Upcoming Reviews

 I will be promoting materials  which are family friendly with positive messages.
some of the items I will be posting about are:
 http://newenglandbloggerette.blogspot.com/2013/02/positive-ly-terrific-family-moviespure.html


* Ginny Owens' new studio album titled "Get In, I'm Driving"! I can't wait for you to take a listen once you hear it and I can't wait to hear what you think.
and
* The first DVD in the series, Theo: God's Love


>A three-time Dove Award winner, including the Gospel Music Association’s 2000 New Artist of the Year recipient, and multiple ASCAP Award winner, Ginny Owens has sold nearly one million albums. And you will have a chance to win one of her CD's!

>Theo, an animated student of Godʼs Word, lives in a cozy corner of a quaint English village, in the heart of the Cotswolds, and entertains two mice, Belfry and Luther.  Theo was created to reach kids of all ages. The lessons and teachings of Theo can be used for Sunday school lessons, Christian school curriculum, missions, evangelism and homeschooling.

So, keep an eye out for the review and to comment on them for a chance to win one and be blessed,too :)

Helping propel the Good News,
~Lori

Peace in the storm

As Hurricane Irene makes its way up the East coast, we  have been keeping a close eye on the projected path. We may have a tropical storm here in NH by Sunday, downgraded from the current category 2 H near the North Carolina coast right now. TS is a bit better, but the strong winds and flooding can still cause problems. A quick intense storm passed this way last week and many trees and telephone poles were downed. People were without power anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.  We've had bad Nor'easters in New England and always held together through each one. We always have a plan on how to prepare the house,yard and essential supplies, but the best preparation is prayer. Whether the storm we experience is from a hurricane or personal conflicts, seeking God's holy word should always be our first line of defense.
 Here are a few verses that I like to read and think about in times I feel nervous:
'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:1
"I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8 (AMP)
1 Peter 5:7
"Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
 
 I hope these encourage you as they do me.
If you have a verse that helps lift you up, please feel free to share it in a comment.

August 1,2011

 The beginning of August is bittersweet to me. It feels like an internal switch has been set and I am shifting gears from enjoying summer to preparing for school. Our public school starts the 29th, so there's plenty of time,but I really feel rushed to get things ready now.
 I had a terrific July,spent time with my family, relaxed in the screen house, visited family in RI, and went to Santa's Village,where we had an awesome time. I want to go to the beach a few times before the month of August flies by.
 I took my son clothes shopping today and found a few pairs of pants that should fit for a few weeks before he grows out of them :) He grew about an inch this summer! Incredible, but the Dr. said it's normal due to the amount of vitamin D from the sun. His pants were pull ons,which he can still get away with wearing in the first grade. (He hates the binding feeling of button up jeans. He may end up wearing athletic  pants when he grows up.)
 It was odd not having to buy my daughter any clothes as she just graduated and can buy her own. She prefers shopping with friends any way instead of me,I'm way too conservative for her style.
 My eldest daughter and her husband will be visiting us from SC in about a month =D  They are doing well and are happy, and that is mainly what we want for our kids. It would be great if we lived closer, but their home is there for now and we are in NH.
 So, with August at our front door and summer waning, I am looking forward to what comes next for us as a family and personally. I am leaning and trusting my Lord God to help us through all that comes at us :)
 Have a great month!
God bless,
~Lori
This is a picture taken at my daughter's wedding last year <3

Hummingbird in action :)

The hummingbirds are so quick, they are a challenge to video.

This one decided to fill its tank as a thunderstorm approached.

The voice at the end is my son, worried that I was still outside,

he called,"You need to come in, Mom" =)

Robert Pierre's newest release, I'm All In =)

Robert Pierre's newest cd, I'm All In,  is being released today!

 Here is a video with him singing Jesus.

There is a part of the video that reaches each of us in some way.,

either we know someone who has been there

or have been there at least once in our life.

Happy Hummingbirds

I have always been interested in hummingbirds and how they maneuver their tiny wings and body. This year I decided to buy a small feeder and hang it in my backyard. I looked up the correct sugar and water ratio (4:1),and read that the red food coloring wasn't necessary, so I decided not to add any.
 I placed it in an area easy to be seen from several windows and waited patiently for them to start buzzing around the feeder. I kept checking on it every few minutes, expecting at least one but hoping it would be a popular spot for the tiny birds. It was a few hours before one showed up. It seemed to drink from it then darted away to the woods. I read they have to feed often so I expected it to be back in less than thirty minutes. When an hour passed and I didn't see it, I became kinda sad. Maybe I did something wrong and the mix was nasty or something. Maybe a neighbor also has a feeder and it was just looking for a back up feeder? It eventually returned at dusk,but only for a quick sip.
 It didn't return much for another day or so and I was concerned the mix was getting bad, but then I saw it and it had a friend. They seemed to be happily taking turns drinking from the feeder. They flew off and came back with a few more friends and they all took turns sipping the sugary stuff. I was ecstatic and wondered what the change was. When a few started flying in circles and walking on the ground, staggering really, I had to check out what was going on.
 I went to the feeder, they didn't seem to want me to take it in, and I smelled the juice. Come to find out, the sugary mix had fermented and the birds were all getting a buzz from the feeder! I had to laugh. I had never heard of this happening and wondered if I should just return it and let them have their fun, but then I remembered the neighborhood cats would be around and they tiny sozzled birds would be in danger. I took the feeder in and wahed it then put a fresh batch in. They went back in hopes of finding more of the home made brew but most eventually flew back to their nests to sleep off their mini buzz.
 A few returned the next day to see if it had fermented yet, but I am keeping an eye on it and change it more frequently so the little guys can fly responsibly, after all I don't know the legal drinking age for hummingbirds, and doubt there even is one. I wouldn't want to be responsible for seeing them try play chicken with the cats or cause domestic squabbles. No, they are shut off and will have to go else where to imbibe on an unsuspecting bird watcher's moonshine :)

