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Friday, April 29, 2016

Summer never comes...

Or Wisconsin, haha. Yesterday it was snowing, sleeting, raining.blowing, and in the 30s. I wore a coat and boots to my appointment. Crazy, it is almost May. When I posted about the weather on fb folks thought I was joking.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Mercy

Some encouragement from my old blog that I ran across this morning.

Pilgrim's Progress, 1809
"...then Interpreter asked Mercy what it was that at first did move her thus to betake herself to a pilgrim’s life. 
Mercy blushed and trembled, and for a while continued silent.

 Then said he, "Be not afraid; only believe, and speak thy mind.'

 So she began, and said, "Truly, sir, my want of experience is that which makes me covet to be in silence, and that also that fills me with fears of coming short at last. I cannot tell of visions and dreams, as my friend Christiana can; nor know I what it is to mourn for my refusing the counsel of those that were good relations."

Interpreter: "What was it, then, dear heart, that hath prevailed with thee to do as thou hast done?"

Mercy: "Why, when our friend here [Christiana] was packing up to be gone from our town, I and another went accidentally to see her. So we knocked at the door and went in. When we were within, and seeing what she was doing, we asked her what was her meaning. She said she was sent for to go to her husband; and then she up and told us how she had seen him in a dream, dwelling in a curious place, among immortals, wearing a crown, playing upon a harp, eating and drinking at his Prince’s table, and singing praises to him for bringing him thither. Now, while she was telling these things unto us....

my heart burned within me. And I said in my heart, If this be true, I will leave my father and my mother, and the land of my nativity....

and will, if I may, go along with Christiana. So I asked her further of the truth of these things, and if she would let me go with her; But yet I came away with a heavy heart; not for that I was unwilling to come away, but for that so many of my relations were left behind. And I am come with all the desire of my heart, and will go, if I may, with Christiana unto her husband and his King.

Interpreter: "Thy setting out is good, for thou hast given credit to the truth; thou art a Ruth, who did, for the love she bare to Naomi and to the Lord her God, leave father and mother, and the land of her nativity, to come out and go with a people she knew not heretofore.The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Ruth 2:11,12."

Now supper was ended, and preparation was made for bed; the women were laid singly alone, and the boys by themselves. Now when Mercy was in bed, she could not sleep for joy, for that now her doubts of missing at last were removed further from her than ever they were before. So she lay blessing and praising God, who had such favor for her."

From Pilgrim's Progress (Part 2 Christina's Journey)

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"And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how."
  Mark 4:26-27 

"The good seed of the gospel sown in the world, and sown in the heart, doth by degrees produce wonderful effects, but without noise It willcome up; though it seem lost and buried under the clods, it will find or make its way through them. The seed cast into the ground will spring.Let but the word of Christ have the place it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself, as the wisdom from above doth in a good conversation.The husbandman cannot describe how it comes up; it is one of the mysteries of nature; It springs and grows up, he knows not how, . He sees it has grown, but he cannot tell in what manner it grew, or what was the cause and method of its growth. Thus we know not how the Spirit by the word makes a change in the heart, any more than we can account for the blowing of the wind, which we hear the sound of, but cannot tell whence it comes, or whither it goes."
Matthew Henry

Friday, April 22, 2016

Caroline said

"Daddy, can I watch a little George? It's on BBS Kicks."
Translation, "Daddy, may I watch Curious George? It's on the PBS Kids app."

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Bits of encouragement gathered up on facebook and saved here to remember.





"There may be real submission to the will of God where we can't help wishing things were otherwise. God does not ask to feel that everything is for the best, but He does ask us to believe it."

Andrew Bonar


Our sermon recently today reminded me of this quote. 

"This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness."
Elisabeth Elliott


"The longer I live the more conscious I am of human frailty, and of the constant, overwhelming need we all have of God’s grace." ~ Elizabeth Prentiss



"Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away. Those who have a good hope, through grace, in God, and of heaven, are certainlysafe,how difficult soever the times are through which they pass in this world. He that walks uprightly may thus walk surely, because, though there are trouble and danger, yet there is hope that all will be well at last. Hope is an anchor of the soul."



"My witness is in heaven. Note, It is an unspeakable comfort to a good man, when he lies under the censure of his brethren, that there is a God in heaven who knows his integrity and will clear it up sooner or later."

Matthew Henry

Picnic at the park

Yesterday we had a fun family outing with "pizza in a box" picnic at the park, and then going to see the sturgeon spawning. The kids had a lot of fun, and it was a beautiful spring day out! Here is my unflattering dinner selfie, lol.

Monday, April 18, 2016

17 months old

So I looked at the calendar this morning and was a little shocked to realize Luke is 17 months old today. Somehow I lost track of time and thought we were in the beginning of April still, haha. Mom brain. Anyways there is not a whole lot to update this month that I can think of. We weighed Dukie at Caroline's three year old check up and he was 25 pounds. I'll get official weight and height next month at his own check up. And hopefully can do a nice photo shoot if he can cooperate :-). We are still on the two nap schedule, but I know he really is ready to drop the morning nap. I'm just hanging onto as long as I can. Still nursing twice a day, sleeping through the night just great. He loves going outside and is also starting to say a lot more words, though still no sentences. Favorites now are playing outside, especially in the sand box, broom brooms (cars and trucks, any kind of vehicle), the neighbor's dog that he calls "cow," and quack, quacks.


Landscaping project part 1

This weekend John was finally able to start on landscaping around the addition.
He rented this cool tractor.
Duke got to take a ride.
Watching Daddy work.
Watching with his own tractor.
Ripping out the sidewalk.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Our four year engagement anniversary!

"The very heart of reverence is extreme appreciation and profound thankfulness that this man, just as he is, has chosen to love me, just as I am."
 ~ Elisabeth Elliot

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Worth sharing again....

I love seeing my facebook memories every day!


"Here is my counsel; as your day so shall your strength be. One day at a time you live before the face of God, in His grace with the gospel under your feet and the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at your right hand."

Human frailty

"The longer I live the more conscious I am of human frailty, and of the constant, overwhelming need we all have of God’s grace."
~ Elizabeth Prentiss
This is so very true. Very much of myself, but also it's easy when you are younger to put people on a "pedestal." Then you get older and you find out for yourself that they are sinners in need of God's grace just as much as you. And it hurts a little, or a lot, when you are let down by people. But it also is a comfort to be reminded that the Lord will never leave us or let us down.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Caroline's third birthday

Birthday kiss.
Birthday girl!
Sometimes birthday girls get brownies for breakfast.
A birthday picnic on the princess blanket Grandma made for Caroline. Notice Baby has a bottle of beer with her lunch.
A birthday picnic on the princess blanket Grandma made for Caroline.
Birthday balloons.
Dinner, homemade bread with salami and cheese.
Salami subs, crackers and cheese, and chips for the birthday girl's dinner. Everyone else approved too!
Black forest cheesecake.
She got the cherries, chocolate, and "cream cream" she asked for!
Waiting to open presents (and hiding from the camera).
Caroline and Grandpa coloring while we cleaned up dinner.
Caroline has been asking for a soccer ball for months!
We also got Caroline a tea set, something else she had asked for. It was a huge hit
Dress up stuff from Grandma!
She made Grandpa some tea.
Duke liked the tea set too.
The teddy bears Grandpa brought got dressed up, "I like playing dress up, Mama!"