To celebrate the final day of NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER :P

I've always loved Anne of Green Gables :)  Google told me it is L.M. Montgomery's birthday today.

Right Before God

Tonight, our church celebrated an annual Thanksgiving pie fellowship night when we all come together for worship, praise, and testimonies.  This one was a little different than other years because we recently had a couple in our church decide they really wanted to make some things right before God.  They both had accepted Christ earlier and had taken a class to learn more about foundations of faith.  They had also been participating in one of our Life Groups and were being mentored by some members at our church.  A few weeks ago a different couple had been baptized and shared their testimony and their story had inspired this couple to take the leap of faith to be baptized and get married.  Tonight, our church was in for a special surprise when we celebrated their wedding as well as their baptisms during our testimony service :)  When they shared their story about how God had led them to this place in their lives and had been working in their hearts for over 10 years, they mentioned a few key moments where God had spoken to them through people at our church.  I am not saying my church is perfect, but it is so affirming to see a church function together as a family and God use these faithful witnesses to speak to a couple like this who now want to be ALL IN FOR CHRIST....it is humbling and thrilling to know you have been a part of that!  That is the most awesome kind of teamwork ever!

An added blessing for me was that this couple had been our neighbors for a few years before we moved to Parma.  We developed a friendship with them over the fence and largely due to their extremely lovable Saint Bernard, Zoro....who Kenna and Kassi could never wait to pet when we returned home from any errands around town and who seemed to have the same fondness for them as he would always gently lean against the fence when he saw them coming :).  We had invited them to church several times, but they did not accept any invitations at that time.  Life went on and some hardships came into their lives....deaths in the family and relationship issues.  They knew Brad was a pastor, so they called on him in these times of need.  He was a large part of showing them Jesus as he was able to minister to them and their extended family on several occasions and God blessed him by giving him the opportunity to lead them to the Lord.  It is not everyday that we get to be part of the planting, the watering, and the harvesting :)  How exciting to see God working in this close-up way and over a period of time! 

A Victory Toast

"I hope you find it"....."the life of a victor." ~Effie Trinket

I couldn't even find any picture quotes of that yet....I wonder if it didn't resonate as profoundly with others as I took it....but, it was one of my favorite lines from the new Hunger Games movie.  Savannah, McKenna, and I had a movie marathon weekend to catch McKenna up on all the other Hunger Games movies so we could go watch the last one last night.

I'm not going to talk about the movie here....just the concept of learning to live the life of a victor.  As long as we are alive on earth, there will always be battles....but, as long as we have accepted Christ, we can live as victors.  Every new breath we take is another opportunity to use our victory through Christ for goodness.  There truly is "a cup" in front of us for us to drink and it is not altogether a matter of whether we see it as half full or half empty....though attitude is important....it is that, no matter what it tastes like, we really drink it.

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?  And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?  1 Corinthians 10:16

The cup, which signifies our very life through Christ, is a complete blessing in itself.  AND, the bread is an opportunity for us to share what we have been given....as Christ was broken, so we sometimes experience brokenness so that we can be connected with other believers.  By living our life through Christ we become like Him.  Will we taste pain?  ....that is one of the best ways for us to identify with our Savior, but pain is not defeat.

Pain works to empty us of what is not ultimately important and awaken in us a longing for what is.  It is an acquired taste, but Christ drank the cup of wrath for us and His offering became our cup of life. ...

Savor it! Enjoy the soft orange of the sunsets....the dandelions in the spring....the hope we have for new life after days of devastation (yep, I'm paraphrasing Suzanne Collins).....victors celebrate.....they learn to enjoy the things worth fighting for.

Today, let's toast!

This Cup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9SbKebkwjw

Your Lead

We are dancing and I know you are so near

Your lead lifts me to my feet

Then you're moving and turning and gliding 

and spinning me

I want to laugh the way you seem to tease

or cry, that your perfect love

unconditionally surrounds me

Your grasp is always sure

sometimes light; others strong

You give whatever I need

I am amazed at such a dance

All my senses leave me in wonder of You

What I touch or see....when I hear sweet music I know I am

glimpsing a taste of eternity

It's true.....it really is!  You are so real; alive!

