Summer Fun

New Blog Address

I have created a new blog.
http://lisa564lisa.blogspot.com/

Ashley's First Track Meet

BLESSINGS

GOOD SCHOOL DAYS

A HAPPY TODDLER TO CARE FOR

A BEAUTIFUL NEW NIECE

Wednesday was Ashley's first track meet. She did great, and it was so much fun to watch her run. She ran the 100, 400, and 800. She came in third in the 100 and 400 and first in the 800. She was the only girl participating in the 800 so she got first by default. ;)
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Andre has a leg injury so he didn't run. He was able to run a little yesterday so I think he'll be ready for the meet this Wednesday. I can't wait to see him run!
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Wednesday night I went to my first worship practice at church. I am going to sing with the team for this Sunday's service. I really enjoyed it. Everyone was so sweet and welcomed me. Thanks, Jen!! I sang in choir all through my junior high and high school years and loved it. I took organ lessons during my elementary school years. I also played in a bell choir in high school. Music is one of the biggest parts of my life. God ministers to me so much through music, worshiping him through song is just amazing. Singing with a microphone is a little different but I think I'll get used to it quickly.
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I'm just thrilled that both of my kids have music in their lives. They are doing so well on the piano. Ashley is hoping to take guitar lessons soon too. We'll see. . . .
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This has been a busy school week. We've been really productive. I'm SO ready for the weekend. Tomorrow is work day at church. We'll be doing spring cleaning, repairs, etc. We'll be there in the morning and then head to Trevor, Tyler, and Brandon's soccer game in the afternoon.

Grace and peace. ~Lisa

Here's a pic of my sweet little niece, Emily, Sherri's daughter. She's about seven weeks old. Isn't she a beauty?

Trouble with Templates

BLESSINGS

A BEAUTIFUL BIKE/WALKING TRAIL NEARBY

LADIES BIBLE STUDY

MATH - YES, MATH!

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Good morning. I know I've been silent for a few days. I tried changing my blog template through PYZAM and had some trouble. The whole thing looked corrputed and I thought I lost everything. Praise God I got my posts back but I did lose all my elements, "widgets," on the side of my blog. It was my own mystake but still a bummer. :(

Today is ladies Bible study at church. I missed last week so I'm especially looking forward to today. Tomorrow is my first worship practice with our church worship team. My buddy Jen is going to show me the ropes.

Andre and Ash joined a local community track team. Today is their first clinic day. Tomorrow is their first track meet. They're so excited. I can't wait to watch them race.

Math is a blessing today. The kids are doing so well. They're actually cruising along right now. It's been lots of hard work but we're seeing the fruits of our labor. Be encouraged all you fellow math strugglers out there. There is hope!

Love you all!

Grace and peace. ~ Lisa

Sherri's Blog

Hi, all. This is just a quick note to let you know that my s-i-l has started a blog!! Sherri's blog address is http://foreverblessedmom.blogspot.com/. She's just getting it up and running and hasn't had a chance to add the pics she wants yet, but you should check it out anyway, it's sure to be an encouragement.

Grace and peace. ~ Lisa

Our Day

BLESSINGS

MORNING QUIET TIME

MY DAUGHTER'S SWEET SMILE
A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Hello, all. Yesterday we eased back into our week after the long weekend. The kids mainly worked on their Italy books. They are making good progress, learning a lot, and having fun. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing." :-)

Today we're back to the rest of our learning. My dear friend Lee Ann says they don't "do school" at home, rather they enjoy learning. I am beginning to see the wisdom, and the fun, in this. As I pray about the direction God wants our homeschooling to take He seems to be leading us to be a little more relaxed in some areas, which, interestingly enough, seems to lead us to more in-depth learning. I'm excited to see where He leads. I pray each day that He will be in charge and in control of our day. I know His plans are best.

We will continue with our curriculum through the end of June. Then we'll take July, August, and the first two weeks of September off. This summer, however, we will continue with math three days a week. We worked through math slowly this year and have some catching up to do. I think it's a good idea anyway; taking such a long time away from math causes the kids to forget much and we spend at least the first month back to school reviewing what we learned the previous year. I'd like to avoid that.

This morning consisted of laundry, regular morning chores, Bible, piano, math, and literature. This afternoon we'll do geography, spanish, and learn some more about Italy.

Lana goes home around 3:30. When Andre gets home, about 4:30, we head out for our walk/run. I'm loving our habit of doing this.

