What a Happy Couple

James & my beautiful daughter Rebecca.

I'm on the top of the World

Whoops, I know this post is a day late (sorry Mom) but yesterday I had a big day. For starters, I woke up late! I missed my walk with my dear friend and I didn't have time to blog. I do have to admit I felt really good all day because of the extra sleep.

I have lots of great stuff to write about and show you all today. So let me begin!

First, this is a picture of my special Birthday meal my husband made for me. It so happens to be my favorite meal. Homemade Chicken Parmigiana. My husband makes his own Spaghetti sauce, he uses angel hair spaghetti noodles, and he fried up the most yummy piece of chicken I have ever had. (he's a great cook, next year could be better) Plus, he made some homemade bread. I took a little bit before I remembered to take this picture.

Next, is my desert. I told you all before that I love a good carrot cake. My husband bought me this yummy carrot muffin from Whole foods.
Yum, yum, yummy!
My gifts; I received three pairs of ear rings, shower gel, a beautiful gold chain and a satellite radio for my truck. It has 170 channels. Wooohoooo! This is a picture of me and my three boy's. From left to right; Bo, John, Me and Jimmy.
This is me and my hubby.
I received this purse and tank tops from my Dad, Mom and little sisters. (Thank you) I do have to tell you all a little secret. I have never bought a purse for myself in my whole 45 years of life. Thank for keeping me in purses Dad, mom and little sisters.
I received these comfy PJ's and soaps from my son Bret his lovely wife Jessica and my three grand babies.
I've been having a lot of trouble with my feet. The Chemo is trying to get out and using my feet in the process. My friend and walking partner Maria bought me this Luxury Paraffin Bath. It is really working. (Thank you Maria)
These next items are from my blogging friends.

This first one is a CD of my favorite Hymns. Kathy'sKlavierThank you Kathy!
This is a package of Lillies I received from Greg C. GregsC Thank you Greg!
This is a new tree I bought for myself a few weeks back. The lillies will be planted around the tree.

Last but not least; I received these lovely items from my blogging friend Kristy. (Thank you so much) The Most Exciting Thing We've Ever Done

These pictures are for my daughter Rebecca. She wanted to see what we have been up to this summer.

We have been storing clothes on top of our dresser because we didn't have enough drawer space. My mother-in-law gave us this beautiful dresser. (Thank you Betty)
She also gave us these.
I wrote the other day about staining our deck. Here is the finished product. We are now going to finish off the porch by adding white rails.

This is a full view of the porch.
My white fence needed some much needed help this year. We went to Lowe's and they had a small piece of fence for 1 cent. We bought it and my husband fixed all of the broken pieces. This is the finished product.
This is the game room we are working on. I'll post another picture when we are finished.

My free Time

I can't wait to show you all what I have been up to the last few weeks. I'll take pictures today and post them tomorrow. I've stained our front porch, cleaned our house to get ready for our new dressers. My husband painted our game room and I cleaned all of the shelves so I can paint them. My husband is going to put in a sub floor and then put in new carpet before we get it organized for the boy's.

I am really enjoying my summer. More tomorrow......

I get a special Birthday meal today. My Birthday was last Tuesday but with the Chemo and all, I ask my husband if we could put it off a week. I'll have pictures tomorrow!

Oh, Oh, Oh, I forgot to write about my new plants. I can't wait until tomorrow. Wooohooo!

God is still able to use Me!

Do you have a servant’s heart? Has God blessed you with the insight to see the needs of others and reach out in compassion and understanding even when they, themselves, cannot reach out and ask for help?

Last night I was blessed to be able to work side by side with a group of ladies willing to give up their time to serve others. I watched these women and felt so much joy in my heart that I could work with them in order to help a dear family.

