There are no words

A Word to the Wise

A China doll and American Girl Kit Kittredge (compliments of my cell phone)

Well, not really. Because if you are wise, you don't need to hear this. BACK UP EVERYTHING ON YOUR COMPUTER! Trust me...I learned the hard way. A few weeks ago I was checking my email and my computer locked up. I left it, came back later, and tried to figure out what was wrong. Pretty soon, I realized this was beyond my ability (pretty much anything to do with computers is beyond my ability). I called Justin, who helps us when we have computer problems and deserves a medal for dealing with such a computer idiot as myself, to come take a look. He took it with him and called me in a few hours with some not-so-good news. This is pretty much how the conversation went...

J (very nicely): Hey Kristen, um, have you been backing up on your computer like I mentioned to you when I set it up for you (in January)?

Me: um, no. Is it bad?

J (very slowly): yeah, kind of. Looks like your hard drive crashed. I'm pretty sure everything's gone.

Me: Everything??? Really??? Well, I do have my pictures on CD's.

J (very relieved): Whew, that was my biggest concern. (He knows how many pictures I have because he transferred them from my desktop to my laptop when he set it up).

Soooooo....I am pretty sure I have all (if not all, then most) of my pictures on CDs in our little fire-proof safe (Praise the Lord!). I always get a CD when I clear my camera card. What I no longer have is my Word documents,(nothing Word period...I had just bought and downloaded it online a while back. The good news there is that I didn't have many documents), my email addresses (so shoot me an email so you will be back in my contacts), my pictures ON my computer (can't just grab one here or there for a post or to email), my digital software, my iTunes library (I am clueless here. The songs are, obviously, still on my ipod, but I have no idea how this affects my library. Anyone?), and so on.

Thankfully, my computer was still under warranty so they replaced the hard drive for free. Yay! I shipped it off, and just got it back this weekend. So I have been missing all your blogs (and also missing email and online bill pay...thanks to my friends Ellen and Emily who loaned me their laptops so I could pay bills and sort through emails periodically). I have been very tempted to sit down and play "catch up" on all the posts I missed, but I am afraid neither my husband nor my children would appreciate that too much:)

Yes, it was extremely inconvenient to be without a computer for a few weeks.I definitely think God was teaching me a little lesson about what a spoiled brat I can be. It is, after all, just a computer. My friend, Angela, referenced a quote in Bible study last week that I loved. I do not remember the source and I am paraphrasing, but it was something like, "The only two things that are eternal are the word of God and the souls of man. If your focus is not on the eternal, then it is of this world." Don't you just love when someone says a word that puts things right into perspective? And doesn't that make you want to go out and tell everyone about Jesus so they will know they have an eternal spot in Heaven?

OK...I am off to find out what a jump drive is and what in the world I do with it. (At one time, I thought it was called a "junk" drive. No joke. See what I mean about computers being beyond me?)

Simply Delightful

The past six Tuesday nights have been just that…delightful. I have participated in a six-week nurturing/mentoring program with some women in our church called “Apples of Gold”. The primary purpose of this program is “for older women to nurture younger women in the Word of God, the Bible, and to encourage them to obey that Word.” (from the Apples of Gold Mission Statement in the book Apples of Gold by Betty Huizenga). The concept is based on the scripture found in Titus 2:3-5 “…Train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husband, that the word of God may not be discredited.”(RSV)

Talk about a blessing! We have been served, encouraged, pampered, taught, and loved by these ladies. They have opened up their homes to us, prepared fabulous meals for us, and shared God’s word with us, all done selflessly to help us become greater wives, mothers, and daughters of God. I am incredibly grateful for their dedication, time and effort, and willingness to serve.

Each Tuesday night began in someone’s home with refreshments and socializing, followed by a brief cooking demonstration of the evening’s menu (a flower arranging demonstration was also shared one week). Then we moved into the lesson and discussion, led by a different woman each week. The lessons included Kindness, Loving Your Husband, Loving Your Children, Submission, Purity, and Hospitality, all taught from a Biblical perspective. After each lesson, we sat down to the most delicious meal served on beautiful china and crystal. And the desserts were out-of-this world! (All of the recipes were compiled into a notebook for us to keep, and we were encouraged to try them for our families, friends, or guests in our homes. I have already made several of them and they have been a hit! In fact, I think Steve is just as sad as I am that we finished our last lesson this week…he has surely enjoyed some new meals and desserts around here:) Each week was like a night at the spa. I always left feeling spiritually refreshed, rejuvenated, and encouraged.

And let me tell you…these women are a hoot! Not only have I enjoyed learning from them, but I have loved laughing with them! They are a real treat! On top of that, women that have previously participated in this program were there each night to help serve as well...simply because they believe in and love the truths that are taught. What a testimony! I have met some wonderful women and am excited about these new friendships.

