Quick Update

Finger painting, Ben's 1st time!


Hey guys, it's Veronica. I realized I'm the one that put this together and Joshua was writing more than I was! So here is what is going on with us.
I've been shadowing some specialty nurses for a possible job and I was starting to get excited about it. I had my meeting to meet with the lady in charge today expecting to be offered a job. Well she told me that they were in a hiring freeze and wouldn't be able to hire at this time. I'm pretty frustrated. I just need to be patient and trust God's timing but I was ready for a change now but instead I guess I will need to find peace where I'm at.......It wasn't a no, but more like a not yet. We'll see what happens.
Josh and Caleb are at Daddy's and Donuts at the preschool tonight. I'm not sure exactly what it is but it is neat that they get to do something with just the two of them. Caleb is doing so well in school and his teachers just brag about what a sweet little boy he is.
Ben is quite the dancer! When he gets excited he dances around the room and yells. It really is cute. He also has discovered his favorite new word, "No". It is the answer to almost everything. So now he runs and says no. we will see how this will go!
Hope all are well!
-Veronica

Where Do You Stand?

I came across this video clip the other day, and felt like it was worth sharing. I wasn't sure how to approach sharing it though. Today it became clear. There is little question, that I am a Christian and will talk openly about that. I think my upbringing is a lot like most, church here and there, and a vague knowledge of god, Jesus, stories of the flood and Moses etc. Even in college the first couple years, I studied religions around the world. I never really got it though. At best, I was agnostic. It was until a few years back, I heard a clear and linear gospel message, like the one in this clip, that things clicked for me about all this religion stuff. I am posting this on our blog for a few reasons. Foremost, it is for you- friend, family or web surfing reader of my family's blog. My hope is, that this clip is clear and linear for your understanding of all this religion stuff. What could be more important in this life, then things of eternity? Something that no one should take lightly or flippantly. It's an appropriate time of year being the season of Passover and the Resurrection. My thoughts have been on Jesus, my Passover Lamb, and the world's if they would accept Him. Also this gives insight into my own life and testimony, if anyone wonders. And that is the point of a family blog right?

clip:
A Powerful Lesson From ER

Today I heard this song (lyrics listed below), and it is a wonderful combination to the video clip. This song sums it all up. This song sums me up.

song:
In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on the cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then, bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He us mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand

So, where do you stand this Resurrection season?

Garden Picture Story

The massive lunch of various leftovers for "Gardening Fuel."


The seeds are ready, so am I after that lunch.


After an hour plus of sowing, here is the end result. We'll see how it looks in a few weeks.


The farm hands.


The hoss shepherd's pie I made afterward, for a hard day's toil.

Sowing

The past couple weeks I have been sowing seeds sow to speak. Sow far it has been various wild flower seeds, vining/climbing plants and of course our pear tree. I really don't know what will take or bloom, nor do I really know what I'm doing. I figure God set things in order in a particular way and I am modeling that best as possible. By this I mean, seeds fall on the ground, rain comes, and things grow. That is my plan of attack. I either have seeds cast on the ground or at times pushed in the dirt a bit, by my finger, and otherwise I hope for the best. We have gotten a lot of rain lately, and more to come it seems. We'll see how it turns out, but I am hoping for a lot of color. There are locations all around our yard, front and back that have seeds in place. Best I can tell, this desire to do gardening comes from my farmer/gardener grandpa on my dad's side. He was very good at it and provided much food for his family that way. I remember picking strawberries with him.

Next for me is to sow in the seeds for our garden. Yesterday I got sweet corn, spring salad mix(that's actually what they call it), beets, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and cucumbers. We have a load of dirt hauled in from my in-laws dried up livestock tank. This stuff is thick and dark, and smells bad! Hopefully it will do. I don't have the amount of soil in the raised bed that I would like, but I am tired of driving through my back yard with a heavy truck. Several times to remove fence paneling and a couple times to unload dirt. I figure we'll go with this amount for now and add more next year. I had the idea last night of taking some pictures of the progress of the garden. Maybe later today, I'll post a shot of the bed with seeds planted and then months from now, post a shot of things in full bloom. Any of you local family and friends, we may have some fruit of the harvest to share with you this year. Last year, just with 3 tomato plants and 3 cucumber plants, we had more then we could use and gave away much.

As for my business, seeds are being sown too. My DBA is official, my business checking is open, my business cards and stamper are in, business cards are starting to distribute, and I have some equipment from Harbor Freight do in, any time. I have an ad in the local paper out, starting this Friday, that should run for 5 weeks. It's around 20 bucks for this and we'll see what comes of it, and if it's worth doing more off. I also have a couple new tank set-ups with monthly service in the works. Both are in commercial locations with high visibility. That would be great advertising! It's funny, ever since I declared my fictitious name, I have had banks calling me every week wanting my business through them. It's weird being fought over and "doing business" as they say. I'm just a dude with some buckets...

Veronica is seriously considering taking her new job which will give her every evening and weekend home with us. How wonderful that would be . Her hours are so cattywampus right now. If she takes that job, I am uncertain what time it will allot me to go work on tanks though. We'll figure it out. "One step at a time" the Lord tells me... She has to first shadow with some people at the end of March, decide yes or no, then negotiate terms of employment, then train in Houston for a month. Maybe the boys and I would go too, at least for part of the time. There is much going on around here. Much in transition. Everyday we pray to our Heavenly Father and thank Him for His provision, these new possibilities and ask for discernment on where to go and how to be. We are seeking His will. It's exciting. Sometimes nerve racking, but exciting! I have heard it said, "there is no better or safer place to be, then within God's will." How true. Just as soon as we are out of our comfort zone, we should realize we are still in His comfort zone. To Him be the glory.

I am still thinking on getting some hens for our back yard. The reasons are two fold. One, for the eggs, and two for the experience for the boys. It seems our little house in Cedar Park is turning into a small farm... Apparently though, one can't just slap together a chicken coop. There are a few essential parts to it and some effort/$ would go into it. Google "building chicken coops" or "raising urban chickens", etc. There are some hardcore chicken people with decorative coops all decked out in trim work and fancy paint. That's not what I had in mind. My neighbor has access to a brood(?) of baby chicks from his cousin. Maybe free? We'll see... For now, our garden and my business need attention. Look for some pictures soon.


Note- I just learned that a "brood of baby chicks" is called a clutch. I knew that, just not when I needed to type it. Actually one definition of "clutch" was a brood of baby chicks, so I wasn't so far off...

Busy!

So we've been really busy lately!
Josh has half a dozen projects around the house that he has been working on including putting up a new fence and planting flowers. I know that God made us for each other because I really like flowers, they just don't like me! I'm excited to see what grows this spring. And our new pear tree has it's first little leaves! I love the spring!
Work is good. I've been offered a new position as a specialty nurse. I'm not really sure if I will go for it or not. The pay is better, but I will follow someone at the end of March to see if I am interested in what they do. We'll see. In the mean time I just finished a 2 day class on Chemotherapy and I'm not really sure if I want to be able to give it or not! It is scary stuff! I have a new and profound respect for people with cancer and the people that care for them. I also am going to sub in as a teacher for UT nursing students for a few weeks. It's an exciting time!
Ben learned to say cottage cheese today! Most kids stick with one syllable, but he doesn't! We took him to the doctor and he is healthy and getting bigger! He talked the doctors' ear off in his own little language.
Caleb is very smart and is learning more every day. He seems to like basketball quite a bit. We went to a "minor League" of sorts basketball game and he was enthralled! He sat and watched the whole thing! He cheered and yelled. Very neat.
That's it for now! Happy Spring!