I'm going to quit blogging...

Here, anyway ;)!!!
How many of you caught my announcement this morning in my (late) Thankful Thursday post that that post would be the last Thankful Thursday post here? How many of you suspected that "here" meant this blog, and how many of you thought that it meant I was going to discontinue my favorite category of posts?!
No, I wouldn't quit Thankful Thursdays. But I am moving to a new blog :).
Since Mommy came up with this really neat name for a blog that featured Thankful Thursdays :), when I had been meaning to change my blog name anyway (and didn't know how to make my blog address match the title without old readers losing it :)), and since I found the latest background on the Plumrose Lane site and loved it, and since I had wanted to work with my sidebar anyway, and many other things that happened :)... I just decided to go with a new blog, partly so that I wouldn't have to work around stuff, partly because I didn't want to lose all my posts on this blog doing something disastrous, and partly just because I thought that this was too much change for a well-seasoned blog ;)... Anyway....

So, those who are still interested in updates from my blog, head on over to "Forget Not His Benefits" at forget-not-his-benefits.blogspot.com! I look forward to seeing you there :)!!!

"Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits" 

        ~Psalms 103:2

Thankful Thursday, week 60

This week I am thankful for....
~Fun with Tori creating things Wednesday.
~Music notes.
~Coming to the end of a book we have been trying to read for a year. We enjoyed the book, but it is also nice to know how it ends ;).
~Feather dusters.
~Tatted split rings, and the fun new pattern I made using them. I'll wait to show what it looks like until it is up on the Hidden Treasures site, though ;).
~Peter's snuggles.
~A chat with a very dear friend Wednesday :).
~Trips to the park.
~Our back yard.
~Fun with the camera :).
~That somebody looked at our house yesterday...
~Crazy yarn,
~being used on the birthday present Emmi asked for... I thought it was so sweet that she had a specific request!
~Lime chicken soft tacos :).
~Tori's sense of humor, heeheehee :)...
~Beading wire waiting to be used.
~Singing hymns together in the car.
~Abbi's excitement at "playing chess" with Tori.
~Peter's love of all things music.
~This last day to finish up all the items for the next auction, get ready for Emmi's birthday tomorrow, and get everything ready for Daddy to come home tonight :). We're going to be busy!
~And my last Thankful Thursday post here...

"Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise him in the heights!"

                          ~Psalms 148:1

Just a couple thoughts on Exodus 10...

"Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” Exodus 10:7
I was reminded of something that I have read many times over the past couple weeks when I read those words...
"For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ~Romans 9:17
God could have used anybody to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Anybody could have been Pharaoh at that time. But God chose this Pharaoh to be ruler at that time, and he chose not to break his heart to the will of the Lord. Why? I know that that is what many of the Egyptians were asking as they watched first their land, then their possessions, and eventually even their families be destroyed. But the answer is given clearly in Romans. It was the best way to show God's power. The story would be so supernatural, so full of the works of the Lord, that it would be shared all over the world. God would be able to save many, even while showing his power over Pharaoh. Did you know that every plague the Lord used was connected with one of Egypt's "gods"? The darkness, the frogs, the deaths, were all to show how powerless all Egypt's gods were. From "Mathematics: Is God Silent", in one of the footnotes:

"The ten plagues were (along with the Egyptian god judged:)

1 Nile turned to blood (the Nile was the sacred giver of life.)

2 Swarm of frogs (Egyptians saw the frog as sacred.)

3 Plague of lice (no Egyptian could approach a sacred altar with lice.)

4 Plague of flies (Beelzebub, the lord of the flies, was worshiped to remove flies.)

5 Diseased cattle (Egyptians worshiped the whole animal creation.)

6 Plague of boils (started with ashes from the furnace of the Egyptian god Typhon- this furnace was a place of human sacrifice.)

7 Thunder and hail (Egyptians worshiped all the forces of nature.)

8 Plague of locust brought with the wind (wind was another force of nature worshiped.)

9 The sign of darkness (the Egyptian god, Ra, is shown to be powerless.)

10 Death of the firstborn (this included the firstborn of Pharaoh who was worshiped as a god.)"

 I love reading two sections of scripture at a time just for this reason; there are so many correlations between them, that actually give you more insights into each individual passage :)!

