Family Fall Retreat

Today we were at an ALL day Fall Retreat with our church - Grace Community Church. It was our first time to meet some homeschooling families from church! YEAH! Many families with four children and a couple with the same ages of our children! FUN! We were at a YMCA camp here and there was lots to do! A few firsts for the Ramares children! I will leave you with one this evening so I can get in bed!!!!!
Shelby on the zip line! YIKES!
Pictures to come! Hopefully you can see this video now!

Happy Birthday, Treese!

Need I say more?!?!?
My big sis is the BIG 40 on Thursday!
Happy Birthday, Treese!
I wish I were there!
I love you!

FINALLY

Well, we have been watching for a tooth for weeks now! Yesterday we finally saw that Michael's 1st tooth has broken through! YEAH! My children normally get teeth by now! My last baby's gummy grin is about to be gone! OH NO! Maybe I can get a picture of it soon!

October 11

Title: By Death We Live

Book: Streams in the Desert

Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

"As dying and behold we live" (2 Cor. 6:9). I had a bed of asters last summer, that reached clear across my garden in the country. Oh, how gaily they bloomed. They were planted late. On the sides were yet fresh blossoming flowers, while the tops had gone to seed. Early frosts came, and I found one day that that long line of radiant beauty was seared, and I said, "Ah! the season is too much for them; they have perished"; and I bade them farewell.

I disliked to go and look at the bed, it looked so like a graveyard of flowers. But, four or five weeks ago one of my men called my attention to the fact that along the whole line of that bed there were asters coming up in the greatest abundance; and I looked, and behold, for every plant that I thought the winter had destroyed there were fifty plants that it had planted. What did those frosts and surly winds do?

They caught my flowers, they slew them, they cast them to the ground, they trod with snowy feet upon them, and they said, leaving their work, "This is the end of you." And the next spring there were for every root, fifty witnesses to rise up and say, "By death we live." And as it is in the floral tribe, so it is in God's kingdom. By death came everlasting life. By crucifixion and the sepulchre came the throne and the palace of the Eternal God. By overthrow came victory.

Do not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to be overthrown. It is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is by being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to shreds, that men become men of might, and that one a host; whereas men that yield to the appearance of things, and go with the world, have their quick blossoming, their momentary prosperity and then their end, which is an end forever.--Beecher

"Measure thy life by loss and not by gain, Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth. For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice, And he who suffers most has most to give."

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Update ...

I made it to LA safely! The children were great on the road!

My niece, Sarah Jane, is having a MRI tomorrow afternoon to rule out anything else they can not see! Right now she has been diagnosed with a form of vertigo, but neither her pediatrician nor her ENT have ever seen it in a child her age. They are doing this test to set my sister at ease. The procedure they did on Sarah Jane last week hasn't helped her symptoms a whole lot! Please pray for them tomorrow - she will be put to sleep to run the test! I will try to update when I know more! Thanks!

Well ...

tomorrow morning (EARLY - Lord willing) I will head out on my first trip back to LA since we moved! My second time to travel alone with the full crew and just me! :) Please pray for me! I am also a little anxious, because this week marks one year from a major trial in our lives! The Lord is reminding me of His constant provision!
John will fly in to join us on Friday evening. We will be attending our sweet friend's, Mandy B - well - now Mandy S, wedding reception! We will see a few friends we went to college with and I also found out that it is homecoming week at my high school - and they are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the school! Cool! So, I may see more friends!
Well, I have to finish packing the van and get in the bed! Thanks for you prayers, dear friends!

Fall is Fun!

I love the fall! I love getting up to the crisp mornings and drinking my coffee and reading! Fall is so refreshing! I started reading about some fun fall things and thought you might want to read too! Click here for a refreshing look at fall!

Isaiah 26:3-4

Isaiah 26:3-4

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Grace in the Morning

Title: Grace in the Morning
Book: Streams in the Desert
Author: Mrs. Charles E. CowmanProgram
Date: December 31st, 1969
Web Page: http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/print.php/streams/256

"Come up in the morning . . . and present thyself unto me in the top of the mount" (Exod. 34:2).

