Psalm 91

Two weeks ago I was requesting quotes for a new roof. After receiving what I thought was pretty high prices from a couple guys, I brought it to God letting Him know what I wanted to pay. One of the roofers is someone in the Church and I assumed God would speak on his heart to lower his quote. Although a roofer came back with a much lower price, it wasn’t who I thought it would be, but I trusted God and hired this guy. I gave him a pretty large sum of money

and then didn’t see him for the next 4 days.

I expressed concern over this to a friend and was reminded that everything will work out fine if I had prayed before making my decision. So I again brought it to God.

The next day materials were dropped off at my house and the tear-off began.

Saturday morning the roofer was showing me some areas he was working on when his brother came by to let him know rain was headed our way and he shouldn’t start tearing off the next section. As he turned back to continue our conversation he put his foot through my roof! He was not injured and it was the part of the roof that was scheduled to be done next, so no big deal…
until 11 PM when I walked into the kitchen to see my paint on my ceiling and above my windows had bubbled and rain was dripping down the wall.

Within moments I was praising and thanking God! See as I pulled the paint down, I discovered that mold and mildew was growing on the walls.

I realized immediately that if the work had started 4 days sooner that the roof above this part of the house would have been completed and this problem would have gone undetected. I was sorry that I had not trusted God. I know His timing is perfect but I had allowed my impatience to get the better of me.

As we go forward in our days and events in our life do not happen as we would like or think they should, I pray that we all are able to remember that He is protecting our every step.
 

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

 ²I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

 ³Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

 ⁴He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 ⁵Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

 ⁶Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

 ⁷A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

 ⁸Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

 ⁹Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

 ¹⁰There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

 ¹¹For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

 ¹²They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

 ¹³Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

 ¹⁴Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

 ¹⁵He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

 ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

8 of 52 weeks

We spent Thanksgiving week at my mom's. I had hoped to come and post updates and check up on a few of my favorite families here but was unable to because she doesn't have internet at her house.

Anyway

Carin at Forever in Blue Jeans posted a 52 week challenge...





I failed at week 8 but by no choice of mine! This photo was actually taken on the right day. It was just unable to be posted until now.





No, we are not standing in front of a white, blank screen. That's her dining room wall! It was a lovely time but it's nice to be home.

(Week 9 is a few days late but will be up here really soon)

luke 12: 22-31

For two years people have been asking me why I moved my family from Chicago to Pana. My answer until late was "My father owns property in Shelbyville and we always enjoyed coming down for vacations."

What did I know...

To those that ask me now, the answer is considerably different now that I know the truth.

Several years ago I was living my life my way and my kids were headed in the same direction.

I thank God every day for what He did.

See, I was so far off course that He had to completely change my life in order to get me on my path

{ H O M E }.

Two years ago I bought a very large house that had (still has) very large problems. Buuuuuuuut, without that critical move I would not have met Bro. Daniel. He, as most of us in our town know, has a deep burden for all souls and he invited us to church. ... We have since been baptized in Jesus' name and given our lives over to God.

I also thank God every day for what Bro. Daniel did.

On November 30th (this past Monday) I bought a new home in Pana for my family. I had been impressed on to do so and I watched as God stepped in to make it all possible, the acceptance of my very low offer, the help I needed from my mother, the timing of it all...only God could do what was done!

I was working on my water heater that night when I cut my finger. My Sunshine followed me into the bathroom as I searched for a band-aid, in our new house, where none of our things had yet been moved to. The bathroom closet is still home to items that the previous owner left behind - candles, linens, hair dryers and ashtrays. I joked to My Sunshine, "What are the chances of finding a band-aid in with this stuff?!"

and then I opened the storage door.

There on the shelf sat:

a reminder that He knows the beginning from the end

my confirmation that I had been obedient in buying this house

a faith-builder for My Sunshine

a reason to stop everything and thank God for how He orchestrates everything in our lives ever so perfectly when we listen for and follow His directions

* a one, single band-aid *

Thank you Jesus.

²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

 ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

 ²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

 ²⁵And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

 ²⁶If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

 ²⁷Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 ²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 ²⁹And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

 ³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

 ³¹But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

7 of 52 weeks

This has been one of the busiest weeks I have had in quite some time. While I do plan on sharing our news, I have not yet had the time to sit down at the computer and upload some photos. I guess that's how us moms always go missing from the posts! I know that if I skip one week it is that much easier to skip the next so I am posting this week's photo tonight...Better late than never!