Another part that really stood out to me was Exodus 10:10... "But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go!"  I find it interesting that Pharaoh himself said that if he let them go, it was an act of God! I wonder what his thoughts were when he eventually let them go? Obviously it wasn't repentance to the Lord. We are given the account that the Egyptian army ended up at the bottom of the red sea, after they chased the Israelites down. But did he realize the irony of that sentence that came from his own lips? "If I let you leave, it proves that your God really does exist, and is the only true God." I wonder if it was the remembrance of this statement that made him change his mind that final deadly time? Just a thought, but I wouldn't be surprised. Remember, the Egyptians viewed Pharaoh as a god. Being under the true God could have pushed him out of power. 

The final thought was less important, but verse 14, "The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again." made me think of the "Little House on the Prairie" books, where Laura Ingalls Wilder reccounts the story of that summer when the grasshoppers came and destroyed everything. Most of us have read that book, and we have read how the grasshoppers covered "every blade of grass", and thought about how awful that must have been. But the Egyptian plague was so big it was "never seen before, nor ever will be again". That just helped me to see a little bit more just how plagued they were by grasshoppers!
It is amazing what we will bring on ourselves in an attempt to defy the Lord. But I think it is even more amazing to see God's grace to us. We all disobey, just as the Egyptians did then. But in His great mercy, he holds out to us grace and forgiveness. How blessed we are!

Thankful "Thursday", week 59

I have had so much to be thankful for over the past week (and a half... I'm late again, very! ;P...). It is kind of hard to know where to start!..
~That Daddy may (may...) have found a house to rent in VA. As long as we're approved, he found one ;). We'll see...
~And the time we had with him last week.
~The fun outing that Mommy and I took.
~The time at the park we had as a family while Daddy was home (due to someone looking at the house...).
~That the Lord has given us the ability to cook.
~That we finished the yard the other day before we got the call...
~... that somebody was coming to look at our house. I am always thankful when someone looks at it. Now I am even more thankful that they usually give us more than forty-five minutes to leave ;). But now we know how fast we can leave the house when we need to! Haha ;)!
~The flowers on our squash plants!
~And the pea pods on the pea plants :).
~The yummy rolls Tori made us the other day!
~The book "So Much More", by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin.
~Cinnamon Swirl bread.
~Music.
~All the special blessings that the Lord sends when you least expect it.
~Notes of encouragement.
~Being able to read through Exodus with Bethi :). (I'm caught up again, yay! Thankful for that, too :).)
~The funny little dance Peter does when he sees ice cream, heeheehee :).
~Being able to sit down and draw. Even if it is just something small, I really enjoy it. And while designing a card earlier, I got really eager to do something more "time consuming" ;), with art again :). Maybe after Emmi's birthday (coming up June 1st) :)!
~Sunflowers.
~The lettuce that we were able to eat straight from the garden today :). If we have to still be here to take care of the garden, at least we're getting the benefits!
~Fun tatting this afternoon!... tatting a bookmark for the next Hidden Treasures auction :). There are still four whole days until that starts, if you want to send something in :)!

"Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!"

                                                    ~1 Chronicles 16:10

Tatted music note bookmark

Like all of my other patterns, this was made using a tatting shuttle, and I have no clue how to tat using a tatting needle ;). This took a whole lot of experimenting, haha, and Daddy eventually helped me after even looking for patterns online failed to work (although this one was great in many ways, in fact, I included many aspects of it into my own pattern, and love the treble clef, I can't wait to try that :)!!!) ;). Then, after it finally worked, I gave it immediately as a gift to a friend, without getting pictures :P! But, I've finally got the pattern written down, another one made, and pictures taken, so, here it is! After I knew what I was doing (and even, for the most part, before :)), it was so much fun :).

Music Note bookmark pattern

Two shuttles 

size ten crochet thread

 1st SR: 6 - 5/6 - 3 - 2

LCh: 1 ds + (to last picot of previous ring) 6 ds

2nd SR: 4/2

3rd SR: 3/3

4th SR: 3/3

5th SR: 3/3

6th SR : 4/2

 LCh: 6 ds, leave picot-sized uts, 1 ds

7th SR: 6 - 5/2+(to uts of last LCh)4-6

Cut off and tie.

