Blessings

Life has challenges.

Big and small challenges.

Challenges that we can overcome..

with the right attitude

 

 

This week has been a tough week.

John found out that he has been laid off for the month of December.

With Christmas being around the corner,

it was a big pill to swallow... BUT

 

 

God has fulfilled His promise to take care of us.

Once people found out, we had:

 

1. several names of different people to call that would have work for John

2.  offers to pay for gas for our planned trip to Chilliwack

3. offers to buy Christmas presents for our girls so that it would still be special

4. and many listening ears as I vented my .. what can I call it... doubts, I

would say. 

 

 

A wonderful and lovely, amazing to say the least, neighbour lady from church, gave me an hour of her time this morning, lending an ear, and giving me advice.  What was her advice? Stay close to God!  Get a devotion, and take the time EVERY day to talk to HIM.  She gave me a devotion that I want to share with you, as it totally applied to what we had talked about!

 

Having the Right Attitude

 

Romans 8: 28-39

 

vs. 31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

 

We are seeing that when we are engulfed in darkness, that is the time to light the flickering torch of faith and explore the treasures that are hidden there.  The very first thing we need to understand when we are surrounded by deep darkness is that we are not going to be exempt from the difficult periods of life just because we are Christians.  If we react to dark experiences by saying, ' I'm a Christian, why is this happening to me?' then this will hinder us from finding the treasures that lie all around.  Richard Baxter wrote concerning the Great Plague: 'At first so few of the religious people were taken away that they began to get puffed up and boast of the great differences which God did make.  But quickly after that, they all fell alike.'

 

There is little we can do to stop darkness descending, but there is a lot we can do to discover its hidden treasures.  So whenever you find yourself in a place of darkness, hold fast to the idea that what matters is not so much what is happening to you as the meaning that you can discover in it.  Sorrows, griefs, losses, disappointments, frustrations, sickness, failures- these can be dark and difficult experiences.  They can, however, be times of spiritual growth and development, providing we stand up to them with the right attitude.  And the right attitude is this- God will allow nothing to come into my life unless it can be used.

 

If you say to yourself, 'This should not have happened to me because I am a child of God,' then your attitude will prevent you from discovering the treasures that are all around. When you realise that you can use everything, then you need not be afraid of anything.

 

Hope this has blessed you.

 



 



Addition to family

WHERE DOES TIME GO????  I cannot believe that it's been a month since my last post.  I know I said the same thing last time but.. seriously.. time is FLYING.

Which means that life is busy.  And we were smart enough to bring more busyness into our life by getting a puppy.. yes a puppy.  She is a Havanese and her name is SADIE.  We have fallen in love with her.. JOhn more so than me since I get stuck with all the training and making sure she goes pee OUTSIDE during the day.  She is AWESOME at night though, not getting up until 6:00.  Because she is a puppy, she chews EVERYTHING.  She gets very excited when she sees the girls but then just starts nipping them, and they are not quite sure how to deal with it.  She is HIGH energy, but also loves to cuddle and sleep.  We have already taught her how to fetch, bring it back and drop it.  Here are some pics of her:

I didn't realize that it's been so long since my last post.  Life has been wonderful, but so busy.  Here's an example! Thanksgiving weekend, we had John's brother and sis-in-law and 5 kids over from Thursday afternoon until Tuesday morning.

The week before they came, I housecleaned for
2 hours on MOnday,
5 hours on Tuesday,
3 hours on Wednesday and
4 hours on Thursday.

The Tuesday morning they left, I went and housecleaned again for
4 hours on Tuesday,
3 hours on Wednesday, and
 4 hours on Friday. 

The next week, I had to prepare for John's parents, 2 sisters and a neice to come.  I housecleaned for
2 hours on Monday,
6 hours on Tuesday,
5 hours on Wednesday, and
4 hours on Thursday. 

All this on top of cleaning my own house.  JOhn's family stayed from Thursday morning until Saturday at lunch. 

This week, I only have to clean for 3 hours on Tuesday.  And next week will be slow also.  I am thankful as I needed a breather. 