The morning is the time fixed for my meeting the Lord. The very word morning is as a cluster of rich grapes. Let us crush them, and drink the sacred wine. In the morning! Then God means me to be at my best in strength and hope. I have not to climb in my weakness. In the night I have buried yesterday's fatigue, and in the morning take a new lease of energy. Blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified! Successful is the day whose first victory was won in prayer! Holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount! My Father, I am coming. Nothing on the mean plain shall keep me away from the holy heights. At Thy bidding I come, so Thou wilt meet me. Morning on the mount! It will make me strong and glad all the rest of the day so well begun. --Joseph Parker.

Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.
Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
The solemn hush of nature newly born;
Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.
As in the dawning o'er the waveless ocean,
The image of the morning-star doth rest,
So in this stillness, Thou beholdest only
Thine image in the waters of my breast.
When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,
Its closing eyes look up to Thee in prayer;
Sweet the repose, beneath
Thy wings o'er shadowing,
But sweeter still to wake and find Thee there.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe

My mother's habit was every day, immediately after breakfast, to withdraw for an hour to her own room, and to spend that hour in reading the Bible, in meditation and prayer. From that hour, as from a pure fountain, she drew the strength and sweetness which enabled her to fulfill all her duties, and to remain unruffled by the worries and pettinesses which are so often the trial of narrow neighborhoods. As I think of her life, and all it had to bear, I see the absolute triumph of Christian grace in the lovely ideal of a Christian lady. I never saw her temper disturbed; I never heard her speak one word of anger, of calumny, or of idle gossip; I never observed in her any sign of a single sentiment unbecoming to a soul which had drunk of the river of the water of life, and which had fed upon manna in the barren wilderness.--Farrar

Give God the blossom of the day. Do not put Him off with faded leaves.

Devotions.org is made possible through the generous gifts of supporters. Your gift is appreciated to help keep this ministry touching the lives of men and women through the Internet. Go here to make a tax deductible donation or call 1-800-811-2397 to partner with us.

P.S.

John had a great lunch today with the pastor from the church we have been visiting! Our doctrinal beliefs are the same. :) I pray that the Lord will give us clear direction as we sit under this pastors preaching ... as he teaches through Romans 8&9 over the next couple of months!
Thanks for your prayers!

Please Pray :)

Most of you have heard me talk about my niece, Sarah Jane, that is one year older than Shelby! Sarah Jane has had some nose bleed problems in the past that we attributed to allergies. When they started up a couple of weeks ago, she also began having some dizzy spells. The doctor gave her medication that helped, but he thought it would be a one time deal. Well, this weekend it returned and today the school called Patreese because of it. They went to the doctor and he said he needed to rule out a couple of things before they continue treating it as they have. So, tomorrow the doctor hopes to run an MRI to rule out a brain tumor or an opening to the spine that would allow fluid in to cause meningitis. (I have no idea if I said all of that correctly or spelled it correctly, but you get the idea of the breakdown my sister was having at that point!) Please pray for Sarah Jane and Patreese. The Lord has been slowing revealing himself to my brother-in-law, Jeff, and I pray that Lord will use all of these events to draw this family to Himself!

I will try to keep you posted! :)

Isaiah 26:3&4
3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

ESa Picnic

John's company picnic started yesterday around 3PM. Activities went on until almost 6PM when our dinner was served! We all had a great time! I am sure you will be able to tell by the pictures! We also met some nice people!


Jack decided to ride! Uh oh ... I hope he doesn't acquire Shelby's passion for horses! :)


Spin art! I am going to try to scan our art work and add it to the post later!


Michael is having fun watching everyone!


Daddy and Grant jousting! Pretty funny to watch!


Shelby is eating this up! She knew the horses names right away ... Hosanna and Grace.


Surprise!


Balloon swords!


A teddy bear!


