Almost a Month and Lots Happening

As I showed in my previous post, we had concrete floors.  Now, we are pretty close to having them done, minus the threshold pieces.  It looks so much nicer than bare concrete!

The living room floor after flooring installed.  It's lovely!  

From the other side of the room.

Photo Bombed by Biscuit

Getting Gus acclimated to the pool...or just having fun putting him on the inner tube.  LOL

Biscuit's turn! 

A graduation celebration dinner at church.

Visiting with Grandparents and one special uncle.

"And these alligators are found in the Flint River?  I guess we shouldn't swim in there!"

Beautiful daughter with her sewing machine.

The living room window that needs a treatment of some sort.  I'm not sure what, but since this window is so huge, it will probably be something simple.  We have new pillows that I found at the local W*lmart on a 2 for $12 deal, so I couldn't resist adding more color to the room.

I just love my drive home!  This area is so beautiful!  (Sorry for the bug splat on the windshield!!)

The view out my front door.  This is such a quiet neighborhood, it is almost like living in the country!

The morning this picture was taken, I was on my way to get my blood work done and to talk with my Dr about the Trim Healthy Mama Plan (THM) life changes I've been making, as well my right knee.  I found out that my right knee is "bone-on-bone" and it gets worse when I ride/drive for long periods of time.  The verdict?  Less riding/driving, less walking, more THM cooking, and more swimming.  With my blood test results back, I know that I can rest assured that THM is working!  I've lost 35 pounds, my Triglycerides decreased by half, my A1C is 6.1 and my fasting is 105.  I've not seen those wonderful numbers in YEARS!  You betcha I'm sticking with it! 

Strong young men hard at work, replacing worn out steps and putting in new concrete.

One side of my office is going to be a sitting area and I think I have a pretty good start with these wonderful pieces I found at a yard sale and an online facebook flea market group.  The wing back chair is a reclining chair.  The side table is an antique from the 60's or 70's, the lamp I just loved, so I bought it for a good price....and.

...the magnolia swag that I thought was so pretty.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll finally be able to get some curtains up on the dining room window, my oldest son's window, the office, and hopefully our bedroom.  With everything being so busy, I'll be able to sit down long enough to get my sewing machine out to work on some stuff.  I also plan to keep my eyes peeled for more furniture for the sitting area.  I love decorating "on the cheap."  

Have a Great Day!

God Bless,

A Day At the Beach & Life Lessons

Weeks ago, we decided that it was time to bless our kids with a trip to the Lake Erie beach that we love the most.  With all of the cleaning and packing we've been doing, it was time to stop, grab a friend, and go to the beach.

Lake Erie when we arrived and set up to relax.

It was such a beautiful day! 

I could barely see to take the picture, but here is one where Mr. G and I were sitting in the shade under the tree.  I take medication that makes me photosensitive, so we spent most of our time under the tree.

After spending over 3 hours in the sun, the kids were sufficiently crispy--even with 70+spf sunscreen--we went to Panera Bread before heading home.  It was something new for a couple of us, something familiar for others and just fun to pick out some neat treats that we don't normally have.

On the way home, my hubby didn't take pictures because he wasn't feeling well, but he did get a couple on our way up to Erie.

Small town with American flags waving.

Lonely old silo

Small grassy area on the hill

The valleys and scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.  I love looking as far as the eye can see and see hills and trees with an occasional splotch of green grassy patch.  It gives me a chuckle.

Upon arriving at home, we found a phone call from our Georgia realtor waiting for us.  We called and left her a message and within 5 minutes she returned our call.  The house that Mr. G put an offer on last week, we had been counter offering with 3 days in between each offer--it's a bank owned/HUD property thing where they get 3 days to reply to an offer.  The last offer, the bank/seller did not accept.  We are taking a step back and praying about how to word another counter offer, if at all.  The bank/seller would not budge on the price, but to come down $1,000.

We need to take a step back, regroup, get some things done here on our house in Pennsylvania, then see if there have been any other offers on this house.  We're waiting 2 weeks, then starting with the offer process again.  If the Lord wants us to have it, then He will make it available.  

For now, we get ready for a "Moving Sale" next weekend.  I'm getting so many things ready to sell so that the things we have to move will be limited and as small as we can possibly get it.  We are selling curriculum, too.

This journey through life is by far the most important time because it builds character, helps us to enjoy our time in the here-and-now, and it makes us linger to ensure the needful lessons are learned--sometimes whether we like it or not.  Our attitudes on the journey can be ones of thankfulness, or selfishness in which case it causes great heartache and stress for those who love us due to our own selfish responses to the unfamiliar.  

For now, though, we rest in God's will.  It's a good place to be.  Learning to rest there is difficult for many, but a very important and integral part of the journey.  I often visualize sitting in the passenger seat and letting God be the one in charge of my car.  How much I actually trust Him is directly related to how much I rest while He is driving.

It feels good not to have to drive this car through life, but to rest and let Him take the wheel.

God Bless,

July Fourth-Two-Thousand-Thirteen

I'm finding myself a bit melancholy lately.  I guess it probably doesn't help much that an upper level "Low" has stationed itself above us and is keeping the area cloudy with lots of rain and thunderstorms.

My work continues inside regardless of the weather, but when my work is done inside and it is raining outside, I've been looking on Google maps in preparation for our vacation next year.