I am very thankful for everyone who hosted, served, cooked, prayed, shared and taught (and for my husband who also thought it was great AND had the girls bathed and in bed by the time I got home each night ...Thank you, Steve!). And I am especially grateful that God placed this desire on the hearts of these women. I know they will get some extra sparkly jewels in their crowns:) A celebration dinner culminates the program in a couple of weeks with all the women and their husbands. I can't wait!

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Proverbs 25:11

A Daddy of Little Girls

A Daddy of little girls...

reads bedtime stories at night, even if it is the same Barbie book 7 nights straight

gets little girls ready for church so Mommy can get herself ready

and perfects his gymnastics skills.


A Daddy of little girls often has to force, I mean, encourage indoor-lovin' little girls to get outside...even if they say they don't want to, but come back talking about how great it was...



or do whatever is necessary for outdoor-lovin' little girls



A Daddy of little girls also thinks it's perfectly okay for really little girls to just strip down and swing when it's blazin' hot outside...



And he knows that little boys aren't the only ones who might find a tree stand entertaining...

even if it's only in the driveway



A Daddy of little girls gets to experience a lot of silliness...






and even more drama...






But most of all...a Daddy of little girls loves those little girls with all his heart




I know Daddies of little boys do all that stuff too, but we're not really experienced with little boys 'round here:)

No Greater Joy

I have great news to share! Anna Clare asked Jesus into her heart last week. We are so happy and thankful that she made the most important decision of her life! She has been saying things over the past few weeks that made me think this day was coming. Steve thought it would be a good idea to let her go talk to our pastor and ask any questions that she might have. They went, and Steve said it was a great conversation. Our pastor told Steve that he felt like God was preparing her heart and to not be surprised if she came to us soon.

I am writing this next part so I will never forget how God worked in my heart that day. He convicted me 3 times that same day in 3 very distinct ways. On the morning that she was going to meet with our pastor, I was talking with a friend whom I consider to be a spiritual mentor. I told her that while I was very excited, I was a little concerned that Anna Clare might be too young to understand what it means to be a Christian, and that I just didn’t know if she was “ready.” I went on to tell her how I was 9 years old when I accepted Christ, and I remember coming home from church on a Sunday night crying because I knew right then that I wanted Jesus. Her advice to me was “Don’t try to write the script for her story.” Wow! Has anyone ever spoken a word to you that you knew you would never forget? That was exactly what I needed to hear because that is exactly what I was doing. I hung up the phone in tears and prayed that I had not been discouraging to Anna Clare in any way.

Earlier that morning, I had emailed my dad letting him know that she was going to meet with our pastor and to ask him to pray for her. When I checked my email later that day, he told me how thrilled and excited he was for her. His advice was to “never hinder the Spirit…if she is cautioned to wait until she is older, she might easily become discouraged and her boldness and convictions could be weakened. If she loses that boldness, she may never get it back.” Convicted. Again. Anna Clare is shy and a bit insecure, and the last thing she needs is to lose what little boldness she has…especially a boldness for Jesus. Again, I prayed, thanking God that I had not said anything to her that might have hindered her.

Finally, as I was reading the lesson for a mentor program/Bible Study that I am doing with some ladies in our church, this verse jumped off the page at me. Matthew 19:14. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” DO NOT HINDER…I honestly could not believe that this verse was in this lesson on this day. I am so thankful that I serve a forgiving God who knows my heart and knows that I would never, ever intentionally hinder my child’s heart.

All of this happened on a Monday. I spent the week praying for Anna Clare and for whatever His plan (not mine) was for her. The following Sunday afternoon, she asked Jesus to come into her heart. I am so grateful that God worked in my heart prior to her decision so that when that moment came, I was able to experience pure, unbridled joy. His grace is sufficient.

I think Steve summed it up best. We try to make it complicated. We tend to think that it can’t be simple. But it is. Jesus died on a cross so that we could be set free. It is that simple for anyone who believes.

We are not sure when she will publicly profess her faith or when she will be baptized. Jesus will lead her. Right now, I am just praising Him that our daughter’s eternity is secured in Heaven, and I am soaking up all God is teaching me through the faith of a little child.

My little big 1st grader

The first-day-of-school morning began bright and early. Anna Clare was in my room at 6:15 with a happy "Good Morning!" I knew she was excited because she was sleeping till 8:30 or 9:00 all summer. I surprised her with a little treat...breakfast on a tray in my bed. She thought that was simply fantastic!




This summer she and her daddy planted some sunflower seeds. There was one pretty one left and she asked if she could take it to her teacher.

Little sister had no clue what was about to hit her!

So sweet...but still clueless

Maybe starting to get an idea...

AC and her precious teacher

We are very excited about this year. God is so good!

All ready with no place to go!

Someone else thought they were off to 1st grade too this morning. She was sobbing as they pulled out of the driveway. Let's just say "where'd my sissy go?" has been the question of the day! Carline can't come fast enough...we miss Sissy!