Just wanted to recomend this book for a friend, and whoever else struggles with it, its a very helpful book.

Outside my window...it's dark, it's EARLY Thursday morn!

Beside my bed....a few clothes layed out for the day of traveling!

In the kitchen.....all cleaned up (even the fridge, thanks to DH!!!) just a few dishes to wash in morning.

In the living room....bags, and bags, and BAGS! We are ready to roll!

I am praying.....for a safe trip, for DD#1 who is going thru a rough spot right now, for some friends.

I am hoping....that I won't have a hard time getting up in the morn!

I am wearing.....my purple pjs!

I am reading.....ok, you all finally convinced me, I picked up the Mitford Series at the library and I'm taking them with me!

plans for the weekend....as you have guessed by now...traveling! can't wait to get there and see family and friends! Prison Presentations Sun morn and Sun night, please say a prayer for us!!!

I am sharing....some pics of things we've been doing the last few weeks and the reason I've been too busy to blog!!!

Swimmin lessons is what has consumed me these last two weeks!  DD#3 and 4 both took them. 

HG is in the Nemo swimsuit

jumping off in the deep end!

Then the noisy class....lots of crying went on the first few days in this class, but thankfully no crying from Hope!

Learning to swim under water to the wall

sure does tucker her out!

her class here

learning thier arm exercises....the teacher Ms Janet taught them to move thier arms in the swimming motion and say"get away from me MS. Janet! It was so cute, they all loved that part!

look how crazy they were sleeping!!!

Our sweet nieghbor/church friend made this for Rach!

this was at the Forward Conference the girls and DH went to

Love these pics of how they're all prayin for each other! 

Ok, I haven't had time to give my weight -loss update, (nor have I wanted to!)  but here goes....

I have stayed the same, I'm really struggling to get under a certain number on the scales!  Also with our busy schedule the walking has slowed way down, which is not a good thing!   On the up side of things...somehow, all the sudden my clothes are finially getting too big! I have been able to get into the next size down on alot of clothes. It has been fun grabbing something in my closet that I haven't worn for a long time, and finding out that it's fits better than it did before!  So, I'm hanging in there, and I'm planning on being active on our trip.

one of our evening walks

and  thats about it for this post, I may not be posting much the next few weeks, just depends on how much access I have to a computer and how busy I am.        ~Blessings!  Jill~

And this is what I'm doing today!  It was DD#1's idea to make a packing station out of our table, to keep us from getting overwhelmed with 4 girls plus mom's stuff all over the house!  I've raised such an smart and orderly girl!

Leaving for Indiana on Thurday after swimming lessons!!! wooo-hooo!!!!   

QUESTION???   when and if you were...packing for a 3-4 week trip, that includes having church clothes, work clothes, out to eat clothes, and everyday clothes...How many total outfits would you pack???

I'm wondering if I overpacked again???

and here it is!

I'm loving it, not so much on looks but it is so easy to fix!!

This was taken yesterday at my friend's house, she is off with my older girls at the confernce and told me to go use the pool while she was gone! YEAH, no problem!  This is Hannah Grace and Hope Divine with thier friend Rylee (who Hannah Grace has been wanting to come over for months!) and Rylee's little friend there also.

So Rylee got to come and spend 2 nites with us! It has been so fun for the girls, they've had the whole house to themselves with no Big sisters! I pretty much dropped my schedule for the weekend and just got on theirs and focused on them.

An interesting few days to say the least, I'll tell about it later, but for now I will say some prayers have been answered, and I thank God for using me the way he has these last few days. He never ceases to amaze me, and yet their is so much saddness in this world and so many damaged lives from Satan, it still encourages me that He is STILL God and he hasn;t changed and he is working in these situations we pray for all the time.  He is the way ans the truth and the life, Satan's way is hard, the bible states that the way of a transgressor is hard.  That righteous indigination I guess it is, rises up in me, I get more and more of a hatred for Satan and what the lies he has told so many people, the lives he's destroyed. It just makes me more determined to keep on for Jesus!!!!  I just want to do all I can to lead others to him, to help others to be restored.  Well I guess I spoke my heart on this morning!

Dave and the girls are traveling back today! I have missed them! I know Dave has had a good time, the Lord blessed him so much , haven;t heard much from the girls, but I'm sure to hear it all when they get back!

This is our last full week at home before, we pack up and go to Indiana. Dave has several services lined up and we;re looking forward to that, we won;t be doing as much singing this time, but we do have a few songs we want to work on for the Prison Ministry  presentations.

