Living Room Completion!

I think the photo is pretty self explanatory, but the door you see to the left of those beautiful new (repurposed) build ins that my talented hubby put in, leads to our master suite. Right now it's just a shell, but trust me, it's going to be worth the wait!

So, now that this wall is up and the build ins are finished, our living room is pretty much completed. 

Here is a bigger picture.....

 

And here are some built in shelf details.....

I love the skinny shelf to the left of the entertainment/work station. I've added a baby photo of each child and their baby books are on the bottom shelf. Things like this just make me loopy with excitement! And to review, here is the other side of the living room. 

Outside, we've added just a touch of curb appeal with new lighting and some hardware on the garage doors. It's all coming along. Slowly at times, it seems, and it's hard work, but also so fulfilling! 

Fall Fun and Decor

Simple white pumpkins and pinecones gathered on a family outing grace my dining room table in the wood tray hubby made for me last year. 

We've made the annual pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch.

 

I took a five minute break and turned the flag pallet around and with a magic permanent marker, I freehand wrote some fun fall sayings on it. The rest of my backyard fall decor has been taken care of courtesy of the trees. Love fall leaves! Yes, I even enjoy raking them! 

 

Here is a little taste of my fall decor goodness. Every time the seasons change, I swear that it's my favorite time of year! I guess that's a sure sign that I love life! 

 

Little Boy Blue is facing two surgeries soon. We are trying to coordinate and do both at once so he will only have to go out once. Because of his mastocytosis, he is high risk for anaphylaxis and other complications. We'd really appreciate your prayers that God will work out all the details for our good and his glory. 

 

 

Our garden is winding down. Once again, we have really enjoyed the fresh vegetables. Squash is a staple here in our family during the autumn months and many jars of salsa and tomatoes for soups and stews are lining the pantry shelves! We also put up some white grape juice when a friend gifted us with grapes. 

 

Our church people have made us feel appreciate this month with various and generous pastor appreciation gifts. It is our privilege to serve inside the safety of God's will! 

I've had some fun senior photo shoots this fall, one of which is my very own girl. I can't believe we've been at this for 12 years! 

This is just a small sampling.

 

Kaite is almost halfway through the learning to read program and is already reading like a champion! I am blessed with such sweet and eager students! 

 

I'll share a few funnies with you in this post:

"What do policeman do every day but never get? 

Arrest. Get it? A rest. Get it? Get it? Get it?" Kammy

We sent this one to our local police station and after sending Kammy a thank you, they shared it with their officers and posted it to their facebook page. 

Kalli helping Kaderick away from the supper table says, "Let's go play now." 

To which Kaderick says, "Without washing my hands? You would make a very bad bad mommy, Kalli!"

Kammy just said, "Nice job on the sunset, God!"

"Hey! Why you kidnaped my pants?!" 

This was the phrase Kaderick used to win the heart of the pediatric urology surgeon. 

Evidently Kaderick has gotten a little tired of me inquiring about how he feels. I said, "Kaderick...." And before I could get any farther, he said, "Nothing hurts!"

I was holding him and asked Kayla to make some J.E.L.L.O. I spelled because I knew if he heard me he would want it before it was set. But Mr. Smarty Pants popped his head up and said, "Huh? Jello?!?"

I was snuggling Kade and he looked up and said, "I love you momma, but yours eyebrows look like moldy caterpillars." 

Kaderick loves tortilla chips, only he calls them torpedo chips! 

God's Thoughts on Sm"ALL" Things

I'm a pastor's wife. 
 

After I typed that sentence, I looked back at it and thought it looked too small....too insignificant and too lacking in expression. I guess I could say, "I'm a small pastor's wife." Small not meaning my size, but my worth. A small pastors wife doing small things. But then again, who measures our worth? What does God think about small pastors wives with small pastor husbands who work in small places with a few small people? 

Now, personally speaking, we haven't always been quite as small as we are today. There were times when we had larger crowds, when in the human, we felt like God was blessing our efforts and there are more times when the enemy tempts me to feel like a failure. But, as I've learned this afternoon from God's Word, our success can not be measured in terms of size. People are merely human and people change and grow and sometimes people leave. Sometimes they are led away of God and sometimes they are led astray of Satan. It's not my job quite frankly, to determine which are in which group. We have only to know that we did our best while they were in our limited care. It's not up to me to say that someone didn't want to "pay the price" spiritually speaking or couldn't "make the sacrifice" that comes with pioneering small churches. It's simply up to me to be content in small places, to know that God is pleased to give the entire Kingdom to a small (little) flock (Luke 12:32). 

God the Father takes great pleasure in the multitude of little flocks gathering in small church congregations, home fellowships, home Bible studies, prayer groups, and the like. One note of caution here: the fact that God sincerely loves our small churches must not make us complacent. Our Great Commission responsibilities still include soul winning efforts and other Scripturally-based attempts to contribute to the expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. But while we are involved in this life-long process, it is an absolute fact that God deeply loves sincere, Christ-honoring churches of all sizes. 

Psalm 115:14 promises that  " He will bless those who fear the LORD — small and great alike." 

My mind was drawn to the widow in Mark chapter 12. The one who gave so small. Oops! I mean the one who gave her ALL! Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. See, God evaluates things differently from man’s appraisal. Surely the onlookers thought, “But Lord, surely those rich people who threw in thousands were the big givers!” Jesus' evaluation came through in His reply [paraphrased]: “No, that poor widow’s two very small copper coins were the biggest donation of all." How could this be?!? The answer is that man looks on the outward appearance; God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

What an encouragement to know that "all" God requires of me is my "small all."

Another reference to small things is found in Luke 19:17  “Well done, my good servant!” his master replied. “Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities." Luke 16:10  “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much...." The good servant was “trustworthy in a very small matter." Simple trustworthiness may not seem like a significant thing to some, but it is a very important thing to God. In fact, it is "all" to God. In Luke 19:17 the reward (taking charge over ten cities) was not until the Second Coming of the Lord. Apparently until the very end of his life the servant had simply remained “trustworthy in a small matter." Though the place may be small, I must be faithful in the task, remain trustworthy, and great will be the reward. That is Jesus’ call to every saint, shepherd, and shepherd's wife of God’s “little flocks” to the thousands of small churches around us. Let us remain trustworthy in whatever small thing he gives us to do. Preach the Word; strive to win souls; care diligently for the many or the few that God gives us. Love small people to a BIG God, and hear His “Well done!” in due time.
 

Despise not small things (Zechariah 4:10) for small is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few find it (Matthew 7:14).

What a privilege and blessing it is to be "small." What a joy to give my "small all" to the Master!