learning from sunflowers

we have a garden... organic..... but we have realized it is not going to be as big as the past..... we use no pesticides, fertilizer, or any harmful anything... hey, if we depended on it as our only food source we would all be skin and bones... so we are already thinking of ways to improve it without all the pesticides!!!

 

BUT our sunflowers are going hog wild!!!! we always measure them everyday to see if they have gotten taller than any of the kiddos... they are taller than Andrew now..

 

to be honest I am struggling with anxiety... I am asking the Lord to settle my heart.. I leave in less than 2 weeks and all the crazy thoughts go through this head... poor Lane is struggling.. she is already missing me and I am not even gone yet! the other 2 seem to be fine BUT I know they will get a little more open as it gets closer..

 

I am so excited to go and I know God has shown me over and over that  He wants me to go!...

 

so a few days ago I went to the garden by myself to check our "goodies".. it was a BEAUTIFUL day!!! sun shining and then I looked over at the sunflowers and they were positioned toward the sun.. and God reminded me you just look at the SON!!! He will settle you, he will settle your heart, and he will settle the kiddos heart...

 

When I start to gaze in another direction I ask Him to gently move my eyes to focus back on Him!!!

 

 

a clean home.........

starting Thursday we had "that call" Can I show your house??  ..... yes!!! then the craziness begins... running around cleaning like a FREAK!!!!  yes that was me!.. well on Friday I had to sign the kiddos up for classical conversations and I had to be out at the park between 10 and 12... so we went!... I was planning on being there maybe 15 minutes but it turned into almost 2 hours.. in the back of my mind I was thinking of all the things at the house that needed to be scrubbed.... I mean we have 4 kiddos!!!!!  we are not overly clean... BUT the Lord had it differently! I was able to fellowship with sweet ladies and able to confess sin as a parent.... I would NOT change anything from that day! It was a blessing...

We came home and Ms Judi helped clean the master bath and we had a time!!! I LOVE her... not only her heart but her  humor.... for example I had gone to get all the supplies and she stayed in the bathroom... I came back and she was in the bathtub LAID out!!! I on the inside started FREAKING out!!! I called her name and she did not answer.... I was thinking I might need to call 911...... I actually watched to see if her chest was rising... then I touched her and she said "gotcha!!!!!"  I laughed so hard!!! we had a blast chatting as we cleaned!!!....

After the house showed and they did not even like it I was relieved... I LOVE our home.. not like an idol but the love and the openness of our house!.. we had LOVED having families , young people, and children in and out of our house. we want it to bless others and it has so we are glad the Lord saw it fit for us to live here!... We looked around and realized that we had NOTHING to do in the house.. we relaxed for an hour or so then we went out and burned some old wood.. it was a blessed day!

Always be ready!

this week... wowers!!!!  good, but boy have I had to be on my toes!!! The Lord has shown me 3 times (like the blinking florescent lite) that you must be ready!!!!.... 

It started on Sunday morning this past weekend. I got a call from the lady I co-teach Sunday school with and her kiddos were sick (have we not ALL been there that our kiddos seem to be sick like in an instant) so she was to teach and the Lord had me elsewhere in the scriptures so I had not even looked at the lesson... BAD!!! He reminded me that I will be prepared every week :)  then on Sunday morning  I got a call from one of the other teachers that she was gonna be out, the other had just had a baby, and the other was in Texas and the other was not suppose to be there... sooooo that left me with all the girls to teach something I was not prepared for!... I laid in bed and prayed, the Lord gently reminded me that "Angela you will be held to a higher account for what you teach, how you handle my word".. I put my book down my book and begin to think of my quiet time ... so that morning we studied "what is man?" I did get a surprise call from one who was suppose to be out of town and she was able to be with us!.. it was a BLESSED time with all the ages of girls!..

second thing was on Thursday I get a call from a friend who sells real estate and says "Angela, can I show your home??"  WHAT???? our house is not even on the market!!! so I called Doug and he said "sure!" well it showed today and the couple who looked at it had no kids, did not like to do yard work, and did not want stairs.... hmmmm our house is not for them!  and that is OK!!! we love our home, we have been able to bless others when they walk in... what I took from this is: you never know when you need to be ready to sell your belongings... God reminds you that it really belongs to Him anyway!..

