We finally got our camera from Woot, but the computer has not been cooperating, so I haven't posted anything till now. Katie was invited to a tea party by a friend a few weeks ago; the first pictures are of that event. The second set is of the kids playing in the snow a their cousins. I had to work that day, but Kaila the babysitter took all those shots for me. The final ones are of our trip to the Blue Heron house, a home for disabled adults here in our area. Our church volunteered to supply them with Christmas gifts. Our family, one of the single ladies in the church, and one of the elders all went to deliver them. It is such a great experience for all of us!

I have more pictures of snow and our little Nativity skit to post - another day...

Hugs to you all,

Kerrie

I am so excited! I went to Woot.com this morning to check out their daily deal and it was a .... CAMERA. I've been so unhappy since losing the camera my dad gave me and having to go back to my old one. It takes such terrible pictures, I rarely ever break it out. But now... I shall be a photographing mommy again! My grandma in California sent up some $ for the family since she can't come up to see us and buy things for the kids in person, and we've been deliberating over how to best spend it. I"m the type that would pay a bill with it, but that's probably not what Grama would like. When I saw the deal this morning, I knew that was a good way to make Grama happy and me too! I'm hoping this is at least comparable to what my Dad gave me, but we'll see. There are mixed reviews on it, but it is a relatively new model, so there isn't a ton of info out there on it. I'll keep you posted (and will hopefully be posting more pictures soon too!!)

Here is a poem my sister -in-law wrote. Made me cry! and be happy too...

Enjoy

 

THRILL!

 

A life, a thrill!

Routine goes out the door,

Waving as it passes,

This new life beating in you,

It’s true, not planned,

But still there is a hand, unseen,

Making a special gift for you just now,

But when He’s through,

This happy life with all will share,

We will be there,

To hold and care for,

Cuddle and teach,

This precious being,

Not there before,

Unlooked for what’s more!

Gregarious and precocious,

Pure energy contained,

In soft hands and round cheeks,

This life, this thrill!

Well, I finally posted the pictures of the finished project. Unfortunately the lady who ordered it didn't like the way it turned out (she had some very specific features she was looking for!), and so it was a two-week's-worth-of-work-plus-the-cost-of-materials loss for Josh. Not good, considering we were hoping to turn it into two weeks worth of food and shelter for our family! Things have been rather tight since then (to say the least), but God is getting us through. (Although I am still accepting all exciting recipies involving beans, rice and oats!) Josh finally has stable work, and got his first paycheck last week. We were able to make payments for the first time on all the bills incurred when we lost Baby Job. Don't you love it when God wants to teach you to rely on Him alone for your sustenance?!

 

I was also delinquent in updating photos because at some point during this cabinet project, Josh saw Blake walking around outside with our digital camera. Josh told him to "go give it to Mommy," and we haven't seen it since! I didn't water the lawn for days while I combed every inch of it for the camera. I'm sure it will turn up someday in some unnervingly simple yet extremely unlikely place! I have had to go back to using my old camera with its defective screen. Isn't it funny that although it is how we used to take pictures "in the old days", taking a picture without seeing how it will turn out just seems terrible (sorry, the synonym finder portion of my brain is offline right now!). We implement technology as a novelty, at first; but after a while we become completely dependent upon it. Take cell phones for instance... how many of you would turn around and drive home after discovering you had left your cell phone charging on the counter (like I always do - the leaving, not the returning - I am still a cell-phone user only under protest!)? Yes we have become dependent.

 

Nothing to do with cell phones, but everything to do with troubled times and reliance upon the only source of stability, here is a devotional I received recently. Enjoy!