Time Flies When You're.....Raisin' Kids

I've been wanting to introduce you to my wonderful kids. Last month we celebrated Josh (31st) and Danny's (21st) birthdays. How can I have a son 31 years old? We were just covortin' around together, just the two of us. And what happened to my little red-headed boo-boo? (that does not mean he was a mistake...just a crazy nickname!) Our other son, David, is 16 and behind the wheel!! How did that happen? Wasn't he just 4 lbs. 7 oz not so long ago? I am so blessed!! These 3 young men make a mama proud!! Josh is married to beautiful, inside and out, Erin and expecting their 1st child. Yea!!! Danny is working hard putting himself through school. He is persevering big time!! David and I see quite abit of each other since he is a junior homeschooling. Due to his co-op, saxophone lessons, youth group and being with friends, we spend lots of car time together. Just tonight we were talking about the will of God and expecting heaven to be here on earth. All of my boys are insigthtful and are critical thinkers. They truly are a blessing from God. Here is Danny and Josh.


David....he loves animals!

Josh and Erin





My daughters, Jodi and Jeri, are both married to great guys, Kevin and Joel. I am so proud of Jodi as a young mom. She puts her heart into raising her 2 kiddos, Riley(5) and Connor(2). I wish I was as good of a Mom as she is when I was her age. Kevin is a great asset to our family. He is a good leader for their home.

Kevin, Jodi, Riley, and Connor


Jeri has been working hard as a nanny for several years while Joel completed PA school. She is now taking classes while he works. They have a great marriage and I see them growing as a couple and individuals.

Joel and Jeri



Jeanie is our youngest daughter.(18) She has started college and wants to be an elementary teacher. Jeanie is calm, takes life seriously, and likes to have fun!! I enjoy seeing her pursue God with her friends.
Jeanie in Chicago



I just realized this sounds like a Christmas newsletter, which I personally don't care much for. I have never written one. But I just wanted anyone who might stumble across this blog to see how blessed I am with my 6 kids.

So where has the time gone? I don't know how to answer that accept it is gone!! 33 years of marriage and 31 of motherhood. I remember people saying to enjoy the years of colicky babies and sleepless nights because before you know it your kids will be raised and gone. At the time, it seemed it would never change. Those nights were long!! But here I am with 3 married and out of the house already. I also remember my Mom saying it seems time goes quicker every year. Now I know what she meant. Young or old, we all need to embrace the moment and be thankful for what God has given today.

What do I DOOOO?

I just finished One Thousand Gifts and am struck by the fact that our walk in Christ is filled with action....GIVE thanks....WALK in love....BE merciful...
LIVE fully...and one of my favorites, that this book boils down to is....

"KEEP your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
Proverbs 4:23

If I could just keep a grateful heart, so many things would be taken care of. Another thing is that it is soooo daily!! Yesterday, I messed up, but today is new and I get another try at it. This is why I made this and hung it on our family room wall where I see it often.




Remember that line from The Kid? (love that movie!) His kid-self shows up and wants to know what he ends up doing for a job as a grown-up, so he's asking his grown-up self "what do I dooooo?"

I say... KEEP YOUR HEART GRATEFUL!!! And by the way, I have started my list of one thousand gifts. You should, too!!

All of Life.....a Gift

I've been reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts....it is a gift to me. Not a totally new message, but a needed reminder and clarification in many areas. She takes you on an interesting journey beginning with gratefulness and taking you through belief, trust, humility and pride. She is very insightful and writes beautifully. A little hard for me to comprehend at times, so for me I am taking it slowly...trying to get what God has for me out of this book. (or maybe I'm just slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-w) I was already thinking about gratefulness before my daughter introduced me to Voskamp's book....how thankfulness takes care of many besetting sins like lack of contentment, jealousy and anger. I've know for a long while that to be grateful is a good thing and God is worthy of our praise, but Ann points out how things like joy, grace and peace show up in giving thanks. Now I am understanding the connections better. Another point that she makes is that it can be learned...praise the Lord!! I only wish I could have learned this alot sooner and would have been a better example for my children. But God is gracious and alot bigger than I give Him credit for. He can restore the years the locust have eaten ,(Joel 2:25) a prayer I have prayed many times, and He can help my children learn gratefulness, too.

For those of you wanting to follow my blog, you'll probably hear about other books because I read alot to keep my heart pointed in the right direction. I will try to have a new post weekly. Maybe more often, if time allows!!
Give thanks!!!