Europe Day 3 Friday, October 15th, 2010

Beautiful church

Beautiful Hotel named after my mom;)

Central Train Station

Bikes falling in the canal, bummer!

Door to Anne Franks Secret Annex.

We were going to do the tour of the brewery, but showed up 30 minutes late. Oh well, we will go tomorrow.

Troy in our cover canal bus. Refuge from the rain we had been walking in all day.

Me, in our covered canal bus after being in the rain all day. It was warm too. Praise God!

As we rode in the canal bus the lights came on the bridges. It was so cool. Would have been more romantic if we weren't so soggy.

Dinner at the Pasta Bar. It was good.

Here we are on the train back to our hotel. It was a double-decker one this time. FUN.

We were trying to figure out what the picture rules all mean't. No smoking, no talking(this one took a little time to figure out), no cell phones, and no pretending to be Jesus on the cross?!? The last one stumped us. We still have no idea.

We survived day 3 without being run over by a car, bike, bus and today they added in the tram. Honestly, you have to be careful crossing the street and if you think your on a sidewalk you had better be alert, because at anytime a car could be coming straight at you. It is dangerous walking. They don't seem to appreciate those who walk as we do back home. We have breakfast included at our hotel and it is a buffet style, which is a great way to try their foods. We had some cute little rectangle pastries with chocolate in the middle and they were excellent. We had some granola and that was great too. My only problem was I couldn't find any milk to put on it so I ended up using half and half. (at least I think that was what it was) Troy seemed to find the milk ok, I don't know what my problem was, maybe I was still sleepy. The fog welcomed us yesterday and today we were accompanied by rain for the duration of our museum tour through Amsterdam. It was damp and cold, so we were thankful for the canal bus ride from place to place. At the end of the day, we were looking for a place to eat and being the tourist we are took about 4 steps into the "Red Light District" before realizing it and turned right back around and made haste out of there. On our canal bus tour they told us about the first Protestant Church and it was beautiful and my heart cheered to think of the hope of Christ in the middle of such sinful living that goes on here. Then he proceeded to tell us that now days they have concerts and ballets. Boo Hoo! Seems they should be reading the word of God to give these people freedom from sin, hope and healing. As we looked for a place to eat dinner we stumbled about 4 steps into the "Red Light District" before we realized and then high-tailed it out of there. After we ate we talked about how ironic it is that such a place is literally build on sand. Earlier in the day we meet some people from Canada and they shared we just have to see the "Red Light District". But to be honest, we saw a group of youth rolling a joint, men who live an alternative lifestyle, and some graphic window displays and that was plenty enough to break my heart over the captivity those people are in, I can't imagine being in the thick of it. So sad. Although, I saw a big building on our way to the train station that said, "Jesus loves you." and had a big arrow that was lite up saying "Green Light District". I hope to check it out tomorrow when we return to try to be like the locals and ride a bike around. Hopefully it won't be rainy.

World Traveler: Day 1/2ish: Europe/Zaandam, Netherlands

This is the whether that welcomed us on Thursday morning. We left home on Wednesday and landed on Thursday, so we are a little jet lagged to say the least. We made it from the airport to the train to our hotel without a hitch.

Our hotel was the first thing we saw when we got off the train. It was pretty hard to miss;)

This is our room. Each door has a small picture of the theme of the room that is from Netherlands history. This is ours.

This is the lobby. It is so interesting that alot of stuff is in English and the background music in places is also English/American music.

The elevator. I love European design.

Just us with puffy, burning eyes. Is it bedtime yet?

Beautiful view on our stroll down the cobblestone roads.

I thought this cafe was so cool out front. Especially with the bikes.

In the back ground you can see the bank that we ended up at getting Euros~there is a funny story I will share below on that:)

Our first official meal in Europe. Chicken doner~YUM, seems to be enough said in any language! I loved it and hope to eat another before we leave here. Our server didn't speak much English and so we just did some pointing and nodding and it worked out well. We asked for a receipt and the poor guy had no idea what we were asking, so one of the customers heard us and said it in whatever they were speaking.