Attach thread at 6th SR

Leave approx. five inches (more or less as desired) of uts.

Top ring: 5-5-5-5. Close ring. 

Tatting abbreviations:

(numbers, (8, 5, and 1)) equals number of double stitches to tat.

(-) equals picot

ds equals double stitch

(+) equals join to picot of previous ring

LCh equals lock chain

SR equals split ring
uts equals un-worked thread space 

I promise it isn't as hard as it looks, you just have to know all the steps (particularly lock chains and split rings... ahem....) before you start, and hopefully not have a deadline of twelve hours (which, thankfully, turned into a week, haha!), and really, I think this may have been my favorite pattern so far. I love patterns that have different techniques scattered throughout, although I have nothing against repetition :).

Just a reminder of this giveaway...

This giveaway, being held on the blog "A Prefect Lily", to help bring Penny home...
Still needs just about one thousand dollars...
If you donate here, you can enter the drawing here...
And help TWO little girls come home! Because little Julia now has a family, too :)!!!

Also, the next Hidden Treasures auction is just a week away! They can always use prayers, bidders, and donations of handcrafted items, gift cards, gently used items, (maybe items that you have won in a drawing?... ;)...) and the list goes on! It has really been amazing to see all the neat and creative listings that have been posted over the past several months! The two little children that this auction will help, Elaina and Ethan, are just as important to the Lord as Penny and Julia, and we can help bring all four of these little ones home!

Another Laughables post :)...

Just a couple random tidbits that I thought were funny :)...

I was asking someone to hang up one of Emmi's dresses the other day, and Emmi piped up "Yes, in my day, we ALWAYS "hang-ed" it up!"

Bethi, while reading her bible the other day... "Moses wrote Exodus?! I thought he died in the middle Exodus!"
Tori and I answered, "Yes, he wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy."
"Oh, okay. I thought he died."
"Not in Exodus, but he does in Deuteronomy."
Blank look.
"Someone finished it for him, probably Joshua."
I should have told her that Joshua dead before his book, duly named Joshua, was finished, also...

Abbi the other day was looking out the window, and she said "I wish Daddy could stay with us always." Bethi, wanting to know why she voiced that desire at that moment, asked her why. Abbi took it as though Bethi didn't want him to stay home, though, and was thoroughly shocked ;). "Bethi!" she exclaimed. "Because I love him!!! I wish Daddy would sell all of his books (remember, Daddy works at a bookstore ;)) so that he could stay home!..." She is so sweet!

Confessions of an over-achiever

"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Romans 12:11
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" Ephesians 2:8-9
I'm an over achiever. Most of you may already know this; those of you who don't, probably haven't been reading this blog for even a week ;). I'm told I get it from my Dad; I'd argue that I'm worse (at least Daddy has brains to go with it. Somehow my brilliant ideas always seem to backfire, and I create a mess!). I'm told, usually, that this characteristic can be a blessing to others... I am also told, at times, when it is three o'clock in the morning and I may be working on dishes, that it can seem like a curse to the weary, hahaha! I have also been told that it started young; "She has rearranged my kitchen again!... I can't find anything!". I hear this was a frequent remark Daddy heard from Mommy when I was four. Emmi is my buddy, and it's starting to show. I'll include this snippet of trivia that I wrote a while ago to prove it:

We (Emmi and I) went to tell the others good night before going to bed (since we are trying to sell the house, we had to move a bed downstairs, so Emmi and I ended up moving down, too, for the time being.). Emmi headed down the stairs, while I was still talking to Tori. When I finally got downstairs myself, I found Emmi in our room with a pile of freshly washed cloth diapers. She looked up and informed me "I'll fold the washcloths. You fold the diapers."

So what was the point of those facts? To prove that I really am an over achiever. Because that is why this verse made me think... "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Romans 9:11.

What is zeal?

Zeal: Ardor, as for a cause, fervent. (Webster's Student Dictionary)

Do not be slothful in zeal; zeal for what? To see the windows sparkle? The clothes folded? That to-do list shrinking? Or something bigger?

