Blessed-STHS Luncheon

I am beyond thankful to have the opportunity to participate in a Moms in Prayer Group where we pray together once a week for one hour for our schools, children and other specific request. We had the opportunity to do a luncheon for the teachers and staff at Susquehanna Township High School. We had a great time talking with the people there. We so appreciate all they do and we were blessed by this opportunity.

 

 

I had a nice long day in the kitchen baking. It is a creative outlet for me and I must say it was done in record time while the kids were in school.

 

We had a steady crowd for each lunch period...

 

Alia and I snuck away for a few minutes with a teacher to take a peek at the production lab. We had a chance to talk with Mr. Andries and also two school board members that were there.

 Breanna has production lab three days a week within the School of the Arts. She is currently working on a student's prom dress.

 

Two walls are lined with top quality sewing machines and equipment. Supplies placed all around the room.

Back to to the luncheon : )

 

Blessed to have the opportunity to talk with the staff/administration/teachers at STHS.  Also, enjoyed  running into several students that have been woven into our lives the past 2 years. Not to mention running into your own daughter in the hall was bonus! 

 

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Philippians 4:6-7

 

Stop and smell the flowers

Spring tends to ramp up our family calendar and it is fast paced with a variety of activities. The days seem to fly by as we turn the calendar pages quickly. Even in the busyness of life I am thankful for the sweet moments the Lord weaves into our lives that slow the pace.

Last Wednesday was beyond busy with Billy out of town and the kids had a number of commitments. Despite all the busyness Olivia had a moment to bounce through the yard and she brought a flower over to the porch and asked me to look at all the bumps and colors. As I took a deep breath to slow my pace I peered down in between her tiny hands and noticed how detailed, intricate, precise and beautiful it was. As her hands clutched the flower and those little brown eyes looked up I cupped my hands around hers and whispered "God made it, it's beautiful, just beautiful Olivia, do you see all the detail?"
We took a moment to inspect all the lines, bumps, colors, details and took a few sniffs (very strong fragrant smell)  then she dropped the cut off flower in a bucket and bounced through the yard once more.

Although many things needed to get accomplished before the sun went down I was Thankful God gave me little ones that slow me down in my tracks. I cringe at the thought of how many times I have missed the sweetness of these opportunities but I am thankful this time (by His grace)  it was not overlooked. This flower was a sweet reminder that God created, grows, and cares for the details on the flower and He cares about every single detail in our lives. Nothing is overlooked, nothing thrown together, nothing un-noticed, nothing out of His grip and control. He already knows what the day and future hold. Despite changing circumstances and trials that we face in this fallen world, God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.(Hebrews 13:8)  He cares about all the details in our lives and can use all things to mature us in our faith and point others to the hope and unchangeable Jesus Christ.

" Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" Luke 12:27

 

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

New Activities= New Friends

 

 Madelyn has kept us "hoppin" with her new hobby and activities. She has met so many new friends and has learned so much the past few months. It is great to see her thriving, growing and enjoying this activity. Billy and I grew up participating in sports and she has certainly introduced many new things to our lives like band, chorus, horseback riding and 4-H

 

 

We have met many new friends with Madelyn's 4-H group. I have been blessed by this friendship and so enjoy all the time we have at the shows, meetings and events to talk. The best part is they only live a few blocks away from us.
As you can see by the girl's sleepy eyes, we left before daylight to get to a show about an hour away

 

 

 

 

Can I tell you what I enjoy the most about going to the shows?

TALKING!!

There is a good amount of time waiting if you only have a few rabbits to show and it allows for plenty of great conversations.

 

 

Madelyn has enjoyed making many new friends and there are several kids who attend shows from our local "Fur and Feathers" group.

Make sure you check out her website to see how her bunnies placed and to hear about her experience from her point of view...She loves comments : )

Click here

3:00AM Wake Up Call. Not.fun.at.all

 

I just love our little mail slot, one of the many things I enjoy about our home in PA. However, at 3 am waking up with someone reaching in the mail slot is not fun.Yes, we had a 3 am wake up call with the dog barking relentlessly and someone insisting they needed to be in our home.

 Not.Fun.at.all.

 

After looking through the window at the top, Billy cracked open the door just a bit and asked the lady on our porch if he could help her. She was clearly out of it and wanted to come in to talk.  That didn't happen so he quickly shut and locked the door as the disgruntled lady wandered up the sidewalk. The police were fast and furious as they were on the street in no time at all. Not sure the full scoop of why she was walking around the neighborhood accumulating mail from mail slots or why we ended up with a neighbor's mortgage payment in our door slot but it sure did make for an interesting night.

 

Not to mention, I had already been up with the dog (yes dog) that was sick. The house smelled nice and clean as I had just finished mopping the kitchen floor about 45 minutes before the officer stopped by to take the mail that was left behind. I'm sure he appreciated the lemony fresh scent during his visit with us.

 

As we make it through the day yawning and drinking coffee we just can't shake the giggles of all the excitement in the middle of the night. Luckily no one was hurt and it was a relatively minor incident.  We have made some minor adjustments to our "Operation Intruder Prevention" plan.

  

You just never know what goes on in the middle of the night.

 



Bunnies and Worms and Websites...Oh My!

Who else in our house would receive a package that has a bright yellow tag that says "Live Products"?

Maddy is working on her worm compost project and was eagerly waiting her package from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm

Preparing her compost bin...girls and drills

Putting into action all that she has researched over the last few weeks for this project.

Maddy has been eagerly waiting for her bunny to have babies.



"Almond" started nesting early Friday morning

 



She had 4 "kits" and 2 survived (which is actually pretty good the first time around). Maddy was beyond thrilled as she watched the process and said,

"How on earth can someone not believe in God after watching this!?"

