A Year in Review

January 2010

2010 started off pretty uneventful. There is not much to say about January '10, at least that I can remember.

February 2010

Hunter went to Ice Blast for the weekend with her church youth group(about 80-100 middle school kids). She went ice skating, cross country skiing (she fell alot!), sit spinning on the ice, she played broom ball and capture the flag, and worshipped and learned more about Jesus.

Hunter also sold and delivered Girl Scout cookies for the last time.

Loren traveled to Nebraska for work.

Kamille was working at Hot Stuff Pizza.

Our second grandchild, Conor, was born at the end of this month. After five daughters and one granddaughter it was nice to know someone in the family could produce a male.

March 2010

I taught a Junior Achievement class at the public school to 60 6th graders. The course was called The Global Marketplace. Although, I am no longer in the workforce, my background was in global sourcing and materials management for a large manufacturing company, so this class was a perfect fit for me. I absolutely loved teaching! My daughter, Hunter, was in the sixth grade at the time so I knew a lot of the kids. Every time I arrived at the school, I received plenty of hugs and smiles from the kids. It was way cool!

We met with another family to discuss homeschooling as we had been contemplating doing so ourselves for about a year by now, and had now gotten to the point of talking to some seasoned veterans and pick their brains. The couple we met with left a very positive impression with me, not because of what they knew but because of who they were - They were generous, humble, kind, soft spoken, Christians. They set a great example of Christians living out their faith in God and Christian marriage as a ministry. I left their house that night thinking I had met my first Proverbs 31 woman. As an interesting side note, the husband we met that night now works for my husband. I feel blessed that God has surrounded him with men who love the Lord and live their faith unashamedly.

April 2010

I attended my first ever Woman's Retreat sponsored by our church. The three day event was attended by about 400 women. The guest speaker for the event was Jill Briscoe of Speaking the Truth Ministries. My sister and I were able to have a heart to heart conversation with her. She was so gracious to have taken the time to mentor us. I will never forget it.

Kamille had to attend a government meeting for her Government class. We chose to go to one outside of our township where a hot topic debate was taking place over windmills. The Town of Morrison was debating a Windmill Energy ordinance. There were a lot of people who had signed contracts with firms to have windmills put on their properties and some very upset neighbors who wholeheartedly disagreed. It was very interesting to see people passionately debate two different sides to an issue in the context of public debate, and heartbreaking to see neighbors in a small community turn on each other.

May 2010

May brought Kamille's Junior Prom. She wore a beautiful purple, poufy, ball gown. Her make up and hair were professionally done. We took pictures at home before driving to a friends house where about 20 kids gathered for group pictures. A limo bus picked the kids up from there and took them to a fancy restaurant to eat before taking them to the dance. She had a wonderful time.

Hunter and I attended our third annual National Day of Prayer Breakfast which has become a tradition for us. The speaker this year was the Chaplin for the Green Bay Packers.

Hunter got braces and started the grueling Otho process in the pursuit of straight teeth.


June 2010

Hunter attended her last day of public school and officially became a home school student. Her summer school was done at home.

Hunter attended volleyball camp for a week.

We attended my niece's graduation from Fort McCoy Challenge Academy.

The end of June ushered in our big family vacation. We started with a family wedding in Minnesota, a Little House on the Prairie stop in South Dakota, and then on to Rapid City, SD for a few days.

July 2010

Our family vacation continued on into Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. Amazing!

Our new hardwood flooring was installed in July, as well. I love it!

Hunter joined the local Library's Battle of the Books team and began preparing for competition.


August 2010

The month started off with another family vacation, this time a week in Eagle River at a cottage on the Lake. We went horseback riding, Go-Carting, boating, tubing, fishing. The most fun was sitting around the fireplace at night, in cozy chairs, reading out loud to the kids. It's something we do on a regular basis now.

We volunteered at Convoy of Hope. Our area's first ever hosting of this huge event was held in 95 degree, 100% humidity weather conditions. Our first job was to bag 6000 pounds of groceries. Later in the day, we helped the guests carry their groceries to their cars. This was no easy task in the heat as the cars were parked, on average, several blocks away. We were beat! But, the feeling in our hearts that we got for helping someone in need out shined the uncomfortableness of the day.

Our church held an outdoor service at the local AAA baseball stadium so all of our congregants could worship together as a church family. We usually have three different services on a weekend. This was pretty neat.

Hunter attended her last ever Girl Scout Camp and met a great volunteer from Australia. She imitated that accent for weeks afterward.

Kamille had her senior pictures taken. Where did the time go?

