Not sure who authorized it to be November already

Isn't it true? Hasn't this year simply blown by? I work for a newspaper, and just yesterday the editor said, "You know, we only have 8 issues left for this year..." (it's a weekly). Wow. I can remember thinking--not that long ago--"June already? I wasn't done with April yet!" And now, here's November!  It doesn't seem like November though.  Not all the crops are out of the fields yet, since our area had such a wet October.  Usually November signals the "hunker down, fix it up" time for farmers, but this year, they're still hard at it in the fields, frantically trying to get the harvest in before the snowfall.

Which has me thinking, what am I doing to get THE harvest in? Especially when I do not know the day nor the hour when THE Harvester is coming? Life is whipping by, but eternity is just getting started, what are you doing to be prepared?

Sermon I have to share with you...

"Jesus in the Storms of Life"

This sermon was preached in my church by Cory Van Sloten on October 11, 2009.  I hope it ministers to you as much as it did me.

Quote of the day

"May this be your experience; may you feel that the Hand which inflicts the wound supplies the balm, and that He who has emptied your heart has filled the void with Himself."

James Hudson Taylor

Paddling through the busy fall

Yep, school's in full swing, and our schedule often leaves us breathless—and blog-less.  Ah, well, such is the life of a household with busy high schoolers and one equally busy middle schooler.

So this past Wednesday, Mark and I celebrated our 20th anniversary.  Now, Wednesday is my "normal" day off of work, so I was liking that!  Mark chose to take the day off, so we could spend it together.  No romantic get-away, just a day in each other's company—sort of.  Our day entailed running around town delivering pies for a church fundraiser. (Over the weekend, our church made 675 frozen ready-to-bake apple pies, they are mouth-watering! Plan to order yours next year!) Then we went out for lunch. I had a prime-rib sandwich and fries so I can say that I ate prime rib on my anniversary...hah!  (Mark had a French dip—so he could say that he had French cuisine then, huh?) After lunch, we went home, Mark to clean the garage, me to, well, let's suffice it to say that my facebook habit is admittedly getting out of hand. But hey, it was my anniversary, shouldn't I be entitled a little while to sit around and do nothing of earthly importance? grin

Seriously though, the past 20 years have flown by and it truly doesn't feel like it has been that long!  Mark and I agree that this is a great thing, and wouldn't have it any other way.  But in another 20 years, on our 40th, I hope we're doing something a little more romantic than delivering pies!

Back to fall... it has been immensely busy. If we thought having one in high school summersaulted our lives, two has really thrown us for a loop!  Cross country meets, football games, early morning practices, teenager work schedule, church pie fundraiser, rec volleyball games and a surgery for me just to make it interesting.

So here's a few pictures of what's been going on, other than painting the house...

Cross country is a new thing for our family.  Peter has been enjoying it a lot. Tonight is his last meet.

The reason football has overtaken our lives—Hannah's boyfriend goes to another school, so when we aren't at one school's game, we're at his.

Drill team strutting their stuff at half-time.

But through it all... God is... and I am his.

Why Hamburgers Won

Jennifer, my friend, your way with words and the lessons they teach blow me away...thanks for sharing your insights, and for allowing me to share them with my small band of blog-followers.


Why Hamburgers Won

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Hypocrite

So lately I've been accused of being hypocritical. By a someone close to me. And I admit, I have to agree.

If you're calling me and I sound like all is fine and dandy, chances are I've just been screeching at one of my children over something or other. Or if you come to my door, it just might be that you can still hear the reverberations of some yelling that has been going on. Not always, but it does happen.

So am I a hypocrite? Do I act like all is perfectly fine in my world when it in all actuality is not? Probably in most cases, depending on who you are. Does that mean that I think that you actually believe that all is well, and I have it all together? I certainly hope you do not! Is all really well in your world? Then why would you expect that it is in mine?

Should we all keep perpetuating these facades? What needs to change? Well, the change that I am working on is the behind the scenes stuff, the every day, day-to-day daily grind where tempers get short and feelings get hurt and disobedience and disrespect happen. I'm working on making how I react to situations different. Is that easily done? Would it be for you?

Sometimes life is ugly. Sometimes I act ugly. What do you do? Is your life perfect?

Finished!

Here's the final result for our house, not bad for a color we like to call "pond scum, with a touch of mold," huh?