What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Merry Christmas& Happy New Year!

Wishing you all the joy of Jesus Christ this season and all year through.

In His Love,
The Hunter Family

Just Keep Swimming

I'm not sure what I was watching earlier this week, but on came Dory singing one of my favorite songs, although it seems to have become quite a theme in my life right now. It's funny how often I find myself singing like Dory, convincing myself to trust God and just keep swimming. While I'm glad we are not facing any health crises of our own, I've had too many friends go through big things lately to know this, it still is not easy to face these stones that have been set in our path. Just Keep Swimming!

Thanks for all the prayers for my shoulder. It WAS a bit better, but then I took a big spill in my garage this afternoon. I was in a hurry and didn’t see the bag of toys destined for the Goodwill in front of me and I tripped over it, catching myself on a bike and bouncing off the van to the ground. So, now it’s not just the shoulder, but the hip, the head, the wrist, the knee, and the ankle, as well as some other scrapes and bruises! Just Keep Swimming!

But that is not the beginning. This happened on top of an otherwise already bad day. That’s the true prayer request. Delicately put, we are engaging in a battle with our mortgage company, AGAIN, and were informed today to hire an attorney. This is a long story that goes back many years, but because our loan was bought during the midst of the previous court proceedings it seems we are in the midst of the same familiar battle that cost us so much before, and I don’t mean just financially. It’s a scary place to be in, but we are trusting God that the truth will be revealed and we will be able to rectify this. It’s just a difficult process and it means a lot of long hours for me pulling records, making copies, writing letters, and if need be, filing court motions. Hmm, and I’m not even a paralegal! Just Keep Swimming!

So, on top of the many “bad news” phone calls today and a lack of sleep from DH's snoring, again, and trying to manically take care of my laundry while listening to DH on the phone (to be ready with paperwork as needed), and teaching M her math lesson, I accidentally threw the vinyl liner for M’s mattress in the dryer with her sheets and turned it on high. Just Keep Swimming!

Basically, I melted it completely inside my dryer. So much so, that when I remembered it and asked Sam to grab it out quickly, she couldn’t find it! It had shrank and adhered itself to the back wall of the dryer. So, I ruined the dryer. Just Keep Swimming!

I tried scraping as much off as I could, but there are still a lot of streaks of vinyl adhered to the wall that don’t want to budge. I thought maybe I could throw an old towel or sheet in and set it on high again and see if it will stick to it instead of the wall, but I’m afraid it will start a fire. And after all that my sister's family has gone through after the fire in her garage, that is a very real concern to me right now. Any other suggestions? Just Keep Swimming!

Oh, and the refrigerator door, that’s been dying a slow and painful death for over a year has finally died. And the replacement part costs almost as much as a cheap new fridge! Just Keep Swimming!

OK, now time for the silver linings (Thanks Sally for being an example to us all):

1. DH has really stepped up and made all the necessary phone calls, and even kept his facts straight, without my having to write him notes while he was on the phone.
2. We are pulling together as a family to help one another do whatever it takes to get through this, kids included.
3. I did not start a fire!
4. We are all healthy, minus my banged up and bruised body, which will heal.
5. It's Christmas time and this year I can truly rejoice in Jesus' birth- my hope lies in His life.

Just Keep Swimming!

Trust His Heart

I am so blessed to have truly amazing Christian women in my life. Sometimes I sit back in awe at who they are in Christ and His beauty within them. After just returning home from the memorial service of one of such women (the mother of yet another beautiful woman in Christ) I was sent this poem and want to post it here to share how great and good God is.

TRUST HIS HEART
Eddie Carswell & Babbie Mason

All things work for our good,
Though sometimes we can’t see how they could.
Struggles that break our hearts in two –
Sometimes blind us to the truth.
Our Father know what’s best for us;
His ways are not our own.
So when your pathway grows dim,
And you just can’t see Him,
Remember, He’s still on the throne.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand,
When you don’t see His plan,
When you can’t trace His hand,
Trust His heart.

He sees the master plan.
He holds the future in His hands.
So don’t live as those who have no hope;
All our hope is found in Him.
We walk in present knowledge,
But He sees the first and the last.
And like a tapestry,
He’s weaving you and me
To someday be just like Him.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand,
When you don’t see His plan,
When you can’t trace His hand,
Trust His heart.


