What did you come out into the wilderness to see?

Just wanted to share one of many beautiful moments from our trip to Nebraska.  We're back and getting all caought up on laundry, groceries etc...  We had a twisty turvy trip and I have much to share when linens and clothing aren't beckoning my oversight.  Below are my babies at the local park with Papa, one of the men in my life I love dearly! Precious isn't it? :)

Julie's card 024

Here I find myself coasting along in the Sub down I-80. We're headed out for a couple weeks. It seems that June came and went like a vapor. My parents and brother's family came to visit the last week of May. We had so much fun! I still am so thankful that the Lord kissed my heart with a really fabulous time with my family. We took my parents to a Memorial Day symphany and fireworks at union station. Then when the rest of the family got here we enjoyed the Deanna Rose Farmstead, the Lego Exhibit, the Narnia exhibit and Oceans of Fun. We also saw the movie UP which was great! My new favorite, I think! We also had lots of soda, lots of Chic-fil-a, lots of scones and coffee, and lots of great conversation and laughs!
June began with Eric and Gracie going to Mississippi for a week for Signs and Wonders camp. They had a great time minus the 24 hours of driving up and back. In that time Eric's parents came to visit for a week. Elijah was supposed to have a baseball game and Eric didn't want to miss it. So, grandpa said he'd come and practice with him and watch the game. Well, it got rained out. Bummer. They also came back through the next Tuesday for the next game and it rained out too! At least he tried.
This week the two older kids and Eric were at camp here in KC. Eric primarily drove shuttles all day when he didn't have main sessions. For 300 kids it's a lot of shuttling; nearly 100 miles in one day, back and forth. Yikes! Camp got over today. We showered the kids, washed clothes and got on the road for Nebraska. Eric is ministering a couple weekends, we're hosting a Dessert Soiree at our home church to say thank you to them for being so supportive of us over the past three years and we will be celebrating Gracie's 10th birthday. Can't believe she's 10! Wowsas! I'll also get lots of nummy time with the nieces and nephews and my best buddy is driving down from FT. Collins to see me. Awww! So nice! And last but not least, a WAY overdue coffee date with a beautiful buddy before she hops a plane for an overseas escape! Fun times!

Needless to say, we have a BUSY time planned. Busy with people, the good kind of busy. Don't get me wrong, I love work busy! Really! But people busy is extra sweet!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

I may just be getting somewhere as far as technological advances. I think I figured out the post from phone feature. However, I have a slight aversion to the keypad on this phone with all it's double keypad buttons and all.

Life is good! And simpler. And now more updatable! Yippee for me!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

This is only a test!
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Location

We're feeling a bit of reprieve from the latest go of crushing.  It's almost like labor.  When it's all been said and done, my mind hazily remembers the pressure of even a few days before.  I mean, I remember, but the feeling isn't really there.  Instead I drift towards, "Of course, you delight in me. How foolish of me not to think that."  when just yesterday, on the brink of apostasy,  I am all but cursing the day of my birth, like Job.  Funny how dramatic we can be.

This week is full of preparations.  I think I'm going to try to be a "good" homeschool mom and find some cool stuff for my kids to do and think about concerning Jesus death and resurrection. I'll probably throw some eggs in there too, jsut for good measure.  I asked my entire Bible Study to come over Sunday with their families.  Between us we have 22 children between 1 and 13.  It should be a great afternoon.  My in-laws are also coming so hopefully they survive!  ;) I'm praying (pleading with God) for nice weather so the kids can run around.  22 kids full of peeps...ei yi yi!

Too bad great grandma couldn't come.  She always brings a cool lamb carved out of butter...and windex.

Before Sunday, though, this week sees, several possible trips to the store, a visit to the municipal court house down town, a hair appointment, a couple birthday parties, a search of the internet, and several other obscure projects. 

I'll let ya know what I come up with for this weekend, menu et al.

My husband says that one of the things he loves about me is my tendency to want to do the biggest hardest things...climb the tallest mountain (without previous training or preparation), start a 40 day fast (and quit after lunch day 1), then realize it wasn't the best idea, and do something else.  I think that he's actually hinting at my deviation from tasks and lack of follow through.  However, I do like to accomplish, even if in my mind, complex or arduous things.  Some things I have accomplished simply for the fact that they can't be quit.  Childbirth for example.... ;)

One thing, though, has alluded me for years now.  Coffee.  I have a love/hate relationship with it.  I love coffee.  I like the taste.  I like the entire experience.  Buying the beans, grinding them, making coldbrew,  brewing percolated, timing french press, reheating the afternoon cup.  It's all great to me.  I like going to coffee shoppes, smelling roasted coffee, looking through coffee paraphernalia, buying coffee gifts... ceramic mugs, glass mugs, travel mugs...and half and half!  Don't get me started. It's glorious bovine nectar!

