The Flood

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
Psalm 29:10

I came across this verse as I was reading through Psalms this week, and thought it was so fitting! We have had a lot of flooding here, in Wisconsin, complete with road closings, destroyed basements and such! If you watch the national news, you know there is flooding in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri as well.

*The sun, just NOW, completely went away, and I hear thunder Again!!*

Well, as sick as we all are of the rain, and especially the flooding!!, it is a good reminder to me that the Lord is enthroned over the flood! He is in control of everything. He sees it all, and cares for His children. Now, I am not saying that we then have the right to be angry when our basement floods, and we lose earthly possessions that are meaningful to us! We do need to remember that He is on His throne, and stay Kingdom-focused.

Well, I have to Run make sure the boys put their toys away in the backyard....see ya!

Friends

I don't know exactly what it is, but lately I've been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to have Friends. Okay, lets all join hands now and sing..."and friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them..." Okay, that is enough singing for now. :)

Seriously, though, I have a great little circle of friends who love me, care about me, help me and most importantly PRAY for and with me! So, here's my little tribute to them....

My best friend here on earth truly is my Handsome Hubby, but I'll fill a whole post about him later, because we just celebrated our 10th Anniversary...but he is so fun to be around. He makes me laugh, even when I'm in a bad mood. And, he makes me want to be more like Christ!

My friend who I've known the longest and love the most is my Mom. She is a pleasure to be around. She is my friend I go to for advice on parenting, marriage, and life (because she's lived through more than my other friends who are mostly my own age!) We just recently went out to Caribou Coffee, and we never run out of things to talk about. I would not be the woman I am today without her. Thanks, Mom!

I have a few friends who are my Call Any Time Friends. You know, the ones I can call when I'm having a really bad day, and I don't have to pretend like everything is okay. They are the ones who told me I needed help when I was feeling really down and dark after Ephraim was born. Maybe I should call them my Life-Savers!! These are the friends I Don't clean my house for before they get here, because I know they don't care (or they'll help me do the dishes!)

I have a group of Dinner Group Friends...this is a really fun, encouraging group of friends, both girlfriends and their husbands. We have been getting together once a month for nearly 8 years now, and I look forward to the food and fellowship every month. Our conversation very often centers around God's word, and how it applies to what we're going through right now. I love them all, and miss them when they (or we) miss a dinner.

Then there's my creative friends...these are my friends I meet with to scrapbook or stamp with often. I always feel more creative being around them, they inspire me to make better scrapbooks & stamp more elaborate cards. While we are creatively working on our projects, we often chat about how our lives are going. It is that connection, sharing in their lives that interests me even more than creating together! I am so looking forward to a weekend away with them in just a few weeks!!

Next, I have a group of friends I've gotten to know through church. We each have 3 or 4 children, all under age 10! Last Fall, our 4 families went camping together, and had a great time (despite freezing!!!). We enjoy time spent together, help each other out when needed. We've drawn closer through girls nights and girls weekends. We've prayed for each other through miscarriages and difficult pregnancies. We give and take advice on parenting and marriage. They each make me want to be more like Christ in different ways...submitting to her husband, so gentle with her children, patience in difficulties, showing love and grace,....and now one of them is moving far, far away! You will be missed!!

Lastly, I have my "Practically Related" Friends...these include the women married to my distant cousins, and my soon-to-be Sister-In-Law. We may not spend large quantities of time together, but I always enjoy time spent with each of them. They are godly women (some of whom I've seen grow into just that!), and I so enjoy seeing God's hand working in their lives as they've become wives and moms.

So, to all of my Friends, I say Hurrah!! and Keep up the Great Work!! Keep pressing on toward the goal...to be more like Christ in every aspect of your life. You are doing a great job as wife and mom. Keep it up! And, you are a wonderful friend! Love you all!!