Our world turned slightly upside down when we found out our teenage daughter was pregnant. We have since recovered from heart failure and expect a much anticipated granddaughter in February 2011. God works in mysterious ways and we have a new informal ministry as a result.

September 2010

The four toughest months of my husband's career started in September. It was a very stressful snow season for him. The Company he works for is doing great, demand was high, and then, even higher then expected, and people turnover was high, too. With so many unemployment benefits being given out by the government, he found it hard to fill positions this year because many preferred to get paid by the government rather than have to work for their livelihood.

Hunter's Battle of the Books team took second place for our local library.

On a side note: The Battle of the Books team can comprise of middle schoolers through high school. Some of the books on the reading list were geared to the older kids and others were not acceptable to either age group, in my opinion. I did a thorough review of the books on the list prior to the first meeting.
I, then, attended the meeting with my daughter and informed the leaders that my daughter would only be allowed to read 4 out of the 12 books on the list. We needed to know if this would be acceptable, otherwise, she would have to decline participation on the team. They agreed this was acceptable, and this opened up quite a bit of dialogue about what is appropriate for these competitions. Throughout the three months of practice, we discussed this topic and I was pleased to learn that as a result, next year's book selections will be much more scrutinized. Many of these leaders were Christians and uncomfortable with some of the selections themselves. I was well respected for guarding what my daughter reads and for taking a stand. Don't ever be afraid to stand up for what is right!

Ali started the Awana Program.

Loren is a small group leader for sixth grade boys at our Church's Youth group program again this year.

Hunter and I started volunteering for Kids Cove twice a month. Our church holds a Moms class and Kids Cove is the babysitting service available to the moms attending the class. Ali gets to play with other kids her age and Hunter gets to learn how to organize a group of kids to keep them occupied and from missing their moms.

September was also was the month for Kamille's senior homecoming. This is a year of 'lasts' for her but also many new 'firsts' as well.

Our trip to Branson, Mo was cancelled at the last minute due to an issue at work my husband had to take care of instead.

October 2010

Loren travelled to Alabama for work.

Ali turned 3.

Our tree in our front yard came down on our house due to high winds that we experienced for a few days in a row.

We went as a family to a Corn Maze - our first ever. We had a blast!

November 2010

Loren got zilch in the deer hunting department again this year.

December 2010

Hunter had the month off of textbook schooling and instead we enjoyed different types of learning. Baking, cooking, art, reading, etc. She made cookies and delivered them to the neighbors with a Christmas message. She made Christmas cards and Christmas ornaments to donate to the local nursing home. She made star Christmas ornaments for our tree and also to give out as gifts. She planned, organized, and hosted a girls Christmas party for her friends. She's been making bracelets and anklets for her friends, too.

Ali sang in her first Christmas concert at church. Adorable!

We celebrate Christmas and New Year's with family and friends.

Overall

Our year had challenges and many joys; ups and downs, just like everybody else. However, God provided all that we needed and nothing was insurmountable. We feel blessed that in a tough economy, Loren's place of business prospered, and we were able to enjoy some family vacations and do some home remodeling.

We continue to faithfully spend time in God's Word daily which has helped build a strong foundation and has helped us get through some tough times. We are part of a small group that meets weekly for bible study and fellowship, and I continue to host a monthly woman's bible study in my home.

Life is good and God is great!

Oh, the things that kids dream up!

My youngest is so making this up as she goes along!

Notice the pieces of yellow and black fabric on the couch? Those belong to her older sister who happens to come into the room at the end of the video. Ali tries to distract her from catching her with them by talking about snowmen. Good thinking!

Star Ornaments

A dear friend of mine, who also happens to be very creative and artistic, all things I am not, donated supplies to my daughter to make these Christmas star ornaments.

Hunter enjoyed making these wire and beaded stars so much there might not be any leftover supplies to return.

My friend took the time to explain to Hunter how to make them. I know she listened well, for two reasons. 1. She was able to make eight stars herself; and 2. She was able to instruct three other girls how to make them, too. (The girls were over for a Christmas party at our house that Hunter hosted, and they were able to leave with a homemade Christmas gift for their moms!)

In fact, Hunter instructed almost word for word what my friend had told her. In the same mannerism, tone, and detail; and sold it as if she had thought it all up herself and experienced all the trial and error lessons herself! Who says kids don't listen or pay attention. I was very proud of her! And very thankful for a friend willing to invest in my daughter with knowledge of a skill I wouldn't have been able to impart. She opened up a new pursuit for her.

I know my friend will just wave this off as nothing big, but this was a gift to my daughter, one she will cherish and remember always.

Blizzard Aiden

A picture of Blizzard Aiden from inside our home.

We are reading The Children's Blizzard right now.