Yes, My Birdy's shirt is filthy with biter biscuits! I have found that it is easier to layer him up early and just peel the layers away as he ruins them!

responsibilities

I wake up each morning and graciously thank God that I have these people to be responsible for:

{ My Sunshine }

{ My Angel }

{ Miss Thang }

{ My Birdy }

My life also bring other responsibilities. I have bills to be paid on time. I am the lunch lady for my church's Christian Academy. We attend several church services a week plus a Bible study (these are more privileges than responsibilities.) I am the teacher here at home. As a single parent I also do all of the maintenance on my home. Right now I am closing on a house that needs a little work. I have a busy schedule.

We all have very busy lives.

BUT

We need to remember that our responsibilities don't stop there.

Matthew 18:12-15

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Matthew 28:19-20

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I pray today and always that I have the courage to reach out and tell everyone that I can about my Savior.

Still don't think it is your responsibility?...watch this video and give it a little more thought.

i love

I {heart} Jesus.

I {heart} friends.

I {heart} perfectly roasted marshmallows.

I {heart} simple pleasures.

I {heart} hot tea on a cool night.

I {heart} flannel sheets.

ooooh, that smell, can't you smell that smell

My Birdy is 9 months old. He's at the wonderful age of mobile curiosity. Earlier this week I heard a crash, well there were actually several crashing sounds, in the kitchen. There he stood in his walker

{ X marks the spot he was standing }

next to the baker's rack

which he had thrown down to the floor

dumping baskets and contents

including the basket of silverware

Needless to say, I spent the next several hours rearranging the kitchen so he can only get to the items too large for him to man handle.

...........................

Yesterday My Birdy was given a new bottle because after searching high and low we could not find his

until

My Sunshine made pizza for dinner.

Because apparently I can move all the furniture around

but the fact remains

My Birdy

can still open the oven door

6 of 52 weeks

my view 11.10.09

Our town is small. Downtown covers approx 5 square blocks and consists of 4 bars, 3 antique shops, a couple banks, a couple churches, a couple gas stations, 2 markets, a car dealership, a couple auto parts stores, a video rental place, the post office, a movie theatre, a hardware store, a family drug store, a dentist, a realtor, Walmart, Walgreens and McDonalds. Of all of the places we do not have in town, visitors from larger towns/cities might miss a coffee house the most. I have managed without one so far.

One thing we have that most do not is

[ Kitchell Mansion ]

It was built in 1876 by Captain John W. Kitchell, who served as a Captain for Abraham Lincoln both before and during his presidency. The house is at the top of the highest point in our town and and it is said that he selected this high point to look over the city and out onto the Illinois prairie.

The home still reflects the Second Empire design, mansard roof, central tower, and front and side verandas. I am so glad they are my neighbors because this is

|| My View ||


 

michael bublé cd!!! oh yeah, and an ipod

The Mom Blogs is giving away 5,

count em 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Michael Bublé CD's

~ AND ~

one of those 5 winners will receive an

iPod Shuffle!

His voice is easy on the ears to say the least.

So if for the last two years you have anxiously been waiting for his next CD, be sure to enter the giveaway before November 18th, through the link below!

If you are one of the last people on the planet who haven't yet had his voice grace your ears, check out the video in my sidebar. It's "Cry Me A River" which is included in his newest album: Crazy Love.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

i love

Miss Thang loooooves her Grandma. Yet, she refuses to call her Grandma. She has always pronounced the word grandma, "DrahDrah". She is certainly articulate enough, we've even heard her slip and say Grandma, she's just stubborn and won't give it up! I don't know where she gets her stubbornness from...some say it comes from me, I don't see it.

Anyway, I was visiting Bridgette's blog, Life's A Beach, and found on her blogroll - Drahdrah's Place!

I had to visit her blog, if for nothing else, to make sure my mom isn't living some blogger life that I don't know about!!  (she's not)

Buuuuut, Drahdrah is host to

I think a perfect way for me to end my day is to remind myself of the many blessings I have. I start my day this way but sometimes, by the time evening comes around and I have had a tiresome or difficult day, I forget how blessed I am...which is just silly because...

I { heart } Monday night prayer at church.

I { heart } watching the leaves fall from my trees.

I { heart } the sound of my children sleeping.

I { heart } that I am in this world but not of this world.

I { heart } that I am able to help people.

I { heart } that tomorrow God is the same as He was yesterday and today.

