God is So Good!

My family has been in constant prayer over our house selling. We really don't want to put it on the market if we don't have to. Well, about a month and a half ago, a woman came to our garage sale and asked if our house was for sale. We had just started talking about selling our house when she asked. We said yes and she asked to see it. So we showed her around the place and she said she really liked it and would get back to us. About a week later, she called us and wanted to bring her fiancee out to look at it too. After we were done showing them,they left and said they'd give us a call. We didn't hear from her for about a month and we had pretty much lost hope that she'd ever call us again. As we had called her many times before and she had never returned our calls. Out of the blue, she gave us a call yesterday. She is still very interested and is going to give us a call tomorrow and give us her answer! Just when you are loosing all hope, God is always faithful!
We are hoping and praying that she will buy our house! If she does, we will probably be moving to North Carolina mid to later February, beginning of March.

My Dad already has a great job opportunity to be able to work for a wonderful Christian company. The Lord is providing for us so much better than we could ever imagine. I would really appreciate all your prayers for us!

I know this has nothing to do with the above, but I got this in an email this morning and thought it was really good. Enjoy!

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it overspending ...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts,sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended;and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters,dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class.And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids --- all kids --- and he knew them, having coached little league football,baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition --- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters, to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew,the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.

The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God bless and Merry CHRISTmas!

A Safe Return from North Carolina

Last night at about 9:00 pm, we returned from our trip. All of our flights were on time and they all went smoothly. The one on the way home we hit some turbulence that was a little rough, but other than that , it all went well. We had a wonderful time out there. We went shopping to look at prices and the only thing that is a lot more expensive is their eggs. They go for $2.49 a dozen! And that's not even for organic!! We also had to buy a North Carolina sweatshirt. We were told that we had to choose a college football team as that is really big out there. We chose the N.C. State Wolf Pack. Since we talk so much different than them, they kept making fun of us, and we kept making fun of them. They use the words, y'all, ya know, a lot and they don't say "Hi" or "Hello" when they answer the phone, they say "Hey". We ate and Chick Flay and Bojangles. It was really good as we had never had either one of them before. They are really big on fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea. When you go to a restaurant, the first thing they ask you is if you'd like sweet tea with that! They don't have pop, it's soda. I had to laugh when I check the weather there. It said "Tonight 20 F , cloudy and very cold." Then I checked our weather for Minnesota and it said "Tonight, -2, clear and cool." Now what's wrong with that picture!?!



We also visited Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest. It's a wonderful church. We met a lot of families while we were down there. We met the Peter Bradrick family, the Philip Bradrick family, The Valenti family and a couple other families that I can't really remember there last names! {how bad of me!! :o( } Mr. Scott Brown gave a wonderful sermon.



We were so blessed to have the couple that did our chores for us while we were away. Everything went smoothly and Krissy didn't have her pups! When we saw her this morning, she must have grown 5 inches all around! She's HUGE!!! It's amazing what 6 days can do, especially when you don't see her. She should deliver in about a week. We are hoping and praying that all goes well. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas season!!!

~A Vacation~

Tomorrow, we are going to our grandparents house to spend the night before we go to the airport. We are going to North Carolina for 6 days.  We are so grateful that Dad's job allows him to be able to take off and get payed. We are going to stay with my Dad's cousins who we are all close to and are Christians. :o) We haven't seen them in a few years so it will be nice to fellowship with them once again. While we are there, we are going to visit our friends church, Hope Baptist. Mr. Scott Brown is one of the elders there and is going to be preaching that day. Our flights have 1 stop in Atlanta, Georgia, so I hope we can find where we are supposed to go!! I would appreciate all your prayers that we would have safe travels, our flight changes would go smoothly, that my ears wouldn't hurt,{they didn't do good on our last flight, they just don't pop! :o( }, we would be able to go through security without any problems, and that while we are away, all of our animals will be well taken care of, especially since we have a dog due to have puppies about 12 days after we return! It's hard to be able to go on a vacation when you have to find someone to do chores for you. Thankfully, God sent us a wonderful couple just 6 miles down the road from us who are able to care for them in our absence. God is so good!!