And though I don't always understand

where we're going or why you are taking me through this

I love to dance this dance

Did you ever see the word dance at the end of guidance....that always helps me remember how to spell that word... :)  BUT, there is a little more there that I enjoy about it.....G (od) U (and) I Dance ....the only way to receive guidance from God is to dance with Him and allow Him to lead.  That means you are 100% involved.....yet, submissive and trusting Him.  I just read a devotional about this and it listed some of the "dance steps" we make with God...

"We begin this dance by worshiping God.  As we take time to be in His presence and worship, He responds by giving us revelation, some insight or understanding, or maybe a prayer burden, or a word of knowledge.

Then we respond to this revelation by acts of obedience, conforming our life to what God has revealed to us.  This may be speaking a word He has given us, interceding as He has directed us, or stepping out in faith to what He has shown us.

As we move in obedience, God anoints our acts of faithfulness. This releases His supernatural power into the situation, which reveals His faithfulness to those involved.  This leads those who see His faithfulness to worship Him and the whole cycle begins again."

No one looks very happy....awwwwww.....

Do you know what rhymes with AMAZON?.......jammies on, java's on, slippers on, 

no make-up on....well, that last one might have too many syllables...but,

that does make me smile :)

I was happy I got a lot of Christmas shopping done today....great sales and free shipping....yippee!

Food As An Object Lesson

Feeling the FULLNESS of thankfulness....we had a great day with family, fun,

 and lots and lots of food!

A lady from our church in Parma made this beautiful centerpiece....didn't she do a great turkey carving?!...I am always surprised by her abilities :)

Ready for the feast!  Danielle even made a little turkey finger puppet... 

(in case you are wondering what that is...:P)

The masterful engineering skills of Karly, Danielle, and Kassi.  They created a castle, a church, and a village out of blocks.  I was impressed by their ability to create these steps.

Stephen taught Vannah how to play chess...then proceeded to be beaten by her several times....guess he's a great teacher!  :P

I loved watching who will play Dutch Blitz standing up and who can be sitting down.  I have to stand!  Grandma Philips has the same strategy, I see :)

YUM!  I am a TRYPTO-FAN! This is the turkey carving I was expecting!  Thanks, Fred!

One of my greatest reasons for thankfulness...not selfies....BRAD :)

And.....a surprise visit from George Washington...who delivered a Thanksgiving proclamation and a blessing for our feast.  Who knew his wig looked so much like two white dish towels...hehe!  I am thankful Brad will go along with most of my ideas....even if it means wearing dish towels on his head.

Oh yeah.....having to lean back in a chair to breathe :)

and....kind-of wishing we were really bears so we could just hibernate now!

Isn't this exactly how you celebrated the day?

I hope it was wonderful and you experienced an abundance of blessings!

Settle Down....

We're on CATAN TIME NOW!

"This game of Catan will only take 45 minutes" ~Kent Foster :P

That is probably my favorite Thanksgiving joke....haha!

Brad's brother, Kent, who lives in the D.C. area was able to come home for Thanksgiving this year, so we enjoyed some time with him and the rest of the Foster family last night and will enjoy some more time today....feasting and settling, I'm sure!  So, last night they decided to start a game of Catan...and assured us it would probably only take 45 minutes......we were almost there till morning trading sheep :)....we should have just brought our PJs so some of us could have counted them.

When we got home, Kooper did not greet us at the door.....but, I could hear his bark in the distance somewhere.  We went looking for him and found him shut in the bathroom upstairs....but, that is not the weirdest part.  THE CAT (who we never let in the house because it drives Kooper completely insane) was sitting in that bathroom sink.  WHAT?!  We think Snickers snuck into the house while we were all loading into the van.  I wish I would have had a hidden camera going to see what ensued while we were away.  Well, the house was not torn apart (well, not more than it was originally) and they did not kill each other!  That should deserve a couple victory points, right?!