Shelby and I were playing the egg toss game they do every year at the picnic!
The lady next to me with the tan shorts ... she and her husband had theirs bust on the first or second throw. The man in the white t-shirt went on to win the toss for the third year in a row. His partner was a teenager that we went to the county fair with a few weeks ago!

The Bellevue Library - Bummer

Well, we went to the library a few weeks ago just to get an idea of what they may have! When I had first seen the outside of the library I told John we were going back in time! :) Well, yesterday was verification of that! Our branch library is smaller than the children's section at "our" Allen library! Not only that - it is not organized well at all. To top it all off, the front librarian that was helping me get my library card activated told me that story time was a good time to bring children to the library because of all of the other kids that were already there (so we wouldn't be the only children and bother others is what she was getting at). Well, I personally want a library where children are welcome ALL the time! I was a little bummed. I know that my children were not disturbing others etc. I was highly aware of the noise level the entire time I was there - trying to be very careful that we didn't disturb others. A lady that was there looking for books for her children (she home schooled them last year, but they are in school this year) - told me that the main branch was better organized and had great story times etc. Guess we will be going downtown to the library when I can't get it put on hold online! :) I am thankful that I have options!

Thomas the Tank Engine

We had planned to go visit Thomas next weekend, but since our weather has been so nice this weekend - we decided to go today! Shelby says it is "freezing" - but it is in the 70's and wonderful!

Thomas the Tank Engine

Shelby on the train!



The boys on the train!



Michael is hanging out with Daddy on his first trip to see Thomas!



The gang is all here! :)

Sunday

We had a great day at church. Michael fussed only a little during Sunday School, but after a brief nap during the church hour ... he played and was happy when I picked him up! Thank you, Lord! What a blessing for Mommy!
The big children got settled in their new classes as well, and so did Mommy & Daddy! I pray that this will be our church home for a while. It is a little different from what we are used to ... but it isn't good to compare - totally. The pastor began preaching from Romans 8 today! The next few weeks should be most enlightening on church beliefs!
Grace starts their fall small groups this week, but John will be out of town. We will probably wait until next week to go for the first time.
Can you tell I am a little excited about the prospect that this could be our church home? Only a little time will tell! Keep pray'in!

August

It will take a couple of posts, but here are some highlights from our month!

Michael is pulling up ... EVERYWHERE!

Our first county fair in TN!

Michael knows his is a BIG boy! He immediately started pulling up and cruising down the futon when he started crawling!

Shelby and Grant rode their first "scrambler" ride!

Jack hanging out with Dad & Mom while Shelby and Grant are in an ancient Egypt class at the museum!

Michael at the museum.

A mummy case at the museum.

Jack and Mommy built a pyramid with blocks.

Michael is crawling all over!

Friends, Birthday, Fair - A full Saturday!

Happy early Birthday to you, John!



Today was a fun day! We were invited to go visit a family that John works with the dad, Eddie. We ate hamburgers and hot dogs, and Eddie's sweet wife, Beth, got John a birthday cookie! What a treat!
We didn't realize, but we all needed to get out a little! The children needed to be away from the apartment and play! Needless to say, we had a great day! What a blessing!!!!!!!!!!

One of friends' favorite thing to do this time of year is go to the Wilson County Fair! So ... we headed that way after our lunch!

Donaly and Shelby on the carousel!



Shelby was screaming so loudly on the slide, Donaly had to hold her ears coming down. I missed the shot of John, Jack, & Grant coming down after that!



I still can't believe I let them do this, but yes ... Donaly, Shelby, and Grant rode the "Scrambler"! YIKES! They were HILARIOUS!



Mr. Eddie was finished with his frozen banana on a stick, so ... you can see who got to chew on it! That was a treat for Michael!



We appreciate Eddie and Beth having us to their home and treating our children as their own! What a special day!

Old post I forgot to go back to! Sorry!

Jack and Grant wait for lunch!

Michael just finished his first (and maybe last) teething biscuit!

Shelby reading Jack's new b'day book to him!

Catching up!

