The Results Are In!

The results are in ladies and gentlemen.  Which do I prefer?  A garage with carpet or a garage without carpet?  Drum roll, please!  Without!!!!!!!!!

I'm so thankful that it's finally gone!  I will now be able to park in my garage this winter.  The Henry Family was such a huge help.  I couldn't have done it without you!

Here are the after pictures, as promised.

Here is the Henry Family hard at work.

Even the kids got down and dirty!

Sweeping up!

The finished product.

These are the kind of pictures you get when you give the kids the camera and tell the to take some pictures. :)

House Project

As of tomorrow guess what will be gone?  Yep the awful, horrendous, disgusting, terrible carpet in the garage.  Toby, his family and Dennis are coming over tomorrow to help me tear it out.  I promise to post an after picture very soon.

Church News

My new church here in Creston has been without a pastor for about a year now.  Pastor Sauser retired and actually works in my office as an agent now.  Anyway, this weekend we had a candidate for pastor come.  He did a great job presenting his ministry and preaching God's Word.  I'm praying for them and my new church family as we vote next week.

Their family would be a great fit for our church.  Now, it's simply time to trust in God's plan for our church and their family.

Hair Cut

As you can tell, I'm pretty much grasping at straws to come up with blog posts.  I thought you might like to see my hair cut.  If not, then close your eyes cause here it comes.

Here's the before.  Now don't judge too harshly.  It was a bad hair day.  I had this great idea that I would grow it out long again.  Then I started remembering how long it took me to do my hair when it was long.

And here comes the cute little do I came home with today.  While she was cutting it, the electricity went out, so I was really hoping it turned out.  I couldn't see it at the shop.  I got home, put in some hair goop and presto change-o.  Here it is!

Sorry the pictures are dark.  I did try to lighten them up a bit.  Oh, well, you get the idea.

Cookies!

I made these cookies yesterday and they turned out absolutely scrumptious!  They are the best sugar cookies I've ever tasted!  I also made a butter cream frosting and that didn't hurt them either.

I took plates to my neighbors.  It had been awhile since I had made the rounds.  I met one that I had never met before, so that was an added blessing.  Please pray for me as I seek for opportunities to get to know them better.  They have been a blessing to me and I hope to be so to them as well.

So anyway, you need to make these cookies.  They are amazing!

Currently Reading...

I just finished reading The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.  I took my time going through it and loved it. It's one of those books that has revealed many areas of my own heart where I need to be growing and changing.

This week I'll be starting Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom.  I'm really looking forward to this one.  It's a 12-week study, but it will probably take me 24-36.  That's just how I roll.

What are you reading right now?  I hope you are challenging your mind and heart with God's Word.

CSR Convention

Jamie sent me to the Auto Owner's CSR Convention in Lansing, MI this week.  It was a lot of fun.  They had skits and games and entertainment and prizes and great food.  I traveled on Monday and the convention lasted from Tuesday morning through Thursday late morning.  I'm now home and glad to be here.  I love to travel, but I also love to come home.

I'd say the highlight of the trip was the tour of the home office.  It is huge!  It was neat to see the place that I call A LOT. The executives were very friendly and made a point to meet us and talk with us.  They also held round table discussions this morning.  The point of the round table was not only for us to ask questions, but for them to get ideas on how to improve.

Overall, it was a good week.  I'm ready to head back in to the office in the morning.

Catching Up

I must apologize for my lack of blogging. I need to set some blogging goals....like at least two posts a week. Okay, ya'll need to keep me accountable. I'm trusting all of you, my blogging friends.

I have so much to tell you. First of all, my parents came for a visit last weekend.  They had been on vacation in Seattle and came to see me on the tail end.  It was wonderful having them here.  It was also Balloon Days last weekend.  My parents actually got to go up in a hot air balloon!!!  They said it was better than Seattle.  Here are some pictures Dad took up in the air.

We also enjoyed a parade for Balloon Days. I haven't been to a parade on over seven years!!!  It was so much fun!

Dad worked on some house projects for me while he was here.  He fixed up some of the trim the guy that laid my floors messed up.  He also replaced my deck steps and caulked some of the brick around my house.  I'm so thankful for all his help!

This weekend I went up to Ankeny for Annie's baby shower.  It was so much fun to see camp friends.  Annie looks so cute!!!  I can't wait to hold their little one when it comes in December!  Lynnae came with her little guy and I got to hold him...a lot.  I did share him, but only because I felt guilty for hogging him.

Lynn, a former secretary, rode with me part of the way to the shower and we had dinner together.  She introduced me to this fantastic place called the Hu Hot.  It was absolutely wonderful!!!  I was going to take a picture of my plate, but ate it all. Here is a picture of my empty plate though.

It seems I've been very busy lately and am thankful for all the things God has brought into my life to keep my busy.

Next week, my boss is sending me to Lansing, MI.  There is a CSR Convention at one of the insurance companies we write for.  I'm hoping to learn a lot. You can pray for me.  I get nervous going to things by myself.  I'm also going to be sharing a room with someone there.  Here's the catch...I don't know who. I'm really praying that God matches me up with the perfect roommate.

Thanks for being patient with me.  And remember, keep me accountable to write at least twice a week.

What Do You Choose?

Praise!

Psalm 100

Make a joyful nose to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into His presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, He is God!

It is He who made us, and we are His;

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, 

and His courts with praise!

Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

For the LORD is good;

His steadfast love endures forever,

and His faithfulness to all generations.

My heart is overflowing in praise.  God is so good.  I have had many struggles the last few years, but God has shown Himself faithful again and again and again.

Tomorrow I will be singing my first solo in church in over two years. With the health struggles I had the last few years, my voice was not dependable.  It would come and go and most of the time I was unable to sing.  For those that know me, you know how difficult that has been for me. I missed singing praises to my wonderful Savior.

My voice is returning.  It still isn't as it was, but I am so thankful that I can once again sing for Him.