Pretty Much Back to Real Life

I almost need a vacation from being on vacation. It's been a lot of work to return to normal; laundry, unpacking, de-sanding little girl braids, etc. My sweet friend donated lots of plants to me from her yard, so I spent Sunday afternoon and evening putting them all in. JD also started my second raised garden bed, which really needs to get planted soon!

Today is our first real, real day back to school. It was supposed to be yesterday, but I let Gabriel take the kids to McDonalds and bowling and they were gone so long that we only accomplished a half day.

Here's my snap-shots of the day. Moriah made frozen cookie-balls, with Elijah's help. He hardly eats real food, but sure is willing to put down the cookie dough and chocolate chips!

Here's Julia giving her doll a make-over. This is why I didn't buy her the Bitty twin dolls she wanted for her birthday last year.

Doesn't she look pretty with her entire face covered in lip-gloss?

On a sad note, please pray for these Samaritan's Purse workers that were kid-napped in the Sudan. Samaritan's Purse is the ministry started by Billy Graham's son, Franklin, that delivers the shoe-boxes to kids all over the world at Christmas. It's a ministry that I would love to work for overseas!

Samaritan’s Purse has been working in Darfur since 2004.
May 18, 2010

Three Staff Abducted in Sudan
Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham asks for prayer for safety and a quick return -

Three Samaritan’s Purse employees were abducted in Sudan at approximately 5:30 p.m. local time May 18. The Samaritan’s Purse team, two Sudanese men and a 36-year-old American woman from California, was traveling in a two-vehicle convoy and stopped by a group of armed men 25 miles southwest of Nyala in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Samaritan’s Purse is working with U.S. and Sudanese government officials to secure the safe return of our staff.

“I have visited Darfur several times and it is one of the most difficult places in the world to work,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse. "I’m asking for the prayers from people around the world for a quick resolution and the safe return of our Samaritan’s Purse staff."

Samaritan’s Purse has provided $83.7 million in relief assistance to Sudan since 2001, including medical relief, clean water projects, food distributions, agricultural projects and the rebuilding of hundreds of churches destroyed in the country’s civil war.