Next store to where we at dinner was this cute ice cream, coffee, and cupcake place. We learned here to ask if they spoke English and it made things a little easier.

All I can say is it was to die for! DELICIOUS!

My kids would have been in heaven. Troy had crunch and I tried the yellowish one with chocolate chunks in it. He said it had some ingredients from England in it. Very unique, but I loved it. They make it fresh daily.

This was the decore, so cute.

Oh yeah, it was good.

Today felt like we landed on Mars. We are exhausted for one and can speak or read any of the language which has proven to be a challenge to say the least. First off, at the airport getting a ticket for the train to our hotel was interesting. We got the ticket no problem, found where we had to board and as we stood there wondering what to do with our tickets the train left. HA! We decided we would just watch and see what everyone else was doing and do what they did. Eventually another train returned and got us to where we needed to be. Although, they don't mess around. You better get on when you need to and off, cuz they don't wait for nobody. We saw 2 women almost get squished by the door. Then we were on the hunt for a ATM machine to get some Euros and needless to say we had no idea what we were doing. So, again we were watching people at some machines that we thought were ATMs and then we were going to try to do what they did, but after 3 times of trying to figure it out I decided we should just ask some people who were using them. Turns out these machines were where they paid for their parking. Yes, we gave the 2 ladies that were helping us a good laugh and we had one to. Then they pointed us in the right direction. We have now been up for over 24 hours and keep checking the time so we can rest our weary heads. Tomorrow we will head to the City Center of Amsterdam. Hope to see where Anne Frank lived and eat some more wonderful food.

May Word: Guard

Hard to believe May is almost over and I am just getting a minute now to post. I got my word about the 2nd week in, but things have been busy with birthdays and starting a new business. I have had quite an interesting month and am thankful for all the Lord is revealing in me and refining. Growth is never easy, but I am glad he loves me so much to keep showing me the sin that so entangles me. I think for the first time, in my walk with the Lord, I am looking forward to be free from it. I can almost taste the freedom that is to come once I walk through this valley.
I have 2 verses this month that I have clung to.

"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, devote yourself to them so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
1 Timothy 4:13-16

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?
Or am I trying to please men?
If I were still trying to please men,
I would not be a servant of Christ."
Galatians 1:10

God has shown me that my ability to preserver has grown weak and my desire to be liked and accepted by people has taken a front seat in my life. So I say once again, here I am Lord, teach me how to live as you would have me.

Praising Him for His goodness,
Connie

Kids Comfy Quilts.....

The Front of Cater's.

Carter's back.

Tori's front.

Tori's back.

Trevor's back.

Trevor's front.

Quilt inspiration.....

"Comfy Quilt"
Inspiration








One could say it was the motivation for marriage;) When Troy and I started to date it wasn't long before I stumbled on this hand made quilt his Aunt Brenda made for him. Whenever I would go to his place for a visit I would have him drag it out and it wasn't long it found its way to my house and I think I even remember thinking, "If we break-up, he is not getting this back." I LOVED this quilt. I used it on the couch, then would drag it to bed. It didn't even matter if it was summer, I used it. It was just the right weight and the fabric was comfy. Then, I'm not sure what happened, but it wasn't used for awhile and then when I stumbled on it this past December, it had holes and huge rip in it, and for a moment I thought it would be time to toss it out. As I stood with it in my hand, I realized, it was just to much a part of our life together and folded it up and set it in the blanket basket. Then it came to me. What a perfect thing to try my hand at quilting. (I couldn't wreck it any worse than it was.) So for a surprise, I fixed it up and gave it to Troy for a Christmas gift. He thought it was pretty cool. Then it happened. What you ask. The fighting. Troy was always happy to just let me have it when it was the 2 of us, but now there are 5 of us and it became the coveted blanket. UGGGGG. I had no hope. I was never going to get to use it again, thanks to our kids. No one even cared about this old rag 2 weeks ago. I must have done a wonderful job, since they all wanted it, so I decided to make each of them their own and hope they would love it just as much. So I got very busy picking out fabric, cutting, and sewing. I was intentional in all the fabrics that are on each quilt. There is a little piece of each of us on each quilt. Troy's old jeans, which he was surprised to have donated for the cause, my old favorite bib shorts, Trevors fabric from the rocking chair when he was a baby, Tori's library bag fabric, and Carter's favorite camo pants, etc., etc., etc. It took about 3 weeks to get them all done, but I did it. Now each of them have their own "Comfy Quilt" as I like to call them. I told the kids, that when it comes time, and they think they have found the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with, they just need to pull out their quilts and see if they love it and try to steal it and if they do, they will know their the one:)
Yeap, for me the only way to be sure to keep the quilt was to marry the man. Although, the man has reclaimed his "comfy quilt". So, I guess it's back to the sewing table for me:)
Loving Comfy Quilts,
Connie
(who would have thought, me sewing?)

