Reacting to Spilled Cheerios...

(Click to enlarge)

Wordless Wednesdays

There's No Place Like...

We arrived safely home on Saturday (praise the Lord!)
and are rejoicing in being home with Daddy, again.
Thank you for your prayers and your encouraging words.

We have been keeping busy this week,
as we adjust to being home, again,
catching up on laundry, home keeping
(though Daddy had it VERY clean when we arrived! What a blessing!),
slowly resuming our homeschool studies,
sewing, fellowshipping, and spending time together.
In addition, we are adjusting to a new member of the family
(which can be found somewhere in this post). ;o)
She has a new haircut and misses my mom & grandma,
but she and the children are enjoying one another!

I hope y'all enjoy the rest of your week!
Thank you, again, for your prayers.
They have been such a blessing!


"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD,
and the praises of the LORD,
according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us..."
~ Isaiah 63:7

Heading Home...

It has been almost 5 weeks since we left home
to come nurse my mama back to health.
She is now doing pretty well (praise the LORD!
and thank you so much to those that prayed).
Tomorrow morning we plan to leave here
and return to where our hearts long to be... home.

We are so thankful and it was such a blessing
that we were able to come here
to visit and to serve where help was needed.
It was, also, such a blessing that the Lord
provided a wonderful, like-minded church
for us to visit, worship, and fellowship at.
It was just like being home.
What a blessing God's family is!
We will miss our family and our spiritual family
but we sure do look forward to home.

We have almost 1,000 miles
and 2 days of driving ahead of us
and sure would appreciate your prayers.
I thank you very much, in advance.
It is a blessing and comfort to know
we are lifted up in prayer.

Lord willing, I will be able to update
and get back into the "swing of things" next week.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

This Week's Ways...

It has been another busy week here
as we are visiting with family.
My mama had a rough week
but seems that she is on the mend
and we hope to, perhaps, head home within a week
if she continues to improve.

Meanwhile, we are keeping very busy
and enjoying our time here
(though we are missing Daddy dearly!).

On Tuesday, after we took my mama to dialysis,
we met with friends at a local park.
The children enjoyed the afternoon of playing
as we enjoyed the fellowshipping...
even in the rain!










On Wednesday, it was my grandma's birthday
and we traveled North to a place
that bears many wonderful childhood memories...

My grandma used to own this place
with cottages on Lake Huron.
Her son (my uncle) currently owns it
and it was such a joy to visit it, again,
and see my own children enjoying it so much!


They shot hoops together


Played shuffleboard together...


Enjoyed swinging...




and pretending...


Ally was delighted to play (and try to tune)
the baby grand (which belonged to my grandpa)...


She, also, enjoyed swinging outdoors...


Our cousin recently had a baby
and we were so delighted to hold her...



What a joy it is to hold such precious blessings!

We, also, enjoyed seeing the lake.
Here were the children sitting on a swing,
just before the beach...


The younger ones trying to feel the water...


A view of Lake Huron...

That big rock has been there before I was born!

A view of the lake by the seawall...

The lake is beautiful, though quite unlike the ocean.
The lake's water is much colder
and slimely rocks cover the bottom,
but what a sight it is to see!

While we were visiting the area,
I took the children for a drive
to the childhood home of my teenage years.
We had a good time as I showed the children
the house I lived in, the school I went to,
the places I walked to and enjoyed.
I was, particularly, excited to show them
the swinging bridge that was there in town.
I had enjoyed it often when I lived there
and knew the children would enjoy it...




The entrance of the bridge...

That sign always made me laugh.
At the other entrance the sign reads,
"Love ye one another".
Old time wisdom noted at this 103 year old bridge
is still good advice today. ;o)









Not everyone was so delighted to walk across.
There was a bit too much movement
for one elder child...

But she did enjoy the visit!

Here were the children and I swinging the bridge...


The children enjoyed running back and forth
until it was time to go.
We had a lovely time together
as we visited those old, familiar places.

The rest of the week was spent at my mama's home.
We, also, had dialysis trips, a doctor appointment,
and we were able to visit with my dad, again.
We are enjoying much of our visit
but are looking forward to returning home
and being reunited with Daddy.

I hope y'all have enjoyed your week!

Hello Again...

It's been a week and a half since my last post.
We are still staying with my mom and grandma
as my mama continues to recover.
It has been a blessing to be here to serve,
help, and visit with family and friends.
We hope to return home within the next week.
We have a 1,000 mile trip ahead of us
and sure do appreciate your prayers.

Since it's been such a while since I last posted,
this post has a lot of photos (again). ;o)
(You can click to enlarge)

We were thrilled last week to hear jets
flying over Grandma's house...




Will and Beth were quite excited
and stood outside to watch a while...



Ally playing guitar and singing with great-grandma...



Beth fiddlin' around with Grandma...



After chasing down the ice cream truck,
they enjoy a cold treat with Aunt and cousins...



Playing with cousins...



Morning snuggles with Grandma...



Morning snuggles with each other...



An afternoon at a local playground
while waiting for Grandma at dialysis...






An afternoon of sewing for self, sisters, and friends...



We spent our Fourth of July afternoon
at my sister's and her husband's home.
My brother and sister-in-law were there, too,
with their two children. We had a lovely time!

My sister and brother-in-law had hidden
little toothpick flags all around the yard
and the children enjoyed searching for them!
Their prize for participating was waterguns
and they spent the afternoon chasing each other...





Even my sister's children (their two black labs)
benefited from the watergun chase...



The children, also, enjoyed playing in the sand.
Here was Carolynne decorating the sand castle...





Patriotic Garb...









Swinging with Great-Grandma...


My Mama...

(She is feeling better... thank you for your prayers!)

Playing on Aunt's piano...
(a delight of her day!)


Later in the evening,
the Grandmas, the children, and I
drove around to see the fireworks.
We found a nice spot to park and watch...


(chilly enough for jackets here in the north)












I hope y'all are enjoying your summer!
Have a great week!