A Fun Summer Gift

We are all loving the gift we bought Callie for her birthday.  It's perfect for summertime!  It's just like Twister, but it uses the sprinkler.  Perfect for hot Florida days!!

It's made by Banzai and it's called the Froggy Hop Sprinkler Game.  We bought it at Walmart for around $10.

Having cold well water makes the water freezing!  We added some dishsoap to make it extra slippery!

We are loving our summer fun!

To remove, or to not remove. That is the question....

Yesterday I was sent to UF Health Shands in Gainesville for a second opinion on the cystic lesion in my chest.  As I arrived I saw a gentlemen carrying a bag that said UF Health.  It made me think back to my post during my time at Mayo when I talked about getting a TShirt.  "Lord, could this be the place?"  I would love a UF Health T Shirt.  Or even a cute duffel bag.

I saw a Pulmonologist that was very kind.  He, like the other doctor, doesn't believe the lesion is causing my pain.  But, he said the doctor that would know for sure is the Thoracic Surgeon Team at Shands.  So, Monday I will see them and they will determine if we are on the right track or not.  Once again, we are praying for the Great Physician to whisper wisdom in the ears of the Physician I will be seeing on Monday.

I was reminded of the 3 Hebrew boys thrown into the fiery furnace.  I love their response to Nebuchadnezzar, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us....but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods"

But if not.  I need to have that kind of faith.  The faith that says, "Lord you know best."  and truly trust.

Summer Goals

We have set many wonderful goals for the summer.  One of them is consistent piano lessons and practice.  Brenna has a desire to start giving piano lessons this coming fall,  so what better way to practice than on your siblings!  They've had 3 weeks of lessons and all three are progressing very well!  It's exciting!  Great job Brenna!

Troy Springs State Park

My sweet Mom came to visit when Patrick was the bus driver for our teens to head to Youth Conference.  (They had a great time at Deep South! And loved all the preaching!!)

 Mom and I had a great few days together.  She had bunches of time with the kids and planned lots of fun stuff to do.  One morning we decided to try a new State Park.  We picked Troy Springs State Park in Branford.

 It was such a gorgeous day!  It was warm, but not too hot and there was a light breeze.  The park is beautiful!!  Our first stop was the picnic area. (There are more tables to the left)  Does anyone else's kids feel that Lunchables are the best picnic lunch?  Works for me!

 We enjoyed a leisurely lunch before we went exploring.

Then, it was down the path to see the springs.  To the right of the path you can see the same sign that many of our State Parks have.  Alligators!  Praise the Lord we didn't see any!

The springs are beautiful!  When we first arrived there were only 3 other cars, so it was a quiet spot!  In the background you can see the Suwanee River.

The water is clear and gorgeous.  I want to come back and swim!

Then, we decided to head out on the 1/2 mile hike.  Perfect distance for how I felt that day.  It was a nice, wide path that had lots of different plants to read about along the way.

Callie found this nut and then found a sign showing that it is a Pignut.  She brought it home and painted it pink. :o)

Have I mentioned that I think Florida is breath-takingly beautiful!!

We found a sign along the trail that said to stop and listen to the sounds around us.  We heard the wind, frogs and lots of insects.  It was so peaceful!
 

So, we walked and walked.  Part of the trail was under water, so we figured we were going the wrong way.  We found another trail and walked and walked.  Then, we passed some houses and a stable.  Houses and a stable in a state park?  We were lost.  The kids loved it!  They began talking about what we could find to eat and where we would sleep.  What an adventure!! :o)  Our little 1/2 mile hike was more like 2 miles, but we loved it!

And we arrived back safe and sound to tell Grandma of our adventures!

We loved this park and will go back again soon to show the rest of our family!!

Our 50s Housewife Ladies Spring Banquet

 I sure do love the ladies of VSIBC.  We have such a great time together!  Ladies ministries is one of my favorites!  We had a great turnout for our Spring Banquet.  My sweet friend, Dee Fisher, decorated for us and it really set a great atmosphere for our 50s housewife theme!

 The tables were so adorable!

 It was also fun dressing in our heels, aprons and pearls!

 The girls put on a cute skit about the struggles of a 50s housewife.

 My friend, Lena Noble, gave a great devotion to all of us ladies!

 And some of the men of VSIBC served the meal to us.  They did a great job and the food was so yummy!!

 What sweet memories!!

New G's for our wall

 I have enjoyed collecting G's for a wall in our dining room.  I've added to them here and there.  Not too long ago my girls gave me another one that needed to be decorated.  I decided to have all of us 9 put our finger prints on the G.

 Of course, my 3 little ones loved getting the paint out.  Somehow there  was paint on other places besides just their fingers!

I love how it turned out!  My wall is filling up!

"Those were good years"

Last week we enjoyed our "Ladies Spring Banquet" at VSIBC.  What fun our ladies have together! We enjoyed a "50s Housewife Theme" and we all came dressed in pearls, aprons and heals.  And lots of red lipstick.  It was so fun!   

As I was preparing for some fun activities for the ladies, I realized that my Mam-maw would have been a real life 50s housewife!  She was married in the late 40s to my Pap-paw and started having children soon thereafter....in the midst of the 50s!  So, I decided to call and ask her what it was like to be a housewife of that time period.  I loved her answers.  I decided to share them with my ladies at the banquet. And now I want to share them here.  

Me: So, Mam-maw, tell me what it was like to be a housewife in the 50s.

Mam-maw:Well, it wasn't as convenient then as it is now.  We didn't have electricity in the house, we had lamps. We also didn't have running water.  Laundry day was the hardest.  We had to carry in all the water and wash clothes on the washboard.

Me:  (By this time I was feeling quite sorry for my overworked Mam-maw! I was getting ready to say, 'Wow, Mam-maw, I'm so sorry it was so hard')

Mam-maw: (long sigh)  Oh my those were good years!

Me:  Mam-maw, it sounds like it was a lot of work!

Mam-maw:  Yes, but I was young, I could do it, and I was in love.

Oh how I love her answers!  I've often said that my Mam-maw is the most positive person I know.  Her outlook is a blessing to me.  She truly loved my Pap-paw and she truly loves the Lord.  I want to be more like that.  I want to see the good in the difficult.  I sure do love my Mam-maw!