All Glory to Him

I'm busting at the seams, just gotta tell someone. Today Chris was notified that his book will be published by Write Life Publishing. You need to know this so sometime around fall 2010 you can be ready to run to the bookstore and purchase as many copies as you can. This is going to be a fast seller, one you will want to get your hands on ASAP!! Remember the Cabbage Patch Kids craze? What about Tickle Me Elmo? Even this year's Disney Princess Keyboard Vanity? Here it is a few days after Black Friday and I can't possibly get my hands on one. That will be the case for the new Chris Raabe book, right now titled Phenomenon (likely to change).

Regardless of the chart topping sales, I want to be the first one to publically say that I am so proud of my husband. Goal accomplished! Now my prayer is that we glorify God in every aspect of this deal.

In All We Do and Say

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

~ Colossians 3:17, NLT

This spoke to me today.

Redmen Football Stopped at 79

It's been an incredible run, 79 straight wins for Roger Barta's high school football team. That ranks the Redmen 3rd in the nation for the longest winning streak. Being the state runner-up is a great accomplishment but a sad day for the kids who just lost their first ever football game. The last time this program lost a football game was in November 2003 against Heston.

Happy Thanksgiving

Grateful for family who loves me
Grateful for family who will take a million pictures & not get irritated with me
Grateful for beautiful weather on November 26th.
Grateful for more food than we really need
Grateful for time to sit around the table looking at Black Friday Ads.

Most of all GRATEFUL for a personal savior who loves me, protects me, provides for all my needs and died for me.

Give thanks in a personal way this Thanksgiving weekend.

Crazy about my Chiropractors

We are so thankful for the great health care we have gotten over the years starting with Dr Chris Koch in Phoenix then Dr Pomajzl in Grand Island and now we have Dr Koch and Dr Nicole.

So Thankful for Hobbies

and great subjects to scrap!

Old Friends

What is the test of true friendship?

I'm sure there are several indicators so hang with me if I miss some of the big ones.

Loyalty, trust and honesty: I lump those all together because often it seems that if you have one you have the others.

Longevity: So what happens if your don't talk every day, month or what if you don't see them for 13 years? Can you pick up where you left off? Real friends can do that.

Transparency: Being the person you really are without fear of rejection.

Yesterday I met up with my college roommate and setter of our volleyball team. Julie and I were best friends for 9 mos and then parted ways. She transferred to an Iowa school, I stayed in Nebraska then before I knew it we were in another state, married and having children. Here we are 14 years later and chatting like the old days in Hoover Hall. I loved it!

This friendship warms my heart. I don't wonder for even a minute if we'll keep in touch. Julie, Thanks for the laughs and memories. I love you and will be praying for you, Dave and the kids.

I am so grateful for my friends. There are some great girls who fall into these categories, you know who you are. Love you!

Created to Love

These unique flowers are called Bleeding Hearts. I had never seen them until I googled the phrase "bleeding heart picture" since that is my subject of gratitude today.

When God created me he placed an extra dose of mercy in my heart. I guess that means I have a bleeding heart, or so I've been told. It is true that my heart breaks when we watch the news most nights. I can't stand the thought of a step mom treating her sweet teenage step-daughter as an object rather than a person. Even the little girl being treated poorly by her grandmother in Kohl's today prompted me to pray for that family. And seeing an ambulance drive past us on the road starts a prayer in my heart instantly. Mean isn't right and it is not funny! What can I do about it? Some times there's nothing physically I can do but I can pray!

What a blessing it is to have a heavy heart. How do injustices get corrected? Who loves the unlovable? This world needs some bleeding hearts to offer love. I will admit, I've been burnt from time to time. Standing beside a friend who is morally in the toilet because you know she needs love can bite you in the butt. Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Even so, it is better to love and lose it than to never have loved at all.

Grateful for a Great Man

I noticed this evening that I do not have many pictures of my handsome husband, most of them are with the girls. What looks like an angry look on Chris' face is really just a squint while we were out on the water this summer.
Oh how I do love my man! There are some things in life that are just too good to have orchestrated them yourself. My marriage to the best man I know is one of those things. God introduced us to each other so many times before we really submitted to the idea of becoming friends. I sometimes wonder if God was yelling "duh" from the Heavenlies. I am so grateful that this handsome pitcher from Peru was willing to take a chance on a girl who already had baggage. Our life together is nothing less than divine intervention on a daily basis. Thank you God for my man!