This dear lady is having twins and is on bed rest for 10 more weeks. She had to have surgery on the twins a few weeks back. God is so good! The twins are doing fine now but Mama is down for a while. Isn't it funny how God works. I know I have cancer and am having Chemo but I think I can handle that better then being on bed rest for 10 more weeks. I think we will be done around the same time. Steph with the twins and me with my Chemo. We are each going through a difficult time but God will see us both through. This dear young lady used to watch my twins when they were babies so I could go to my oldest sons football games on Friday nights. Here it is all these years later and she is having twins and I am able to help her out just a little. We prepared over 30 meals for them last night. Now all they have to do is take them out of the freezer and put them in the oven that evening. God is still able to use me!

It doesn’t matter what you own, how much money you have in the bank, how talented or educated you are, or how many people you know. If God calls you to have a servant’s heart, He will make a way for you to accomplish what He has put on your heart to do.

A servant’s heart has more to do with your relationship with God than it has to do with your desire to be recognized for your good deeds. Having a servant’s heart is one the most beautiful expressions of love I know. It’s showing your love to another human being by simply being who God intended you to be. It’s about seeing a need and fulfilling it without any strings attached. It’s about making yourself uncomfortable so that someone else could be comfortable. It’s about showing Christ’s love through your actions and words. And finally, it’s about touching the lives of those around you with such a gentle kindness that your act will be remembered for years to come.

Taking the time to listen to what God wants you to do, humbling yourself to do what He has called you to do, and then faithfully following His orders regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you is truly what a servant’s heart is all about. It’s selfless love at its best and God couldn’t ask for a better gift or testimony of your relationship with Him. God blessed me last night by watching these women and their love for this dear family.

Sometimes when you think you are doing the ministering, you are really being ministered to. It really makes me what to keep serving!

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." - I Peter 4:10
"...to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." - Ephesians 4:12

New hair and More!

This is Jimmy & John my 14 year old twins. I think next year we are going to have to make two cakes or catch my hair on fire trying to light them and carry it to the table. I think Jimmy was happy with all he got.
Hey John, What did you get?
I've been a bit busy around the house this week getting ready for the twins Birthday party. Friday was my 3rd Chemo treatment. It did set me back a bit. My body didn't react to this one the way the others did. You can read that on my "Journey with Cancer blog".

Saturday wasn't so bad! After I got rid of my headache I was able to clean the house, make the cake, cheesy potatoes and go to my Janitors job.

Sunday after church my family all came over for Jimmy and John's Birthday party. I have stated so many times how much I love being with family. It was fun and we had a super time. Down below are some updated pictures of my lovely family.

Thanks Dad, Mom, Shi Shi, Malie, Grandma Householder, Bret, Jessica, Josh, Ethan and Jenna for making Jimmy and John's party so wonderful. I didn't get all the pictures that I normally do but I'll get some updated ones of my Dad and Mom soon. I guess I was a bit tired.


This is my oldest son Bret, Jessica his beautiful wife and my adorable granddaughter Jenna.

I had to get some pictures of Jenna posing for her Nana.

This picture of Boaz and I was taken last Friday evening July 4th. As you can see I still had my own hair. This picture of Aaron and I was taken July 6th, 2008. This is the day after all of my hair fell out. This is my new hair for a while.

This is a picture of my daughter Becca and her boyfriend James.

Happy 14th Birthday John & Jimmy

My twins turn 14 on Saturday. It seems like it was yesterday that they were just babies.

I can't believe my boy's are teenagers! Yikes, one3 more year and they could be driving. Daddy told them last night, only if their grades are up will they be driving.


John


Jimmy

Sunday right after church we are having family over to celebrate their birthday. (Mom & Dad can you make it? 12:30 for lunch) We always let the person that has the birthday, pick out the meal for the day. Something special we do around here.

Jimmy wanted Hamburgers, Shrimp, and a Confetti Cake with Confetti frosting.

John wanted Cheesy Potatoes and Green bean Casserole, and a Confetti Cake with Confetti Frosting.

We will add some other goodies to the menu.

I have no idea how it works out that Jimmy seems to always pick the main dish and John picks out the sides. It works!


