Casting Crumbs

My Pastor taught the most inspiring message this past weekend. It really spoke to me and I have been pondering it throughout my harried days this week.

He spoke about how we can see ourselves as failures. In the worlds eyes, we may be. . .we may not have lots of money, fame and fortune. However, in the eyes of God a successful person is the one who recognizes the place they are in as where God wants them and PERSEVERES in that place. Success = Perseverance. He also said that as we recognize and accept the places he puts us, we will come to see his FAVOR upon us. I have been looking around this week and seeing his favor upon my life and it has helped me to be thankful, grateful and a little more peaceful.

So here are just a few of my favorable and peaceful moments of today..

Our tomatoes ripening on the vine

Here’s a frog that the kids found.

They played with him for a long time and while in their care he swam, played in the sand, went down the slide,

was fought over,thrown across the yard (eeks!) and then freed to go tell his froggy friends a story they won’t believe.

Jaden learned to swing on the rope today

Missy Moo our little darlin’

Our big tree that shades our yard. I love this tree.

Me and Ev

“It is not necessary to hope in order to understand, nor to succeed in order to persevere.”

Sorry about the two posts in one day. I’m trying to catch up. I have to share Julian’s adventure of the day. He is turning into quite the fisherman! Grandma and Grandpa picked him up this morning to go on a fishing adventure. Around noon they called to say they were on their way home and to have the camera ready.

Julian’s “whale”. That’s what Jaden called it.

The worm that caught the whale

Look, it’s 1/2 as big as me!

Julian got to watch Grandma and Grandpa clean the fish. He wants to eat it.

It was funny, today he told a few people on the phone that he had caught this big fish. When he told his Daddy he started by saying “Hey Dad, you are gonna be so proud of me. . .” It’s true that little boys look for the approval of their Fathers; I saw this today with my 6 year old son. I’m so glad that he has Tom and that he will feel the pride of his daddy!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Father’s Day. Thought I would share them. It was a fun and relaxing day spent with the favorite men in our life. We went to church, then to a favorite Japanese Steakhouse for lunch with my parents.

At the restaurant

Then to my parents for some FRENCH SILK PIE!

My wonderful Father!

Tom took a loooong Daddy’s Day nap and then. . .we went to my lovely In-laws to see Grandpa Ross.

Here are the three lovely things that allow Tom the privilege of being able to celebrate Father’s Day. As he would say “They are the fruit of my loins”.

Grandpa Ross and Jaden going to feed the fish

Here are my very favorite pics of Evely and Tom. You can see him being wound around her little finger here.

Aren’t they cute!

Tom and I comment on blessed we are that we have some very wonderful friends. Many of these we have known for 10+ years, we have “grown up” with these fine folks. Others are new but are quickly becoming close. Makes me think of that song “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”. That is so true!

You can see we all have a lot in common! We each have 3 children all about the same age.

Julian loved the maze!

Jaden trying to look at his basketball

McKenna and Julian getting their faces painted. Julian’s was a manly lizard and McKenna’s a feminine cat!

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RED NECK SLIP n SLIDE!

Tom and I took the kids to Walmart Saturday morning to get a slip-n-slide. They excitedly helped us put it out that afternoon and had a ball.

Then things got a little interesting! We stripped off Jaden’s clothes because they were so heavy and the next thing you know everyone is naked! Sorry, I can’t show the pics of Tom.

Thank goodness we live in the country with no neighbors!! We would have been the talk at the next block party.

This made me think of another song. . .yeah, you know the one. . .

(Reporter):
Hello, everyone, this is your action news reporter with all the news that is news across the nation, on the scene at the supermarket. There seems to have been some disturbance here. Pardon me, sir, did you see what happened?

(Chorus)
Here he comes, look at that, look at that
There he goes, look at that, look at that
And he ain’t wearin’ no clothes
Oh, yes, they call him the Streak
Look at that, look at that
Fastest thing on two feet
Look at that, look at that
He’s just as proud as he can be
Of his anatomy He goin’ give us a peek

It was a great weekend!!

“Dear God, thank you so much for Evely. She is so cute and I love her SO MUCH more than Jaden!”

I laughed hysterically as Julian’s Sunday School teacher relayed his prayer to me from that morning. She later asked him about his thoughts on his siblings and he stated emphatically, “Oh yes, Jaden drives me crazy and we fight all the time.”

I had watched, intervened, yelled, separated and completely grown sick of the fighting. They had been at it for days! Then two days after Julian prayed his little prayer Jaden had a big wipe out on the sidewalk and skinned his knees pretty badly. It was amazing how Julian came to his rescue and from then till now, he has changed his tune about his annoying little brother.

It may not last too long, but I am completely enjoying the peace while it lasts!

Mom went to the Oncologist on Wednesday. It was good news all around. Her blood work was completely normal in every area! She asked the Doc what he would consider her condition as it is now. He said she was in remission. This type of cancer they say still could have cells floating out there in her body and could come back. However, we are trusting in the Lord and praise God for every day of life that He gives her -and each one of us, too! Life is just too precious to take for granted!

Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Ps. 94

THE MAGIC ERASER!!!
When you look at the picture you should hear magical music and a “ta-da!”

During our garage sale last week, my Mother-In-Law gave me some great advice! She was going on about this life-changing product she had bought, so as I shopped at Walmart yesterday I had to pick one up and try it.

I came home and immediately went into the bathroom and tried it out on my tub. It was amazing! Truly! I was shocked at how the soap scum that has built up over the months just wiped right off. (Yes, over the months!I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t given my tub a complete scrub to remove all the scum for a very long time.) Amazed, I went to my kitchen linoleum and wiped up the floor. With hardly a scrub I wiped over the floor and was in wonder at how clean it was. I have this white sink that I have to clorox several times a week to get the stains out and I wiped it over the sink and “ta-da!” it was white again.

It’s this sponge thing, you wet it and ring it out and it just goes to work. It doesn’t have an odor either. It’s the weirdest thing. It has a spongy-type feel that sort of molds to your hand. You can use it over and over, too. It doesn’t make sense but the thang works! Give it a try.

Thanks, Rita, for the tip. It’s great!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. . .

Hi Everyone -

I wanted to tell everyone about my good friend’s new Blog. Merri and I grew up together, we met when I was in 6th grade (I am pretty sure). We became fast friends and as our highschool years came we spent almost every waking hour together. She was my Maid of Honor in my wedding. After graduating she went away to college and I got married and we have gone our separate ways since then – but not in heart. She will always be a lifelong friend, one of those kind that don’t come along very often.

Merri married a wonderful guy from Thailand and they are in the process of selling their home and moving over there. I always knew that Merri would eventually end up over seas. She always had that as a dream.

I am so glad that she has started a blog so now we can keep in touch even better. Check out her kids in the photo gallery, they are adorable! Her son was born just a few hours apart from Evely!

Here is her link:

www.livinginthelandofsmiles.blogspot.com