Friday, June 26, 2009

Tea with you!

Hello my blogging friends!
So much has been going on lately! Between packing, moving, settling, cleaning, graduations, the Basic Seminar, soccer, volleyball, CHEF conference, Father's Day, life still goes on. (It has to fit in there somewhere, right?!) Yes, all of the above has been our lives for the past month. It's definitely been a whirlwind, but we know that things will eventually slow down....a little bit.

So, I'm just going to have "tea with you" to give you a small run-down of the things which have occurred in our lives.

As all of you are aware, my family recently moved into a new rental house located on some acreage out in the country (yet close to city life!). We have really noticed a lot of wildlife around us. So far, we've seen snakes, deer (they like to greet us sometimes when we get home), foxes, a coyote, a resident cat, a Crane, an assortment of strange insects, and turkeys. In short--country! We've also had the...ah-hem...*pleasure* of discovering lots of poison ivy around here. I believe Thatch is the only one to have really experienced the excitement of some of those red dots. Within this next week, we are going to try to buckle down and get some more things accomplished around here. For instance: pictures hung on the wall, more boxes unpacked, finding a place for all that misceallaneous stuff, along with some outside work like killing those pesky weeds.

Between packing, moving and settling in, we have also been trying to move the rest of our belongings from our other home and preparing it for the new tenants. This, of course, includes: cleaning, minor repairs, mulching and carpet cleaning. And, to my mom's great delight...we can finally say, "WE'RE FINISHED!!"

I also mentioned that we attended the Basic Seminar. If any of you are unfamiliar with Dr. Bill Gothard or IBLP (Institue in Basic Life Principles), you may visit their website via the provided link. My siblings and I, my brother & sister-in-law, along with several friends attended the Seminar locally. It was great! I have attended two other Basic Seminar's during the course of my life, but neither one of them made the impression that this one did. First, when you're 12 years old, you really haven't lived much life. Secondly, the last time I attended, it just didn't sink in. Now, I actually came away excited about some things. I enjoyed learning some "new things", and I hope that I will strive to apply all that I was able to hear.

Between graduations & receptions, volleyball & soccer, we recently traveled over to the CHEF home school conference in St. Louis, Missouri. We make it an annual trip. The list of speakers for this year's conference included: Doug Phillips, Norm Wakefield and Voddie Baucham. Strangely, I never attended any of Mr. Baucham's sessions. However, I did have the privilege of hearing him speak last year, so I know he was good--even without going to his sessions this year!

Well, thanks for reading! Until next time, adieu!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Some pictures from our move!

Okay, I'm finally posting some pictures! Here are some from our recent move. We had perfect weather and wonderful workers! Thank you all!

Boxes, boxes, boxes!
Loading up
Dad & Thatch
Ab & Dad
Me & Erin
Dr. G.
Mrs. G.
Paul
Nathaniel
Jack
Mary~Kate
David...and little friend *smile*
Jesse with quite the catch! *wink*
Tan-Man
Lunch break!
Stephen...fun times
Yes....ALL of that is ours!!
Miss Molly
Ab enjoying her refreshing drink
We tried our best to keep a secret....but looks like it's out now! *smile*
After a long day's work

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Why Dost Thou Worry Thyself?




"This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing"

Isaiah 28:12

Why dost thou worry thyself? What use can thy fretting serve? Thou art on board a vessel which thou couldst not steer even if the great Captain put thee at the helm, of which thou couldst not so much as reef a sail, yet thou worriest as if thou wert captain and helmsman. Oh, be quiet; God is Master!

Dost thou think that all this din and hurly-burly that is abroad betokens that God has left His throne?

No, man, His coursers rush furiously on, and His chariot is the storm; but there is a bit between their jaws, and He holds the reins, and guides them as He wills! Jehovah is Master yet; believe it; peace be unto thee! be not afraid. --C. H. Spurgeon

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
The storms are raging on God's deep--
God's deep, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's hands shall still the tempter's sweep--
God's hands, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's love is strong while night hours creep--
God's love, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's heaven will comfort those who weep--
God's heaven, not thine; be still and sleep."

I entreat you, give no place to despondency. This is a dangerous temptation--a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary. Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace. It magnifies and gives a false coloring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear. God's designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise. --Madame Guyon

~Streams in the Desert~