I've drank coffee ever since I can remember.  Spending time at one grandma's house, we'd get her stove percolated coffee 1 part coffee to 8 parts milk.  "Brown milk." and don't forget the white refined sugar.  At the other grandma's house we'd just slip drinks of plain black joe.  Still so good in vintage, white glass mugs. During my entire childhood, my parents owned a Bunn.  Bunn means coffee in 5 seconds in English.  In highschool, I was given an espresso maker when they first came out. A cute little black one from Walmart.  It survived an entire Nebraska winter. 

13 years later, I drink coldbrew  with half and half. Yet I wonder.  Over the years I've dropped several addictions.  God knows, He's the catalyst, grace and stay in the entire process.  Cigarettes, pot, alcohol, other shameful substances, coffeemate creamer, and lately sugar in the coffee.  However, this one thing remains; coffee.  I ruminate often about this.  Am I addicted?  Is it the next to go?  Is it part of my heritage, my upbringing?  Certainly by now, it's a link in my DNA code?!  Could I quit? Sure I could.  But I don't want to. Could I?  I found the chart below a mirror to my madness.

And so it may be, that my curve may become straight soon.  (See paragraph one).  Surely it's worth the attempt.  Unless i'm a coffeebean farmer or in a coffeebean farm concentration camp, I could end up having dt's* in the endtimes....jk.  I do feel a close association with this chart.  I just may attempt it...next time I run out of coffee. :)

071203_coffee

I've been catching up on a bunch of stuff around the house.  Namely cleaning, like 5 tons of laundry, 3 bathrooms, scrub the kitchen floor (ok, eric did that), vacuuming...not that I don't do that every day....etc... I usually fall into either ditch of internet sucks my time away or I don't get on at all.  Hence, the 14 day break in blog posts.  So here's a few splashes from the past 2 weeks.

* A very merry 32nd birthday for hubby.  We celebrated with a nummy Irish feast, the kiddos and a couple friends.  It was nice.  Top that off with a gift of Carrot cake.  Delicioso! 

*16 ladies visiting IHOP and attending Women of Faith from our hometown.  One happened to be grandma.  All the kids said, "Amen."

*A double ticket traffic stop.  Of which the total is around $500.  You'd think I'd have hit a pedestrian, but actually I was speeding.....and had no proof of insurance....or registration.....or licence.....  I DO have insurance and I DO have a licence but, they weren't in the vehicle.  Soooooo, this requires my presense at the municipal court to clear up one of the fines.  Thank God it's the bigger one.

* A trip to Nebraska.  To fix all the problems on the Suburban and get new tires.  We also spent an overnight at a local campground, just Eric and I, and attempted to hear the Lord.  We just got His answering machine...

* My baby girl lost her first tooth.  It was very dramatic, but in the end she let grandpa pull it.  What a good grandpa!

*12 days after his expected arrival, little Samuel Helm was born.  O Come long awaited Samuel. We all were excited to finally meet him. And such a dolly! 

* We missed an awesome 3 day seminar of David Pawson.  Luckily we have a few friends in a few places who can get us copies of the sessions.  At least audios.  We were also blessed to get an MP3 of his Unlocking the Bible.  It's teaching through every book.  Not chewed up and digested already but just enough to cause you to dig further on your own.  Good stuff!

* I ran out of coffee.  A few days later, my husband went out during the early Spring blizzard to buy me a bag of beans.  He felt it less of a threat than enduring one more hour with me....coffeeless.  Maybe I should enter a 12 step program of some kind.  The truth is that I didn't really notice any adverse side effects.  No head ache, no fatigue.  Just dillusion, I guess.

* And on the way home from getting beans, he rented Fireproof form the Redbox....

I learned a few things today.  Nothing that Dave hasn't tried to explain before over soup. However, for those of us who are not auditory learners, explanations get jumbled and fuzzy like 1960's cable.  So, for those of you who care, here's a quickie tutorial of the crisis we call home.

Just in case you're feeling a bit blase' about your current CD, iPod or MP3 collection ,  Here's  a jewel of a collection.  Kristene Mueller from Jesus Culture Music.  Since she was 18 years old, Kristene Mueller has been an active part of the prayer movement . She spent 6 months in an internship for IHOP KC , singing on the night watch teams and spending time in the prayer room. She then joined up with a group of young people , led by Lou Engle, and helped start the Justice House of Prayer in Washington DC. She gave herself to leading worship there for 10 months until in the fall of 2005 , then Lou sent out a team of 8 , led by his son Jesse, to start another JHOP in the heart of San Francisco. Kristene spent 3 years living on Haight street praying and worshiping over the city and ministering to the heart of God. She is now 23 years old , living in Redding Ca.

One of my favorites on this album is St. Francis.  You can listen to a preview of her latest album here.  You may even be spurred to to pray for San Francisco.

KristeneMueller_thoseWhoDream_LG