Hubs Knows How

Hubs knows how to make me smile. He came home after work yesterday with these beautiful roses "because he felt like it". What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!

Finished Product

Here are a few pictures of the finished product. It's been a full but rewarding week!

Happy Campers

Oh happy day. We put the finishing touches on the house today by wrapping up the spraying and trimming all the windows and doors. Tomorrow we'll just be doing minor touch ups to the deck and porch as well as spreading some new mulch and planting flowers. Watch for newly updated photos of the finished product!

What a Day

The painting began today. And it's still going. Justin is outside working on the final peak of the house (it's now 9:33PM). We rented a lift again today (beginning at 3:30) and it is due back tomorrow morning by 9Am so Justin is working into the evening hours. We started at around 10 this morning. In a word to experience what we are feeling, exhausted. Tomorrow will be another day of painting, followed by Thursday, quite possibly! The Lord is good, He delivered a beautiful day for us. Much has been accomplished. Enjoy the pics. Good night friends.

Bring in the Big Dog

Last night and today we worked on wrapping up the power spraying. To help us out with the high peaks, we brought in the big dog! We rented a lift for a few hours this afternoon and took care of business. It was a great day but we are both spent! Now we're just waiting for the chinese food to be delivered...

Let the Transformation Begin

Tonight Justin and I started power washing the house to prepare for painting. We made some good headway and worked until it was dark. Justin was the brave soul to get on top of the roof. I took care of the lower ground!

Boot Camp Won't Be The Same!

To our friend, Owen, best wishes as you begin work with the Kansas City Chiefs! I met Owen through my boot camp fitness class two years ago. He is a tremendously fast, spirited, and entertaining guy. He kept class fun and uplifting and we will miss him immensely. Justin got to know Owen through volleyball as we played on a team together last fall.

The picture above is of fellow "boot campers" with Owen (in front in blue) yesterday. We took a day off of running to enjoy lunch together. It was a nice change!

Best wishes to you, Owen!

Half a decade old!

The twins turned 5 about a week ago. We celebrated with a John Deere theme, ate lots of food, and enjoyed a beautiful day outside playing catch and bocce ball. Here's a few pics from the day with the fam.

Easter Weekend

Here are 3 munchkins who were eager to find their eggs. The boys are shown counting to see if they'd met their quota that Easter bunny Uncle J hid. That bunny either had hops this year or he was extra tall!

Easter is such a wonderful time to celebrate our risen Lord and remember what He endured for us. My prayer is that these 3 munchkins will fully grasp that someday and have a personal relationship with Him! Jesus lives!

Handsome Handy Hubby

My handy hubby did some house updating today installing a new light in our dining room as well as a new faucet in the kitchen. I startled him when I took the first photo as he was working on the light and thought for a moment something electrical had happened when the camera flashed (not smart, wife!)
In addition to being handy, he's also helpful. He prepared pot roast in the crock pot for dinner and it was mighty tasty!
Enjoy the pictures of his handiwork!

Inklings

I was talking with my mom the other day and she mentioned that she wouldn't mind volunteering at a local floral store on its busy holidays to help deliver flowers. I thought this was neat as I never knew my mom had this desire.

That made me stop to think about the many dreams or "inklings" that I've had throughout my life of things I might like to do someday. Here are a few:

*Become an astronaut (I think that desire has passed!)
*Decorate store windows
*Own a coffee shop
*Write fiction novels
*Live in the country with a golden retriever (or two)
*Design greeting cards for Hallmark
*Travel & take in God's beautiful creations

And here are a few of J's:
*Become a pastor
*Live on an acreage with a John Deere utility tractor (oh boy!)
*Coach
*Play basketball with kids (and no, we're not expecting!)

What are some of your inklings?

Spring Break

Well, I must say it's been a relaxing week for me as it's spring break. Although I didn't have the week "off", I took my share of vacation days to enjoy a bit of a break. Justin had a couple of days of training for work in Dubuque so I went along. I spent my first day shopping and the second day relaxing and took in the movie "Amazing Grace." What a great movie! I'd highly suggest viewing it. The end of the movie was my favorite with the song "Amazing Grace" being played by bag pipes and eventually a full band. Absolutely beautiful! A short synopsis of the movie is that it's based on the life of William Wilberforce, set back in the 1700s. William was one of the main forces behind ending slave labor. So, the movie follows his life and work. See it, enjoy it!

Happy Spring!

Down South Wedding

Justin and I enjoyed a wedding in Baton Rouge this weekend of one of his college teammates. It was wonderful being in warmer weather and seeing green grass again! And what a fun wedding! My favorite part was the jazz band that came at the end of the reception and escorted the bride and groom outside to their limo, playing the whole way. What a neat way to end a wedding day! While in Baton Rouge, we also saw a few plantations with Justin's parents. Enjoy the pics and note the GREEN BEAUTY!

Rain or Ice, the Party Goes On!

Last weekend we celebrated Mom's 60th birthday with a surprise party. Well, she was certainly surprised, especially since the weather was so nuts with rain, snow, sleet and ice! Many were not able to attend, but we still had the party (without heat or electricity)! Here's a few pics from the day.

John Deere Green

Someone got a new toy. He was like a kid at Christmas opening his favorite gift. I had to get a few shots!

Be Still

J has been especially busy at work the last few weeks and I have a lot of uncertainties going on at my workplace with some job shuffling and reassignments/etc. It is easy to get caught up in "life" and to start to worry about what is next. I'm comforted in Christ and by the song "Be Still." I love the lyrics:

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still
Be speechless

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still
Be still

Grandma A turns 93 on January 1!

Wintery Walk

On Christmas Eve day, it was beautiful outside with a hard frost covering the trees. We took a walk after church back in my parents timber and these are a few photos I took along the way.

Dad Traditions

Our dads are special guys to us and at the holidays, we always look

forward to traditions that our dads do. D's dad always roasts hot dogs
over the fire on Christmas Eve. Mom always

suggests something nicer like ham, but us
kids and grandkids always want to keep
the hot dog tradition!

J's dad always reads the Christmas story
before opening gifts.

We love you, Dads!

Christmas Photos to Share