More Cousin Pictures

Perspective in Trials

"For the Gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His Gospel purposes in me."

-A Gospel Primer for Christians, Milton Vincent (pg.31)

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!! (in lieu of Linky Love)

Happy Birthday honey!!! I am praying for you to have a wonderful day, despite everything that is going on! You are such a joy and blessing to me! I am so impressed by your strength and your reliance on the Lord. He has blessed you with wisdom and love. You show hessed to us every day! We love you very much!!!

Weigh In

No change for this week for Ryan or myself. While no weight loss is frustrating, it is much better than weight gain! We're going to keep on keeping on!

I just got back last night from four days at the beach with my family. My sister, Jen and my nephew, Sawyer came back home with me for a couple days. It has been a lot of fun because I usually only get to see them once a year since they live in another state. Jen and I have been able to grow much closer this week and have some awesome talks about the Lord!

Please continue to pray for Patty. The news from the oncologist was not good and she has to remain in the hospital longer than she anticipated.

My brain has turned to mush, so that's all for tonight!

Wordless Wednesday

A Day of Praise

The other night I was reading Psalm 113 and I came across verse 3, "From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!" This was so convicting to me because I am failing at this. So much of my day is spent thinking about myself, complaining, trying to make myself the most comfortable, doing what I desire. That is not praising the Lord! He is not pleased with this. I asked the question, so how can I praise Him all day long?

The next morning, I was reading Psalm 119 and verse 7 struck me, "I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous rules." This is how I praise Him all day, by living with an upright heart. The rest of the Psalm tells me how to have this upright heart. It taught me that I need to be living intentionally, actively, passionately, joyfully seeking to know God, His Word, and obeying Him. This is how I'm to live my life. Instead, I so often just float through life waiting for the next thing to happen and then reacting to it. Living intentionally takes a lot of work and I'm lazy and self focused.

I have confessed this sin to the Lord and am confidante in His gracious forgiveness and mercy. I have decided to make Psalm 113:3 my theme verse for the year. I think it will give me a proper perspective. It will be fun to find ways to praise Him during the day, all day. It will be fun to teach this to my girls.

For me, part of living intentionally has to be getting up before the girls do so I can have time alone with God. This is so hard for me because I love sleep! It's also hard because it means I need to be disciplined and go to bed earlier at night. My plan is to get up at 6:30 every morning. I'm telling you this so that you can all hold me accountable to this. I do so much better with accountability.

So, what are some ways you can praise Him today?

Afternoon in Roslyn

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

More A.W. Tozer on Hope

Only a Christian has a right to hope, for only he has the power of God to give substance to his hope. The man who hopes in Christ is as safe as the rainbow-circled throne where sits the God who cannot lie. Such a man has a moral right to look upward and quietly wait for the fulfillment of every promise. Let him but see to it that his anticipations conform to the revealed Word of God and he has nothing to doubt or fear in life or in death. His loftiest flights of fancy cannot outsoar the promises of God to those that love Him and that hope in His mercy.

(The Size of the Soul, ch. 20)

Prayer Needed

Please pray for my Mother in Law/Love, Patty as we got the pathology report back today. She has Pancreatic Andenocarcinoma. Translation: the worst kind of pancreatic cancer. She is in Stage 1b, which is an early stage. Most people don't even know they have this type of cancer by this stage, so it is a praise that they were able to catch it early. She had the most aggressive type of surgery too, which is a good thing. They don't think it spread anywhere else, but they will know more when she meets with the Oncologist. Then we will have more of a prognosis too. From our research online, it doesn't look very good, but I don't even want to get into that tonight! Please pray for my husband also as he is dealing with this and has to preach two services tomorrow, teach Sunday School, and do some marriage counseling, as well as deal with various other ministry related things. His hope is in the Lord, but he is also exhausted.

How To Put On Your Own Belt

Linky Love

Worship: Here is a convicting article on worship by Tim Challies.

Signatures: You can go here to get a digital copy of your signature (or close to it).

