***Edit - I've changed my 5 a
bit.... it was so hard to think of them when I had too, and then --
wam! they all hit me after I was done!

Yikes! I've been TAGGED by Love2Read and SonofWillFamily -- rules:

Hey friends!

Sorry I haven't been on too much.  Trying to make it around to
your sites, but time is limited.  I'm trying though! This coming
week we are going away to the mountains -- so this will probably be my
last post until next Sunday!

This day has been a reflectful one...

Two years ago today, my daughter Gracie, 6 at the time, fell in the
kitchen and broke her femur, and if that wasn't enough, I was running
from the ER to the breast cancer center where I had a biospy scheduled
that day.  Grace was in
the hospital for 6 days, on the 4th day I was diagnosed with breast
cancer.   Lots -- LOTS was going on and everything moved so
quickly.  Seems like YEARS ago.  Truly.  It's mind
boggling to me that it all started only two years ago today.  If
you'd like to read more about it -- I blogged last December 4th (2004)
on xanga (there's a link in my custom module to it, to the left and under the breast cancer ribbon).  It has
pictures of Grace and me, too.

Praise the Lord we both, as well as my family, come through this thing stronger -- especially in the Lord.

Two years later, here I am -- still -- most thankfully!!!

It difficult not to guage everything in my life according to the
emotion of two years ago (and the following many many months). 
Today I had an emotional meltdown (God sent a friend to pray for me though! Thanks Peg!) -- upset about something the
pails in comparison to the enormity of two years ago.

But it all boils down to the same thing, ya know -- expectations,
trying to do everything you can to avoid an negative outcome, having
your life unexpectedly shook for whatever reason --
disappointment.   Two seperate incidences today (the second I
haven't had my emotional meltdown yet -- it's just waiting there for a
moment alone with God that I will have when I'm done writing
this).  God wants our eyes only on Him, living for Him -- and when
we place our eyes on something else: expectations, shook up,
disappointment.  Sometimes it's easier to see it coming, other
times it takes you totally by surprise.  And sometimes it's just a
need to accept what is.  This goes back to my post in September
when I was struggling about the "death" of some things in my
life.  Today that "death" was confirmed.  And it's sad.
 

So I need to grieve, knowing that "weeping will remain for a night, but
rejoicing comes in the morning." Psa 30:5b   Don't know when
that "morning" will be, but I know it *will* be.   Praise be
to God for His wonderful promises!

Ok -- enough of that!

Here is some pictures from my daughters' recitals today! 

Ellie's Ballet

Gracie, left, and Valerie, the tall one, are helpers in the little kids' ballet class. Here is there ballet to "What Dreams Are Made Of".


Graice, middle, is a ballerina fairy



Julie taps to "Let It Snow"

Valerie and Julie are the second and thrid from the left.

Valerie dancing to the music of the Nutcracker



Julie's in the Nutcracker one as well



Valerie, middle w/blue & white scarf, dances to "Hot Chocolate!"

Ellie, pink and white scarf, is in "Hot Chocolate", too

Ellie Ballerina, again...

Have a wonderful week!
~me

Well -- everybody still full from
yesterday?  I am, although I didn't eat tooooo much... looking
forward to some pumpkin pie for breakfast though!

We had a very fun and relaxing day yesterday.  We went to the home
of some good friends of ours.  They had some family over as
well.  My brother from San Francisco came down to visit so he came
with
us too.  It was so relaxing... hmmm... I said that already, didn't
I?! Well, I'm just pressing the point!  Typically, holidays with
my parent-in-laws are stressful, so a relaxing holiday is so
uncommon!   -- everything --
EVERYTHING was sooo delicious, too!

This is just a short post.  Just wanted to share with you the
bountiful blessing of a wonderful time we had yesterday!  Hope
your day was blessed as well!  I leave you with some pictures from the day:

Rebecca, Her mom and eldest son


Tessica, Andrew, Chris's dad, Anna and Graice


Tessica, Valerie and Uncle Ken


The gang!

Love to you all!!!!
~me

Hey all.



