And So It Begins!

Wow...the preparation for our county fair has started with the kids turning in their projects! Friday is the "official" opening of the fair. So far Gideon and Rebecca have turned in their photography projects and have received blue ribbons. Rebecca has also done a "Self Determined" project which is a project that is the child's choice as long as it can't fit into another category. She did a study about China and has done many mini projects on that theme. She has so far gotten a Blue Ribbon/Honors on that one.
Today she is competing in the Food Preparation project and is taking a Chinese dish. (Keeping with the China theme and her homeschool studies....) It is really a delicious meal and quite pretty! She has been working hard on it so I hope she does well. It was kind of a difficult thing getting up and fixing Chinese food at 6:30 a.m.!
She has to be at the judging session at 9:30 a.m. along with the many other children and then have a "pitch-in" with the other children's exhibits!

Sunday is her "Cat Show" with Miss Trinket. She is also an "Asian" project since she is part Siamese. She was actually the inspiration for Becca's theme she kept with this year.
Becca also drew the Great Wall of China for her Fine Arts project. Our church is having our church service at the 4H fairgrounds on Sunday morning again this year as an outreach ministry to the community. (we are still having church services at our church as well for those who aren't going to the fairgrounds service...)

I really like 4H for the kids but I am always happy when their projects are over with! I think Becca took 8 or 9 projects this year. She wouldn't be taking so many if we didn't incorporate them into her home schooling year. This way, she has to be responsible to someone other than just me and learn to do things "by the book." She also has a nice "reward" for work well done since she doesn't really have a reward system in our home schooling. That may be something we change this year, I am looking for ways to encourage her but not to have her showing off with her good grades or projects. I think that is a fine line to walk, sometimes....

Hopefully we can go and see Baby Liam today. It has been a few weeks since I've visited with them and I miss them all! (Daddy, Mommy and Baby Liam!) We spent the day with Dylan and Brody yesterday and I was blessed to see Seraphina on Sunday! Grandbabies are awesome!!

Blessings to you all!
Beth

A Sweet Smell

I'm just sitting at my computer this morning smelling like a guy.
I mean that in a good way.
I found some cologne, "Mustang", at a local drug store on clearance sale for 75% off yesterday!
I can't pass up a bargain and since my DAD is a BIG MUSTANG fan, he HAS to have some for his birthday in September!
He's really fond of the Mustang CAR...I guess I should clear that up.

Anyway, so this morning, I sprayed a little bit on my wrist to show Roger how it smells. It is really pretty nice!
So now I smell like a guy.

I used to spray a little bit of Roger's cologne on my wrist or sweater just so that I could be reminded of him all day long when I was at work. (Not that I really NEEDED to be reminded to think of him...I think of him all day long!)

I love it when I get a "goodbye" hug and kiss from Roger and then I am left smelling of his cologne. I have proof that I have a close "relationship" with my husband.
But that kind of has me thinking today. I don't mind smelling like my father, better yet, smelling like my husband...but how often do I smell of our SAVIOR? Am I left with the sweet smell of just having been around the Lord and having a close relationship with Him?
I mean, can people REALLY tell that I'm a CHRISTIAN when they're near me or do they just think that I'm a relatively nice person?
I have been around people that I just INSTINCTIVELY KNEW that he or she was a Christian!
I want to be THAT kind of a Christian.
I don't mean the kind of pious, judgemental people that we all know. I don't believe that they have the sweet perfume of our Savior about them. I want to be the kind that REALLY lives what they believe and that is the love and GRACE of our Lord.

The world needs something different than they have. They need to be shown what it REALLY means to be a Christian.
I think sometimes we (I) make it look like we THINK we have to go to church 3 times a week, volunteer in the nursery, give LOTS of money to missions, etc., to be OUR kind of a Christian.
While ALL THOSE THINGS ARE GOOD, EVEN GREAT, THAT'S NOT WHAT GETS US TO HEAVEN!
I'm sure that the Lord appreciates all those things but our Salvation is not a works salvation...it is a faith Salvation.
We can do all the good things in the world but if we are trusting in ourselves to be saved, it is all in vain.

Unfortunately, I don't think we are getting that message across to people that they don't have to "BE" anything to be a Christian. It just takes faith and the GRACE of God.

"For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten son that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

I'm afraid that we as Christians are putting so many things into Salvation that don't belong there. Church attendance (while wonderful and NEEDED for growth and fellowship) isn't "salvation." Neither is good works or tithing. It's just repentance and faith in the death of our Savior to be all we need.

I don't' need to act pious or self righteous. I just need to try to act like Jesus.
I need to be better in my Bible studying and my prayer life. I need to be spending time with my Lord. I need to get daily "hugs" from Him and to continue to ask for God's guidance and help to be who I am supposed to be...someone who smells like Jesus.

