Liz was tagged on her blog to do the following, so I decided to do it for the fun of it. Go to your 4th folder in your picture file, and upload the 4th picture in the file. This was the picture that I found, and after seeing it decided I was going to post it! This is April or May, depending on when the redbuds bloom, looking out our picture window. These trees surround the back of our house and when the blooming is at its peak, the whole living room radiates a pink glow when you enter. In the subzero temps we are currently experiencing, this picture gives me a lot of hope. Won't be all that long until we're seeing this once again out our window!

Random Pictures

The lovely Hartman ladies White-out!

Teah, Lynne and a happy Lucy


Sister Marce and our little man

Connor and Lucy, bonding

Brookie-pie in her outfit from Auntie Lynne

Marce and Brooke

2nd Mom Kay getting her make-up licked entirely off...ewww!

Better her than me!

We are in the middle of a deep freeze! After one of the most beautiful snowfalls I can remember in quite awhile this past Wednesday, the temps plummeted yesterday and today into the negative teens! I am staying close to home and didn't go out at all today. But tomorrow I will venture out to babysit for the kiddos at 8 a.m. so hopefully I won't be a popsicle when I get there. Thank the Lord for heated seats!!! I am adding some random shots that I've taken since Christmas with my new little Canon camera, which I love. Just right for me!!! Not too complicated, tiny enough to slip in my pocket, and it takes great pix!

P.S. I wrote the above yesterday, so wanted to add the events that transpired today. As I was leaving the house (running 5 minutes late as usual) to watch Brooke and Connor, the door into the den didn't close completely as it is so cold. So of course, the two little demon dogs chose to escape and take off up through the yard and into the neighbors' woods. Aughhhh!!! Couldn't get Liz on the phone to say I'd be late, couldn't get Bob who was down at church to come home and help, so off I went in -18 degrees to try to find them. It was so awful, I can't even begin to describe it. I was so scared that they would get lost and freeze to death before I could find them. Then, I realized that I might freeze to death before someone found me!!! After lots of trudging around with glimpses occasionally of the girls, which reassured me that they were still functioning, I called our friends to ask them to pray that God would help me get them rounded up while we were still in a healthy condition. I was trying to pray on my own, but having trouble multi-tasking...:) Immediately after that, little Holly comes out of the woods covered with snow which had frozen on her, and came right to me, which is a miracle when they are on the loose as they hate to have to come back home and quit tracking the deer and the squirrels, etc. etc. I hated to leave Lucy, but wanted to get Holly warmed up, so I headed back towards the house. That darned Lucy then came romping up and just ran in circles around us all the way, staying at arm's length so that I couldn't pick her up. The happy ending is that God is good for answering prayers, the dogs are now warm, and I am beginning to thaw out slowly but surely. I hope THAT never happens again...if so, they both are getting shipped to Kay's house in Bonita Bay!!!

Thanksgiving thru New Year's 2008

I can't believe that the last time I posted was in October...where in the world does time go, anyway? This morning I was reading in Genesis about the story of the flood, and the covenant that God made afterwards, saying that seasons and days and nights would continue while the earth continued on its course. That made me think about living in a period where there is no time, or days and nights, such as is descriptive of eternity throughout the Bible. I can go for that! Especially after seeing "Benjamin Button" this afternoon with Liz and Tommy's mom, which covers the topic of aging very thoroughly (and depressingly, I thought). Anyway, it's a new year and I am as always excited to see what new things come into our lives through God's grace in 2009. Happy New Year!!!!!

Mary, Linda, and Deb on NYE
Connor sitting in his toy drawer while we iced Christmas cookies


Holly is smitten with the Cavalier during the Thanksgiving Day Dog Show!

Liz and Brookie





Anna and Brookie


Family Thanksgiving photo



Erhards and Hartmans on NYE



Decorations on the deck

Anna and Brad

Christmas Tree