Petrified!!

Have you ever had something happen to you that absolutely freaked you out?! A couple of nights ago, it was particularly windy out and as I snuggled into bed and got all cozy I remember being so thankful that my house is sound and doesn't creak a lot on windy nights. Then, I drifted off to sleep, listening to the rustling of the leaves, not suspecting what kind of madness was soon to follow.

I'm not one who is easily awakened...in fact, most of the time, it's quite the endeavor to get me awake...so significant in fact, that I need more than one alarm to get me up every morning. But, this particular night, I awoke suddenly...so suddenly in fact that I flipped over in one quick movement and sat straight up in bed when I heard a loud "BANG". It was just one loud bang, that was it. Then it was silent. I began to think that I was just dreaming it up...and then, I heard it again a few minutes later and it seemed to be coming from a different place in the house this time...was it outside? Or was it coming from inside? I couldn't tell. My eyes were as big as saucers and as the creaking and banging continued...much too sporadically to be the wind in my opinion...my imagination began to go wild....in fact, I was completely and totally convinced that there must be an intruder in my house! I was petrified...if I hadn't been scared stiff (literally) I would have crawled into my closet with my pillow and blanket and spent the night there, or even crawled under my bed...but, in all my "sound thinking" at 3 AM, I knew the "intruder" would hear me move around because my floors creak a lot (the house IS 50+ years old, you know!) and so I stayed put...stiff as a board lying in my bed, with my phone in my hand, ready to dial 9-1-1 if needed and crying out to the Lord with much desperation to protect me through the night! I laid awake like that until my alarm went off at 6 AM.

I went outside in the morning and took a look at the outside of my house to see what could be causing such a racket during the night...it's amazing how less intimidating it is when the sun is shining brightly and all the shadows of the night have disappeared! All of a sudden I was super courageous! In my search, I found a little 8 oz plastic cup that the wind must have been throwing into the side of my house (it makes quite a racket when it hits the aluminum siding!). Other than that, I can only figure that the wind must have been wreaking havoc with my window well coverings. It's a little embarrassing to realize that these two little items were likely the reason for my petrified state only a few hours earlier! Things that seem so scary in the dark of night are put in proper perspective in the light of day.

Isn't it that way in our lives too? When we are in the thick of a trial, it can be so scary and sometimes we are petrified. It seems overwhelming when we are in the midst of the storm. But, when it passes, we can look back on it and see the faithfulness of the Lord and how He carried us along and provided for our every need.

Or perhaps its the sin in our lives....it's much more appealing through the eyes of the world, under the cover of darkness, but when we view it in light of God's word, it puts it into perspective...all of the sudden we see sin for the destructive and filthy thing that it is, no matter how appealing it once seemed. We know that in darkness things are never as they appear. We can't see things clearly and with proper perspective until we see them in the light.

"...let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly...But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

Romans 13:11-14

Fall continues

This last week I've spent some time enjoying the outdoors...
and playing around with cameras. This blog is a result of all that fun!

An area with some fallish trees that I used to take some pictures of friends.

This is the same tree from my last post but it's much more orange than the first day I visited!

Kris and Kathy:
Happy One year Anniversary

Fall...

I just love the fall! The crisp air, the beautiful trees, the falling leaves! I just love it! In light of my love for fall I grabbed my camera and went out in search of some fall pictures! Here's what I came up with...the rest are on my other camera, that has film and requires a little more work to get them posted! So...enjoy and there are more to come soon....

A beautiful tree at the park

Don't you wish you had mums like this?
Maybe you already have some...I know I don't!

Grab a book and relax!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today Sonja and Jake came to visit me! It was so much fun! Unlike the day Ethan and Simon came for a visit, today was very rainy. So much so, in fact, that as Sonja was buckling Jacob into his car seat he sang "Rain, rain, go away" at the top of his lungs! So cute!

It was so fun to have them here today, to have lunch with them, and play and read books with Jacob! I love getting to know my friends' kids! It is such a joy and blessing to be a part of their lives. I don't know what I would do without all their smiles and hugs...I just love 'em!