Something like living for the Lord? Blessing others in his name? Honoring him with every breath?

Zeal for the Lord: To live for the cause of his name, fervent in our passion to serve him.

It is easy for me to understand "zeal". And yet, do I really understand zeal for the Lord? When I push aside the urge to go pray and ask the Lord for strength to get through something with the fact that "there is too much to do", neglect to pause and consider whether this is really important to the Lord, what am I living in zeal for? My own agenda, or the glory of God?

Yes, it is easy for me to understand zeal in my own definition. But true zeal for the Lord will set aside my own ideals when they conflict with the work that God has for me, when they get in the way of lessons he is trying to teach me, when they replace my zeal for him. I should serve him with more zeal than I finish my to do list. Without being slothful. Without pushing it aside. Without thinking it too hard.

On the flip side, though... "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Not even a zeal to obey the teachings of Christ will save us. Christ's sacrifice, his gift, his calling us to faith in him, is all that will save us. Not even if we, by our own imperfect "goodness", serve him with all zeal, will we have hope without a gift of faith being granted to us. 

So that no man may boast. Not in their own goodness. Not in their own work. Not in their own achievements. But in the grace of Jesus Christ. Grace that I pray that I may learn to love more, to serve with true faith and zeal in that grace.

Thankful Thursday, week 58

This week I am especially thankful for...
~Mixes.
~The adventures of Abbi... more importantly, that she has survived those adventures.
~Our fifteen passenger van :)...
~...That we were able to clean last night ;)...
~The Peake railroad trails.
~A picnic and hike with dear friends.
~That my siblings and our friends were able to get such a kick out of finding some sun-bleached bones on the trails today ::shudder::...
~Tiny hands in mine.
~Lavender spray (it smells good, and is an insect repellant!)
~Wild strawberries.
~That our peas have flowers on them... so fun :)!
~Also, I think our bell pepper plants are coming up :).
 ~Lighters...
 ~Sewing needles.
 ~That somebody else looked at our house tonight :).
~That I was able to finish copying out the last chapter of the second half of Romans today :).
~That we can trust God to save us by faith, and do not have to work for our salvation.
~All the forms of writing that are open for those who love to write :)... of which group I happen to be a member (oh, side note to prove my point: Mommy was printing two recipes for a friend. She got the first one, off of Tammy's Recipes, and save the file as "Homemade bread"... then saved mine, which is our altered version (which I wrote for a friend and posted on my blog), "Bri's monologue"...)
~The books I have been enjoying lately :).
~Quotes like this...

"What I need is a more thankful heart to the 

"Giver of every good and perfect gift"

         ~"Stonewall" Jackson, to his bride

           "Beloved Bride", by William Potter

~That Daddy is on his way home!

 "Bless the LORD, all his works, 

in all places of his dominion. 

Bless the LORD, O my soul!"

                         ~Psalms 103:22

Reading through God's word

I have read through many bible readings plans the last couple years. Three months, a Proverb a day for a month, one year (which turned into seven months... I don't think I did that one right, haha ;).), reading through the same passage fifty days in a row, and a friend and I were working on reading through the bible in six months when we decided to jump into Romans. We plan on finishing that after Romans :). I have done them alone, with a group of friends, with Tori, with just one friend, and, as far as Romans goes, with a group I don't even know who all it includes ;), thanks to Grace Mally's invitation to those who wanted to join her. But I had never done one with Bethi!
Bethi was going to start a one year bible reading plan on the first of May. About the (tenth?... I think...), she asked me where I was at in Genesis. I gave her a blank look, haha :). I told her I was in Romans, and she gave me a blank look. Come to find out, she thought that I was joining her in her reading plan (although we never talked about it before she started, I didn't know until she started that she was planning on it!). She was truly disappointed that I wasn't, it made me kind of sad :P. I decided to do the best I could to catch up, and have finally caught up with her... It is really precious to see her face light up when she hears that I am going to go read my day's chapters in Genesis :). She runs and grabs her bible, and we will sit together and read :). I have enjoyed it immensely, and I can tell it means a lot to her :). I am so proud of her (and Tori, who is doing a six months reading plan with Mommy!) though, because I know at her age I rarely read more than a chapter a day... I am so glad that they are already into studying God's word and growing in him! I have been struck several times with the fact that if I had started really studying the word when I was younger, instead of squishing one chapter in because reading the bible was the right thing to do, and I couldn't justify reading less than a chapter... How much more I would have gained! I don't think that I read the bible cover-to-cover once before I was twelve, I kind of skipped around, with no real purpose (not that I see skipping as bad, if you are doing it to study, it is just that I couldn't stay in the same book for more than a month... and since Genesis is fifty chapters long, and I only read a chapter a day, I rather failed at making it cover to cover... badly!). It is sad to think of all the time I wasted, but I am so glad to see my younger siblings already actively searching God's word and I am so thankful for the chance to study it now :)!!!