Time Waster: Here is an Ikea game where you see if you can figure out by a name of a product, what product it actually belongs to.

Theological Word of the Day: Here is a site where you can learn more and impress your friends!

Weigh In, Week 3

There is not much to report this week. Neither Ryan or I have lost any weight this week. We haven't gained any either, so that's a good thing. I kind of expected a plateau soon since we lost so much at first. We'll keep on keeping on!

Pictures from our Vacation Hike!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

How am I doing?

I have had a few people ask me how I'm doing since the miscarriage and also tell me that they have been afraid to ask me because they don't want to bring up any thing that I want to forget. Anyone can ask me at any time. It is healing for me to talk about it. It's also very important to me that people don't think that I've just forgotten about my baby.

I am doing better than I ever have before in some respects and worse than I ever have before in other respects. I am closer to the Lord than I ever have been in my life. I have been struggling with depression. I understand why people call it a "battle". It is something that I have been fighting with. It is getting easier and better, but it has by no means gone away. The week after my DNC was the darkest in my life. In God's Providence, I had been reading the Psalms as part of our Church's Bible reading plan. Over and over again I read how God is faithful, how He loves me with a steadfast love, how He is worthy to be trusted. How He is my refuge, how if I cry out to Him He will answer. He is my only source of true hope, joy, peace, rest. If I cling to Him, trust in Him, He will prove faithful.

I have found that if I stop clinging to Him and think I can do things in my own power then the darkness comes again. There are times when I feel like I am suffocating. I feel like crying and throwing things across the room at the same time. I am irritable and inpatient, especially with my precious Rylie. Then I feel even worse. Sometimes I'll just burst in to tears for no reason.

But, if I cling to Him and am daily in the Word and continually communing with Him through prayer throughout the day, I feel so much better. He does hear us when we cry out to Him! He does offer hope and peace! I was going to share some verses with you that have helped me, but as I went through my journal, there were too many!

I have also learned that there are times when it's okay to praise and cry, to mourn and sing. It is an interesting paradox.

So, how am I? Great and struggling. I so much appreciate all of the hugs and prayers and support I have been given!

A.W. Tozer on Hope

So strong, so beautiful is hope that it is scarcely possible to overpraise it. It is the divine alchemy that transmutes the base metal of adversity into gold. In the midst of death Paul could be bold and buoyant because he had firm confidence in the final outcome. "For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake," he said, but his heart remained cheerful knowing that "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:11,17). His lovely little benediction pronounced over the Roman Christians shows how faith and peace and joy live with hope like four fair sisters dwelling in the same cottage: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
Faith is confidence in the character of God, and hope is the sweet anticipation of desirable things promised but not yet realized. Hope is an electronic beam on which the Christian flies through wind and storm straight to his desired haven. To the child of God, hope is a gift from the heavenly Father "who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thessalonians 2:16).
The Christian's hope is sound because it is founded upon the character of God and the redeeming work of His Son Jesus Christ. For this reason Peter could call it "a living hope" (1 Peter 1:3). It is living because it rests on reality and not on fancy. It is not wishful dreaming but vital expectation with the whole might of the Most High behind it.
( The Size of the Soul, Chapter 20 )

Update

Thank you for praying! Patty just got out of surgery about a half hour ago. It was almost ten hours long. The tumor ended up being much larger than they thought and took up her whole pancreas. They ended up having to remove her pancreas, spleen, and part of her stomach. We have to wait until next week to get the pathology report. She is in recovery now, Ryan is hoping to be able to see her in about 40 minutes, but she probably won't fully wake up until tomorrow. She will be spending the next two days in the ICU and then ten more days in the hospital.
The Lord still deserves to be praised for His steadfast love! I have been learning that it's possible to praise and cry at the same time! Please continue to pray!

I'm Choosing to Praise

I am a worrier! That is my natural bent. When I was reading my Bible this morning, I realized that I have a choice today. I have a very long day ahead of me while my Mother in Law/Love is in the hospital having major surgery and as we are awaiting the diagnosis to find out if she has cancer or not and if so which kind. (There are two kinds of pancreatic cancer, one is manageable, the other is fatal.)

