Oak Tree Musings

Potatoe Soup

Yesterday was such a wonderful day.  I drove the kids to school then came home and took Belle for a walk.  Belle is a beautiful black lab that we adopted 3 years ago.  Originally she was a house dog, we had hopes that she would alert us to Luke's seizures during the night time.  She would lick on him and sit beside him during seizures, but she never alerted us...she is now an outdoor doggie.  Belle is very protective of both Abby & Luke.  She follows them anywhere they go.  Last fall during harvest, she never followed the grain trucks or tractors.  Then as soon as the kids climbed in the truck she followed the truck all the way to the field!  She never came back till they did. I love our Belle Belle! 

I made a couple pomengrante balls yesterday.  It was much easier than I anticipated.  I poked holes with a large needle before I inserted the cloves.  They are now drying in the closet and smell wonderful.  I can't wait till they are dry so I can add the finishing ribbon!  Luke loved them, I have a feeling he will be making his own soon!

I also taught my mother how to make folded fabric ornaments.  They are such fun to make!  I will take pictures soon and let you see how cute these are!  Next I would like to make a lavender and purple ornament for epilepsy awarness. 

I have many more projects to complete in a very short amount of time.  My niece will be 16 next month and I want to make her a raggie quilt.  I wanted to give her something that she would always have to remember her special day.  She is crazy about purple, so the color choice was easy.  I am going shopping this weekend to purchase the fabric.  I will have to work quickly to have it done in time, only three weeks till her special day.

Other projects I am working on are braided rag rugs, pot holders, and some adorable felt ornaments.  I also have a couple suprises for Abby & Luke for Christmas.

After I picked up the kids, we came home and made a big pot of Potato Soup.  This recipe came from my aunt in Texas.  It is delicious as is or sometimes I cut back on the potatos and add broccoli, cauliflower & mushrooms for a cheesy veggie soup.

Potato Soup

1 rib celery, thinly sliced

1 small onion, chopped

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 TBLS butter

2 envelopes of chicken gravy mix

1/4 tsp each:  celery salt, ground cumin, cajun seasoning, pepper

4 cups milk

5 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and cooked

2 carrots, peeled, diced and cooked

1 cup cubed Velveeta

In a large saucepan, saute the celery and onions in butter till tender.  Stir in gravy mix and seasonings.  Gradually add the milk.  bring to a boil; cook adn stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat and stir in potatoes, carrots and cheese.  Cook and stir until cheese is melted.  I then use my emulsion blender to break up the chunks of potatoes. 

I always make a double batch.  It will not last long!

Blessings to you~ Laura

weekend update...

We had a busy weekend!  Joseph, my fil, a cousin, and our nephew reroofed our house on Friday and Saturday.  I am very happy that it is finally fixed from the crazy wind storm we had in September!  We have a door that needs replaced and our exterior will be ready for winter.  We plan on repainting the living room in the upcoming months. 

Thankfully, I am off work tomorrow.  I plan on doing some cleaning in the morning, then working on some craft projects in the afternoon before I pick up my sweeties. 

I am very excited about a job offer I received last week.  It has flexible hours, is very close to home AND much more money than I am currently earning.  I am so excited about it!  Right now, it looks like I won't start until January. Which means at my current job, I will probably work up until close to Christmas, then take off a couple weeks to enjoy time with my family.  I do have mixed feelings about leaving my current position.  I really enjoy my job working with youth through 4-H!  I will miss it terribly...I will also miss my current co-workers, they are such wonderful chrisitan woman and we get along wonderfully, that makes it very painful to leave...but I feel in my heart that it is time to move on.  I will keep you updated...

Blessings to you~ Laura

I love fall!

The crisp morning air, crunching leaves, the smell of freshly picked crop fields, and the sound of the augers pouring fresh grain into the bins are a few of my favorite things about fall....Fall is my absolute favorite season!  It goes by too quickly and I am trying to cherish every moment of it...

I have been super busy lately and I would like to slow things down.  Today Abby had cheer practice, tomorrow she has Girl Scouting, Thursday is a 4-H club meeting plus more cheer practice...Life can become so busy it is easy to forget the simple things. I love simplicity...my favorite days are spent hanging out at home with my family, cooking and cleaning, and not having to be "somewhere." 

