Westwoods

    If you wonder what we do for fun... Wonder no more... We garden... We were all out there till dark the other night pulling weeds.  So far I've put away 4 big bowls of strawberries... Peas are next.  Soon. This is my verse for today... I wish I could explain what it means to me.  I did change the wording a little. Gal 5:6  if you want to know what it really says. God makes all things beautiful in His time.  Who am I that God should do things my way?  He alone is God and I surrender to His way...   Yesterday during another downpour I found each member of the house doing these things...  Toria reading on her bed with the door shut. The guys doing a caveman thing... watching a documentary from the library.   Shaunti reading as well.  She finally is spellbound with a book. She read for an hr solid without me urging her on... I love that my children like to read.  It makes me feel like suc...

Fresh herbs from the garden... Fresh eggs from the chickens... A weekend away with my beloved... Holding periwinkle butterflies in my hand... Hiking along beautiful water... Shaunti's artwork and love letter...   My front porch in which I drink morning cups of coffee and go down my thankful list...

                                                                                                        Our world these days is full of corrupt opinions and definitions of a Christian woman’s place that I shy from making my position known. I want to be careful that I say it truthfully and not be just another voice throwing around more self based opinions. What I know comes from trial and error in my own life, from following other women throughout history, and from biblical...

                                 Happy Mothers Day All,   Instead of a new post this weekend I decided to re share a post I wrote probably four years ago.  It still explains how life happens being a mom.  My kids are older and less dependent on me but the context of motherhood is much the same... In celebration of mothers everywhere...please enjoy your weekend... I wonder who came up with Mothers Day? A thoughtful husband or thankful son. Maybe it was a worn out mom with a bunch of snot nosed kids to feed, diaper, and clothe. The last choice seems the most accurate but I don’t know of course.  I know from experience when I’m in my most mommiest mode; I don’t feel worthy of a day dedicated to the cause. I feel worn out and ugly those days. They are the kind of days I pray that miraculously my children will one day have fond memories of their mom. So, what ma...

We just got the news... Bruce passed his test.  He is now an official EMT! Bruce and I are actually gone to the mountains for two days.  We are staying in this sweet little cabin that has no cell phone service.  We have been having a wonderful time.  Just got back from a very nice dinner out and getting a phone call from Bruce's instructor that said he has been looking at the wrong info for his score. After a quick search we see it...  Anyhow, we are elated to say the least. Out for dinner after the practicals test... A week ago We are all so glad to be back to normal... Whatever that is... Yee Doggies!

For family fun night, Laife & Benj and a couple girls from their class built this killer whale.  It really was very good but my pathetic camera and the school gym are no match... April's 34th birthday... The loot.  Dishes, soap, chocolate etc... I found a roll of wallpaper at the thrift store for .99 cents.  It fit perfectly on this wall in the living room. You can kind of see the texture here but again, my pathetic camera doesn't do it justice.  I love it!  I walk into my living room and feel kinda classy for about a minute. Of course, with birthday parties you have to have chocolate and cake.  Sharon had a birthday too but I didn't get any pictures of that.  Sixteen of us ladies went to Jalepenos in Sandpoint and had a lovely evening making Sharon feel good and forty.  Speaking of chocolate, Sharon recieved a lot of it.  I wonder if her family knows.

Poor Jeremiah. He was called the Wailing Prophet as well [or was that another guy?] He has a whole book called Lamentations, a whole book on lamenting. He was heartbroken because he had a vision for his people that they themselves had given up on or no longer cared. Possibly, they never did care because of ignorance. Must be a little like parenting although, I admit I’ve probably never come half as close to feeling Mr. Jeremiah’s pain. Still, there are situations in life that leave you feeling overwhelmed and you are tempted to give up; like teaching the same thing repeatedly and still being ignored. Or praying for someone that won’t see Jesus as The Way, The Truth and The Light. This is what Jeremiah said one day: I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never ...