Irresistablygraced's Xanga

Time for Fresh Photos!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:54:23 GMT

I just wanted to share a few recent photos of my sweet son, Solomon. How I love taking his picture...though I drive him nuts with the camera. LOL! I hope you enjoy!

Fun Flower Dissection

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:09:39 GMT

This is a copy of my blog from today at Homeschoolblogger...for those who don't visit that blog and want to know what we're up to around here.

Today, we had a really fun assignment in Science. We're doing a unit on botany -- specifically fertilization in flowers. We picked a daylilly and a hasta flower out of the yard and proceeded to dissect them, seeing close-up and personally all the different parts which were taught in the textbook. Solomon really enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities between the 2 flowers. God's magnificent creativity is clearly seen in flower dissection. The fine pollen grains which must come in contact with the stigma atop the pistil, must transform into a pollen tube, then travel downward through the pistil to the ovary where the ovules are then fertilized. It was truly fascinating to see all these things up close. It was awesome to think of God's glory as we explored a tiny fragment of His amazing creation!

Since I can't get my photo uploader to work on Xanga, here's a link to a few pictures of our activities: http://www.ColleeneBarnett.com/Pictures_for_Linking.htm

Solomon's Summer Trip to Houston

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:06:12 GMT

Solomon had a fun-filled summer travelling throughout Tennessee, Florida, and Texas to visit with beloved family members. The pinnacle of his summer, of course, was the 2 weeks he was blessed to spend with Dad, Tobie, Gabbie & Noah. They enjoyed trips to the beach, a fun waterpark called Splashtown, and swimming at a nearby pool.

While at the beach, he made sand castles, swam in the ocean, and ate yummy snacks all day with his little sister (Gabbie) and brother (Noah).

After all that hard play, sometimes he had to just sit and rest. Gabbie looks like she's planning to give him a big hug any second! Noah has his own little game going on...pouring the sand on his legs. He saw a little girl learning to surf, collected some seashells, and saw a mysterious "square, green object floating in the water with strings coming out of it"...a jellyfish? Not sure.

One day they went to a park where the got to see and feed animals. Solomon enjoyed the ducks, geese (Dad's favorite!), groundhogs, and other interesting animals. There was fun playground equipment with slides and swings. Gabbie and Noah both really liked the ducks.

Several times a day, Solomon liked to go out in the back yard and play with the family dogs. Pictured with him at left is Bubba, the youngest and most playful of the two. Soco (a black lab) just kind of laid around and watched the fun. They played catch and chase. When Solomon and I talked to one another on Skype, Bubba loved to give him smoochies and tried to sit in his lap. It was pretty funny.

Here, Solomon, Gabbie and Noah pose for Tobie. She took so many wonderful pictures during the trip and was so gracious to share them. For that I am thankful and hope you are as blessed as I to see snapshots of their time together.

Aren't they a handsome bunch!

Summer without Solomon...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:17:51 GMT

Summers without Solomon are sad. Though I always enjoy time with my husband, I feel like part of me is missing when my son is not home. I miss him so badly. The summers just drag by. I praise God that this summer is filled with lots of fun activities for him with rich travel experiences including a camping/RV/boating trip with his Aunt Julie & Uncle Mark, a trip to the beach in Florida with his grandparents, and a flight to Texas to visit with his Dad, Tobie, and little bro and sis. Solomon is having a wonderful time and I am blessed to be able to talk to him on the phone every couple of days. I'll sure be glad when he's home though...it's just not the same with him gone. Here are a few photos from his summer sent by his Aunt Julie.

Solomon Recites Scripture

Thu, 14 May 2009 12:51:31 GMT

I thought family and friends might be encouraged by this video of Solomon reciting Colossians 3. We've been working on memorizing this for about 2 months now, and it's the 3rd chapter of Scripture we've memorized during this 5th grade year. In previous years, we've done strictly verse by verse memory. This year however, God chose to glorify Himself by pushing us to a bigger challenges and blessing. Solomon memorized all of Psalm 11, Psalm 51, and Colossians 3. All have been tremendously exciting and will be a wealth of encouragement to draw from in times of joy, sorrow, and repentant prayer. Praise God for the Word He has left for us and for the desire He has placed in His children to have His Words written on minds and hearts.

A Double Birthday Celebration

Sun, 10 May 2009 00:59:11 GMT

It's hard to believe my son is 10 years old today. We were blessed to have my in-laws down for the weekend and got to celebrate 2 birthdays together. Bogie, my father-in-law (74) and Solomon (10) got to blow out candles together!

Bogie got a cool GPS for his Envoy. We had fun listening to it tell us how to get to Chick Filet. Modern gadgets never cease to amaze me!

