Blessed Sunday all!

Wilma, enjoy your getaway to the cottage!

Bev - nice post! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Hi to everyone else!

Church was good today, we had a guest pastor that is a prison chaplain. He had an excellent message on prayer.

The block party went well yesterday. I probably ate too many peanut butter double chocolate brownie bites

I didn't get as much done around the house since I spent 3 hours baking. So, I'm afraid part of my sabbath will be spent finishing laundry and chores.

The weather is very cold and rainy, so no gardening or firepit gathering today

I hope everyone has a blessed, POP day!

Laurie

Hi All!

It has been a great day! Went to church this morning. It was Faith Promise Sunday today and we had a couple from our church that are leaving to go to Haiti as missionaries speak. Everytime I hear a missionary speak it makes me want to go. I feel my missionary field has been doing foster care. As many of you know we have 3 brothers that came to us through foster care and now we haver guardianship of them. We now have the 3 boys and 1 foster child with us; also a boy. Doing foster care is hard work, but it is also a blessing.

Last week was not a good week as far as exercise goes, but this is a new week and I plan on getting out and walk 5 days. I walked this evening, so that is day 1!!!

This week my DH starts working 2nd shift. I am very thankful he has a job, but I'm struggling with him not being home at night and only seeing him about an hour a day. I know the Lord will help me.

Have a great week everyone!

Kathy

Hi Gals ~

All is well but I am so busy right now with work and the kid's house, which is just about done.

I will return!...soon....I am reading and prayers continue.

HI EVERYONE ~ just had a restful day at home myself as I caught some stomach bug or something; DH says that he thinks he picked it up at a neighbours home (there whole family had it a while back). Hopefully, it won't last too long and we be 100% by tomorrow ...

DH went up to the lot early this morning, and put in the last of the cross-blocks for the floor braces; something he wanted to get done a long time ago, and he was so happy that it is now all ready to start the floor. With each step we are seeing progress and that gives us encouragement along the way.

HI GARY ~ don't work too hard now; be sure to get some rest this weekend too!

KATHY ~ wow, you have your hands full with 4 boys; my youngest sister and her DH do foster care as well. Prayers that GOD will be by your side while your DH is working evening shifts. I know that can be hard at times. Do they cycle the shifts where he works? Lots of men here switch shifts each week: days, evenings, and nights; it takes some adjustment for everyone in the family.

HI LAURIE ~ glad your block party went well, and you are so active that I'm sure you have burned off those mini-brownie bites already ... did you fill them full of prunes and bran to make them healthier??? I would have ... hehe

WILMA ~ hope you and your DH have a nice time at the cottage. Is that the same one you gave us a picture of (I still have that picture on my pc), or is this one somewhere else? Congrats on the wedding anniversary; DH and I will be celebrating our 20th on June 14th.

BARGOO ~ speaking of encouragement -- thanks to you for always giving us a positive word and helping to keep our focus on the fact that we have an awesome LORD, who cares about our day!

BOOTSIE ~ hope you had a blessed weekend!

BEV ~ prayers going up that the LORD will bind all bad memories from your past, so that you can keep your mind focused on all the wonderful things He has planned for your future ...

HI AGGIE ~ prayers going up that your legs will be healed and your health gets better each and every day!

HI TO ALL OUR OTHER CE's and all our MIA's too ~ hope you all have a WONDERFUL WEEK!!! ROSEBUD ^^PRAYERS^^ continue for you and yours ...

Kathy, sorry that you will be seeing less of DH - good job an starting your walking again! Post here daily with your progress as an accountability thread

Gary - you are a good dad to help out so much with the new house!

Rosebud - hope you are feeling better soon. I did cut the oil in the brownies, but not much other doctoring. I'm glad they are gone!

A good Monday here - very busy getting ready for the school board meeting, getting report cards out for students, and getting year end reports done.

I did start walking to work again, now that the students are out and I won't need to drive to all the schools. I love being able to get in two miles every day

We have a "guest" child for the next few days. DS2's BF (best friend) is staying with us while his grandma has displaced him at his house. Should make for an interesting few days. So far, I haven't seen much of him - the guys are "gaming" upstairs.

Well, DH is making dinner and it is almost done - I better go see if I can help.

Prayers ascending for all!

Laurie

rosebud - thanks for that prayer!

Hi, Guys! Amazing day here. VBS at church and we had 99 kids today ! That's just unbelievable for the 1st day and we expect that the attendance #'s will grow through the week. This is the first time I've gotten to work VBS and I get to work in kitchen helping the kids prepare snacks-they all have a theme and it's really fun watching them put them together. Each age group gets to prepare the snacks for everyone on one day of the week, so they get to learn to serve each other and that no one is too young to work for God.

Last week, I really stepped outside my norm and ended up painting posters for this week. Apparently, I didn't do too bad a job, as several leaders have asked if I'm a professional painter. I really enjoyed it, so might try exploring this a little more. I'd love to have a hobby that could potentially turn into a profession.

