date with mom

I hope you are all enjoying these last few weeks of sweet, sweet summertime.

Yesterday was a really special day.

I was blessed to spend it with my sweet mother.

You'd think that we see each other all the time living so close, but with busy work schedules and lots o' little kids running around, we rarely meet up.  We text everyday for sure, but not a whole lot of the up close and personal, face to face goodness that we all just need sometimes.

I never feel judged, unloved, less, or insecure around her.
Safe would describe how she makes me feel!  Does that make sense? 

Two peas in a pod.

{image via}

Yesterday was a day devoted to spending time with her.  Lots of hands helped with my children so that we could go shop, eat, and chit chat all the live long day.

{thank you}

She is one of God's greatest gifts to me...

Godly

nurturing

caring

loving

selfless

compassionate

longsuffering

and.so.much.more.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

    Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

May I mention that my mom has recently inspired me?  

Well, she always does, but within the last several months she has been determined to feel better, live better and be a healthier version of her already amazing self.    She started taking the Shaklee RX for a Healthier Life  and she also started walking one mile on the treadmill{or less}.  Now she has worked her way up to walking three miles outside AND she jogs nearly half of it. 

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Here she is sans FIFTY lbs. 

Looking and feeling GREAT. 

I even got her into the GAP and she found JUST what she had been looking for.  {yes!}

Isn't she cute?

Yes.  I am tooting my mom's horn.

She deserves it!  :)

Go, mom!

WOOHOO!

Here is one of our latter stops of the day.

I am really thankful for opportunities like this to spend precious time with our loved ones.

Have you done anything with your mom lately? :)

Blessings to you all for a restful, refreshing weekend!

xoxo,

A Day at the Park

Hello, dear friends.

Seems like we haven't chatted in a while, doesn't it?  Well, I'm still here and I'm glad you are, too.

It seems like the summer is slipping through my fingertips!

Can I get an amen from all of you, too?  I know you feel the same.

With the latter thought in mind, I decided it was time to amp up the fun factor in this house

{or OUT of it}.

My children aren't getting any younger{and neither am I}, so the rest of our time before {home}school starts, we are going to try to spend doing things just a little extra special.   After all, we hardly even stepped foot outside on those CRAZY hot and humid days!  I thought it would never end.
Thank you, Lord, for the breezy 70 degree temps!

Yesterday, we decided to hitch up and go to the park.

It was simple and fun.

here are some things that I am thankful for... 

memories of the past and new ones to be made  

smile makers in the simplest form

 the lake on a breezy summer day

 beautiful countryside

the orange king and his sunshine eyes {love}

 giggles and screams

 tummy turners

relaxing

 geese coming in for a landing

grins from ear to ear

 peaceful moments 

elly henry maddie jack

 home

 my treasures

I hope you are all having an amazing summer.  Even if it is fading fast.

Much love to you all,

xoxo

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

lazy, crazy hot days

it's hot.  

super hot.

so i'm being REALLY lazy.

just wanted to share some of the random fun we had today. it wasn't exciting, but that's what made it so great.

      the beautiful countryside that we live in.

                                                                  my sweet elly belle

                      homemade strawberry freezer jam.

my {sometimes} cooperative baby

yes, baby.

                                                  an all day pj day

                                                   yay!

                         love from my sweet boy.  priceless.

yes, i am thankful for lazy summer days.  the kind where it gets to hot to even think about moving.

that's what we've done today, so far.

next up, ice cream cones!

best part?  daddy came home.

yay!

Much love,

xoxo

note:  i absolutely love this verse.  our preacher pointed out this past week that if someone is going to 'guide you with their eye', you have to be looking at them.   so simple. so true. 
guilty. as. charged.
Lord, help me to keep my eyes on You.

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

Psalm 32:7-8

*click for details*

muchos gracias!

Saved Alone

Hi, friends.

I hope you are having a lovely day. 

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite hymns of all time with you.

It never ceases to amaze me how God can use something so horribly devastating, and turn it into something beautiful and useful for His glory.

Enjoy.

Horatio Spafford  

{Courtesy of American Colony Hotel}
In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was allover, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio GatesSpafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city getback on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into thedowntown Chicago real estate, he'd lost a great deal to the fire. And his oneson (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two yearsSpafford--who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody--assisted the homeless,impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to takea vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and IraSankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. HoratioSpafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. Hewould catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.Their ship, the Ville du Havre, never made it. Off  Newfoundland, itcollided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20minutes.  Though Horatio's wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece offloating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their fourdaughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed.Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "savedalone."  Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, andthe two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told himquietly. "The will of God be done."  Though reports vary as to when he did so, that belief ledSpafford to pen the words to one of the English language's best-known hymns. Somesay he wrote it on the ship to meet his wife, around the place where his daughters died.

It Is Well With My Soul

Words: Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Music:  Philip P. Bliss, 1876

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll, 
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life 
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal; 
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Isn't that amazing? 

Much love, 

xoxo

A Family Affair

Hey there, ya'll!

It seems like we have been running a lot lately. 

And I don't mean for the Couch 2 5K Program.

{although I have completed week three now!  how about you?  it's not too late to start.  you'll feel better, I PROMISE.}

:-) 

Let me explain.

