~Elephountain~

Proverbs 14:26-28

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,

and for his children it will be a refuge.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

turning a man from the snares of death.

A large population is a king's glory,

but without subjects a prince is ruined.

1976

Cost of Living 1976

Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 1004

Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 6.25%

(at least something has gone down instead of up)

Average Cost of new house $43,400.00

Average Income per year $16,000.00

Cost of a gallon of Gas 59 cents

Plymouth Arrow$3,175.00

(What more can a little car give? What kind of ad campaign is that?)

Events of 1976

In New York City, the "Son of Sam" pulls a gun on July 29th and begins a series of attacks that terrorized the city for the next year. 

The United States celebrates 200th birthday of independence from British Rule

Three Gunmen abduct a school bus with 26 children and the driver near Chowchilla, Calif ( all children and driver are saved after they dig a tunnel out of the quarry they were buried in. )

United States Bicentennial

Eccentric American billionaire Howard Hughes who had been a recluse for 20 years dies at the age of 70

Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

 

 

Born This Year 1976

Colin Farrell

Reese Witherspoon

Jennifer Capriati

Melissa Joan Hart

Me

~Traffic Jam~

Happy Father's Day

My dad is very special,

He's not just a dad, but a friend;

For he knows where there is a difference,

Where one should start and the other end.

He's my dad when I need real guidance,

But if a need a pal for a while,

He's right there in each situation,

Not with just concern, but a smile.

Kids need somone like that,

To help them draw the line,

Between what is right and wrong,

Sometimes the difference is hard to define.

I'd like to thank you Dad for being there,

For helping me all the way,

May God bless you for all the things you do,

And have a Happy Father's Day!

Why Am I Here?

I suppose that is a question that many people ask. Why am I here? Well, why are you here? To take care of your children? To work to support your family? Are you here to have fun and do as you please until something stops you?

What about this one. If God could give you anything you wanted, what would it be? More money? More time with your family? Feed the hungry?

God asked Solomon what was the one thing he wanted. Solomon desired wisdom. God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29 Talk about asking and receiving.

Ecclesiastes 1

Everything Is Meaningless

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."

17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

We work to fill our homes with pretty things, we work to drive nicer cars, live in larger homes. They are all in vain if we do not first live for the Lord.

Generations come and go. The earth is full of people who will pass on, and the earth will keep spinning. All that will be left is the memory in our hearts. What memory will you leave? Did you buy good gifts? Did you feed the poor? Did you love the Lord? Our names will surely be forgotten. Sooner or later it will happen. But there is One who will always remember your name.

In Solomon's day, 3000 years ago, people were unsatisfied. Now, here we are, with more gadgets and channels than some could imagine; but are we satisfied? Everything the world has to offer will never be enough. Only the Lord can fill us to satisfaction.

The Lord never intended for our lives to be meaningless. He did not intend for us to chase the wind, looking for satisfaction all over the world. He intended for us to only look up to Him. To serve Him. To love Him. To tell others of His great love.

Why are you here?

~Wildflowers~

Psalm 63:3-5 (New International Version)

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

What This Girl Wants

Erin asks for lots of things.

Oooh, new Barbie; oooh, new kitchen; oh Mama, princess vanity!

Her requests are quite often declined for many reasons.

You have 12 Barbies and hardly play with them. You have a kitchen. You don't need a vanity, it's funky plastic and expensive....You can't have everything that is new & shiny...

But when hunting for birthday party supplies at the Dollar Tree last week, I came across these.

Now I know my girl, and she is hooked on worksheets & workbooks. I was so excited to find them!

I narrowed it down to two each for Erin & Luke. Luke is not as sold on workbooks as Erin, but he is catching on to the basics anyway. (Although I never should have explained to him a square as being "like a box", because for the longest, when I asked him what shape it was, he would say "it's like a box".)

Erin was passing through the kitchen the day I brought them home and they caught her eye.

WHAT ARE THESE FOR MAMA?

They are for you & Luke sweetie.

Do we have to wait until Luke's birthday?

No, you can have them now.

She runs outside...

LUKE, LOOK WHAT MAMA GOT - AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL YOUR BIRTHDAY!

She runs back inside...and gives me a big hug!

THANK YOU MAMA!

Now, that I didn't expect. I very much appreciated it, but did not expect it.

Soon after, we were on the couch, reading and adding to her hearts content.

I was especially thankful for the time we had to do them together. I just have to keep her away from Luke's workbooks now!

Good Things Come in 3's

When you wake up at 6:30am on birthday party day, you are bound to repeat...and repeat, "it's not time yet". It seemed like 11:00 would never come. But it finally did for the little man who turned three. He finally got his three wishes.

His Paw Paw John,

 Paw Paw Jeff,

and his tractor birthday cake.

and we welcomed the rest of the family who joined us for the celebration!

Luke was finally convinced to open his presents...

but he just kept wanting his cake...

With full bellies the kids headed out to swim & splash...

After the party was over, Erin, Luke & Anna became secret agents. (But I'm not sure how serious you can take a secret agent when they have pizza and strawberry Fanta on their faces.)

Luke enjoyed playing ball with Patrick, and riding his bike in the evening shower.

