Esther.............

Hello Blog readers,

I am out of town with my Mom.  My Grandma has had a few falls (due to weak legs) so we are staying with her to help her out.  Please pray that she would regain her strength!

I have been reminded of this encouraging verse:

"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” - Matthew 18:19-20

Amy......Snow!

Here are some snow pics from our neck of the woods.
We had a snowstorm last night that brought a new foot of snow for us on top of the
11 inches from last week!
The snow is sticking to all the trees and looks beautiful!

My brother Andy was the photographer of these as I stayed inside today :)

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, 

fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling His word!"

Psalm 148: 7-8

Esther.......... My cute dog!

        This is my cute dog Sparky! Can you resist this face?  I love him!  I know this is random but it's true!



"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."  Deuteronomy 6:5

Amy

 "Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,

who walks in His ways!

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;

you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house;

your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion!

May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life!

May you see your children's children!

Peace be upon Israel!"

 Psalm 128

 This photo is from last summer during our family vacation.  

We spent some time in the Colorado mountains and we all enjoyed it!

Amy

Last year, my family & I enjoyed doing some blueberry picking at a local farm.  

We enjoyed going together and having the fresh blueberries :)  I hope we can do it again this year! 

The Lord is so kind and gracious to give us so many good things for food.

Psalm 104:14

"You cause the grass to grow for livestock and plants for men to cultivate,  

that he may bring forth food from the earth."  

Esther Ruth........

I posted this picture last year but I am still amazed at the Glory of the Lord that I see through it!  I think that says enough!  :)  Remember to appreciate the little things this week!

Hanna's Favorite Book...

One Thousand Gifts

By: Ann Voskamp

                              "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

In the Book, One Thousand Gifts, it tells us all about the everyday things we should be counting as blessings. This book has inspired me to live my life fully for God, not holding back. And learning to count my everyday simple gifts from God. I also love how Ann puts it.......

“The prayers we weave into the matching of socks, the stirring of oatmeal, the reading of stories, they survive fire.” 
― Ann Voskamp

This Week Count your Blessings, in everything... Nothing is too small. God Makes it all Good...

~Hanna

“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.”
― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Tricia's Top Book

I have several all-time-favorite books (Quo Vadis, Christy, Scottish Chiefs, Mara:Daughter of the Nile, The Viking Quest Series), so to choose "the" best is close to impossible. I treasure them all for their different stories, intrigues,heartbreaks, and lessons. But there is one that stands out as the nearest and dearest to my heart that I don't think any book could touch.....

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. My mom read it aloud to my 2 sisters and me when we were 8, 10, and 12. Ever since that first read I have fallen in love with the story of these four sisters and their adventures and heartbreaks during the civil war and immediately following the civil war.

To peek into their lives as they mature into unique, Godly, driven young women, with families and lives of their own, you get to learn right along with them. Sit in their home and listen to Marmee's (their mother) words of wisdom. This is the only book (besides The Bible) that I can pick up and read at any point of the story, at any time in my life, and feel like I'm "coming home". It is one of the few books that every time you read it, you gather something new out of its richness. It is a must read.

God Bless! P.S. This semester I will be traveling multiple weeks to compete in speech & debate tournaments, go on a mission trip, and staff several TeenPact Leadership camps around the country. So, I won't be able to blog very regularly. So just a heads up to let you know that I haven't dropped of the face of the planet. I'm just away from home. :)

Esther Ruth.......

My sister Katie and brother Billy introduced me to "Sherlock Holmes." When I first started reading it I thought "Okay, this is pretty good."  By the end of the first chapter I thought "Wow, this is REALLY good!" I am really enjoying it!  It's suspenseful and yet not; it's funny yet sometimes it makes me cry, but on top of all of that it is written very well!  Thanks, Katie and Billy for introducing it to me!  

Amy's Favorite Book..........

One of my favorite books (or series) is the "Elsie Dinsmore" series by Martha Finley. 

I have enjoyed reading and re-reading these books and I would recommend them to anyone.

I am so thankful to my parents for instilling in me a love of reading.  

Reading is such a wonderful gift! 

 

Here they are on top of my bookshelf:

 

Theme this week is.................

Favorite Books!  Enjoy!!!!  :)