So much to thank God for!

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
and shout for joy,
all you who are upright in heart."
Psalm 32:11

This past week was pretty wonderful! The list of things I am thankful for is very long. I best just get started....

#507. Mara's decision to become a Christian. This is something I have prayed for since before she was born and I am so thankful!

#508 My big brother Peter's (with his fun family!) spur of the moment trip out to see all of us.

#509. Getting to meet Miss Jaten for the first time.

#510 Enjoying all her smiles and visits!

#511 My sister Anna and her family getting to travel up here too!

#512 Nice crowded tables.

#513 All the fun the cousins were able to have together.

#514 Playing games together.

#515 Making music together.

#516 Getting to hear the banjo again!

#517 Going through old pictures.

#518 Incredibly beautiful weather!

#519 Yummy homemade granola made from this recipe and recommended by Alysia- Thanks!

#520 The wonderfully delicous smell (and taste!) or maple syrup boiling down.

#521 Cooking over the campfire for the first time this season at home.

#522 A fun and yummy breakfast at Church on Sunday morning.

#523 Getting to be a part of a family that is defined by Jesus' blood not any human bloodline.

#524 That Jesus died for me.

#525 That Jesus rose again!

#526 That there is home in heaven being prepared for us!!!




holy experience

So much to thank God for!

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
and shout for joy,
all you who are upright in heart."
Psalm 32:11

This past week was pretty wonderful! The list of things I am thankful for is very long. I best just get started....

#507. Mara's decision to become a Christian. This is something I have prayed for since before she was born and I am so thankful!

#508 My big brother Peter's (with his fun family!) spur of the moment trip out to see all of us.

#509. Getting to meet Miss Jaten for the first time.

#510 Enjoying all her smiles and visits!

#511 My sister Anna and her family getting to travel up here too!

#512 Nice crowded tables.

#513 All the fun the cousins were able to have together.

#514 Playing games together.

#515 Making music together.

#516 Getting to hear the banjo again!

#517 Going through old pictures.

#518 Incredibly beautiful weather!

#519 Yummy homemade granola made from this recipe and recommended by Alysia- Thanks!

#520 The wonderfully delicous smell (and taste!) or maple syrup boiling down.

#521 Cooking over the campfire for the first time this season at home.

#522 A fun and yummy breakfast at Church on Sunday morning.

#523 Getting to be a part of a family that is defined by Jesus' blood not any human bloodline.

#524 That Jesus died for me.

#525 That Jesus rose again!

#526 That there is home in heaven being prepared for us!!!




holy experience

Happy Belated Easter

The kids and I (along with my mom) just got back from a wonderful trip to my sister's house (Jon was on a cruise with the high school band). We had a wonderful visit. The weather was gorgeous, the food was wonderful, the farm animals were adorable... and I'm exhausted! I'm trying to catch up with laundry, cleaning, blogging, baking, and thinking about putting in my garden. I'll post about farm animals tomorrow but for today I'll do an Easter recap.


I really love making something handmade for Easter. This year I knit bunny washclothes for the kids. I followed this pattern using worsted weight cotton yarn and size 7 needles.


The pattern is super simple and I was able to make one a day without any problem. I also made a bold blue and a bold green washcloth but forgot to take pictures of them.





Katie's deck was the perfect place to dye eggs. Charlotte and Kylee (Katie's stepdaughter) had a great time.


Katie helped Evan dye one after he finished helping Katie and I with farm chores.



Here's my egg. I love rainbows. I used to work at a little country store in college and in my spare time would organize their candles in rainbow order. Did I just say that out loud?



What do you do with leftover Easter egg dye???
Paint a dog!!
My mom has a wonderful sense of adventure and thought her Jack Russell/poodle mix, Mia, would look beautiful when dyed Easter egg colors. Mia was very patient.





Punk Rock Dog! Isn't she gorgeous?? I wish I had taken pictures of her when she was dry and brushed out. The colors are a lovely pastel rainbow. Mom, how about red, white, and blue for July 4th???





Easter Egg Hunt
Charlotte and Kylee dashing to get eggs.







Most of my pictures from that evening are blurry because the light was fading and the kids were running so fast to collect eggs.








Devin (Katie's stepson), Charlotte, and Evan are looking for eggs near the pasture. That brown blur in the center is Elmer, Katie's dog. He loved running with the kids. He had no idea what they were doing but it sure looked like fun.








When we got home, it was time for the Easter bunny to come.






I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Alive!

 On this Resurection day it is so fun to celebrate that though Jesus died for us, He didn't stay dead, He rose again and He is alive for evermore!

 This past week I enjoyed reading through Romans chapter 6 with Mara. It has a lot to say about Jesus' crucifiction, burial and resurection and it also talks about what we need to do. Read it and be blessed!
I have also included the exciting pictures from last week when Mara decided that she too needed to be buried in baptism.
"What shall we say then?
Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
May it never be!
How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
in order that as Christ was raised from the dead throught the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certianly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
knowing this,
that our old self was crucified with Him,
that our body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the dead,
is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died,
He died to sin,
once for all; but the life that He lives,
He lives to God.

Even so consider yourselves dead to sin,
But alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;
but present yourselves to God as those alive fromt he dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you,
for you are not under law, but under grace.

What then?
Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?
May it never be!

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience,
you are slaves of the one whom you obey,
either of sin resulting in death,
or of obedience resultingin righteousness?

But thanks be to God that thought you were slaves of sin,
you becamse obdient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
and having been freed from sin,
you became slaves of righteousness.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness,
resulting in further lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,
resulting in sanctification.
for when you were slaves of sin,
you were free in regard to righteousness.
Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God,
you derive your benefit,
resulting in sanctification,
and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6


It is so exciting that God has made a way for us to die to our old sinful self and then become alive to have a new life in Him! What are your thoughts on this chapter?




Alive!

 On this Resurection day it is so fun to celebrate that though Jesus died for us, He didn't stay dead, He rose again and He is alive for evermore!

 This past week I enjoyed reading through Romans chapter 6 with Mara. It has a lot to say about Jesus' crucifiction, burial and resurection and it also talks about what we need to do. Read it and be blessed!
I have also included the exciting pictures from last week when Mara decided that she too needed to be buried in baptism.
"What shall we say then?
Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
May it never be!
How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
in order that as Christ was raised from the dead throught the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,
certianly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
knowing this,
that our old self was crucified with Him,
that our body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the dead,
is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died,
He died to sin,
once for all; but the life that He lives,
He lives to God.

Even so consider yourselves dead to sin,
But alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;
but present yourselves to God as those alive fromt he dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you,
for you are not under law, but under grace.

What then?
Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?
May it never be!

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience,
you are slaves of the one whom you obey,
either of sin resulting in death,
or of obedience resultingin righteousness?

But thanks be to God that thought you were slaves of sin,
you becamse obdient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
and having been freed from sin,
you became slaves of righteousness.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.
For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness,
resulting in further lawlessness,
so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,
resulting in sanctification.
for when you were slaves of sin,
you were free in regard to righteousness.
Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God,
you derive your benefit,
resulting in sanctification,
and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6


It is so exciting that God has made a way for us to die to our old sinful self and then become alive to have a new life in Him! What are your thoughts on this chapter?