Counting It All Joy

Joy and Angel just go together I think! :) She hosts this Wonderful meme "Counting It All Joy" so join us won't you!

I am filled w/JOY because Me and my kids were able to spend the day w/Angel and her precious kids and grandaughter Ella ~ swimming, sunshine, friends, & family! Pure JOY

I am filled w/JOY because Ella had previously called me an Old Lady before she met me and today after seeing me ~ she said I wasn't old ;) GOOD ANSWER ELLA ~ LOL

I am filled w/Joy because when we lost my Daddy my Son Jantzen inherited his Telescope and while we live "out of town" the stars are just so Vast! To watch my Son and my DH google the planets checking to see how far it would be to travel to the Sun or look @ all the dips in the Moon brings me sooo much JOY! Thank you Daddy!
I miss you so much!

I am filled w/Joy because anyday you get to hear the words "I love you" from your grandchild it fills your heart with JOY!

I am filled w/Joy because my husband has this Friday and next Monday off !! WOOHOO!!

I am filled w/Joy because I am Redeemed!! Psalm 71:23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed Thank you Lord!

Our Fallen Soldier

I am beyond blessed to be a part of this wonderful community ! This small town we live in isn't quite so small anymore but we have maintained the closeness and feel as well!

Monday was a sad reminder of this War that is going on. How many times have I heard on the news about the story of a Fallen Soldier?

Today ~ we honored one of our own.

SPC ANDREW LOONEY served and fought for our Freedom and sadly, He was killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber. For some horrible reason we were notified of a church who would be protesting AT HIS FUNERAL. ( Here is the HORRIBLE flyer notifying people to protest.)

We were not going to allow these mean spirited people this opportunity!!! NO WAY NO HOW!

People lined 2 of our major Intersections wearing RED, WHITE AND BLUE and everyone carried a Flag. It was as if September 11 had happened all over again. Some came in their Military Uniforms, Veterans were there and passing out flags to all, Moms, Dads and children lined the streets! All came to tell this Family "Thank you and we are praying for you!" Some of the local businesses put up messages for all to see and letting his family know We are Family!

It was sooo overwhelming to see the sea of Flags flying in each hand until you couldn't see any further and then to FEEL the LOVE in the ATMOSPHERE....It was such a beautiful and solemn experience. It truly shows that in ALL things God works things for Good!






















God bless this family and SPC Andrew Looney ~ "Thank you for fighting for MY Freedom"

Giving Thanks a little early in the week :)

Last week I shared with you all that I was hoping to get the new IPHONE4 right! Well, the night that we were planning on waking up @4am. to go get in line @ AT&T, both of our kids went to spend the night w/someone. Well, that is VERY RARE!! Jenna went to our oldest daughters house to stay, and about 3:30 she woke up having a cramp. She got up to get a drink of water and passed out!! Krista heard something hit the floor and found Jenna in the floor and had to help carry her back to bed. She started experiencing tingly arms and something was going on with her neck @ back as well. She texted her Daddy and he woke me up and we immediately drove together to get her because we certainly didn't want her driving home. I drove her Jeep WHILE she rode with her Daddy and as we were driving home Brian told me we needed to take her to the Emergency Room because she was barely responding and something wasn't right! When we arrived they ran a bunch of tests and determined she was DEHYDRATED. Thank goodness for the easy fix!!! We are making sure she is drinking Lots and Lots of Water and eating healthy!! Thank you Jesus!!

After all of the Prayers and things calmed down and we were on our way home I drove by the At&t store just to see if people were still in line and they had a sign on the door that because of the unprecedented number of Pre-Orders they were not even able to sell them and ONLY Apple would be selling the phones. I did not even have the energy to go the 30 min. to town and then stand in line so I just went home and snuggled my kids as we slept for most of the morning. BUT my Sweet Husband called Apple and asked them what the scoop was and they shared that the phones they had at present were for those who were currently in line and any pre-orders that were to be picked up on that day and anyone who did NOT pick theres up would lose it and those phones would be available tomorrow which was Friday. So He woke up early (AGAIN) and stood in line! Do you know that He got the last phone available!!!! It was sooooo very worth it because the Phone is truly Awesome!!!! Thank you Jesus!! and Thank you Honey! He (my Dh) continued to tell me from the git-go to have Faith ~ that I would get one and I did :) YAY

I have noticed that all over people are sharing how very HOT it is so remember to HYDRATE and drink Lots of Water OK :)

Have a blessed week my friends! May you experience Gods Love, Grace and Peace anew this day! I love you ALL!

Spiritual Sundays

Charlotte and Ginger host Spiritual Sundays. I have been a part of this wonderful group of bloggers for quite some time now and as I sought the Lord as to what to post I just felt a deep gratefulness for this group of bloggers and for these women who faithfully lead us each week. My heart in blogging and the Scripture that I live by is ~ Let us Spur One Another on towards Love and Good Deeds ~ Hebrews 10:24 and isn't that just exactly what this group of believers does each and every week!

