Family Camping

We were all so glad that Peter and his family came, it was so great seeing the cousins play together, Addie takes the most beautiful pictures!!

Joe fit in like he has always been apart of the family :)

Cousins plus Joey

I love this picture of Ryan holding the kids pool! Great idea Joy they loved it!!

Adam was such a natural with PJ

We even had deer! LOL

PJ totally liked camping!!

I love this picture of Isaac and PJ

My little cupcake

I thought this was cute, PJ saying bye to Addie

Best Friends, Faith misses Alaina

Thank you to the Carlson family for all of the camping fun! They have the perfect house for everyone, and we were so lucky to have air, cause it was HOT

Ayiti Was Great!

Home safe and sound (and finally healthy) from Haiti. It was a great trip - more to come but here are a couple of snapshots!

Getting a lesson on how to eat fresh almonds. By the way, almonds are very soft and so delicious when they are fresh - I had no idea. There is a fruity pulp around the almond that is also edible and tastes deliciously like a fresh pear!

Team photo on the Mountainside Sanctuary that I helped resurrect. The ocean views were incredible.

Family Camping

Hi All, Here are some pictures from family camping past and present. Thank you Joy and Ryan for hosting it this year. It was great to see everybody. Don't know why this is underlined buy of well. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer.
Love, Debbie

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!! Hope you have a great day and year:-}
Love, Debbie

Thank You

for your prayers as I head to Haiti.  Please pray that we bring the hope of Jesus to a hurting nation.

Ahhhh, Refreshing

This past Thursday & Friday I had the pleasure of spending time with Pete, Em, Alaina, and Addie-a-Jane. We relaxed outside, ate at Culvers (mmmm!), did a little shopping, ran through the sprinkler, took a lovely long walk, drank 7-11 slurpies, read a devotional together, and went to the Royal Oak Farmer's Market. It was such a refreshing time.

Speaking of refreshing - try my new favorite summertime beverage - it's outrageously delicious.

6 cups fresh pineapple juice (I buy mine from Trader Joe's refrigerator)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (fresh is way better than the bottled)
Mix together thoroughly and add
2 liters of plain seltzer water.

Serve over ice and enjoy with a slice of lime!

Happy 4th of July!!

I was lucky to get this picture, if one didnt want to be in the picture, the other one was crying! LOL

Faith loves horses

Joe and I

GG enjoying Peter

Joe and Faith listening to the blue notes yesterday

Faith and her new dress from her birthday, I think she looks so beautiful!

Faith the ballerina

Scripture Memorization Challenge - July

Tip #7 - Write on the back of your card a paraphrase of the verse in your own words.

July's Scripture theme is The Word

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
resource: Topical Memory System by The Navigators

Beautiful bride

Lindsey was an absolutely beautiful bride. She and Jay were beaming with happiness and both looked so relaxed. Doesn't Olivia look lovely as she observes them exchanging vows?

Peters Parts

Proud SisterPJ

PJ's new blanket from Aunty Lindsey, Uncle Jay and Olivia

My mom was talking about some of the stories that happened at the wedding. She told me about Carol asking to see some of PETERS PARTS!!! After i got done laughing i thought i would post some of the cool pictures i have of him! LOL Enjoy Peters parts Carol!

I love this picture

(not sure why or how i got some text in blue and underlined and some black)

My Favorite Blogs (other than this one of course)

When Tracy was visiting for Alaina's birthday party, we got to talking about my couponing and how I know what deals are going on without spending my entire life matching the coupons to the weekly ads. I promised to blog about it, so here it is :)

The Blog that I follow daily is Addicted to Saving. This site has many postings during the day ranging from new printable coupons that are released to freebies available on manufactures' websites. Couponers are also encouraged to write companies and provide feedback on the products they used. I've done this for many of our favorite go-to brands and have received high value coupons in the mail in return for a quick E-mail!

I also follow Jill Cataldo who is a fantastic resource for price comparisons and coupon match ups. She has a link on her website for Coupon Tom which allows you to specify your favorite stores, write a grocery list, and the list will appear with the best deal in your stores with the best coupon option! She also does a wonderful overview each week of the deals at major stores like Walgreens, CVS, Target, Publix, Dominicks, and Jewel-Osco.

If you're an avid Target shopper, like I am, I would recommend Totally Target. This blog will always have the most recent Target coupons that you can stack with manufacturer's coupons and sometimes even get a Target gift card back.

Most stores (Target, Walmart, Meijer to name a few) have their own store coupons on their websites that you can stack with manufacturer coupons for extra savings. Most items are on a 6-8 week cycle so learn your stores and read the blogs for ideal times to stock up. CVS (Extra Care Bucks-ECB) and Walgreens (Register Rewards-RR) do their own version of customer loyalty rewards that count as cash towards a purchase.

I also get 2 copies of the Chicago Tribune so that I have 2 sets of coupon inserts. When a store does a 2/$ deal or a BOGO (buy one get one) deal, I can use both coupons for the product and get a great deal! If you only get one copy, you can check out Sunday Coupon Preview to see if your favorite brands are releasing coupons and buy a few extra papers that week.

Hope this gives you some ideas for saving money and still taking advantage of name brands that you can't do without! Please share any tips/advice that you use :)
Emily Ann

A Few Favorites

Congratulations!

Lindsey & Jay - Congratulations on your marriage.

May your relationship grow stronger with each day.
May your home be filled with laughter and great joy.
May God watch over you and protect you through every trial.
May Christ be your center.

-Tracy

Princess Cake

Alaina had a special request for her birthday.
A pinkalicious princess cake!


(Double Click to Enlarge)

Listen or Get Swallowed

I've spent the last year studying the 4 chapters that make up the book of Jonah in the old testament.  Yes - a year.  The book is so small you can easily pass by it several times before you find it hiding out between Obadiah and Micah.  Diving into these chapters, however, has been a great experience and I have learned so much about the divine interventions that our Awesome God places in our lives. 

The adventure started when I watched this. . .

yes. . . the veggie tales . . . it's good folks.

Then the ladies and I studied Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.  I had the chance to go through it twice.  It was a fresh perspective on Jonah.  Priscilla is a great speaker.  She concentrates on the big theme: Life's Interruptions really are God's Divine Interventions.  The workbook and DVD series did a great job at challenging us to restructure our thinking.

This summer while we take our summer break, the girls and I will be working on learning a number of verses from the study.  You can download a copy for yourself here!  I print the verses on both sides of a single piece of paper; place the paper in a gallon sized ziploc bag with the seal at the bottom of the page; get the bag wet; and stick it onto the tile of the shower!  It's a great place to read God's Word and put it to memory.

I also dove into Jonah with my weekly Wednesday night community.  Igor, Nathan, and I all taught out of the book of Jonah.  This is my lesson on chapters 3 & 4.  Igor and Nathan brought an entirely different perspective to the book.  Studying together in community really does open up my eyes.

On Monday, one of the ladies surprised us with a great gift of this t-shirt.  Oh so darling. . . can't wait to wear it this summer.  It says "Listen or Get Swallowed". 

The great culminating event of studying Jonah was when we watched this fantastic rendition of the story of Jonah told by this absolutely darling little girl.  Seriously - she has a gift.

Our New Addition

This is us ready to go to the hospital

i love this picture!

Proud Nana

Proud sister

Bob stopped in!

Love Papa Pete holding little Peter