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Showing posts from July, 2014

Friday-Sunday

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It was another busy weekend full of friendship! On Friday night, we went to a pool party given for our small group by our friends the McCandlesses.  Here's two photos from the evening. Alot more were taken and shared on Facebook, but left to right in this picture it's Kim, Jessica, me, Deltra, and Vanessa.  There were other ladies and men at the party, but they just aren't in this picture.  Here's a photo of some of the our kids. They aren't all shown here. We have a lot of kids. On Saturday morning, I got up and went for hike all by myself.  I prayed a lot and I heard from God over many things including my anxiety about my future plans and my desire to memorize the Scriptures .  On Saturday afternoon, my friend Kim in the photo above came over and babysat our girls while Dwayne and I went to our friend's Ray and Donna Pennoyer's daughter's wedding and reception. Ray and Donna also go to our church and Ray is a gifted Bible scholar

The Lord's Joy

I have big plans. I am pretty sure the Lord has given me those plans. That's why I pursue them.  But as I look around right now, it's not at all obvious how the Lord will work it all out for me. So I brought the matter to Him in prayer today. I imagined everything that would need to happen before my plans are realized. Places that don't even exist would probably have to come into existence. I'd have to learn so much and become capable of things I can't do even begin to do. I'd have to meet, build, and enjoy relationships with people I haven't even met yet. I pictured all these things in my mind and it was like they materialized around me. I looked all around at the obstacles and then I looked up to God with a question forming on my lips. But before I was even able to ask it, His Holy Spirit said to me, "These things, all of these, are a simple matter for me." Instantly, I was corrected and greatly encouraged.  I felt overwhelming peace about
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Common Jingle Shells #52 out of 100
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White Cushion Moss #51 out of 100
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Gypsy Moth    #50 out of 100
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Red Chantrelle Mushrooms # 49 out of 100 Note:  The edible, delicious red chanterelle mushrooms look similar to Jack o'lantern mushrooms which are poisonous. The only way we can be totally sure about this identification is to look at the gills underneath closely which we didn't stoop down to do.   

Thursday through Sunday- Beach, Camp, Friends

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  Thursday- I took my kids to Silver Sands State Park with my friends Kim, Vanessa, Deltra, and Tricia and all their kids. We four ladies all go to church together and attend the same small group through that church. Note: For anyone who doesn't know what a small group is, it's a group of people who go to the same church, who usually share the same faith- hence the going to the same church- who live near each other, recognize their need for friendship, and agree to spend time together for the purpose of, hopefully, making lasting friendships with one another over time.  We ladies weren't total strangers to each other when we started meeting together as a small group, but we really didn't know each other that well at the time our small group started a few years ago. Anyway, back to Friday at the beach, we four ladies together have sixteen children! Here's a photo of almost all the kids before we headed home from the beach. Are we friends because we all have

Fireworks 2014

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We took the girls to see fireworks last night.  We always hope to see Ziggy there, a local celebrity who is famous for loving all things American. He waves flags on roadsides and hill tops and everyone smiles, honks, and waves. He actually parked his red, white, and blue van right next to us, so we got to chat with him longer than usual. We stopped by the grocery store to take stuff for dinner out of the cooler.  The older girls chose Deluxe Lunchables. Yuck! But they really enjoyed being able to eat fun food/ junk because it doesn't happen often. Our oldest is nine, almost ten, but she actually had a few "I'm bored." and "This is boring." moments. I took a photo to commemorate one of these occasions, evidence to me that she's really growing up. Like total amateurs, we parked right in front of the ice cream truck, so, of course, we ended up caving and getting the girls ice creams by the end of the night. We took a CD of patriotic

Group Fitness Instructor- Organizational Tips

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I am a part-time group fitness instructor.  I thought I would share some of my organizational tips here.  By no means am I claiming to be the best organized person or to have the most efficient system.  This is simply how I keep up with my work schedules, choreography notes, music, etc.  This is my file folder. It holds almost all of my printed materials including my certifications, pay stubs, and freestyle choreography notes. I organize my freestyle choreography by CD name, class name, or workout type. I am also recently certified to teach Bodypump! I keep my Bodypump choreography notes in these simple three-prong folders and keep them on the shelf. I only have two releases so far- 89, the release I was certified on- and 90, the latest release.  These are so precious to me.  I spend a lot of time with them.  I actually enjoy studying them with my iphone and headphones whenever I have free time.  This is my gym bag. I don't use it for anything else.  It holds

My Most Worthy Pursuit

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When I was young, I was devoted to my sport- cheerleading. Before some of you laugh because I called cheerleading a sport, hear me out.  It might not be true in every high school, but the cheerleaders at my high school were truly among the best female athletes at the school. The cheerleading program at my school was rigorous. We had the most amazing coaches who made us condition and train as hard or harder than other athletes participating in team sports at my school.  We cheered at ball games, pep rallies, and community events like regular cheer squads, but we also worked for hours everyday and on weekends to perfect routines for competition.  We competed in regional, state, and national competitions, winning regional competition, winning state, and placing at nationals.  Back then, I had dreams of going on to be a college cheerleader and eventually becoming a professional cheerleader, too. This is a photo of my junior varsity squad. I think I was a sophomore in high school at th

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast

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Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast I was in the mood for broccoli cheddar quiche, but quiche isn't a great idea when you are trying to eat healthy.  So I just took some of the same ingredients minus the heavy cream and pie crust, etc. and created a breakfast with them.  This breakfast has all the same flavors, a lot less calories, and a lot more nutrition.   You need: a bag of fresh, frozen, chopped broccoli- found in the freezer section eggs- one or two, depending on your appetite shredded, sharp cheddar cheese butter sea salt and pepper to taste fresh berries- raspberries, blueberries, blackberries To begin, put a cup or two of the frozen, chopped broccoli in a sauce pan with a cup or so of water and turn up the heat.  Let it simmer till the broccoli thaws but is still quite firm. I don't know about you, but I don't like mushy broccoli. While your broccoli is simmering, put a half tablespoon of butter in a skillet, turn the heat to medium and let it melt. Use yo

The Gee-Gees Go Bye-Bye

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My husband's parents have been visiting for the last week, but they left this morning. Avril takes after her dad, so she cried hard for about half an hour after we said, "Goodbye."  When I told her I thought we should get up and do our chores, she put her head and shoulders down and said quite sincerely, "I believe I will find it too hard to do anything without them."  She is a very sensitive and affectionate child. Grandma Karen has special toys she brings out for the kids when she comes to visit or when we go to her house. Adele enjoyed sitting at the table with "Gee-gee." That's the word she used for Grandma and Grandpa. She would also ask for the toys, each by the name she had for them. She played with the "puppy house," the "baby ducks," and the "aars."  In this video, she is playing with Gee-gee's "aars."  That's her word for "cars." All the toys are pretty low-tech. Some of t