When we need prayer ~ this group is by your side and one their knees
When we need encouragement ~ you will have countless words of encouragment in your comments or email
When we need wisdom ~ we will find a post sharing wisdom or insight

I am so thankful for these women and this wonderful place called Spiritual Sundays but mostly I am thankful for the Lord who blesses us each and every week as HE shines in each person who plays their role as they post and share HIS Words, His Ways, and HIS Love, HIS Hope, HIS Joy, HIS Encouragement, HIS Peace, HIS Patience, HIS Kindness, and HIS Goodness!

Thank you Lord and Thankyou every Spiritual Sunday blogger! You bless me soooo very much each and every week!

To join this wonderful group go here

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.
-- Barbara Bush

TGIF

I'm joining Kim today for Friday Funnies! I have shared Tim Hawkins before but this particular one is hands down my favorite funny! We love Tim Hawkins and so does my friend Angel so this is for her too :)

Happy Friday Everyone



to join in on Friday Funnies go here

Thankful Thursday

I'm joining Iris @ Grace Alone for Thankful Thursdays today, go here if you would like to join in! Iris shared she is thankful for Internet Radio! I know my mom is a huge fan of Pandora and introduced me months ago :) You can choose the artist and they will make a playlist with that artist and others that are very similar! It is awesome!

I LOVE being able to listen to different sermons or teachings from soooo many on the Internet ~ You can watch video or just listen and hear Gods Word anytime day or night!

We love driving and listening as a family to the clean Christian comics and we all know laughter is sooo good for us!

What are you Thankful for today?

Counting in ALL JOY

Angel hosts this wonderful meme and isn't it AWESOME to share JOY! Won't you join in with us here and spread the JOY today!!

I am sooo filled w/JOY because Rylee was able to spend 2 nights and 3 FULL days with us!

I am sooo filled w/JOY that one of my friends has asked us to POOL sit for 2 weeks :) WOO HOO

I am sooo filled w/JOY while taking Rylee back to her momma tonight my DH and I were able to go out to eat and catch up w/each other! LOVE SPONTANEOUS DATE NIGHTS ♥

I am sooo filled w/JOY because the IPHONE 4 comes out tomorrow and I am praying I get one! I went into the AT&T store to ask them about the phones and then said should I just pre-order. She said NO! Apple set aside 300,000 for presale orders and over 800,000 people logged on to pre-order their phones!! 800,000!! That's CRAZY :) I may be camping out LOL

I am sooo filled w/JOY that no matter where I go I am able to read my Bible with the YouVersion app on my IPHONE! Sitting and waiting all I have to do is pick up my phone and there is Gods Word ready to speak to me!! :) Isn't that awesome!!

What are you JOYFUL for today??

Tuesdays top 10 ~ Why I L♥VE Summer

Why I L♥VE Summer:

1) Staying up Late

2) Sleeping IN

3) Swimming all day if we want to :)

4) The beautiful flowers all around the house ~ on my front and back porch ~ hanging in their baskets! I just Love them!

5) My kids being home and no schedule to live by

6) grilling out

7) watching fireflies light up my backyard each evening!

8) sitting outside in the evenings or riding bikes around the neighborhood, shooting hoops, fireworks shows by Jantzen!

9) OK I have to stick a practical one in here ;) .....LESS LAUNDRY! I love it! and I just HATE winter laundry

10) Thank you Lord for the different seasons you have blessed us with ~ Summer is my favorite for these and many other reasons!

Why do you love Summer?

Fathers Day Fav's

We had such a wonderful Family-filled Fathers Day ♥


LOL ~ Isn't He Funny!!


Brian got an Power Inverter so he can charge his camera or run his laptop in his truck! He was THRILLED :)


Krista and Rylee spent the afternoon with us and Rylee gets to stay here til Tuesday night! :) WOOHOO


Here I am cooking ~ I made Chicken Enchiladas, rice, beans and Brians (& MOMS) Favorite Chocolate Cake!!


Rylee ♥


Cousins :) Brit, Bailey and Jantzen....Brit doesn't look so happy ;)


I hope you all had a Blessed weekend and Fathers Day

Fathers Day ~ Spiritual Sundays

When I asked the Lord what to post, I then added that I wanted it to be in regards to Fathers Day but wanted it to be what God wanted! I feel this is what HE wanted me to post even though I did this last year....Reading a Love letter is something we can do over and over again and the Words become more and more Precious as the years go by....Isn't that so much more true with Gods Words! May you experience HIM anew as you hear these words that HE wrote ~ JUST.FOR.YOU!




