Streams in the desert

      ^{Is. 43:18-21}

       "Forget the former things;
       do not dwell on the past.

     See, I am doing a new thing!
       Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
       I am making a way in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland.

     The wild animals honor me,
       the jackals and the owls,
       because I provide water in the desert
       and streams in the wasteland,
       to give drink to my people, my chosen,

     the people I formed for myself
       that they may proclaim my praise."

Alphabitty Moments

The check out what Alphabitty Moments is all about, click on the link above.

I suppose most children cut their own hair at some time. Some escape a major hairstyle change while others require more drastic measures. When Madison chose to take the scissors to her hair, she cut some very short bangs and gave herself some generous layers around her face. So I took her to a friend who fixed her up and suggested this fun hairstyle to hide her one inch long bangs. We loved it!

Who's the leader, really?

I have created an opportunity to share stories or pictures from your family that are a bit amusing or odd. They can be current or from ages ago. My goal is laughter. Lots of it!
The rules are simple. Post a Whimsical Wednesday entry on your blog and use the button above in your post. Link your post to mine and enter your blog address in the McLinky below. Then have fun reading others whimsical memories!

This is my twin sister and I when we were about 4. I'm not sure if you'll catch the humor in it unless you knew us then, but this catches our personalities perfectly. This photo amazingly captures the essence of our childhood: we were always side by side. Me: curious, unafraid, gregarious, the first-born leader. Her: pensive, shy, letting me lead the way.
 I answered questions directed at her when she was too shy to answer. I led us into every new situation, with her pushing me from behind. You see, there is one thing this photo does not capture. Don't let her facial expression fool you. She was shy, yes. But she was the bossy one. I only led because she made me! Love you anyway, sis!

Just in Time

Today is a little toot my own horn but mostly a loud trumpet call in praise of God's provision.

We've been evaluating our finances via the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class recently, but we've been on the journey to financial freedom for about five years. This week we paid off our last debt. WE ARE DEBT FREE!

Now for the next steps: working toward financial peace by having all the safeties in place for emergencies. This week's lesson was on insurance, so yesterday Robb spent the entire day doing the tedious work of applying for health insurance, disability insurance, and switching life insurance. The whole shebang. Yikes. I'm glad he did it!
We've tried many kinds of insurance over the years, but finally have a plan that we are comfortable with and that doesn't completely break the bank.

So things are coming together. We feel good. We are making good choices. But this is the slow time for our business, so it's a little nerve wracking to have no home equity line of credit available. (Yes, we rent our house, but we have a piece of land that had a HELOC.) We have plans to save money, to have fully funded emergency savings,  but what good are goals if there's no money coming in?

Ever found that God is never late, but rarely early?
Not to worry. Robb always finds things to do. And God has been faithful. So it didn't surprise me in the least that a friend he worked with last year called today and asked if Robb could help him out. Starting this week. And he's booked until December! God was just on time!

Arizona Pictures

Pets

This funny looking contraption is a baby chipmunk house. Lovely. And, yes, there are two baby chipmunks in there. Here is one:

In my kids desperation to have pets, (I shall not go into details of our few attempts to care for cats) my children chased baby chipmunks around our yard, cornered them until they had no hope of escape, and successfully caught two poor creatures.  Being the home-school mom I am, I found a nature book that told us what chipmunks (specifically, Thirteen-lined ground squirrel) eat and we fed them unsalted sunflower seeds. (One can make almost any experience educational!) The kids were ecstatic when their little "pets" ate the provided food. Our family was successful in caring for these strange pets for a full 2 hours. Then we left for...something. When we came home our pets were missing somewhere in the mudroom. Unfortunately for my children, but fortunately for the chipmunks, the "windows" in the chipmunk house were big enough for them to squeeze out. Thankfully the door from the mudroom to the rest of the house was closed, so the creatures were confined to one room. And thankfully, (or not) my husband came home soon after we did, and, (though none too happy about it),  managed to find them and chase them outside.  Goodbye, poor pets! And good riddance!

P.S. Please disregard my children's strange attire. If I waited until they were properly dressed to take pictures, I would have none! We home-school, for crying out loud. Proper clothing is not required!

Alphabitty Moments: The letter G

It seems this boy only grows taller. He's a rail! He takes after his mother's high metabolism. Poor thing only wants to wear pants these days to hide his bony knees and skinny legs. Someday he'll be grateful~ when he's 30 years old and doesn't have to worry about watching his weight!

Whimsical Wednesday

I've created an opportunity to share stories or pictures from your family that are a bit amusing or odd. They can be current or from ages ago. My goal is laughter. Lots of it!
The rules are simple. Post a Whimsical Wednesday entry on your blog and use the button above in your post. Link your post to mine and enter your blog address in the MckLinky below. Then have fun reading others whimsical memories!

Look! Daddy's making dolly drive the truck!

Tasty Tuesday

I'm back from warmer country and in the need of warm, comforting soup! Here's a family favorite- similar to a soup found at Olive Garden.

Toscana Soup

1 1/2 c Spicy italian sausage, browned

saute til tender, then set aside:
3/4 c diced onion
1 1/4 t minced garlic

bring following to boil then simmer 15 minutes:
2 T chicken base
1 Qt. water
2 medium potatoes, cubed

Add onions, garlic, and sausage to potatoes and:
2 c Kale leaves(I use parsley)
1/3 c cream
Simmer 4 minutes. EAT!

Alphabitty Moments:The letter F