The boy's will be spending the night tonight with their best friends Paul and Matt Miller. They will be vacationing with them at the end of the month. What a treat for my boy's.


I love to have parties! Life is short, we might as well enjoy it while we can, don't you think!

"Wives respect your Husband" Ephesians 5:33-It's Marriage Monday

It's Marriage Monday; C h r y s a l i s is the host of Marriage Monday. Hop over and read all about her daughter's wedding. I loved it, I think you will too!

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I think one of the top problems in a marriage is the wife showing respect to her husband. Over and over I hear how woman talk to there husband's and disrepect them. Even belittle them to others! I believe if we want a healthy marriage, we need to set aside selfishness and live for the other person. Do I always feel like sacrificing for my husband? No, I would love to be selfish at times and only think about myself. That is not really even what I want to write about today. I want to write about the way I hear woman talk to their husband's or disrespect their husband's.

These are a few things I have picked up from from the Scriptures today.
Characteristics of love listed in I Corinthians 13.

Not provoked--not responding in irritation but self-control realizing God will not give more then we can bear

Not taking into account a wrong suffered--not bringing up past failings but instead forgiving and forgetting as Christ has forgiven us 1

Not rejoicing in unrighteousness but rejoicing in truth --not enticing her husband to sin but "stimulating to love and good deeds"

Bearing all things -- sacrificing self and committing to your husband

Believing all things -- believing the best and holding to God's promise "that all things work together for good..."

Hoping all things -- having firm hope in God and trusting "all things" to the hand of God including her husband and marriage and

Enduring all things -- seeing trials as opportunity to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ We saw that these things do not come naturally to us but instead we must diligently work at "putting on love" in our lives.

Let’s see what the wife is being called to.

1. The wife is responsible to take action. Some people subtly criticize the command to submission by wrongly interpreting it to mean ‘to lose motivation and sense of purpose.’ It is the other way around. She is to be full of attention and action. She is alert respecting her husband. At the end of the age every wife will be asked to whether she respected her husband. Responsibility means accountability. The husband will be responsible for how the home went because he is head. But she will be responsible for how she respected her husband.

2. The wife might seem surprised at her prime focus to fear or respect her husband. She might wonder how can a great marriage be built on a command to fear her husband. Part of the confusion is what fear means. Part of it is what the world nonstop keeps saying.

The Chinese have two words for fear. One is afraid and the other is ‘in awe of.’ I think the later sense is much more proper. The wife needs to realize no matter how foolish her husband is and how much he focuses on fulfilling his own lusts, he is still her head. Marriage defines the context in which men and women grow. If a women does well in this area, then she will do well in lots of areas. If she does poorly here, then she will have trouble with all things.

I pray this will touch your heart if you find that you are a woman who doesn't "respect your husband". I fear too many women would call themselves respectful but if their husbands were asked to honestly answer this questions, they would have to deny her reverence. Perhaps we are submissive but not reverent or respectful. Even a child can obey because he knows the consequences of disobedience but show by attitudes and actions that it was not from a heart of love. Do we submit begrudgingly or do we lovingly submit showing respect and honor for the position God has given our husbands as head of the home?

Have you ever made your husband feel foolish? I want to write down an example that I heard of how we can make our husband's feel foolish. There was a lady that told of a time when her husband was getting ready to go to church planning to wear a shirt and tie that didn't match. She sarcastically said, "You're not going to wear that tie are you?" He told her he was and wanted to know what was wrong with it. Upon reflection later she realized that her question had made him feel foolish because obviously, he had planned to wear that outfit.

The wife is to "see to it that she respect her husband" (Ephesians 5:33). She should be a "helper suitable" (Genesis 2:20) offering helpful suggestions instead of "put-downs". Scripture gives numerous examples of wives showing disrepect to their husband. Job's wife told him to "curse God and die!" (Job 2:9) instead of supporting him in his time of trial. When she saw King David dancing for joy, his wife, Michal, made fun of David instead of rejoicing with him that the ark was being returned to Jerusalem.

