Fall Fun! Part Two

Emma posing on our front stoop in front of her loot from the pumpkin patch.

Hey... that guy is just my size... is he a friend??

Mama and Genevieve

Love the shadows!

The cutest 2 pumkins in the world!

Genevieve, the little pumpkin girl.

Emma, the big pumpkin girl... notice the green (leaf/vine) bows.

The pumpkins are as big as Genevieve.

This is kinda cool...

Hay anyone??

G was not too sure about the hayride thing... spent most of the time with her head on my shoulder... checking out the decorations on the side of the wagon.

Emma loved the hayride and the fun music.

Emma and Andy having fun on the hayride... it was chilly.

Genevieve sits with Daddy for a while... but still hangs on tight.

Fall Fun! Part One

We actually got this one at Shop-Rite b/c Emma really wanted one to paint before we went pumpkin picking. Our YUMMY apple pie... all ready for the oven.

We went apple picking... the girls had lots of fun. Emma especially liked picking the HIGH ones on top of Andy's shoulders.

She decided whe wanted to "try before you buy." But I made her wait until we paid and until I cleaned it off (germ-o-phobe).

I LOVE this one... Sweet Sisters and the shadows behind them.

This is in honor of my two friends who can't enjoy fall the same way they once did. It is my second favorite time of year... after spring. Unfortunately, my allergies cause me to miss more of the outdoor fun than I would like to. Saturday, after our hay ride, I was so sick... itchy, burning eyes, terrible headache, and generally funky feeling. It was worth it to see the girls' smiles and hear their laughter. Emma is a fall fanatic. She was counting down the days until October 1st and then she started begging me to decorate for fall. It's been fun watching her joy as we experience everything fall. Next post: Pumkins and Hayride!!

A Day At the Beach!!

Photos of our one and only beach day this summer! It was Genevieve's first day at the beach. Both girls loved it and we had lots of fun. Seems funny to post these on the first really cool fall day... especially after we were pumpkin picking yesterday and harvest party-ing last night at church. Oh well, enjoy and "think warm, summer, and beach".

Walk For Life!

Our family had a great time last month participating in the Solutions Pregnancy and Health Center Walk For Life. See more about the vital work of solutions by visiting their website at

http://www.solutionswalkforlife.com/

Thanks to the generous donations of family, friends, co-workers, and church family, we raised a total of $1250.00 to support LIFE.

Enjoy the photos of our morning and pray for the workers and clients at Solutions.

Benefits of Being Purpose Driven

As promised.... The benefits of being driven by God's purpose for your life and not all the other junk I wrote about yesterday:

Again, all of the points below came from The Purpose Driven Life book, by Rick Warren.

Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life. Without God, life has no purpose. Without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.

HOPE IS AS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE AS AIR AND WATER!

Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. Before doing anything ask, "Does this activity help me fulfill one of God's purposes that He's revealed for my life? People who don't know their purpose do too much, causing stress and fatigue.

YOU HAVE JUST ENOUGH TIME TO DO GOD'S WILL. IF YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL DONE, THEN YOU ARE TRYING TO DO MORE THAN GOD INTENDED FOR YOU TO DO( OR POSSIBLY, YOU ARE WATCHING TOO MUCH TV). PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIVING LEADS TO A SIMPLER LIFESTYLE AND A SANER SCHEDULE.

You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 TEV

Knowing your purpose focuses your life. You become effective by being selective. Without a clear purpose, you will keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches, and other externals- hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, maybe this time will be different, but it doesn't solve your real problem- a lack of focus and purpose.

IF YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO HAVE IMPACT, FOCUS IT! PRUNE AWAY EVEN GOOD ACTIVITIES AND DO ONLY THAT WHICH MATTERS MOST. NOT THE MOST URGENT... THAT WHICH MATTERS MOST (MY ADDITION)

Knowing your purpose motivates your life. George Bernard Shaw wrote, " This is the true joy of life: the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clot of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."

Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity. One day we will all stand before the judgement seat of God and give a personal account for our lives. From the Bible, we can surmise that God will have two questions for us:

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY SON, JESUS CHRIST? DID YOU ACCEPT WHAT HE DID FOR YOU AND LEARN TO LOVE AND TRUST HIM?