He alone is faithful and true.
He alone knows what is best for you.

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don’t understand,
When you don’t see His plan,
When you can’t trace His hand,
Trust His heart.

Miss You

Ok, there's just no other way to put it. I miss EVERYONE.
I miss my family who seem so far away, epecially as one brother travels to attend a PGA school in Florida and as my sister's beautiful family has to rebuild their lives after a devastating garage fire this past Saturday in which they lost many possessions and a precious pet. Now they must figure out what to do as the smoke damage is detrimental to my sweet nephew's very sensitive preemie lungs (he was just diagnosed with asthma and the spices from cooking are enough to throw him into a breathing fit-can you image what smoke would do?).
Growing up, I never thought I'd be so far away from the people I love, ever, especially my parents. I miss being able to hang out with them, play games, visit, celebrate birthdays and holidays, and depend on them in a pinch-you know, like when you have to rush a child to the ER and your DH is working nights or when you haven't had a night away with your DH in over 4 years! I fully realize I have my dear precious kiddos and my sweet husband with me every day and they mean so much to me, but my parents, my siblings, and all my extended family with whom I grew up are so far away from me and the knowledge that some of them have even turned their backs on my family makes the pain even greater.
Yes, my in-laws, are not too far away, although they do live across the valley from us. Yet somehow, it's still far enough that we barely manage to see each other but two to three times a year. I don't know my nieces and nephews. How does that happen? I miss them, too.
And then there are my friends. I am terribly missing my friend Heather who is physically so far away and seems a world away right now. The year before she left we were always running in opposite directions and I regret not having forced myself to grab a cup of coffee with her more often. I am also missing all the friends that I used to get to see on somewhat of a regular basis due to Bible Study, church, homeschool support groups, and such. And I miss getting to participate, on any regular basis, in the many beautiful conversations between like-minded christian moms on an email loop. Our lives have been so busy-OK my life since my DH works 14-15 hours a day 4 days a week and then is completely wiped out the rest of the time. I'm so worn out trying to keep up with my daily life that I just want to scream, "STOP!" But I'm not sure why there seems to be such a distance from so many at once. It's as though they've all disappeared. And the few times I actually get to see them, I'm missing them so much that I pull pack for fear of overwhelming them with, well, me-the emotionally charged and never able to disguise my true feelings and can talk your ear off for hours since I'm so deprived of genuine adult conversation at his point with anyone but my husband, me (Thanks for listening, Sally)!
Yes, I admit it, it's my fault that I haven't been the one to call, email, write or purposely make the time to get together with a friend, but I honestly thought that someone might miss me enough to call me, write me. I'm still here. I haven't disappeared. I still love you. Thank you to the one who has called me though. You mean the world to me right now and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. And coming out to see my son's game so that we could get a chance to talk, that's HUGE in my book!
So, what do I do now? I cling to my Jesus, as always. He is my best friend. He is my savior. He is my life. I trust Him that He has me exactly where I am to be. I do see a sifting in my life right now-a change in priorities and functionality directed by God. He is showing me things in such a new light and I praise Him for it-even when it brings pain. And while right now that pain is in the distance between me and so many that I love, it is nevertheless good. For I must draw my strength and my comfort from Him and trust Him as He leads me on this path. But I still miss you!

Sharing My Ink

The placement



Getting Started



In Black



Full Color


This is an original design by my sweet husband. I've always wanted him to draw a piece for me. To incorporate it with my favorite Bible verse meant so much. Notice the scripture in the middle of the cross, Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths." Thank you, sweetie, I will treasure this forever!

I went with a couple of girlfriends from my Bible Study group in March of 2006 to have this done. It was so much fun having these Christian women in a tattoo shop getting inked. There's a lot of symbolism in this piece, a lot more than my first one, which I got back in college. Notice the 3 points below the cross for The Trinity. The outer points are also a J and a C for Jesus Christ. The heart is for God's love which is the foundation for the cross and His giving His life for us to give His life to us to live His life through us. The vines on either side of the cross are a reminder that He is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5).

Wordless Wednesday