But Scripture does also give us some postive examples of those who did show respect to their husbands. Bathsheba "bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, May my lord king David live forever" (I Kings 1:31) Queen Esther approached King Ahasuerus with respect saying "...if it please the king...my petition and my request is if I have found favor in the King's sight..." (Esther 5:4). Sarah is commended in I Peter 3:6 for she "obeyed Abraham, calling him lord" . We are told in this same passage that we can be like the holy women of old by practicing this same attitude. Ephesians 5:33 says "....let the wife see to it that she respects her husband." It doesn't matter that this goes completely contrary to what is being taught by the world today. This is what God requires of us.

Here are five Biblical Principles for Respecting our Husbands.

They are:

1. The wife is to respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33

2. The wife is to respect his position. I Corinthians 11:3

3. The wife is to act in a respectful manner. Proverbs 31:23

4. The wife is to reprove her husband respectfully. Colossians 4:6

5. The wife who is disrespectful may experience severe consequences. Galatians 6:1

I challenge you to listen to the tone of voice you answer your husband in, listen to how you talk about your husband to others, listen to the words you use to respond to his questions, even evaluate your body language.

Are we showing true "reverence' for our husbands or deceiving ourselves?

How do others evaluate the relationship they see between us and our husbands?

Can we repair the damage done by our disrespectful attitudes in the past?

What are some practical things we can do to show our husbands respect?

I hope we will all honestly search our hearts and see if we are obeying God's command to respect our husbands.

Love in Christ,

Lori

My Sailor is coming Home

My Sailor will be coming home in less than 18 hours. I can't believe how much we have been able to see Aaron since he left. He has a four day week-end and decided to fly home. His plane comes in tonight at 6:15 p.m. He will return to VA Sunday at 9:15 p.m.

I am sooooo excited!!!! We have a lot of things planned to do. Movies, swimming, a barbecue on Sunday.

As you can see, I'll be a bit busy over the next few days so...

Happy Fourth to all of my dear blogging friends.

I'll be back on Monday.

Dad & Mom, We got home late last night. We went to D.J.'s game and then to Lowe's for a bit of shopping. Come on over anytime after 7:00 p.m. we should be back from the airport around then.

Proud Mom

Milan U-12 boys have big season

PUBLISHED: June 26, 2008

The Milan U-12 boys' travel soccer team finished their spring season with a strong 6-2-2 record.

After winning their final game, the team moved into first place, two points in front of Saline. The Saline team, however, had one game left to play, which they won last weekend in the league's final season game. That edged them past Milan in the standings by one point, though Milan finished a respectable second place in a division that also included teams from Northville, Riverview, Fenton and Howell.

Milan shooters scored a total of 23 goals in their 10-game season, led by Peter McCrae-Hokenson with nine goals, Kian Evans with six goals, Cameron Krol and Dominic Rubino with two goals each, and Alan Kulikowski, Oliver Smith, Jack Williams and Dayton Darling all with one goal apiece.

On the other end of the field, the Milan defense was held strong by the stellar goalkeeping efforts of Spencer Miller, Krol and Darling. A solid defensive line in front of them included consistently strong play from Jason Sell and Josh Jarema, who together built a brick wall in Milan's central defense.

Outside defensive support and transitional attacking came from Smith, Boaz Householder, Darling and Sell. Contributing further to the total team effort were the high-pressure attacking midfield plays of team captain Liam Broadhurst, Kulikowski, McCrae-Hokenson, Josh Sattarino, and Williams on the outside flanks, with Krol and Miller holding the center midfield positions. Evans (who led the team in assists) and Rubino provided consistent offensive pressure from the forward spots.

Each of the players showed incredible growth and improvement throughout the season and learned to work as a cohesive team. Simon Evans and Paul Smith coached the fifth- and sixth-grade mix. Both are proud of the accomplishments of the individual players and the team as a whole. Coaches and players alike are looking forward to another great season in the fall.