Fried Tofu and Applesauce

What we did at Paeter's on Saturday night besides making fried tofu and other goodies.

I told Paeter he should bust out the ceiling so we could really have a climbing wall.... not a bad idea!

On Sunday I started a huge project. I grew up making applesauce but we always froze it. So this year I decided to teach myself to can it. For the next five hours I was rushing around the kitchen between washing jars, keeping them hot, making sure the water was boiling, cutting more and more apples, cooking apples, churning apples and all the while deperately hoping that the jars would seal. All those steps are basically going at the same time. At one point I called over Shannon to tell me what a sealed jar would feel or look like. That was really helpful. My friend Autumn was writing on her blog about wearing a bun and feeling like a spinster.... welll Autumn... I think I gotcha beat! I was wearing a bun and canning. That has to be the epitomy of spinstership! Anyways, we'll "spin" together!

First you have to cook down the apples and then put them through the churn.

I always make applesauce with the skins on so that it's pink.

Nice and Tight...

Canning is easy but a timely project. I had water boiling for 5 hours straight, plus many others things happening all at one time.

The finished product! My neighbor Shannon and I tried some..... wow!.....soooo good!

Entering Fall

Trying some new settings on my camera.

Me with Heidi, my wonderful sister!

Old Mission Lighthouse.

Our last moments just being sisters before the wonderful new addition comes. It's a real gift from God to have a sister. I love you Heidi!

Signs of Fall. I love this season.

Hasta la moo moo!

Pretty well nailed to the ground. Sorry guys!

One lucky cowboy with all those cow riden wonders!!!

The cows from Fairplain will miss you Reuben! Moo....Mooo... laugh...chuckle... MOOOOO!

Seriously, please come back and visit. I pray God blesses your knew co-workers through you Reuben!

Floral Lane...the best kept secret!

This is the first dune you have to conquer at Floral Lane on your way out to the beach.

Lake Michigan again just in case any of you were wondering what it looks like for the 100th time!

Elizabeth.

Free to be.

Paeter's castle. It looked like the tower of Babel until he put windows in it.
I have to say something here about being where nature is all around you and especially water. It is just so peaceful and brings a free feeling to my heart. It turns me into a kid to run down the dunes with my hands in the air like I'm experiencing it for the first time. I love feeling my legs moving so fast that it seems that I can't keep up with them. Each step closer to the water is confirmed with the sound of the waves getting louder. Then it's "wow" moment when you top the last dune and get the full view. All that sand, the water hitting the shore, wind everywhere, and most of all the sun setting behind it all. Amazing! Our God is so great!

The castle was so strong that Elizabeth could even do a handstand on it...hmmmmm....
Pretty neat eh?!

These were some pretty good 2.5 second handstands!

This is what I felt like after our Saturday night snack...bundles!

tall, dark and handsome

Yesterday something happened at work. Wow! Imagine that! One of the assistants came back with some flowers and said, " someone tall, dark and handsome guy just brought you these." Then she hurried off to get a vase for the beautiful bouquet of roses and carnations. You can believe that my heart skipped some beats, but I was very satisfied when I read the writing on the note and they were from my friend Elizabeth. That really made my day. Thanks Elizabeth.



Now I have to make some comments about this phrase that has been used for years... "tall, dark and handsome". Whoever came up with that? It's all in the eyes of the beholder. Even more, it's in the way hearts blend. I would like to put a new bend on the phrase "tall, dark and handsome".

Tall- Does he stand tall for Jesus? Does he trust God?

Dark- Is he aware of the dark battle of the enemy and fighting it with the light in God's word?

Handsome- Does he know his position in Christ? Does he realize that makes him attractive and creates security?

That's what really matters to me.

A Blast from the Past

Just starting to learn the piano. I'm so glad my parents encouraged me to do that. It's been a blessing ever since.... except for practicing classical pieces and scales. I really didn't like that at all and still don't.

Yes I was a Pathfinder once upon a time.

Those are the coolest pants!

Me and my Dad. This is a special picture. How bout them there pink cords and my dad's glasses?!

Remembering Benton Harbor. James, Me, Leah and Mc Brian! They were the coolest and still give hugs when I go visit.