And, even though Jacob was ready for the rain to go away, I enjoyed having the thunderstorm today. The rain came down in sheets and it was sooo beautiful! Here's a picture of my mums this afternoon as the rain was coming down! (Keep in mind, I merely stuck my arm out the front door to get this pix!)

Sunshine and Picnics

Today I had three of my favorite people visit me! Rachel, Ethan, and Simon drove in today and it was such a gorgeous day for them to visit! The sun was shining and though the breeze was brisk (and it was a bit chilly in the shade!) we had a wonderful time at the park. We had a picnic, played on the jungle gym, and in the sand box. We even got in a quick game of hide-and-seek! It's always so wonderful to see Ethan and Simon...to see how quickly they are growing and all the wonderful things they are learning! And, the fellowship with Rachel was oh-so sweet too! I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that the Lord has blessed me with!

Girls Night

Last night a few girls came over for dinner. I made some chili and the girls brought Fritos, crackers, corn bread, drinks and dessert! It made for such a yummy meal...and the fellowship was great too! It was a great way to really introduce my new dining room table to a "real" dinner experience! You see, it's much more enjoyable to have dinner at the table with friends/family than with a book! :-)




Many of you have asked to see some pictures of my house....

...introducing my dining room and the new table it now houses!
We're all ready for company! (You also get a sneak peek at my living room!)

Another view of the table...the table that was sooo excited to
have the guests arrive! (And, another peek at the living room that
still needs a little bit of TLC...it will come with time!!)

This is how my table sits on a "normal" day. I push it up against
the wall so that it's easier to maneuver through the house and
I don't constantly stub my toes on the table and it's chairs!

I hope you enjoyed the first phase of the house tour! I thought my
Girls Night table preparation was the perfect opportunity to begin the
tour. I'm only saddened to tell you that I completely forgot to pull the camera
out while there were people actually sitting at the table!

"Now hope does not disappoint..."

Do you ever find yourself discouraged with whatever season you are enduring right now? Things in life may not be turning out how you expected or how you planned, or maybe the job you have doesn't give you the satisfaction you thought it would. Do you ever find yourself looking at life circumstances and when you look around, you all the sudden find yourself in a "funk"? I don't know about you, but I know I've experienced the "funk" and I was reminded about where our true contentment lies when I read the following excerpt from "The Purple Cellar" in her post titled "Our Vital Need for Hope".

"Contentment is a choice, although at times it is hard to believe that. It just makes no sense. We would give anything to get out of the funk in which we find ourselves. But picking ourselves up by our purse straps just isn't going to do it. We need an answer; we need help. And if we do not get it, what starts out as a mild case of the blues can spiral down into depression, which leads to discouragement, and then, finally, to despair. There is a common thread in each slide we make down this awful spiral—a loss of hope. Each time we move a little lower, it is because a little more hope has died.


The key, of course, to not losing hope is to place our hope in the right things. If we set our hope on something, even a very good something, that we want in this life, we may well lose our hope, because there are no guarantees that we will get the things we want in the here and now. There is only one thing of which we can be sure, and that is God's presence and all the blessings that come with it. Our hopes will find increasing fulfillment if what we hope for is to know more of Christ. Our hopes will be realized if deeper intimacy with our heavenly Father is what we seek. Our hopes will not disappoint if we long to be free of our enslaving sins. We can bank our hopes on any and all of the things God has promised us in his Word."

I've recently been enjoying some posts over at "The Purple Cellar" blog on the topic of contentment. One post spoke that "Contentment is Always an Option" and that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in or what season we are experiencing, there is always an option to choose to be content. But we have to be looking for our contentment in the right places, we have to be placing our hope where it will not be disappointed.

What a wonderful reminder to set our sights on the things above, to set our hopes where they will not be disappointed. And, the one place that our hopes can safely rest are in the promises of God's word. We find true contentment when we seek (and find!) an intimacy in knowing our Savior and seeking after the things that please Him.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:1-6