God's beauty is in full bloom

I was busy yesterday taking pictures in our yard. The flowers are so colorful with rich hues--I just had to smile. I hope that all of you stop to smell the flowers-for God has created them for us to enjoy. Summer is quickly passing us by and soon the children will be back at school...hmmm...will I miss them or do a "yeah me"? I love the summertime for it is a time to kick back. We have been relaxing on our back porch with family and friends. We love to eat outside--especially when it is raining. The sound of rain makes you be mellow. We even ate outside during a thunderstorm which is pretty cool! What a canvas the Lord has created when it comes to summer--flowers in all colors, bugs, birds. Well I hope that everyone is getting out and about this summer whether digging in the dirt or just grabing a good book to read while lounging on the porch swing (with a big glass of koolaide--grape flavor of course and some cookies too) Kick back and enjoy the rest of summer--for it is passing us by and we will blink ;) and fall will appear. We went back to school shopping with my mother-in-law the other day. Had loads of fun and shopped till we dropped. We hit the Salvation Army store (local thrift shop) and the girls and I were in pure heaven! We love this store--you never know what treasures we will find. Besides clothing I also found frames,(for the many pictures and art projects to be framed) flower pots, and some other odds and ends. Of course I have to take Kevin for jeans but maybe not till January--yes our son is one of those knuckleheads that wear shorts all year long--we pick our battles. Well enjoy the rest of summer and take time to listen to the sound of rain or take in the beauty of the flowers.

flickr obsession...one of many

Okay I admit it...I have an obession (one of many of course)--I am truely addicted to flickr.com-- There I said it. I love to just surf the many beautiful pictures that talented photographers take. I thought this one is great for thinking spring--just stunning. The colors are just simply breath taking. I actually printed this one out--yes on my new printer--and going to frame it in my studio room. Looking at this just makes me happy. There are so many things in life to be happy about: just being able to get out of bed in the morning, brushing our teeth, and having many clothes to choose from to wear. Check out lifewithoutlimbs.org. Sometimes we "complain" about things--that frankly--we should just be glad that we have in our lives. We have good health most of the time, food to eat, roof over our heads, etc... Take time to reflect on the little things that we have in our lives even if they are the simplest thing such as a toothbrush and toothpaste. I am thankful for my Godly husband, Craig, and my 3 children (even though sometimes they drive me NUTS to the point of insanity) but they are all healthy and can run and jump around. I was emailing a recent new friend (a fellow believer in Christ) and she was telling me that their son got dianoised with MS at age 29 years old. I wish I knew what the Lord has in His great plans for this young man...I know that it is probably frustrating to him, his mom and dad having to adjust to MS. Please take a moment to remember him in your prayers--yeah that is the cool thing about praying--we can pray for people that we don't even know--but Jesus knows him by name and is with him. We live in a world that has many bad things right now: wars, death, diseases, and so many more that are too many to mention. Like I said take time to reflect about all the good things that are happening to you and your family and give a big thanks to the Lord.

Chase away winter blues...

Flowers of Winter Mosaic, originally uploaded by aravis121.

I was surfing flickr.com and came across this winter flower mosaic...it makes winter blues fade away. They are such simple photos but make an impact on how I am feeling...I am really praying hard for spring to arrive shortly. I repotted all my plants inside today and got that "bug" of having my hands in the soil. I really can't wait for getting out in my gardens--vegetable and flowers. I am one that actually has a garden journel--yes I record by sketching out my gardens and that way I remember year from year what I planted. This way I can plan where I am going to put plants (yes I know I am one of those crazy people that is always moving things around.) I finally found the perfect spot for our vegetable garden--and I will not be moving it ever again. The plants did really well last year and had lots of sunshine. For a small space we really got alot in it. Craig (my favorite guy!!) says that we can even put more in that space--so look out veggie garden!! This year will be bountiful. We are going to plant more cucumbers though this year--ran out last year--gave too many away. I also can not wait for our black raspberries! This year we should have a bumper crop of them. Well think spring!

Hannah's Gymnastics Meet

Hannah did well at her meet this past Sunday. She came in 1st place for vault, 2nd place for bars, 3rd place for floor and 4th place for beam. She also placed 2nd place for all-around. We are so proud of her. She still needs to qualify for Nationals this year...she is so close. Hannah needs to have a all-around score of 33 to be able to go to Nationals--her score this meet was 32.30! So close. It would be great if you could remember her in your prayers. She is working hard and pushing herself. Here is a collage that we put together...we hope that you enjoy. On a serious note--please pray for my mom for on 2/19/09 she is scheduled for surgery to see if she has cancer --she has been blessed by God not to have colon cancer and now she is being checked out in other areas. I know that alot of people are praying and that it is in the Lord's hands. I love you MOM!! Poor Kevin got his braces on today...mouth will hurt for a couple of days. He looks cute--but then I am his mom...he takes after his dad--yeah I tend to think that my husband is handsome...I know, I know--I am such a sap when it comes to good-looking men....but just my men! I can't believe that Kevin is already in 7th grade and half way thru middle school--boy time sure does fly. He did well at the indoor soccer tounament this past Monday...however I did not take any pics because they never get in the dome. But the boys played well. Sarah Jane just went for the ride in the van the whole weekend to watch big brother and big sister....but never fear people--soccer season for little people is starting in spring. I myself cannot wait! Pretty tired of this cold cold weather...but I still love winter...simply waiting for the season to change. I can not wait to dig into the soil with the vegetable and flower gardens. Well going to retire with my 23rd book of the year. Last year I beat my record by 1--I read 351 books last year starting January 1st until December 31st. I must read 352 books this year. Happy reading everyone!