"Max"

Yesterday was Max's birthday. And this year, their gift from us is a day spent with just Mom and Dad! So, after we dropped the other children off at school, we filled up the van with gas (this is Chris and Max coming out of Kwik Trip-Max wanted to pay for the gas)...

and then we stopped at Starbucks to buy Mom and Max some coffee-he ordered a caramel latte...

and then headed down to the Milwaukee Public Museum. Max wanted to walk through the streets of Old Milwaukee first...

and then posed on the beggar's lap...

He loved taunting the t-rex (and we observed that they have updated the sounds...now it sounds just like Jurassic Park)....

At 10:30, we went to the IMAX showing of "Wild Ocean". Max loves all things marine/aquatic, and although the size of the screen was a bit scary for him, he LOVED it!... Before we left, he got to hold a "Madagascar cockroach" (I had to hold Chris back...LOL)

After the museum, we went to the restaurant of his choice...Five Guys. He ordered the same size sandwich as Chris...and managed to finish it all!

We finished our day off by stopping at Kopp's for custard on the way home. He told us that there were absolutely no words to say what a good time he had. My heart wells up inside me when I hear him say that. What a joy it was to spend the day with our little man...

We love you, Max!

Goodwill

I really like this store, especially when I go with my sisters. Or like today, when I bump into a friend and we have someone to give us feedback about the clothes we have found. My friend assured me that the sweater that I liked WAS great, while sadly, I had to tell my friend that I thought the blouse she found was too big....sigh! I told her I would keep looking with her, but she had to get going, so we said goodbye. Her with empty hands and me, holding the coupon that she gave to me since she didn't need it.

What a fun little gift from God, not just the sweaters that I am needing now that the weather is turning cooler, but some time with a very dear friend that I don't see nearly as much as I'd like to. An opportunity to re-connect in the middle of our busy lives. Thank you, God!

Great is Your faithfulness, O God!

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me.

Today is a day that I feel humbled and overwhelmed by His faithfulness to me. I started the day weary. And honestly, questioning His faithfulness. My hope was fading. Do you not love the verse that tells us "if we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." ~2 Timothy 2:13 I am living that truth today. I was unfaithful by not placing my trust and hope in Him, but He proved me wrong. He is worthy of my trust and in Him, my hope is never misplaced!

You, O Lord, gave me...

a vehicle that is now running

an opportunity to remind myself of Your truths with a friend

friends that love me more than I deserve

a time of laughter and friendship and yummy food

butternut squash

bread, tuna and apples

a bill paid off~my phones turned on

a gift for a birthday party

groceries for our pantry

a husband who is kind and loving

and the one that I love the most, because it is one that will never fade away, it is here the moment I reach for it. I can have it whenever I want~

...Your word

....Your promises

....You

and that was before the day was half-done. I will continue to "taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him! Let the Lord's people show Him reverence, for those who honor Him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing." ~Psalm 34:8-10

ugh!

Has it really been since May that I have blogged? Yikes! I think I need to give myself the freedom to take a little bit of time to do this again. Even though I don't know if anyone sees it, it is still fun and artsy in it's own way, and I enjoy writing....hmmm.....I'm thinking this through. To allow myself to sit down with a cup of coffee and create...or dream...or vent...or share whatever God is teaching me in that moment. It seems like a great idea, will I actually follow through? I guess that remains to be seen. But I'm giving myself permission to at least think about it!

(oh, I am seeing the rain pouring down and thinking about the teenage boy whose vehicle I have because mine is not working. Oh no...he has the scooter. I better call him and make sure he doesn't need a ride anywhere!)

The Little Things

You know, I am absolutely convinced that God cares about the little things in our lives. Just recently, I've been asking God to please show me how to be a better steward of my husband's paycheck, and wondering if there was anything that I could do to earn some money to contribute to the household budget. Well, guess what? He has provided a way for me to earn some extra money....by ironing! I love to iron. It is what I do when I have some free time and I want to relax. Amazing to think that God loves me enough to pay me to do something enjoyable. Wow!
Today, I was at my ironing job, having a grand ol' time, listening to music...just loving the peace and quiet of the home that I was in, and I started wondering if I was doing a good enough job for the lady who hired me. (I was ironing her daughter's pleated skirts!) I meditated on that for a while, but in the end I realized that my only duty was to work as if I was working for the Lord Jesus, and just rest in the fact that I was doing my best. "But what if my best isn't good enough?" a little thought niggled at the back of my mind. Hmmm. Well, about 2 minutes later my cell phone rang. It was my "boss" (I don't really know what to call her. I've never even met her in person!) She was calling to give me a heads up that the painter would be stopping by to check on something and she didn't want me to be alarmed. She also mentioned that the clothes were ironed beautifully last time..... You might not think anything of it, but I believe that it was God assuring me that my best was good enough. Isn't He good to speak to our hearts and fellowship with us throughout the day? It's one of the not-so-little things that I love about Him.

~Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing~

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of endless praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

praise His name!

I'm fixed upon it-

name of God's redeeming love.

Hitherto Thy love has blest me;

Thou hast brought me to this place;

And I know Thy hand will bring me

safely home by Thy good grace.

Jesus sought me when a stranger

wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger

bought me with His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it;

seal it for Thy courts above.

~Robert Robinson

Today...

I am sitting here at my desk. Which is finally cleared off. Thank you, Lord!
The dogs are scratching at the back door. Correction...Mercy is scratching at the back door. Her favorite place to be is by me, or on my lap, or chewing on me. Grace, on the other hand, is loving the nicer weather today. She likes to find a patch of sunshine and lay down in it...
My heart is full today. Full of life. Full of heartache. Full of God. Full of peace. In the midst (and I do mean the midst) of hard times, He is right there. Which makes everything okay. It seems like it should be a contradiction, but it is not. He is showing me how Matthew 5:3-12 looks like in real life.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called the children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Any of descriptions following "blessed are..." are difficult. Humbling myself. Repenting. Honoring others. Patience. Refining fire. Testing. More patience. Sacrifice. Weary-ing (I don't think that's a word, but you know what I mean). Yet in the midst of it, we are blessed. Comforted. Filled. Shown mercy. Access to the throne. Access to Him. Access to the shelter of His mighty wings...
Ahhh, I am content, in the midst of it all. Because I am sheltered by the Almighty. I am blessed.