England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying
a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were
raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak....

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming
toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were
three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered.
"I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight.
I'm gonna have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll
take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain
old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He
placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor
picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where
there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened
the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out,
setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the
pastor began to tell this story:

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just
come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes,
sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap,
used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to
marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to
drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and
bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you are done with them" Jesus asked?

"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take
them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and
kill you. You don't want those people!!"

"How much? He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.

Negative turned positive

A staunch look, and a passing comment,
a whispered word, with disaproved tone.
A piece of gossip, so willfully spread,
without a glance at the heart instead.
All eyes are focused on one, not themselves,
where it's easy to see the cracks and the shells.
It's the negative that's become the topic of the lips,
the focus on others, that's caused our hearts to slip.

But what if the mirror is turned to the face of our own.
What is the view?  A heart full of love or a face full of stone?
It's time to let the Master take hold.
Let's give Him our hearts, and He'll willingly mold.
Let the negative turn positive, the focus, to us.
If we look in the hearts, we'll find more than a crust.
Give a little here, and smile a little there,
soon we'll have a life with love everyhwere!


J.Leman

What if...

when I woke up this morning, I had only things that I thanked God for last night?