Pictures from Awards Night...

Emma and Thea Ganden...and with her Nana, Papa, and proud little brother Logan!

Congratulations to my Graduate!

Congratulations, my little girl! Emma Mary Elizabeth has graduated from Grade 2 into Grade 3, and all with the most amazing feats! Promotion, Good Conduct, Honors, AND Highest Achievement! The only one to get Highest Achievement in all elementary! I am so proud of you sweetheart! Keep it up, you have such a wonderful future ahead of you!

Avalon - You Were There

Incredible song...

God is AMAZING!

Okay, I know you already know that, but I mean AMAZING! I had a couple miracles happen just this week for me, and it just makes me sit back and go...wow...I had my eye exam this week, and was able to get a free one from a referral from a friend. I wasn't sure how I was going to afford contacts, but did the exam anyhow. Well, a dear person called me up and offered the money for my contacts, and after getting a quote from the optician, I went in to get my free trial pair. I ordered 6 months worth of contacts and to my surprise and delight they were less than HALF of what had been quoted to me! Wow! Then Sunday morning, Sis. King gave me a note and a gift certificate to Costco that some wonderful person had dropped in the tithes chute for me to purchase glasses! God bless them whoever they may be! On top of all of this, church this weekend was absolutely incredible, and I received what I needed over and over again! We truly did break through this harvest weekend, and it can only go up from here!

Update on the Goff's!

Here are some recent pics of Rachel's beautiful children! Kyzer is 9 months old now, and wow, he's getting big sooo fast! Hailey and Janessa are so sweet and growing like weeds as well. Douglas and Rachel's foster son moved back with his grandmother just recently, so their little family is alone for the first time in a very long time.

New Blog

Nope, not me, my brother has decided to write his own blog, and has asked me to put the word out. He feels he has alot he would like to share with others and therefore this is the best way to reach anyone he wants to hear it. Please feel free to check it out, and keep him in your prayers as well. Thanks!

mikesteinberg.blogspot.com

Bittersweet Memories

I'm a day late with this posting, but I wasn't sure I wanted to post it. Yesterday would have been my 9 year wedding anniversary, and thankfully, I did not have to acknowledge it. The day will forever be in my memories, unfortunately not as a happy one. I wish I could have had one day I could hold dear, but it was only the first of the long journey through the biggest trial I have ever been in. Thank God I came out victorious, and my future awaits! It's funny how time goes by so quickly...10 years have come and gone, and now I am entering my 30's, with determination, not only for my physical self, but spiritually, socially, and emotionally. It's time I let go of some baggage I have been toting around, emotionally and physically, and made a completely new me, for myself and my children.

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike!

A very Happy Birthday to my brother, a man of 27 now...yiiii, where does the time go? My kids asked me to dedicate this post to their Uncle, so it's now Uncle Mike and not just Mike. LOL! Due to the flooding of his basement, Mike is staying with me right now, and of course, my children are loving every minute of it! They have someone to beat up on now...haha! I am so pleased to say Mike is definitely doing so much better than he was at this time last year...we won't see a repeat of THAT! He has a wonderful job, making VERY good money, and is eager to get his own place again...can't take the early birds God gave me...LOL! Anyways, I ahope you have a good one, Mike and I love ya and am praying for you always!

Miracle on Holmwood Avenue....LOL!

I have to share something that may seem simple to some, but to me was just another way that God answers prayer. Emma is growing so quickly, that I am just not able to keep up with her. I bought her a few new outfits and new shoes only 5 months ago and she has outgrown them all...and I bought them big! So, now she is in desperate need of summer things, shoes, skirts, tops, dresses, you name it. I was praying that I could receive some child support so I could but her the necessary things, but as that was not forthcoming, I just prayed that God would provide. Tuesday evening of this week, a knock on my door sounded and Andrew Bentley dropped off a bag of tops, shoes and another bag with some skirts and pyjamas. Ok, now YOU tell me there is no God!?! He answered my prayer, and just so you know, the clothes and shoes were not Andrew's! LOL! Thanks Laurel Dawn!

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful little girl in the whole world!

My beautiful 8 year old!
Talking to Grandma long distance this morning.

Another year has come and gone, and the 7 lb. baby girl I gave birth to only yesterday is now 8 years old! But I could not be a prouder mommy! My baby girl grew, quickly, but in grace, beauty, and is turning into the most precious young lady! Your typical girl, fussy about her clothes, hair, friends, crushes(sigh) but over and above all of that, she is respectful, polite, has a bubbly personality, and is just an incredible person. I am so thankful God saw fit to bless ME with Emma Mary Elizabeth, those 8 years ago. I prayed for a girl, and I got her, and she has been a joy to me ever since. I love you so much my darling girl, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Eyesight so precious

Got a prayer request for everyone, if you don't mind! As most of you know, I took a leave of absence from praise singing, partially for a few reasons I won't go into, but mostly because of my eye situation. I have been wearing the same pair of contacts for too long, and last Sunday, they bit the dust...literally. My glasses which I have now been depending on, are over 5 years old, the wrong prescription, and...broken! So, I have been trying my best to get through each day, and battling some pretty nasty headaches at the same time. Eye exams are quite expensive, and I have no coverage, and I need contacts as well as glasses. I'm sure you all know what that stuff can cost! LOL! So if I could get some prayer that I can get a means to do what I need to do, I would be so thankful! I love you all!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...It's Flooding...

Yep, my parents basement suite flooded the night of that terrific rainstorm, about 7 feet out into their place. Thankfully, we managed to contain the water, and even though it rained all the next day they didn't suffer any more damage. Also, their stuff was ok, since we caught it before it got too far. I can't say the same for my brother...his place flooded inches deep throughout the whole entire place, and...get ready for this...after the carpet came up in his room, he pulled it out, revealing the sewer drain connected to the street in front of his house! Needless to say, the water kept backing up the drain, and three days later, his place is STILL full of water, and other unmentionable smells, and his landlady says she has no insurance and refuses to do anything about it! Soooo, he has moved out of there(obviously)and in with me, temporarily. We'll be looking for another place for him asap, and since the place he was in was a dive in the first place, it's all good. As for my place, wonderful! I had all the doors and windows open that night, and I was just loving every crack of thunder, every lightening bolt, ohhh, it was amazing! God is so incredible!

Catching up on the past

It's been a really weird, but exciting week! I have had 4 friends from my past contact me this week, and I was so glad to hear from them. I just love catching up on life...babies, weddings, you name it, I want to know that the ones I love are doing ok! It's been years for all of them so it was neat to hear how they are doing.

Crushes...oh so young!

I am just truly amazed at the minds of children, mine in particular. My daughter just this year has been expressing her "like" of a certain Filipino boy in her class, and she has the classic crush syndrome of a little girl. It's funny, sweet, and scary all at the same time. As a teenager I was a flirt, sometimes even getting reprimanded publicly for it, deserving every word! I do not want my girl to do what I did, so I am definitely trying to guide her with words and encouragement to consider everyone a friend. The time for boys will come soon enough! Sob! The really funny thing about all of it is Logan informed us the other day that he is going to marry Bryna, the 15 year old sister of BJ, the little guy Emma favors! Older woman already! I told him she was just a little old for him, and he indignantly refuted me, saying she was the most beautiful girl ever and she could just wait for him...sigh...LOL!