WELL, time to get the little girls up for Sunday School, Have a GREAT LORD"S DAY!!    ~JILL~

  Outside my window... Sunny and warm!  It's been just a little cooler this week because of all the storms

Around the house....two little girls still sleeping, left over B-day wrap from last nite, messy from the "Forward Bound" members of the family who headed out just a half hour ago  going to miss them!

 From the Kitchen...Since it's just me and the little girls...we will probably go grocery shopping to get some of thier favorites for meals the next few days...as for what is in the kitchen now...

Rachel made her B-day cake, not because she had to, but because she loves to make and decorate cakes! So the rest of it from last night is in there, but it is to be ate by the little girls and not this Weight Watcher! I had some last nite, it was delicious!!!

What I'm wearing....right now pjs with coffee in my hand!

What I'm thinking....about what all I want to do this weekend, since things will be different around here!

I'm praying...for a family at church, a cousin of mine for finances, the church youth on thier way to the confernce, and just alot of other "stuff"!

Why June 24th is special....because ...Rachel is turning 13 today! I now have 2 teens in the house!

we had to celebrate early since she had to leave this morning, so last evening we had her cake and gave her Birthday gifts

couldn't resist posting this one, shows her true colors! LOL! (usually no laughing matter!)

gifts from the little girls

hair things from Hannah Grace

from all of us

she's been wanting a body pillow for a long time, this was Leah's idea

we are just starting to re-decorate her room in Safari

daddy got her a rod n reel!

Celebrate!

love my girl!

Then after church we went out for mexican! Yes Birthdays are a big deal for us!!!

friend Katy was along

complimentary fried ice cream for the Birthday girl!

ok, now for WEIGHT UPDATE.....

the meal Dave and I split!  LOL treating myself after I LOST a pound!!! YEAH!!!  Hope I didn't gain it back after all this B-day stuff!

the next few days...seriously planning on behaving myself food wise, it's the perfect opportunity with less people in the house, planning on going grocery shopping for some low point foods!

I am creating.....hopefully a little more sewing, probably some hand sewing for Hannah Grace from the stuff we got at convention.

Plans for the weekend.... not much house cleaning this time, I'm trying to just straighten this morning, but the rest of the time, I want it to be set aside to do special things with the little girls, that may include a free movie at church this afternoon, would like to have a reading marathon, barbies, swimming, and whatever else we can think of thats fun!

Oh I almost forgot.....Its also my Dad and Mom's anniversary!!! yes they think its so special that Rach was born on thier anniversary!

Happy (i don't know how many years, but ALOT) Anniversary mom and dad!!!!

HAVE a great Thursday and a great weekend!   ~JILL~

   We dropped the older DD's off last sat. in Al. to meet thier cousin to take them to Ind. for church camp. It's the camp I went to when I was younger, and Leah had went the first time last year as a camper, and loved it, and was hoping and praying to go back this year! Her prayers were answered and Rachel decided to go too.

here they are with cousin Monica last Saturday

So we decided to do something special with the little girls since it was a time we could focus on just them...this was our first stop...Bass Pro Shop (all our girls love it!)

woooah he's coming right for me!!!

this was a special weekend activity they were doing there

smores! YUM!

Our next stop was at a Day's Inn, nothing fancy at all but it had an outdoor pool and that was priority!!!

I quickly noticed again, that with the little girls, it doesn't take so much to amuse them and make them happy, for instance, not only the pool, but they were excited and begging to use the vending machine to get a candy bar!

AHHHHH chocolot!!! maybe its because normally we never use the vending machines when everyone is along because its too expensive! Whatever the reason, it gave me joy to give them a something simple that pleased them so much!

enjoying our time together!

after thier swim, they colored for a while

watching Sponge Bob before leaving the next day

Oh yeah, they even got in the pool again the next morning for a few hours, after the continental breakfast (which they also thought was the berries!!  Hannah Grace wanted to set our kitchen up like that for breakfast every morning LOL!

We traveled home then on Sunday afternoon, got home in just enought time for Dave to go on to church, (me and the little girls were too tuckered out to go!)

So then on Monday Hannah Grace went back to the library program she had been going to all last week, Hope hated to see her go everyday but it gave me time at home to jump into some much needed cleaning! Hope did real well playing by herself.  I worked on alot of HOT spots around the house, rearranged furniture, cleaned the kitchen cabinets and the pantry, and just a bunch of other stuff all around the house! That was all over the course of the whole week!

Tuesday afernoon we went out to my friends house to get in the pool for a few hours.

Wednessday more of the same with church included that night.

