The latest on Caleb...

We went to Caleb's orthodontist check-up yesterday. To refresh your memory, he was supposed to be in braces for 6 months and it is just about one year now and he has one tooth that has still not done what it is supposed to have done. So, after a LONG 1 hour and 45 minute appointment, he come out with some new hardware. The doctor is trying this in hopes to move that tooth. He called the new gear "buttons" on his bottom 4 middle teeth. There is also a button on the back of the top tooth that is not wanting to move. He has a band that attaches the button on the top tooth to the buttons on the bottom teeth with this cool little hook tool:

He has to wear it all day and night except to eat and brush his teeth. He has had some pain in his teeth, so I am thinking that it may be moving - stubborn little tooth! Here are some pics of Caleb (he is being his silly self!):

This is a view of the new gear, his "buttons!!"

He is pretending to have a hard time opening his mouth! It doesn't open very far, but it is just a band! He has been a trooper through all of this - it amazes me how well he has handled everything. I am thankful and blessed!

To fellow bloggers everywhere!

Although this is NOT my life, it is too funny (or sad??!!) to not share!!

Friday's Thoughts

Today was a busy day and I almost didn't get a post in. I am just sitting down for some P&Q and decided to post quick before the day is over!

I continue to think on a very profound statement that Brother Willoughby, missionary to Singapore, said when he visited our church recently. I am able to quote him, because when he said it, I had to write it down and have looked at it constantly since then. He said,

"The greater aspects of trust are not learned when God answers prayers the way I want Him to."

You might want to read that again before you move on and really think about that for a minute.

We can have faith without trust, but God's purposes are bigger than mine. I must go through situations in life that we help me learn to truly trust Him for everything, not just have a faith in Him. When I learn to wait on God and trust Him for His answers, in His time, I learn to take my eyes off my situation and put it on Him, which is where it should be in the first place.

Have you ever read Zechariah 13:9 that talks about gold and silver being tried in the fire? In order for gold ore to be purified and separated from the other minerals contained in it, it must be placed in the fire and melted down - changed from what it is when it is found and made into something new, something better. So it is with us. We go through trials, a sort of "fire," and through the process (provided that we are willing and pliable by His Spirit) we come out pure, changed into something new and better than we were when He found us, and we learn to trust in Him. I am so thankful to know that my life is in His hands, that I am not my own and that I have been bought with a price. I can't even imagine living this life without Him. He grows sweeter to me as the days go by and He continues to amaze me - through His Word, His answers to prayer, His patience toward me and my daily mistakes, His precious love and mercy, His mighty signs and wonders.

Aprons

The girls and I have wanted to start making aprons, just for fun and to learn more about sewing together. Well, it has taken us quite a while, but we finally got one made. Now, you can't look too close, or you will see all the mistakes we made! In fact, about 1/2 way through, we decided to quit following the pattern (since we had made so many mistakes by following it!) and just wing it on our own! So, it is really kinda cute, but not professional! We are going to try a different one next time and also a handbag - we'll see if we can follow directions any better this time around!! Here is Holly modeling our creation for you:

Can you believe this???

I just got info that there is a great thing happening on July 30th. It is The Cheesecake Factories anniversary and they are offering every type of their cheesecake for $1.50 per slice!!!! YUMMY! I hear it calling my name! It is limited to one per person, but their slices are so huge that we normally share them between all 5 of us, so 1 for each of us is a HUGE treat! Better work out extra between now and then to earn it! Anyway, mark your calendars friends and be ready to indulge! If you want to read any more info about it, you can click here. I guess that the hardest part will be choosing what type you want to eat!!

BQ Nationals

If any of you are interested in following along with what is happening with the Beginner/Junior Bible Quizzing Nationals that are happening this week in Branson, you can go here to view a matrix. This is updated throughout the day and it is a great site! On this home page, there is a table about 1/2 way down. There are 2 different Matrix available - one for Beginners and one for Juniors. Click on the one you want and it will take you to the matrix for that division. If you move your mouse over a game, you can see all of the results for that game! Anyway, that is just in case you are a quizzing "geek" like me!!! I think that it is so awesome that there are 108 teams there this year between the 2 divisions! God is moving in our kids and getting them ready to use for His Kingdom!