Being thankful or grateful is not just something that happens to us .  We choose to give thanks....we choose to return to the source of our joy or happiness to express our gratitude.  When I think of being thankful, I think about the story of the ten lepers who were healed.  I am sure they were all overjoyed that they experienced healing and could get back to their friends and families, but only one of them CHOSE to seek Jesus to return THANKS for the miraculous gift he had been given.  

I really, really want to be like that one.

I pray that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you will intentionally seek Jesus to return your thanks and praise.  All the other good stuff about Thanksgiving, it's all gravy....dive in!

It's Almost Time....Chop Chop!

We've been working on our Thanksgiving food today.  I have been excited to use a new kitchen tool....it's called a Mandoline....I don't know if there needs to be an e on that word....it looks like you can use it or cut it if you want :P  Anyway, it's a slicer.  I watched a demonstration of it at Meijer and fell for the perfectly sliced apples complete with stars in the middle.  It was so amazing the way it chopped, sliced, shredded and julienned.  I was sure it would make me want to turn a seven-layer salad into a twelve-layer salad or make an incredible fruit tart :) ....like zeeees....VOILA!

Well, we tried it....ha!  I got that look from Brad when all our veggies kept falling or flying off the hand guard and he finally said, "YouTube the DEMO!" (Side note: You don't want to google images of Mandoline because you will see Mandoline injuries...and then you may not want to eat your creations...YIKES!)

I found one (a DEMO video) and loved that the man in the DEMO said to make sure your potatoes look like Snoopy with a cowboy hat when they are on the hand guard!  I SO tried to find a professional demo to make my spontaneous purchase seem incredibly wise and NECESSARY to Brad :P

Well, our first attempt with the Mandoline was a little rough, but I did manage to get the pretty STAR apple slices....only, it was after I had already tried chopping the onion onto the same cutting board....so, they were pretty, but not very tasty.  I think I want to try some sweet potato fries with it soon.  I'm feeling grateful.....literally.....hehe!

I'm a cabbie...or a chauffeur depending on my mood and what accent I want to use as I drop off and pick up my girls from their various activities every night.  Today, I realized I saw the sun rising and the moon rising at the same stop on my route :)  I know...really I am the one turning, not the sun or the moon....wow, do I know. :)

I told Brad I wanted to calculate my taxi miles for a week and see how far I would really be if I just drove straight somewhere......perhaps in the direction of warm and toasty with one of those cute, miniature unbrellas.  If my life was a glass of water I might be experiencing that strange hum you can get when you circle the top of the glass enough times :P  I am in the years of routines...tracing the circles...finding meaning in the circles.  Sometimes I get dizzy and need centering....reminding of where I need to be focused....how to see things as beautiful.  In my travels tonight, I was talking to God about all the circles I traveled multiple times today and He reminded me that they all lead me home...that is a beautiful reminder.

Why It Matters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK1KkqNMunk

Artist,

Today you have a blank canvas.....you can create whatever you want.  

You could do that thing you have been putting off that is still whispering for you to give it a try.

You could fast and pray today over that mountain on your horizon.

Maybe you owe an apology.  You could contact that person and make it right.

You could lend a hand or give an ear....

What will you make out of this day?

Be creative.

The order came in..... :)

I was so excited to pick the canvases up and see how they turned out!

These are the pictures I ordered for Brad's office after my photography adventure with my friend, Chrissy.

He loved the way they turned out....unfortunately, there were a couple obvious imperfections in the printing of them where the ink did not adhere to the canvas so we are going to have to have them reprinted....but, he loved what they will look like once they are fixed!

