Happy 4th!!

-Day 185-

Although today was a holiday, we just hung out here at home & my day mainly centered around....what else, but.....BEANS! I snapped a whole big bowl full after breakfast.....took a shower & went outside under my tree to snap some more until the kids were hollering for lunch. Came in & fed everyone...baked our cake....did 2 canners of beans & then treated myself to a little scrappy time. ;-) After that, I went back outside to finish up snapping the beans before supper. We grilled hodogs & had chili/cheese dogs, baked beans, fries & ronis for supper.....which was a picnic out on the front porch. The kids then went to play hide & seek outside while I cleaned up the kitchen & did the last canner full of beans....for a total of 18 qts. yesterday......my grand total is now at 116 qts! Here's our first attempt at a flag cake. I marked off the sections & let the girls decorate it. Alli did the blueberries & Ashley did the strawberries. It was really yummy!
After I was done with the beans, we came back outside for some smores. More Yumminess!

I love this shot of the four of them on the quilt just hanging out enjoying their time together!!

When it got dark enough we watched all the fireworks around....across the RR tracks, out toward Oakridge & back over toward Mari & David's house. Then the kids did their sparklers. And to round off our evening....after Michael & Alli went up to bed....the rest of us watched Rocky III. The kids remember several years ago on the 4th they did an all-day Rocky marathon on TV.....it was a terribly rainy day that year & so the movie marathon was perfect. Anyway....in their minds the 4th of July = Rocky movies. So, over the past few nights we've watched the first & second ones & last night was the third one. Perfect ending to a really nice day! I totally enjoyed it.

White, Red & Blue

-Day 184-The girls were noticing everything red/white/blue today & what do you know, but as we pulled into the parking spot at Sams.....right in front of us were these three vehicles all in a row. How cool is that?! Or if you want to get picky...like Clay did.....you can tell me that that really isn't a RED vehicle, but a burgandy one. :-P Men & their colors......any other time everything would be grouped together as RED....but today he can see BURGANDY! Party Pooper!!

98 Quarts of Beans

98 quarts of beans on the shelf, 98 quarts of beans.......take one down & pass it around.............

-Day 183-

Yes, yet ANOTHER picture of beans. This whole picture a day thing is supposed to document our life for a year, right & this is the way my days have been spent for about the past week, so I figured why not?! This is our little pump house & where we store our canned veggies on the shelves out there. Pretty neat to see the shelves as they fill up with beans. The only problem is......where in the heck am I gonna put tomatoes when I start canning them?

It's the Little Things.......

-Day 182-I came downstairs all sleepy-eyed this morning at 7:30am & this is what I found in the fridge. Most certainly the little things that mean the most!! I absolutely HATE to have to make tea AND coffee in the mornings when I get up, so this little gift from Jon was extra sweet! ;-) I told him he made 'Picture of the Day' today!
-Day 181- Charlie Bug resting in the kitchen window beside Ashley's flower boquet.

More Summer Days

-Day 180-

Fun Girly Day today......the girls & I met Ella, Alley & their kids for lunch today at Wendy's then we all headed over to the Dollar Theater to see the Hannah Montana movie. Maw, Sarah, Anna & Daniel met us there. It was such a cute movie.....one I could definitely watch again!!
My kids didn't want their picture taken afterwards, but Anna did......so I took a pic for them since Sarah didn't have her camera. Daniel was NOT too happy about it though. ;-)



-Day 179-
After church Sunday & getting lunch all cleaned up, I had to get down to business....more beans to can. The girls are such a big help....Alli was washing them all & picking all the little blossomy things & leaves out before we put them in the jars.

New Books

-Day 178- Sarah had told me about this neat new store that had opened up...similar to Big Lots....but she said they really had some awesome deals on books.....especially Karen Kingsbury & Beverly Lewis books. So, Friday while I was in town by myself with some free time to browse around I decided to check it out. I spent $18 & got some great deals!! Here's what I got....

