:::field trip fun: lefse edition:::

i told you i would be back!
:D

i may be a few hours late,
but here are some pictures of our lefse making adventure 2011!

 look!  a pac-man lefse!

you can be sure i rolled that beauty.

;)

my adorable niece, violet.

 i love my mother-in-law.

she has taught me so much.

perfection.

maddie is all business when it comes to domestic affairs.

especially in the kitchen.

elly takes the pin for a bit.

 my sister-in-law, ashley, and my girls.

 get in line!

as you can see, 

it was a successful day.

:D

what a blessing to have wonderful in-laws.

i really try not to take that for granted.

i am so thankful for all of them.

if you have been reading around here lately, 

you know that my niece, Charis, is in the hospital.

i am going to keep asking you all to pray for her,

because she needs it desperately.

you can even grab my picture on the sidebar and spread the word.

i believe in the power of prayer.

i believe that God can and will do mighty things in our family,

especially for Charis.

her tests came back negative for leukemia and several other things, 

but the doctors are at a loss for what is causing the infection and fevers.

God is our Great Physician.

He knows everything and has it all under control.

we pray for precious Charis' healing and for God to be glorified throughout this time of trial.

thank you so much.

prayer changes things.

"The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!"

J. Hudson Taylor

i hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

deer hunting starts around these parts tomorrow.

can you feel the excitement?

oh, i can!

blaze orange, license tags, and a rifle tucked in it's case are all present here at the krause house.

:D 

xo

linking up here and here.

comfort food and a {prayer} request

since i don't have time for my 'most organized Christmas ever' post,

i thought i'd pop in and say hi.  :)

tonight it's all about comfort food over here.

i'm impatiently waiting for the individual meatloaves and baked potatoes to finish baking.

i slathered the potatoes with garlic grape seed oil and the house smells so good.

pretty soon i will pile up the meatloaves with ketchup.

yum.

do any of you like meatloaf with your ketchup?

:D

ok.  enough small talk.  :)

there's something weighing much heavier on my heart tonight.

i wanted to ask you, my friends, a favor.

would you please pray for my niece, Charis?

i have mentioned her before, but not in detail.

she is four.

at nine days old, she received a heart transplant.

an absolute miracle.

she battled cancer this summer{a very aggressive kind}.

she went through two rounds of chemotherapy. 

she is back in the hospital with a terrible mouth/throat infection,

she hasn't been able to eat or drink hardly at all,

and she had a biopsy of her bone marrow today along with a pic line put in.

you never think that something like this will touch your family, 

but when it does, your faith is stretched, and you learn to trust in ways you never thought possible.

i am learning.

my husband and i had the privilege of visiting with Charis for a few hours yesterday.

she doesn't talk much because of her mouth pain, but our time together was precious.

i will treasure it forever.

we are petitioning God to do great things for Charis and her{our} family.

we pray that He will be honored and glorified throughout this time, 

and that His perfect will will be accomplished.

i was reminded this morning that nothing  we experience in this life,

whether it be physical pain, emotional torment, or any struggle of any kind,

is foreign to our great God.

He knows what we are feeling.

he has experienced the pain, grief and devastation that we feel.

we are not alone.

He desires for us to get on our knees before Him.

He never tires of our prayers.

He is my refuge, my strong tower, my hope, my strength, my shelter, and my friend.

so, all comfort food aside, i guess i just wanted to ask for your prayers tonight, friends.

we need them.

xo

7.  today i am thankful for precious moments shared with my loved ones, and my GREAT GOD,  who is my refuge and strength in times of uncertainty and trial.

thank you, Jesus.  

Jesus, i am resting, resting

hi, friends.
i'm joining amy for {virtual}coffee this morning.

i like my coffee black and strong.
exciting, right?

the kids and i hit a garage sale{only one!}last week and found some pretty awesome stuff.
we picked up this vintage coffee pot and thermos for $1 a piece.
they totally made me think of amy and her cute vintage style.
she also takes the best pictures.
yes, i am jealous.   :)


so, now it's going to get heavy...

if we were really having coffee this morning, i would tell you what is heavy on my heart.
i would tell you that there are so many people around me hurting, and that makes me hurt.
i would have to say that i am a fixer.
or i try to be anyway.
and when i can't fix things, it hurts even more.
i would admit that i really don't think that some things in this world are fair.
this may seem like such a childish statement, but it's true.
i would resolve to the fact that even though life isn't fair, and bad things happen to  people that i don't always understand,
there is Someone who does.
and, oh! does He ever!
He uses these trials, burdens, and cares to draw us to Him.
because He is a shelter in the time of storm.
He may use them to draw His own back to the fold.
because He is a loving Father who chastens His children.
He may use them to encourage the weary.
because He is our strength.
He may use them to save lost souls who are dying and in desperate need of a Savior.
because that's all that really matters.
we may never, ever know.

when the tears roll and the burdens overwhelm, there is only One that i can truly rest in.

if we were really having coffee today, i would ask you to pray for my niece, Charis.
she is four years old, an absolute miracle, and a testament to God's grace.
she has been faced with challenges from the very first moment that she took her first breath into this world.
a heart transplant recipient at 9 days old.
yes, 9  days.
a true fighter, brave and strong.
she has recently faced aggressive cancer, one of the worst kinds, and has been through two rounds of chemotherapy.

she and her family need our prayers.
would you add them to your prayer list, please?
i thank you so much for them in advance.
to God be the glory.
no.
matter.
what.

so, in any season of our lives...

we have hope.
we can trust.
we can rest.

"For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD."
Psalm 117:2

xo,