We took some pictures in June that I thought were on my camera, but they were on my mom's! So, now that I have a copy of them, you have to back up again with me to June! On our way to south Louisiana to the wedding we stopped to see my grandmother! We had not seen her since September before I had Michael. Grannie or Grannie D, as the children call her, turned 95 August 2nd! We e-mail a couple of times a week! Can you imagine - a 95 year old grandmother you e-mail! I love it!

Michael with his great-grandmother! He smiled almost as big as she did! Grannie has 5 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren (13 in September), and 1 great-grandchild.

Grannie still crochets many things for us! The children love the hats, scarves, and even horse blankets for Shelby's horses!

Danielle and Shelby at the bride's maids' brunch!

Jack learning to do a thumbs up as he swims with Daddy! Notice the finger!

Grant's New Hair-Do

Grant loved his friend, Roy's, hair cut a while back. Grant has been asking ever since for a hair cut. Well, here it is!

A Little Baking Trial

I have had recipes and other things go like this ... A Little Baking Trial, but it is comforting to know that the Lord places those little (and big) trials there for my good and His glory!
Have a blessed day!

To: Emma From: Shelby

Shelby wanted to send Emma a message when she heard how much she liked seeing Michael!

Michael Moves

Michael is getting around, but he isn't crawling! He thinks he is big stuff! He is also quacking like a duck (because he sees them around our apartment) - listen to hear!

Comfort in the Depths ... today's Streams in the Desert

Title: Comfort in the Depths
Book: Streams in the Desert
Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Web Page: http://www.backtothebible.org/devotions/print.php/streams/221

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. . .who passing through the valley of weeping, make it a well" (Ps. 84:5, 6).

Comfort does not come to the light-hearted and merry. We must go down into "depths" if we would experience this most precious of God's gifts--comfort, and thus be prepared to be co-workers together with Him. When night--needful night--gathers over the garden of our souls, when the leaves close up, and the flowers no longer hold any sunlight within their folded petals, there shall never be wanting, even in the thickest darkness, drops of heavenly dew--dew which falls only when the sun has gone.

"I have been through the valley of weeping, The valley of sorrow and pain; But the 'God of all comfort' was with me, At hand to uphold and sustain. "As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine, Our souls need both sorrow and joy; So He places us oft in the furnace, The dross from the gold to destroy. "When he leads thro' some valley of trouble His omnipotent hand we trace; For the trials and sorrows He sends us, Are part of His lessons in grace. "Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning, Forgetting the Husbandman knows That the deeper the cutting and paring, The richer the cluster that grows. "Well He knows that affliction is needed; He has a wise purpose in view, And in the dark valley He whispers, 'Hereafter Thou'lt know what I do.' "As we travel thro' life's shadow'd valley, Fresh springs of His love ever rise; And we learn that our sorrows and losses, Are blessings just sent in disguise. "So we'll follow wherever He leadeth, Let the path be dreary or bright; For we've proved that our God can give comfort; Our God can give songs in the night."

Our week!

Our new home ...

This is the view from the pool looking toward the entrance ... we drive up that hill to our apartment home!

Grant, Harrison, Shelby, & Sarah Jane as we celebrated Jack's b'day a little early week before last when my sister came for a brief visit! What a treat!

On Sunday, July 16th my Dad turned 65! We celebrated at Outback! At that time we didn't know we would be celebrating Jack's birthday again before they left (Dad & Mom extended their stay), so the cake was for both of them! :)