As for some news, Daddy arrives home tomorrow night, after we spend a day with some friends, and keep ourselves out of the house so that we aren't in the way while someone else comes to look at it :)! We are praying that this will be it, and yet we know that it may not be... it is hard to wait for God's timing sometimes, but I know the wait will have been worth it when we look back at it five years from now. Also, my math was "absolutely" fun today.. "absolutely" shocking, right? Heehee :). But, really... it was "absolute values" :)...
I need to go now... I have to weed eat the yard, and we still have to finish up a couple other things, yet, today, so that we are ready to leave early tomorrow...

Late Thankful Thursday, week 57

This week I am thankful for...
~Butterflies...

~Recipe websites.
~Mommy :)!
~That Tori and I actually did quite well sneaking items into the cart for Mother's day last week. That shocked ME more than it did Mommy, haha! It was fun to actually surprise her :).
~Getting in the kitchen with the little ones to bake.
~Their enjoyment in doing activities like that with me :).
~Fresh biscuits.
~Emmi's dainty little self. She was trying to help me make some french toast Sunday, and I was letting her dip the bread and place it the pan. I wish you could have seen how she gingerly took two little fingers and tried to do it without getting too much of that "goo" on her ;)!
~Emmi's new milestone- no more diapers for her, haha :)!
~That there is a reason to rejoice no matter what :)!
~That muffins adapt fairly well to egg substitutes :). I am pleasantly surprised by that fact :).
~Getting to read through the bible with Bethi :). I'll try to have more on that later :).
~The next Hidden Treasures auction, that starts on June first, to help two little ones make their way home to their forever family :)!
~"Beloved Bride", a book with the letters of "Stonewall" Thomas Jackson to his wife. I have meant to read this book for a couple years, since watching "Gods and Generals", and just finally got into it Sunday night. I am enjoying learning more about him, and the letters are beautiful :).
~The ten Boom family's testimony. Tori has been reading the book lately, so she asked Mommy if we could watch that Sunday night. It is such an amazing story, even when you have heard it before!...
~The yummy meal Bethi made us the other night :)!

~The smell of tomato plants.
~The peas in our garden.... they are so pretty :)...
~That you learn something new every time you read a passage of scripture.
~Lessons from the Lord.
~So many littles things... a certain smile... a comment... laughter... a promise... so much...

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, 

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him."

                                              ~ Colossians 3:17

Oh, and... check it out :)! My Mom is taking blogging back up again at "For Where Your Treasure Is" :)!!!

A precious little Daddy-in-the-making :)....

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!!!

(I wrote this yesterday, but left before I edited it, and never came back... I still wanted to post it, though. I am so thankful for Mommy!)
I am especially grateful today for Mommy, and all that she and Daddy have done for us children over the past fifteen years :)! They are truly following the Lord as they raise us, and there is so much that I thank them for! Along with the blessings such as their desire to raise us for the Lord, their decision to leave their family in God's hands, homeschooling us, and doing all they can to make the very best choices to raise us to be strong men and women, there are so many other things to be grateful for! Just the other day, as I thought of this upcoming day, I was thinking how grateful I was for Mommy, and I thought how glad I am that she has made literature and hymns such a big part of our life, among other things :).
Happy Mother's day, Mommy! We love you :)!!!

Ramblings on rejoicing...

