Busy Summer

It's hard to believe it's the end of July already!. We have had a busy summer so far.

Father's Day Weekend in Glenwood is Rodeo weekend! Complete with Cowboy Church and a Parade. The church sponsored a Concert and BBQ in the private park in town that was well attended. The week after the Rodeo we had VBS.

We do our VBS in the afternoon, which is awesome! The kids have summer school in the morning, then come to the church and we feed them lunch (whether they attended summer school or not) and then we have VBS.

This year's theme was High Seas Expedition. We were praying for 40 kids and God brought 48! 3 of those prayed to receive Christ, that we know of. We serve an awesome God.

The week of VBS we also had an awesome group of teens from Lake Tapps. A few helped with VBS, but the majority built us a storage shed (no more bikes in the wood shed and camping stuff in the garage) and they also rebuilt our fence, which was falling over because the posts were rotting out. They got the fence painted too! They pulled weeds around the church and did some painting over there as well.

The next week was spent getting caught up on sleep!!!!!!

Butch and Spencer went on a trip to the Redwoods with Gear Up, a program at school to get kids ready for college. 2 other students and 2 staff went also. Grady, Becca and I went on some adventures of our own and celebrated Grady's 17th birthday.

We had our church camp out at Bird Creek with a few other families from church. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm! Much better than last year when it poured down rain and I couldn't wait to get home!

We've been getting ready for our youth camps that are next week. It looks like we're taking about 15 kids to Junior camp and 8 to Teen camp. (3 of those are attending both camps) Pretty good for our little town! Butch is the speaker for teen camp and I am working in the kitchen.

After that we may get a little rest before we get our Fall ministries going again.

Out Exploring

We enjoyed a fairly busy week last week, but not as busy as the week before! Baccalaeureate was Tuesday. We have 8 graduates this year and a packed church at the service. Most in attendance do not come to church. We are praying that the message Butch shared will draw them to the Father.

We didn't do much for Memorial Weekend. No big camping trip like we used to do or even a BBQ. It was just another ordinary weekend except with the kids to tag along with us on our Monday off. We went geocaching up at the Natural Bridges and Peterson Prairie. Just out of Trout Lake.

We found all 3 we were looking for this time. Sometimes we are not always so lucky! It is a fun hobby that gets us outdoors and into some places we might not otherwise find.

After we found the third one we went back down the road a ways to the Ice Caves. We only had 2 lights and it was pretty slick in a lot of places so we didn't go clear through. Next time, maybe. We might just take our lantern next time, we saw some other people do that. Head lamps would be nice, we need a couple more anyway!!!

Then instead of heading home we drove west until we got the to snow. Not far... the Yukon was making a funny noise so we had to investigate, discovered the front fender is cracked. WE then decided it has been this way for a long time but the big hole Butch hit must have broke a little piece off which now allows the fender to move more, thus the reason we are hearing more noise.

We headed down a road towards Willard, had never been that way before and decided to check it out. We came upon a place called South Prairie which is a meadow when it is dry, but right now it is most definately more like a lake! I guess in the spring the rain and snow pool up in the meadow, flowing through lava tubes. Then as the weather warms, the ice plug in the lava tube melts and it drains like a bath tub! Will have to venture back up that way once it warms up a bit more.

We decided to call it a day after that and headed for home.

We had an impromptu game last night because the TV blew up. Literally! It has been acting up for quite a while, with lines across the top. We figured out yesterday morning that we could wiggle the cable in the back and it seemed to work fine, for a brief time. Well, Butch had it working momentarily last night, Grady came out and was going to watch something on History channel and the TV just shut off. When we got close to it we could smell it. Bummer.

With no money for a new one, we hooked up our old projector to the Dish Net box so we can at least watch the news and movies but that is only temporary. It won't be a bad thing to be limited on TV watching this summer, but it is still a bummer. I wonder how long the projector bulb will last? We used it in the church for 2 years in Nevada and the for the first several months here. I don't think it will have much life left :)

Well, that is a glimpse into our lives this past week. I'll post pictures once we get them downloaded! Have a blessed week.

Jackpot June

Jackpot June means daily deals on my Close to My Heart web site!

You won't want to miss out on this one!Everyday will be new deals for you, while supplies last. Goodie boxes containing tons of product at a super discounted price. Plus, some days will feature secret jackpot items, when you order a jackpot item you will receive free product with your order. How cool is that!

So check everyday at 8 AM to see what the deal is for that day. Then don't wait to order because when they're gone, that's it!

Happy Scrappin'

It's Been Awhile!

OK, so I haven't done a very good job of keeping the blog up to date. Most of you have probably given up on me, thinking I'm done with blogging.

Well, I'm not. It just hasn't been big on the priority list. To be honest, I can't even say that it's because I haven't had the time because I have. I just haven't felt much like blogging :)

We all get like that sometimes right? So since my birthday (haha) we've done quite a bit.

Butch and I got to go to a STEPS Ministry conference for Pastors (and their wives) in April. that was real nice. We felt refreshed and excited for ministry when we came home. We were challenged in some areas while were there and that has really energized us to minister here in Glenwood.

We've also gone back to school. We are taking classes from a Bible college in California, online of course, that would be a long commute! Butch is working on his Bachelors and looking ahead to possibly his Masters and I am completing my Associates degree and Bachelors at the same time. We both felt that God was leading us to do this and know that it will help us in our ministry here.

