House...or Home?

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Is the house that you live in a mansion of sorts,
With pillars and arches and wide open courts?
Or is it a quiet and humble abode,
That's far down the lane on an old country road?

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Is the house that you live in a new modern place,
With eye pleasing furniture; curtains and lace?
Or is it quite faded and worn out with use,
With a creak on the stairs; a nail slightly loose?

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Do you think that it matters to the Lord looking down,
If you live in the country or a great busy town?
He looks past the woodwork, the curtains, wall cracks,
And sees it a home: virtue learned; where it lacks!

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You see there's a difference 'tween a house and a home.
Each one has its place in our heavenward roam.
A house is a shelter: four walls, a few shingles.
A home is a family where love and joy mingles.

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So whatever your house, whether small, large, or wide,
Remember the true value is found deep inside.
In the Daddy, the Mommy, the young and the old,
A home contains treasures a house cannot hold!

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So rather then gaze on the house - rich or poor,
Please know that the value that matters much more
Is the love and the smiles on each member's face -
"Our house is a home, because of God's grace!"

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Beauties of Springtime...

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Ok, I have to brag on a couple of my siblings. Lizzie has really improved the looks of the yard and brought some colorfulness to it this Spring. Thanks to her hard work and time, we now have some lovely flowers around the house!

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Eli has been a great worker in the garden this Spring also. His specialty is strawberries. The flavor is a dozen times better than the strawberries you can purchase from the store, seriously. He learned how to make Strawberry Jam, and even ventured to make a batch completely by himself one day when Mom was gone.

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Good job guys!

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Summer Reading Program...

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The kids joined the summer reading program at the library, last week. Most of them enjoy reading to begin with, but the little rewards they receive at the library make it even more enjoyable! :-D

This afternoon, Mother and I loaded up the 7 youngest and brought them to turn in their points and get another batch of books....

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Last of the museum pics...

A few more pics from the Creation Museum

Creation Museum and Visiting Rick...

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Good morning everyone! Well, there is so much to tell about our trip to Ohio, seeing Rick again and visiting the recently opened Creation Museum that if I started to go into all the detail... suffice it to say, we would be here for quite some time.

So, I'll put in comments as you look through the pictures, but will try not to make it too long. There are lots more pictures - I think Jack is planning on posting soon, with more pictures from inside the museum.

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Welcome to Ohio... and what a welcome sign that was!

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Family picture with all of us, outside the museum. (Baby is due in about 5 weeks.)
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Rick's tour group, on Sunday evening. We had the privilege of attending BOTH churches that they sang in on Sunday, and really enjoyed that. They have an awesome blend.
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Here we are at the creation museum. This is right near the entrance. If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend this place. It was so incredible!
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The bookstore. Oh my, you could spend half of your life savings in this place! You look around and see one book after another CD, after another tool that you're just like, "Wow." A lot of good material here.
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Rick and I. He's still the same wonderful brother that he's always been!
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A trilobite, encased for display.

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Check this out.

-- Aiden was enjoying this display.
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Lunchtime! They have a nice eating area outside, so folks can bring their own lunches.
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We celebrated Rick's birthday on Monday too. Happy birthday, bro!
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A couple of pictures of the many outdoor decor.

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Back inside now...

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Looking at the fish and turtles. The younger ones really liked this part of the museum.
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Who's your dentist?

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They had these signs in several places along the way, "Thou Shalt Not Touch! Please."
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Getting ready to say goodbye after our much enjoyed visit. Praise the Lord for this awesome opportunity he allowed us to have. What an experience!

Dimples...

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Mindy
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Mindy turned 5 this week! Happy Birthday to our spunky, smiley little sister. We love you!

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