I read Psalm 100 this morning. This is one of my favorite Psalms and was very comforting to me when my nephew, Luke was in surgery. Today, I return to it, and once again take comfort.

"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100:3-5
I love how this tells us that He is God, He is our Creator! He made us and he personally knows us. I belong to Him. I know that Patty belongs to Him. He made her and He knows her personally, she is His lamb. He knows that she is having surgery right now, He is right there with her. Not only does God know her, He loves her with a steadfast love and He is faithful. This should cause us to praise Him and thank Him.
So, today, instead of worrying I'm choosing to praise Him. I know that no matter what happens today, God loves her and He is faithful. No matter what happens, He is worthy of praise and thanksgiving!

*Please scroll down to see pictures of Abby's princess party and more pictures from our vacation! My little princess is playing batman and running in the rain with her boy cousin right now!

Please Pray

Please pray for Ryan's Mom today as she is having a major surgery to remove a possibly cancerous tumor from her pancreas. The surgery is seven plus hours. I will be home watching my nephews and the girls so Ryan and his sisters can be at the hospital. I'll provide updates as I get them. Thank you for your prayers!

Mt. Hyack Trip

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Abby's Princess Party

Banana Treat

Here is a treat that Rylie made the other day. It was so simple that she could do it all by herself. You just dip bananas in any flavor yogurt (she chose raspberry) and then put sprinkles on them. Then you put a Popsicle stick in it and put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Then enjoy!

(Thanks Pam for the idea!)

Linky Love

Time Waster: Have you ever wondered how much caffeine it would take to kill you? If so, I've got a site for you! You can go here and enter in your favorite caffienated beverage, you're weight, etc. and it will tell you how much of that drink you would have to have before it would kill you.

Great Book List: If you ever wondered whether or not a book was a classic, or needed an idea of something to read, this is the site for you.

What Impresses God: This article reminds us that even during all of the hype and excitement of the Olympics we need to remember and pray for the persecuted Church in China.

Contest: My friend, Dee is hosting a contest on her blog. If you post a comment reviewing a book you've read this summer, you'll be entered into a random drawing for a $15 gift card to Borders!

Update

Thank you for praying for my Grandma. She came through surgery fine and is now recovering.
Please keep praying for her and my Grandpa's salvation!

Anna now has two adorable little teeth that have broken through on her bottom gum! She has also started sucking on her toes! I love my girls!

Week 2 Weigh In

I'm very encouraged! I lost four more pounds this week. This brings my weight loss total up to nine pounds! 61 more to go. Ryan is out of town at the moment so I don't have his weight loss totals for this week. We used a calorie counting site to figure out how many calories we each need to eat every day to loose weight and then meet that figure every day. It has been much easier this time around, since I'm not pregnant. I'm not constantly starving all of the time!

Please pray for my Grandma today. She goes in at 1:00 for a double heart stint. This surgery comes with good and bad news. The good news is that she needs this for her heart and they are putting in the best kind of stints. The bad news is that this means that she can't have surgery to remove the cancer for a year after the stints are put in. Without this cancer surgery it cuts her survival chances in half. She said she doesn't think she'll make it till next year for the cancer surgery. I think the plan right now is to continue the Chemo. Please pray primarily for her and my Grandpa's salvation. We also desire her healing and removal of pain. I'll update after I hear how her surgery goes today.

My Idaho Scrapbook!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Good Article

This article on suffering blessed me today! Read it here.

Cousins!

Rylie had so much fun playing with her boy cousins while we were in Idaho! She tried to rough house and keep up with them. They don't seem to mind that she's younger than them or a girl. They treat her really good. They let her play with them and teach her how to play superheros and how to do all sorts of boy things. We were a little surprised though when she told us, "I need a fireball." When Ryan asked her why she said, "So we can crack the bad guys in the head with it." Ryan promptly called his sisters and wanted to know what else the boys were teaching his little girl!