What R U Thankful For?

I am thankful for my mother-in-law. I know there are many daughter-in-laws who could not say that, what a blessing Linda is in my life. This picture was taken on my birthday so yes I was thankful that she took me to a Husker football game. The list is too long to mention everything that she does for me and my family. I guess most of all I am thankful for her first born child...my hubby!

Love you mom in law!

Love Our Huskers!!

Football, Volleyball, Softball, Baseball...you name it we love sports, especially when when they are dressed in scarlet and cream.

The girls and I spent the evening in Lincoln at the Coliseum. There's nothing like watching a Division I volleyball game in a packed house. The fans are just as crazy there as they are in Memorial Stadium. Love it! The ladies whipped up on the Texas A&M Aggies in 3 sets.

Don't think for one moment that Olivia was left out, she spent the evening at home with her favorite babysitter. Apparently they have made plans for the first snow and even Liv's birthday party. Brewer better watch out because I think we just stole your babysitter. :)



My girls might fight but at the end of the day, they love each other. I do think it is a mom's right and responsibility to brain wash her children so everyday I have told my daughters, "you are best friends and you will always have each other!" So far so good! I wish I would have had that influence as a child. Love you girls!!

The world revolves on love! God made the Earth and all that surrounds it to create a love relationship. When we say "love" in the English language it isn't clear what kind of love we are talking about. Prefect example is found in this post, I have confessed my love for sports, the HUSKERS, my daughters and as always most of all I love my Creator, Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Share love and you won't regret it!

Printable In-Store Michaels coupon, AC Moore coupon, Joanns coupon, and other crafts coupons

Printable In-Store Michaels coupon, AC Moore coupon, Joanns coupon, and other crafts coupons

Recent Scrapping

Cal Thomas in the House

This evening our church hosted Cal Thomas. Powerful! Although he is a nationally known political columnist his message tonight was not about the right, the left, the president or our lawmakers. The message Cal brought us was one of love totally based on Jesus Christ. I was very impressed but most of all challenged. Here are a few thoughts....
So you are against same sex marriage but what are you doing to preserve and work on your opposite sex marriage?
So you are against abortion but what have you PERSONALLY done for a pregnant teenager?
Don't pay someone to do good for you (ie donating to a worthy cause)...go out and do something, no matter how big or small, YOURSELF!!
Cal challenged us to find our answers from the original author of life. I do believe he may have made our pastor nervous a few times but he inspired me to do better.

You Live Here...You Work!!!

I really don't feel that way, well not when it comes to my dad. He has been here for a week while mom has been in Georgia. I do think he's ready to go home but honestly, it has been pretty good having dad here. The poor guy just wants to do stuff and keep busy.

Today I was mowing and the next thing I know dad is taking the lawn mower from me. What kind of daughter do you think my neighbors think I am? This is after he raked my yard TWICE this week...broken shoulder and all!!!!



Just had to share these funny pictures.

Huskers play Oklahoma today...YIKES!!! I'm thinking winning thoughts right now. Actually I just hope it's a good game.

On Point

Finally after waiting several weeks to get our outlandishly expensive point shoes and then waiting just a few more weeks for whatever reasons last night was Emma's first night in her point shoes. What a proud and yet painful event. I am so excited for her. I told her nothing is really worth doing unless it makes you bleed. (that's a joke in case any of you work for CPS)

Tonight while Emma was in the kitchen practicing I peeked around the corner with my camera to get a few pictures. My heart is all a flutter...so beautiful!




And her is my sad little note:
I took ballet about 25 years ago and found it to be only somewhat enjoyable. My parents thought it would be good for me to do. I remember getting my point shoes, however we called them "toe shoes". We didn't have the cool toe pads that Emma has we had wool...it didn't help much at all. It was Shannon McGuire's slumber party that ended my ballet career. I can vividly recall running down the stairs into the basement, a herd of girls following, as my right foot hit the gray concrete floor it skimmed a puddle of water. My feet slid across the cool payment and my big toe hit the wall. The party went on but my toe was broken (not that my parents took me to the doctor) and I never became a famous ballerina. It might not have ever happened anyway but now we'll never know.

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:33