Today is Sunday.  I wish
it were going to be a day of rest, but the busyness of last week has
left my house a mess... so I must get it in order today!  I don't
mind so much where there's nothing else to do because then I can pop in
some praise music and sing my way through it!!! 

A
few years ago I memorized much of the book of Colossians.  It was
a time when I had terrible insomnia (cause by my fibromyalgia). 
When I would wake up in the middle of the night, instead of begin up
for hours and just letting my mind wonder to what needed to be done the
next day or what may have been bothering me, etc, in my mind I would
start reciting what I had memorized and I would drift off to sleep,
only to wake up a little while later, pick up where I left off in my
mind and then off to sleep again -- this would happen may 20 or more
times a night. At that time it was much better than being up for 5
straight hours!   I started memorizing at 2:6 through the end
of the book of Colossians.  It's difficult to pick a favorite part
of Colossians because all of the verses at different times has
ministered to me in different ways. However, these below, I simply love
--  Simple truth and reminders of who we are in Christ and what we
need to be doing and what we need to keep on guard against.  To
this day, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I start
reciting...


"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it
that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,
according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary
principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him
all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete,
and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were
also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal
of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been
buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him
through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you
were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our
transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting
of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out
of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He
had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of
them, having triumphed over them through Him. Therefore no one is to
act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a
festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere
shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no
one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement
and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen,
inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head,
from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the
joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you
have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why,
as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees,
such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer
to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the
commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence."  ~ Colossians 2:6-23

Yes, great verses!!

Making
a list of everything I'm thankful for would take much time and I'm sure
when I was done, I'd think of 20 more things, but to name a few:  I'm obviously
thankful for my life in Christ, my family, my friends... but there are
so many daily blessings that I'm also so thankful for... I'm thankful for
His continued discipline of me, His perfect provision for me
spiritually and physically as well monetarily - money, food, clothing
and shelter, for the ability to homeschool my children, for peace in the midst of trials, for breast
cancer not mastastisizing, for hair!, for laughter and hugs, for the
beauty of nature, for whip cream and chocolate, and for all
of you!

What is one thing you are thankful for?

Have a great week giving thanks to Him for all He has done and all He will do in your life!!!

~me

Well,
another busy week's gone by another two staring me in the face. 
I'm greatly looking forward to the 24th as that is the beginning of a 5
1/2 week school break for us! 



Thanks
to all of you who have been praying for our financial situation. 
Things seemed to have settled down a bit.  My hubby's work has
picked up, so for now, at least, we are no longer considering extreme
measures.  We are hoping not to go negative this month.  It
would be the first month in 10 that we wouldn't.  If the steady
work flow continues for one more month we might even and maybe go a
little bit positive. However, in the next few weeks we have both
Thanksgiving and Christmas -- a typical time when things get slow - and
lets just pray there isn't any more medical disasters.  

My friend's sister won the lottery last night!  She went in with several friends from work.  She will be getting $20 million (it was the power lottery so it was mega millions!)

My daughter (10) wrote a paper
this week about Pocahontas.  She's in a homeschooling class where
she takes notes in the from of an outline from research material and
then writes the paper from that.  She took the notes in class this
last week.  I was not in the class.  Typically I help her
with her paper, but I wanted her to do it all by herself.  So she
comes to me with the finished draft and somewhere near the end it says,
"She died in a small box".  I was like -- what? I look on her
outline and sure enough it says: IV. died, small, box   So I ask her to go get the original research material -- correction -- she died of small pox.  teehee.... kids just kill me.

Here are some pictures from our week.

Ellie Ballerina




Ouch!



Gracie and Julie attend a Masquerade Party



Pretty Vallie

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving... I can't imagine I will be able to update before then again!!!

~me

Hi all... I hate to sound like a
broken record, but I've been so busy.  I hardly find the time to
sit down and update my site.  I do try to get around and read
everyone, even if I don't comment... know I've probably stopped by!

