Friends, for the first time ever I’m participating in a Bloggy Carnival. The gist of it’s a breeze – just look through the posts made any time during September or October and leave at least one relevant comment on at least one of those posts – other than this one. The comments must apply to the post, and consist of more than just “great post.” ( Sorry, but I’m going to be a stickler on this … ENTRIES NOT ABIDING BY THIS SINGLE RULE WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.) You may enter up to 5 (five) times, but each entry must be on a different post and must apply to that particular post. When you make a comment, please make sure to leave an e-mail address or post using your google account so I have a way to contact you if you win. If I don’t have a way to contact you directly, I will choose another winner. Enter by midnight October 31st for your chance to win!

I’m drawing three (3) names. The first winner will receive a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. The second winner gets a new Homedics Bubble Bliss heated foot spa. The third winner gets autographed copies of Sharon Hinck’s Becky Miller series books: The Secret Life of Becky Miller and Renovating Becky Miller.

For more contests going on this week – check over a Bloggy Carnival for a HUGE list!

Two friends are also participating in the carnival. Check out their blogs too! Tracy Ruckman and Amy Barkman

Last weekend the kids and I headed back to the farm to spend a few days with my parents, brothers, SIL, and cousins. Mike stayed back in Rochester to … clean the carpets and windows! God Bless Mike!

Growing up on the farm, I can’t tell you how familiar certain smells are to me. My kids … not so much. When we arrived at my parents’ farm on Friday, we were quickly ushered to the shed to check out their new huge camper. It was fantastic and the kids have their next vacation planned now. When we left the shed, my two oldest kids acted like they were going to die. Several miles away from us there’s a plant, and I admit, it reeks. But to see Kadi and Ben … good grief! They had their shirts pulled over their noses and were running to the house.

My dad and brother raise hogs and when the wind is out of the east, it can get fairly ripe. I can’t say I enjoy the odor, but it’s familiar and I immediately have a dozen memories pop into my head. Harvest smells, though, are my favorite. There’s a sense of excitement in the air as the family worked together to accomplish something monumental before the weather began working against us. Read the rest of this entry »

This past weekend I spent a glorious three days in the woods of Northern Wisconsin. I had the privilege and blessing of being the speaker for a women’s retreat. Sometimes I feel like I need a retreat after I speak for a retreat. Know what I mean? That was not the case this weekend. In fact, I felt like God tucked me on a chair on wheels and we cruised through the weekend with Him in control.

On Friday morning, before I whizzed through school with the kids while simultaneously mentally checking off all the things I still needed to gather, pack, and load before delivering children to two different locations, I spent time (again) talking to God about the weekend ahead. I asked Him to give me a fresh Word specifically for this group of His daughters. Going into retreats or events like this, I am keenly aware of the fact that He knows the hearts of each woman and knows their needs when I do not. I prayed that God would speak clearly and loudly (sometimes I don’t listen well) and that I would be obedient and confident if He asked me to leave the safety of my notes in lieu of His message. Read the rest of this entry »

Here it is friends, Ben’s plea to the Hershey folks. We have collected 7 letters collected so far with two that have been promised by mail. Read my last post to catch the details about this little crusade. For inspiration, here’s Ben’s letter …  (I’m well aware that it’s hard to read here. Click on the letter to read it full size!)