1.Wanda Brunstetter's 'Daughter's of Lancaster County series (3 books in 1)-$3.99

~The Storekeeper's Daughter

~The Quilter's Daughter

~The Bishop's daughter

2. Karen Kingsbury (2 in 1)-$5.99

~Even Now

~Ever After

3. Karen Kingsbury-Between Sundays-$3.99

4. Gilbert Morris-The Spider Catcher-$1.99

5. Gilbert Morris-Jacob's Way-$1.99

14 Qts

-Day 177- As of last night when this pic was taken, we have 14 qts. canned. Another 7 qts. are cooling in the canner now & I'll probably do about 14 more qts. today before we pick again.

Wow!

I've been on the hold list for this book at our library FOREVER it seems. Finally picked it up Tues. evening on our way home from Sarah's BD party. Started it that night & just finished it a little bit ago & all I can say is 'WOW!' You really MUST read this book!! It will blow away all your stereotypical thinking of God/religion/christianity. Definitely gets you to thinking 'outside the box' & I love it! I just HAVE to share a few of my favorite excerpts with you guys....then you can go read it for yourselves. ;-)First of all Mack walks into the kitchen & sees Papa........'flour flying as she swayed to the music of whatever she was listening to. The song obviously came to an end, marked by a couple of last shoulder & hip shakes. Turning to face him, she took off the earphones.......Mack asked, "May I ask what you are listening to?"

"West Coast Juice. Group called Diatribe and an album that isn't even out yet called Heart Trips."

"Doesn't sound very religious."
" Oh, trust me, it's not. More like Eurasian funk & blues with a message, & a great beat." She sidestepped toward Mack as if she were doing a dance move & clapped.
"So God listens to funk?" Mack had never heard 'funk' talked about in any properly righteous terms. "I thought you would be listening to George Beverly Shea or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir----you know, something churchier."
Papa replies that she listens to everything & not just the music, but the hearts behind it.'

"I'm not that great a swimmer & besides, the water looks pretty damn cold," complained Mack. He suddenly realized what he had said & felt his face flush. "Uh, I mean darn, pretty darn cold." He looked up at Jesus with a frozen grimace on his face, but the other man seemed to be actually enjoying Mack's discomfort.

"Mack, the world system is what it is. Institutions, systems, ideologies & all the vain, futile efforts of humanity that go with them are everywhere & interaction with all of it is unavoidable. But I can give you freedom to overcome any system of power in which you find yourself, be it religious, economic, social or political. You will grow in freedom to be inside or outside all kinds of systems & to move freely between & among them. Together, you & I can be in it & not of it."

"The Bible doesn't teach you to follow rules. It is a picture of Jesus. While words may tell you what God is like & even what he may want from you, you cannot do any of it on your own. Life & living is IN HIM & in no other.......You will hear & see me in the Bible...just don't look for rules & principles; look for relationship---a way of coming to be with us(the trinity)."

"There are many who think they are made righteous by following the rules. There is no mercy or grace in rules, not even for one mistake. That's why Jesus fulfilled all of it for you- so that it no longer has jurisdiction over you.***Those who are afraid of freedom are those who cannot trust us to live in them. Trying to keep the law is actually a declaration of independance, a way of keeping control. *** Rules cannot bring freedom; they only have the power to accuse."

"My very essence is a verb. Verbs such as confessing, repenting, living, loving, growing, dancing, singing & on & on. Humans, on the other hand, have a knack for taking a verb that is alive & full of grace & turning it into a dead noun or principle that reeks of rules: something growing & alive dies. Unless 'I am,' there are no verbs & verbs are what makes the universe alive. My words are alive & dynamic--full of life & possibility; yours are dead, full of law & fear & judgement. That is why you won't find the word responsibility in the Scriptures."

And it all ends with a quote from Elizabeth Barrett Browning~~

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it & pluck blackberries.