I have been feeling better -- PTL! My cold is gone and so is my
cough.  I do however, still have some stuffiness and a bit of a
runny nose, but I think that is just fall allergies.  I've never
really had allergies so I'm not sure, but I don't feel sick (cept the
occasional sinus headache) and my nose starts running for no reason....
I think I may be allergic to the piano at church (teehee)... the last
two weeks, when I get up to play for worship, my nose starts running
and itching.  It was particularly bad during our offering song
this week -- which was a difficult song to play and my nose was itching
-- so I'm sniffing and then occasionally trying to reach up and give
it a scratch and then get my hand back in to position to play the next
note.  Talk about a distraction to a worshipful
heart!   
 
Oh and here's a funny... well, at least to me.

We sang "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" as our closing song.  If any of
you know the music, you'll know that there's a lot going on to play
it.  It's an upbeat song and goes kind of quick. So when I'm
playing it, it takes all
of my concentration.  It is also a "high" song, a good one for
those soprano singers!  So after the service I was chatting with
one of the worship singers and she was saying how her voice was tired
and I was commenting that it was probably because it was a "high"
song.  And she said that her dad, who's the worship leader, was
trying to get my attention right before the last verse (I'm playing the
piano) to tell me that he wanted to do that last verse an octave higher!! 
I walked away so confused.  It was to much for me to even image
doing this song any higher than the rafters it was already!

So we go out to dinner and then someone else from the worship team
starts telling me the same story only I misunderstood the girl I was
talking to at the end of the service... he didn't want to do it an
octave higher... rather a cappella.   So I guess he was trying
to signal us to stop playing, but I never saw him.  I find this
funny on so many different levels.  First that "a cappella" and
"octave higher" sounded the same to me and how utterly confused I was by her statement.   Second
that in my confused state I was thinking that our worship leader must
have momentarily lost it to be wanting to do it an octave higher...
Third that he's up there
waving me off to stop and I never saw him because I was sooooooooooo
engrossed in trying to play this song.  I'm sure this cannot
possibly be as funny to you (if at all) as it is to me.  But if
you personally know me, then you'd see why I'd find this whole thing so
funny.

Well, that's all for tonight.  Just a quick update of
things.  I hope to update again soon... but..................
busy, busy, busy!

I leave you with these... they crack me up!

~me

I
haven't posted in a while -- obviously -- but that's because not much
has been going on.  I am finding that I am settling into the home
schooling routine for this year, probably better than any other year
I've schooled.   I don't really have a lot of time in my day
where I'm not doing anything.   This is especially true
Monday - Wednesday.  Monday is basically just a "heavy" school day
and trying to get through my laundry of the last week.  Tuesday we
have school then classes outside the home then ballet.  Wednesday
I add to my schedule all my errands and heavy cleaning.  
Thursdays I try to keep open for fun things to do in the afternoon and
evening.  Friday, busy again, finishing up the week and getting
ready for next week.  There are so many little projects to do,
yet, they just will not get done until Christmas break -- there's just
no time.  Or, actually, there is, but by the end of my day, like
now, I'm ready to just sit for a while and relax.

 

Here is a good word about our justification from Oswald Chambers:

"I am
not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. And
it is not repentance that saves me— repentance is only the sign that I
realize what God has done through Christ Jesus. The danger here is
putting the emphasis on the effect, instead of on the cause. Is it my
obedience, consecration, and dedication that make me right with God? It
is never that! I am made right with God because, prior to all of that,
Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals,
the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me
into a right relationship with God. And as a result of the supernatural
miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my
sin, or because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done.
The Spirit of God brings justification with a shattering, radiant
light, and I know that I am saved, even though I don't know how it was
accomplished."

I leave you with a few pictures:

Gracie sleeping with Squeekers...

Val and her friends have tea...

Bekka and Elizabeth
Bekka's mom and I always admire the difference in their coloring - such a contrast and both so beautiful.

Have a good week!
~me

Hi friends!
Well, can you believe it??? I'm sick AGAIN! 
I have another cold.  I am one of those people who get maybe one
cold a year and I have now been sick for 7 weeks with one thing or
another.  I wouldn't mind so much, but there's so much to do and
all I feel like doing is lying down.  Oh well... maybe another cup
of coffee with do the trick!!!

