Perfume

Oh, how I love to wear Perfume. The sense of smell is one of my five senses that is on alert all the time. Think about it. When I go into get my boys up in the morning... "Ugh, what is that smell?" Yep, you guessed it, Elijah has a dirty diaper!! Not all smells are bad though!! Don't you just love putting on a nice perfume before heading out the door on a "date night"? Or what about the smell of ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven!!

Well I was reading this verse this morning and it reallly got me thinking!!


“. . . through us [God] spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.

Wow, WE are the Perfume, Aroma, Scent of Christ to God!!! Our smell is given off to believers and unbelievers alike!!! I don't know about you, but just thinking back on the past few hours, there were some pretty smelly moments.

Would you ever buy a perfume that wreaked??

Would you ever tell someone that you liked their perfume if it smelled horrid?

Oh, Lord give me the grace and self-control to be a pleasing smell in your sight!!!

A "Thankful Post" to Break the Blogging Silence

As I sit here, I keep on thinking of the goodness of the Lord in my life, so here we go:)

~ Remember last year, I was talking about how nice it is to have a clothesline? Well, I am even more thankful for it this year! Jud is working hard in our basement, getting things ready to finish so we will have room down there for the contents of the "guest bedroom" to reside in order to prepare more room for a new little one!! That means things are a little out of place down there... including the laundry room. He managed to temporarily hook up my washing machine, but really has no way to hook up the dryer 'til its permanent location is finished. That's why I am thankful for the clothesline and the beautiful sunshiny weather!! Whew... did that make sense??

~ I am also thankful for my husband who is very capable at remodeling and construction work!! He works so hard, and for that I am truly grateful to God who gives us all unique gifts and abilities!!

~ I am thankful for Ethan and his every growing desire to learn. He has just started preschool and really seems to be enjoying himself and soaking everything up!! Praying for him to desire some day to be a student of God's Word!!

~ I am thankful for Elijah and his happy spirit and liveliness. Somedays I don't know if I'll have enough energy to keep up with him and his curiosity!! But, God always gives the strength we need for every day!

~ I am thankful for people who are bold enough to gently correct me! I had a friend who did just that this week:) Oh, how precious and rare that type of friend is!!

~ I am thankful for God and His Word that also corrects, instructs and disciplines me!! Oh, that I would have eyes to see all the ways God works in my life!!!


I hope you too can see the many things God has done for you!!!

Random Thoughts

On Driving...
Do people not know that when an emergency vehicle is driving down the road you are to pull over and stop until the said vehicle passes by. We were almost rearended twice this weekend by people who were talking on the phone and surprised by the fact that we were pulling over. Not smart!!!

On Raising Children...
With every day that passes by I am amazed at the beauty of parenting in that no matter what happens in a day, I always want to check in on them all tucked in and sleeping peacefully for it reminds me of a bigger picture.

On Politics...
The primary election is coming up on June 8!!! Are you registered to vote? Do you know who you are voting for? Where is your polling place?

The Government is a representative of the PEOPLE!! I am a representative of Christ! Who am I letting represent ME? Who are you letting represent YOU? Please Vote:) Your vote does matter!!

On Gardening...
My wonderful husband helped me plant mine yesterday... he got finished and said it was kinda ugly, just I as I was about to say it was beautiful. It truly is a beautiful thing to plant and harvest your own food to it. So excited to start this new hobby and praying for a good harvest!!

On the Bible...
I am still plugging away at reading through the Bible in a year. So thankful for my husband who is encouraging me through this every step of the way!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Hidden Treasure of Joy!!

A few weeks ago we had our Ladies' Retreat for the ladies of Grandview. We had so much fun together talking, eating, precious time in God's Word and lots and lots of laughter!!! Oh, it had been a long time since I had really laughed. Laughter is a wonderful medicine!!

The lovely Christy did the decorations for the tables. She is so creative:)

These are the ladies on the Women's Ministry Team!! What fun it is to serve on this team!!

We had such a wonderful and challenging time in our sessions focusing on having the Joy of the Lord in our lives!! Joy is such a deep concept. It's so much more than a smile on your face!! Don't get me wrong I love to smile and love to see others smile too!! So many days we face things in our lives that are less than ideal. An unplanned trip to the Emergency Room, sleepless nights or mothers who endure the sleepless nights of a child, uncertainty at work, unsaved family members, death of a loved one, sorrow over a son or daughter who is headed down the paths of destruction, etc. etc. etc. All those things I've just listed are things that I have personally been exposed to through people I see on a regular basis. If we were to focus on those things it would lead us to be depressed, despaired, confussed and possibly bitter.

So often we base our joy on our circumstances. Life's not about ME or My Problems, It's About God and His Plan for my life! How I wish I could grasp this concept every moment of every day!! The conclusion our speaker brought as the Key to our Joy is:

First Seek God, Joy will follow!!


You will make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11


The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Self-Control... Galatians 5:23


Pray for God to work in your heart to do what he wants you to do! Read His Word!! Draw near to God and he will draw near to you!!!

Name That Plant!!

What kind of plant is this?

At The Farm with Papa Joe

This little man loves being outside and was a willing subject for dad to practice out his photography skills. Love his little four tooth smile:)

Ethan got to spend part of his birthday down on the farm with Grandpa teaching him all about this baby calf learning how to nurse!! Ethan enjoyed every minute and enjoyed it more than any thing else we could have done for his birthday!!!

Jud's Grandpa always balances an egg on the first day of Spring... or Spring Equinox. All forces are equal on that day!! God is so Amazing!!

Ethan is 3!!! We enjoyed celebrating his birthday with both sets of grandparents and just youngest sisters. Ethan loves cake... well, he loves frosting;)

Our little family before Ethan's party!! I love these guys!!!

My Grandma!

Grandma

Most people have one... this is mine! She is a lot like my mom, uh, well my mom is a lot like her!! And if you know me well, you also know I am a lot like my mom!! If you want to know what I will look like if I ever make it to be 87, you won't have to look away from this picture.

When I think of Grandma Jensen memories flood my mind. I honestly can't remember one bad thing she ever said... well except for one, and it was on accident and out of sheer innocence (and if you know me well, I have those moments too;).

Grandma was an amazing cook!! Every time we went to her house she ALWAYS had homemade cinnamon rolls. These are the same recipe that I make very often and always in her remembrance!!

Every morning grandma and grandpa woke up, had breakfast, and sat down together to read their Bible and pray. I can remember the other grand kids sleeping in on purpose so they could miss out on family devotions. I was the youngest grandchild and always slept either on the couch or on the twin bed in my grandpa's room, I was almost always part of this devotion time. At the time, I considered family devotion time to be a small, insignificant "activity." Now as I reflect back on those days I am amazed at the love and devotion they had for our Savior. Oh, how I wish I had listened more, but I am so thankful for what I did hear and their example that is so powerful in my life today!

Grandpa died my freshman year of college. That was such a hard time! And now, as my grandmother still lives she is just as amazing as she was when grandpa died. She loved grandpa so much! With love and respect I write these words about my grandmother who passed down more than physical features, and baking abilities!! She is leaving a legacy of love and service to God!!