John has not been feeling good again.  Please pray for him. Many of you probably know how sick he was before we moved to Quesnel.  Because he got so much better when we moved, we didn't think twice about the Western BLot Test he took for Lyme's disease just thought it had to do with stress and  elevation.  Now, some of his issues are coming back.  So, the Western Blot test results came up between the two of us.  He did have 1 band as a result.  This means that he was positive for Lyme's but in the very beginning stages.  I think that we are going to have to pursue some treatment of sorts.  I know it will be difficult as Lyme's is not really recognized yet in Canada.  So, prayer will be appreciated.

John has been working at Dunroven, a care home.  He is building a couple decks and wheelchair ramp.  It is just him and another guy, who goes to our church.  That has been a real blessing for him, as they get along really well.  The rest of the crew is at the Pulp Mill, where there is H2S gases which is not a good thing.  Quite regularly a siren will go off meaning to evacuate the area. Fortunately, we live at the top of the hill, so the smell of pulp doesn't reach us very often.  If you've ever been to Quesnel, you will know what I am talking about. He has been hunting a little bit, but it's not worth it to go after work, having family here on weekends, and having to work last Saturday, he hasn't had much time to go out.  Plus, there are things that need to get done at home, and with how he is feeling, he doesn't have the energy for both.

Now that you know what John and I are up to, here's a little tidbit about the girls!

Both girls are doing very well at school.  Kenna actually brought a paper home on fractions and I had no idea what she was supposed to do.  They are at the Christian school and are doing pretty good there.

Kenna has found a new neighbor hood friend.  They are about the same age and have a lot of similarities.  Shelby seems like a very nice girl so I am happy for Kenna, even though she enjoys playing with the neighbor boys when she gets the chance. 

Emmy gets along with Zoe, a neighbor girl from church.  She is a couple years younger than Emmy, but they get along really well, so that's nice.  Emmy is doing really well also at school. She loves reading and her comprehension is really good too.  She loves books on cats, dogs and especially horses. Both girls are getting swimming lessons from school.  On Emmy's first lesson, she didn't even want to go in the water.  She was scared of getting splashed in the face.  This last lesson, that I wasn't able to be there for, she told me that she was actually swimming.  So proud of her.  She tends to be afraid of trying most new things, but once she's been shown, or shown herself, that she can do it, she's fine.  It's just getting past that initial bump!

So other than housecleaning, I haven't had much time for anything else.  I have been doing some baking, some with the girls.  Kenna has taken off in that area and loves to be in the kitchen. She is already able to make Mr. Noodles on her own and can basically make Mac and Cheese by herself.  She has baked apple squares twice and did most of it herself. She knows that tsp. stands for teaspoon and with her knowledge of fractions, she can read a recipe quite well.  There are several ministries in church that are always in need of baking, so I try to help out in that area too. 

As for today, the kids are home from school.  The buses are not running, and I am not driving on those roads to take them.  It has been snowing since Friday, off and on.  But so much has accumulated.  I think we have more than a foot out there and it's still falling HEAVY.  If it was the end of November, I would be ok with it.  But the end of OCtober????!!!

Well, I have lots planned for today.  We will see how much of it I actually get done!
Take care,

"All dressed up and somewhere to go!"

We are going through the book of Colossians on Sundays. 

 

 It is such a good study for today. Last Sunday was titled "watch me while I change"  It was on Colossians 3: 1-11.  On how we, as God's children, need to put off the bad.

 

Yesterday, we heard about how we are "all dressed up and somewhere to go!"

 

Our clothes reflect our calling and our Savior.

I am not talking about clothes made of cotton or wool.

Instead, I am talking of clothes of compassion, love, humility, etc.

 

We are called to put on:

 

1. Compassion- Luke 6:36- we need to be merciful just as our Father in Heaven is

2 .Kindness- Titus 3:4- God saved us because of His mercy

3. Humility- Matthew 11:29- humble and gentle at heart

4. Gentleness- Ephesians 4:2- Patient, with an allowance for faults

5. Patience- Romans 5:3,4- long suffering, endruance

6. Forgiveness Colossians 3:3-  dead to this life, real life hidden in Christ

7. Love- 1John 3:16-18-  real love: Christ gave up His life for us

8. Peace John 14:27- gift of God

 

What a responsibility!

 

Matthew 4:4- "People do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

going back to work

The idea of me going back to work has been tossed back and forth between me and John.

His thoughts were that if I were to go to work for 1 year, fulltime, it would look good for the bank in order to get a mortgage to purchase a house here in Quesnel. 

