Christ in the Clouds

A joyful heart is good medicine... (Proverbs 17:22a)   A 'real' spider from my garden. Sometimes it's just fun (and good for us) to laugh a little bit! I found this children's author/poet  ( CJ Heck ) who writes some cute and fun poems specifically geared for kids. The title of two of her books have a specific theme that caught my attention. . . they're about 'barking spiders'. Have you ever heard about barking spiders? My first memory of hearing about them was through my dad. My father was always kind of a quiet, serious guy. Most of the time he was all business, probably because he had to raise a family of 4 kids on a home-owned and run business that wasn't the biggest success in our small town. He was a very hard worker, though. So when he mentioned to us kids that there were barking spiders nearby, that got our attention. We soon learned what it meant and would go running the opposite direction, as to not get a "whiff" of these invisible a...

“Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.” ~ Chuck Swindoll Today, I was thinking about a small, but loaded two-word phrase – “REAL LIFE”. What does real life mean to me? Well, I discovered that looking each word up in the dictionary made it difficult to describe, since both had more than 15-28 different definitions.(Wow!)  So, I just kind of meditated for a few minutes on the phrase and considered what real life means to me.  A few words that came to mind   Imperfect Transparent Difficult Harsh   “A daily joy struggle . . . a battle between grudgery & gratitude.” (words from Ann Voskamp) . . .it’s not really what we make of it. . .but what we make of God (our relationship with Him)   An endless cycle of mistakes and graces Living forgiven Ugly-beautiful I st...

Well, it's finally here!! (Actually, it's more like it's here ALREADY! ) Twenty-five years ago today I married my very best friend! I promised you a little surprise today. Here is a slideshow I made of my hubby and me  from our "single" days to the present. Some photos include his two children from a previous marriage and our son in the picture with us. I found that most older pictures had at least one of our kids in them with us when we were younger. And there literally were NO videos of just Ken and I, so I just added a few from a recent vacation we took to the Carolinas. (remember to mute the music from my playlist in the right sidebar)  It might also take a few seconds to download, so be patient. Hopefully it works correctly for you. Unfortunately, this site (Masher) has been very temperamental lately. go to this site. . .   music/photo/video slideshow glitter-graphics.com   One by one each year flew by, Since we both said “I do" 25 years of ...

Have you ever had lots of exciting (but kinda scary) things happening around you all at once and you try to not think too much about it, but it seems like things are happening so fast and your emotions are everywhere? Well, I'm definitely feeling that way! Source: Uploaded by user via Ann on Pinterest For the past week or so, there have been lots of changes in our homelife. And more changes are right around the corner! I wrote a few posts ago about being on an adventure, and it sure feels like this adventure is in full speed! Part of being in an adventure is that there is lots of excitement and anticipation of what is ahead. Part of it requires faith and trust, as often we don't know what God really has planned for us. This also is a time when Satan wants to sneak in there and cause us to worry about the unknown. That's kind of the battle my hubby and I have been struggling with the past few days.  Source: derias.se via Ann on Pinterest   For several months we had...

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Ann on Pinterest (John 16:33 NKJV) "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."   Linking over at these blog parties: In Search of Beauty Fresh Brewed Sundays Jumping Tandem Sunday 

My mom turns 75 years old today! You wouldn't know it, though, by watching her get around! That doesn't mean that she hasn't had her share of physical setbacks (she's had double knee replacement surgery, shoulder surgery, a hysterectomy, has osteoarthritis, and takes medication for high cholesterol). Mom's high school senior picture The thing is, she doesn't let any of that stop her from having fun! She recently retired, after 45 years as a beautician, running a small beauty-shop by herself out of the back of our home. Mom and dad their first year of marriage. She also faithfully cared for my dad, who for several years suffered with Alzheimer's disease, before he passed away in 2004.  Here is a picture of mom and me enjoying a hug She remarried in 2006. She and my stepfather are "snowbirds" and go to Florida every winter to enjoy the warm weather and time with their southern friends. They also take various trips in their large camper...

Source: magiceyes.smugmug.com via Ann on Pinterest I recently have been studying and writing down adventures I am expecting in the upcoming year. Already my adventures are beginning and it's only January!! Source: quotes-inspirational.com via Ann on Pinterest Here are some amazing adventurers! Just had to post this! Source: tipjunkie.com via Ann on Pinterest Source: vi.sualize.us via Ann on Pinterest My Adventures for 2012: Moving from a large home to a small lake house (very soon!) Losing 40 pounds in 6 months! Winning a local “biggest loser contest.” Reading "Made to Crave" and learning to crave a daily relationship with God! Reading the Bible in 90 days.(an internet blog challenge group) starting in February.   Renewing my wedding vows with my hubby on a tropical beach!   Relaxing!   Getting involved with other couples in my church   Getting involved with more blog parties and making lots of bloggy friends.   Restarting an awesome garden o...