O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches.....

Over the weekend my friend William put up my tree to let it relax so when "elves" came it would be ready to decorate. It is not my usual "Charlie Brown" type tree so Jerry took to snipping of some branches so my ornaments would hang and what a a good job he did.

My friends Jerry and Steve have come to decorate my Christmas tree, this the 3rd or 4th Year!
Good job guys!

Susan and Jerry great school chums from Deer River High School!

My 2011 Christmas Tree..... Oh Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches!

Plus we had a fun day together! Can't beat good friends!

My Thanksgiving Surprise!

"The world is so empty if one thinks

only of mountains, rivers and cities; but

to know someone here and there who thinks

and feels with us, and who, though distant,

is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth

and inhabited garden."

~ Goethe

Oh how blessed I was with a surprise visit from

my dear friend William when he came from New Hampshire

to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and I. God has

given us a very special friendship for many many years even tho

the miles between us are very long!

More of Thanksgiving!

Baby Anna
Big Boy Peyton

4 Generations ~Grandpa Great, Grandma Cindy, Mommy Stacy and Baby Anna

Another 4 generations~ Great Grandma Hart, Grandpa Clarence, Mommy Stacy and Baby Anna

Papa John with Maddi

Our lives would be not the same without these new ones that come into our lives and bless us!

Thanksgiving with the great nieces and nephews!

Colin and Joshua
Charlie and Ashley
Ashley and Brianne
Trenton and Preston
Taylor and Maddi

There is nothing like being loved by these little ones!

Quotes Worth Remembering.......

"There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. Afraid.... Confused. Without a road map. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back. But once in a while people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain of going it alone. And just beyond the bravery and courage it takes to let someone in. Or to give someone a second chance. Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream. Because it's only when you're tested, that you truly discover who you are. And it's only when you're tested, that you discover who you can be. The person you want to be does exist, somewhere on the other side of hard work and faith and belief ... and beyond the heartache and fear of what lies ahead."
- One Tree Hill

The Long Awaited Lighting of the Candles.......

My great nephew and niece Alex and Ashley~ I picked them up from school today and then we went out to dinner per our usual routine and then back to my house for playing until their Mom could pick them up. I have not seen them for ages because of a busy few months so it was fun to have them miss me, like I missed them. Alex has wanted to light these candles that sit on my coffee table since the day I put them there a couple years ago. I always said we would for something special. We thought tonight was a special occasion. Ashley said it was 5 months since we were last together but I counted and it was 3 and a half months, what a shame when we live just 15 minutes away! So tonight was special and we each lit a candle!

I so love these little munchkins!

Encouragement in Prayer

photo by wm conk nigeria 2010

May the following quote by Octavius Winslow be an encouragement to you in prayer.

And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. Matthew 21:22

Draw near, then, seeking soul, with boldness; Draw near with the lowly boldness of a child—with the humble confidence of a son. Dear are you to your Father. Sweet is your voice to Him. Precious is your person, accepted in His Beloved. You cannot come too boldly—you cannot come too frequently—you cannot come with too large requests. You are coming to a King, that King your Father, that Father viewing you in His beloved Son. Oh, hang not back. Stand not afar off. He now holds out the golden scepter, and says, “Come near; what is your request? Come with your temporal want. Come with your spiritual need. Ask what you will, it shall be granted you. I have an open hand, and a large heart.

~what a comfort...

I think we take our Heavenly Father for granted so much, we put him in a box and do not let Him bless us like He desires to bless us. Help each of us reading this to drink in God's goodness and the realization that He wants to answer our heart's longings......

~susan

Adoption Holiday Fundraiser.

Katie, Lily and Weyland Leach

Katie is my "niece by affection" and they are desiring God to Bless them with another Baby via adoption. This is one way we can help them. Thank you. ~Susan

Support Our Adoption Holiday Fundraiser! Supporting our holiday fundraiser this season is as easy as decorating your home with fresh evergreens or sending gifts to friends and family. We have teamed up with Lynch Creek Farm, a company known for handcrafting some of the finest fresh evergreen products on the market. 25% of each order goes towards our cause!

How to place an online order?

1.Visit www.LynchCreekWreaths.com.

2. Click the “Support a Fundraiser” link.

3. Enter Group ID and click submit.

4. Confirm our name appears in top right-hand corner of website during checkout.

How to place a phone order?

1. Call toll-free 1-888-426-0781.

2. Provide the name of our organization before placing your order.

Organization:Leach Family Adoption Fundraiser

Group ID:43266Fundraiser

Contact:Katie Leach

Take No Chances

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,Nor will the flame burn you.For I am the Lord your God. Isa. 43:2–3

With God—chance is eliminated.God knows what is best. No struggle will come your way apart from his purpose, his presence, and his permission.

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

”What encouragement! You are never the victim of nature or the prey of fate. Chance is eliminated. You are more than a weather vane whipped about by the winds of fortune. Would God truly abandon you to the whims of drug-crazed thieves, greedy corporate raiders, or evil leaders? Perish the thought!You live beneath the protective palm of a sovereign King who superintends every circumstance of your life, and delights in doing you good.

Remember this. Nothing comes your way that has not first passed through the filter of God’s love.~max lucado