My thoughts were that if I were to go back to work fulltime, i would have to put my girls in daycare, or arrange to have friends watch them.  That idea hurt my momma heart- the thought that I wouldn't be there to pick them up from the bus and here their "MOMMY" screams. 

So with much prayer and anticipation, I handed out resumes. On some, I specified that I was only able to work from 8:30-2:30 or evenings.  Others I just that I was willing to work full-time.  I handed them out at a local grocery store, a restaurant, and faxed one to a mill for an opening for clerical support.  I have not heard back from anyone.. and I know.. that doesn't mean anything. 

But I think that God is answering my prayers.. so that I can be at home with my girls  :)  Today I received 3 different calls for housecleaning opportunities.  One from my neighbor, who works full-time, like 12 hours a day fulltime.  ANother was from a friend who has bad arthritic pain in her right hand and is limited to how much muscle she can use in a day.  And the 3rd one was a referral to someone who was looking.  I haven't called this 3rd person yet to see what she had in mind. 
So on top of the Tuesday and Fridays(4-5 hours each day) that I clean right now, I would clean for 3 hours for the neighbor and several hours for my friend, and also whatever the 3rd lady would need.  I also clean for another friend about once every 6 weeks when she feels that she's falling behind.  I think that's enough work for me.. I am quite happy with those hours actually.

I think I just might have to hire a housekeeper for my own house.. Any takers??

It's the most wonderful time of the year: FALL

 

 

my hearth:

♪♪ oh how I love to go camping ♪♪

I don't know how many of you know this song.  It's a tape that I used to listen to growing up.   We would listen to it over and over again.  MOm.. if you still have it.. I want it :)

♫"Going camping feels so good... camping, here in the woods... oh how I love to go camping!"♫

Anyways, the reason for that song is that our summer holidays were camping.. every long weekend. And the funny thing is.. we very rarely visit the same lake twice.
We've gone to:
-Pimainus
-Boss/Davis
-Bellos
-Puntzi
-Abhau
-Leighton
-Fishpot
-Charlie
-Spanish

There are a few more, but those are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head.  Each one has been sufficient for us.  We have been able to relax, have a good time with the kids, eat lots of smores,
enjoy the beauty of God's creation, etc.  5 of those above mentioned lakes have been visited since we moved to Quesnel!  There are so many beautiful places here to camp. There's beautiful places everywhere.. that's why we like to visit a different lake everytime!  Here are some pictures of our most recent trips.  Enjoy!


The first series of pictures are taken on our trip to Puntzi Lake.  This lake is located on Hwy 20, west of Williams Lake.  It took us 4 hrs to get there, pulling the camping trailer.  John's truck is getting old and is not able to pull like it used to.  There is also a seriously steep hill to climb, just getting out of Williams Lake.  The reason we went here, is that John has a moose draw in this area.  We wanted to scout it out before he actually went hunting.  Good thing we did. 

On our way, we had to go through Alexis Creek.  So here we are driving, go around a corner, and there's a cop.  Fortunately he was a nice one, just giving warnings.  Apparently we were going 62 in a 50 zone.  He had a chuckle when he saw my camera on my lap and said," The camper in front of you had their camera out too."  When I said that it was because the river was such an amazingly blue color, he suggested he stop at the Bull  Canyon Provincial Park up ahead.  So we did.  And it was worth it!

This picture does not do it justice.

 

 

Loving her daddy! 

 

 

Chilling after driving for 3 hours.  And for those concerned with the beverage of choice, I drove after we left this park.☺ 

 

 

 One of the views from our camp site.  We stayed at Kokanee Bay campsite.

 

 

This is one of the things that I love about my man.  The willingness/eagerness to teach the girls life skills!  Mckenna can probably light a campfire better than some of you!!☺ 

 

 

Beautiful night view 

 

 

Don't ask.. I don't know what she was doing 

 

 

Posing for Daddy.  She was first scared to go on this dock.  But John helped her get over it..I didn't see how. 

 

and even ate her breakfast out there!

 

We went for a drive to scout the area. A one point, we got lost and ended up in a farmer's field. But we turned around and with a little prayer, we found our way out.

 

 

 

Rock sandwich anyone??

 

 

 

Fishing.. more for fun than with the hope of catching anything.

 

and driving the boat! 