YAHOO!  I love them!.....Now I want to make some more :)

Celebrating International Bible Day

This is one of the coolest and most inspirational videos I have ever watched.  I saw it for the first time several years ago and it really made me appreciate the Word of God more than ever.  It challenged me to really think about whether I cherish having this treasure and how important it is that all people are able to read and understand God's Word in their own language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFPtpZcs0Q

Following the plans God has for us is a true love story.

On the way to church this morning, my girls were in the back of my van talking about Christmas and Easter and about which holiday they liked better.  Then, of which was more important....spiritually...(pastor's kids, right!?)  So we talked about the joy of Christmas and of knowing we have a Savior and knowing His love and mercy....then we talked about the hope we have of resurrection and of being with God forever and believing His promises to be true.  As we progressed through our worship times at both churches, those blessings were consuming me.  It is not that we have to wait for a day to be thankful.  HONESTLY, how could we hold it all in that long? :P

The purpose of Jesus....to be born to die for the forgiveness of our sins....gives us the overabundant joy in the present and endless hope for the future if we know Christ.  Faith is born out of that every day!

Many times, the analogy of snow is used to talk about how Jesus's blood covers our sins.  But, it really doesn't just cover us like a blanket of snow or like a fluffy winter coat.  Brad shared this at church today...NO, it WASHES us white as snow.  It purges and purifies us of our sin...heals us of our brokenness. 

Of this, I am completely grateful!

I Lift My Hands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c24En0r-lXg

https://vimeo.com/87342468

Watch this snowflake form....just think how God made you :)

Do You Wanna...

Build a snowman?

OR......go 'staching through the snow?

So much to consider :)

Fresh Tracks

I am thankful for new beginnings for the same old me.

When I took Kooper out this morning there were two little pair of eyes peeking out at the snow :)

I can't even get a good picture of Kooper because he is always so excited in the snow.....he runs through it super fast!

Know Of Any Jobs For A Stunt Double?

We had to let Kenna's go now that she is doing her own stunts!  :)  

So, tonight was Kenna's first ever cheerleading competition.  The girls had only practiced together for 4 days....so I was nervous for them and really wanted to watch through my fingers, you know?!... because they do stunts and lifts and dangerous stuff like that.... I said to Brad before they came out, "What kind of tricks do you think they have in their back pocket?....OH NO, they don't even have back pockets!"  The other teams had been together for at least 3 weeks.  We saw some pretty incredible teams with some great tumbling skills.  Our girls ended up placing 6th out of 8 teams....not too bad for 4 days of practice and only half of their stunt cheer ready for performance. 

Kenna and one of her BFF's, Maryssa :)

Posing outside of Culvers....she forgot she only had her boots to change into...makes sense that she's from Western :)  It is pretty fun watching all my girls try new things and have a BLAST!

This year Brad and I finally found a Christmas lights compromise.  I always have high hopes that we will decorate outdoors for Christmas in a BIG way, but it is not really Brad's "cup of tea" to decorate.  Last year, I saw an idea for putting up just one strand of lights and to purchase THE GRINCH to put in our yard to make it look like he had stolen the rest....I thought that might be something Brad would agree to :)  Anyway, Brad found a spotlight you can set out in the middle of the yard that will shine on the whole house to make it all look like it is lit up.....I take what I can get :P  People will definitely not miss our house now.

Brad and the girls testing the spotlight in a dark bathroom

:P

Happy Friday!

We enjoyed Kassi's show, Twas The Night Before Christmas, tonight.....she did a terrific job as Clara, the train, and the engineer!  My parents came to town for the show and my mom asked Kassi, "Which role was your favorite to play tonight?" Kassi responded, "Grandma, that's like asking a parent which child is their favorite!" .... :P

Kassi with her BFF, Stella :)

Whenever she entered as the train she made a big train noise that Karly thought was hilarious!  Karly couldn't stop laughing about it.....she leaned over to me and said, "Mom, that is hilarious, 

H-A-L-E-E-S-S-S, hilarious.....we'll have to keep working on that spelling :)