Tonight we also had a water softner salesman come to our home.  (Courtsey of Home Depot when Joseph signed up for a washer/dryer giveaway last month.)  He had an impressive sales pitch.  He showed us how hard our water actually was and how much money we could save with a water softner...the poor man arrived at 7 and did not leave till 8:30!  I felt sorry for him, for wasting his time, but a water softner is not in the budget, no matter how much softer hair and skin I can have.  I better keep repeating that...I do not need softer hair and skin, I do not need softer hair and skin...

I am looking forward to this weekend...now time for some rest.  I think I can hear my pillow calling my name.

Blessings to you~ Laura

I have a new car!!!!

Wednesday morning I drove the kids to school and went to work.  When I turned the car off I noticed a strange noise.  I didn't think much about it, the car is a 97 Ford with 160,000 miles, so of course, it makes many noises!  Normally I take my lunch to work, but on this morning I was running behind and didn't.  Around 11:30 I needed to run some errands and thought I would grab a bite to eat while I was out.  I went out to my car and started it up...it started up, but I could hear parts clanging and falling onto the pavement!  I couldn't believe it....it was like one of those old cartoons where the person opens the hood and things start springing out of the car.  I climbed out and looked under my car...there was a large spring and several other unidentifable items under my car!  All I could do was laugh! 

Now, I must now tell you a brief history so you may understand why I was not upset.  As most of you know, we are getting out of tremendous debt...we have been making extremely large, absurd payments to various creditors.  One particularly large payment was for a 6 month period.  I knew our car was aging quickly.  I have been praying for our car to last until we got the last big payment paid.  Guess what??  My last big payment was due on Tuesday, the car literally fell apart on Wednesday. Talk about an on time God!  He is so good to me!! I am thankful the car was parked and that we were not driving down the road!

My wonderful father in law fixed the car.  It is now running well, but I do not trust it.  I believe God honored my prayers for the car....and we need to move on. We plan on selling the car and have already purchased a nice, new "used" car.   

I now have a Buick LeSabre...similar to this one, but in a light tan color.

Blessings to you~Laura

Sins washed away...

Sunday was a glorious day...Joseph and Luke both were baptized.  I realize Luke is young, but he has been talking to us about being baptized for several weeks.  We have explained to him what it means in detail and he drinks in every word.  Shamfully, I put off talking to our pastors about him being baptized...I wanted to know he was ready and with his young age of seven I was confused.

On Saturday, out of the blue, Joe announces he wants to be rebaptized.  Joe has battled many personal issues the past few years and I am so thankful that he has opened his heart to God.

Sunday morning on the way to church Luke says "Mom, I wonder what it feels like to have your sins washed away."  I was nearly speechless that my sweet baby boy had voiced such a thought provoking statement.  I knew in my heart then that is WAS time for Luke.

Luke spoke with our pastors and told them why he felt the need to be baptized.  I have never been more proud of him!  I have his baptism on video, as soon as I figure out how to add it to my computer, I will post it.   

Both of my men giving their hearts to the Lord...I am in heaven...

 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.

Acts 2:38-39

Blessings to you~Laura

Safe Auto!

Luke was a little out of sorts last night.  Abby had a friend over to spend the night so he was feeling left out.  He became upset with his daddy about something minor.  He asked me what pappy's phone number was. He planned on telling on his father.... I jokingly told him it was 1 800 call pappy. Luke thought about that for a minute then said no mommy, 1 800 is Safe Auto!

I laughed and laughed over this...We don't watch much TV in our home.  But Luke remembered the Safe Auto jingle!

Blessings to you~ Laura

Simple Woman's Daybook~6

For today...Friday, September 26th

Outside my window...A breeze is blowing, fall is certainly here

I am thinking...how much I appreciate our pastors

I am thankful for...The internet!

From the Kitchen...Warm persimmon pudding and hot coffee

I am wearing...Pleated skirt and pheasant blouse

I am hoping...That Abby and her friend get some sleep tonight

I am creating...my home management notebook

I am going...to take the kids next door to my parents's house for a dip in the hot tub tonight

I am Hearing...a chain saw in the distance

Around the House...There is lots of laundry waiting for me

I am reading...My Bible

One of my favorite things...Beautiful, large, old trees

A few plans for the rest of the week...Cleaning out the garage

A picture thought for today...

This tree is in my backyard.  It is difficult to see how large it actually is, but trust me, it's massive.  My home rests on my ancestors land.  I can't help but imagine them sitting under the tree and the events that transpired where I am now raising my own family.