 "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." Romans 12:9-13
Last night I was struck with the fact that I really need to rejoice more. I don't believe I am nearly thankful enough. I asked the Lord to help me to see the blessings in life, to take time to stop and give thanks especially when I felt that something was going "wrong", and to help me, especially, to show more thankfulness to others in my life for things that they do, if that is writing me a note, bringing me an item, gathering the trash without being asked, or doing one of my jobs to bless me. There is something to be grateful for in everything, whether we see it at first glance, or have to do a retake!
After last night's thoughts, the verses above really seemed to pop out at me as I was reading through Romans this morning, especially verse twelve: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Rejoice. Something that does not come naturally, but something we are commanded to do. From our Lord, through our Lord, and for our Lord. Rejoice. When we feel there is a reason. Rejoice. When we don't feel like it. Rejoice. When we don't think anything is big enough to rejoice about. Rejoice. When it seems there is nothing to rejoice about. Rejoice. In all things. In ALL things.
When the dishes are clean, the house is picked up, the children's baths are done, the yard is mowed, the garden is weeded, the floors are freshly washed, and you are heading off to bed, rejoice in the Lord for his gifts.
(Although realistic, I am not thinking of a certain day while I write this next paragraph.... haha :).) When you have five baking projects going on at once, no more dishes left to continue them in, weeds as tall as the children outside your kitchen window, a child who needs a diaper change, and five children are begging for a snack at eight p.m., and all you may want to do is pull out your hair, thereby causing all others to want to do the same (:P...), rejoice in the Lord for his gifts. Be patient in this "tribulation". Stop, say a prayer, and ask the Lord for the grace to see the gifts...
Gifts like the fact that you have the ingredients for your five baking projects (four of which you probably chose to make at that time yourself... if you are anything like me, ahem.). That you have water, soap, a sink, and a rag to wash more of the dishes that the Lord has given you to finish those projects, and that you have several siblings who will probably pitch in to get those dishes dried. That the weeds aren't inside (it's the little things during times like these ;).), that you can pull them later, and that the plants will forgive you if you make them wait one more day. That you have diapers to change the baby into, hands to change them, and a reason to slow down and talk to them. That you have food to give the little ones, a fridge to keep it fresh, and, hey, at least it isn't nine yet! You can also, if you give into temptation, be glad that hair grows back ;)... There is also the fact that, if this is all that your "tribulation" consists of, you can be very glad that it is not as bad as it could be. We are very blessed to live in America, where we can still pray without fear!
I could say more, and I could go on into how several other thoughts came to me while reading those verses, especially the phrases "Outdo one another in showing honor" and "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Prayer is also an area that I think I struggle with. But, you know what? I have the gift of being able to trust in my Lord to help me overcome my weaknesses, and I know that, in some way, he has said that even in those weaknesses, his name will be brought to honor.
I will admit, it isn't always easy. I have already had to retrace my steps several times this morning and tell myself to stop and think of as many things as I can to be grateful for in this situation, when I wanted to grumble, or, in some cases, did grumble! But it truly is worth it! And at this time, I am thanking the Lord for his gentle convictions, his promises, and Romans :)!

Thankful Thursday, week 56

So, I didn't post on Thursday last week. I thought about writing a thankful Thursday early, on Wednesday, but then got busy, and didn't think of it again until Friday! I figured it was about time to get this up, since tomorrow is Thursday again ;)... so here are just a few of the things I have to be grateful for :)...
~Bethi, a gift for eight years now :).
~Time with Tori, creating cupcake designs, making a mess of the kitchen, and using far too many icing tips, which then needed washed, haha!
~Romans 9-16... Katie and are a back into studying Romans, and loving every minute of it :)!
~The blessing the Lord has placed in my life in my parents and their guidance!
~Special friendships the Lord has given me.
~A great time with our friends last Friday :).
~A day spent making strawberry jam and fresh bread, laughing and talking, and, ahem, cleaning up a very big mess ;).
~Growing plants in the garden.
~Hands to pull weeds... haha!
~Honeysuckle :).
~Trees.
~The movement of the clouds, I always love watching them when you can tell they are moving :).
~Learning more about God's wonderful creations.
~Homemade chocolate sauce ;)...
~Rain for the garden.
~Bright sunshine to dry the yard.
~Bunnies all over the yard :)... (still haven't caught one yet, though ;)...)
~The sight of Peter toddling all around :)!
~Picking up sign language again (yes, still working on that..)
~Emmi's excitement for her upcoming birthday.
~And verses of praise, such as this one...