The kids are looking forward to school ending. 2 weeks for Spencer and Becca and three for Grady. We are looking forward to summer and being able to do things together as a family on our days off.

We have been Geocaching quite a bit and really enjoy it. We have been to some areas we might have missed if it weren't for geocaching. The kids are looking forward to doing more of that with us this summer.

Here are a few things you can pray for us:

• We need a more economical vehicle. Pray that God would provide the finances to purchase one.
• Grady needs braces and Becca is ready for the next phase of her treatment so we need God to provide a way for that to happen as well.
• We are always thankful for the people God has given us to share the gospel and pray for opportunities to continue to share.
• We are also thankful for all of those who support us and pray for us. We thank God for you.

Have a blessed week.

New Year's Goals

So it's 2010. Today is my birthday, number 38. I guess my birthday being so close to New Year's has me reflecting a bit on the past year and the year to come.

A few years ago I decided that it was no good to make New Year's Resolutions because they are easily broken or forgotten. Within a few months we go right back to where we were and feel like a total failure. So I started setting goals at New Year's. With goals you generally set acheivable steps to reach your goal. Ultimately you will set a time line to reach your goal but mine tend to be a bit more open ended, life goals I guess.

As I reflect on the goals I set for myself last year, I can see areas where I definitely need to continue to focus on, and other areas that went very well. In general my goal is to please God. (2 Cor. 5:9) If I focus on pleasing Him then I will attain all my other goals because that one encompasses all.

So when I think about the many different roles in my life, mom, wife, mentor and friend, I know that if in each area I strive to please God, then I will do well at each one.

So how do I do that? I need to make sure that God consumes my thoughts (Phil 4:8). I need to spend time in prayer and Bible study, and also spend time with fellow believers (Acts 2:42). When I put Jesus first in my life then the way I live my life will be a reflection of Him. In doing this I will acheive the goal of pleasing God.

Of course I still want to focus on eating healthier, exercising more, taking more pictures , spending time with my family, and blogging more often, but these are second to my relationship with God.

So have you set goals for the new year? Why not sit down right now and make a plan to please God in 2010.

Close to My Heart Clearance Sale

Get all your holiday shopping done in one spot this year with our online clearance sale! Many items are 50% off, with some discounted as much as 80% off regular retail. The selection is incredible, too! Shopping begins Wednesday, December 2, at 9 a.m. and continues through Thursday, December 17 (11:59 p.m. MT) or while product supplies last! There is a deal on shipping, too! For orders of more than $100 US/ $150 CAN and non-continental US shipping is only $5 US/ $10 CAN and non-continental.

Check it out on MYCTMH web Site

Still here...

As I was sitting here, catching up with old friends on Facebook, I realized it's been a whole month since I posted anything here on our blog. That's way too long. So I'm going to rectify that right now.

I have no excuses, it isn't because nothing has been happening or that we have been too busy. I just haven't done it. Sorry!

So in the last month what have we done? Hmmm...

Butch has spent a lot of time in the woods. It has been hunting season for what seems like FOREVER! First it was bear and deer season. (Grady hunted with him) But the deer were very elusive, at least the ones he could shoot at! And of course the bear we saw was before bear season opened. Then it was Elk season, bear season was still open. (And Grady hunted again) The Elk were more elusive than the deer. Then there was a short reprieve (1 week) and it was Elk season again for Muzzleloading. (Spencer hunted this time) The Elk are not so elusive, today they even showed themselves. BUT...other hunters spooked the herd that Butch and Spencer were watching and they couldn't get a shot at one. (Sigh) They have one last chance Monday.

But that means I get to go grocery shopping alone. It's been a long, long, long time since that has happened. And I must say that I am looking forward to it:) I must get to making my list and make sure I get everyhting I need for the coming whirlwind of holiday baking. (Cookie Exchange Thursday)

We have had some snow but it is mostly gone now. The last 2 days have been absolutely beautiful. The temps were in the low 40's but if you were sitting inside where it is roasty toasty it was easy to convince yourself that it was in the 70's! Today the mountain finally showed itself and it is such a breathtaking sight with all that fresh snow. So breathtaking I didn't even take a picture. I guess you will have to come see it for yourself:)

Things are going very well with church. We have seen some new families coming recently and numbers have been up on Sunday morning and bible studies have had consistent attendance. We have been having Sweet Thursday once a month (which is just a fancy way to say let's get together for dessert) and are seeing new ladies come to that. We are excited about what God is getting ready to do in Glenwood and pray that our church family is ready!

I have been helping out with the band at school and loving it. I still need to dust off my clarinet and actually play it, but helping new students learn to play has been inspiring. I miss giving guitar lessons and hope to start up after the first of the year. Seeing a child's eyes light up when they have mastered a new song gets me fired up!

I'm looking forward to a busy December. This next week will find me making a quick trip to Bonney Lake to hold a Close to My Heart Workshop. I have missed holding workshops and hope that this will get my business going again. It'll be nice to get the creative juices flowing again. I realized recently that I have barely scrapbooked at all this entire year. I must change that!

Well, that is probably enough of my ramblings for one evening. Consider yourself updated on the exciting lives of the Hallenbeck family.