Christmas in July

Well, I promised last year that I hoped to be able to have our Christmas merchandise ready by August. I have the ornament ready to go. In fact, I uploaded the image and then I ordered one of this year's and one of last year's. I must say, I really like them. They turned out very well. The Jesus is the Reason ornament is the design from last year and we will continue to have it this year. Just in case anybody would like to order it that didn't get to last year. The A Child is Born is the 2006 ornament. I really like it and I can't wait to put it and last year's on the tree this year in our new house.
God has been so good to us. He has blessed us beyond measure even in the little things.
So, you like the ornaments? Want to see what else we have in our store? Please do visit the Parents For Christ Store.
We are hoping tobe able to get a Christmas book together of sorts by the end of August, the concern there is that more than likely I won't have the time. We will be finishing up the new house and moving in the next month, so I am not sure just how much time I will have. Plus, Just 5 Minutes Daily Devotional will start back August 1. Keep an eye out for us!
God Bless you!


P.S. Don't forget, anything that is purchased from the store will help with the costs of our site. So in addition to getting some pretty nice stuff, you are also helping us keep the site up.

Online Pictures

I just thought I would share with you a service that I used recently. I tried out Shutterfly. I got an 11x14 print and a 16x20 print. Two different pictures. The 11x14 came out beautifully! I had made a collage for Micah's and Benji's godmother with my favorite pictures of them and I loved it so much I almost kept it myself. My 16x20 print came out a little blurry but I really think it was the photo and not anything that Shutterfly did. In fact I emailed customer service and they creditedme for another 16x20 print.

I must say I am impressed and that I will be using them in the future. I have always gotten my 35mm film developed at Walmart but then I have the images put on disc. For me it will be easier to just upload the pictures and then order prints from Shutterfly. Unless Walmart is running a sale, Shutterfly is cheaper too. Not to mention the closest Walmart to me is 16 miles. Evenpaying for shipping it ends up being cheaper than driving.

The banner below will take you to to Shutterfly and for new customers they have a special offer.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Well, I suppose with the temperatures in the bulk of the U.S. being very close, if not over, 100 that we can safely say it is summer. Nice and hot, the grass looks burnt unless we choose to water it. (I don't because that would mean one of us would have to mow it in the heat.) I keep hearing about people being taking to the emergancy room for the heat exhaustion or even dying from the heat. This is a trying time.

I know with us the kids want to go to the lake or play in the sprinklers but Iget a bit leary about it since it is so hot. There are precautions thatcan be taken though.

Handling the Heat:

1. Make sure you and everyone with you drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from caffinated beverages. This includes colas, tea, and several carbonated beverages.
2. Wear light weight and light colored clothing.
3. Make sure to wear sunscreen so not to get burned.
4. If you or your child take medications for anything make sure to check with your doctor or pharmacist if it is safe to be in the sun. Several medications can have adverse side-effects if you are in the sun.
5. Do not go outside during the heat of the day. This is typically 2-5pm.
6. Visit your local library. They are typically nice and cool and you can read afew books while you are there.
7. Taking the kiddos to a matinee is good too and several movie theatres have a kids club that does kidsmoviesduring the summer.
8. Trip to a local museum or art gallery. You can learn abit of history while keeping cool.
9. For lunch run by your local fast food resturant that has an indoor playground.
10. Go to a local gym. Some churches and most Y's have a time for open gym where the kids can play and not be in the heat.


So, stay cool and enjoy your family. Remember that there is a season for everything. In 6 months many of us will be missing these high temperatures. Find God's blessings in what is around you. Perhaps He is blessing you by you visiting a library or museum or indoor playground. You never know until you take that step.

We are using this time to getajump on packing. See, we will be moving in about a month and were wondering when we would find thetime to pack. Since I totaled our van, I can't go anywhere really during the day and with it being to hot to be outside very long, we are inside cleaning and packing.

God Bless!

Sadness and Joy

We have had a rather rough week this week. Monday morning we got the call that Jeff's dad passed away suddenly at home. He had been sick, but we were under the impression that he wasn't on his death bed. Paul had an aortic aneryisum that ruptured. The good was that it was fast. The bad was there were vital affairs that were not in order.

Jeff's sister called and asked that we get up there as soon as possible and we started getting things in order. We arranged for my two girls to stay with their dad and then Jeff's two were to stay with my family while we were gone.

On the way to take my two girls to their dad, it was raining. I cam around a sharp turn and lost control of our van. It started to fishtail and all I could do was pray. The van flipped up a hill on the roof and then rolled down landing on the driver's side. Three of the windows had shattered and the windshield was smashed. As soon as I noticed the rear window was broken I looked around and realized I couldn't find one of the girls. She hadn't put her seatbelt on when I told her to, so when we crashed, she was flung around the inside of the van. The blessing is two fold, we had had the playpen in the van and it was near where Britt was sitting. We found the playpen about 15-20 feet away from the van out teh back window. The other was had Brittany been wearing her seat belt it was just a lap belt and when the van flipped it could have broken her back. Brittany had the least injury of only one bruise on her back. Praise the Lord.

Me and Kimmie were both wearing our seatbelts and in the front. At impact the seatbelts let go. Both of us hit the roof and were josseled around. Kimmie's window was one that had shattered. She had a bad headache for awhile, but is okay. I suffered a mild concusion and bumps and bruises.

The point of the whole matter is that God is great! Friends of ours and the emergancy crews that worked the scene were shocked we weren't injured seriously. I gave glory to God from the first moment.

After the wreck we were able to go to the funeral thanks to some godly people that rented a car for us and some money that was donated for the trip. While we were in Ohio we got a few things squared away and know that there will be more to take care of.

The best thing that happened while we were there was teh confirmation of the hope that Jeff's dad was indeed saved. The minister shared how on Sunday, the day before he died, that Jeff's dad drove out to the church and sat in the pew during the service. He had no clue how he got there and had no clue what he was doing there. But he was there and he was glad to be there in the house og the Lord. Bill, the minister went on to say that there is no way he could fathom a man doing that unless he knew the Lord. So while we will not know until we oursleves get to heaven, it gives us the hope.

We have learned to trust in God even more than we already do. He is awesome and he will provide. We are out the family vehicle and will need to look into getting a new one. Unfortunately we only had liability on the van, so everything is out of our pocket. We know that God will providethe means for us to replace our vehicle and we know that it will be in His time.

While the Lord does protect His children, please remember that we should do as the law requires and take care of our health. The Lord will take the foolish man home before the wise man, for the wise man will do His work.