Wow! Two posts in one really difficult day!

Have you ever had a difficult day that just wouldn't end? Mine started yesterday.

I have always hated it when someone says "I'm having a BAD day!"
I have this little flip answer in my head that rings out, "Every day that God gives you is a GOOD day! There is NO BAD DAY!"
Then I had yesterday evening....the beginning of my very difficult day.

I was hurrying to get to Michael's (craft store) to get Becca something ELSE she was needing to get her 4H projects done when right behind me appeared Mr. Police Officer. I wasn't speeding, I was obeying all traffic rules in my pious little way....but the red lights flashed anyway

It wasn't a big deal...a bit embarrassing...but I had a brake light out. I knew I had a turn signal out...and I kept asking my husband to get it fixed....ahem.....but I didn't know about the brake light as well.

The very nice officer asked me for license and registration and I promptly handed him my license but I couldn't find the registration. You see, the glove compartment is broken and I put all the important information in a box that somehow disappeared. He said, "Just sit tight and I'll see if I need it..."

I was pretty confident that I was ok....the last time I had been pulled over was probably 20 years ago or so...and just got a warning.

He came back to me and said, "Miss, do you have a DRIVERS LICENSE? This is just a state issued Identification card!"
"OH MY!!" I exclaimed. "THAT'S not even ME!! It's my CLIENT!!" I went on to explain that I work with special needs adults and that evidently I hadn't remembered to put her I.D. back in the file at work. I finally located the proper driver's license!
He laughed...a little...and had me further explain why I would have someone else's i.d.

I got off with a verbal warning and was asked to find the registration! We did so, this morning!

Roger had to take my van this morning to take kids from his company camping. I was left with his little compact car. He won't be back until tomorrow night and Gideon went with him. We were kind of excited to have a ladies' day/night for just me and my girls...you know, possibly shopping, cereal for supper, watching silly movies as long as we wanted to....etc....

This afternoon, we set out for the mall to see Toy Story 3. (VERY CUTE, by the way...made me cry and I had to keep telling myself that this is a CARTOON! The people behind me snickered at me because they knew I kept wiping my tears away! Good Grief!!)
On the way home, we ran out of gas. Thanks to God's provision, we were actually in another parking lot and safely off the road! However, I had to walk about 2 miles in obtaining more gas for the car. It is very hot in Indiana right now. Did I mention it was rush hour? How about the fact that I was walking down one of the busiest streets in a denim skirt and my church shoes? Or that when I finally got to the gas station, they had sold out of gas cans? When I asked where the next closest gas station was, he pointed toward the direction I had just come from.
"It will be a couple of miles, though," he said.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I said "I have to sit down and cool off a little while. I don't think I can do that."
Soon he came back with another employee who was carrying a gas can. Some time ago, a customer bought a gas can to LEAVE at this gas station just in case someone might need one! The station was no longer lending gas cans since they most often are never returned. But someone had thought of someone else and decided to leave the gas can.

Isn't that amazing???

ISN'T GOD AMAZING?

Once again, He provided for me.

When I brought the gas can back after walking back to the parking lot, the employee said how lucky we were that we hadn't run out of gas somewhere else.

I said, "I know, God was looking out for us!"

He said, "Yes, that's true!"

So, I'm RIGHT! Any day that God gives us is a good day. Or better yet, a GOD day! It's kinda nice to end the day being able to praise our God!

Oh, and the PIZZA I just had DELIVERED isn't too bad, either!

Farm house news and camping fiasco...

Well, we have had quite a week. Right after the 4th of July, we took the two younger kids on a camping trip. We were planning to join my parents at Turkey Run State Park for a time of just our family and grandparents.
We got about 10 miles away and the belt on our van broke. We spent about 5 or 6 hours in a truck stop. My parents live within a few miles of that truck stop so my dad came to our rescue. Then two men passing through tried to help. THEN my two brothers drove up...one on his new motorcycle! There were two trips to the closest town with an auto parts store and finally, it was fixed...or so we thought.
My parents decided not to go camping with us since it was so late but Roger, myself, Gideon and Becca went on to Turkey Run. The van started making the same nasty noises that it had been making BEFORE the belt broke. (But we got there AND we made it home ok...just slowly..) (I drove it to drop the kids off at their 4H meeting yesterday and heads turned! Not because it is such a lovely van but because of the terrible noise it makes!)
Anyway, we DID have a good time for the rest of the trip and we even went canoeing! Neither of our canoes were tipped over and we had fun! We went to some Amish stores on the way home and loaded up on a few items we needed. (They sell things in bulk packages and I am amazed at how much we save!)
We hurried back to get Becca to her "Fun Show" for her Cat Project in 4H. Trinket DID NOT enjoy being there one little bit! In fact, she "pee peed" ALL over the floor AND on my denim skirt! She was sooo nervous! I went into the restroom and successfully washed up.
Becca was a little disappointed because SHE believes her kitty is the BEST EVER and evidently, the judge did not.....
The REAL Cat show will be in a week and 1/2....

