Such a weird week...

1. I was very sick most of the week. So sick that I actually stayed home from quiz practice and kid's Connection - very hard to not be there for my 2 favorite ministries! But thank you Jesus, I am better today and ready to quiz tomorrow.

2. I saw Mark cry after eating hot sauce. Mark LOVES hot food - the hotter the better. He got a new sauce and didn't read the WARNING label about how hot it was and just put his normal amount in the beans and rice. Suddenly, he had tears pouring out of his eyes and sweat pouring out of his head!

3. As I was looking out my front window yesterday, suddenly a huge raccoon came from beside the garage and walked across my driveway with a dead squirrel in his mouth!

Unfortunately, none of these lovely events was caught on camera, so you will have to use your imagination! I have a Friday's thoughts that I have been saving and will try to catch up soon. Will also update about our tournament tomorrow ASAP! Have a blessed weekend!

Family

This weekend, my sister, her boyfriend, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend came to visit from south Florida. We haven't seen them in quite a while, so it was nice to finally get to visit!

Part of the reason they came when they did was to celebrate my mom's and brother's birthdays. January is a crazy month in our family. Here is the bday roll for this month - my best friend Kimi, Holly, Mark's twin aunts, London, Mark's mom, our sister-in-law, Paris, Jason and Bear, Kimi's daughter Micaylah, my mom, Kimi's son Garrett, Paul and now Travis - Kir's boyfriend. (I hope I didn't leave anyone out - if I did, it was an accident!) Whew - January is a busy month around here. So, we normally celebrate my mom and brother's all at the same time at my house with my homemade Lasagne, salad and cake. This year was no exception.

Brenda came on Saturday morning and we finished up dinner prep before everyone else arrived. We had a yummy dinner - salad, lasagne, texas toast and sweet tea. My mom had mentioned again how much she loves eclairs, so I got brave and made a batch - yummy!!! They were quite divine. I also made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for the boys. We sang happy bday to everyone here who had a January bday and ate some more!

That evening, we played games and watched a movie before hitting the hay. Sunday after church, we had lunch together at Tijuana Flats, then went to visit my grandmother, who will be 82 next month, and my aunt - my mom's sister. My sister and her famiuly left too soon, but we did have a nice time together while they were here. More memories were made that will last forever! Here are some pics of our weekend:

Me and Brendie in the kitchen cooking up trouble, I mean, dinner!


For my mom's bday, Brenda, Paris and I gave her a photo book that I spent an entire day creating online! It was the coolest thing. You go to the website (we used picaboo), upload your pictures and then create layouts using your photos. You can add words and change the backgrounds. The book turned out so good. Here she is with Bear and Kir looking at the book:


Brendie and Maggie became fast friends:


Brenda and Paul - True Love Forever! (this was just a joke, BTW!! - the pic, not the true love part!)


The whole gang Saturday night. From left to right:Jason, Bear, mom, Brenda, Paul, Caleb, London (the cool one in the shades), Kir, MaKenna, Travis, Holly, Mark, Me and Maggie.


Everyone who went to visit my nan (grandma). L to R - Paul, Caleb, Travis, Kir, Brenda, Bear, mom, nan, Aunt Penny, MaKenna, Holly, Mark and me:


Nan with 4 of her great grandkids:


My mom and nan with mine and Brenda's kids. Why didn't Brenda and I get in there for a 4 generation picture?? I don't know what we were thinking, except that it was pretty warm out there and the sun was very bright! Maybe our brains were melted.

Brenda and I:

More frost and life...

Well, it has been a might cold here in sunny Florida the past few days. We have had frost on several mornings in a row and there were icicles on a sign out front as well as on the planes at the airport! So much for global warming! Here are some pics of our pretty frost outside:

BTW - I realize that for those of you who see this as a daily occurance 8 months out of the year, this is nothing. But here in Florida, it is a complete change and one that we celebrate - and then pray for a quick return of the warm sun to thaw us out!

As for life, we are busy but well. Holly is rapidly ending her first year of High School while MaKenna finishes her last year of middle school. Oh boy... I truly love every step of the journey and am so thankful that I am still able to homeschool my children! What a blessing. Our family has made many so called "sacrifices" in order for me to stay home with them, but I wouldn't trade this for anything! Those things will pass with time, but my children and I will always have the memories we have built and the bond that we have shared for their whole life.