Do you ever feel like even though you are constantly busy, you get no where?

Of course you do!

It's that little thing we call life{and the bottomless piles of laundry}.  

The balancing act of home and work has been a little tricky for me lately.
My attitude has a lot to do with it, too.

{mine could use a serious adjustment at times}

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content."  Philippians 4:11

Easier said than done, right?

Allow me to rant.

My husband works nights.  UGH.

I know that in everything I am supposed to give thanks, but it tends to get old.

REAL FAST.

We are like two ships that pass in the night.  He goes to work, I go to bed.

I wake up, and he is just laying down.

Poor guy.

I should really be counting my blessings because I get a full nights sleep and he RARELY does.  

But I still don't like it.

*sigh*

I won't even go into the tactics I have to use to keep the kids quiet while daddy sleeps!  lol!

Truthfully, I am blessed beyond what I deserve.  I have a hardworking husband who is an amazing father and he would do anything for us.  I love him and I pray that God provides Him with the perfect job that he has for him.  If that means 3rd shift, away from, us, so be it!  God's ways are higher than mine.

{slaps self in face for needlessly complaining}

I'm going to stop complaining now.  :-) 

The girls and I had an opportunity to get out today to our local fair and share some of our favorite things with people.

We set up our awesome, safe, proven, products for a few hours with some great friends and froze had a great time!  I can't believe that it's a few days into summer and we needed parkas and wool gloves!

Ridiculous!

Miss Madelyn and I shivering in our shoes smiling all pretty like.

The girls and our wares.  

Our kids totally LOVE everything from Shaklee.  That's why we call it a family affair!  They can truly tell what the products and opportunity have done for our family and they are very supportive.  We want them to understand that we are doing this 

a} because God put it in our path and said..."GO!' 

 b} we wanted to create a healthier life for our family  

c} we want to help others learn the importance of prevention, nutrition and how it can change their lives for the better.   WAAAAY better!

We are Team Krause and we love sharing this opportunity!   We really want to teach our kids to make wise choices in every aspect of their life.   We can't stress enough that the choices that we make today, will have a direct impact on our future!   We are proud of them for being so supportive of us.

I LOVE this old building on the fair grounds.

Team Krause: girls.

Just being normal.  :-) 

What did you do today?

I hope you had a wonderful day! 

Blessings,

If you ever have any questions about what Shaklee can do for you, I'd love to chat.

xoxo

Chickens, a Birthday, and a Prayer Request

Hi, friends!

The chickens have officially flown the coop.

Literally.

As I have told you in past posts, my husband and I decided to get some chickens this year.  He has lived on a farm his whole life, so he knows what he's doing.  

Me on the other hand...not. so. much.

Rabbit trail...

Every Sunday, we have the privilege of eating dinner with my in-laws after church.

I'm talking, home grown fried chicken, mashed taters n gravy, veggies from the garden{fresh or canned from the year before}, and the BEST pie you have EVER had, usually made with home made lard and fruit canned or frozen by my husband's mother. 

It's the REAL deal.  And it's always AMAZING.

{photo from Country Living}

{photo credit here}

Well, we decided that it was time to raise our own chickens

A.) Because it tastes waaay better

B.) We thought it would save us some money on the hefty meat portion of the grocery bill.

Needless to say, I will not be taking part in the butchering of these fine fowl.  I have seen that done once before, and it still haunts me.  Nope.  Not gonna do it. :-) 

Although our coop is not done, YET, we have made it livable for now to get the stinky little things out of our garage. ALL 56 of them.  Yes.  We had 56 chickens in our garage.  YIKES! 

'You might be a redneck if'....ummmm...nevermind.

More progress in pictures soon to come!

Moving on from embarrassing facts, today we celebrated my dear hubby's birthday.  We made cards and had a nice birthday meal at his request.  

He wanted a classic from my mother's recipe collection.  French Meat Pies.  They are SOOO good!

It was super low key and simple.

Just the way we like it.

My card to him.

He is perfect for me.  Thank you, Lord.

The kids cards{and a birthday badge that Henry INSISTED on him wearing!}.

I just had to tuck in this beautiful African Violet that a lady GAVE to me at the  H.O.P.E. walk the other night.  She was such a sweetie!

My husband LOVES our country and the American flag, always has, so flag cakes have become a tradition for us.

The kids had so much fun decorating the cake{fruit pizza}.

YUMMY!

This is my favorite photo of the day.  I spent most of the day in the kitchen cooking and baking so it was awesome to sit back and just watch my family enjoy the great meal that the Lord provided for us.

The day did not come without it's ups and downs.

I have a request to all of my prayer warriors out there.

PLEASE remember my niece in your prayers.  We found out some things today that require immediate prayer and I am so thankful that we can bring it to the 

Throne of Grace and leave it there.

Thank you so much!

It rained like everything here today, and usually when it rains it feels so dreary, but this was such a beautiful, refreshing, pouring down rain with bright beams of sunlight in between the clouds.   All I could think about was God literally showering us with His love and blessings...even through the storm.  It was so comforting to me!  Despite the heavy rain and heavy hearts at our house today, we know that God has our best interests in mind and He knows our sorrow and pain.  Oh, yes, He cares.

:-) 

Much love, 

xoxo

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 

Romans 8:28