homemade getaway

Earlier this week my dear sister Janet came and picked up Tyler to take him to the mall for the afternoon. What a pleasant surprise and of course he was in his glory hanging out with his "Aunt Shrish" and his cousin Chase. So, while I had a few moments to myself, (Luke was taking his nap). I decided to make myself a little homemade getaway! Pictured above are all my "tricks of the trade!" I'll tell you, the things women use/need to "maintain," it's actually quite funny! I turned on my ipod, lit a candle, got out my paraffin wax and was on my way....Thanks Shrish for the fun time. Tyler was talking about it until the moment he fell asleep.
"You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul's own doing." ~Marie Stopes

I have the best

FRIENDS!!!! Earlier this week my dear friend Adrienne brought these beautiful tulips to me! She has been my "forever friend." We met one fateful day in 4th grade when we had to share a desk that was connected. We both loved headbands that matched our shirts and talking about the never-ending love affair between me and Anthony Freed!! Well, it's more likely that I talked and she listened! Thank you Adrienne for your thoughtfulness toward me! And then this afternoon I came home from the grocery store to this charming basket hanging on my door. A pale of homemade, (warmed by the sunshine) bran muffins from my sweet friend Jeane. I must say they are quite delicious, I will take more time in enjoying the second one. I ate the first one in such a rush because I was ravishingly hungry! A special Thank you to you Jeane, for taking the time to stop by my corner of the world. "We should not let grass grow on the path of friendship."

~Marie Therese Rodet Geoffrin

Hello out there...

Luke likes watching the cars and trucks go by and more importantly banging on the door!! He's been so much fun lately, his personality is really coming out. He's much less social then Tyler was, a bit more wary of people. He has a quiet strength and prefers being alone, (although that's not much of an option these days). My Mom thinks he will be a deep thinker,

very sensitive and loyal. I would agree.
Take note to our giant wreath! I asked Jake to hang it outside, (meaning the front of the barn) and he put it here instead. It was so funny I just laughed outloud when I saw it hanging there!!! I haven't taken it down yet because it looks really cool at night!!

Poor guy...

he has pink eye....again!! He looks just awful, as you can see,
but he is in good spirits and seems to be himself except for his terrible looking eye.

His two best friends, James and Thomas.
They basically don't leave his side all day long!

As I was looking at him I was thinking about my inner life and the inner life of those around us. So often we look "perfect" on the outside, but inside we feel like Tyler looks. Of course, when someone is obviously hurting it's easy to offer compassion, kindness, understanding and grace, but most often it's needed when everything seems to be going "fine."

"He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds."
Psalm 147:3

It takes time and energy to truly care, but that's what relationship is all about. Asking, "how are you?" and taking the time to listen to the answer. Last evening one of my friends was telling how she received a phone call from someone just wanting to know how she was. She didn't send an email or leave a comment, but took the time to just call and chat. What a kind gesture. I'm sure you, like her, could agree that it doesn't happen very often in these technological days. It's just easier to send a quick email on our own terms, (which I am most guilty of). To actually have a conversation with someone with no agenda or intention....how refreshing. Take the time to call someone today even if it's just to say, "I've been thinking about you."

"Everybody's got a hungry heart." ~Bruce Springsteen

He still does miracles...

"It was September 11, 2001 - a day whose events would change my life forever. I was destined by the Lord to be one of those who survived the ‘Ground Zero' terrorist attack on the Pentagon. ...Suddenly, I heard two, successive, loud, blasts in front of me! I was in shock and disbelief as I felt the building shudder and shake. I stood frozen in place as I looked up and saw the windows crack in front of me, and then implode into the bay (not outward) where I was standing! The sensation of the walls and ceiling bursting into chaotic life all around me was absolutely incredible.… I heard someone yell, "Get Down," and I immediately dropped to the floor, as did everyone else around me...Smoke seemed to be coming from the window area in front of me where the explosions had occurred. But, despite this surreal assessment, the situation did not seem to be immediately life threatening.…Logic dictated that I should go out the bay, turn right and go toward the E-Ring to the nearest exit, to the outer perimeter of the building structure. However, when I went out the bay, I believed that I was to turn left, go toward the inside of the Building in the direction of the A-Ring! This was not logical! Natural reasoning dictated I should go toward the E-Ring. Nonetheless, believing that God was directing me, my colleague and I were among the first out the bay, and moving toward the A-Ring toward the center of the Pentagon.
As we moved into the 4th corridor, a clearer picture of danger unfolded! The air was becoming thick with black and gray colored smoke. Debris was falling from the ceiling, plaster was exploding out of the walls, and other materials from the infrastructure were exploding onto the floor of the corridor. It looked like a war zone! Explosions continued and the smoke became thicker by the second..."

That is just a small excerpt from a book called "The Pentagon Miracle" by Colonel Linda R. Herbert. This past Sunday we visited Jake's brothers church about 1 1/2 hours from there. This lady was the visiting speaker, she is a United States Army officer (active duty) who is a survivor of the 9-11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. She was at "ground zero" Pentagon on the day of the attacks. She is also in ministry and co-pastor's Covenant Life Church, with her husband, near Washington D.C.

This lady is amazing, she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and has three Master's Degrees: General Administration, Program Management, and Counseling. Linda is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with areas of specialty counseling in marriage, and multi-cultural/racial counseling. Linda and her husband Jeff are co-Founders and co-Pastors of Prophetic Life Ministries (PLM) and Covenant Life Church, a prophetic, Christian, multi-racial/multi-cultural ministry and church. They are ordained with Christian International (CI) and reside near Washington, D.C. where God is using them to pastor, prophetically minister, teach, and provide deliverance and equipping to the Body of Christ.