We are also preparing for one of my sisters and her family to come to town this weekend. Today is my mom's birthday and we will have some time to celebrate with her tomorrow.

Holly and MaKenna have their first quiz tournament of the year tomorrow as well, so we have quite a few things going on right now. How fun! I will keep you posted on the events ASAP! Have a great weekend!

Jump!

I have seen versions of this story before and every time I read it, it just encourages me. Just felt like a good thing to share the encouragement today!

One night a house caught fire, and a young boy was forced to flee flames by jumping to the ground from the roof.

His father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you."

But the boy was afraid. He couldn't see his father - all he could see were flames, smoke, and blackness. He was afraid.

Still, his father kept yelling, "Jump son! I will catch you!"

But the boy refused, crying, "Daddy, I can't see you!"

His father replied, "It's okay, son - I can see you, and that's all that matters!"

Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of the fiery trials of life! And all we can see is the smoke and the flames. But faith is knowing who will catch us when we take that leap. God delights in responding to our faith. He wants us to jump into His arms, especially when we can't see Him.

George Mueller said: "Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends."

I pray that you are inspired today to take the jump of faith, even if you can't see!

Good Words

This is on the little "inspiring words for teachers" flip calendar that I keep beside my computer:

Lord, give me the wisdom to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.

AMEN!

He Makes All Things New

We had the most incredible services at church this weekend. The prevailing theme was that God makes all things new and boy, am I thankful that He does. Even today, I am overwhelmed by all that happened. It is such a blessing to know that He knows right where I am and that He sends help right on time. My help this time came in the form of two random people who don't know the details of my life any more than a stranger would, but who God sent to give me a word from Him that was exactly what I needed. I write this to encourage you to keep your eyes on the Lord in this new year and to remember that He knows where you are and that He truly does make all things new!

Isaiah 43:19-21 - "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise."

So, today I am thankful:

...that I know an "on time God."
...that God knows right where I am and He cares.
...that He never leaves me nor forsakes me.
...that He makes all things new.
...that He provides - did you see in the verse above that the animals will praise Him when they see that He provides for His people - even rivers in the desert! Does anyone but me feel like sometimes life is a desert? Take heart - God will send rivers!
...that He holds me in the palm of His hand.
...that I have reassurance that He is guiding and directing me, even when I can't see the way.
...that my children love the Lord and respond to His moving.
...that He gently and patiently reminds me when I start to go my own way.
...that He loves me.

There is so much more, but that is all I have time for right now. I pray that you are blessed and that you remember the God who makes all things new and that you keep your eyes on Him. I will leave you with a family favorite verse:

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

What next?

I have been a little torn about what to post about the past couple of days. Am I the only one who goes through that? So, here are a few updates on what we have going on.

We are back to school this week - YEAH! I love structure and the routine of being home with my children, so it truly is a YEAH for me. It is hard to believe that the school year is 1/2 over already.

We are back to Bible Quizzing season and had a great kick off practice the other night with about 10 kids - too exciting! I was speaking to the parents about their role in this ministry and Holly and MaKenna told me after that I sounded like one of the speakers at Homeschool Convention - I took that as a compliment and realized that I must have missed my calling! Any takers on booking my first appearance?????? Tee hee!!!!!

I guess the big news this week is all the great deals I have been getting at CVS and Walgreens. I read somewhere recently that it is not about how much you save, it is about how little you spend and I can see that as being good advice. Even in the midst of getting great deals, if you are still spending more than you should, it is not a good deal. But, I was able for next to nothing to stock up on hair products that the girls and I go through like crazy, cereal, girl products, splenda and oatmeal. If you are not doing CVS and Walgreens, let me say that you are missing out. You should head to couponmom or moneysavingmom and get the info to get started - or comment me and ask what to do - I would love to help you! I will not pay full price again for shampoo, hair products, TP, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. because I know the blessing now of getting them free or almost free. I have been avidly at this for a year now and it just keeps getting better!

