The Lord's ways are not our ways!

Well, as of right now we are without a vehicle. It is a weird feeling to not have a vehicle. The transmission in the van blew up on Troy a few days ago on his way home from work leaving us with our trusty old chevy crew cab. Today we pulled our van into Lakeside to get the money for scrap metal. On our way home our truck engine blew up. It blew up bad. I'm so thankful that there was no wreck and no one got hurt. I called my dad who was 5 minutes away and we were about 20 mins from our house so he came and took us home.
So, tomorrow morning Troy, Ashley, & DJ will be doing the paper route on foot. Another thankful thing is that it is not as cold as it has been. Still I wouldn't want to walk it!
We do have a car that was gifted to us. We were considering buying my midwifes car as a gas saver for groceries and paper route but had not had the funds. She had hit a deer with it and didn't want to spend the money fixing it. After what happened with the van we were thinking it might be a cheaper option than others so I called her to see if we could get to it with a 2 wheel drive trusty :0) old truck. They are in South Dakota with more snow. She said she was going to call me but figured she would see me the 29th for our visit so was waiting until then to tell me that they decided to give it to us! It does need some work, so guess what Troy will be doing tomorrow! Lord willing he will get that running and then we'll go from there. We won't all fit, obviously but we will be thankful that Troy can get to work and back. We do not believe in debt and will not go into debt for a vehicle so we will wait on the Lord. I'm sure that He has a plan in all of this, it's just not the way I would have gone about it! His ways are not like my ways, but His ways are better than my ways! I do hope that we learn what the Lord wants us to from all of this. Please pray for us if you feel led.
Hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

Life

Hello!
I had a minute sitting here checking my mail and Ashley said I should do a post about life! It's really funny that she should say that because life is changing for me. I've been realizing more and more that so many things are not really THAT important. My how easy it is to get wrapped up in things. UNIMPORTANT things. They just come in and take the place of the really important things.
One thing the Lord has been laying on my heart lately is to "Hide His word in our hearts". I think about what if my children were taken tomorrow how much of God's word would they be taking with them? That is a huge important thing! In times of persecution they take away God's word, we need to have it "hid in our hearts".
Then there's just all the normal things of training up the children in the Lord. I get so busy with housekeeping (especially when it gets closer to a new baby). I want everything perfect and guess what? All joy leaves my household. I tear my house down everyday while I think I am making it better somehow. I know I'm not making it better but I keep thinking after I get this and that done then I can relax and be a joyful mother. I'm sure there is no one else out there like me. Sometimes I feel like the most terrible mother ever. In the meantime, I am missing the point. Instead of teaching my children about joy in the Lord I am teaching joy in a clean house. Instead of rejoicing in trouble I'm showing failure. Instead of a new baby meaning joy for our whole family they can look forward to mom being a mess the last few months. So to sum it up, if you are reading this PLEASE pray for me! One of my desires is to be transparent and able to ask for prayer when I need it. That's what we're here for right?
I hope everyone is staying warm! I can't believe these temps. Terrible cold. Troy has been doing the paper route for me, I'm very thankful! I handle the 30-40's much better than this.
I hope you all have a great Lord's day tomorrow!

Colorado Pictures anyone? :0)

My husband is so cute!!!! This is us at the Royal Gorge sitting by the water clock.

This was my favorite scenic picture, isn't it beautiful?

Very cold up here!

This was right behind the mountain lodge that we stayed in. Surrounded by mountains.

This is a river that ran through the backyard of the mountain lodge that we stayed in.

I have very good intentions of getting on here and posting more often. I'm full of things that I could share. But life is also very full and I wouldn't want it any other way! Let me just say that the Lord is SO AWESOME!

I wanted to post some pictures of our trip, so there they are. The Lord really blessed us in being able to take that little trip. Seeing His beautiful creation always inspires us. We were able to share the gospel with several people through talking with them and giving tracts. I can say that this trip was worse as far as people not liking our family size. Countless people actually glared at us after counting our children and looking at my pregnant belly. It is so sad that people are blinded to God's truth in so many areas but this one hurts me so much. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING! Let the Lord bless you!

I hope that everyone is reading in God's word everyday and growing. I feel as though I am having a growth spurt! I like it! The Lord is showing me new things and maybe some things that I have been ignoring for awhile. It's really not good to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit. There's a really good verse to back that up but I can't remember where it is right now. If you know of any please share! Anyway, you can't feel close and right with the Lord when you are doing what YOU want to do. But, isn't it hard to obey sometimes? The Lord is so good to not leave us alone. He is patient with our faults. I can say that the Lord is getting victory over sin in my life. It feels so good and I know it is from the Lord because I couldn't do it myself. Praise His worthy name!

