Cute Pic of Zach and Kittens

The Yellow House Closes

Many of you know that I have a home business called The Yellow House. I love working with arts & crafts and thought that might be a terrific outlet for my creativity.

Well, three young children, homeschooling, children's ministry, and various other duties have taken precedence over these hobbies.

I prayed over this for nearly two years. I know that I did not consult God on the opening of the business and it really has created problems for me since I chose to go out on this limb by myself. I could almost hear God's voice in my head this week as I was driving up my driveway. And I knew that it was time to be obedient.

Surprisingly, I was excited to call and close the business. It was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. That's just how obedience feels. Freedom - pure and simple.

My hope is that God will allow me to reopen the business one day. But this time I plan on praying about it first!

Changes

I attended a Girlfriends Unlimited event last week. They are always so much fun and I always learn something new. The sessions I chose to attend included how to make a t-shirt quilt and blogging basics.

The t-shirt quilt class was so cool. I wish I had time to learn to quilt. I know that my children will not be quite so demanding in just a few short years so I am trying to savor this season of life. Arts & crafts will always be around the learn, the sweet little faces of my growing babies will not. So I'll just add this nifty hobby to my list of things I would like to learn one day.

Next we had a keynote speaker who taught us how to pack more healthier lunches. This was so timely for me because I am trying to feed my family in a more healthy manner. So I learned tons of stuff from this plus learned about two books I need to read.

Finally I attended the blogging basics session. I obviously already blog, but I felt that it was kind of bland and could be spiced up a little. So you may note that I got a new background, picked a new family picture and I will work on adding some music when I get a little more spare time.

Sometimes change is very fun and very good!

It's a Boy, er, a Girl

We have two new darling kittens, Rocky and Candy. Candy appeared to have a UTI this morning, so I decided to take both of them in for initial check-ups, shots, etc.

Now, kittens are pretty tough to determine genders, even for vets. After a few weeks of inspections and observations,, I determined that Candy was a girl (and was named because Hannah loves candy) and the more feisty, daring, and slightly larger kitten was a boy (named Rocky because Zach loves rocks).

So imagine my shock when I learned that Rocky was, in fact, a very feisty, very daring, slightly larger GIRL! Oh dear. We are going to keep her name because it fits her all the same. Ha, ha!

Here is an older picture of her. No matter the gender, they are both very sweet, lovable and very playful. They have been a terrific addition to the family!

Hooray for Cousin Play Days!

Thankful

I write tonight with a heavy heart. It is not for me or anyone in my family. It is for a family in Uganda who is grieving over a lost sister and daughter. I received a call from Compassion International tonight and I was shocked to learn that my beautiful sweet little 6-year-old Patricia contracted meningitis and was rushed to the hospital on June 26. They were unable to help her and she passed away on June 27. I can hardly bear the thought of losing a child in such a time of life. Her letters to me (via the workers of course) were always decorated with her colorful doodles and they always talked of the busy little life she had.

So tonight, I am full of thanksgiving. I am thankful that my test results for the calcifications came back benign. I am thankful that my back is improving. I am thankful my husband has an amazing job. I am thankful that we are able to buy groceries any time we need to. And right now, I am most thankful for all the vaccines my children receive. Because without them, I am certain that I would not still have all three of my beautiful healthy children.

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me yet again that I live in an incredibly privileged nation.

Leaning on Christ

You are never really certain of how much you trust Jesus until you enter a time of crisis. It is in the moments of first learning of your dilemma that you either trust that Christ will give you the strength to make it to the other side or you crumble and fall in your own failing human strength.

I am not what I would call a "prayer warrior." I reserve that term for mentors who have been seeking God much longer than I have been living. I do, however, seek to speak with God on a daily basis, try to read His word at least a few times per week (I ever reach for the goal of daily reading), and I find that I call out to Him more and more as situations arise.

Today was another test. A phone call came and I had a choice to make. Trust God or weep and wail at the "what ifs" that are sailing around me.

I had my first mammogram on Monday. No big deal. Honestly, nursing three newborn babies was much more painful. I was advised that I would get the results in a few days. My doctor's office called earlier today. I missed the nurse, she asked me to call her back. I left a message. Then I missed her when she called again. Then I had to leave another message. I was beginning to get suspicious as to why they had not left the results with Chad, who is authorized to talk with them. Finally, I spoke with the nurse. And I got a message I was not expecting.

There is a calcification cluster on my right breast. Since this was my first test, they have no baseline to compare it to. So they have to get a better look. I return on Monday for magnification views and an ultrasound.

I won't lie. I teared up after I hung up. A few tears still fall when I ponder too long on the unknown. Your prayers are very much coveted. Please pray that I will stay in the arms of my comforting Savior. Pray that the results come back negative for cancer. Above all, pray that God is glorified no matter the outcome.

"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant." Psalm 119:76

Zach's Appointment

I finally got to take Zach in today for his 4 year appointment. My cousin's daughter, Annie, got the pleasure of attending the appointment with our motley crew. Poor little thing probably needs a vacation now after all the chaos she experienced!

Zach was a little under the weather. He has apparently contracted the random virus that the girls had, but he is faring well despite the 100.3 degree fever he had this morning.

He got a finger prick, four shots, eyes checked, and ears checked. Eyes and ears passed. He didn't even flinch on the finger prick. The four shots, well, that was a different matter. The only thing that helped end the tears were the two tokens he received that he traded in for awesome bouncy balls. Here are his stats:

Weight: 35 lbs (38%)
Height: 40.75" (56%)

I'm still evaluating his speech. If I am still not pleased with what I suspect to be a slight speech impediment, he will have more speech therapy in the school system this fall. Otherwise, he is doing fantastic!

Mama's Got a New Hat

Chad asked me last week what I wanted for my birthday. I had a short list, but one of them really puzzled him. I asked if he would let me mow the other side with the riding mower. I think he thought I was nuts. It's something I have asked about for a few years, but he always hemmed and hawed over it. Well, he started fussing about it lately because his time is so limited and it takes a few hours just to make one pass over the other side, not even counting other kinds of maintenance this beautiful place requires.

So I saw my opportunity. This chore has always looked appealing to me because it is a few hours to be completely by myself. Plus it allows me to get a closer look at the other half of our property, which I have hardly gotten to see in the nearly four years we've lived here.

Many obligations delayed us, but I finally got to mow for about an hour today. I am sore, have a blister on my left thumb (got to remember gloves next time) and my hands tingled for about 30 minutes after I got off the mower. But I have such a huge feeling of accomplishment.

I asked Chad to go over with me to inspect and to clarify things with him. He said I did a good job ( I soooo love verbal praise!) and he confirmed that yes, we have some evil trees with enormous thorns!

So now I have a new hat in my collection - assistant groundskeeper. :)

How Long Did It Take for Noah to Build the Ark? - Answers in Genesis

How Long Did It Take for Noah to Build the Ark? - Answers in Genesis

Cool little article that talks about the time leading up to the Flood and explains a few verses that have always puzzled me.