Monday August 3rd Fast

Would you join me/us?
The Fast: Monday, August 3rd
Fast: Breakfast or Lunch or Dinner or All Three or maybe if your not ready skip having chocolate or coffee for the day.

Here are 3 great resources on Fasting and how to prepare and some scripture about Fasting.

Linny's Blog on Fasting

http://www.ccci.org/growth/growing-closer-to-god/how-to-fast/index.aspx

http://bible.org/seriespage/appendix-2-fasting-scripture

I fasted for the first time last week on Monday July27th and it was the most amazing expereince. There was such a peace and connection with God.

There is another group of us doing it again this Monday August 3rd.
I will be praying for Stellan , Kate, Marie's and other sick children out there who need healing and whose parents need comfort. Also I will be praying for our govt, the economy and for LIFE .

Will you consider Joining me? Inviting others?

Mid Summer Giveaway from Atlantic BeachLife

http://www.atlanticbeachlife.com/2009/07/my-midsummer-giveaway.html

3 Chances:
Visit Atlantic Beach Life- Comment and follow (only if serious on following)


You can jump over to Nicholas Landon Jewelry and read all about the Cape Cod Pearl and Leather bracelet and check out her other creations while you’re at it. Give her some comment love, and come on back here and tell me so (on this post, remember!) and you’ve got yourself another chance.

Write about the sites on your blog.

Winner announced tomorrow- I know i am late in the game just found out about it.

Beautiful work - I love the jewlery

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well sorta. I wish we had cooler temperatures outside. Yesterday when driving home from work it was 111 degrees. Yes 3 digits. Thankfully in our house we have 2 small window AC units which kept our house about 85 degrees. But still trying to sleep in that with no real breeze and its just muggy. It's sticky, wet, humid heat so all you want to do is remove your clothing because its soaked- shower and then maybe put clothes back on.

The poor dogs they wanted to go outside and run and play but then would get out there and come right back to the door and sit and pant. Then come in and lay in front of the fan. They would look at us like "you're crazy, i'm not moving and don't think about touching my fan"

Hopefully we will see cooler temps today. I think we are all becoming super creative during this heat wave. I have seen pictures of frozen water bottles in front of a fan. I have heard folks freezing wet towels and hanging in front of a fan. buckets or bowls of ice in front of the fan. Anything to create a cool breeze. Hey when your desperate you get creative right. Antyhing to surivie. But then I think do we know anything about true survival. Folks in other countries deal with things like this every day without electricity, fans, ice and sometimes no water. I know we are uncomfortable and we don't like being hot but at least we have homes to go to, cars to drive, clothes to wear and food to eat. Loving arms to come home to , a rocking chair to sit and hold a healthy baby as he goes to sleep. Some are not as forunate as us. So today for them I will not whine, I will not complain I will simply think of them and pray for them and lift them up to our Father in Heaven and ask him to be with them today. To pour the rain down on them. To give them a breeze of freshness and life.

So today I dream of Christmas- becasue Christ came not becasue it's snowy and cold.

through a child's eyes

Yesterday I started following McKMama's blog ....http://www.mycharmingkids.net/
What an incredible story, such faith and trust in our Father. The picture she posted last night just undid me. I just sat there staring into Stellan's eyes. I saw so much in his little eyes- Our Father- the veil being lifted, the peace, the life, the hope and also I saw the faint weary little boy who needs a big miracle that I know our Mt Moving God can do.
It is hard to describe just what i felt and capture the words to put you into that moment with me. I felt the same way on Saturday when i opened the mail and received an updated picture of the child we sponsor through http://www.compassion.com/default.htm . I was so very excited to see him. He is in India and he is 7 years old. What a treasure to see through his eyes.
We write letters back and forth but there is something about "seeing" him.
Another picture is "Hudson" http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/marybeth/ who is now at Maria's big house for Hope. The love that pours out of those eyes. It just humbles me and brings me to my knees. I feel helpless and lost. I feel there is so much more I should be and can be doing but what and how. Those eyes look at me and pierce my heart with so much love. Those are the eyes of Christ. Those are the eyes that say no matter what I Forgive you and I love you unconditionally. Just makes me want to hold my family tighter and to worship our Father so much louder.

I challenge you to take a look into those eyes around you and pause for a moment and just let it sink in. What are they saying to you, what are you missing in life and what can you "change".

Cinnamon*Sticks Boutique Giveaway

http://cinnamonsticksboutique.blogspot.com/2009/07/grand-re-opening-giveaway.html

Through a friend's blog I learned of this great blog and shop on Etsy.

Canela makes wonderful pieces of jewelry and is launching a grand re-opening of her shop.

She is also giving a piece away.

Here are the rules from her site.

So to win.....
For one entry head on over to my shop then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite item is ...
For an extra entry you can follow my blog those that are already followers will still get the entry..
For three extra entries Blog about this giveaway with a link back here for others to find :O)
So that's 5 chances all together. Just be sure to tell me in your comment if you blogged about it or are following my blog!
The giveaway will run from 7/27/to 8/1 11:59pm PST
The winner will be announced on Sunday August 2nd.

