Life is going well for the Veeneman family. Sure, there are minor daily struggles, but we are healthy, strong, happy and able to physically and mentally focus on our daily duties and for that we are grateful. I really really really miss certain family members in Michigan and a couple of California sisters (one is moving to Japan this month), but the Lord gives me joyful times each day that make me smile and be grateful for where He has brought me in my pilgrimage here on earth.

There is something about this time of year that makes me reminisce about times in the past and friends far away. As I anticipate the holiday season, it hits me that this will be the first year ever that we will not be with Michigan family during any of the holidays. It makes me sad to be seperated during the past traditional gathering times, but it makes me excited because I can begin new traditions and have a quiet, relaxing season with my closest family members, Steve and my children. The busy-ness of traveling, the jolt in the children's routines, the stress of going to all the parties, baking, cooking, and bad weather will not be a factor this year. Although I do love the parties, there's something appealing about just hanging out at home playing games, opening gifts from each other, listening to Christmas music, lighting fragrant spiced candles, watching old movies and eating a Christmas feast prepared just for us with all of our favorite fixin's. I'm looking forward to these things with joy. It seems very true to me that "there's no place like home for the holidays." I truly feel our home now is here in Iowa. People ask, "Are you coming/going home for Christmas?" Our answer is,"No, we're staying home for Christmas."As much as we love all of our extended relatives in Michigan, we need this time now to make our own familial traditions that our children can grow with. Then, as they eventually seperate from Steve and me, they will carry on these bonding times with their own future spouses and children, Lordwilling.

I've been reading much about bonding and attaching to our children for their sake and their future's sake and I've learned that our children need security, traditions, and lots of hugs and family time. How many parents take the time to have 10 or more meals per week sitting around the dining room table? We don't. How many parents take time each week one-on-one with each child to play a game, go on mother/son date or a father/daughter date, go on a nature hike or bike-ride, share a prayer time, read a book, color a few coloring pages, or play basketball outdoors? I don't. Building these traditions and bonding times with our children makes them stronger and secure as we prepare them for life as adults. Meanwhile, during these close times they watch their parents and learn from their parents how to deal with all sorts of situations in life. I pray that God makes me an example of Christian living to my children. I feel like too often I try to drill rules about obedience and loving God into my kids' heads when the way they learn the best is by example and by a few soft words spoken with loving eye contact and a hug. Oh! How I fall so short as a mother! God has given me these children though,  for reasons I do not know at times. I feel so unqualified as I train them, but I know they are a reward from my Heavenly Father. By His grace and with help from His Holy Inspired Word, I know that he will use me in some measure for my children's good.

Praying that all of you mothers are feeling God's guidance and comfort through the ups and downs of raising your children for work in His Kingdom. Praying too that you are able to make lasting memories that you, your children, and your children's children will treasure for a lifetime! Blessings and love!  

On Sep. 30, Dawn became my 5 year-old Kindergartener. Isn't she so grown up? Time flies, doesn't it?

We woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on Oct. 10th.

The children were so excited to go sledding on the hills by our house.

Paige loved playing in the snow on the back porch.

Although I dislike the cold very much, I went sledding with all of them at 8:30 am on a Saturday morning.

Hot cocoa always helps to warm us up. What sweet happy smiles my children have!

As I blogged all of the above, this sweet little daughter of mine, Paige Catherine, fell asleep in my arms. I will never grow tired of moments like this.

This is a great lesson for me in these uncertain times, times of need for so many. Be encouraged!

From "Morning by Morning" by Charles Spurgeon:

"He that watereth shall be watered also himself". -Proverbs 11:25

We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labor is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord's battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow's tears, and soothe the orphan's grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavor to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other's limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet's wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.

Our lease will be filled on June 8th. Praise God that we don't have to pay rent and mortgage payments at the same time. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all you anxieties on Him, because He cares for you." (1Peter 5:6-7)

After months of searching for a house to buy and having no success including two low offers refused, Steve and I were at a point where we needed to make a decision to be out of this rental within 30-60 days or renew a lease. We didn't want to settle to buy something that we didn't really like so we decided to renew our lease and if we found a really great house for us we'd break the lease or we'd buy land and build. We were strongly leaning toward building our house because the market out here is nothing like other areas of the country. There are new subdivisions and newly constructed homes going up all over. So, we renewed our lease just over a week ago for 9 months. On Monday, we were going to put an offer on a beautiful piece of property that we visited on Sunday afternoon. The children and we walked the 3 acre piece and pictured in our minds where we'd build our house and barn on that property. I felt like Caroline Ingalls. So, that was our plan. We had tentatively decided to build and had a house plan and had gotten preliminary estimates on mostly everything.

Let me take you back to a couple of months ago. We put an offer on a very nice house that was vacant and had been on the market for quite a long time. Our offer was ridiculously low and we didn't expect to get the house, but it was perfect for us. Lots of room in the country for the boys and girls to roam. We fell in love the property and I fell in love with the house all the while knowing it wasn't likely to become reality.

We gave up on it and the seller of the house wasn't willing to come down to our level. On Monday morning, our realtor who was really sick with bronchitis talked to her boss, the owner of the large real estate company in Glenwood, IA, and asked him to meet with us in her place on Monday night which was our appointment. She hadn't been feeling well for a while and she did not want to cancel another appointment with us. She told him the type of house that we were looking for and showed him the houses that we offered on over a month earlier. That one house that we love happened to be owned by his best friend, who owns another very large real estate company in Council Bluffs, IA. He made a five minute phone call to his friend and negotiated for us (without our knowing) an affordable price to buy that house. So, instead of putting an offer on property, we signed a purchase agreement for a beautiful house on Monday night. Our realtor, who professes to be a Christian, said after we signed the purchase agreement......"If I hadn't been sick I wouldn't have asked my boss to help y'all and he wouldn't have talked to his friend, the seller." I told her, "Well, I'm sorry that you're sick, but I am so thankful that God used it for our good here." She agreed. God truly works in mysterious ways.  

God's timing is always perfect and this time it involves another trial for us which is a lease that we just signed and have had to break. Our property managers are not being lenient with us and are sticking straight to the terms of the lease. We had to pay a hefty fee for breaking the lease and are tied to paying rent on this house until new renters rent it. Please pray that new renters will rent before June. Our closing is May 20 and we're planning on moving out the last week of May.

Rejoice with us that we will soon own our home for the first time! This is an answer to 10 years of praying for this and we are praising God for His goodness shown to us. Please pray that the moving and closing processes go smoothly. I really dislike moving and it'll be so nice to get into a new home and to know that most likely we'll be able to stay there for more than a year, Lordwilling. Thank the Lord for His gracious sovereignty in all of this! And come and visit us in Pacific Junction, Iowa!

Our future home on 3.3 acres.