Updated Sermons Available!

Nathan was able to upload the last several weeks' worth of his sermons from 2 Peter to the internet today, so I in turn updated the sermon page of this blog with the latest links...just in case any of you are listening to them.  Today's message was especially good as Nathan preached about the coming judgement of God upon the world, the impending destruction of the universe, and how we should live in light of this fact!  Despite what you might think, it was an edifying message of hope and an encouragement to "love His appearing"!  Excellent stuff!

Zucchini Anyone?

We have been receiving quite the bounty of zucchini and squash lately from a church member's gardens, which is a wonderful blessing!  I just so happened to stumble across this blog post the other day containing a whole bunch of yummy recipes for using zucchini and squash!

With a bit of extra time on my hands today, I decided to do some baking.  I made the Zucchini Tots and the Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.  Oh.my.word.  BOTH of these recipes are DELICIOUS!  The first batch of Zucchini Tots totally disappeared off the cooling rack in about three minutes.  They are that good!  And the chocolate muffins?...well, let's just say they that it's not likely they will have a very long life span outside of our tummies. :)

So if you have any extra zucchini sitting around, you might just want to hop over and take a look at the many different ways you can prepare it much to the satisfaction of your taste buds!

Thankful Thursday

526.  A wonderful time seeing family and friends in Houston!

527.  Safety while traveling

528.  That even though I have had a relapse with the hemorrhoids, there was no pain during our long days of travel to and from Houston

529.  Lush, green foliage at the park due to all the rain we have been receiving lately - such a refreshing sight!

530.  The beauty of the Rio Grande River as it winds its way through a picturesque canyon

531.  Hearing the sound of Isaac's laughter

532.  The privilege of being the mommy of such a happy baby

533.  The privilege of being the wife of such a handsome husband :)

534.  Money to afford a new hemorrhoid supplement that I am hopeful will clear this problem up

535.  Children at VBS this week who are hearing about the God who created them

536.  A young couple with two tiny children who visited our church on Sunday - the first we have met who are in the same season of life we are!  They are looking for a church and we are hopeful they might find a home with us...

537.  A homeschooling family who came to VBS this week also looking for a new church!  Very encouraging...

538.  Isaac's sweet baby kisses

A Visit to Houston

Last week, while Nathan was serving at a boys' camp somewhere far off in New Mexico, Isaac and I had the opportunity to pay a visit to Houston.  It was great to see my side of the family again and watch them get acquainted with Isaac!  My parents had not seen him since he was three weeks old, and my grandparents had not met him at all until this trip.

It was a relaxing week spent mostly with family and a few other friends.  Due to trying to keep Isaac on his usual nap schedule and not overbook ourselves, we were unable to meet with everyone whom we would have liked to see, so perhaps when we visit again in December it will work out to see more of you! :)

I took close to a hundred pictures from our time there, but here are just a handful of them!

Isaac and Mema get acquainted.

He was fascinated by her red lipstick!

I'm not sure what Isaac was thinking in this picture, but his expression is quite determined!

Dinner time.

Four generations!

Lots of giggles!

So sweet.

Playing with Mema and Papa.

Grandmommy doing what I called her "Indian Pow-Wow Dance" with Isaac around the table.

This became an almost daily occurrence and Isaac LOVED it!  He always relaxed in her arms like a rag doll. :)

Bath time!

Looking dapper in his new hat!

Meeting Aunt Nora.

Some pictures with Grandmommy and Grandaddy.

Happy Boy!

Waiting at the airport for our flight and trying to take it all in.

The only drawback to our trip was that the traveling process caused a relapse in my hemorrhoid issue, which had completely cleared up for several weeks prior. :(  I am back to coping daily with pain and trying to give thanks for this ongoing trial!  Your prayers are appreciated.

Picture Catch-Up from Isaac

Hi everyone!  This is Isaac blogging today.  My mommy found a bunch of pictures on her camera that she wanted me to share with you!

Guess what?  I just recently learned over the last couple of weeks that my hands are attached to my body and that I can use them to put stuff in my mouth!  Isn't that great?

Pretty much everything I touch goes into my mouth now!  Mommy says I'm like a little insect; I can't fully experience something until I've tasted it! :)

This is my Daddy on a Sunday morning reviewing his sermon notes while eating breakfast.  I like to keep him company while he studies!

This past week, I got to meet my Uncle Joel and Aunt Katelyn when they came for a visit from Houston!  Aunt Katelyn is expecting my baby cousin, Owen, who is due in October!

We had a lot of fun with them!

I found out that Aunt Katelyn even tastes good. ;)

Uncle Joel gave me this couch pillow to play with.

Oh my, Uncle Joel...what red hair you have!

Hmm...I wonder what this pillow tastes like?

Even though this picture is a little blurry, Mommy thought it looked neat and gave me a serene appearance (which I don't often have, by the way, except when I'm sleeping!). ;)

Here is the un-blurry version.  Mommy thinks I look a lot like her baby pictures in this photo.

Since I've started dropping my toys on the floor a lot when I play with them in my highchair, Mommy likes to put my tray on, now.

It's great!  Now I can reach lots of toys at once and bang them on the tray to make noise!

Instead of singing "I'm a Little Tea Pot," Mommy thinks I should sing, "I'm a little hot dog!"

Well, that's all for now, folks!  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you all have a happy week! 

Another Thankful Thursday

Wow!  Is it already Thursday again?  I can't believe I haven't posted since last week!  I guess you could say life has been a little busy lately. :)

Well, here is my ongoing list for today:

517.  The smell of rain

518.  Finding and killing a black widow spider in the kitchen before it found my baby

519.  A beautiful sun-kissed sky panorama reminding me that "the heavens declare the glory of God!"

520.  The privilege of living in the mountains

521.  Isaac's smile greeting me when I go to pick him up out of bed

522.  New tile in our shower!

523.  Two weeks of NO pain!

524.  The gift of healing

525.  A visit from Joel and Katelyn (Nathan's brother and his wife)

Thankful Thursday

511.  My baby's little hands touching me and reminding me of his preciousness

512.  A lovely little place to stay rent-free this week while our house is under renovations

513.  The gift of peace and quiet

514.  The gift of music

515.  Isaac's adorable babbling

516.  The privilege of waking up every morning next to a caring husband

Super Baby!

Look who somehow rolled and scooched his way under the coffee table!