Here is some of her art work:

Monday 27th- Fast

Would you join me/us?
The Fast: Monday, July 27th
Fast: Breakfast or Lunch or Dinner or All Three

For the complete story visit Linny's blog over at a place called simplicty:
http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2009/07/would-you-help-me-please.html

Waters of your Heart

I posted yesterday about my Husbands wedding ring and how it was lost in the river.
Last tuesday night I was at a meeting with 11 other amazing women and our ? for the nightly discussion was "how do you see your heart?" There were alot of references to water (rivers, creeks- crossing them- laying beside them). In August there are 18 of us going to "Crooked Creek Ranch" in Winter Park CO for a "Captivating" retreat.

I thought it was a bit funny the references to rivers, creeks and we are headed to a creek.

Then this morning God was showing me that this is all tied together. Marco losing his ring in the river- the ladies going to crooked creek to seek a deeper relationship with our Father. What I didn't say yesterday was God gave Hubby a question to take back to the men- "What Passion have you lost and where are you seeking it" The ring was a symbol of something lost and fighting to find it and get it back. God was using it for something bigger. Where did you lose your passion and where are you trying to find it?

I love how he uses things to help us "SEE" and to show us things.

Someone sent this to me and I found it so appropriate.
Read Ps. 23 aloud. Are the waters of your heart still or troubled? Where do you need God to calm the storm?

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [a] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

So trusting him and walking this out- How are the "waters" of my heart and where do I need him to calm the storm? God is GOOD!!!!

Memorial Box Monday- The Ring

This weekend my husband lost his wedding ring in a river. He was on a men's retreat with our church and slipped and the tube he was pushing to shore with some of the gear started to get away. He pushed his hand down in the sand/water to keep from falling and while doing that the sand/water grabbed the ring. So it was either keep his hand where it was in hopes of finding the ring or grab the gear. He grabbed the gear since it was not only him but a large group of men counting on that gear.

A few men spent some time trying to help him find the ring but as of sunday night when he came home- no ring.

I remember when he first found the ring before we got married. He was very proud of his find and extrememly happy. It was Titanium. That meant it wouldn't get scratched and banged up while working on computers all day.

Today's memorial box is for the ring- what it symbolizes, the meaning and the joy it brought. Now I know our God is an amazing God and I have seen many things over the years involving wedding rings and their reappearance so I will be patient and see what he is up to.

In September we will have been married for 3 years. The ring made it almost 3 years.

Early Entrance

We recently had Julia tested for Early Entrance into Kindergarten. She passed- she can go. So now the decision do we enroll her or not. The same day we had her tested my Aunt told us come September she wouldn't be able to watch Aaron anymore. Is this God working things out for us?
Julia full day Kindergarten and no more daycare so we can enroll Aaron in daycare? I don't know but I am not worrying about it- I am walking in faith, trusting and believing that God will work it out and whatever his will - will be.

Wordless Wednesday on a thursday

my hubby-

10 on 10

seattle public library- + stop lite

i did a theme again for this month's 10 on 10.... things we use or instruments/tools in our lives.

Memorial Box~

From a dear sweet blogy friend...... http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/

such a great idea to have Memorial Box Monday. I'll start mine next week.
But first here is an explaination of it (taken from Linn's blog)
In Joshua 4 Almighty God tells the Isrealites to collect stones and set them as a Memorial to remind them of God's power and provision. He then tells the Isrealites to use those stones as a memorial; that everytime they see them to tell their children and their children's children the stories over and over again, continually reminding them of God's faithfulness.
((Joshua 4When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.......... On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."))

Visit her blog to read more about the Memorial Box.

Camping

10 days of camping with a total of 7 people and 2 dogs in 1 trailer.
90 degree weather, mosquitos that attack in swarms but it was fun and amazing family time.

The first stop we made was Wenatchee to visit my great aunt. My grandma's sister. She is in an assisted living home and she has Alzheimer's. What a horrible, terrible Disease. She was always so full of life. She loves all her family so much and would travel anywhere to help anyone. She was always there. The past few years have been hard to see this disease rob her memory, mind, and her life.

She was one who knew who everyone was. We would go to family functions and she knew everyone and how we were all related and days they were born and just about everything about their life. I loved that in her. She was spunky, fiesty and full of it! I say she still is.

We walked in that morning to see her and her face lit up. She called us "Ethel's Gang" that's my grandma. I just hugged her and stroked her back and held her hand. I can only hope she knows how much I love her and what an impact she had on my life. She is so fragile now. She is lost in her mind. She remembers somethings and tells stories. She was telling us about how her husband my Uncle Paul was coming to remodel the house she is living in. Well he had been dead for several years now. But it was nice that she remembers him and his character and that he was a builder.
She sat at the table with a pile of pictures and post cards in front of her just picking them up and holding them and starring at the pictures. I wish she could tell us stories , I wish I had spent more time listening and hearing her before this disease stole her away from us.

We all love her so dearly- She is still with us and she is such a blessing. I am glad that is the way we started our camping trip. So we could remember life is short and you do not know what may happen- have you told those around you the stories, how you feel.... you should before you are robbed the chance.


Happy blogging all my bloggy friends.