It turned out to be a really good day. But if I get to vote for the best part (and I think I do) it was when Luke & I went for a bike ride before bedtime. We were nearly home and approaching a stop sign and he says:

"I lub you Mama."

"I love you too, Luke."

His bike starts to slow down, so I slow down too.

"Stop your bike so I can gib you a hug."

Honestly, how great is that?

And tonight, I present to myself,  the

"Most Ever Collages In A Single Blog Post"

award. Woohooooo!

Happy Birthday To You!

On June 11, 2007 @ 11:04 am

we were blessed with this little fella...

John Luke

8 lbs 2.2 oz

22 inches long

Erin was blessed with a brother and best friend.

(And a future husband, if you ask her!)

...I tear up seeing my baby girl so small...

Today, we have this little man.

34 lbs

38 1/4 inches tall

Luke is a lover of trucks, tractors...anything with wheels.

He loves his family greatly, especially his Paw Paw's.

He is friendly, affectionate, thoughtful and silly.

As of today he wants to be a road grader when he grows up. Or maybe just drive one, but he would settle for a steam roller. But not a crane, they are too tall.

We love you Luke!

Awwww, Shucks

(Alternately Titled: "Can It Get Any Cornier Than This?")

First of all, I have to say that I have the most wonderful customers ever. They are truly a blessing to me and my family. Without my customers, I would probably not be able to be home with my children 5 days a week and only work 2. So I am forever grateful.

Some have become friends, and all of them welcome me into their home. Even if it is to clean it :)

This morning, as always, Mr. Elmus was out working in his garden. When I was nearly done, he came in to ask if we would eat sweat corn & irish potatoes. I said we would eat some corn, not many potatoes though. He left back out to get some for me.

He returned with probably 30 ears of corn and 2 bags of potatoes. It was enough for me to pass some along to another customer, my Mom, my Grandma, and save some for us.

He had told me last year, he loves to plant and share, and if he can help out people just a little, it's all worth it.

Mr. Elmus, thank you!

~Sunset~

I was so thankful to get this shot. My camera battery had died at the camp. But I ran inside to get it, just to try one more time! It worked, just to show His beauty...

Genesis 1

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Greatest Show On Earth

This past weekend, the circus was in town. Granny and Paw were brave enough to take Erin and Luke. We had watched a small preview the morning before on the news, so they were ready. Luke knew a motorcycle on a tightrope would be there, that was enough for him. Erin knew about the animals. She was sold.

Mom was able to take a few pictures (ahem - no camera's allowed). I would caption for you, but you will know as much as me. All Luke talked about was the motorcyle. Erin did manage to tell me the elephants laid down and a horse would kiss someone each time they walked around.

Thank you Granny & Paw, they had a great time. And Patrick & I enjoyed the movie too!

We love you!

Jacob's Lesson

When Jacob was young, he was not of the highest moral character. He was a schemer, and wanted what he felt he deserved. He wanted it bad enough to defraud his brother, Esau, of his birthright. Jacob took advantage of Esau's weakness. And in a time of hunger, Esau agreed to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew.

We might think, how dumb of Esau! What was he thinking? But, we are not always unlike him. Do we make mistakes when we are weak and weary? Or do we always make wise choices? There is a deceiver who patiently waits in the wings to take advantage of our weakness.

Was Jacob satisfied with manipulating his brother? Or did he want more? The bible says he went on to trick his father when he was dying by disguising himself as Esau, so he would receive his father's blessing. He not only frauded his father and his brother, he also did the same to God.

Are we satisfied when we are filled with what the world has to offer us? Or do we always want more? I know my answer to that.

Jacob's unwise decisions led him to be conflicted with his family. He ran from them, but soon discovered he could not run from God. He also discovered that a fool can be fooled. For seven years he worked for Laban to earn the marriage of his daughter, Rachel. Was Laban honest with Jacob? No, he tricked Jacob into marrying Leah instead. Jacob then worked seven more years to be with his beloved Rachel.

Jacob did come to realize he could not do without the Lord's guidance in his life. He had not chosen to listen to the Lord, he wanted to do things his own way. But God had other plans for Jacob's life. He had a purpose for him, just as He has a purpose for us. Will we listen and follow willingly? Or struggle with the Lord as Jacob did? The Lord loved Jacob enough to be firm with him, to make him uncomfortable so he would turn and surrender.  He loves us just as much.

Often times I am overwhelmed by the greatness of God, He is more than I can wrap my head around. I don't understand why He does things, (however I don't believe that I always need to understand them). So when things get too confusing for me to understand, I think of Him as my Father. What does a father want for his children?

When I think of how I try to teach and train my children, I begin to understand. Sometimes, as parents we have to do things that are not pleasant. We don't always get to make the fun choices, we are not going to be popular with our children. Often time we have to make them uncomfortable to learn the lesson of right and wrong. We do this because we love them, we want what is best for them. The Lord loves us. He wants what is best for us. He want us to do His will in our lives. And He's not afraid to "dislocate a hip" to get His point across.

Genesis 22-30

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."


But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."
27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.

28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

~El Tres Gladioloas~