I hope you are all doing well! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! Talk to you in a month or two! :0) God Bless!

Too Cute to not share!!!!

Our children surprised us with such a sweet gift tonight! Yesterday was our 14th wedding anniversary. Troy said it feels like two days! :0) Anyway, Ashley and DJ asked us (just me & Troy) to go for a walk together and when we got home it was no longer home but the Feel Right at Home Restaurant! Our home was transformed and our table was now set prepared for a candlelight dinner! Our host (DJ) met us at the door and showed us to our seats We even had menus. For the appetizers there was Chips and Salsa or a Fresh Veggie Salad, except they had just ran out of lettuce! That was okay because the chips and salsa was perfect. The salsa even tasted homemade, hmmm. For dinner was my favorite, chicken fajitas! Wow they were so good! Ashley is a great little chef! There was even a dessert which they managed to bake & keep hid from me in the fridge. Hiding it wasn't too hard, you should see our fridge right now! There was a curtain up blocking our view of the stove and laundry room. In the laundry room was Ashley's "other customers". They were being served Spaghetti O's! I must say that they were a bit more demanding than we were. :0) Paige and Joshua did help with carrying out our appetizer. It was just such a blessing to see all the effort they put forth to make our anniversary special. We were very blessed by it!

I hope to never take 2 months before posting again. I do have pictures of our vacation to share which I will post soon. We had a wonderful week in Colorado! It is so beautiful there but I have to say that I really like Nebraska better. Something about having trees around your house. Hope you are all doing well! Love & serve the Lord with everything you've got!

We will soon be adding one!!

Hello everyone! This is for anyone who may not know yet, we are expecting a baby! This will be our 6th blessing from the Lord and we are very excited! Paige is sure that it is a girl! She had been praying for another baby (girl) and a few weeks ago she stopped praying. When I asked her why she said because there is a baby in there! Wow, she knew before I did! So far I am having a great pregnancy (it's very early still!) with NO morning sickness. Last time I was in bed for 2 months with severe sickness. So this is a blessing! I am just tired which is to be expected. The children and Troy are helping out and letting me get some rest when I need it. I'm very thankful! We think the due guess is March 12th!

Meet Marianne

This is so sad to me but this is a true thing that is happening right now. Doctors are diagnosing and medicating for ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder). Read about it, it's awful! If only they knew the Lord and obeyed His ways! I often get caught up with my children's behavior and think how far it is from what I want ( or from what the Lord would want). And they are, we are definitely still working! But I have the Lord on my side! I am obeying His Word and I do have rest and peace. Not all the time but I truly enjoy my children and welcome more! My children love to please me and be with me. I love to include them in my life. Some people can't wait for school to start and they send their children away from them . I just couldn't see doing that. I want my children with me. I want to mold their little minds and train them up for the Lord! I couldn't stand being away from them all that time. They are precious and our time with them is quickly passing by. As my dear friend recently said to me "Children are a deep blessing from the Lord." Anyway, read this sad story. Then buy several copies of To Train Up A Child and pass them out to anyone you see struggling.