It's all about Him

I hear the sunsets over Lake Michigan are better than the ones on the West Coast. Wow! That's pretty incredible considering that Lake Michigan isn't the ocean. Anyways, I am always so happy to witness the wonder behind each sunset and especially because they are all so different. That is just how creative our God is. This brings to mind the awesomeness of a God who so wants to recreate in my heart new desires, fresh thoughts, healthy motives and pure love. Last night I was considering how the enemy of our souls tries to throw us into the pit of muck and mire. Sometimes we fall in, sometimes we slip in and sometimes we jump right into the pit. So I was reminded while talking to a friend that it is important to stear clear of his devices. I want to keep my feet as far away from enemy territory as possible. The specific areas we were talking about included topics like jewelry, dancing and what I call "high octane" music. These are, for some people, touchy topics but really...isn't heaven cheap enough? It was fun discussing these things and I hope to continue to walk with God in such a way that He will have total sway over my mind. After all, it's a battle over the mind. The Bible says, " But we have the mind of Christ." ICor. 2:16. That means that we are completely equipped with what we need to fight any battle. So how do I keep the mind of Christ? I believe that this takes a strong belief in His promises over my personal life, it takes renouncing the lies of the enemy with the truth in God's word and it takes earnest prayer. God is so awesome! He is deserving of more praise from our lips, He has paid for me on Calvary, His blood has secured my destiny and I am a child of the King of Kings. I hope and pray that today you will open your heart to more of God's greatness, that your mind will be filled with Jesus. It's all about Him!

My Friday

Today was a wonderful day! I woke up this morning with this sense of... ahhhh....no work... just time to be me. I was so thankful to God for today. Later my friend Shannon came over and asked if I wanted to go to this christian book wholesale store in Buchanan. Since I had never heard of it before I was thinking that I would just take her to get what she wanted and come home. Well, I was in for a big $200 day! I ended up buying some pretty challenging books but also found some neat buys for my little nephew. Here's the official list after two trips to the store. And by the way, all these books were at wholesale prices which means, most were at least 50% off if not much more. What a blessing!

1. 10 volumn set of The Bible Stories in spanish for Elijah
2. 5 volumn set of Mis amigos de la Biblia for Elijah
3. NKJV Audio Bible on CD
4. 3 spanish music CDs
5. Wild At Heart by John Eldridge
6. Sex and the Single Guy by Joe Knable
7. Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
8. Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore
9. You Have What It Takes by John Eldridge
10. The Bondage Breaker study guide
11. Strongs Exhaustive Concordance

These are some of the books.

So after getting home and unpacking all my books, I just felt so excited to have these new books to read. If any of you have questions about this store, let me know. It's awesome and the books are brand new and cheap compared to the ABC and other Christian bookstores. Have a wonderful Sabbath and remember that God is so true to His word. There is no doubt in my mind that He cares for me and longs to develop a greater work in my life and also in yours.

7:52 a.m.

At 7:52, August 28, 2007 I turned 29 years old. Praise God for His faithfulness to bringing me new life every morning.

" As you enter upon a new year, let it be with an earnest resolve to have your course onward and upward. Let your life be more elevated than it has hither been. Make it your aim not to seek your own interest and pleasure, but to advance the cause of your Redeemer... Aim to honor God in everything, always and everywhere...Educate your mind to love the Bible...and, above all, the hour when the soul communes with God... A new year of your life now commences. A new page is turned in the book of the recording angel. What will be the record upon its pages?"

This was a challenging paragraph that I found in one of my birthday cards. I want the recording angel to be able to write victory down in my book. I'm so thankful for God who is always helping us to live more for His glory. That is the only light we will carry with us into heaven... His glory... His character. Let's pray for more of Jesus, earnestly seeking Him.

At least I didn't have to blowout 29 individual candles.

Michael and Micheal.

Tunisia and Adrianne
Lynette and I
It's so fun to bat the air. jj ....I had never had a pinata at my birthday before. Everything was so fun!
Elizabeth taking a swing at the cute little butterfly!

The lovely donkey with no tail. Poor thing... no one ever pinned it correctly either.

My job security was on the rise with the suckers from the pinata. Thank you to all my friends who made me feel so special on my birthday!

I Love Northern Michigan!

This picture speaks for itself. It was so great to spend time with Heidi.

Heidi and I. By the way, this beautiful lake is Lake Michigan!

My wonderful sister Heidi looking so cute and pregnant!

After visiting my sister I headed to the Pine River with some friends. This is my car at it's best. We spent the weekend in the Manistee National Forest. This meant that we had no running water or bathrooms. The roads are "seasonal" and the "campsites" are free.

Our lovely house for the weekend!

Church where it was meant to be. Tunisia led Sabbath School and Michael gave the sermon.

Walking and Talking! It was such a blessing to be spending Sabbath out in nature. After our church service we headed out for a quick hike before making lunch.

Watch out for the person with the bigger knife!

Homemade pasta sauce for Sabbath lunch. It was gourmet for rustic camping.

The Campers!

Tunisia and Renee on our Sabbath hike along the river.

The guys made a super hot fire for roasting hogdogs on Sat. night. It was a good thing that there was a little bit of a drizzle so we didn't start the forest on fire. Earlier that day the fire alert was at "very high"....according to the yogy bear sign.

Roadside dining. On the way home we ended up eating on the side of the road. It was so funny to be sitting on the edge of the road, around our camp table, eating hotdogs.