needed some away time the other evening...doesn't get much better than this...

a picture is worth a thousand words...(or several thousand words...!)
braces off!!!

If someone made this statement to you, "Evangelical Christians are abandoning certain truths." What would your response be? Care to comment...

aahh...a little crisp in the air, leaves starting to change.
...one has much to look forward to in the Fall......
oh, yes, ahem....we must have a high schooler, and a jr. higher in the house
door bell ditching in the wee hours, and beautiful new landscaping...

“Life is a steep climb, and it does the heart good to have somebody “call back” and cheerily beckon us on up the high hill. We are all climbers together, and we must help one another. This mountain climbing is serious business, but glorious. It takes strength and steady step to find the summits. The outlook widens with the altitude. If anyone among us has found anything worthwhile, we ought “call back”.

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back—‘Twill cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track; and if, perchance, Faith’s light is dim, because the oil is low, your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm; Call back, and say He kept you when the forest’s roots were torn; That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the ill, He bore you up and held you where the very air was still.

Oh, friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face; They say it glows with triumph, and your feet bound in the race; But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim, and I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you’ll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry, And if you’ll say He saw you through the night’s sin-darkened sky—if you have gone a little way ahead, oh, friend, call back—‘Twill cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.”

Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Streams In The Dessert

An Afternoon with Laney...

the sand, ocean and breeze feed her soul...just like her mama

deep blue sky and fancy kites...

little flops....

hours spent looking and finding treasures....

thank goodness for a nearby park...

had to get out of the heat....102 in slo - welcome back to school!

80's in Morro Bay, absolutely beautiful

all smiles...food was on the way

my favorite...

because of this....no one does fish and chips like the Hofbrau...

obligatory stop at the park...captain of her own ship (i so know how she feels)

a view from vacation...

little feet of baby jax...so perfect

I was having a post church siesta with my bink....
and then all the cousins wanted to hold me!

went to Shaver Lake and did a lot of this...

even the littlest grant was up for towing...

the man-child....contemplating...?

my view each morning...

there is something very precious about being 7 years old,
playing quietly on a summer afternoon...

somehow sammie and jacob just seem to go together....
trust me - i know...you don't believe me, but this is how the dog sleeps....oi.

jacob....jr day camp team spirit day!

may i just say...if roundabouts are going to be utilized - there should be at least one question on the california driving test on the appropriate way to enter and exit....i'm just saying.

don't ask...just go with it - i had an interesting interaction with a roundabout...

Emma and I had an unexpected evening out together....
mexican food, walk on the pier, time to talk...very precious.

The hush of the Holy Spirit....

DeeperStill - Greensboro NC from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

this....

plus this...

gave us this...

Must be summer!!!

well....i don't know what to say....we have never had a 'normal' animal and it looks like the pup isn't any different. welcome to the Grant Family...(yes, she is asleep)

Would have given just about anything to be there and seen this in person.

my tank is empty...oh a bit of refreshment this would have been...

...from My Utmost for His Highest...Oswald Chambers...July 31

"Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives.

We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with Him. "Let patience have its perfect work . . . ." The Holy Spirit speaking through James said, "Now let your patience become a finished product." Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, "Oh, that will have to do for now." Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His."

Amen....

if you have three minutes....give a listen. A few things to note...there is nobody else in the kitchen....she is carrying a conversation by herself, and seems totally at ease in doing this! She knows how to access and run this application on the computer! oh to be seven...(just a reminder to turn the music off my site before you watch the video...you can do this by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the pause button)

Unsupervised on the Computer from melissa grant on Vimeo.

just having some fun...

"The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down."
psalm 145:14

ok....so i fell off the blog wagon.....time to get up, dust myself off and share some images of the past 6 weeks...

Jr. High Graduation Night...with sammie (she is now twice that size and eats us out of house and home....then again, so does joey)

this is why i should not work away from the home...

i sense a party coming on...

14 year old boys, water weaponry....my office did not survive the assualt

"you filled up how many balloons!?"

the birthday boy...

the boys...they ate over 40 mini hamburgers in about 15 minutes and a double recipe of 'death by chocolate'....amazing

a little summer model time...

hunting for tadpoles at a local park...

more pics and thoughts to come....

ummm.....yeah. we do have rules....NO ANIMALS ON THE FURNITURE!
apparently sammie has her own rules...

Spending time over at the Drawing Near Ministries blog...do you have the address? Just click here and then bookmark it.....

7 today...

7 years ago today after 40 brief minutes of labor (sorry jenna...) the littlest grant came into our lives. She is wise, engaging, and very fun.

happy birthday, Elena.

a note to the puppy...

• my ipod power cord was not yours to chew on
• whining for an hour from 11:30pm-12:30am did not make any one happy
• the kitchen blinds (although old and desperately need replacing), were not supposed to provide entertainment for you while i was at work
• immersing your head in your water dish and swishing it all around, while fun...makes quite the mess!

but, walking with me in the dark - early morning was a blessing.

you patiently laying at my feet while i spend time with our creator is even more of a blessing.

Jax Alan Hansen

say hello to Jax Alan Hansen
7 lbs. 13 0z 20 1/2"
his journey into this world was dicey...
we are all thankful for his mama's tenacity,
and the Lord's grace....

Her name is sammie....she is a 10 week old border collie/mcnabb mix, oh so sweet and mild mannered. She isn't so sure about a family of six, but is warming up quickly....now if she would quit trying to herd me we will be good to go!

some pics from around the county...