The NEXT big thing to happen is that we had decided to put an offer in on a precious little farm house on almost 5 acres. It has 5 bedrooms but needs LOTS of work. We were willing! It has barns and a HORSE barn with a cement floor in part of it to store our little camper or...as Gideon says...to have a skating rink or a basketball court! It is huge! Oh and you should see the chicken coop!!! My DREAM CHICKEN COOP!!!
It has trees, a soybean field and the most incredible well house covered in vines just like in "The Secret Garden!"
So we decided to put an offer on the place and we called the realtor. He would NOT make time anytime that day to let us do so. We decided to call another realtor. She ALSO would not make time to do it for us. (My dad said "They must not be hungry.") Anyway, THAT particular realtor said to me, "It will take $20,000 to fix the septic system!" I don't know if that is the truth or not but it is enough to scare us away from buying the house.
There is quite a lot of remodelling to be done in it and there is no heating or cooling system AND the upstairs still needs to be completely redone, all of which we were willing but we just can't afford the new septic system.

*Weep*

I guess it is not the house that God has for us. At least for now. It most likely will be taken off the market and repaired and THEN put back on at a higher price. Maybe then we can see if it is something that God has for us in our future.

I am certainly extremely disappointed. It is just a few miles from my parents, my older son and about 15 miles away from my younger son. All my family live within 15 minutes.

However, I am in the middle of being amazed at God's provision for us in this situation. Had the first realtor...someone related to my husband...not refused to write the offer...we would have had NO idea that the septic system was in such bad disrepair. We were planning to offer a large deposit and then have a contract for 6 month to a year while we worked on the house. We have just enough money to do that but did NOT plan on the septic system having to be replaced. We had not even planned to have it inspected since we knew that there were issues in the house that would NOT pass a regular inspection or finance with the bank.
We would not have had the extra money to fix the septic system yet we would have been under contract with this man. We could have lost all the money that we had put into it.

I think it very very strange that neither of the two realtor we spoke to would write an offer on that day even though we were willing to do whatever it took for as late as it needed to be. In fact, we called a THIRD realtor before we talked to the particular realtor that told me about the septic system!! I have worked as a real estate secretary for several years and my mother was a realtor and I am so used to having to "JUMP" when a buyer has an offer to make!! It is very odd that no one would do it on that day!

I guess it's not odd....it's just GOD.
He is still protecting his little impatient children. And I am very grateful. (yeah, a little disappointed, but grateful. In fact, the day we were making the offer, I took LOTS of pictures to show YOU but now I can't bear to post them! )

I WONDER WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US. I THINK IT MAY BE SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T YET EVEN CONSIDERED OR COME ACROSS! I hope it has a chicken coop.....

NOT sooo Funny.....hmmmm...

EVIDENTLY, it is QUITE a blessing to be the source of incredible humor as I must be to my 17 year old daughter. I have NOT yet fully realized the whole "blessed to be a blessing" thing in my current situation.
Let me explain.
I went to a big garage sale today in which I purchased lots of retro items at just a dime or a quarter. I was able to buy old aprons, a sewing basket, retro fabric, a little dog statue, yarn, and rag balls. I also bought 60+ year old looms for weaving pot holders. I think I spent $6.00.
I brought them home and was arranging them on my couch to take a lovely picture of them to share with YOU....and my daughter walked in and sat down on the floor next to me.
I had them all arranged nicely and was explaining them to her when suddenly, my ear itched a little bit and of course, I scratched it. It still itched but now it was making some really strange crackling sounds! I rubbed it again to no avail. Again I rubbed it and as I brought my hand down, to my HORROR of ALL HORRORS, I realized that I had actually stuck a spider's nest in my ear!!
"AWWhhhhaaahhhh!!!"
I was NOT happy. I do not care for spiders. AT ALL. Especially in my ear.

My daughter, Jennie, on the other hand, has been almost rolling on the floor in hilarity at my disgusting situation. She can not speak at this moment because of the "mental image" she keeps getting. She is laughing until she has tears rolling down her face. She has ruined her mascara. Good!!

I do not think it is very funny.

I think I will not feed her supper.

Ok...post script...I fed her supper. That is, 13 year old Becca cooked supper tonight as more practice for her 4H project. We loaded up the hot and spicy Chinese food and picnicked at the local park! I'm not sure why...I think I've had enough "nature" for today!!