Hope Springs....

It never ceases to amaze me the power of time away.  I am not even talking about an amazing two week vacation at a tropical location - all four of us actually went just a couple of hours away to have a sleep over with some friends. 


How sweet it is to be out of your own home and environment, that at least for me is a constant reminder of every responsibility I have in my life, and rest in the company of friends.  We have such great friends who are masters at hospitality and I am SO grateful to have them in our lives.


This short little spurt was especially meaningful to me right now.  It was the breath of fresh air I needed. I was out of the snow and into that land of spring.  It made me giddy to put my kids into running shoes and not worry about 15 layers of clothing. On a more substantial level I think just being away gave my mind some space to process some of what I have been learning and walking through as a family lately.  


The word of God has been such a comfort to me lately...its as if the words are meant just for me  - just at this time.  How cool is Jesus.


As a new years challenge we have been memorizing a new verse every couple of weeks.  I chose the following passage more arbitrarily than not - only to be astounded over and over again as it has proven absolute applicable in almost every area of our life since the year began.

Proverbs 3:5-12

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh,

and refreshment to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your substance

and the first fruits of all your produce;

they your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights."

I Heart Red

What Can I Say

I have to say that this year so far has been weird.  Every time I have sat down and thought, 'hey i should blog'...I have been at a loss.  Its not because I haven't had anything going on but quite the opposite.
I posted the above you tube clip 1 - because it is VERY funny and 2 - because I totally get this whole 'crisis of confidence' phrase right now!


Our family is in a weird season of what feels like transition and change.  I feel as though there are seismic waves, of varying intensity, sweeping through our life and challenging the way we view stability.  "Oh you thought that was a given?? A sure thing?? Lets just shake that up a bit!!" 
And that sure leaves me feeling insecure and given to a certain amount of anxiety.  When shaken down to its root it always seems to come back to two foundational questions for me. "Is God big enough to deal with this" and the even more importantly "Is He Good."  They are such hard questions to grapple with and you know a couple of months ago I would have had very little trouble answering YES! to both.  
Right now, it is only by faith that I can even squeak out a small little yes . I know what I believe but sometimes that 'crisis of confidence' is absolutely immobilizing.
I hug my chest and cry to the Father to help me see and to walk through this season with some measure peace even though I am blind to His hand moving and guiding us.


So pardon my 'tongue tied' blog as we navigate these unknown waters before us.  I am so grateful for all of you who share in our life and our journey - day to day and 'virtual' friends alike :)

Ice Fishing....Really??

Really??  That was my whiny response to Ed's request that we all head out ice fishing Sunday after church.


Fishing I get...lay in a boat in the warm sunshine with the a great excuse that nothing else got done in the day...


Ice Fishing is a whole other matter...sit out in the freezing cold with nothing to do but think that you are freezing cold - on top of 10 inches of ice which is also freezing cold waiting for some fish to bite some rotten piece of shrimp (which got thus by sitting on your kitchen counter for 2 days) just in the hope that something will occupy you mind other than the fact that you are freezing cold.


Although, as you may have guessed I gave in; my husband LOVES ice fishing...even though I can't understand why and I knew it meant a lot to him AND I figured it would be some good family memories and time spent together. 


On that point I was right.  The kids were super cute with their little fishing rods that they diligently held for all of 5 minutes and the rest of the time they had a blast playing in the snow and scooping ice from the fishing holes.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I had fun playing around with my camera despite the cold.

Pardon the poor quality here but it was just a cute moment and I didn't want to miss it by fiddling with settings...Gabe was SOOOO tired after being out eliana was able to cuddle the sleeping Gabe on her lap and give him kisses without him ever knowing...he was so out!!

i heart Faces - Winter Wonderland

As soon I took this photo of this little guy I knew it was one of my favourites of the whole session.  He was just pumped to be outdoors and eating snow off his mittens!!

Pop on over to i heart faces to check out all the great winter wonderland pics.

i Heart Faces - Smiles

This couple immediately came to mind when the theme of 'smiles' came up for the i heart faces challenge this week.  These two had me smiling and laughing all day long and the smiles they had for each other were just breath taking.  So in love and absolutely thrilled to married!!

Walking into the New Year...

We had a wonderful Christmas season that just now is drawing to a close.
My one sister left yesterday and of course school starting stole my other one. My brother leaves friday and then I am afraid I am going to feel quite alone in our little house!!


As always we were busy busy busy but it was the good fun kind of busy.  Christmas is really my favourite....


But as I look towards this New Year our family is facing a year of change and some very big question marks....
Its not a year that I can plan for or anticipate (although when do things go the way we think they will anyway)
And so I find my self a little tentative this season...trying Not to hold my breath...trying to remember who God is in our lives and who I am in Him.