3rd Week Before Summer Break

As I sit and reflect on the past week I am so thankful for the amazing God that we have, for his word of truth: the Bible, for the freedoms we have not only in this country but for the freedom we enjoy in Christ Jesus, for forgiveness of sin, the holy spirit as resident advisor, counselor and friend. It is God who is my all in all.

Spring seems to be here for good. The outdoors is looking pretty dressed up these days and I have so enjoyed being outside. This past weekend I enjoyed several bonfires. My source of fuel for the last 3 years has been the construction waste but it is running low so Dan went out and harvested some real wood yesterday.

The leftover construction remnants and my new "company" wood.

The space behind our house has been a source of enjoyment to us. Directly behind is the storm water pond and beyond that some woods. On the other side of the woods is our church so Dan has made a point of mowing out a path for us to be able to walk through and arrive at the north end of our church property. Following is a picture journal of the walk we took together yesterday.

The wild flowers are coming up, along with many weeds. It is a little hard to know the difference between the two sometimes. It is continually changing as one day last week I looked out and there was a whole crop of pretty purple flowers in bloom.

The rest of the flowers are starting to appear as well. The tulips have gasped their last breath and now I have to wait until the leaves die down to pull them and then plant some annuals in their place. I hope to plant in a few places this coming week.

Two weeks of school and then summer break will be here. I would like to get involved in some ministry opportunities this summer and am considering what God might have me do. I started a new Bible study yesterday in the book of Daniel. Prophetic studies have always been difficult for me but Kay Arthur is such a good teacher that I am hoping I can learn. If you are interested in joining it can be found at: http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/precepts/. "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Hebrews 4:12.

4th Week Before Spring Break

Last week found us well into the month of May but judging by the weather it seemed more like April - a little chilly and a lot windy. Hopefully soon the wind will begin to subside and we can actually be outside without blowing away.

Monday evening I enjoyed an hour of 24 - one of the few shows that I follow regularly. Tonight is the season finale so we get to see how Jack Bauer brings the crisis to a conclusion - Go Jack. Also earlier in the day Dan go clearance to walk without his beautiful boot and he got to slip into his shoes once again. His foot is still in a recovery process but making progress. - Yeah.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by and before I knew the weekend was here. On Friday evening the girls and I attended the mother/daughter event at church. It was an enjoyable evening of visiting together and with other ladies as well.

The laundry and cleaning was waiting patiently for me on Saturday. Thinking that I was ready for something fun to do we decided at rather the last minute to make a run to Des Moines on Sunday to see Dee and Mary. It had been a while since we had been there. We got lunch together, hung out and visited in the afternoon and headed back home again.

I am switched from counting the weeks of school left to the actual days now. It is getting close to summer break.

5th Week Before Summer Break

The dawn of a new week is right upon me. This past week seemed to fly by pretty quick and there was lots going on especially toward the end of the week. Spring is still sprouting up and it is so very nice to be seeing a lot more green. My maple tree has made great strides in just the last 7 days and I do believe it is anxious to show itself off. We do have one tree that we planted last fall that isn't looking so good. I think it will make some fuel for an upcoming bon fire. At least it wasn't one that we had been tending long.

On Thursday night we enjoyed an evening of music at Chatfield Elementary School. Mikaela's class sang in their school program and she played a piano piece in the school recital. I think she did a great job and she doesn't even seem to be nervous playing in front of a couple hundred people. She is typically a shy kid and I am proud of her.

Elise of course was a cute as a button too. Several songs that Mikaela's class did had actions and Elise would watch and try to mimic them. Just too cute! We were really lucky to get seats right in the front row so she could move around a little bit making the concert more enjoyable for everybody.

Elise enjoying the music.

Friday night we hosted our small group get together call ABF - Adult Bible Fellowship. We got together for supper and had a discussion comparing a mother's love with God's love. God's love for us is greater than any human love we could imagine.

Saturday morning Denise and Tommy had a Mother's Day brunch for Shirley, Louise - Tom's grandma, and myself. Kathryn joined us as well. Fruit salsa with cinammon tortillas, egg dish, and sweet breads were the fare and all very delicious.

Pretty flowers down the center of the table.



Getting a little bit of Grandma time in. We were looking through a kid's cookbook and planning a dinner that Mikaela and I are going to make together sometime soon.

Elise and Mikaela snuggling together while watching Elmo.



A little bit windy and chilly but we braved the elements for an outdoor picture.

The rest of the day was rather quiet - I even took a nap which was so nice. The weather was a little rainy and windy until evening when it died down at which time I went outside for a quick little walk and enjoyed it very much.

Sunday was a busy morning at church, afterward lunch at Valentino's and a busy afternoon of getting caught up on all the things that hadn't gotten done over the weekend. We ran a final errand to Target and stopped at Coldstone Creamery where moms got a free ice cream with the purchase of one. That was too good of a deal to pass up. Peanut butter ice cream with Heath Bar mixed in was what I chose to get - so yummy.

Now I think I am ready to start a new week. Dan starts off Monday morning seeing his surgeon again and we are thinking that surely he will declare his foot healed. I will let you know next time.

6th Week Before Summer Break

Well the time is going by and if I am not careful I will be writing the next chapter of this blog. Since 4th quarter is so exciting (yawn) I wouldn't want you to miss out on a single thing. Actually during the week I was pretty worn out and didn't do a whole lot of anything. Thursday night is piano lesson night for Mikaela and on occasion the rest of her family join us afterward for supper. That was the case this past week and Kathryn and Brian were able to be here.

Elise discovered this little bench that I keep in the kitchen and thought it was great fun to sit on. It was just her size.

This past Saturday we attended the production of Annie put on by a theater group in Plainview. It was nicely done and I enjoyed getting out to do something fun. I had never seen this story before so enjoyed the songs and the young girls that were in it did a great job. Miss Hannigan also was great and really reminded me of a friend from church. The middle school students at Friedell will be presenting this play the first weekend of June so I will look forward to seeing it again. We wrapped up the day with dinner at home. Sunday, or course, is always a busy day and we participated in the activities at church and enjoyed an evening concert presented by the Gospelmen Quartet.

The flowers are continuing to bloom, the trees are putting out their baby leaves and the frogs in the pond have begun their chorus along with the sounds of the various birds. It is all so comforting and refreshing.

This is our maple tree that I am tracking the growth on. It seems to be a real "slow bloomer", some our our newer trees are getting their leaves much faster. It is coming though - slow but sure.

Little grape hyacinth that are popping up. I remember these from my childhood home. I see a dandelion too :-(.

Cheery daffodils - they just make you smile.

The tulips are really starting to bloom, how pretty they are.

This is my favorite species of tulip. Their leaves and petals are ruffly.

The colors, textures, shapes and smells. Who can deny the existence of a great and mighty creator?

Come back again next week and catch the next chapter in 4th quarter.