For more Simple Woman's Daybooks and to see how you can participate visit Peggy at The Simple Woman

Blessings to you~ Laura

Pictures

Here is a link to view some pictures from Luke's Make A Wish Trip.

Blessings to you~ Laura

Epilepsy

I was awakened at 5:30 this morning with Abby having a seizure.  I didn't panic. I looked over at the clock to time it. I patted on her and talked softly to her telling her she was fine, and that mommy was here with her.   After 30 seconds, the horrid seizure left her body and she fell into the post ictal period.  I thanked God for only letting it be a small seizure.

She had a seizure yesterday morning as well, only that one lasted 2 minutes. 

If anyone had mentioned seizures to me 8 years ago, I would have not given much thought to it.  I assumed seizures were not very common and it was no big deal, someone would shake and fall down, no big deal right?? Wrong!

Seizures came into my life at the most unexpected time...July 4th, 2003 we were shopping at a flea market in Louisville.  Luke had just turned two.  Joseph was pushing him in the stroller, I turned around to see if he was asleep and found him with his eyes rolled back in his head and he was turning blue.  I screamed for someone to call 911 and grabbed him out of the stroller. I was not sure what had happened to my baby, I begged for someone to help us.  A man came forward from the crowd that had formed around us and took him from me.  He gently laid Luke on the cold dirty cement floor.  Luke began breathing again, but remained limp and unresponsive.  He was admitted for observation at the children's hospital...at 4:00 am, he had a grand mal seizure while laying in my arms.  I can honestly tell you, if you have never seen a grand mal seizure, you do not want to see your child having one.  It is one of the most traumatic things to go through. This seizure lasted over 5 minutes.  As I would later learn, the average grand mal seizure is usually under 2 minutes, anything over 5 minutes is prolonged and has increased risk of brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

We took Luke home, I was scared too death.  But slowly things began to return to normal, at least for 5 months.  On December 12th, Luke had another grand mal seizure.  Ended up he had an ear infection which triggered the seizure.  The neuro said he was fine, nothing to worry about...

January 1st, 2004, I found Luke in the hallway having a seizure.  It lasted over 25 minutes from the time I found him.  The neuro immediately started him on medication.  Luke became critically ill.  He started having 100's of seizures each day...his seizure types were grand mal, myoclonic, astatic myoclonic, atonic, and absence.  When this began happening I knew in my heart that we were in for a long haul.  I told God that I could endure anything as long he granted me peace in my heart.  Praise God, He filled me with peace and renewed my strength. 

Luke regessed severly.  He was not even able to walk or talk on most days.  I would hold him or prop him with pillows to support him.  He would stare blankly ahead drooling and twitching. When he could walk, the violent seizures injured him.  He wore a helmet to protect his head.  He sustained blacked eyes on several occasions, sutures between his eyes, gum/teeth injuries, he was always bruised and battered. 

We sought multiple opinions and all were in agreement, Luke was diagnosed with Doose Syndrome.  We tried nearly every medication, nothing helped...he was on the ketogenic diet for 18 months, herbal tx's, chiropractor, and finally in January 2006, the doctor said we had 2 options, a drug with potentially deadly side effects, or one that was not FDA approved, we would have to get it from other countries.  After MUCH prayer, we felt lead to choose the medication with the deadly side effects. 

Luke was slowly weaned onto the medicaiton and PRAISE GOD, Luke's last seizure was April 14th 2006!  Today he remains seizure free!  He is still taking the medication and gets frequent blood draws to watch for aplastic anemia.  He was severly developmentally delayed.  He went into kindergarten with the abilities of a 36 month old.  Luke is now only receiving a small amount of tutoring and is age appropriate in all his studies!   I am so proud of him!  He played baseball this past spring.  I cried as I sat there and watched him.  Just being able to be a boy and play ball is a feat that I was uncertain would ever happen!  Luke even won a trophy for the most improved!

So you are probably thinking, what about Abby?  Abby was five when Luke became ill.  She was just getting over mono and had her tonsils taken out when Luke became seriously ill.  She was so young, she had to grow up fast.  It breaks my heart to think about it.  She witnessed what Luke was enduring and she always pitched in to help!  She would help me time the seizures and just like a mother hen, she would sweetly talk to him while he was down on the floor.