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH WHAT I GAVE YOU? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE- ALL THE GIFTS, TALENTS, OPPORTUNITIES, ENERGY, RELATIONSHIPS, AND RESOURCES THAT GOD GAVE YOU?

THE FIRST QUESTION WILL DETERMINE WHERE YOU SPEND ETERNITY AND THE SECOND WILL DETERMINE WHAT YOU DO IN ETERNITY.

What Drives Your Life??

Our church, and four others in our town, began the 40 Days of Purpose on Sunday. It's based on Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life. The daily reading for today is one that caused me to really reflect, so I thought it might do the same for you... if you are interested, then read on.

All of the information below came directly from the book:

The 5 most common factors that DRIVE people in their lives-

Guilt- running and hiding from shame, sub-conciously sabotaging success. We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.

Resentment and anger- clam up or explode on others. Those who have hurt you in the past can NOT continue to hurt you now, unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. \

Fear- miss great opportunities b/c of the fear of venturing out. You must move against fear w/ the weapons of faith and love. "Perfect love casts out fear."

Materialism- thinking that more stuff will mean you are more important, happier, or more secure. Real security can ONLY be found in that which can never be taken away- your relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.

Need for approval- one key to failure is trying to please everyone.

There are other forces that can drive your life but all lead to the same dead end: unused potential, unneccesary stress, and an unfulfilled life.


OK... did anyone see themselves in any of those descriptions? I saw myself in a few. The key is to move away from those fruitless, driving forces and into a life that is driven by God's purpose for me. I'm excited to participate in this journey for the next 40 days and expect Him to reveal some great things to me, heal some old things in me, and prepare me for something amazing that I have never dreamed of.

Next time: THE BENEFITS OF A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.

31 Things About Me!

I found this on a blog that I visited today and thought I'd give it a whirl.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Where is your significant other? upstairs

3. Your hair color? brown

4. Your mother? amazing

5. Your father? distant

6. Your favorite thing? family

7. Your dream last night? none

8. Your dream/goal? wholeness

9. The room you're in? computer

10. Your hobby? scrapbooking

11. Your fear? attack

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healthier

13. Where were you last night? restaurant

14. What you're not? perfect

15. One of your wish-list items? pool

16. Where you grew up? Louisiana

17. The last thing you did? emailed

18. What are you wearing? crocs

19. Your TV? on

20. Your pet? brown

21. Your computer? new-ish

22. Your mood? frustrated

23. Missing someone? yes

24. Your car? messy

25. Something you're not wearing? makeup

26. Favorite store? hmmm?

27. Your summer? fast

28. Love someone? Andy

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When is the last time you laughed? earlier

31. Last time you cried? yesterday

For Today...

I found this idea at http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/. It's called the Simple Woman's Day Book! I was supposed to post a little photo, but couldn't get it to work.

FOR TODAY- Friday- October 3, 2008

Outside My Window... it is dark and windy. Today is our first day that really felt like fall.

I am thinking...about how much my body aches because of this herniated disc in my neck.

I am thankful for...my sweet Emma who has been exitedly working on birthday gifts for me all week with her daddy.

From the kitchen... finally got around to making the vegetable beef soup that I'd been planning all week. Everyone loved it. Feels good to make a yummy and healthy meal for my family.

I am wearing... gray capri pants and a blue t-shirt that has soup splashes on it.

I am creating...a honey bun cake to take to the 40 days of purpose kick off tomorrow night. (http://www.redbank40days.com/) Thought it would be fun to celebrate my b-day w/ our church family.

I am going... to the Melting Pot on Sunday... Andy's taking me there for my birthday.

I am reading... a book about persecuted, Christian women that's published by Voice of the Martyrs. (http://www.persecution.com/)

I am hoping... that my girls will grow up to love and serve Jesus with their whole lives.

I am hearing... nothing, but these computer keys... it's amazingly quiet right now.

Around the house... I'm hoping to be out of pain enough to work a bit around here tomorrow... looking like a small bomb went off... it's been worse, but could be so much better.

One of my favorite things... scrapbooking and creating memory albums for our family to look back upon and thank God for ALL He has done.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: relax, enjoy, and celebrate my birthday... think I can get away w/ a week long celebration? It's worth a try, right?