So, that is about it in the DeVore house lately. I am finding myself wondering what God has next for me. Do you ever hit a dry spell and wonder if you are really doing what He wants you to do? I just don't always feel very effective in the things I am involved in. I know that it is not about me, it is Him and that it is not always in things we can see that is the evidence, but... I don't know! Any thoughts?

Well, this has been a very random blog and I am through rambling for now! Have a wonderful weekend!

Holly

Some more pics of Holly now that blogger is cooperating!

She is 7 1/2 months here:


3 years old:


Family pic at church. Holly is about 3 1/2, Makenna is about 2. And Mark and I were... younger then!


Proud sister of baby MaKenna:

Cutting her strawberry cheesecake pudding pie last night:

Sitting behind the wheel for the first time:

A creative shot MaKenna took yesterday at church:

That's all for now! Thanks for letting me run down memory lane on here!

Holly is 15!

Well, Happy labor day to me and Happy birthday to Holly! 15 years ago my life was forever changed as we welcomed our first child into our lives. At 9:33 AM, after about 36 hours of labor and an all natural childbirth, we met Holly. We did not find out what we were having beforehand, but I knew in my heart that she was a girl!

And now, here we are 15 years later. Where have the years gone? She is daily becoming a young lady after God's own heart and I am proud and thankful to call her my daughter. As she has grown up, the changes in her have been awesome to watch. She truly loves Jesus with all her heart.

I have not really ever had a "favorite age" as my children have grown because each stage is full of so many fun things. I do miss the little girl days but I am also loving seeing her become a young lady and wondering what God's plan is for her life.

At this point in time, she loves playing Piano, singing in the choir, Bible Quizzing (this is her 8th year in a row!), History, Reading, Playing Games, being with her family and being involved at church.

We spent some time this morning going through pictures from when she was little. Here are a few of them (remember, Holly is old enough that I can say "we didn't have a digital camera back then" so these are scanned in and the quality is not so great!

Newborn rocking with mommy:


Newborn with daddy:


At about 2 years old:


For her day today, we did what we always do and let her pick the meals. She chose Breakfast Bake (recipe courtesy of Aunt Kimi!) for breakfast and chicken salad on croissant for lunch served with pickles and carrots. Tomorrow night we will have her dinner. We left early today for quiz practice, so dinner tomorrow for her bday will be homemade fried chicken (we never eat that, but it sounded good to her when she was choosing and she wanted something different) with homemade mac and cheese, green beans and cornbread. Her dessert tonight was Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding Pie - yummy!

Then, when we got to church tonight, I let her get behind the wheel of my van for the first time ever. I am not a proponent of letting kids get a lisence too young and 15 is definitely too young, but we will slooooowwwwlllllly start letting her get the feel for it so when the time comes (in a few years) she is ready and comfortable. Whew. I am too young to be dealing with all of this!!!

(I have more pics to post, but blogger is acting up, so I will post more tomorrow - I am getting sleepy and giving up! Hope this will even post, the way it is acting!)

Some New Pics

Saturday, we went out to Ponce Inlet for the day. We packed a picnice, took advantage of our Lighthouse Membership and walked on the beach. You just gotta love Florida in January! The water was cold, but it was a pretty day. We took these pics while we were there and I just thought I would share! Enjoy.

This one is just for fun! Poor MaKenna had a headache after it:


Sisters:


Me and my girls:

Daddy and the girls:


Me and Caleb:


Walking on the beach:

The kids were writing in the sand - here is one of their messages:

Hope that you had a great first weekend of the New Year!

17 years ago today UPDATE

Oh my goodness. Somewhere in the midst of working and reworking my blog post yesterday, I took out a paragraph and never put it back in. And it is one of the most important parts to me personally, so I am adding it in now!

The lady who started working at La Petite and invited me to church for the first time went on to become my best friend - KIMI!!! And here are we 17+ years later, still best friends (at least if she will forgive me for leaving her out of my blog!), closer than ever and yes, she still inspires me with her walk with God. I have continued to marvel at the changes in her, the blessings God has poured out on her life and all that He is continuing to do in, for and through her. I will ever be thankful for her burden for my soul.

