NOT "RUN" pics......but, as good as we can get for now!

Well, I have to say first of all,

that I really missed checking all your blogs last week!

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My best friend's mother unexpectedly passed away week.

We went home to be with her family,

& these pics were taken in my hometown of Lawrence, KS.

Can't wait to revisit all my blogger friends this week!

Thursdays Before the Throne

I then shall live as one who's been forgiven;

I'll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.

I know my name is clear before my Father;

I am His child, and I am not afraid.

So greatly pardoned,

I'll forgive another;

The law of love I gladly will obey.


I then shall live as one who's learned compassion;

I’ve been so loved that I'll risk loving, too.

I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;

I'll dare to see another’s point of view.

And when relationships demand commitment,

Then I'll be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me,

Your pow’r and glory, let them shine thru me.

Your Hallowed Name O may I bear with honor,

And may Your living Kingdom come in me.

The Bread of Life,

O may I share with honor,

And may You feed a hungry world thru me.

Words by Gloria Gaither

Music: "Finlandia"

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Here is a link to a powerful performance of it.

Wordless Wednesday.......Planting W/ Papa (while we were in KS last week)

heading home......

please pray for us tomorrow.....thanks, all!

Unexpected Blog Break

Heading home for a funeral of my best friend's mother. :(

The Fake Blog Post.....

I'm really not here.

I know it seems like it.......

but I'm not.

I stayed up way too late (watching a movie with my also tired hubby!)

to work on a REAL blog post for Monday morning.......

So you get "The Fake Blog Post!"

Thanks for checking in anyway.........& I'll be back tomorrow~

A very sleepy Kim, signing off for the night.

"Help For the Home" Harvest of Ideas

Here's another tip I have gotten-not sure where I heard it first......but THIS one is essential.

LABEL EVERYTHING........yes, EVERYTHING.

Here is one example of part of a closet in my house now:

(I know the sticky-notes are un-readable--unless you click on the photo!)

This helps EVERYONE in the house know where "away" is for EVERY article-

without having to ask you!!

Now......how about the "littles" in your house?

For them, I had Ana draw simple pics to go on the labels-

along with the word-so now, even babies know what their drawers are for!!!

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Don't forget to leave me a comment with YOUR ideas......& I'll link YOUR blog!!!

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Thanks, Tina!

FFF........."Wet"

While I was looking for WET pics,

I came across this CUTE pic of Ana!

She was about 4, and was playing

"Anne of Green Gables"-

the part in the movie where Anne's boat springs a leak.

I just had to include this!

Natty & his cousin Noah......bathing after a
particularly messy meal at my Mom's two months ago.

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But, the following picture represented something HUGE for me.
Ana has gone to Bible camp every year of her life.
Family camp with her daddy & I.
In July of 2006, we got Ruth's referal 2 weeks before camp.
It was important to me to have some *part* of Ruth there.......& I subjected everyone there to pictures of her in a plastic sleave.


To me, this picture represented a HOST of dreams on the verge of being fulfilled.
(a sister for Ana, another little girl for us.......prayers we had fervently prayed since Ana was 2-we were FINALLY seeing the answer to)
It was like........I KNEW she would be there the next year, IN PERSON.
& she was!!!!
(she was super crabby & sick her first week of camp, but in 2007, she was there!!!)
Ana was playing in the Gasconade River here.
I know many of you have pics like this-
that capture such signifcant times & emotions.
I would love to hear about yours!

Thursdays Before the Throne

I discovered something this week.

HOPE comes from KNOWING the goodness of God in my life.

I attend a Bible Study each Tuesday morning where we were challenged this week to share the goodness of God in our lives with 5 other people.

Well, I have a blog that I *think* at least 5 people a day read! (If not, I’ll never know about today, huh?? Unless I get 5 comments in my comment section).

Anyway, I am sharing my list of ways God has shown me His goodness.

Can you share yours with me?

~Of course, I am thankful for Jesus Christ’s Death, Burial & Resurrection.
Without it, I would be on my way to a lost eternity in hell.

~Goes without saying that I am thankful for my family & friends.
But here’s where I wanted my list to be different & unique to ME!

~I am thankful I live in Colorado & can load up my kids & drive to the mountains in 40 minutes time. I love to hike & be outdoors, so this is a HUGE demonstration to me of God’s goodness in my life.

~I am thankful to have had my eyes opened to the needs of people the world over-through the miracle of adoption, I traveled places I never would have seen without it.

~I am thankful to have both sisters living here. One sister-because she spoils my kids (the single one) & one with her hubby & three boys-who also spoil my kids……but most importantly, the cousins have eachother!

~I am thankful we have all pretty much recovered from our car accident back in Jan., & that Ruth no longer criticizes my driving!!!

~I am thankful that we have a brand new BLUE van (which is a color I thought Dave would never agree to-love you, Dear, but you were pretty opinionated that THAT wasn’t a color you EVER wanted…..ha!!! ha!!!!!)

~I am thankful that I get to use my Elementary Ed. Degree to home school Ana.

What a great privilege!!

~I am thankful to hear birds the last few mornings

(& I’m thankful I have ears to hear them!!)

My list could get much longer…..but I am more interested how YOU see the goodness of God demonstrated in your life!

Don’t be afraid to leave me a long list in my comments!

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Finally-

do you notice a difference in this picture

& the one I posted earlier this week?