Here, Solomon begins building the Lego Miners set he got in the mail from his dad. He ended up getting it finished in the afternoon and has it showcased on his shelves above his bed.

We opened more presents in the afternoon, the coolest of which was a knife Dave gave to Solomon. Really neat! And, really sharp! He's been practicing drawing and opening it with one hand. He's getting pretty smooth already. What a big boy he's grown to be.

After opening gifts, Solomon did a little guitar recital for us at Dave's request. He played Amazing Grace, Sing Allelujah to the Lord, Holy Holy Holy, his most recent scale and arpegio exercise, and All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name. Very nice. I'm trying to upload the video. You may be able to see it in my videos if the upload is successful.

We spent the afternoon at the Kentucky Artisan Center and walking through the shops downtown Berea. Then, we came home to have cupcakes and ice cream and play some more ladderball. Bogie is the all-time undefeated champion of ladderball!

God certainly blessed our visit and celebration.

Good Herniated Disc Information

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:27 GMT

I've found a lot of information on this website about back injury, rehabilitation, pain, and herniated discs. I wanted to share it with anyone who may be suffering from chronic back pain. Some of the articles are very informative. There is also a forum where you can ask questions and read the experiences of other back pain sufferers.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:41:43 GMT

We just enjoyed a wonderful trip to Florida. Our intent for the trip was business...but we managed to squeeze quite a bit of fun in there as well. The highlight of the trip was a stop in Adel, GA to worship with an awesome little group of believers at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. The worship and fellowship were such a blessing, we planned our trip home around worshiping with them again the following Sunday. Our second stop was in Clearwater, FL where we enjoyed the beautiful water and soft sand (in our blue jeans and sweatshirts). It was my first time to the beach in cold-weather clothing. But, it was still much fun! We really enjoyed an Armed Forces Museum in Largo, FL where we got to be surrounded with firearms equipment and learn some interesting tidbits. Great time!

Then, we enjoyed a rainy day at John's Pass...perfect time to dart in and out of the little shops along the boardwalk.

This was the view out the balcony of our room the last night in Clearwater. I must say, God painted a gorgeous sky that night! Thanks to my hubby's long arms, we were able to capture it on film.

We also really enjoyed a dinner cruise on StarLite Majesty. We got to listen to some great music, eat yummy food, stand out on the freezing bow of the ship and watch the city lights as we cruised by...and watch little old ladies dance to the Macarina and Electric Slide! Funny!

Then, it was off to Orlando for the SHOT Show, where we got to meet lots of our distributors for the business and spend some time with a few of our new partners. Great fun! Then, a day at Sea World before we headed home. The highlights of Sea World were the Dolphin Show and the Shamu Show! (We stayed out of the soak zone!)

Another blessed Christmas!

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:23:55 GMT

This Christmas was a blessed one. We enjoyed celebrating Christ's birth with the reading of Scripture and sharing gifts with eachother. Family time was fun and we also enjoyed traveling to Indiana to see Dave's parents as well.

Solomon loved his first Barnett crossbow. I think Dave and I enjoyed shooting it as much as he did. The gun safe made a great target.

Noah was a little tired and un-excited about the idea of opening presents. He would rather have a bottle, please.

The Highlight of the celebration with the Boardmans was Dalton's "Mr. Bucketpants" act with his new rifle. He thought we should be delighted to take a picture of his backside.

Much fun with family and great memories. Sadly, we forgot to take the camera with us to Indiana.

A Golden Weekend!

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:11:42 GMT

This weekend we joined to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my wonderful in-laws, Bogie & Karen. It was such a blessing to come alongside my sister-in-law, Suzy, to prepare a special gathering so that all the friends, co-workers, and family could celebrate this occasion with them.

Bogie & Karen were radiant in their golden attire. My husband and I were praising God for the opportunity to be there with them.

Many thanks to Suzy, my sister-in-law, who spent countless hours planning the party, putting together a beautiful scrapbook of memories, and organizing every last detail. She also tried her hand at cake-making and it turned out absolutely gorgeous, as you can see above!

I was amazed at how much Bogie & Karen both still look like their wedding photo from so many years ago. Hair may have changed color, but their faces are still vibrant with love for one another.

God has blessed their marriage with a son, 2 daughters, and 6 grandchildren. Praise His name!

Hopefully, God will give them many more years to enjoy eachother and to glorify Him in their marriage. I hope my husband and I live long enough to celebrate 50 years together. What an amazing blessing and a glorious testimony to the power of God. Truly, in this sin-ridden world, it takes an act of God to keep a couple together for 50 years!

Here's proof that it can be done! God has encouraged my heart through the testimony of these lovely people. I hope you were blessed and encouraged by their testimony and these photos today.

May the glory be to God above, who brought them together 50 years ago and has kept them as one.

Beautiful!