Thursday was the last day of library program and Hannah Grace had begged me to come and stay that day, so we did!

they learned alot about music these weeks

another one of our projects this week was to get all the stuffed animals moved back to thier nets after all the room change over that took place a few weeks ago

is this nuts or what?!!!

Hannah Grace just had to arrange them for a pic!

Here shes acting like shes directing a choir, what an imagination!!!

Then on Friday Dave was off so we took of to town to do a little B-day shopping for Rachel 13!!!

We decided not to get a sitter, we were just enjoying the little girls too much!   Along the way Dave showed me this little church that is without a pastor that wants him to come and preach for them sometime in the very near future.

another place he showed me was where he goes to work every Thursday, this is just a fly by pic!

caught the lightening in this one!!!

So I've wrote a book here about my week! LOL!  The big girls are traveling home tomorrow, so please be in prayer for thier safety. I'm ready to see them, I've changed thier sheets and straghtened thier rooms and put thier clothes away, won't they be surprized!  Both of them had good reports of camp, sounds like my prayers were answered! When they get back, they'll just be home for a few days and then take off again to another church meeting, this time in Atlanta, this time Daddy goes to to be there for the boys, I'll be by my lonesome, just me and the little girls again!    Have a great weekend!   ~Jill~

Outside my window...HOT!!!!

Ah the signs of summer!!

I am wearing..... navy blue capris and a navy and light blue snap buttoned down with navy and cream flowers (my latest thrift store find!)

I am praying....for some dear friends in Indiana, and for some other dear to my heart thats in Indiana right now...my older girls are at church camp this week! Praying they fall deeper in Love with Jesus!

we met our cousins this past Sat. in Al. to pick them up and take them the rest of the way

had lunch at BackYard Burgers

Daddy giving the girls goodbye kisses

I have been creating....

a T-shirt dress for Hope, it has some mistakes but Hope doesn't seem to notice!

I am Hoping.... that I get the rest of the things on my list done before the girls get home, a few more things to clean out here and there!

I am thinking.....how different our home is when the big girls aren't here! I've got a lot done just because there's less people in the house, I have been able to do some things with the little girls that normally is harder because I'm stretched 4 different ways instead of two! I am missing them, can't wait to hear all thier camp stories! It's just different, and I'm sure it's been a healthy break for them to be away from thier little sissy's for a while too!

Around the House....I'm hearing Hope whining from the bedroom because she doesn't want to take a nap, Hannah is off playing quietly by herself, the dishwasher is running, so is the washer, and the house is cool (Thank the Lord!)

In the Kitchen....I got the pantry cleaned out and labled this week! I should have taken a pic! For supper, it's Dave's late night and he informed me not to worry about supper for him, so it;s the little girls choice and that could be spaghetti or turkey sandwiches or ice cream! LOL!

Plans for the weekend.... hopefully a date with DH to do some birthday shopping for Rach who is turning 13 next Thurday! AND maybe a cookout here at home with hot dogs and smores!  Church on Sunday, DH preaches in the prison Sunday, then we go get the girls on Monday.

this was at Bass Pro Shop last weekend

I am sharing.....something from the book "Lies Women Believe"  one of the lies is..."I should not have to live with Unfulfilled Longings" she says to check out the womens magazines at the checkout counter, how the covers are filled with promises to fill every longing.  

I saw this sign over the weekend, that reminded me of what I'd been reading...

see what I mean?? Perfection, and Open happiness, this kind of stuff is everywhere in our faces!

Our deepest longings of my heart cannot be filled by any created person or thing.

Psalm 16:11 Thou will show me the path of life:in thy presence is fulness of joy:at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Have a Great Thursday!        ~Jill~

I stayed the same  this week, It makes 17 weeks I've been on this journey and I'm thankful for that! I'm still enjoying my so far weight loss, it has made clothes fit better, and I feel alot more energy than before!

so I'm still smiling, but need encouragement!   We didn't walk but about 3 times last week, and that has been a big factor whether I lose or not! I can't say this week has been that much better on the walking either! It's been soooo Hot here! So the mornings are out of the question now, and the evenings are fine if Dave isn't too tired!

So I've got to get back on track and keep committing it to the Lord. Without Him I can do nothing!!!        ~Jill~

LOL!

yal, I know, not a real curriculum choice here, but I had to have it!

Leahs tote bad she bought

Rachels T-shirt

and

and

these sewing books about my fav purchase!

as you can see...at convention I usually don't buy core curriculum, I do look at it alot and get alot of catalogs, and do alot of deciding later. This time I know what I'm using for the older girls and I'm still thinking about what to use for Hannah Grace, all of them still have books to work in as of now!         ~Jill~