How cool to go through an actual blizzard while reading a book about one from 1888!

Having an actual blizzard hit our area while we are reading this book, made it possible to more visually imagine what it was like for the people described in the book. The real life struggles they endured are amazing. How lucky we are today with how far we have come technically speaking, as well as, in terms of comfort and convenience!

The Children's Blizzard discusses the weather in detail, almost like a meteorology class. We've been tracking the weather daily just like they do in the book. We were able to log the weather indications both prior to the storm and post storm, and compare them to what was logged in the book. 'Cold Wave Warning' comes to mind. (You'd have to read the book to understand! Go ahead, it's an excellent read.)

Shine A Light

I am so thankful for the sunshine today. The day just seems better when there is beautiful sunshine streaming through my windows.

However, the sunshine is also highlighting some not so appealing aspects in my home today. Dusty floors, dirty windows, splatter spots on the stove. All things I apparently didn't notice on the recent string of overcast days. Out of sight, out of mind.

I didn't see it before so it didn't bother me but today I am frantically cleaning up all those things that were brought to light. It seems a little overwhelming, trying to get it all done before the sunshine goes away again, and I won't be able to see it so readily.

As I am working away, I thought about how God's light shines into our hearts and reveals all those dusty, dirty, unappealing aspects to our sinful nature and bears to light that these present a problem for us.

Once revealed, we know they are there, we see them as unappealing, and we have an opportunity to accept God's help in cleaning these areas that were previously hidden from us.

Just like my household chores today, heart cleaning can seem like a never ending job. We clean up one area of our life and another spot is revealed.

We are definitely an undone people with much work to do. It takes a lifetime of walking in God's shining light and under his refining work to really get us all in order and cleaned up just right.

Holy! That's what they call it when God has removed all the dirt from our life and we are shiny clean - spotless!

This side of heaven we will always be undone, but less undone everyday, if we are allowing God to work in us, coming into full completeness as we cross from this life into eternal life in heaven.

Don't be discouraged at the amount of work left to do. Rather be thankful there is still daylight in which to work.

Be grateful the Lord of Lords has offered to come in and work in you for free!

Just like my home is a work in progress so is my heart.

IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS. . .

There was a time when
marriage was out of a
necessity to survive.

There was a time when
if a spouse died, the other, would
remarry within days or weeks.

There was time when
men depended on their wives
for their inner strength.

There was a time when
women depended on their husbands
for their outer strength.

There was a time when
the two really became one,
greater than the individuals.

There was a time when
children were a blessing
and a heritage from God.

There was a time when
a child was welcomed
despite the extreme hardships.

There was a time when
the children were expected
to pitch in and contribute.

There was a time when
hard work ruled the day,
not mindless entertainment and fun.

There was a time when
great risks were taken
to secure a better future.

There was a time when
people trusted God for
all of their daily provisions.

There was a time when
families raised children
to depend on and trust in God.

There was a time when
people understood they were
just passing through this life.

There was a time when
the cycle of life was
accepted and not feared.

There was a time when it wasn't always like this!

Menasha woman calls for help for Saharawi people facing violence in Sahara | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent

Menasha woman calls for help for Saharawi people facing violence in Sahara | postcrescent.com | Appleton Post Crescent

The Menasha woman referred to in this local article is the wife of our Pastor. She is currently in the Western Sahara refugee camps located in Algeria along with a team from our church. They are being the hands and feet of Jesus to a Muslim people oppressed for years and forgotten by the world. She has spoken on behalf of this people group to the United Nations on several occasions.

http://ctrblog.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/urgent-news-from-western-sahara/ (cut and paste in your browser to read her urgent plea to us back home.)

www.betheirvoice.org tells their story.

What if something like this was going on in your town? Who would stand up for you? Who would be your voice or the voice of your child? Who would help you? Who would be willing to step in and intervene on your behalf?

God sees the evil that is being thrust upon these people. He loves this people group and he wants us to love them, too! Can we have compassion for their situation and see them through God's eyes and be moved to be an advocate for them.

Please pray for them. Please pray for our church leaders. Pray they have wisdom, courage, love, and comfort for these people. Pray that God comes down from heaven to avenge them and to rescue them so that they may know for sure who is the living God of the universe and so that they may worship and praise him all the days of their lives.

The gospel message is being shared in their circumstances and a miracle on their behalf may solidify a belief in the one true God. A entire people group may come to know Jesus as their personal Savior because he heard their cry and came to them in their time of need. Pray that this is so. Pray that justice is served and God is praised!

Please take the time to read the article from our local newspaper. If anyone who reads this has ties to important people that may be able to help get the word out about what is happening in Western Sahara this week, please forward to them.