We had a scare yesterday though. My Mom got a "finale details" email for our flight and it said that we hadn't booked it yet and it would be an additional $1,700!! Well, Mom was going to have none of that! She called the airlines right away and there computers said we hadn't payed for it, but our bank account did! We would of had to pay all of that if we didn't have our airline conformation code. All was taken care of then, as it was a mistake on there end of it.

Another blessing. Kristina and I are (for the most part) over our colds! Just in time for our trip. We haven't been on one for about 3 years!!! It's long overdue!

I'll have to post pictures when we return!! Stay tuned for updates!!!! Thanks for all your prayers!

~My Life These Last Few Days~

On Friday, my Dad took the day off of work and we all went down to the Cities and went to the play "Robin Hood" at The Children's Theatre. It was an excellent play and we all had a wonderful time. The whole cast was only 5 people, including a one-man band who played about 25 instruments! He was playing 3-5 of them at one time!!! After the play, we all went out to eat at Tony Roma's in the Mall of America. We then went shopping and walked all 3 floors. I was rather sore the next morning from all that walking! Before we left the mall, we stopped at Cinnabon and had a huge Cinnamon roll. It was delicious! Then, we went to Ikea and did some shopping there. We left our house a little after 7 and didn't return until around 7. It was a long day, but we all had a great time together.

Yesterday, we went to "Red Barn MN" and found all sorts of treasures. She only has a sale 3-4 times a year, and after one sale, everything is gone and a whole new inventory is brought in. So, if by chance you happen to visit, buy whatever you like then and there and don't wait, because someone else might buy it!

Today is a quiet day around here as Kristina and I have bad colds. So, a calm day after all that running around is nice. We are going to have Thanksgiving at our house this year and we are expecting 20 people, give or take a few. ;o)

The Lord has really been teaching our family about obeying His voice. He has really convicted me on a lot of things lately, of which I am glad for. Thankfully, I have a loving, supporting family who is always there for me when I am going through certain things in my life. I've been praying for God to give me patience. You better really mean it when you ask for it. God is always faithful to bring situations your way that will test you. Right now in my Bible, I am reading in Joshua. Sometimes when I am reading, I wonder to myself, "When will these Israelite's get it!" Then, the thought pops into my head, "When are YOU going to get it?" The Lord has shown me time and time again, that if you follow His Word, you will be so blessed. Yet if you disobey, there are so many more consequences to follow, than if you surrender you will to His Will.

I hope I have been a blessing to someone since I have started this Blog. I will try to be more faithful in writing. I promise!!! Please, keep me accountable! :D

P.S. We are due to have puppies in about 3 weeks. Hopefully, all goes well :D

P.P.S. I sold my horse. :( I'm sad, but she only went 6 miles down the road and I know she went to a good home.

~A Lesson On Obedience~

Our family has been going through a time "not knowing where we're supposed to be." We have been praying as a family and really seeking God for direction. Well yesterday morning, while I was having my quiet time with the Lord, I just sat there in silence and then prayed to God to give us a clear direction, where He want's us to go. So, I opened my Bible and I came to Jonah. I was really shocked by that. I thought to myself "What does Jonah have to do with anything?" So I read the chapter that I was opened to and it read: "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah rose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord." Jonah 3:1-3
This verse taught me that obeying the Lord is the most important thing, even if you don't want to go to certain places.
Then, I went to Proverbs, and a couple of verses stuck out to me there.
"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." Proverbs 1:23.
"But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from all evil." Proverbs 1:33.
Again, these verses are on obedience and the blessings that follow when you obey the voice of the Lord. Then, I went to Deuteronomy, and found this passage:
"But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all the heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
So, after my quiet time, I was encouraged and had to share it with the family. Now, we are waiting on the Lord, ready to obey His voice when He tells us where He wants us to go.