It was an honor to listen to her amazing story about the experiences she had the morning of September 11th. If you'd like to have a copy of her book, you can order one here. She was signing the books after the service was over and in each book she wrote, "He still does miracles," I thought that was neat.

from Tyler

Hi, I'm Tyler and this is a little story of my first day in the snow.

Mommy got me these cool new boots, put lots of clothes on me and we were on our way.

The snowflakes were so big and fluffy.

Here's my backyard where I like to play.

and this is our barn, I have my car in there.
And this is my snowman family, me and
Mommy worked hard to build these.

There's my Daddy snowman, my Mommy snowman,
my Tyler snowman, with my Thomas the Tank engine
and my brother Luke snowman with his rattle.





Thank you for stopping by my house on this snowy day. I'm off to play....

Potty mouth

If THIS is his naughty look, then I'm the one in trouble....

Thanks Mom!!

I went to my mailbox today and found the most wonderful magazine. One that I use to receive for several years, (and saved every issue of). I had been wanting to subscribe to Victoria, but never got around to it, BUT my Mom came through once again and to my delight surprised me with a subscription. She said, "I love this magazine, but sometimes I don't want to start reading for fear I will be finished!!" Isn't that great?? I know the feeling, you just don't want it to end. I haven't looked at it yet, I think, (well, actually I KNOW) I would like to have a cup of coffee with creme brulee creamer, two boys in the fourth stage of REM sleep, and large, beautiful flakes of snow falling....right now, I only have two out of three, (Luke is here at my knees playing with his toys). I think I will wait until tonight when Daddy is here to wrestle w/ them and I'll sneak upstairs to a quiet corner....oh, I can taste it already. I love the way the pages smell in a freshly printed magazine.

Dream a little dream with me

HGTV has begun their 10th annual Dream Home giveaway. Hey, SOMEONE has to win!! You can enter every day until mid-Feb. You can also catch the special on HGTV this Friday @ 3 p.m. and Monday the 21st @ 6 p.m.

The Master Suite, so cozy and inviting. .

The patio off the suite.

The entertainment room....LOVE the pop of turquoise!!
The front patio....delicious! Can't you just picture this during the evening?

Second floor patio overlooking the ocean.

The front of the house and the new suv that goes with it.

Master Bath Shower

The sitting room....my favorite room.

"Before your dreams can come true,

you have to have those dreams."

~Joyce Brothers

Little Loves

Tyler age 2 1/2 and Luke age 10 months. My little loves.

Angel view

I've been thinking a lot about angels lately. I pray that they surround our home and go with us when we leave these four walls. And especially as the boys sleep, we pray that angels look over them and keep them safe. I've often wondered where exactly they "are." Do they stand at the door, do they stand in the four corners of the room? Do they hover above us? As I was watching the boys take their nap the other day, (life just goes by too quickly to not take some time to watch your babies sleep), I pictured peaceful angels just hovering above them.....so I decided to give the camera to one of them and let them take a picture from their view....Angel view!!

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:2,10 "THEIR ANGELS"!!! Don't you just love this verse? I think it means that each child has their own angel, although I'm sure some children have even more as many mothers could attest to!

"Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:23-24

Time for tea

This past Wednesday I decided to take some time....well, it's more like MAKE some time to have three lovely ladies over for tea. These ladies represent so much in my life, they are women to be admired, respected, honored and esteemed. I place a lot of value on having "older" women in my life. Those who have traveled before me, paving the way of sorts. I have SO MUCH to glean from their life experiences. They & their husbands are friends with Jake and I through different avenues of life, but they also are long time friends with one another. It's really a neat story, the way I met each one individually only to find out that they knew one another. Even on our wedding day, it was so special to have them seated at the same table with their husbands. It was delightful to finally spread my "tea" table again. It's been some time, seeing as we moved here only a year ago and 2 months later had a newborn baby. I feel that I've only been "maintaining" since then. I look forward to hosting more tea times this year with those I love and cherish and also with those I have just met and desire to know better. Seated left to right ~ Linda Eberly, Marianne Stoltzfus and Orpha Hostetter.

Linda was my neighbor when I lived in Ronks. You could not ask for a better neighbor. I lived with my best friend Lindy at the time and we had some great times at Linda's house....most of the time was spent laughing! You cannot stay sad around this lady! Needless to say, the fun begins when she enters the room. With all her joy, she is also a lady with great wisdom and insight. And she has such a great way of speaking the truth to you with gentleness, conviction and kindness. She is a treasure to be sure. She is known and loved by many, many people. Radiant is the word that comes to mind in regards to this Lady.

I met Marianne while I was in high school. I went to school with her sons and became her friend through frequent visits to their home. She has been a spiritual "mother" of sorts to me over the past 10 years. Although our visits are far and few between these days, it still feels like it was just yesterday that we were together. I remember spending hours upon hours over a cup of tea and homemade something or another, asking questions about all sorts of things. She would pray with me, advise me, laugh with me. She was by my side during the whole drama with Jake which has since became our love story! Counselor is the word I think of when I think of Marianne.

I met Orpha through our old church. It felt to me that we were kindred spirits from the beginning. She radiates with love and special attention to detail when you are with her. She listens, truly listens when you speak with her. Her love for Jesus above all else is what first sparked an interest for me. She is a servant at heart and it shows through her actions. Just spend a few minutes at her home and you will immediately feel that you are being cared for with such capable hands. True servant are the words that come to mind when I think of Orpha.
The centerpiece of our tea table. Birds ~ like women, chirping and singing the day away!

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."
~Winston Churchill