Come As You Are...

Do you even wonder?
Do you ever question?
Can the love of God reach YOU?

The answer lies within these lyrics on 'More Than Noise' album by Pocket Full of Rocks.

He’s not mad at you, And He’s not disappointed
His grace is greater still, Than all of your wrong choices

He is full of mercy, And He is ever kind
Hear His invitation, His arms are open wide

CHORUS
You can come as you are
With all your broken pieces
And all your shameful scars
The pain you hold in your heart
Bring it all to Jesus
You can come as you are

Louder than the voice, That whispers you’re unworthy
Hear the sound of love, That tells a different story

Shattering your darkness, And pushing through the lies
How tenderly He calls you, His arms are open wide

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love;" (Jeremiah 31:3)

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey To Joy

I recently started a new study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss; a book which promises a journey towards heaven-sent joy.

Not a here-today-and-gone-tomorrow kind of gladness, but a deep and profound joy that simply cannot and will not be shaken.

It is a journey I am excited to be taking. Perhaps I will share some of the topic here & you can come along, too.

For now, here is something to ponder, "If tomorrow's supply depended on today's thanksgiving, how much would I have tomorrow?"

The Many Faces...

Alexander and I were clowning around this afternoon and he started making some crazy faces. Here are a few I was able to capture before he started insisting I put the camera away :) The last one is such a BOY face -- I seem to remember my brothers doing this all the time!

Splish! Splash! Pool Time!

THIS...

...AND SOME OF THESE

...PLUS A BLUE PLASTIC POOL EQUALS THIS... (one HAPPY boy!)

More of God's Handiwork...

Our peony bush bloomed this weekend. It's always exciting to see the bright splash of color burst out. As a child I loathed the peonies in my mom's garden b/c all I recall were the ants, seemingly thousands & thousands of them. The ants are still present (and still not very appreciated) but I have to say, this is one of my favorite flowers in our yard.

Date Night!

Alexander spent Thursday night at g&g's. When Blake returned home from work that evening, it was like old times -- we had the house to ourselves! So, what did we do with our time 'sans a toddler' you might ask?

After devouring a pizza with ADULT toppings (canadian bacon & onions) from our favorite local pizzeria, we discussed how to most effectively use the remaining hours in the day.

We talked about spending a few hours organizing the garage.
We contemplated pricing items for an upcoming rummage sale.
We briefly mentioned a few other items on our ToDo lists and then...

WE DID THIS...

which upon our little guy's return on Friday soliciated THIS...

followed by THIS...

Those of you SEASONED, PROFESSIONAL PARENTS reading this post will no doubt have already guessed that our perfectly assembled train track complete with end track buffers, T-juntions, ascending tracks, a 5-way switch, a trestle bridge and strategically placed trees & road signs is now a jumbled mess on the familyroom floor.

I think I have heard the following phrase a couple HUNDRED times already today, "Momma. Broke it. Fix. PLEEEASE?"

You will also not be surprised that the once glorious track is now roughly oval in shape WITHOUT any risers, trees, ascending tracks, bridges or other such foolish contraptions. And...it is working just fine :)

Summer's Hot Fashion Tip: BY Alexander

These shoes are mine ... the feet ARE NOT.

The latest in lawn care fashion -- making his daddy proud! :)