New Pics and a Victory!

In everything that has gone on, I have forgotten to mention something awesome that God has done for our family. For a couple of years now, we have prayed that Mark's truck would make it as long as possible. Recently, that prayer was upgraded to lasting until he got a promotion and a company truck. Last week, there were 2 days that he barely made it home. When it is hot outside, his truck just refuses to function. We knew that we were at a crossroad (no pun intended!) and needed something to happen.

Thursday of last week, Mark called telling me that he had good and bad news. The bad news was that I had to drive him to work in the morning. Well, my first thought was that his truck had finally died and the good news was that he had a ride home that night. O "me" of little faith! The good news actually was that I was to take him to the shop in the morning so he could get his company truck!!

God is on time, all the time! I am so thankful that He comes through and always takes care of us and I give Him all the glory! Mark isn't even an official superintendant yet, he is still in training, but God doesn't worry about what his boss' time schedule is! He knew that Mark needed the truck now and He provided! Here is a picture of him with his truck:

Thank you Jesus!

Here are a couple of new pics of the kids:

We went to the Science Center recently. This is at the Norman Rockwell exhibit - the best exhibit they have ever had there!

We call this "the DeVore girls reunion!" Jess was in town for the weekend with Holly, MaKenna and Caitlyn. I babysat Caitlyn from about 6 weeks old until school started for her. Jess became a member of our family later in life, but she fits so well that we decided to keep her! That's all for now - I really should be in bed! Good night!

Another Friday

Wow - I am not sure where this week has gone... We have spent a lot of time catching up on house work, yard work, school plans, vacation plans (lots of time invested in this!), Hadassah plans, errands and just daily life at the DeVore's.

And lots of baking! There is something so comforting in homebaked goods. The kids and I love to get in the kitchen and come up with a plan and get to work. Throw all the ingredients in the bowl, pour in the right pan and "bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes." Suddenly, the house is filled with yummy, heartwarming and comforting smells.

It reminds me every time that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Have you ever really thought about that? Grain is the staple food of every nation in the world. Without grain, the world would starve. In the same way, every day, so many people face spiritual hunger because they have not tasted of the Bread of Life.

But, if all nations were to grow grain so that all the capacity to contain it was maxed out and nobody did anything with it, would it satisfy the world's hunger? Of course not! You have to know what to do with it and then use it - belief that it will satisfy our hunger is not enough. We must act on it!! In the same way, our belief in God should compel us to learn more about Him and draw closer to Him in all that we do and say.

A recent guest minister at our church said that since Jesus is the Savior, He saves. Since He is the Healer, He heals. Since He is a Redeemer, He redeems. He is a Provider, so He provides. He is the Prince of Peace, so He gives peace. Well, here is mine - He is the Bread of Life, so He is able to satisfy our hunger. "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him." Many of us have heard this verse before. But we don't often hear this one - "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." (These are found in Psalms 34:8 and 10) Seek after the Lord to satisfy your hunger and He will meet your needs and fill you! May you be blessed and hungry!

Friday Thoughts

I received this the other day from a friend and it truly ministered to my heart and made me think. Before I share my thoughts, I'll let you read it...

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. "H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today."
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head. "Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEAH!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

After reading that, I thought, how do I handle things that come my way that are not as I want them to be? Am I truly Christ-like in my reactions? Do I find joy in knowing that my life is His no matter the circumstances, or do I wallow in self pity? I find myself more and more realizing that I am nothing without Him and that my heart's desire is to be more like Him - for Him to take out of me pride, selfishness, bitterness, etc. and replace it with his love, grace, joy, etc. I will choose obedience to Him and His Word at any cost because of the great love that He has for me. Who am I to question His plan for my life? Do I know better than God what is best for me? I want to choose to trust Him for my everything. I would rather have nothing and allow God to supply me daily, because I believe that He wants me to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may provide my needs day by day out of His unseen treasure.

Yes - I really did get all of that out of that little story! And no, I am not totally there yet in what I want to be, but thankfully, I am not what I was either and He isn't finished with me yet!

