Renew your Strength

So sorry that I have not been diligent in my writing!

To be completely honest, this VBS is really taking it out of me!  I come home from 4 hours of being with 6 school-aged children and I am all but exhausted!  Then to try and help Tirzah get to sleep, since her morning schedule has been thrown off from being with her friends all morning, it completely takes it out of me!  I truly have done nothing but VBS and meeting basic needs!  I was so incredibly thankful this afternoon/early evening both Tirzah and I had a two hour nap and it was just what the doctor had called for, so to speak.

So now, I write to you from our bedroom, a soft light glowing on the dresser, the ceiling fan whirling overhead, the window opened to the first sounds of rain, and the thunder's boom growing ever closer to our home.

I will just share a little from this week, sort of sharing what I have been LOVING, (other than resting!)

LOVING the strawberry jam which Danae and I made together over the weekend.  Tirzah and I area really enjoying it on a piece of toast, both jam and butter piled high!

LOVING enjoying the fruits of the garden.  The snap peas are just about done, so we have been enjoying those every day for lunch.  The marigolds are more beautiful than ever, and the wildflowers have been a source of constant delight for me each day.  I love having jars of them around the house for a simple touch of beauty.

LOVING Tuesday night's dinner club.  It was a picnic theme!  We had Caprese Chicken Paninis, which were absolutely delicious and so simple!  All you need is:

French bread sliced

Homemade pesto

Sliced tomatoes or oven dried tomatoes

Mozzarella cheese slices

Seared chicken tenders sliced thinly

A touch of balsami vinegar

Put all the ingredients together in a sandwich, place in the panini machine, and you have perfection!


We all gathered around the kitchen island and delighted in girl chatter while we made the paninis.  One girl even brought her homemade wine!  Strawberry peach was the flavor and my oh my was it delicious.  We went outside to the park across the street to eat.  It was perfect for the 9 ladies to enjoy the meal while the 5 children loved playing at the park.

Dessert: homemade strawberry shortcakes with freshly whipped cream.  Made by my sweet neighbor Melissa and what a delicacy they were!  Even better when joined with a mug of fresh coffee and a dollop of the cream on top!

I love this picture!  This is little Kennedy, one of my friend's daughters.  She has 2 red-headed children and it is so fun to have so many redheads running around!  Tirzah was holding her own playing with big kids, and they were all so kind helping her at the park.  Here is Kennedy sharing some of the whip cream with Little Bit!

Tirzah up at the top crawling into the slide and then little Tavin at the bottom, the 3rd redhead of the group!

LOVING talking with my Soldier twice this week already!  Absolutely LOVING the miracle that he received the iPod I sent him!  Have I written about that?  That was the one thing that Daniel has asked for while he has been away: an iPod so he could have the chance to steal away and drift into another world through music.  I enjoyed myself immensely downloading lots of new music and sermons and even Car Talk which is one of his "dirty habits".  He also asked for pictures, so I was able to upload all the pictures since he has been away.  I knew how much this would minister to his heart, but I was a little nervous since they had banned all products containing a lithium battery to be sent overseas.  Well, I just had to try and give my husband what he had asked for!  So Greg, Marlene, and I covered it with prayer and we believed and it got to him!  He said he had no idea how it did because they screen every call: a miracle of the Lord!  It is unmistakable the He did that for Daniel!  So my husband has said that just means the world to him and he is so thankful to simply put on the earphones and "tune out" for a while.  There is always conversation going on around him, so I think it is a really healthy thing for him to get semi-alone moments.

When you think of him, would you pray for strength?  He has said recently that he is just so exhausted. Please pray for renewed strength as he trusts in the Lord!

Tirzah is LOVING red grapes, balloons (like her absolute new favorite toy!), slugs (which is really really gross to her Mama because these Washington slugs are HUGE!!), baby frogs, and popsicles.

Always and forever I am LOVING the dearest husband of them all, our Daniel