Luke had alot of seizures at night too so I slept with him to keep an eye on him.  Abby soon became jealous and didn't want to sleep by herself, so she began sleeping with Joseph.  It was July 2004 and Joe screamed for me to come quick.  I ran in to find Abby having a seizure.  I fell to the ground and wept.  Joe went to keep an eye on Luke and I stayed with Abby.  A few minutes later she had another seizure.  I cannot describe how I felt at that moment.  I took her to the neurologist the next morning and they confirmed by EEG what I had witnessed the night before. 

Abby's condition is very different from Luke's. She has benign rolandic epilepsy, the most common form of epilepsy.  All of her seizures have been in her sleep and they are usually complex partials.  She averages 2-3 seizures per month.    Illness and fatigue are her main triggers.  She is having Asmtha flare ups causing her to lose sleep, which is why she has had the seizures the past 2 days.  I'm praying tomorrow morning is uneventful.

Thank you for reading this incredibly long post.  It was hard to condense the story...I want to give God all the glory.  The peace He gave me through this entire ordeal was simply amazing. I believe with all my heart that God wanted us to do all we did medically so we could witness His glorious healing power and know without any doubt that God and only God alone can heal and that He is in charge of every situation. 

I am waiting patiently for God to touch Abby and make her whole.  In His perfect time, I know it will happen.

Blessings to you~ Laura

My Sweethearts...

Sunday during church I started feeling ill.  I ended up with a stomach bug...it was horrible!  The kids were so sweet, trying to take care of mommy.  Abby thought it would make me feel better to make me a tuna salad sandwhich.  She was so proud of herself!  Oh my, I don't eat tuna when I'm not sick!  Joe done a wonderful job of saving me by explaining to her that I couldn't eat anything at the moment. She was happy with that and ate it herself.  When I went into the kitchen Monday morning I found the new jar of mayo out on the counter.  Even though I had to throw it away, it still made me smile thinking of Abby taking care of her mama!

Tonight I am feeling much better.  Luke and I were outside taking care of the animals and he picked me some flowers.  He was so excited when he presented them to me....I loved them so much I had to capture a picture of them.

These are the tender moments I will always treasure.

I also have to share a conversation I overheard Abby and Luke having this evening.

Abby stomps into the room, "Luke, this is the fourth time I have found your poop in the toilet!  Learn how to flush it!  I am tired of seeing it!"

Luke replies calmly, "You don't know what your seeing Abby."

Abby gave up and walked out...it was much funnier seeing it happen, then when I just typed this.  I guess it was one of those moments you have to be there...

Blessings to you~ Laura

Home Management Binder

I have been interested in starting a home management binder.  I have been searching the net and have found some good sites here and here.  Little Turtle Mama also has great ideas for her binder.  There are several sites I have bookmarked for reference.

I work 31 hours a week at the Extension Office, I drop Abby & Luke off at school, then go to work.  I pick them up from school each day and we get home around 3:30.  We have snacks, unwind a little, then do the hour of homework they both have each night.  After homework, the kids go outside to play and take care of the cats & dogs.  I start cooking supper and cleaning the house....after supper I tidy up the kitchen, then we have family time, and it's time for bed!  I feel like I am going in a circle!  Sending the kids to public school where they sit in a desk all day only to come home and have another hours' worth of homework to do.  I miss my babies and want to be the one to teach them!  Okay, now I know I am off topic....I think the reason I am wanting to do a home management binder is to become as organized as possible in hopes of finally being able to home school my sweeties. 

We are catching up on some financial debts and VERY soon we will only be left with the house payment and John Deere payment!  My hearts' deisre is to homeschool my children.  I want them to have fun while learning and to be taught EVERYTHING from a christian perspective, that God is the creator of all!  Of course, we do our bible studies each night, but I want so much more! Does that sound selfish?  I did switch school districts for my children this year.  Abby had 3 girls who bullied her all the time, they called her names, pulled her hair and even punched, & kicked her, it was awful!  Her teacher was evil as well, she had a horible year last year.  This year, she is loving it, it is a much smaller school and her teacher is fantastic, I am thankful for that...but, I miss having time with my children.  I feel that the school is raising my children, not me! 

Please pray with me that God's perfect will be done.  Thanks for listening to my rant...I am going to finish cleaning some house and take Abby & Luke to the park for some play time and a picnic!

I am going to start on my home management binder too...I'll post photos when I get it completed!

Blessings to you~ Laura

The Lord always provides

Our budget is tight right now to say the least.  I am upset to admit that I normally spend $100 each week on gasoline. We live out in the country and I am very careful not to waste gas (Our car is a guzzler, but it is paid off).  I work in town, so I run my errands while I'm there.  