Holly and MaKenna's "Job"

It actually started last week when our neighbor asked the girls if they could petsit for her while she went to spend a couple of days with her sisters. Twice a day, they went to her house and fed her dog and bird, let the dog out, brushed her, spent time with her, etc. They had a good time and earned a few dollars each. Then, they were asked to babysit a 15 month old from church this week. So, starting Monday, we have had him here with us and they have realized that it is a little more work than they expected it to be! We have had a great week, though and he is a really good baby - very happy and good natured and just loves both of them and Caleb as well. Maggie is another story - she is very jealous and is having trouble sharing toys, time and attention! Overall, though, it has been a great experience for them. Here is a pictoral update:

Monday was spent just getting to know each other better and playing here at the house.

Tuesday, we went to Magnolia Park in Apopka. This beautiful peacock greeted us when we got out of the van!

Clayton loved the swings, the slides, the walking around looking at everything and just got wore out, he had such a good time.

Maggie and I liked the swing, too!

The peacocks were all over the park and joined us for a snack before our walk!

We went across the street to Lake Apopka and had a picnic lunch before heading home.

Wednesday (today!) was Dylan Stitt's 6th birthday and he invited Caleb to a party at Monkey Joes. Dylan is in the middle and his brother Dawson is on the right.

The kids all had a great time wearing themselves out on the 8 different bounce house type things in the building. They played hard for 3 1/2 hours! Everyone was pretty tired at the end of the afternoon! I will keep you updated on the rest of the week if anything exciting happens!

4th of July

We had a great time on the 4th of July at our church's annual Young Married Couples Picnic. It was a little too warm, but the food was good and the fellowship was better. The kids had a great time playing on the playground, playing volleyball, shooting water guns, walking the nature trail and walking out the boardwalk of the park in Tavares where we met. Mark grilled chicken for everyone and then played lots of volleyball, some with the girls and I and some without us. A storm came very close to us, but we prayed it away and only ended up with the cooling breeze that it brought and not the storm!

Thank you Jesus! On the way home, we drove through Mt. Dora and watched their fireworks display, then headed home. As we drove, we could look in any direction and see beautiful fireworks everywhere! It was a nice ending to a wonderful day -

Happy Birthday America!

A New Idea

Wow, I have started this post about 4 times now and keep deleting everything that I have typed! Let me start by saying that we had an incredible prayer meeting last night. God is so at work in our church and I am overwhelmed as I see all the prayers that He is answering and all of the things that are falling into place in people's lives. At one point while I was praying, (for all of YOU!) I had this idea for my blog (is that silly???). But truly, I want this to be more than the ramblings of my often uneventful life. I want ALL that I do to bring Him glory and for His light to shine through anything that my hands find to do. So, what I am going to try to do is each Friday, I want to post some sort of a devotional - something I felt in prayer, a bible verse, a thought or whatever. And I picked Friday for a few reasons. First, it is the end of the week, second it is the day after prayer meeting and third, today is my first one and it just feels right to go once a week! It will probably be more for me than anything else, but I pray that in some way, you will be blessed and maybe even changed from what you read! So, here is my first thought:

I already told you what a great prayer meeting we had last night - God's presence was so awesome and it was hard to leave. I came home, watched some fireworks with Mark and the kids, read my Bible and went to bed. Well, I didn't wake up til morning, but when I did, I felt like I had been beat up - I was sore (had not worked out!), felt soooo tired, and just had a hard time getting moving (which is not like me) - I even told Mark how I was feeling. As I started my chores, I was listening to a message from Brother Lee Stoneking and here is what he said (my paraphrase): Have you ever had a great church service where God's presence has moved so strongly and you come home, go to sleep and wake up the next day feeling terrible? He said that is because while I slept, there was a spiritual battle going on around me. When we get close to God, things try to attack us, but the angels of the Lord encamp round about them that fear Him and they were doing battle while I slept, so I woke up feeling the effects of the battle that was going on around me. I just thought that it was so awesome and it went along with what Pastor preached Wednesday about all of us being like Elijah (and other great men in the Bible) - one day we are on the mountain seeing the miracles of God and the next we are under a Juniper tree wishing we could die. The goal is to keep our eyes focused on God and not the things around us that can make us lose our focus.