This was a very busy week.  It was supposed to be a quiet week for
me to do education fun things with the kids -- but the only fun thing
we did was make it over to Disneyland for a few hours on
Wednesday.  I had great plans of catching up on much, but
accomplished very little in terms of *my* plans.  God had other
plans for me this week.

My van of 14 years broke down this week.  We were so bless by a couple from our church who gave us their van -- gave
it to us!  I am so blown away by God's provision and so thankful
to Him and them.  It's a 1996 Dodge Caravan? (I actually don't
know the name of it).  It's in GREAT condition!!! And it's NOT
red!!!!!!!!! Whahoooo!!!!!  I really dislike the color red and
since I was 19 I have had cars in varying shades from orange to
maroon.  I've always wanted a blue car and YEAH!  They say
it's green, but it looks blue to me!!!!  

You can see the leak from my other van just under the front tire on the driveway.  Although, if
we had the money, we could have fixed the leaks and the other problems
the old van was having, it was so old and who knows how much longer it
would be until the next disaster with  it.   What a
blessing and piece of mind this is to not be having to worry about
it.  Here are some shots of the interior. 

Doesn't it look great?  It has sliding doors on both sides, too. 

The funny thing is that since I was 19 I have had Fords, so it is funny
to see me trying to find something on this van.  I go to unlock
the doors and I roll down a window, etc. 

The other day when we went to Disneyland, one of the pop out back
windows was open.  I asked who did it and, of course it was "no one".
I had the kids trying to close it and they couldn't.  So when we
got to Disneyland I got back there and was trying to do it.  No of
us could figure out why it was so difficult!! Finally I got it to move
a little and asked one of the kids to give it a push from the outside
to close it.  We did it!.... Later on I talked to the old owners
to find out that there is some button that I would have pushed on the driver's door that would have opened the window.  Ha!  I turned out to be "no one"!!!!
Who'd of guessed?!!?!  I think I must have hit it when I was
trying to unlock the doors for the kids! Teehee!  I was afraid
that maybe we broke it trying to shut it, but no, it still works fine!

A quick thanks to all of you who faithfully read my blog and comment.  It means a lot to me!

Well, that's about all.  I think I'll go take a rest. 
Love to you all.
~me

Happy Sunday!!  How are you doing tonight?

This week started out REALLY fun.  We went out to dinner with some friends of ours for Steve's birthday and had a great time!! 

Tuesday is our busy day.  Up early to do school then off to some
classes that the girls take in the afternoon (some art, writing, and
cake decorating classes) then back and forth to ballet for several
hours after we are home from that.  Elizabeth was asked to moved
into the advanced ballet class.  She is very excited !! 
I think they will let her stay in the intermediate class as a assistant
(which means I don't have to pay for it!) because she has two friends
that she's gotten to join and she wants to still be in there with
them.  She is eager to start pointe as well, but that will have to
wait until our finances can afford it.

Wednesday busy just because it was school picture day.  Getting 4
girls ready for school picture is a TASK!   They all 
looked great, though, and I think the pictures will be nice.  Here
is a cute picture I took of Gracie on School picture day (outside in
our backyard).  She's growing her bangs out:

My baby!!! She's growing up fast!!!

Thursday was fairly quiet.  Spent a lot of time catching up on
some school work with the girls.  Friday we went to our school
park day.  One of the mom's brought a craft for the kids to
do.  It was 4 different types of "clay" made from salt, cornstarch
and/or baking soda.  They they all got to sculpt some stuff. 
Elizabeth and I caught up on some Algebra at the park.  I was
watching Gracie for a few minutes run around -- every once in a while
it just strikes me while watching her ~ she spent 3 months in a wheel chair not being able to walk and now... wow... just look at her go!  God's miracle of healing that our body does is just astounding!

Saturday I worked on thoroughly cleaning the kitchen and today I worked
on sorting some piles in our bedroom.  Slowly but surely getting
the house into order.  It's so difficult when I start up school...
especially now that I school until at least 2 or 2:30 every day.
Perseverance and diligence... not two of my strong points at the end of a long weary day!