I've looked at how to get to Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, SD so that my family can see what I use to see as a child from Skyline Drive while we enjoy a picnic lunch.  I love watching their faces when they see lovely and glorious things!

I've looked up a variety of campgrounds and I find myself faced with a difficult decision of which one to stay at for however many days for this stop or that stop.  I'll need to do the majority of the research, then present my findings to Mr. G to see what he'd like to do.  Here are a few that I've found:

Lake Park Campground--Located 30 minutes from Sturgis and 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore.

Days End Campground--Located in Sturgis.

Whistler Gulch Campground--Located in Deadwood.

Sleepy Hollow Campground--Located in Wall, SD.

I know he'd like to visit the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.  I'd like to see it as well since my great uncle Al was one of the founders since he use to live in Sturgis.  =0)

I'd love to take the family to Lead & Deadwood, SD to see where Black Hills Gold is mined.  My mother use to work in the gold mines when I was 8 years old, so it has a bit of historical significance for me.

Of course Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park would be visited. =0)

Why all these preparations now?

Every time I'm around a pine tree the scent of the Black Hills comes flooding back to my memories.  The west is calling me greatly.  The search on Google maps has brought me blue skies and glorious scenery of the west.  The memories of God's magnificent beauty and the experiences there--both good and bad--come flooding back to me.  I want to replace the bad with new memories, and I want to share those things with my beloved husband and my wonderful children.  I feel as if my time is running out with my kids at home and it is time to hasten the trip.

Does this seem unreasonable?  I don't think so.  Things like this are very attainable, if prepared for ahead of time and as many details worked out as possible, right down to the miles driven daily and planning how many times you'll go out to eat, adding 10-20% for tips.  Additionally, what foods you'll pack in the cooler, bottles of spring water to bring, right down to which rest stop you'll be at when you eat your sandwiches or salads.

I need to plan very well for this trip, for the sake of my husband, for the sake of my children, for my own sanity, right down to where and when we'll do our laundry.  Why so meticulous?

In the planning, there is peace.

Beginning Preparations

God has such a sense of humor with His creation!  Since we purchased a "new to us" Suburban, it has a reflective quality around the bottom of it and a robin has found it very bothersome!  How dare that other robin show itself like that!  So, it pecks, poops and flutters all over the reflective area.  It gives Mr. G and I quite a chuckle.  We really don't mind because quite honestly, the robin will eventually "get a clue" and go away to do their own thing, eat worms, build a nest and get on with it's life.  

Our youngest son, however, thinks of things a bit differently.   He was trying to scare it off by shooting his Air Soft gun in the air.  Not hitting the bird, but just trying to scare it off.  After trying to convince him that the robin would find it a futile pursuit--trying to fight the robin in the reflection--he/she would leave and get on with their life, he wasn't convinced.  He was more bothered by the poop on the running boards and the bird pecking at the vehicle than just letting the robin decide for itself that the robin in the reflection wasn't so bothersome after all. 

That was yesterday.

Today, I sent my oldest out to see if he could video tape the robin.  The above video is what the robin has been doing.  However, today has been a bit different.  The robin is taking more time away from the vehicle, turning away from the robin in the reflection and just beginning to settle down and accept the reflection.

(seems that each of us could do that, huh?)

...not waxing philosophic--just glean what you will...

Anyway, all of this hilarity has occurred throughout our daily preparations for our first 

camping trip in 8 years.  

There's more, believe me!  

...this was just one instance of hilariousness...

Be Still and Know...

This morning I was awakened at 5:30AM. This is my normal time to wake up, when it seems the Lord has something to teach me. I've learned that when I wake this early, unable to go back to sleep that I need to get up and petition the Lord, seeking His face.

This morning was beautiful, as if the Lord was telling me, "Come see what I've made for you to soak in, revel in and enjoy!" I watched the chipmunks scamper across my front island flower bed where my honeysuckle is not yet blooming, the clematis is getting ready to burst in to bloom, the lillies are filling in the space behind my clematis' trellis and my gladiolus are still sleeping. My locust tree is budding out in bright yellow-y green leafettes and gives our yard quite a bit of beautiful color. The burning maple tree is completely full and gives our front yard glorious shade and a bit of privacy from one direction. What a lovely and glorious morning! I listen to the birds sing such beautiful songs that I've dubbed "The Dawn Chorus" for a few years now. Honestly, I believe I'd heard it on a Winnie-the-Pooh animated show one time when owl wanted to be a part of the dawn chorus of birds and woefully failed. After hearing it in our old town when my children were little, then moving here to our current home and actually hearing a dawn chorus, the name fits so well.

It was as if the Lord was soothing my soul, loving me, long before he began to gently teach my spirit.

I logged on to my computer to read scriptures and to think and pray about the day ahead as well as a dear friend whose daughter had been in labor for 2 days. This weighed heavily in my mind, many times throughout the past few weeks, in fact. But none so much as it did this morning. As my thoughts went to my day yesterday, I had to laugh because I told God my plans yesterday. LOL And suddenly, I put my laptop aside to kneel in front of the couch, as if it were drawing me there. No one was awake, so I was all alone with my Lord. What peace! But wait...

...and my own gentle, loving, humbling lessons began.



I was so very exhausted afterward that I could have gone back to sleep. I didn't, but just sat on the couch watching and praying in thanksgiving for a God who loves me enough to not only teach me, but to humble me...ever so gently.

And for that I am thankful....