kathryn, evelyn, suzanne, and sonja....

These girls are 12, almost 11, 9, and 8. They accompanied me to Kohl's today because I had twenty dollars in Kohl's Cash. For fifty dollars, we got two dresses with shirts for them, two shirts, a shirt and leggings set, shorts for Jonathan, shorts for Aaron, two shirts for Samuel,some sandals for Suze, and a skirt for Sonja K. And ten more bucks in Kohl's Cash for next time....

They fooled around in that store like you wouldn't believe. They made faces in the mirrors, tried things on over their clothes, and begged me to buy them bracelets. They did not really want bracelets, they knew I wouldn't buy them bracelets, they just thought it was hilarious to beg for them.

Then to Target. We didn't want to spend much money there, but did find shorts for the girls for $2.24 a pair, and notebooks and pencils and some Converse sneakers for Mali for 75%off....then on to Price-Chopper.....Evelyn and I went in the store, Kathryn stayed in the van with Suze and Sonja. Kathryn had started feeling yucky in Target, so we aimed to hurry through the store, ha. I got the girls some cold Powerades, 14 for $8.88, and some donuts for the way home. We hurriedly picked up some peppers and summer squash and bread and milk and juice and steaks ($2.69 a pound).....on the way home, those girls ate so many donuts! They each ate one, then they were taking bites of the ones in the box, each time they bit one they would pass it on...they were laughing so hard I couldn't help but laugh too, and even asked them to pass me bites of the donuts...they will kill me if I tell how they were saying "bad words" and polluting the air in the van, so I won't mention it. I will say that a few times they were so funny I found it hard to drive.

We got home, and Abigail was visiting! She sat with me and helped me put together chicken kabobs for dinner (marinated roasted chicken chunks with summer squash, onions, red peppers, green peppers, and tomatoes, with Carribean Jerk sauce)....I warmed them up on the grill, and cut up a watermelon...dinner!

We were planning to go up to Lake Ontario and watch the sunset, and get the kids ice cream, but it got very cloudy and overcast so we decided to postpone it until tomorrow. We didn't go to the beach today because Paul had things to do, and I had lots and lots of laundry to do...not that THAT ever stopped me from going to the beach.

I gave the kids some driveway crayons, but first I took the white one and drew the stick figures of our family across the back window of the minivan. I even drew Rosie and the cat, but forgot the chinchilla.

The kids are watching "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which is distracting. It is a good movie, we think, very funny.

The mosquitoes are terrible after sunset around here lately. It makes it no fun to go night-time swimming or have campfires.

One of the things that makes me the saddest in life is when I hear or see a mom or dad being too rough with their child or children. This afternoon in the grocery store, I heard a mom yell, "Sit down!", then heard the kid cry....I am not judging the parents, no, I know exactly how stressful it is sometimes. For me, it is something I take quite seriously though, to not give in to that sin, to fight diligently against impatience and anger so that my children don't have to feel my wrath. It is a good fight, a win/win situation.

No, my trials aren't going to go away, my life isn't going to get magically easier some day...but I can be cleansed in my situations and get the victory on that way that Jesus made through the flesh. It is my whole heart's desire that more and more people, more moms and dads can hear the truth.....so that children can live in peace and goodness, and parents can love each other, so young people can grow up without demands on them, so friends can get along even when they have different ways of doing things, so that brothers and sisters can be friends......it isn't that Jesus did it all, and we can do nothing!!! There is a good fight to fight, and it is worth it!!! The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed!

And now I will finish preaching.....for now, anyway. I, who hate laws and rules, love the way of salvation. It is freedom from the bondage of one's own sin.....oh yeah, I forgot, I am done with preaching...for now...