Porters Portals

This spoke to me so deeply. I wanted to share part, but what part?!?! Soooo, I think you should read it all. I know there are others needing to read it....I just know it......millions actually! Blessings Peter 1 (NIV) 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise to God for a Living Hope 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be reveal...

Yesterday my beautiful kids spent a couple of hours outside playing in the leftover snow and just having a blast. Then in the afternoon it started to rain and within minutes the lovely snow was gone. Just like Western Oregon. At least it wasn't freezing rain. I hate that stuff. So the rest of the night I would occasionally check outside and it was still wet, unfrozen rain. This morning we get up....lightly raining...still unfrozen. Start to make plans for the day such as shopping for stocking stuffers . Got the baby up, took her to change her clothes, diaper, make a bottle and walked into the kitchen and what the heck? White stuff coming down like crazy. Everything already white outside. Wow. Turned my cell phone on and message after message coming through. lol Doesn't take western oregonians much to get excited! It is soooo beautiful. From a previous post..... Ahhhh O Holy Night playing on the radio....kids are playing in their rooms....baby is cooing....give me a moment......

Playing with Nana on the floor A with rosy cheeks LB, neighbor friend V, and MK S and J standing against the wind Trudged through the snow to see Nana What a sweet Sunday it has been. We had snow in Portland Oregon!!! More specifically at our house. We don't have snow often, so it's a treat and this is the first time in YEARS I have been happy to see the snow fall. To see the wind blowing like crazy swirling the snow around. One big difference? I don't have to go to work tomorrow. I didn't have anywhere to go today. Even church was cancelled. I just stayed home, decorated the tree, made home made soup and muffins, dressed and undressed kids several times today. Picked up wet clothes and sheets off the floor. My eldest son and his wife and the owners of my beautiful grandson bundled up and trudged through the snow to get here. My son wanted to play with the kids in the snow. :-) They only live about 4 blocks away. CJ slept like, um...like a baby on the way here. He ...

So, there are several (all but me) in my family who think we need to load the family up, drive to a farm, search in the rain and mud, then saw down the perfect Christmas tree. Then sell my fine china (not that I have any) in order to pay for said tree (it USE to be cheaper to cut your own). I have done this for many years and to be honest. The only part of it I like is seeing the smiles on the faces of my kids. But when I was a single mom, I had an artificial tree (aka FAKE) and guess what? The kids still smiled. When we would dig it out of storage, place the synthetic boughs appropriately, hang the lights and ornaments it still brought joy. But then I remarried and thus back to the trudging for a tree again. Yes there is an aspect I love about real trees. The smell...but pretty much...that's it! I have had my fill for a lifetime. After last years hunt (because the cut your own trees are so expensive) I had actually talked my husband into letting me get an artificial so I was prepa...

As part of our homeschooling we always do bible study first. What I have chosen to do is pick a scripture each week and we talk about it for the entire week. We have discussions and we have exercises I have created to help them (us) memorize the scripture. I have NEVER been able to memorize scripture. I have just never had the memory for such things. Same reason I have never been able to memorize multiplication facts and MANY other things. It's frustrating but it is what it is. Some of what we have studied has been the Ten Commandments, the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37) and others. This week our study is one of my favorite scriptures. Philippians 4:8. I love this scripture. It's beautiful. It's what I want to attain. I want to daily have my thoughts on such things but for anyone who knows me this is opposite of my personality. I am a worrier. I am a fretter . I am judgmental. Life has not be horrible to me but most of my life has been a struggle. Be it my life...

The Gang (The baby's really were happy....) S, A, and CJ LB and MK CJ (my sweet grandson) Precious Baby Girl

Dinner with my friend was great. It's always great to share some time with her. It's never enough time, but sweet it was. Dinner was fantastic. My fav ...Olive Garden. We had a good day yesterday. We took the kids to see Santa and have photo's taken. We were there my grandson also. Last year my adult son J was working at the same place and was the photographer . We took the two girl (S and A) and as he got ready to take their pic he said "Girls I have a surprise...Emily is pregnant " and he caught them in midst's of gasps! So that is how they found out about their nephew coming. Yesterday we had their pics taken with their little nephew. We don't get the pics til today so can't post yet. Then I had a pic taken with the foster kiddos. First M and L and then baby P. She wouldn't smile because she was ready for a nap and the photographer didn't try very hard but she still looked darling. Then we spent the afternoon at my house. Eating lunch and...

Wow...I can't believe it. I get to go to dinner with my best friend and with no kids in tow. Will I know how to carry on a conversation without interruptions from little ones? Will I know how to finish a thought? That's the great thing about best friends. You can go weeks months and even years without actually talking and just pick right back up again and talk for hours. God truly brought this friend into my life. He is the one that connected us. Her name is Amy. A name very dear to my heart. It was through working at the Red Cross we met. We didn't really become friends though until she encouraged me to apply for a job in her department. God blessed me with that job. That was the best years of my life within the Red Cross. I had many good times in my 10 years there, but the time I was in Special Collections (for 4 of those years) was the best. The people in the department were funny, loving, and oh so supportive. We all became very good friends. At one point Amy even becam...

I'm not sure why it's so easy to get on a pitty pot but it is. This darn flesh is so consuming sometimes. It's been a rough week but then unexpected events happen and your perspective is changed. A dear sister in the Lord may have a cancerous tumor on her shoulder. I know she will have complete victory in this but consider the fact she went in to see about a torn rotator cuff. Wham...then she is hit with the big C word. Life changed. Another sister in the Lord has been working on getting an adoption of two older siblings. Siblings to her 3 adopted children. It has not be an easy road for her and on top of that she is expecting her 3rd bio in February. Her husband planning to go to Ethiopia in January to get the older two. Then this morning, however, the unexpected. She starts bleeding, goes to the hospital and the baby is delivered by C section within an hour. Now she is recovering from surgery and we are all praying her and baby will be fine. Life changed. So do I R...