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!"

                                   ~Psalms 118:1

I'll try my very best to come back tomorrow with this week's thankful thoughts, on time ;)...

Bethi's birthday :)...

 Here are a few pictures from Bethi's birthday :). I don't have as many as I did for Peter, partly because Daddy took just her out, not the whole family :), and partly, too, because I didn't have my camera while we did her cupcakes :P... but, I still have these...

 

Emmi greatly enjoyed Bethi's birthday breakfast of waffles ;)...

 Bethi opened a very special gift before Daddy 

took her out... a pack of earrings. Guess where they made 

their first stop at? Hint- she didn't have 

pierced ears in this picture :)...

 Daddy and Bethi, going out for lunch, fun, and to get 

Bethi's ears pierced. She has been looking forward to earrings, 

but didn't think it would happen for two more years!

 Bethi :)...

 Emmi "guarding" the un-iced cupcakes ;)... 

(love the cupcake outfit for this picture ;)!)

 

 ...in full dress. (By the way, Mommy snuck a 

whole half a cupcake out from under her nose, hahaha!)

While they were gone, the rest of us were busy icing Bethi's cupcakes (we made them sea creature themed :), per Bethi's request), decorated the house, cleaned up, and started supper. When they got back, we watched a really neat video on what happens when you wring a cloth out in space, and Bethi opened her presents :)...

 Bethi-boo :).

 Cards...

 Tiny gift!

 She got a book by Emily Barnes... what is really 

neat, is that Bethi picked up one that we already 

owned the night before to read, with no 

idea that this was coming :)...

 This is a interesting gift :)... it has been 

sitting in the toy chest for years, and Abbi 

or Emmi wrapped it up for Bethi... 

...and Bethi just found out that Mommy made it

 for her when she was two! She didn't know 

it was her's, hahaha!

 Oh, the camera has been around a while, too ;)...

 Letter writing supplies! Bethi loves to write letters :)!

Bethi is so sweet :). She always buys items for 

each of us while she is out on her birthday :).... 

Abbi loved these puzzles she received :). 

(And I loved the note cards Bethi gave me :)!)

We then enjoyed supper and Bethi's cupcakes :). (Some of which, Tori would like me to know, looked like they were decorated with an octopus, not a jelly fish, haha....).
We are so thankful for the gift of Bethi, and thankful to the Lord that he has placed her in our family!

 And look at her little ears :)...

Take a look at this giveaway...

http://babynumber10.blogspot.com/2013/04/saving-penny.html.
Enter into this giveaway, and help a precious little girl at the same time :)! Penny 's family is working hard to bring her home, and we can help with prayer, money, and by spreading the word :)... Penny is such a beautiful little girl, and I can't wait to see her blossom once she gets home :)!

Happy 8th birthday, Bethi!!!

Bethi is eight years old! It doesn't seem that long since Tori and I ran into the kitchen to find our Aunt jumping up and down telling us that our little sister was here, haha :)...
It has been a delight to be with Bethi, laughing with her, talking with her, learning things together, helping her with her craft projects, and watching her grow this past year :). She has taken a great interest in helping the little ones at the orphanage in Pleven, Bulgaria, and it has been precious to see her enthusiasm in making items to donate to help bring them home :). She has also enjoyed getting to play the role of "big sister" to Peter in different ways then she was able to when Emmi was a baby, as she was older when Peter was born :). She has grown in the Lord, and her comments often bring us a smile :). She told us a couple months ago that "God is like a vase of flowers, because he holds all of us, and we are the flowers!", which I thought was a wonderful analogy :).
I am so blessed to have each and every one of my siblings, and today I am so thankful to take a pause in our lives and praise God for all that he has given us, especially, today, Bethi, a precious gift in our lives for eight years :).
Happy birthday, Bethi!!!