This morning as I read read Battlefield of the Mind (Joyce Meyer) I came across scripture from 1 Kings 19:11, 12 (KJV). Elijah was afraid and running for his life. God tells him to go to Mount Horeb and He would speak to him. It gave me goose bumps when I read the last line. God comes gently and quietly in our busy day. Are we listening?

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Grace and peace. ~ Lisa

Memorial Day Weekend

BLESSINGS
DINNER WITH MY SISTER and HER FAMILY
GREAT WEATHER

GOOD MOVIES

OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN and THEIR FAMILIES

WE ARE SO THANKFUL TO LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY. On Friday we talked about Memorial Day and said a prayer thanking God for all the men and women who gave up their lives so we can continue to live in peace. We know that our freedom is not "free." It comes at a very great price.

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Thank you to all the men and women who are currently serving in the armed forces. We're praying for you and for your families who are at home waiting and missing you terribly.
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Thank you especially to our Lord, Jesus for giving up your life so we can have freedom from sin and an eternal Hope.

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My sis lives out of state with her husband, Dave, and her adorable little boy, Connor. They came up for a visit with Dave's parents over the weekend. (His parents live about an hour from us.) This was a quick visit so there wasn't really time for them to come spend with us. But, they were so sweet, they called and asked if we could meet them for dinner. So, on Friday, we met them half way at a Friday's Restaurant and had dinner together. It was really nice! Dave's parents are such sweet, kind people. They feel like family to us.

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Connor on his fourth birthday just last month. He's sitting on his new four-wheeler!

On our way home from dinner we decided on the spur of the moment to go see Prince Caspian. We hurried over and got there just in time for the 7:30 show. It was a wonderful movie. I especially love Lucy's character. I want to be like Lucy and hear God's voice no matter what the circumstances around me.

The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend. Saturday Ash and I went to fair maidens while the guys worked in the yard. Later I grocery shopped. We watched a movie called Second Hand Lions later that night. It stars Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Haley Joel Osment. What a cute movie. Osment plays Walter, a boy who's is forced to spend the summer with his rich, eccentric great-uncles on their run down farm. Along the way he learns about their mysterious and dangerous pasts. They flash back to their time in Arabia and tell the story of an Arabian sultan's daughter with whom Duvall's character falls in love. This is the kind of movie that is funny and light and deeply moving. We laughed and cried.

Church was amazing on Sunday. God blessed us all in such a special way. Jen led worship beautifully. It was a powerful, grace-filled morning! That afternoon we BBQ'd ribs and made a summer salad. We also went for a walk on our local bike trail. Since we just learned about the great depression we decided to watch a Shirley Temple movie. We rented Little Princess from NetFlix. It's the only Shirley Temple movie I remember well. (I think we'll rent another one soon.)

We spent the rest of the day outside and went next door to visit with Sherri (Andre's sister), her husband Chris, and Sandy (Andre's mom). The kids played on the swing set with their cousins: Trevor (age 6), Tyler (6), Brandon (4), and Kevin (1) (Emily, the newborn, was sleeping) and we adults had a nice visit.

Here's a studio pic of the boys from last year. Trevor and Tyler are the twins. Brandon is next. Kevin is the baby. Aren't they adorable. I'll have to add one of Emily soon.

Later we went to the drive-in to see Raiders of the Lost Ark. The drive-in is so much fun. We're so blessed to have one within 15 minutes of our home. We had a fun evening even though the movie was just "so so."

Yesterday we had planned to take the boat out for the first time but the weather on the lake just didn't cooperate. Instead we stayed home and just relaxed. Andre did a little work in the garden. I finished reading the last book in Terri Blackstock's Restoration series. Wow! Talk about a powerful, exciting, faith-building series. I highly recommend it.

Today it's back to babysitting, school and a regular schedule. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

By the way, I'm finally well!!!!!!!!!

Grace and peace. ~ Lisa

Walking in Victory

BLESSINGS
KLEENEX TISSUES WITH LOTION

A HUSBAND and SON WHO WORK SO HARD

AWESOME CHRISTIAN MUSIC

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I am feeling a bit better today, slowly recovering from this . . . whatever it is. I haven't been able to go for a walk in a week. I really miss it. Andre and the kids and I had been going 4 - 5 times a week for a walk/run. They run while I walk. :) We just discovered a great walking trail near our house. I'm up to about 2 1/2 miles a day. I hook up my IPod and I'm off. :)

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Yesterday we had our last homeschool support group meeting of the year. I'm a bit sad. I feel like this year has gone so fast and I didn't make as many connections with the moms as I would have liked. We have so many wonderful women in our group and we just don't get enough time together. Well, we'll just have to have some get-together's this summer!