~Some Happenings~

Yesterday, we all went up to St. Cloud to visit the newlyweds! We brought pizza and had that for lunch and then went shopping with Kelli. It's weird for me to say I have a "brother", since I've never had one before. But, I think I shall enjoy it.

We had a rather scary surprise when we got home yesterday. We had left home about 9 am and didn't get home until 4:30 or so. When we were coming down our drive way, Kristina said she thought my horse, Celtie, was eating over the fence. Kristina's horse has a bad habit of pushing the fence down so he can get the grass on the other side of the fence. I guess the sang is true to a horse "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." :o) So, we drive down there and Celtie is out of the fence! We were hoping that Dakota didn't also find a way of escape, because a horse on the loose is not a fun thing to run after! Thankfully, Celtie had had enough of being out, so she was very easy to catch, and Dakota had not found the escape route out. Celtie had found a hole in the mesh fencing and squeezed through it. (How she did it I have no idea!) Thankfully, she didn't have any cuts. But, as we were doing chores, she was laying down in the barn and was breathing kinda funny. When we searched the surrounding area, where she had gotten out, it looked like she had gotten into some moldy hay that we had thrown out. My first thought was" Great! She has colic!" So, I got her up and started walking her up and down the
driveway. When I was going down the driveway, she wanted to eat grass. If she had colic, she would not want to eat anything. So, that was a good indicator that she didn't have colic, just a belly ache. She probably had to much to eat when she had her taste of "freedom"! We had to fix the fence last night before the sun set, so we only had about 2 hours. We got it done just as the sun sank below the horizon.

We should be expecting puppies around Christmas! I'm so excited! Wouldn't that be a lovely gift!?! If you want to see pictures from our last litters, you can go to our website here: www.autumnacreslabradors.com.

I hope today is not as eventful!

A New Friend!

Me and my new best friend, Celtic Promise (AKA Celtie)

I have been wanting a horse for awhile now. We had some before, but none of them were the right "fit". I wanted one that was just the right height and one that I could train. I either wanted a Quarter Horse or a Haflinger. Well, I found the perfect size, best personality, and one I could train horse. I want to ride english, and most horses around here are trained for western. She is a 2 1/2 year old Haflinger. I was able to bring her home on Friday night. Her previous name was Cupcake, nicknamed Cuppy. But I have decided to rename her, Celtic Promise. Her nickname is Celtie. (Which's rhymes with Cuppy. Well, kinda)

When we were bringing her home on Friday night, it was her first long trailer ride. It was raining so hard we could hardly see. All of a sudden, out of nowhere (as they usually do) a deer comes running across the road! We were trying to slow down, but the wait of the trailer was pushing us forward. The deer made it safe, but then another deer came running out, slipped, and SMACK! right in the middle of the van! We swerved and were able to recover and we had to keep going because of all the traffic behind us. When we got home and unloaded Celtie out of the trailer, my Dad checked the front of the van and not a single scratch! What a blessing! Let's just say, we had enough excitement for a long time.

Well, so much for no more excitement. My sister's wedding is this weekend and we are very busy. My Grandma is coming up from Iowa tomorrow to help out with whatever we need. We are going to spend the night in St. Cloud (which is where the wedding is) Thursday night and won't get back until Saturday night. Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends who are willing to do the chores here for us while we are away. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong and our dog, Angel, won't have puppies while we are away!

OK, last thing that has been going on around here. Our cat, Amelia, had 3 kittens. One died, but the other 2 are strong and healthy. One is a boy and the other a girl.

School is going good. We are taking ASL (American Sign Language) this year which I am really enjoying. We are taking a break though, with all this wedding stuff and visitors coming.

Well, until next time....

(Oops, I lied. I shared one more thing than I said I was gonna.)