Pre School Marianne
Marianne is now 4 years old. Her parents were very excited when she turned four that perhaps that would mean that the terrible twos were finally over. They were not. Her parents are very grateful that the Grandparents are nearby. The grandparents are grateful that Marianne's aunts and uncles live nearby. Marianne's Aunt is grateful that this is her niece, not her daughter. Why? Marianne requires an incredible combination of strength, patience, and endurance.
Marianne begins her day by getting up early and making noise. Her father unfortunately has mentioned how much this bothers him. So she turns on the TV, or if that has been mysteriously disconnected, bangs things around until her parents come out. Breakfast is the first battleground of the day. Marianne does not like what is being served once it is placed in front of her. She seems to be able to sense how hurried her parents are. When they are very rushed, she is more stubborn and might refuse it altogether. It would be a safe bet that she would tell her Mom that the toast tastes like poop. This gets her the first “time out” of the day.
In the mornings she goes to pre-school or goes off with her grandmother or over to her aunts. Otherwise Marianne's mother is unable to do anything. Marianne can not entertain herself for more than a few moments. She likes to spend her time purposefully annoying her mom, at least so it seems. Marianne will demand over and over that she wants something. For example, playdough. She knows it must be made first. So her mom finally gives in and makes it. Marianne plays with it about one minute and says, " Let’s do something" . Her mother reminds her that they are doing something, the very thing that Marianne has been demanding for the last hour. " No, Lets do something else"
So after Marianne's mother screamed so hard she was hoarse when her husband came home, Marianne gets to go out almost every morning. At preschool she is almost perfect, but will not ever do exactly what the teacher wants. Only once has she had a tantrum there. Marianne gets along with the other children as long as she can tell them what to do.
Her grandmother and Aunt all follow the same “time out” plan. This means she goes to a certain room until she calms down. The room is empty now at Marianne's grandmother. Marianne broke the toys, and they were removed. She banged the furniture around and it was removed. What sets Marianne off is not getting to do what Marianne wants. She screams, tells people she hates them, and swings pretty hard for a four old. After a half hour it is usually over, but not always. Marianne will usually tell her mom or Grandmother about these tantrums. The story is always twisted a little. For example, Marianne will tell her Grandmother that her mom locked her in her room because she was watching TV. Her grandmother used to believe these stories, and Marianne could tell the whole story of how she was watching this show, and her mom just came in and dragged her to her room. Now it turns out that Grandma doesn't think much of TV anyways, and so this made a certain amount of sense to her. This led to more than one heated argument between the Grandma and her mom. Of course there was almost no truth to this at all. It took the tables being turned for the Grandma to really believe that her Granddaughter could set up an argument like this. Marianne came home and told her mom that Grandma let her eat four cookies and an ice cream cone for a treat and that she was very full. Marianne's mom doesn't think much of treats, and could see how this might happen and thought she would have to talk to her mom. Finally they both realized what Marianne was doing.
Most of the afternoon with Marianne is spent chasing her around trying to wear her out. It doesn't seem to work, but it is worth a try. When she is at her aunts, she tries to wreck her cousin’s stuff. When is she good? When there are no other cousins around and she has the complete attention of her Aunt or Grandpa.
Marianne loves the bedtime battle. She also loves to go to the Mall. But she never gets to go there or hardly anywhere else. She acts up so badly that her family is very embarrassed. Her mother shops and visits only when Marianne goes to preschool. It is hard to know who is more excited about Marianne going to school next year, her mother or Marianne!

Full and good!

What a beautiful morning! My heart feels full and good this morning! The Lord woke me early (or was that Levi?) and I got extra time with the Lord! I love that! It's 10:00am and our house is clean, little ones have done"school", DJ is mowing, Ashley is practicing on the piano, and I am typing on the computer. This is not normal here! But the Lord is good and can do the impossible! We have just today started a new schedule as we look forward to starting school. So the next 4 weeks are a trial run. The school time on the schedule is now being used for whatever the children want to do. Swimming, reading, piano, violin, mowing, playing, or whatever. Lord willing, we can keep this up and get it perfected before we start school!
I'm reading in Philippians and there were some things that really stood out to me. About being a servant and humbling oneself. Also about labouring = to work hard. Couldn't we even say to work really hard? I believe that Paul is working really hard for the Lord. He is not just coasting through life seeing what he can get. He's for the Lord unto death! He knows that death would be better because then he'll be with Christ! Well, I was convicted because of my pride. I really want to be a good help meet to my husband but I can't do it with my prideful attitude. Jesus made himself a servant and humbled himself and was obedient even to the death of the cross. Yesterday at church one of the young men shared about running over their dog and seeing him suffer. It made him think about God's pain in seeing Jesus suffer and the literal suffering of Jesus. I love it when the Lord makes us remember His death so vividly. I was reminded not that long ago about everything Jesus went through for me when I studied about how people were crucified. If you haven't researched that I highly recommend it. You will never again be able to doubt the LOVE of God! And sinning should become very unappealing to you! So Jesus was obedient even unto the death of the cross. I asked myself, "Who am I to not humble myself?" So keep me accountable! I see a long road in front of me.
I also want to be a hard worker for the Lord. For me, this means to be the best help meet and mother I can be. To deny myself daily. To share Jesus with anyone and everyone! To be obedient to the Bible and the Holy Spirit. I have told the Lord that I will obey His promptings no matter how hard it seems and He has been faithful to take me out of my comfort zone! Do all things without murmurings. Feel free to add abundantly to this list! What is your view of labouring for the Lord? Does Jesus think that you are a good and faithful servant to Him? Don't be caught coasting on this joyride of life!

My Garden!

Anyone want to compare gardens? I am really happy with mine so far! As long as nothing catastrophic happens then we should be eating pretty good this summer and hopefully be able to put plenty away. At least of tomatoes! Everyone knows they are the best thing anyway! So here are some pictures taken about a week ago, I think. The first picture has our new family member in it, that is Daisy. She's not actually new though, she's been with us for about 2 months. She needs some training but she is coming along! She is the responsible party for chewing everything in our yard and making our yard look terrible! Plus we haven't figured out where to put everything as of yet. We moved from 9 acres with a two car garage, a two car shop, a barn (if you could call it that), a grain bin, and a house that had room to spare. So you get the idea! Also since the pictures I have picked 3 cucumbers! Yeah! They were so good!