(Thanks, Grandad, for your "Fix-it Foto Capabilities!")

Wordless Wednesday......."Con (with) Tía (aunt) Shannon"

Some of the Best Pics We Have Had in a LONG.....LONG Time!!!

Not the best of Ruth, but priceless of Natty,

don't you think?

(& yes, that is a BEE on the wall-church nursery on Sunday!)

Love the tip-toes!

My beautiful growing up girl!!!

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Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

The B-Day Photo Run-Down!

"Help For the Home" Harvest of Ideas

If you have read my blog in the last few months,

you will know I have been slowly working my way through my house using this book:

If you ever have felt a bit overwhelmed in your own home,

RUN, don't walk to your nearest bookstore & get yourself this book!

Today, my tip comes from her book,

& it is the BIGGEST thing I have taken away it:

When de-cluttering, she says to ask yourself the following question:

"Is that article worth the amount of time I spend on it?"

If it's not, get rid of it.

Every item in your home takes with it a portion of your time-

from the smallest paperclip to the largest peice of furniture.

As you de-clutter & decide what needs to GO,

ask yourself this question, & see if the decisions are easier.

Now, leave me a comment with YOUR tip(s),

& I will link your blog!

"Fessing Up Friday"

Fessing up that our back yard is a MESS.

I can partly blame the DRY weather in CO.

(Is the double rainbow a sign of the HOPE for the future of our back yard!?!?)

I can partly blame the odd shape of our yard.

Here I drew a rough sketch for you:

But, mostly I blame the lack of vision for our back yard.

You know what I mean?
I just have no idea where to go with it!

Please share all your ideas with me!
We need all the help we can get, so these cuties &
their (not so cute) parents can use this BIG (for CO) back yard.

Help us spend our tax return, people!!!

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One other thing: I am starting a new blog post that I am calling:"Help for the Home" Harvest of Ideas

Hoping to post every Saturday, & if you have good ideas to help your home run smoother, leave me a comment & I'll link your blog!

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For more FFF, click HERE!

Thursdays Before the Throne

"Moment by Moment"

Dying with Jesus,
by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment,
O Lord, I am Thine.


Never a trial that
He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment,
I’m under His care.


Never a heartache,
and never a groan,
Never a teardrop, and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment,
He thinks of His own.


Never a weakness
that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment,
in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior
abides with me still.


Refrain:
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment,
O Lord, I am Thine.

Another "We Help Wednesday"

This was just too adorable not to go with this theme again!!!

Man, I hope this continues through his teen-age years!

Very Tired......

So this is all you get right now.....

Ana, opening presents Monday night-

with her three cousins looking on.

(By the way, I usually write all my posts the night before,

& schedule them to post early in the am,

which is why I'm really tired right now!)

Oh, & one other thing......please check out this blog

& pray for this precious little girl & for her dr's to have wisdom!

When Did She Start Acting All Grown Up?

Ok……I know she had a b-day & all,

but there seem to be many other signs she’s growing up.

(And, in the words of my dear hubby,

“Who authorized that?”

He kept telling her we were going to make her have a “Backwards Birthday” this year

-turn 6 instead of 8.

Can’t you just hear her response????

“Daaaaddy!!!” )

~She & her friend Axxxxx actually slept at their slumber party!
~She included Ruthie in just about every activity that night (graciously!)
~She was thankful for her presents-even the more boring ones.
~She did not become hysterical when we had to postpone her big party with her friends-

due to a blizzard!
~She also accepted being sick on her birthday with only a few tears of disappointment!
~She sang in the Easter Cantata at church Sunday night-

& stood still & acted mature up there-for about 45 minutes!

I know, I know……you’re probably all thinking,

“Growing up-isn’t that what all kids are supposed to do?”

But, still, doesn’t it almost take your breath away when it’s YOUR BABY that shows these signs of maturity?!?

Especially when they all seem to happen at once!!!

Now, I have no illusions that she will be the picture of “8 going on 20” from here on out,

but I am SOOOO pleased &

proud of the young lady she’s becoming!

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Happy 8th Birthday,

Sweet Ana Joye!!!!

Thanks for being such a JOY to all around you!!!

Love you so much,

my FIRST baby!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy, Boy

“Hi! I’m Natty!

My daddy left me a toy on the coffee table the other day.

I think he called it his MP3 player.

I thought I would play, ‘Poke ‘em, Flush ‘em, Eat ‘em’ with my new toy,

but Mommy took it away from me.

Now, I have to find something else to play this new game with!

I love my life!!!

(Daddy says I don’t get any more cool toys like that for a long time, though!)”

My mommy says,

"This is a picture of a picture Natty,

taken at the professional photo shoot a few weeks ago."

She thinks it captures my personality perfectly!
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For more FFF, click here!

Thursdays Before the Throne

“I will...transform the Valley of Achor

(Trouble) into a gateway of hope.”
Hosea 2:15

“Then they raised over him a great heap of stones,

still there to this day.

So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger.

Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor (Trouble) to this day.”
Joshua 7:26

In the Valley of Trouble,

a door of hope was opened.

Why?

Sin was judged.
It is the same with me today.
My sin was judged on Calvary……Jesus bore it all!
That is where my hope lies!


My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.


His oath, His covenant, His blood

support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.


Refrain:
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

"We Help Wednesday"

"I help Ana!"

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"I help Daddy make pancakes!"
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Piñata Party Preparations