May you all have a blessed Fathers Day as we celebrate and Praise our Heavenly Father!

Please go here for other Spiritual Sunday posts

TGIF ~ laughter

Kim aka Queen of Funny :) hosts Friday Funnies so go here to join in or to share in the laughter!

Enjoy ~ we have laughed til we cried at this one!!!!


Happy Friday everyone! Have a blessed weekend

Thankful Thursday ~ My Daddy ♥

Iris @ Grace Alone is hosting TT for the month of June! Please visit Iris here and be blessed by all the Thankful Hearts ♥

I am soooo thankful for my Daddy and although I won't be able to be with him this Fathers Day because He is walking the streets of Gold with our Heavenly Father ~ I will be missing him and thinking of him.

My Daddy was a man with an amazing work ethic and he passed that on to my brother and I!
My Daddy had a heart for others and he gave passionately to those in need ~ He passed that on as well!
My Daddy gave me an example that when you do something ~ you go for it wholeheartedly! My brother and I learned that one well! :)

Thank you Daddy for all you did and the example that you gave makes me so proud! I love you and am so thankful for you! I miss you more than words can say!!!

I have to share that while I am thankful for my Daddy I couldn't help but be thankful for my friends here @ home and my bloggy friends who were beside me praying Faithfully while my Dad learned he had Lung Cancer. Your prayers touched all of us sooo deeply and I believe they made a huge difference in my Dads journey through Cancer as well as Daddys Acceptance of Christ! I know there were many praying that Daddy would not pass until I knew that he had made that choice. My Daddy was able to share with me just hours before he slipped into the coma, never to wake again, that He had in fact, accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior! For that ~ I am MOST Thankful! Bless each one of you for your love, friendship and prayers!




I ♥ you Daddy

Giveaway Winner

The Winner of the Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Brownies and My Blogspark winner is:

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:
Result:
19



MIMI from He&Me+3

CONGRATS!!! Email me your info ~ Thank you very much ;)

Why I Count it ALL JOY :)

I am soooo very excited to blog today! I am everyday ~ but when I see my friend be able to share with others and spur them on, well, that just makes me excited! Angel hosts this Meme and today is the First Count It ALL Joy for us to share in!! Come on and join us won't ya!


I am filled with JOY because I was able to spend most of Monday with Angel! We set out to have coffee and ended up having lunch and a snack (ok the snack was for Rylee but I took a bite or two). I told the people at Panera if I went to the register one more time I would have to order dinner ;) We had such a wonderful time talking, laughing, and letting God lead us ♥

I am filled with JOY because tonight was the opening night at the Fireworks stand and of course we were there! My son and DH are well, Pyromaniacs LOL and tonight began the first of many Fireworks shows in our driveway!

I am filled with JOY because when I took Rylee to meet her daddy she didn't want to leave ME and that just makes a NoNi feel sooo good and very loved ♥

I am filled with JOY because this Friday my Mom is going to take ME and all the grandkids to see Toy Story 3!!! We are Toy Story freaks! Woody, Buzz, Mr & Mrs Potatohead ....OH MY :) JOY JOY JOY

I am filled with Joy because Tomorrow I will announce the winner to my Chocolate giveaway! If you haven't entered go HERE because the deadline is 10p.m. tonight!

I am filled with JOY because Truly Gods Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE and has been speaking straight to my heart this week! I just L♥VE it when the LORD speaks to me ~ don't you!

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy ~ Job 8:21

Won't you join in and share your Joy with us! Go here to read other Joy-filled posts

A Family Affair, Awards, and JOY!!

Tuesdays Top 5 ~ A Family Affair?

1) My daughter has a blog and is a Fabulous Photographer and has a wonderful way with words! She would love some Followers and is asking for ideas on making summer cash!

2) My husband started a blog to show off his mad Photography skills as well! He also would love some followers! I am encouraging both of them to post daily so maybe if they have comments and followers and not just ME ~ LOL they might just do this!

3) My grandaughter appears in many of my posts!

4) My Son is looking forward to posting more book reviews on my book blog

5) My Mom is soooo sweet to read my blog daily and leave me comments too! Thanks Mom ~ I love you a bushel and a peck xoxoxo


Wanted to thank Kat @Heart2Heart for this award! Isn't it sooo pretty


Thank you Annette ! I love this one :)


This is from my friend Heather! She is a Proud Book Nerd and I just love this girl! :)


Thank you friends for sharing these awards with me and I pass them on to any & all my followers! I am just AWFUL @ awards! I can't pick just one to pass them on to.

Last, but certainly not LEAST! My Dear Friend Angel has an exciting announcement today so go here to share in her JOY!!! Love you Angel!!!

Mom, Can I have some friends over?? GIVEAWAY!