Thanks Drahdrah.

helping hands items added

Proverbs 28:27

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

The items below are in addition to what is already available. Please visit my post:

{ HELPING HANDS - WHAT IS AVAILABLE }

to see the complete list and how to request an item(s).

I will thankfully accept small monetary donations to be used towards my shipping expense. This can be done through Paypal by clicking on the Donations button in my sidebar or by mail to:

Jennifer Von

PO Box 224

Pana, IL  62557-0224

Click on items for larger images. 

This item expires 09/11 and posting will be removed at that time if it has not been mailed out

5 of 52 weeks

the 1st day of the rest of our lives

I receive Daily Focus emails from Alpha Omega Publications. After our devotions, we post the verse of the day on a chalkboard in our kitchen. It never ceases to amaze me how relevant these verses are to our daily happenings! I am so thankful for these "faith builders".

This morning, like every other, we gathered in our classroom and read the verse:

ACTS 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

It is a verse we all need to know. As a mother it is my job to make sure my children learn this, love this, live this.

A couple months ago we (My Sunshine, My Angel and I) were supposed to be baptized. The day before it was scheduled, My Sunshine was diagnosed with mono and we ended up spending the next day in the hospital. The baptisms were put off.

I have felt a burden lately to take this next step of obedience even though everyone isn't well yet. So, last week I scheduled it for today.

I love that God is always proving His presence in our lives. He is constantly giving me assurance when I am on the right path, and punishing me when I go against His word. Today, on the day we are being baptized, I received assurance.

The closing prayer for today's devotion was

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I confess that I have sinned and accept Your free gift of eternal life today. Take my life and use it to glorify You. In the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen.

my view 11.3.09

We can only burn leaves here every other week so every day this week is being spent clearing as much as possible. I sent My Sunshine and My Angel out to clear the back driveway of leaves. 

Thanks guys but uuummmmmmm

I think if I light that pile right there

we're gonna lose that tree

{ and }

the power lines!

from the kitchen entrance today, this was 
|| My View ||
until I raked them over about 20 feet south! 
 

this post and I am lousy with photos

GENESIS 8:22

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

I appreciate the gift of the seasons that we have been given. This season always reminds me to slow life down, for the things that truly matter are ever-changing

{ ever growing }

and before I know it this season in my life will have passed.

The kids and I love visiting the pumpkin patch. It means, hot chocolate, lots of pumpkins with warts, dirty animals eating out of our hands and plenty of photo opportunities that are perfect in my mind but never turn out that way in the albums!

I knew it would be wise to get all of the photos taken when we first arrived but they wanna go go go so I take what I can get!

I was certainly pleased that no blood was spilled getting in or out of the wagon.

I was even more pleased that no one walked in front of the camera (or anywhere in the picture actually) for the 3 seconds that all the kids were smiling AND looking at me!!

And off they went.

First they fed the not at all soft, begging for food, otherwise not friendly g-o-a-t-s.

And then it was off into the corn maze which had riddles like this one throughout

My Sunshine and My Angel went into the haunted barn while I took Miss Thang for some pictures.

She loves Wizard of Oz so she was really excited to find this.

I figured I would take the boys back to this before leaving for a complete photo.

I also wanted to get a picture of them in the covered wagon. Simple enough, no?

{ NO }

OK... so I am not going to get a picture in the covered wagon. It was the end of the day and no one had napped. Besides, maybe I was being too picky. Maybe I should just get the one photo I wanted and be done.

So, off to the Wizard of Oz cutouts we went.

{ Not gonna happen this year! }

Not only does the hot chocolate around Miss Thang's mouth make her look like The Joker with his smile painted on...

but she's actually crying hysterically!

This [ gentleman? ] was our closing greeter.

I think he had a longer day than I did!

my angel's choice for dinner - salmon patties

My Angel enjoys cooking. He's not great at it yet and he ends up making a H-U-G-E mess but he wants to learn. He enjoys simple cooking...pancakes, meatloaf, baked fish, chilli and his favorite,  

SALMON PATTIES

INGREDIENTS
2 cups canned salmon, drained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg, slightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION
Combine salmon, lemon juice, egg, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs in mixing bowl; mix well. If mixture seems very wet add a little more breadcrumbs. If mixture is too dry to patty, add a little water. Shape into patties.

COOKING

Brown lightly on both sides in hot oil.

look up

Jeremiah 4:13

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

 The sky tonight was

absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

I wondered how many people noticed.

It only lasted a few moments.

I wondered what He was feeling.

I am thankful that He shared this with me.