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Andre and Andrew did some more spring cleaning in the yard yesterday. They weeded and mulched the flower beds. It is looking so nice! I bought a beautiful hanging plant for my shepherd's hook to hang next to my wind chimes. Lovely!!

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The kids are working on their country "reports" today. Ash decided she wanted to study Italy along with Andrew. There are so many fabulous books for Italy and she has fallen in love with Venice. Originally, I told her that she couldn't do the same country as Andrew but I decided that was silly and arbitrary. They will have fun learning together and that is what I want this project to be all about - fun and enthusiasm for learning.

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Last night while I was out and about, Sanctus Real's song "Whatever You're Doing" came on the radio. I have to admit I have never really listened to the words of this song before. It was like the Holy Spirit woke me up and poured the words into my spirit. Here's the chorus.

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Whatever You're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

but I'm giving in to something heavenly

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I just love this, and it's so true. When God is working in us, refining us to be like Jesus, it hurts. The trials and pains of life can feel so chaotic and out of control. But we mustn't run from our circumstances. Facing the trials, going through them with Jesus: loving unconditionally, trusting, humbling ourselves (a biggie!), speaking the truth no matter how much it hurts, this will give us the victory. And we can have peace in the midst of all that life throws at us.

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In The Battlefield of the Mind (Joyce Meyer) this week I read about walking in victory. So many Christians are walking around defeated. They are saved and are on their way to heaven but they are not living the abundant life God has for them here. There is such victory, such peace to be found when we walk in obedience to God. But that's the key, we must obey His commands, not follow after our feelings and our sinful desires. It's painful, it's extremely humbling but it is worth it.

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I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I walk in this victory and sometimes I don't. Why do I do this? I give in to my flesh, I have wrong responses, wrong thoughts. I have to remember that my heart and mind can lie to me. The only truth is in the Word of God and that's what I need to meditate on day and night.

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Grace and peace. ~Lisa

Yucky Cold and Good Reading

BLESSINGS

HOT TEA

ALKA-SELTZER PLUS COLD

GREAT CHRISTIAN FICTION

Okay, this yucky but mild cold that started late Tuesday, which then branched off to a major case of Laryngitis, has now become a lovely sinus infection. So I've been sipping hot tea, drinking Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and reading some great Christian fiction by Terri Blackstock.

I've been reading Terri's series called Restoration. While she has been writing for many, many years, I only recently began reading her Christian fiction. They are wonderful, inspirational stories filled with twists and turns, mysteries, and much to ponder about faith and following Christ in a modern world. Terri shares her heart with her readers in each book through an afterword so I feel like she's becoming a friend. I highly recommend her books. The series I have read so far are:

Cape Refuge

Newpointe 911

Restoration

Each of these series contain four books each.

I have much to do tomorrow including school, baby-sit Lana, and help with the kids at our homeschool support group. I'm praying for a good night sleep and grace to accomplish the tasks the Lord has set before me.

Grace and peace!

Lego Genius!

Andrew finished building his Star Wars Lego Trade Federation MTT a few days ago. Here are the pics!

Mother's Day

BLESSINGS

MY AWESOME KIDS

A LOVING HUSBAND

A SURPRISE SECRET SISTER

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What an awesome morning at church we had. Worship was amazing. Then our Pastor's wife spoke to us about our jobs as parents, encouraging us to truly disciple our children in the Lord. A great message. I'm always blessed when she speaks to us.

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We had our Secret Sister revealing after service this morning. This was our first secret sister program at church and I think it went very well. Everyone seemed really excited to find out who their secret sister had been. I was especially blessed. I administrated the program so I didn't participate. But, a very special friend chose to be my surprise secret sister and blessed me with cards and gifts for the past few months. What a surprise! I was so happy to be able to give her a gift this morning and thank her for her thoughtfulness.

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After church my family presented me with homemade cards for Mother's Day. Andrew made a card on the computer and included pictures of him as a little boy. He also wrote a very sweet poem. He worked on it for hours last night. It really touched my heart. Ash gave me a handmade card that I love too. And Andre was the biggest surprise of all. He wrote me a "Mother's Day Prayer." It was beautiful and heartfelt. It meant so much to me.

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This evening we went to the Olive Garden along with Andre's mom, Sandy. It was the perfect night. God is soooooooo Good. I've struggled over the past few months with my emotions so this day was especially sweet.