Jack chose the same cake for his birthday! We started our week by going to a church across town. Nice, but we probably won't go back! Monday we celebrated Jack's 3rd b'day! WOW! We picked up a cookie cake at Kroger, went through the drive through at McDonald's for Happy Meals for the kids, and burger for John, and I got a great salad - I was really impressed! I am not a big McDonald's fan! We got a good bit done on Monday ... the rest of the week was full of miscellaneous things! Getting new cell phones, getting my DSL up so I can blog (HA), and trying to get everything in its place so we can start school on Monday! Added to all of that we had workers here on Tuesday and Wednesday tearing out the floor in our half-bath to replace the floor under the tile and relay tile on it. They still have to come back and replace some molding pieces they broke in the process. They were very friendly and did a good job - but we had extra people in the house! On Thursday, our maintenance man was here to work on the list of things I turned in that needed repair upon move in! I still have a couple of lingering things Mr. JJ or Mr. Bill need to take care of before I am completely satisfied! Friday, we picked up John from work and headed to the mall in Franklin - that was the closest JC Penny's that I had to order curtains from, and they were ready for pick-up! I will blog more about the apartment and send pics of the rooms and the outside soon! (Jack calls it the repartment!) Today I took care of some banking and we cleaned out the master closet! It had not been organized yet, but it is now!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow John will go to a new church and we have decided for the rest of the family to have church at home. We used this method some when looking for churches once we moved to Allen. I plan to have Sunday School in the morning with the children and then to watch FBC-Parker on the internet! We use to do this when we practiced for church, so this should work until we can find a church that we want the family to try! It is a scary thing to take my children into some churches not knowing the people or what is being taught etc. Please pray that this is a quick process!
Well, I must get to bed! The last pic is of the fountain by the pool and at the base of our hill. We love to watch the ducks and geese. Have a blessed Lord's day to all of you!

Happy Birthday, JACK!

Happy Birthday, Jack! I am sitting here waiting for the one picture I took of my son on his 3rd birthday to load ... it is taking FOREVER, and I am still not sure if it is going to work! SO, the picture may have to wait until later in the week! Jack did have a special day! He was thrilled with picking up a store-bought birthday cookie, getting a McDonald's Happy Meal, and going to the park! WOW! We enjoyed it too! More to report later! I will try to start blogging more! Miss you all!

Laugh, Cry, Pray

Well ... today was a BIG day! We closed on our house today! We are now living in someone else's home! HA! (Mr. Mike, our realtor brought that to our attention!)








Today was a special day as well (I can't come out and say S-A-D)! As I fought back tears every time I spoke with my dear friend, Tamra, on the phone, I had to thank God for her friendship - even though good byes are hard to say! So, Tamra, this blog post is for you! :)















We also had some funny moments! After we said good bye to our "middle children" (Jack & Grant headed to Monroe with my Mom) ... we packed and took care of some business! Here Daddy was trying to put Michael in our laundry shelf for safe keeping!




Our sweet friends also brought us supper! My favorite!!! Thank you! This picture was taken to make sure I had a pic of Cait in Jack's clothes! You can only imagine why that happened! That is ok!

Well, I have almost finished packing the kitchen - just the cleaning supplies to take care of and a couple of things from the dish washer! We pick up the truck in the morning and will start the process of trying to fit the rest of our "worldly goods" onto this 26' (I think) truck! I make this one last request for prayer before we leave ... our safety, our sanity :), and that we will honor the Lord with all of our actions and attitudes as we move through the next few days!

PS - I made a promise to blog pics and updates regularly - give me a chance to get set up and I am going to try to fill in some of the holes from the last month or so! Love you gals!

June Trip to Nashville - A little late getting this posted! It has been saved since June 3rd!

This is the "ride" I had in TN last time! The lady didn't have what I reserved, so she asked if a PT cruiser was ok! So, Michael and I sported around in this! :)

After we looked at several apartments we settled in our budget hotel ... strolled next door to O'Charley's for supper, and then took a brief walk! This boy (and Mommy) were tired! Isn't that a sweet yawn! Michael was so good on the trip! I thought he would be difficult without his siblings to entertain him, but he played so much by himself. I guess he was so thankful to not be on a plane or in the car that he loved playing in the middle of a bed by himself!

This is the road we will travel frequently in the Bellevue area of Nashville where we will live. Does this look like Texas? HA! When all was said and done at the end of this trip ... I have narrowed it down to two apartments. Thank you, Lord for a successful and safe trip!

PS - Happy Father's Day, John ... sorry I missed it! Love you!