Don't have much time as I'm exhausted and need to finish laundry, too, but I have read all the posts and lifted up all the needs mentioned. Hope you all have a really nice Tuesday! God bless!

HI GALS ~

Angie has BUNKO tonight...her last one of the school year, although they do get together during the summer but sometimes that is during the day. I just threw some burritos together for dinner. No OT tonight but I will be doing some tomorrow unless something changes between now and then. Getting too old for OT! But so thankful to have a job in this economy.

We had our annual congregational meeting at church yesterday. Things must really be hitting us financially there too as Pastor thanked the congregation for being so generous in giving for the new building but also reminded us that it is to be above our general fund giving. It was just a brief statement, pretty much just as I posted, but we got the message because money is rarely brought up at church meetings and services (although we do discuss it at our board of directors meetings). I have also noticed our family assistance pantry is always low when I place can goods there on Sunday, in the past the cupboards were always full....I have tried to remember to take something each week and make an effort to shop for those non-perishable items that are requested.

We got to tour the new building yesterday and although I see buildings like that everyday of my life at work, it is exciting to see something (the gym) coming out of the ground that I have been giving to for over 25 years! It is so exciting and the music room has such a great view I think Angie's bell choir will have no problem getting volunteers! As we were walking through the Principal of the school told everyone that the big classroom will be for Angie's yoga...maybe ALL hers if we don't get some more enrollments for next year....the school is feeling the effects of the economy too.

Enough doom and gloom! As Pastor always says...God is in control! He will not leave us.

RONNI ~Your VBS starts much earlier than ours. Poster painting...cool!

BEV ~ good to see you

SCOOTER ~ Enjoy the extra kid...had 3 extras here this week-end but Angie did most the work...I just paid

ROSEBUD ~I hope you feel better, the flu bug has missed me but hit my sister, bil, nieces and nephews.

WILMA ~Hope you have fun at the lake!

KATHY ~My foster child (also my nephew) called me on his way from Great Lakes Il. to Minnesota to see his girlfriend to tell me he was stopped by the cops again...aarrghhh...seems like he and his other NAVY buddies get stopped every single time they travel...I worry so much still about him!

AGGIE ~ TAMMY ~ BARGOO ~ BOOTSIE ~ SHANNON ~ COURTNEY ~ KAREN ~ LAUREN ~ SUE and ALL

Hi Everybody!

Not much time to post. I just wanted to say hi.

It's VBS at our church this week too. Ronni, glad to hear you are having a great turn out. Our numbers are way down this year. We are having it a lot earlier in the summer than we usually do. My husband had e-mailed the newspaper to put an ad in and the lady even e-mailed back and said she got the stuff and would take care of it. Come to find out SHE NEVER RAN THE AD! We don't get the paper, but someone came and told us. Dh called her and she said, "oh, I just dropped the ball, sorry." I really can't believe she did that! Plus we usually take our bus around and pick up kids, but due to strict rules about who can drive the bus we were unable to find someone to run the route. So, not the greatest turn out, but I'm praying that God will bring whoever HE intends to be there and that lives are touched!

Our First Place group started out great. Everyone seems very excited about getting healthy.

I have managed to wrench my foot somehow and am having some problems walking. Very frustrating, right when I was getting into a routine with my walking.

Well, I better get back to work. Hugs to everyone! Hope to be back on soon to spend some more time catching up with everyone! God Bless!

~Tammy~

Ronni - AWESOME start to VBS. Cool, about the painting too!

Gary, Yeah - we had a church finance meeting last night, and administrative council tonight. Michigan is a lot like CA - the economy is really affecting giving.

Tammy - prayers ascending for your VBS AND your foot!

Another busy day here - worked a 10 hour day, and then a 45 minute workout afterward. Just enough time to say hi, get some dinner and head to church to train someone on using the multi-media equipment. Then on to an administrative council meeting.
Maybe even some wii sports during the hockey game tonight - GO WINGS!


Prayers continuing for all!

Laurie

Gary - Dennis got your letter about 3 weeks ago...he finally told me tonight. he seemed to be happy to have gotten it. if he had stamps and envelopes he would write you back. i have to give him more money for that.

HI EVERYONE ~ it was overcast today, but not one drop of fell all day long, so we were able to go do a bit of shopping early this week. I was able to get in some walking today, although I always pay for it later with sore feet. Managed to get some laundry done today too.

It is supposed to be a mix of sun and cloud tomorrow; hopefully the rain will miss us, as DH will be helping out the contractor to get that ramp put up at my Dad's cottage, so I can get in and out without hurting my knees and always feeling like I am going to fall.

THANKS GARY ~ I am feeling much better today; glad it wasn't a long one ... maybe when the ST's see that your DN is in the Navy, they won't be too hard on him. Hope he wasn't speeding on his way to see his new GF ...

HI RONNI ~ Like I said in that other thread, I think that's terrific that you have discovered a hidden artistic talent while doing those posters. Who knows -- maybe a part-time business doing signs and decals, plus posters and murals, could be in store for you sometime in the near future!