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I want to encourage all of you to take refuge in the Lord during difficult times. The past few months I've struggled and felt hopeless in one particular area of my life. I confided in a couple good friends and asked for prayer but I had difficulty really going to God and humbling myself. I didn't realize it at the time but I was trying to overcome in my own flesh and my own wisdom. Finally, about three weeks ago, with the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit, I began to get serious about praying. I got on my knees and gave my struggles to the Lord. I promised the Lord that I would be diligent every morning to seek Him and bring all my cares to the Cross. I began praying scripture and "taking every thought captive." Wow! What a difference. God is so gracious and merciful. And He has all the strength we need to get through any circumstance.

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I start a new Bible study with the ladies at my church on Tuesday. We're reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind. We're going to "change our lives by changing our minds." I can't wait!

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Grace and peace. ~Lisa

Learning Together

BLESSINGS

RELAXED LEARNING

GOD'S WORD

Today was a quiet, happy day. We started our reading by 9:30. By lunch we had done Bible, spelling, writing, and math. After lunch we finished the book we've been reading about the Great Depression. Last week I asked the kids each to choose a country to do a report on, and yesterday we visited the library to find some books on each. Ash is doing Croatia and Andrew, Italy. So the rest of our afternoon today was spent pouring over books and just having fun learning interesting things. These will be fun countries to learn about since Andre's dad, Libero, is Italian/Croatian.

Libero was born in Italy but lived most of his formative years in Croatia. When he was eighteen he left his family behind and came to the U.S. He speaks five languages and has many Croatian friends. The kids are used to hearing him speak in foreign languages and have heard many stories of his childhood, so these countries seem very familiar to them. They both dream of visiting them one day and meeting many relatives.

The kids did state reports a couple months ago. I really pushed them to get specific information and write formal reports. While I don't think that is a bad thing, this time I am going to let them just read and investigate their countries for a while. I want them to really get immersed in the cultures. They've already decided they'd like to cook some authentic Italian and Croatian meals. (We'll have to invite Grandpa over for those!) My goal is for them to really enjoy the learning process and be excited about their countries.

Those of you who know me fairly well know that I don't lean toward "relaxed learning." I think it sounds great but I usually tend to gravitate toward more structure and formality. It just comes naturally to me. So this is a pretty big step. Hey, maybe instead of writing reports we'll do lapbooks along the way. Sounds like fun!

Hey, Pinkchicky, I have to tell you that ever since I visited your blog and saw the very familiar verse from Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God," the Holy Spirit has been bringing it to my mind. He is ministering to me through that Word in such a sweet way. Isn't God just precious? He knows just what we need, when we need it. And he used you to speak it to me. Thanks, sweetie!!

Before I sign off I have to post this picture of Andrew. He has been saving his money for a Star Wars Lego set, the "Trade Federation MTT." Tonight he was able, with our help :), to finally purchase it. It is a really big set. Here is the "before" picture. He just finished sorting everything. Once he finishes it we'll post the "after" picture. What do you think, Grandma Mary?

Grace and peace!

Catching Up

BLESSINGS

A HAPPY TODDLER

BEAUTIFUL PIANO MUSIC
A PEACEFUL EVENING

Sunday was such a nice day. Church was wonderful - such an awesome time of worship. I didn't get to hear the sermon since I was helping in kids church. That was disappointing because we had a guest speaker who is a friend. I need to get the CD.

After church we went to the Holden Arboretum for their annual Spring plant sale. We didn't buy anything but it was such a beautiful day that we just enjoyed being outside. We looked at all the plants and trees then went for a walk.

Next, we went to the mall to get my new glasses. Yes, I'm now wearing prescription glasses. Ugh! Oh well, I'm getting use to them already. And I definitely see better so that's a real plus. It was fun hanging around the mall with my hubby and kids. That's a first - having hubby along.

Next we went out to dinner. What a nice way to end a very nice day. :)

TODAY

I didn't get my shower or have my time with the Lord this morning. I know, I know, this is not a good thing. But, I did get it all in around 11:00. Whew! I didn't read anything in Romans, that's what I'm studying in the Word right now, but I did do my devotion and read a chapter in Power of a Praying Wife and prayed for my sweetie. The rest of my prayer time was spent in the shower.

It was another beautiful day here so we had windows and doors open as we did school work and read.