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...
~lakeflies.

I am thinking...
~it is nice to be home.

I am thankful for...
~the Gospel of John.

I am wearing...
~my jammies.

I am remembering...
~my eternal life has begun.

I am going...
~to be content right where I am at.

I am currently reading...
~Unspoken: Bathsheba by: Francine Rivers

I am hoping...
~my friends little boy will get better soon.

I am hearing...
~the clock tick tock.

I am creating...
~a birthday surprise for our guests:)



In our schoolroom...
~the American Revolution.

On my mind...
~upcoming birthday celebrations.

Noticing that...
~I enjoy having a teenager.

Pondering these words...
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier
and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country;
but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."
Thomas Paine 1776

From the kitchen...
~oh, what to make?, what to make?, that is always the question.

Around the house...
~15 year old sprawled out on the couch and Mr. Eastwood on the set.

One of my favorite things ...
~big bellied robins prancing in the yard.

Upcoming plans...
~clean, corrections, closing night of Joseph:)

A picture thought I'm sharing.....

~love my guy in a tie.


If you would like to join, here is the link: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...~left over sawdust from a fresh cut tree.

I am thinking... ~ about a sweet evening alone with my husband.

I am thankful for... ~the privilege to raise 3 children of both genders.

I am wearing... ~tan shirt with white stripes, jean jacket, blue jeans.

I am remembering... ~to be more aware of my sin than others.

I am going...~to see my kids in the Joseph and the Amazing techno-colored Dreamcoat.

I am currently reading... ~The Quilts of Gee's Bend

I am hoping... ~I will stay caught up with my kids corrections.

On my mind... ~how to finish off our living decorating.

Noticing that... ~I have been pretty tired lately.

Pondering these words... ~"It has well been said that truth without love is brutality, but
love without truth is hypocrisy." Be Transformed

From the kitchen... ~piles and piles of stuff.

Around the house... ~ice cubes falling on the floor, water running.

One of my favorite things ...~warm breeze on my face.

A Photo Thought from my photo journal...

If you would like to join, here is the link: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
lots of beautiful April snow;)

I am thinking...
about how much I value my mom.

I am thankful for...
my hardworking husband.

From the learning rooms...
America's 13 colonies, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, Freedom.

From the kitchen...
some pans waiting to be washed and hung in place.

I am wearing...
my favorite jeans and my comfortable Purdue sweatshirt.

I am creating...
my first baby quilt for one of Troy's co-workers-hope it turns out nice.

I am going...
nowhere else today:)

I am reading...
Mary:Unafraid by Francine River, The book of John by God, and
Be Transformed a comentary.

I am hoping...
to see the sun very soon.

I am hearing...
my daughter tell me to "Go one more over" and my youngest make
sound effects while playing legos.

Around the house...
open Bible, cute kids, comfy quilt, and books waiting to be read.

