Life in Nebraska ....

All we really want is to know that we've been worth something to someone. That's why when the whole world forsakes us we fall on Jesus and soak in all the verses we can find on His love for us.   When we find ourselves identifying in Christ  and we find our worth in being redeemed through Christ then all the value we try to create and get through people  isn't as important anymore. But in the general run of daily life people like to know they have worth with the folks around them. So, spend some time today listening up and really hear what they're saying.   Watch what interests them. Make an effort to understand what they're saying and feeling. If you can, try to learn all the interesting facts about their occupation. Try to see life from their perspective. Thank them for the time they've spent with you. Thank them for what they've shared of their heart with you.  Because after all, they were willing to take part in growing you...

For the fourth we planned ahead this year and filled our day full of good things.  Time for good coffee in the morning.  Time to take care of the little kid goats that were just birthed on Sat.  (the nanny didn't survive her three big babies' births)   Got to the annual air show in Seward in plenty of time to have fun conversation and laughs  with good people while we waited for it to start.  Then home for naps for the kids and setting up for a cookout.  Our cookout was a success with Misc clans from our church community that we hardly ever get the chance to connect with.  Very relaxing and encouraging.  And then off to watch the fireworks. A most interesting moment for me today was when they sang our song and stood for our flag at the air show.  Little ole me, a nonresistant Mennonite girl teared up!  I guess I understand even more how blessed we've been especially as I've kept more current in the last few years of the world event...

My first born turned 13 this week.  We now have a teenager in the house!  What a fun stage of parenting!  We get the best of both worlds right now.  Toddlers all the way up to teenagers.   We  invited a pile of boys 8 years and up  to play ball on his birthday.  Every one we invited came!  There were several boys missing from this picture.  Oh but they had so much fun.   We played two short games and they were all good sports about the score,.  Such good fun kids!   Gone are the days of cakes in the shape of fire engines.  Now he just wants chocolate cake and blows the candles because he was being kind to his mom. His voice is deep.  He looks down at me when we're standing beside each other.  He goes through food and clothes like nobody's business.  He keeps the yard and garden and animals cared for nicely. And of course  he dreams about hunting, and fishing, a...

Well hi!  I bet you were hoping for some great tips here. Pinteresty type crafty fun things for your kids to do and keep them out of your hair.  Nope.  I'm here to say that your kids are yours and you'd better own it.  And everything stays the same unless you take action.  So.  Here's my five. 1, If your kids are bored and driving you nuts.  They need more chores.  Yep.  And that's just not fun.  For them or you.  Especially for you because then you have to stick with the game till the end and most times when jobs and chores are still in the learning curve stage you have to not be lazy and check out their job and teach along the way.  And  it takes away boredom.  It takes work. 2, Do something spontaneous.    For me I like to say enough is enough and walk away from the never ending list and just do a fun project.  Or when we're out shopping for boring things but needful things, I like to take them...

Summer time can be pretty awesome.  Getting a whole entire hour crawling along the rows in the garden weeding, on a lovely evening during sunset, with out any other human around is therapy.  Being married to a kind man, who loves his kids and people in general and loves me is rather amazing too.  Seeing again, how abrupt and unkind I can be up against how kind he can be makes me want to try harder. My dad did several things right.  One of them was choosing to forgive and forget.  But in the mean time, he also was brave enough to discuss the hard things of life with people. That's a quality one doesn't  pick up and use very often. They should.  If there is one thing every new wife should know, it's that her happiness is not going to be gotten from that good new husband.  But that's almost impossible to tell.  It's a life of living.  But a man doesn't want that load.  He fell in love with the girl who was centered a...

Sometime in the night little miss woke up and I put her in between us and fell back to sleep.  This morning I woke up and turned over and there I found her hand in her daddy's hand.  Ah!  Little moments. 

   I used my thankful posts last summer for my soul, and it really pulled me through a deep funk.  And now I'm heading into another summer and the thankful is not a choice as much as it's truly there!  I'm so thankful!  Not to be redundant but it's amazing to realize and know again that I've got  life by the tail and I AM so THANKFUL!  Not that life is just perfect.  It's not.  But the imperfections of life are what help make it beautiful.     Anyhow, my thankful list today.     ~ After a morning of nice cool breezes and washing windows at my nieces new to them house, I am enjoying a big deep dark mug of coffee with just the perfect tinge of cream.  It feels so rich.    ~ This morning I woke up from a delightful deep sleep at 5:45 and was so amazed at sleeping!  Sleep is a wonderful thing when one can sleep!  Don't take it for granted.  I experienced several nights of sleeplessness lately a...