Lana was one of my blessings of the day. She was so sweet and calm today. This afternoon at the library she had a great time picking out books and playing with the toys. She'll be two in July. Now that she's getting a little older she is more content. She's a good little communicator too so that helps.

It's a beautiful, peaceful evening here. Andre is in the garage putting a new belt on our lawn mower, Andrew is playing PlayStation 2, and Ashley is playing a beautiful song on the piano while I sit here in the quiet blogging.

Grace and peace.

Andrew at the piano. He's been playing for about three years now. He's definitely found his passion. He plays constantly! He recently played at our co-op achievement night. The formal piano recital will be held in June.

Ashley has been taking lessons for about four years now. She and Andrew just participated in the Piano Guild Auditions. They each played a memorized program of songs before a judge. They also demonstrated their theory knowledge for him. A wonderful experience for them both. They'll receive Guild certificates in June at their recital.

Tea Time with Friends

BLESSINGS

TEA

GOOD FRIENDS

THE SUN

It rained most of the day today. In fact, it poured! But the sun is out now so I'm rejoicing!

Two of my most special friends and I had lunch at the Tea Room today. Friends are such a gift from God. I pray that I never take for granted these dear friends. Thanks, Jen and Lee Ann!

Andre isn't feeling well today. Poor guy. He's been sleeping for the past few hours now. Well, I guess a gloomy, rainy Saturday is a good day to be inside under a blanket. Let's hope he feels well tomorrow.

Above are some pics of the kids especially for my family in Washington and Kentucky. I miss you guys!! I'm hoping this blog will help bridge the distance between us.

Grace and peace!

Braces and Rush Limbaugh

BLESSINGS

Lean Cuisines

Our Local Library

Talk Radio

I admit it, I love talk radio, particularly Rush Limbaugh. I don't get to listen often but he's on in the background as I type this. Yippee!

Ashley had an orthodontist appt. this morning. She's one step closer to getting her braces. Today she got her rapid palatal expander. It's a metal appliance on the roof of her mouth that will begin widening her upper jaw. Fun, fun!

We ran errands this morning so we are only going to have a couple hours of school this afternoon. That always stresses me out. We had a productive week though so I'll just try to relax.

Thank you, friends, for your sweet comments. What a lovely surprise.

Grace and peace.

Let's try blogging!

BLESSINGS
Homeschooling
A loving husband
Homemade Bread

Never thought I'd be a blogger but here it goes! We're a homeschooling family of four. My husband asked me the other day what my life would look like if I was living my dream. I told him it would look exactly like it looks today. I am living my dream! I am SO blessed to be a wife and mother. I love staying home with my children and educating them at home. Don't get me wrong, life is not perfect, we have difficult days to be sure. But, mostly we are content and filled to overflowing with the Lord's blessings.

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Our purpose in homeschooling is to instill in our kids a biblical worldview, a love for learning, and to spend lots of quality time together. It is all going so fast, the kids are already 14 and 11. Where does the time go? I'm just trying to enjoy every moment.

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Today we have my nephew Kevin over to play with Lana (the toddler we babysit). They are the same age and play so well together. Right now they're "cooking" and bringing me lots of wonderful "meals" from their kitchen set. How cute!

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With no where to go today, we're settling in for a relaxing day of learning. Andrew's playing the piano, as usual. Ash is in her room getting ready for the day.

HERE'S WHAT WE'RE DOING THESE DAYS

Bible - I Samuel.

Sunday School Bible Lesson - the kids have homework from church every week. The are memorizing a verse of scripture and journaling about how God's Word has been active in their lives and what God is accomplishing through His Word.
Math

Creative Writing

Grammar

Physical Science - Circulatory System and some physics

History - We're finishing up the Great Depression

Reading - Andrew is reading Who was Albert Einstein? and Blue Willow, a novel about an itinerant farming family's experiences during the Dust Bowl. Ashley just finished Blue Willow. They'll both be starting new books soon. Andrew and I are reading aloud the first book in the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet.

Reading continues to be my favorite pastime. Right now I'm reading Darwin's Black Box by Michael Behe and Great Expectations by Dickens. I'm also reading, for the third time, The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. What a tremendous blessing this book is! If you feel you don't know how to pray for your husband - or yourself - or you want to pray more effectively, you've got to read this book. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of your husband's life, which easily translates to each of our lives, and gives you a specific prayer to pray. You'll pray lots of scripture which is the most effective way to pray. This time around as I'm praying for my husband, I'm also praying for myself and my children. I know God is going to do wonderful things!

I'll add some pictures soon. ~Grace and peace.