Last Friday, we had a lot of bills to pay and I did not have much money left for gas.  I put $40.00 in my tank, went home and tried to forget our financial burdens.  On Saturday, my husband drove my car to work, he came home & cleaned up and we drove back to town to participate in the parade.  On Sunday we drove to church, which is 40 miles one way.  I drove to work each day this week and I am in awe to say that the gas gauge never moved off the 1/4 tank marker! 

I feel so blessed to know that God cares enough about me to meet my every need.  He is an awesome God and I am thankful to be his child. 

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  ~Psalms 55:22 

 Blessings to you~ Laura

A big Wind blows...

Living in the midwest, I have not been directly affected by hurricanes, until Ike.  Sunday morning I got up to get ready for church and watch the news to see what the weather had in store.  I figured it would be raining...but the weather man said the rain would hit north of us and our area would stay dry but could possibly see some straight lying winds or small tornadoes. 

My family & I drove to church, about 40 miles south of us, right across the river from Louisville Kentucky.  It was quite windy when we arrived.  My husband opened the car door for me and my skirt flew up in my face! 

After church let out we went to dinner with my in laws at Famous Daves.  I felt very umcomfortable, I knew the wind was racing and I am terrified of storms.  I wanted to go home so badly...our meal was nearly over when the restaurant lost power. 

Debris was flying everywhere, it was not safe to be out at all!  Traffic signs were actually bent backwards and touched the ground, some even wrapped around themselves.  The wind was howling and just had a strange feeling to it.  It looked like smog there was so much debris floating around.  The strangest thing is that the sun would even come out and shine perodically.  Absolutely no rain, just the intense wind.

My in laws only live about 15 miles from there so we attempted to make it to their home. The BIG problem was that they live in the country which means TREES everywhere.  It was normally a 15 minute drive, took us over an hour.  Everywhere we went there were trees covering the road.  Power lines were down all around us as well.  I was nearly in tears and was trying to stay calm for Abby & Luke. She was crying, I kept telling her that God was watching over us and keeping us safe.   

In the end, we ended up driving off the road into fields and under dangling power lines all the while trees  & limbs were falling all around us.  I thank God for guarding our path and wrapping his protective arms around us.  We made it to their house and immediatley prayed for all those out in the terrible storm.   We had seen people with flat tires due to the tremendous amount of debris on the road. 

We stayed till the storm passed.  Then my husband helped his dad cut tree limbs off the barn roof and off some power lines in their yard.  After it was safe we journeyed home.  I was afraid of what we would find...it was not as bad as I had feared.  We need a new roof and some sofits fixed. It destroyed the canopy on the kids playset, the flying debris broke some of my landscaping lights, and our new volleyball net was broken.  I feel we were very lucky. 

My parents live next door and their house was not touched.  The mess they had were with trees.  I have never seen such a mess in my life!  It has taken us 2 full days to clean it up.  The worst part is my father's corn crop.  It is destroyed.  The fierce winds blew it down and it is gone!  It looks like someone has taken an iron and smothered it down flat.  Please pray for him, I worry so much...he has a terrible heart condition and I know he will be worrying about the crops...

Our power just came back on last night.  Schools have been closed and remain closed tomorrow.  The news have reported that the wind gusts were between 60-80 mph!  I never thought I would see hurricane force winds in the midwest!  I have much more empathy for the hurricane victims! Also pray for the storm victims, there were 7 in my local area that lost their lives due to falling debris.  

There were no warnings about Sunday's devastation.  I am thankful for having faith and being able to lean on God to guide me through life's storms. God is good!

A Simple Womans Daybook~5

For today...Saturday, September 13th

Outside my window...the sun is shining brightly and it is humid   

I am thankful for...the much needed rain we received this week

From the Kitchen...Fresh bananna bread

I am hoping...To be able to homeschool Abby & Luke soon

I am going...to walk in a parade this afternoon with Joe, Abby & Luke

I am Hearing...the washer and dryer, do they ever stop in this house?

Around the House...fall cleaning has begun

I am reading...Charlotte Mason Companion

One of my favorite things...Soft, Christian music, it soothes my soul

A picture thought for today...

Blessings to you~ Laura

The Ring - A picture this time!

I had a request for a picture of my new ring.  My camera is not the that great, I use the one on my video camera, so I found a picture on the net.  It is identical except the 3 cute little round diamonds on the side...mine only has one in the middle, and it is on both sides of the ring.  thanks for taking a look!