I love receiving email from MyBlogSpark especially when it involves CHOCOLATE!!! ♥

I know in our household especially in the summer we have kids (LOTS of kids) in our home and that means we snacks, snacks, and more snacks!

Well, this email asked if I would like to participate which involved going to Sams Club with the $25.00 gift card THEY provided, picking up Pillsbury Brownies (that were ALREADY baked!!) and then they were also sending me a container in which I could store the brownies (if there were any leftover ~ not likely, but oh well) along with 2 tubs of icing and a decorating kit. Sounds like a party to me and an awesome opportunity!

True to MyBlogsparks example I did in fact receive the question "Mom, Can I have some friends over and we watch a movie?" It was 7:45p.m. and that's when I knew this was our perfect opportunity to use the package of Brownies I had JUST picked up at Sams Club.



Decorating








Eating




and More Decorating!


These Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Brownies were DELICIOUS!




About the Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies:It´s 7 p.m. when your child informs you that they need baked goods to share with the whole class tomorrow. Sound familiar? How often have you been hit with the need for last-minute baking when there simply isn´t enough time? Pillsbury comes to the rescue with Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies, available exclusively at Sam´s Club.

With a taste as delicious and authentic as if you baked them at home, Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies are a blend of 3 types of cocoas with real chocolate syrup and milk chocolate chunks to make a delicious fudgy brownie—they’re the perfect solution when you’re pressed for time. Add personal flair to these already-baked brownies with your own decorations, frosting, caramel or powdered sugar! With a straight-out-of-the-oven flavor without the time or clean-up, Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies are a great treat for any occasion!

In addition, when purchasing Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies at Sam’s Club, you have the chance to support your local school with Box Tops for Education. Each package of Pillsbury Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies has 6 Bonus Box Tops that can be redeemed to earn cash for the K-8 school of your choice.

You too can have this AWESOME package from MyBlogspark and Pillsbury by entering my giveway:
1) Be a follower of this blog
2) Tell me why this would be perfect treat for your household to win and be creative :)
3) Blog, Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway
4) Leave me a comment for EACH one of these . There is a total of 6 entries available per person!

I will close this Giveaway Wednesday June 16th @ 10p.m. and announce the winner on Thursday June 17th!

Thank you MyBlogSpark and Pillsbury for providing us with this awesome package! It sure made my evening much more Stress free and the kids had a GREAT TIME!

Spiritual Sundays ~ A Servant's Heart

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:13-14

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:10-12

Let me introduce you to my neighbor. His name is Joe ~ or to some "No toe Joe" Yes it's true. This is even on his license plate.
You see, years ago there was an accident and Joe lost his legs but even so...NOTHING stopped him! Joe gets around better than I do at times! He and his wife Holly (also in the pic) moved into our neighborhood and from the moment we met them we have just been blessed. Joe has the most AMAZING servants heart I have ever known! He is just one of those people who Loves to Give to others. Well, here is just one example. This week I woke up and went outside to have my quiet time with the Lord. I heard a lawn mower in the distance and thought it was pretty early to be mowing at 7am. Then a couple hours later I heard the mower again but this time it.was.in.my.yard??? I looked outside and noticed Joe was mowing our yard. I looked out another window and realized he had mowed the next door neighbors house and well, when he finished mowing here he moved on to the neighbor on the OTHER side as well! Ok. so THEN ~ he came back and did everyones weed eating, edging and then blew all the grass as well!!

I ran outside to ask him what in the world he was doing and he just smiled and said I'm just making your husband mad ;)

I told him how grateful I was and how much I appreciated him mowing and he just smiled that Joe smile and went on about HIS business. Joe is such a great example of loving/honoring others above yourself! He glorifies the LORD in all I have seen him do! Thanks Joe you truly spur me on towards Love and good deeds!

For other Spiritual Sunday posts please go here

TGIF

Today is the day in which you can actually say blogging makes you healthier! Well, that is if you participate in any way with Friday Funnies! We all know that laughter is sooo good for us! Join in here with Kim to watch some funny videos or post one of your own!

"I like Laughing. Laughing is my favorite! " ~ Buddy the Elf ;)

Well shoot! My daughter just informed me that Buddy's favorite is smiling not laughing! Oh well, go with it..... It's Friday!!

A granny learns what PHOTOBOOTH is on her grandaughters Mac!! Enjoy :)

Thankfulness can...

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Col3:15


Thankfulness can change our whole perspective at times!

Thankfulness can speak straight to the heart of someone who otherwise goes unappreciated.

Thankfulness can bring you to a place of humility.

Thankfulness can change even the coldest of hearts and minds!

Thankfulness can even be delayed due to what looks like an unanswered prayer but is actually revealing Gods perfect plan and will for your situation.

How do you see Thankfulness?

Please join Iris here @ Grace Alone