Peter's birthday...

You could say that Peter's birthday celebration started the Saturday before his birthday, since that was the day Daddy made it home and stuck his head around the corner of our screened in porch, haha :). We were thrilled, especially since we had thought that he would only be able to make it back for a day or two. He ended up staying until Wednesday :).
Peter's birthday, which I said was on that Wednesday, was actually that Tuesday, the 23d, haha :). (Am I great with dates, or what?!) ;) Mommy and Daddy's original plans were to go strawberry picking, but the strawberry farm wasn't open that day, so we chose to go take a picnic lunch and take a hike over the old Peak railroad :).

 On the road as we head out to celebrate his birthday :).

 Daddy and the birthday boy :)...

 

 Here I am taking a picture of Tori taking a

 picture of Daddy taking a picture of me taking 

a picture of Tori... haha! It gets better every year ;).

 Birthday boy :)!

 No, she wasn't taking the show for a

 while there, why do you ask ;)?

 Behind the scenes ;).

Ready to see what is on the other side of the fence :).

I thought the whole train aspect fit for a boy's birthday, even if he doesn't know it yet ;). Even if there was no train around ;). The railroad was destroyed in 1876 to stop Sherman's men on their route, but was re-built in 1904. Now it is being included in a trail that will, Lord willing, cover SC from the upper west corner, to the lower east corner! It was a lot of fun, and it was beautiful, not too hot, either, which was a blessing :).

The rails happen to be over a river ;). Some of us 

happen to be afraid of both heights and water. 

And yet, we all enjoyed it :)!

 Love :)!!!

 I love getting to be with my siblings all the time!

 This is really pretty :)...

 Birthday boy photo shoot :).

 Emmi wanted so badly to see turtles, but they 

just looked like rocks to her, poor baby...

 First time standing on a bridge, let alone an old train rail path ;)!

 Love her :).

I believe that is a Pearly Crescent, but I could be wrong. 

Daddy helped me with this one, if I hadn't cropped 

it you would see that his hand was three inches away,

holding up a leaf :).

When we arrived home, we started making Peter's birthday cake, a very special one :). It was so much fun! I'll share a picture later :)...
Daddy and Abbi and Emmi then went out to get the pizza for supper. Peter was happy to play with a balloon for a while, while Tori and Mommy decorated the house for his actual "cake and presents party", but was more than ready to eat by the time the pizza got here...

 "Little Brother" loved the balloons :).

See? They haven't even made it home yet, 

and he sat himself down ;).

Peter then opened his gifts, and he loved all of it! We have never seen a one year old get so into his birthday before, haha! He played with every toy as it came out of the paper, peeking into the packages when Mommy asked what was in the next one... He was adorable! I was thrilled when he loved the lamb I knit him (inspired going off the bible verse "He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." John 21:17 :).). We are joking it was because I worked on the pieces in front of him, and he caught me once while I was sewing it together, haha ;)! He asked for it every time, so we guess he was thrilled he finally got his hands on it and I didn't hide it ;).

 Cards :)!

 "I get to tear it with permission?!!!!"

 "Help me out here...'

 "Aha! That is a perfect fit!"

 What is this?"

 

"I really think...

...that I am excited!" ;)

 The first in our family to own a smartphone ;).

 Look at his little hands putting the nails where they go :)...

Concentrating very hard :).

He equally enjoyed his "cake"... this little boy wouldn't eat more that a couple bites of solid food at a meal just a month ago, but he finished off almost all of this "smash cake" that evening. He LOVED it! Although some of us had pound cake, also, he thought that his first taste of watermelon was the best thing in the world, and needed nothing else!!!

 Isn't this neat?!

 A TRUE "Fruit cake" :)...

 Peter's own little "smash cake" ;).

 Excited :)!

 He is too funny...

 ...and adorable :).

 We hung this monkey on the back of Abbi's chair for her 

"monkey birthday" last year, and I think it has been on

every birthday person's chair since then :)...

 Looking up to Bethi :)...

It was a wonderful day, spent celebrating a precious, precious gift from God, with the whole family together, and lots of fun and laughter :). Love this little boy...