Brilliant colors

"The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst." Revelation 21:19-20
Amazing, isn't it? The colors were even more brilliant in person. Everything you see is blown glass which has been turned, twisted, spiraled - you name it. It cascades down from the ceiling in the mall and can be seen from all levels which allows for some pretty amazing photos. The colors simply take your breath away.
This fountain is on the ground floor of the same mall. More blown glass. Notice the wall of water? It, also, starts from pretty much the ceiling and flows down several stories. I'm not sure how many pictures I took, but it certainly was a challenge selecting only two! (PS - I'm quite sure the head band is not part of the display.)

Here's a photo of the entire hanging sculpture. Incredible!

(PPS - these photos were taken at Lincoln Square in Bellevue WA during Thanksgiving weekend.)

Our little piece of Canaan

"And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Genesis 17:8
Here's a sneak peek of our land in KS. Eighty acres of wonderfully rolling ground: 40 acres of tillable land (currently planted in wheat), 30 acres of pasture, 3 acre pond, a house, and a quonset shed. The pond is larger than our entire piece of property in WA!! If you notice, it's been dammed at the north end to capture water from the running creek. Eric thinks it stocked, but we're not certain. We are really looking forward to working this place. Get some chickens running around. Add small animals such as goats, sheep, pigs. Throw in a few ducks & geese. Let's not forget about the fish!! With the water running through, we truly feel this land is our little piece of Canaan.

Currently, there's no basement under the house - seems a bit odd in tornado country. However, we're not too concerned as we have plans to demo the house and rebuild. We are thankful, though, to have residency on-site until our new house is complete.

Our dream is to inspire our family to accept God's magnificent grace & mercy through life on the land with hopes that they would pass that awareness onto their families.

Move date is scheduled for the last full week in April, but who knows when our stuff will actually get there. We've rented a PODS unit and having it transported from WA to KS. We'll keep you posted!

Creative packing materials

"And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests." Matthew 22:10

If you've moved before, you know full well that not all items fit into a neat square/rectangle box. Sometimes, we have weird spaces left and simply cannot find the appropriate item to fill it.
Unless you shop at Sam's and buy in bulk!! See this empty space? Take a guess at what I filled it with. Rather than going into the streets, I went into my storage closet...

...that is filled with - yep, toilet paper.

It was a perfect fit! Plus, it provides cushioning!!

And there's more where that came from.

Rolls of paper towels, packages of toilet paper & napkins!!

I've even used sweaters to wrap glass platters and such.
Works just fine!

Glorious sunshine!!

"'Behold, I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.' So the sun's shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down." Isaiah 38:8
What a beautiful day to roof a house!! The sun is shining, the temperature is in the 50's, and there is no rain in the forecast. Please keep in mind it's late February...in the NW. This kind of weather at this time of year is quite uncommon. Another instance where God has imprinted His mercy.

(PS. No arguments accepted!)

OK. How much is this going to cost?

"And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell." Isaiah 58:12

The week before last, Eric received a call from our realtor suggesting we replace the roof on the house. We were not entirely surprised. The existing roof was already two layers thick and we figured it would come up in the inspection, anyway. Here's just one way God has chosen to display His magnificent coordination of events.

Two days after the realtor called, Eric and I hit the road headed for KS. Eric was moving and I was tagging along for the ride intending to fly back. Just one hour north of Wichita KS (2 1/2 days later), I called my brother Michael to feel him out about roofing our house. He's a framing contractor in KS so we were confident in his knowledge and ability. It just so happened (ha, ha) that work was slow for Michael. He stated he could fly to Seattle that day, if need be. What? That same day? OK. What about the next day when I'm flying back? Yes. Fantastic!!! Eric and I would look at available flights and call him back. In the meantime, Michael called a buddy of his living 1400 miles from KS to see if he could help. This buddy (Brian) used to be on Michael's framing crew before moving. Guess where Brian lives now? Only 1 1/2 hours from our house in Seattle!!!!! So, long story short, Michael and Brian are on my roof right now nailing down new shingles. If anyone chalks any of this up to coincidence, you'll have a fierce argument with me.
Here's a photo of the four of us kids. Poor Michael: the youngest and the only boy! (I'm in the middle.)
This is Michael and his sweetie, Jessica. They've been married just a little over a year. She was very practical in the matter stating, "I don't care if he goes as long as he's making money." However, they miss each other terribly. She wants him to come home and he's ready to go home. Completely understandable and expected. Just a few more days, newlyweds.

Simple solution

"In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, 'HOLY TO THE LORD.' And the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the bowls before the altar." Zechariah 14:20
OK...here's the scenario. Three kids who can't go outside because the house is getting a new roof + chocolate chips & sugars & oatmeal that need to be used + cookie sheets that are already packed = using the skillet to make cookies! It worked perfectly!! The kids thought it was a novel idea and kept calling it a cookie cake. Plus, it added just a bit more seasoning to the skillet.

PS - The three kids belong to a friend helping my brother re-roof the house, 1 yr/3 yrs/8 yrs. Quite a handful since I only had one child of my own and he will be 21 this year. They really behaved very well, but I'm just not used to it. When they left last night, I stayed awake two more hours just to enjoy the peace & quiet!

Dancing, dancing, and more dancing!

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness." Psalm 30:11
Even though the girls are gone now, this photo is perfect to describe how God is working throughout our move. Every time we come up against a dilemma, He gives us the kind of answer that takes our breath away! Solutions we would have never imagined come to fruition so quickly!!

I know I said I was going to share realtor-suggested changes, but phooey on that idea. You've all been through a move so there won't be any surprises. Instead, I'm going to share the incredible solutions God has brought our way.

One being the previous post. We knew the goats needed a new home, but really hadn't thought too much about it yet. Then, this man from Boeing needed a remedy for all the brambles on his property. God put the two of us together and - voile! A perfect match!! His children absolutely love playing with the goats and the goats are having the time of their lives. Now, who could have put that together so quickly? Only Him!!

Stay tuned for the next unimaginable solution!