My daughters love to have "photo shoots" when they have friends
over.  My daughter, Valerie posted a few on her sight when their
friends the Wakabayshi's came over last week.  They are on October
4th on her site: www.xanga.com/PrincessValerie

My other daughter Elizabeth also posted some pictures of her taken up
at my parents in August... the last one cracks me as she's trying to
gracefully fall to the floor!!!!  www.xanga.com/BrokenLilBlonde

Well, have a good week!!!
~me

Well... another week gone!  I was sick -- actually I've been sick since the last week in August--
two weeks with a cold and two weeks with a cough.  As of last
monday, the cough was really bothering me, especially at night, so I
wasn't sleeping.  Ended up going to the doctors on Thursday. 
I was running a fever.  Diagnosed with some type of bacterial
lower respiratory infection in my lungs.  So, on some anti-biotics
and some heavy duty cough medicine.  Still didn't start sleeping
well until last night.  Now I am doing much, much better.

Yesterday and today's devotions in
Oswald Chambers are a couple of my very favorite ones.  Written
around Mark 9:2 & Mark 9:22 "... Jesus took ... them up on a high
mountain apart by themselves..." and "If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  It says:

Yesterday's:

We
have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have
seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there. But
God will never allow us to stay there. The true test of our spiritual
life is in exhibiting the power to descend from the mountain. If we
only have the power to go up, something is wrong. It is a wonderful
thing to be on the mountain with God, but a person only gets there so
that he may later go down and lift up the demon-possessed people in the
valley (see Mark 9:14-18). We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the
other beautiful attractions in life— those are simply intended to be
moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary
things of life, and that is where we have to prove our stamina and
strength. Yet our spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments
on the mountain. We feel that we could talk and live like perfect
angels, if we could only stay on the mountaintop. Those times of
exaltation are exceptional and they have their meaning in our life with
God, but we must beware to prevent our spiritual selfishness from
wanting to make them the only time.

We
are inclined to think that everything that happens is to be turned into
useful teaching. In actual fact, it is to be turned into something even
better than teaching, namely, character. The mountaintop is not meant
to teach us anything, it is meant to make
us something. There is a terrible trap in always asking, "What’s the
use of this experience?" We can never measure spiritual matters in that
way. The moments on the mountaintop are rare moments, and they are
meant for something in God’s purpose.

Today's:

After
every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into
things as they really are , where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor
thrilling. The height of the mountaintop is measured by the dismal
drudgery of the valley, but it is in the valley that we have to live
for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mountain, but we never live
for His glory there. It is in the place of humiliation that we find our
true worth to God— that is where our faithfulness is revealed. Most of
us can do things if we are always at some heroic level of intensity,
simply because of the natural selfishness of our own hearts. But God
wants us to be at the drab everyday level, where we live in the valley
according to our personal relationship with Him. Peter thought it would
be a wonderful thing for them to remain on the mountain, but Jesus
Christ took the disciples down from the mountain and into the valley,
where the true meaning of the vision was explained..

"If
you can do anything . . . ." It takes the valley of humiliation to
remove the skepticism from us. Look back at your own experience and you
will find that until you learned who Jesus really was, you were a
skillful skeptic about His power. When you were on the mountaintop you
could believe anything, but what about when you were faced with the
facts of the valley? You may be able to give a testimony regarding your
sanctification, but what about the thing that is a humiliation to you
right now? The last time you were on the mountain with God, you saw
that all the power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus— will you
be skeptical now, simply because you are in the valley of humiliation?

I really love the first line of today's... After
every time of exaltation, we are brought down with a sudden rush into
things as they really are , where it is neither beautiful, poetic, nor
thrilling.  This
is the case for me when I've come home from a retreat. There I usually
have a "mountain top" experience, then the minute I come home I
challenged by that sudden rush into things that remind me my life is not lived on the mountain top, rather the I am made for the valley and the ordinary
things of life, and that is where I have to prove my stamina and
strength. It is in the valley that I have to live
for the glory of God.

Tomorrow is my hubby's 48th birthday! 

Happy Birthday, Hunny!

I love you always - 100%!!!! 

Have a good week! 
~me