It is the Past, Present and Future Anniversary ring which I thought was perfect!!!

Blessings to you~ Laura

The ring...

Beginning in 3rd grade I was best friends with a sweet girl named Bekki.  Bekki had a younger sister named Hope and a cousin  the same age as us, Misty.  Since I was 8 years old,  I attended birthday parties and sleep overs at their home many times, but I do not remember meeting thier cousin Joseph until the summer before my senior year in high school...it was a hot July night and Bekki had just finished styling my hair.  She asked if I would like to meet her cousin Joseph.  I had a simple reply...I need to see a picture first.  Yes, I know, how rude...but it's one of those things, back in Kindergarten there was a boy who sat beside me named Joseph and he always had snot dripping out of his nose, and it simply grossed me out!  So just to hear the name Joseph, was not a good start to me!  Bekki said okay and let it drop.  Two nights later, at the county fair I ran into Misty.  She asked if I would still like to meet Joseph.  I said, sure, why not...She introduced us on the spot and I looked into the most beautiful set of sparking brown eyes I had ever seen!  Joseph was tall and slender, he wore plaid bermuda shorts and a t-shirt.  We walked around talking & eventually he held my hand...after a few hours it was time for me to head home before I missed my curfew.  Joseph walked me to my car, he gave me a hug, kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear "don't forget about me."  Needless to say, Joseph uh, I called the next day, and the next day, and the next day...

Joseph & I were married on September 10, 1994.  Misty was a bridesmaid, Bekki played the piano, and Hope kept the reception hall in order.  

So now onto the main reason I started this post...the RING!  A little over 2 years ago the engagement ring was lose so we took it and had it fixed.  Less than a week after getting it back, the diamond fell out & was lost.  Our insurance, thanks Farm Bureau, said the ring had to be stolen, not lost in order for them to pay for it!  Our son had been critically ill for several years and I had not been able to help support our income, so our finances were tight to say the least.  I started wearing my pretty, simple emerald ring that Joseph had bought me for my 18th birthday on my left ring finger since it had special meaning to me.

We talked about getting a cheap ring to make do until we could afford a nice one or have my ring fixed.  Joseph couldn't bring himself to do it, he wanted me to have a nice ring....so a little over 2 years later, some bills paid off, and today on our 14th Anniversary......he bought me a BEAUTIFUL Past, Present, Future Anniversary ring.  It is simly stunning!  I love it because it is absolutely gorgeous and sparkles nicely on my finger, but most of all I love it because it is from Joseph and it came from his heart.

We still have my wedding set that needs a replacement diamond.  The diamond is quite large and being an emerald shape, very expensive to replace. In the future we will have it repaired or the remaining baguettes placed into something else.  I am thankful for a wonderful husband and family!  I can't wait to show Bekki, Misty & Hope!

Blessings to you~ Laura

Simple Woman Daybook~4

Blessings to you~ Laura

Refiner and Purifier of Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Simple Woman's Daybook~3

For today...

Outside my window...The full moon is still shining brightly. 

I am thankful for...Abby loving her new school district and having such a great teacher.

From the Kitchen...Fresh garden salad with French bread for supper tonight.

I am hoping...Abby's ear is feeling better today.  She had an ear ache yesterday.

I am going...to the State Fair this morning to pick up our counties 4-H projects.

I am Hearing...Luke laughing in his sleep.

Around the House...Peaches everywhere, I will have to freeze most of them tonight.

One of my favorite things...When I walk into the kids room to read their nighttime scripture and they have already laid the  Bible in my spot on the bed.

A few plans for the rest of the week...canning green beans, freezing peaches, school orientation, & trying to catch up on some rest, is that ever possible?

A picture thought for today...

Blessings to you~ Laura

Summer Fun

My sister & her family camped over the weekend at a nearby public lake.  We went to visit them on Friday evening.  The kids loved it and wanted to stay with Aunt Sherry!  It was quite fun, but I am reserved about tent camping in public...Am I the only one who worries about the incredibly easy access to your tent while you are sleeping from a stranger?  I welcome comments on this, what is your take?

Here are a few pictures to share.  I finally discovered Picnik, if you haven't tried this photo editing site, you must do so!

Luke, Abby, AJ, Amber & Lilly

 This was Luke's first time to roast a marshmallow.  I love his expression when it caught on fire!

Blessings to you~ Laura