17 years ago today

Today marks the 17 year anniversary of Mark and I officially attending our church! Each year at New Years time, I reflect again all that God did in and for us then and has continued to do through the years. It amazes me everytime I think about it. Here is our story:

In May of 1991 we got married. Soon after, we started talking about church and the fact that neither of us was really raised in any sort of "churchy" or Godly way and we wanted something different for our children (which were then only very distant thoughts!). But, God was already doing something in us and preparing our hearts to find Him. We both came from a somewhat disfunctional homelife with no example of living the Bible in any way. Thank God that He was able to see in us what we didn't see ourselves - our never dying souls! And little did we know that what we thougth was just going to be something good to raise our children around would change our lives as well.

So, at this time, I was working at La Petite as a substitute teacher, going anywhere in the central Florida area that they needed a sub for the day. I was also in college full time to get my degree in Elementary Education. One day, I was subbing at a particular school and the director asked me if I was interested in a permanent position there. It was close to my home, so I said sure. Not long after, another position opened there. One day, a lady randomly stopped in on her way home from the beach to see if they were hiring - and she was hired. As soon as I met her, I knew that I wanted to be her friend - she was just that kind of a person!

Within a couple of months, she started going to a church nearby - our church - and came in telling me about the services and what God was doing in her life. I saw the changes happening in her daily as she began to live for God. Mark and I decided to go to church with her one Sunday. Well, I was just not expecting that service! I had never been in any sort of a charismatic service before. In fact, I pretty much knew Catholic services and that was it! Mark, however, had gone to some similar churches with friends and he was completely comfortable. This was October of that year. We didn't go back! We visited the church where we were married and it was nice, but very dry and mostly older people (60+)!

The more I saw my friend change, the more intrigued I was by what was happening to her. But, she was going to church 3 times a week and I couldn't miss my favorite TV shows! How could I ever begin to make the kind of changes that were happening in her? I didn't realize that it was not her, but God doing all the work and that it is easy to serve Him when you love Him! Then, one day, during nap time, she came in and "gently" showed me in her Bible what happened to sinners in the end. Now, I don't recommend that approach for everyone, but that was just what God knew that I needed to be my wake up call. I was not going there! We went to church the first Sunday of the new year and have been faithful ever since! Looking back, it always amazes me the things that He brought together to bring us to the opportunity to come to know Him.

Now, in all honesty, all of the changes in us took time. God is patient and gentle, thankfully. We have come a long way since then and He isn't finished with us yet! Lucy Maud Montgomery said "We live in the present, we dream of the future, but we learn eternal truths from the past." And that is so true. I dream of what God wants me to do and be, but I learn from His Word, from past experiences, from lessons learned along the way by myself and others. I am thankful that He doesn't give up on me no matter how many mistakes I make and that 17 years later, I love Him more that ever - He truly gets sweeter as the days go by! I would not want to know what my life would be like without Him. He is my best friend who is ALWAYS there - even when I can't reach my family or my friends or my pastor, God is there. He always cares and always knows what is best for me.

Thanks for letting me walk down memory lane! Wherever you are on your journey, I pray that you are allowing God to speak to your heart and lead you into eternal truths!

New Year's Eve

Ok, I have posted lots of thought provoking stuff - here is the nitty gritty of DeVore family life! (Make sure you keep reading after this post - I posted 3 so far today!) New Year's Eve this year was challenging. We have spent it the past bunch of years with Bryan, Tammy and Sarah and weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves now that they are in Chicago! Then, we were invited to Joe and Pam DeAngelo's for dinner. We have tried to get together with them forever because they are going to start homeschooling Kaley when this semester is over at her school and wanted any advice, input, etc. that we could give them. I am so excited for Kaley!

So, we went to their house where Joe grilled steak and chicken - delicious! Joe is a chef, so it is always good food there! We had a nice time, the girls chatted with Kaley and Caleb played with Joey, their 2 year old. Sorry that I don't have pics! We left there planning to head to Denny's in Altamonte where a bunch of people from church were hanging out to ring in the new year. But Caleb was so tired - tears were just silently pouring from his eyes because he was just exhausted. He had rested that afternoon, but it just wasn't enough! So, we came home instead, Caleb went right to sleep and the rest of us played games until midnight, then watched the bonus features from The Sound of Music 40th anniversary edition. (If you haven't seen them, you must!!) Then, off to bed!