Storm Damage

It has been storming here a lot lately! Last week it rained off and on all week, but I wasn't expecting any seriously bad storms. With my two youngest children napping, I took the opportunity to take a shower! I had just finished when I heard the tornado sirens, so I quickly turned on the T.V. to see what was happening. The meteorologist was telling us about all the severe thunderstorms, flooding and tornadoes in the area. I had to wake two napping children, and get all four of them to a safe spot in the house. I continued to watch the weather to see if it was necessary to get to the basement. Suddenly the rain just stopped and the sun was shining! How strange!?! I continued to watch to see what would happen...just as suddenly as it had stopped, the rain, wind, thunder & lightning picked up again. The rain and wind was so strong, I could not even see the house just across the street. I could see huge branches blowing off of trees and into the street. Then, there was the loudest burst of wind I've ever heard. I rushed to the basement with my children faster than I knew was possible. After just a few minutes the wind died down, and I heard my doorbell ring. Leaving the kids safely in the basement reading books, I went to my front porch to find 5 of my neighbors there asking if we were okay. I was puzzled by their concern, and told them we were fine. They quickly informed me that the tree in our backyard had fallen on our house.

While all this was happening, my hubby was on his way home from work, praying for the safety of our family. He even specifically prayed that we would be safe if the tree fell. (!!?!!) God is so good to us, and faithful in protecting His children. God truly protected us, as the tree fell in the 10-foot space between our house and our neighbor's house, with minimal damage to our roof and the neighbor's picket fence. After seeing the tree, Dino Dude told us that he could really see how God had protected us, because there was no other way the tree would have fallen there! Thank-You, God that you strengthen the faith of Your children through the storm!!

When the storms of life come, it's easy to focus on the wind, rain and lightning. Just don't miss the opportunity to see God's mighty hand working through the whirlwind!

Stamp N' Stitch

Just a reminder...check out www.stampnstitchshop.com to see my crocheted hats, and my friend's beautiful stamped cards!

Also, check back soon for some *new* crocheted items like Soap Cozies, perfect for putting your bar soap in, and scrubbing away. ;)

And, I will soon have Baby Blankets also!! If you or someone you know is expecting a bundle of joy, you can custom order. They take me about a month to make, so order soon!

One last note...Are you interested in Learning How To Crochet? I have been asked if I would teach, and am considering it. Let me know if that's something you would enjoy. OR, if you already Crochet or Knit, would you enjoy getting together on a regular basis (maybe once a month?) to crochet/knit together?

Updates from a Busy Mom...

Okay, so my friends keep "bugging" me to update my blog. :) I just feel like time is flying by lately. I hear that happens more as you get older (I do turn 30 in a few weeks) and as you have children ( I have 4 of those running around!)

Since I last blogged a lot has happened....our entire family spent 2 and a half weeks in California with my wonderful Mom-in-Law. Even though the reason for our trip was Grandma's funeral, we had a great family vacation and did a lot!
Big Basin, Redwood Forest
Grass Valley (where Grandma lived in a log cabin for the past 30 years)
Empire Mine State Park (where they used to mine gold)
6 hour hike up to the top of Mission Peak (just Daddy and the two older boys)
Ladies Tea at Mom's church
3 day trip to Napa Valley to celebrate 10 years of marriage (just Hubby & I!)

...We finished up school for the year, with the last day being a trip to the Zoo!


So, now we are looking forward to a fun Summer Break! Hubby just switched to "Summer Hours", which means he has to get up at 4:30a.m. to be at work by 6:00!!, but he gets home before 4:00 every day. That leaves a lot of fun family time before bedtime. We have enjoyed some family bike rides; Dino Dude and Karate Chopper both have their own bikes and love to ride, Princess Ladybug got a new "bike" that tows behind Daddy, and Cutie Pie rides on the back of my bike. It is very fun!
We are hoping to do some camping over the Summer, though our weekends are filling up fast!

This Saturday, my baby brother is getting married to a wonderful, fun girl he's been dating for 5 years. I am so looking forward to their wedding, and seeing 2 of my children as Ring Bearer and Flower Girl. :)

Well, this is already longer than I planned...more soon!

Praying God will continue to bless and protect you all.