I can't work in a garden without thinking about :
Gal 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

There's our verse for the day! It always makes me stop and think about what I am sowing. In everything we do we are sowing whether good or bad. And God's word is true we will reap whether good or bad!

Have a wonderful day in Christ!

Working at Grandma & Grandpa's House!

Last week on June 18th we got to go over to Grandma & Grandpa Trask's for a work day! It was a lot of fun! We cleaned out two flower beds and planted new flowers in them. We also had a picnic and just enjoyed our time with Grandma & Grandpa! I know that Ashley will never forget seeing her Grandpa playing on the swing and herding up the horses with his riding mower!

We Love you Both and hope you enjoy the flowers!

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them..." Psalm 127:3-5
These verses sum up the way we feel about our children! We are blessed and happy!
Ashley is doing a family newspaper everyday with her "new" typewriter! It is wonderful to see our life through her eyes. She is 13 and becoming a very sweet, godly young lady!
DJ is writing a letter to his sister, Ashley. He has several pen pals and loves to write them! His penmanship and reading skills are wonderful.He loves to mow and work with his hands like his Dad. He is becoming very strong. He is 8 and wants to be a missionary when he grows up!
Paige is my girly girl! She is 4 and loves pink and ruffles! She is a wonderful help to me with Levi. She wants to be a mommy when she grows up!
Joshua is our clown right now. He has a way of making us laugh. He is almost 3 (August 23rd) and also has a way of annoying us very much! I think it comes along with the age. He likes to help Daddy. He sits in the baby seat behind Daddy on the bike when we go for rides and he screams and cries until Daddy gets on (he thinks he is going to fall) and gets going then he is fine. We can't help but to laugh at him because it is really funny!
Levi is almost a year old, WOW! He is a sweet little guy! We did not know when we named him that his name meant "joyful spirit" but it is so true for him! He is joyful. He has a very healthy appetite. He is learning to be obedient to daddy and mommy and doing very well. He spends a lot of time in my backpack and he is very content to view the world from there!
Well, there are some updates for the children! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Behold all things become NEW!

What a beautiful day! We will be working in the garden today and going for a bike ride! We are having a lot of fun on the bikes! Paige can ride her own bike and then I tote Joshua and Levi in the trailer. If my knee holds out then it will be great! I will be posting pictures tonight so check back! I hope everone has a blessed day!
Today in my quiet time I read in 2 Corinthians and was very encouraged with some verses and thoughts that I would like to share!
2 Corinthians 5:15 "And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
There is so much in these two verses! First to go along with what the Lord is teaching me right now about not living for myself but to serve the Lord and others! I think verse 15 gives ample proof that that is how we should be living now!
Second, if any man is in Christ he is a NEW creature and OLD things are passed away! When someone dies we say they pass away and that applies here as well. The old is GONE! Obviously there will be a difference between this old and new person. A very visible difference. If you are a child of the Lord does your life show it? People get very touchy on this issue because they want to claim Christ as their Savior but live the same old life they lived before. They know that their life doesn't look new, in fact it looks exactly the same. We are told to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. 2 Cor. 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Do you not know your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?" When is the last time you examined yourself and the message that your life is exclaiming? Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? You can not accept Him as Savior and reject Him as your Lord. Your life will look different if you are submitting to Him. However if you still enjoy the world and live like the world the Bible says that you are the enemy of God. That doesn't sound like salvation to me! I do pray that this encourages you to fear the Lord today! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

Lord, what is your will for me?

Hello again! First of all, I'm sorry about the picture of us that is a year old! It seems to be the last picture I have of all of us! Levi is almost a year old already! It is so hard to believe that a year has past. Where did it go and what did I do for the Lord this past year? That should be asked everyday. What did I do for the Lord today? When we are saved we are no longer living for ourselves, are we? Sad to say, yes we still get caught serving ourselves. It seems to be so easy to forget that we have a job to do for our Master. What is it that Jesus would have me do today? Instead it becomes, "I need" to do this, that, and the other today. Actually, we need to seek the Lord while it is yet today and ask Him what His will is for us today. If we are in His will we will have joy! That's what I've found to be true.
I'm up way too late tonight! Need sleep. Will post again later!

This is my first ever post to our new blog!

I am so excited! I pray that this site would be used to glorify the Lord! I also feel relieved that I no longer have to sent out yearly "updates" to all the family. Now this will be our update center!
We are having dinner guests tonight so this was actually a bad time to check out this whole blog thing but oh well. Let's just say this is a sample post and my next one will be the real one!
Have a wonderful day in the Lord!