 

 

 

 

And then our latest, and last of the season I think, was Abhau Lake.  It was closer to home, and bordered a region where you could shoot any buck.  It's hard to go hunting though when you have the family along, and when you aren't a morning person. (John)

 

 

This picture is the definition of peaceful.

 

 

She has a tin of rosehips. I think she was calling them her jewels. 

 

 

 

I was sitting at the campfire when I took this picture 

 

 

They didn't get to go swimming, but they put on their water shoes and got wet up to their knees.. Too cold for me, I was in pants and a sweater most of the time, sitting by the fire! 

 

 

On this trip we went with friends.  We took care of their kids while they went hunting and got some more firewood.  This is their youngest Garett.  He is 3.  John was helping him use the ax.  I am not sure his mother was impresed, but it kept him occupied for awhile while the other kids played together. 

 

LOOK  I did it! 

 

 

 

Views from the other side of the campsite. 

 

 

Want to join us next summer?  Come along with us as we explore some more lakes??

3rd day of school

I was not even going to try take a picture of the girls on their first day of school.  It was very stressful for Emmy already and I didn't want to make it worse.  The girls went to bed at 8:00 the night before.  I figured that they could do a half hour later than last year.  I was wrong.  We woke them up shortly after 7 and it was a continual nag session to keep them on track.  The 2nd night, they were in bed 1/2 hours earlier which made a big difference.

 

Mckenna, Grade 3

 

getting on the bus

 

Emmy, Grade 2... we went from this to... 

 

 

 

this in a matter of 10 minutes. what do you do with a silly girl like this one??!!  

are you a snatcher??

I find myself being very cheap lately. 

 

 I will pass things up because I won't pay regular price for them, sometimes even things I need.

 

One thing that I get a kick out of is "snatching" superbucks from receipts that are hanging from the gas pump. 

 

Yesterday, we stopped at the wholesale club to fill up with gas, and then parked in the adjacent parking lot of Canadian Tire to eat lunch.  WHile the others finished eating, I went into the wholesale club to see if they had an good deals. 

 

 On my way back to the truck, I had to pass the gas station.  I saw this peice of white hanging out of the outside pump and figured I'd try my luck!

 

 

  I did good..

 

REAL good!

 

I scored myself $3.64 in superbucks!

 

Are you a snatcher???!!!

Redneck juicer!

 

 

 

 

IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!!

 

 

 

 

 

The Art House

This is the tree house in our backyard.  But there was something missing.  So the girls decorated it.. and had a party!

 

 

 

The sign says: Come in the party is on!  The door also has "WELCOME" painted on it.

 

 

 

This is poor kitty.  Upon arrival of the party, you had to sign her cast.  The reason for her cast.. she had a bruise on her bone. 

 

 

 

The reason for the name: The ART house! 

 

Gotta love the "streamers".  The walls are also painted and there is some different furniture in there.  The camping chairs are out and there is a bar height counter and a kids size Dora sofa chair in the corner. 

 

 

 

Mom: remember this stove?

 

 

One way of leaving the art house.  Please return floor board upon exit.  We would hate to have our party guests fall through the floor.

 

 

Please join us for our next party.  Please R.S.V.P!!

Princess Party

The princess party happened for 2 reasons:

1. The girls have been asking for make-up ever since they met the neighbor girl who has her own makeup, which she is only allowed to wear at home.

2. I like doing fun things for/with the girls that cost very little, if anything at all.

 

 

We started out with yummy cupcakes

 

 

 

Emmy was the first one to be finished: make-up, pretty hairdo and a fancy dress.  I tried to get a picture of her inside, before I started on the other girls.  But, like me, she can not keep her eyes open when she is getting her picture taken with a flash involved.  So, when it was time to take pics outside, she got upset (dress wasn't comfy, and she didnt want her pic taken anymore!).  That is why the picture of her outside does not show any make-up on her.

 

 

Princess Mckenna 

 

 

 

We invited the neighbor girl to join us.. she has no sisters to play with. 

 

 

They also got to have nail polish on.  They got to pick their colors and patterns.  Very interesting choices.. wouldn't you say?!!  This is Mckenna's choice.

 

 

And Emmy's choice 

 

 

This girl puzzles me.  She made such a big deal about getting her picture taken at first. After crying and letting me know that her heart was broken, and then settling down, we went outside to take this picture.  As you can tell, she was having fun being a goof.  Notice she also changed her dress!! 

 

 

All in the life of princesses!!