Prayers continue for your FIL and your DH, and all his family (and you) too, during this difficult time ...

THANKS, LAURIE ~ oh, I doctor everything, esp if it's baked, like muffins. I don't bake too many things anymore, but if I do -- I definitely make it as healthy as I can. I use whole grain flour; lower the fat and sugar; and add fruit of some kind to replace them; plus I must add natural bran for fiber, and I've not had one complaint yet.

Today, I tried some low-fat yogurt ice cream for the first time; boy, has that come a long way. 1/2 cup has on 2 grams of fat and 90 calories; I was pleasantly surprised, so DH and I will be buying that instead for the summer. I still like my popsicles though as they are only 60-90 calories with no fat.

DH went and picked up my CRAB APPLE TREE today; we got a really good deal -- it was less than I had expected $52.00 + taxes = $58.25 total. It is really tall; I'd say at least 12 feet, so that is a really good start, I'd say. The pot was quite dry, so we put it in larger big, round plastic bin (they call them apple bins here) and gave it some food and lots of water with the hose (in the bin too, so it can drink some up itself).

HOPE all our CE friends have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY tomorrow -- and HI to all our MIA's out there too! Take good care folks ... ROSEBUD

Rosebud - do post a picture of your tree when you get it planted! That is a BIG tree - what a bargain!

Hi Bev - hope you are doing well today!

Same goes for all of our other encouragers! Hope you had a blessed Wednesday!

Another 10 hour day today - but DH took me out for lunch, so that made it seem much shorter

And - I did get in shape boxing and yoga workouts today! It is so strange that for almost 50 years I hated exercise - and now, I hate to miss it!

God works in mysterious and wonderful ways!

The weather is FINALLY warmer (in the 60s) so I think we will enjoy a beverage around the fire tonight.

Blessings to all!
Prayers ascending!

Laurie

HI EVERYONE ~ well, DH and the contractor managed to get started on the ramp just after lunch and were finished by 3:30 pm. The contractor also secured the deck to the house better as he noticed that it wasn't fastened correctly. A few small things need to be done which DH can do by himself like put on the sealer and paint. This fellow gave us a very good price as well. They said the ramp is very secure and DH says it even helps him with his bad knee as well. I knew that everyone would benefit from this ramp being put in ...

NIKO and I just stayed home today; and I got caught up on some light housechores, and did some research on the net about trees and some other things of interest. DH was so happy that he got such a good deal on that tree that he wants to go back and see if there is another one that I might like. I had been saving up TOONIES over the winter to buy this tree and thought it would cost much more than that. I would really like to find a tree with pink blossoms and I think I saw one when we went by there the other day. DH said they had many different ones to choose from; so it would be worth it to go have a looksee!

It is supposed to get hotter as the week progresses, so DH is out in the shed chasing down our Air Conditioner which is no easy feat, I must say. First he has to unload our generator, put some stuff in the trailer, then go after the A/C on a shelf at the very back of the shed. Oh yah, someone thought it would be a good idea to put it at the very back. Guess DH will be sleeping very well tonight!

LAURIE ~ Yes, I will take a picture of it -- and I did some research on the net about it today. It is called a DOLGA CRABAPPLE TREE, and normally a tree 10' or taller goes for $120.00 or more, so we really did get a bargain. Plus the Dolga is a self-pollinating pollinator which means it reproduces by itself and can pollinate any fruit trees within a 100' foot range (like other apple trees). This tree grows to about 20+ feet and has pretty deep pink buds that lighten and turn to white when they fully bloom.

The apples are one of the sweetest available and can be picked right off the tree and eaten; and they ripen earlier than other trees (in August). The apples are the size of small plums (larger than normal) and become a bright red and even turn dark burgundy purple as they ripen. The leaves turn to yellow in the fall. My info says that becuz our tree is so tall already that it could blossom and fruit this year if we get it planted soon.

Hope all our CE's and MIA's are having a good week ... ROSEBUD


Here's some pics of what the tree is supposed to look like full grown; plus the apples, and the pretty blossoms that some say when a wind blows by, it looks like snow is falling ...


dolgo-crab001.jpg Dolgo Crabapple Tree.jpg Dolgo Crabapple Blossoms.jpg

Hi darlin's,

I have been out of town for grand daughter's graduation, so glad I pushed myself to go, it was really nice. And the eight hour round trip did not kill, God is Good!!!

Sorry I have not been around too much, so much stress in my life right now and I did not want to dump it here on you guys, but I am in desperarte need of prayer.. My two youngest daughters are driving me crazy, really crazy, and causing so much confusion in the house and in my life, tention between Hubby and I. THis has got to cease, I am not at peace in my own home and
I do not like this. Too much disrespect, I did not bring them up this way. I am eating and gaining weight I had lost, I feel like I am beating my head against a brick wall but I am not giving up. Daddy (DH) use to be such a discplinarian, I don't know what has happened. I will continue to pray and please pray for me as well.

Sorry I did not mean to do this, but just got overwhelemed.

Love to all, and have a peaceful and blessed evening.

Aggie