 

 

 

 Love.....

 

 

This girl has a new project every Saturday! Last week she made homemade rabbit treats. I must say our house smelled like a barn for a couple hours. It was beyond awful! 
 

 

 

Here is a picture of Maddy with the sticky notes on the van window. We were coming back from a long day at Ikea and during the drive Madelyn was studying and writing down thoughts on sticky notes. It's only appropriate that the PetSmart sign is peeking through!

 

 

 

Madelyn has children that will stop by to see the bunnies and to ask questions. It is sweet to see how the Lord is using her passion, interest and gifts with others......

This picture is precious to me.

 

 

Madelyn's website is almost LIVE. She has been working on it for weeks. Stay tuned to hear first hand her experiences and information from Madelyn's Urban Rabbitry. You will see pictures of the baby bunnies growth and she will be sharing information that she learns while taking care of her Rabbitry. There will also be links to her favorite rabbit sites as well as the recipe for her Rabbit Treats and information about her compost business. 

This young lady is on the move so be prepared to keep up with her exciting journey.  Make sure you save her website so your children can watch the bunnies grow over the next few weeks and to learn fun facts along the way.

We will let you know as soon as it's ready.

 

Lord, I thank you for the gifts and talents You have placed in Madelyn.. I pray that You would develop them in her and use them for your glory. Make them apparent to me and to her, and show me specifically if there is any special nurturing, training, learning experience, or opportunities I should provide for her. May her gifts and talents be developed in Your way and in Your time. Your Word says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is give to us, let us use them" (Romans 12:6). As she recognizes the talents and abilities You've given her, I pray that no feelings of inadequacy, fear, or uncertainty will keep her from using them according to Your will. May she hear the call You have on her life so that she doesn't spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it is or miss it altogether.

(prayer from Stormie Omartian's book)   

CN- Visit- Jefferson City, Tennessee

It was surreal to be back at CNC, well now its CNU with our oldest daughter Breanna. Many know our story but here is quick background. Billy and I went to Carson Newman with Breanna when she was about 9months old. Billy and I were enrolled full time at CN. Breanna ran around this campus and rode her barbie jeep all around and waved to all the students. Billy and I planned our classes around parenting a small child and Breanna didn't lack for attention as she was known on campus and participated in college life at an early age.

 Breanna is now starting the process of making decisions on "What's next?" after High School, so it was a great start with a  tour our old stomping grounds from a different vantage point. I must say, we were very proud Alumni as we listened and learned the impact CN students are making in the community and around the world during and after the college years.

For Breanna, we will continue to visit a few more schools and she will be taking the SAT's in March. 

Most importantly we are praying she will seek the Lord's direction and stand firm with the confidence of where He is leading her."For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 

I am thankful that there is rest and reassurance in this passage in Jeremiah. As this culture inundates High School kids with the endless questions of "what do you want to be?" "Where are you going to go?", "When, Where, How, What and Why" I know that she has the Holy Spirit to guide her and He has created her uniquely with gifts and talents. No matter "When, Where, How, What" she does after High School her purpose still remains the same as a follower of Christ. Matthew 28:19

The Historical Swann Hall, just beautiful

Burnett Residence Hall, we used to visit our good friend Mindy here quite often when Breanna was younger.

The sky was beautiful, here is a picture of the football field. 



We caught up with some sweet friends! Total bonus for the trip. Good times talking about all our fun times we had at CN.

Fun times hanging out and catching up. It's great to see some of them chasing after kids now. 

So how do you cap off a great weekend of seeing friends, visiting our Alma Mater and spending time with family?

Welp, just a little accident. The van didn't stand a chance with Billy's dad's brick mailbox. Oh boy, there's never a good time for a deductible payment. 

It was a a great trip and we are looking forward to more college visits to come.

PaSRBA Convention- Madelyn's first Rabbit Show

Madelyn, experienced the PaSRBAConvention in Lebanon, PA. a few weeks ago. This was her first time showing her rabbit, Almond. 

 

 

 

Madelyn entered into 3 contest for Friday Night at the show. Breed ID, Judging and Showmanship. Here she s studying in the car on the way to the show. 

 

Showmanship, here she is examining her rabbit and explaining what she is checking.

Judging, this was her favorite contest. She examined several bunnies that looked identical and made decisions on what order the bunny would be placed by compairing it to the standard bunny in that class of rabbits. 

 

Saturday morning....very early we made our way back to Lebanon for the convention. Here Madelyn is waiting to put Almond on the table to be judged.  

Second Place!!!!!   

She was so stinkin excited!  Her first show with her first rabbit and she placed.  It was a great morning and a great first experience for her.

 

 

 

So what do you do after you show your bunny???....

 

You go meet other breeders,

the problem is that you will most likely come home with another bunny!!!

 

Meet Madelyn's new addition "Joy"

"Joy" came "pre-loaded". So we will have some little ones in, oh, about 28-30 days.

Do you remember her first bunnies name? Almond

so she has two bunnies

"Almond, Joy"

funny girl.

 

 

 

Madelyn has been working hard on her hobby of raising rabbits.  She has come up with a name for her future rabbitry and she and her dad even created a logo together.

She is a young entrepreneur and is looking forward to raising Polish rabbits to sell and compete in future shows.  She is currently working on putting together a website to show off her bunnies.

 

Its fun to see her passion and interest in this area.  She is a hard worker and has learned so much on her own over the past few months.  Her 4-H leader Lori Jo as well as her daughter have been wonderful to encourage Madelyn and answer any questions she has... and she has a lot!

 

Personally, I have enjoyed meeting new parents and getting to know the wonderful people in her 4-H group as well as new friends that we met through the show in Lebanon.