(ps. This story is true up until the part where the juice got fermented, that part was added for your entertainment purposes. No hummingbirds got drunk on fermented sugar water and they were not stumbling around my yard or flying in circles)

Yet another Crossroad

 Along the road in life, we all have choices to make. Like it or not, we have to choose and for better or worse, go forward with that decision. The past few years have brought several crossroads to our family.
 About seven years ago in October, I found out I was expecting our third child. I was 38 at the time Our first child was born in 1988,second in 1993 and now we were expecting a third in 2005. We were surprised,but it was a good surprise. Our home wasn't big enough for another room, so we had to decide whether to move or build on. We decided to put a second floor addition,with a second bathroom! yay! He was already making changes in the family before being born.(changes besides my legs giving way to varicose veins)A month after he was born my oldest went on a missions trip with her youth group. They went to Africa! I was already emotional with having a newborn and the thought of her going there was scary, but she had an awesome trip and we are all so glad she went.
 The year after he was born, we not only celebrated his birthday, but also my daughter's graduation from high school (And I was turning forty!) so many changes in one year. She also went off to college for two years and joined the Air Force Guard.  A year ago she married a nice young man from South Carolina,and then moved there close to his family.I missed her a lot at first but I know she's happy and they're good to each other,We also keep in touch, so it's not so bad.
My middle child has been involved in track,drama club and music. She is an awesome percussionist :) She also likes helping others in need and has wowed me with her writing of her own music, songs and has drawn some really nice sketches. Last week was her last school performance in their pops concert. She played timpani, set and others. This weekend is the town's alumni parade and celebrations.  She'll march in her last school parade and then rush to get on the senior float. So, after next week's graduation she will be at the first major crossroad of  her life: What to do now?
 I am trying to plan her graduation celebration, as well as her brother's sixth birthday party. My parents are coming up from Georgia for the week :) so, my husband and I are putting up a screen house to sit outside in without getting eaten alive by bugs. It's going to be a good week and I'm sure the rest of the year will seem quiet compared to the next few days.
 We always get through each turn and look to the Lord for His strength and wisdom:)
 I'll let you know how it all works out.
God bless,
~Lori

A life lesson by my 5 year old

My five year old son heard the weather report on the way home from kindergarten; it mentioned possible thunderstorms, and a tornado watch. He gets anxious at the thought of storms, and I had a feeling he would this time,too. He asked me if the storm would be loud and will the lights go out. I assured him as best I could that we would be ok,we have a generator and candles,etc.
 He got quiet and I wondered what he would say next. To my pleasant surprise, instead of whining about the weather, he started singing a song he learned in Sunday school. "Read your bibles,pray every day,..., and you'll grow and grow and grow.." He sang it a few times and after opening his eyes he told me it was working. I asked him what? He said the song was making the clouds go away and there would be no storm. I looked up and surveyed the horizon, and by golly, he was right! The sky did look brighter and it did look as though the clouds were clearing. He sang the song a few more times, this time with his eyes open, and he kept saying the clouds were going away.
 By the time we got home it hardly even rained at all, and the clouds did clear up. We ended up having sunshine the rest of the day :)
 Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe it was the heartfelt prayer of a five year old little boy singing the storm away. Either way, he walked a little taller that day and was able to look up at the sky and truly believed his song made the sun come out <3
 I also learned something from him, that when I feel nervous or scared, I should look to what I've learned in church and apply it to my life, no matter what others may think about it.
Have a great day, and remember to 'Read your bibles and pray every day so you can grow and grow and grow' :)
 God bless,
~Lori

Kodak moments

My sister-in law- asked me for a few pics to put in a slide show she's making of our girls.They are graduating this June and she wants to do something special for them.  I have so many to choose from it's hard to select just a few.
As I began sorting through the many photographs and digital files, I had to slow down and really look at each one. The pics taken from her first year, birthdays, holidays, and other events during the past 17 years opened a river of memories and feelings from each moment captured. There was one with her showing her first tooth that fell out and the that smile revealed the space it came from. There were pics of her and her sister playing with stuffed animals and dolls. Her first drum was an assortment of my kitchen pans.She played them with the same gusto as she does now in the high school band. She still plays the drums, as well as all the other percussion sets.
 Pics taken with grandparents and friends who are no longer with us, my Dad included. And our neighbor's son who she was close to growing up,who died in a drowning accident nearly 3 years ago.
 How do you choose just a few pics from so many and sum up what a childhood was like?
 As she ends this chapter of being in public school to becoming an adult, I look forward to add to the collection of memories, and hopefully put them in better order :)

 Here's to the moments we try to capture on film
God bless,
~Lori

156 down,24 to go...

Those of you who added the numbers found the answer to be 180. and what adds up to 180 each year? School days! yes, we (still) have 24 days left :(   I think we had 4 snow days to make up this time,maybe 5. I lost count after 3. (I only get paid for 3)
 My daughter's graduation is June 17, as are my 2 nieces'. We are planning a triple grad party that weekend! It should be a great day for each of them! Go class of 2011!!
 My son is graduating from Kindergarten, and is just starting his academic years. yippee.. He will be the graduating class of (2011 + 12== 2023) 2023!
 I plan to take one day at a time and not worry about the future. Lord help me :)
 I hope you have a fine,happy weekend!
God bless,
~Lori