One of my favorite things...
all my family in one room.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
dinner with my in-laws to celebrate my Father in-laws life.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

If you would like to join, here is the link: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

April's Word

Goodbye March and hello April. March days were very busy and seemed to fly by, but the overall month seemed to drag on.? It is really very confusing to me how that happens. But April is here and well on it's way. The lake has been set free from its ice cover and the sun has made it's appearance and so our hearts are longing for summer to come quickly. I found myself so very thankful for my word "Abide" last month, because I needed that reminder continually.
To be real honest, I have been really struggling with being irritable and short fused this last month. I have found my attitude to be very critical, and well, I'm sure you can get the idea.
This last Friday we had MC. We are doing a series on marriage called "When Marriage and Mercy Collide" from our friends old church in KY. It was the 2nd talk in the series and is proving to make me squirm a bit in my seat. It was then that the Lord started to move my heart in the direction of what He had to say to me. In the talk the Pastor asked the question, "What do you extend most to your spouse? Grace or Law?" Hmmm, I could ask myself the question even better~ "What do I extend to others in general, grace or law?" Oh, it didn't take me long to have an answer for that, being that my attitude has been critical, short fused, and irritable lately.
The pastor talked about being more aware of my own sin than the sin of others, and seeing it as worse, because it is mine. He also talked about how our circumstances are never the cause of our sin, it just reveals what has been in me all along. This was a good reminder and since it was Easter weekend, it made me realize anew the high cost that was paid for me sin.
My word for April, became clear this morning. It is "Grace". I will be focusing on it two-fold this month. 1st, the grace that I have been extended. 2nd Am I extending grace to others as I have been given or expecting others to live by the law?

Grace
"and the grace of our Lord
overflowed for me with faith and love
that are in Christ Jesus.
The saying is
trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners,
of whom I AM FOREMOST.
But I received mercy for this reason,
that in me, as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might
display his perfect patience
as an example to those
who were to believe in him for eternal life.
To the King of ages,
immortal,
invisible,
the only God,
be honor and glory
forever and ever.
Amen"
1 Timothy 1:14-17

The Testimony

I was inspired by LPM blog to share my testimony on Good Friday in few words. So, it sort of came to me in poetry form. Here it is:

27,
Broken hearted,
Marriage a mess,
pregnant again,
Invite to Bible study,
Read the Word,
Comfy blue chair,
Poured out
mercy and grace.
Soul saved,
Marriage repaired,
Family restored,
lives transformed.
Forever praising,
My Saviors name.

March Word

Welcome March. Today I could smell spring in the air and breathed it in deeply. Last month, I was excited about the word "adoration" much more than January's word "repent". The funny thing about it, was, that I think I was more convicted this month than the last, because it was brought more to my attention of how very pathetic my act of adoration of the Lord is. Oh how I fall short in adoring Him as I should.
Lots of Bible study this month for me: D.A. Carson Prayer Conference, and Women's Retreat with Susie Larson. SO interesting that as I am learning and focusing on one thing, God is prepping for the next. As I sat with Him this morning it was pretty clear that my word for March should be "ABIDE". I have many verses and thoughts that brought me to this place, but I want my posts here to be straight to the point. I always post more details and much longer posts on my other blog if you are interested its listed on the side in my blog roll.(Hoehnes Family Space)
Otherwise here is the verse I will be focusing on for the month:

Zephaniah 3:17-20

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, "
says the Lord."

February Word

Hard to believe that January is over already. It was a month that had some pretty frustrating moments and being that my word was "Repent" I was quick to do that and had to do it plenty.
My Saviors hand was always tender in his rebuke and I am thankful. So as I started to ask the Lord, yesterday, what He would have for me in this month of Love, he showed me in my 2 scripture readings this morning. My February word is: ADORATION. It could not be more perfect. My heart has been properly prepared to adore my Lord.
Adoring Him,
C
P.S. I'm not exactly sure of the exact verse(s) I will be working on for memory, but will post when it is firmed up.

February Verse for me:
And they sing the song of Moses,
the servant of God,
and the song of the Lamb, saying,
"Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear,
O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."

A New Year

A Word for me, from Him booklet.
One is filled,
the other blank.
What will this New Year bring?
Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!
My word for January is: Repent!
Revelation 2:2-5
"I know your works, your toil and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my names sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first."