third was this morning.. we were getting the last touches on the house when I heard Doug yell... it was a change in tone so I knew something was wrong... he comes running in the house with blood EVERYWHERE and holding Andrew who was screaming.. NOT GOOD!!! Doug says I think he needs stitches.. OK... get ready Lane, Maelee and Caleb.. jump in the car and stop drop and roll out of the Hendrixes driveway.. oops we let Doug hold Andrew in his lap... at that point we were not even thinking about the law.. I repented! we get to the ER and they take us immediately... we were in and out in less than an hour... for the record this is the first kiddo with staples... 5 in that noggin!!! he did great and was such a trooper!... so after we promised ice cream.... this was hilarious as we were pulling into McDonalds to get the ice cream Andrew starts singing "Old McDonald had a tick"  a tick??? where does he come up with this stuff??? 

as I have glanced back at the week the question comes to my mind "Are you ready???" ready to meet Jesus??? Do you know Him?? 

through His grace and mercy I was ready for all these things that transpired this week!!!... I can confidently say I know Jesus and so thankful that he saved me!!!!

take me out to the ball game..... for free :)

It has been soooooo long since we went to a ball game... the Atlanta braves players have changed and I did not know any of them!!!  I mean we have no TV to keep up the games so why am I surprised!!!  any way we got to go for free!!!  FREE is GOOD!!!  our church every so often gets tickets from the braves foundation I believe so we took this opportunity to go... this was Lane and Andrews first time and the other kiddos did not even remember going soooooo off we went!!! it was soooo much fun, although getting in late is so hard especially for Doug BUT it was worth it!!! we won that night so that was fun too!!!

 

 

 

3 years and it is a tradition

ok... after 3 years in a row something is a tradition, right???.... well that is how we feel about our "annual beach trip on Memorial Day weekend"... We have had sooooo much fun!! all.three.years.!
it is amazing that you can drive 6 hours, be in the middle of nowhere, and feel like you are a world away.. it is relaxing and the parts of not having do the day in and day out things of life is the best part... this year was a little different... we had a POP UP CAMPER... yahoooooo... no more mattresses that had to be blown up before bed, no more really sandy beds, and Doug can stand up "almost" all the way without having to be hunched back!!!...  well ya know the Lords plans and ours sometimes just don't add up and of course this trip was no exception :)  I can remember putting on facebook that the only decision I would make is to either sit in the camper with the AC or sit in the chair at the beach.... well..............  the first night guess what ............ the air went out.... sooooo what happens when you have no AC and NO fans at the beach????  you sleep in the vehicle...  ALL NIGHT!!!... well at least we were not getting eat by no see ums or pesty bugs!!! and you were cool!!!!.... that next morning we went and bought fans... it was a blessing! we were totally fine with fans! the next night the "Steve Hendrix" family got there!!!  we just LOVE this family... although we missed the Greenwood's and the "other Hendrix" families!!!! (hoping they will get to come next year)   we had a BLAST!!!! I am sooooo glad the Lord gave us great friends!!!!!  we really had a great trip and I am sooooo glad we have a Memorial Day tradition!... next year....  we are thinking Henderson State park in Destin, Fl   !!!!!!!!.... these are some of my favorite pictures..

home sweet home

I.AM.SO.GLAD to have Doug home!...

It has just not been the same without him home...

late bedtimes, pushing momma to the limit, mud fights, maybe talking back more than normal, and ice cream for 2 nights ....

we have just had an "off" week... times like this it makes me realize how much I like a schedule of regular bedtimes and daddy's discipline!..

it has been pretty exhausting BUT I know that God s t r e t c h e s me during these mission trips :) 

 

 

BUT>>>>>  I am thankful that his heart is for the lost, pastors who need sound biblical teaching, and his love for making disciples of all nations. He sees so much that we don't even understand here in the US.. He mourns for the pastors in the Philippines who have 3 jobs and still bring God's word each week to the people in his community.. He sees the needs first hand....

I am SOOOO thankful for his heart!...

 

 He is a jewel and I am so grateful to be on his side :)  ......

 

 

as I write this I can't help but think about my own trip I will be taking next month to East Asia... will I be able to see these things there??? of course I will!!!  I will for the first time see it first hand.. no more stories from others (I love hearing stories!!!), I will in fact see it with my eyes...

 better yet HIS eyes!....