A well-furnished mind

A well-furnished mind is like a beautifully appointed home; it has room for many things and must be kept with constant vigilance. Moth and rust mar and ruin the house in which no one lives. Simple neglect is more destructive than continual use. We often meet women who have ceased to grow because they have ceased to study, have ceased to be receptive and responsive. By forming the habit of reading and arranging for an hour with a good book in the day’s work, every woman, young or older, will increase her mental wealth and her facility to learn. A girl’s greatest charm is not in her graceful figure nor a beautiful grace; it is in her power to interest those whom she meets. To be an interesting woman one must have a bright and wide-awake mind. She must use her talents that they will increase. It is eternally true that to him that has, and exercises the gifts, more shall be given, while from him that has and does not use the gifts, there shall be a loss.
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, Winsome Womanhood, Chapter Five: Her Books (from Heartthoughts)

Praise

Praise can heighten your awareness that distressing circumstances are God's blessings in disguise. Your trials rip away the flimsy fabric of your self-sufficiency. This makes room for God's spirit to weave into your life a true and solid confidence--the kind of confidence that Paul expressed in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Ruth Myers, 31 Days of Praise, 124

I love my family!

Linky Love

Hunter Brown is released: Our friends, Chris and Allan have written a Novel! I had the privilege of reading the manuscript and I couldn't put it down! Now I get to read it in book form. Go here to read Ryan's review of this great book and be sure to click on the link to buy your own copy. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Give Away: Go here to enter into a Back to School giveaway contest from various work at home moms.

Time Waster: Here is a quiz to see if you know what all those company logos you see mean.

Free Book: Here is a link to order a free book from John MacArthur, no strings attached!

Weigh In and Walker

Anna started using her walker yesterday. I know, I know, walkers aren't recommended any more, but the stairs to the basement are always locked and I don't have things she can pull down on top of her. I'm very cautious with her. That aside, she loves it! She is figuring out how to make it move but is mostly just going backwards. Aren't those the cutest chubby little legs?!

Since chubby legs aren't so cute on grown ups, I'm going back on my diet. This time, Ryan's joining me. That will make it so much easier for me! We will be eating the same things so I won't feel deprived of something. Plus, I'm pretty competitive, so that will be an added incentive! I had started my diet a few months ago and managed to loose 10lbs. That might not sound like a lot, but what I didn't realize at the time was that I was pregnant, so 10 lbs is actually a lot. I couldn't figure out why my stomach hadn't shrunk and why I was constantly hungry and having intense cravings! It should be easier this time around, not that I don't have those pesky hormones constantly telling me I need chocolate, etc!

We actually started on Monday and I'm ashamed to tell you that I weigh five more pounds than Ryan! So far, we have both lost five pounds, so he's still ahead of me. We are counting our calories and he has given up Pepsi. For those of you who know my husband well, know what a big deal that is! My goal is to loose 65 lbs. I'll include a "before" picture of us, so you can see how thin we are in a couple of months!

Scenes From Idaho

We interrupt this Wordless Wednedsday with. . .

words! Specifically, "DaDa"! This is what Anna has been saying all morning. (Let the record show that she has said "MaMa" and "MomMom" in the past, but those of the male persuasion in my house don't think those were intentional.) Anna gets so excited whenever she sees her Daddy, excitement just oozes from her little body. When he talks to her, she turns electric and her limbs can't contain themselves. She is just bursting with love for her Da Da!

She had her first baby food Monday night! She wasn't to sure what she thought of the sweet potatoes at first, but she kept opening her mouth for them, so maybe she liked them.

Our Rylie girl has officially turned into a princess! She was Cinderella all day yesterday (pictures coming soon) and had a ball (pun intended). She has a couple dress up gowns that we have gotten as gifts or at garage sales. She was thrilled when she discovered that she could take them off and put them on all by herself. Yesterday she tried on a few different outfits over and over again. Today she left to go to a play date at her friend Daniel and Jonathan's house, wand in hand. I don't know if those boys will know what hit them!

Wordless Wednesday