New Year's Day we spent taking down all of our Christmas things and getting the house back in order. My mom asked if we were eating anything special. We used to do pork and sauerkraut, my family's tradition from Pennsylvania Dutch Country. But, the past several years, we have just kind of done whatever sounded good. This year, we wanted a pot of pinto beans with rice and homemade cornbread. So, when I told my mom what we were having, she said that on some news program, they said that eating beans on new year's day would bring money to your family. Well, needless to say, we ate them gone!!!!!! Heehee!

I thought of all of my friends and family who are not near us all through the day and missed each of you. Know that you will be in my daily thoughts and prayers this year (those who are near too!).

A New Year's Prayer

I read this in an e-mail and had to share. It was written by Wendy Blight and I think it is just awesome! Here is what she said:

Below is the prayer that the Lord put on my heart. As you read it, I invite you to use it as a model. Sit with the Lord and ask Him to help you personalize this prayer for you.

Father in heaven, thank You that You are Sovereign. Thank You that You know each precious woman reading this devotion. You planned for her to meet You here today. You created her heart. You know her every need, her deepest desires, and her open wounds. Lord, I ask that in this new year, You would fall afresh on her.

Father, You are Holy and call us to be Holy. Yet, we confess that so often our hearts wander from You, our speech does not glorify You, and our actions do not honor You. Soften our hearts to receive the words Your sweet Spirit has to speak to us. Clothe us with humility. Take away our desire to always be right and have our own way. Help us to seek Your Word in all that we say and do. Help us to submit to Your Word; allow it to penetrate those deep places in our hearts that resist change. If necessary, put us through the refiner's fire to burn off those things that keep us from walking in step with Your character.

Give us hearts that love and seek after Truth above all else. Give us wisdom and discernment to reject the lies of this world and the evil one. Guide us into all Truth. Guard our hearts and keep our eyes fixed on You. Grow in us those things that will make us more like You. As we study Your Word, fill us and saturate us with You!

Today, Father, we surrender our thoughts, our speech, and our hearts. Thank You that You are Faithful and True. We trust You will do a mighty work in us and through us this year and carry it on to completion until the day we step into eternity with You. Help us to trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. Help us to acknowledge You in all our ways so that we can hear Your voice as You say, "This is the way, walk in it."

Lord, we love You and thank You that You love us. May our lives be a living testimony of You. We ask this in the powerful and mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord who will do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I pray that it blesses you as it did me.

New Year's Thoughts Part 3

These thoughts are inspired by a sermon Paul Pamer preached last Sunday morning at my church and they follow my previous thoughts on resolutions. First let me say - don't get me wrong. I don't think that resolutions are a bad thing, only that we tend to look at it all wrong in this day and age. So, as Beth so stated in her last comment, our focus should really be - what does God want out of me this year, what does He want me to accomplish for Him?

Back to the message from Sunday. He spoke from Isaiah 6:1 where Isaiah had some visions. In the first part, he saw the angels circling the throne and worshipping God - He got a view of the holiness of God.

In the second part, he said, "woe is me" because after he had truly seen the holiness of God, he was able to see himself as he really was. When we get in God's presence, we realize that we are nothing without Him.

In the third part, he heard the Lord ask "Who shall I send and who will go?" And Isaiah said "Here I am - send me." When he got into the presence of God and realized that He was nothing and God was everything, how could he help but be consumed with a desire to serve God and His kingdom?

So it should be with us! With me. I want to be more consumed with what God wants me to do than what I want to do! I want to say like Isaiah, here I am, send me. Acts 13:36 says that "David...served God's purpose in his...generation" (and then he died). I want that to be my legacy. That when it is over for me, I truly served God's purpose in my generation. History will one day end, but eternity goes on forever! Only what I do for Jesus will last.

So, whatever this year holds, may we all strive to follow more closely to God and less to the world. William Carey said: "The future is as bright as the promises of God." That sounds pretty good to me! No matter what goes wrong on the path of the year, I always have the promises of God. Here is a good one to hold tight to: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17) That is a promise I want to remember in these turbulant times.