Our weekend

Bread pudding and eggs is what we had for dinner when Tony got home from work on Friday. Earlier that day, I had great plans to make a loaf of bread, fresh pesto, and a fancy dinner of sorts ... but when my bread dough didn't rise, it kind of squashed my desire to cook. But not wanting to waste, I baked the dough anyway, broke it into pieces and turned it into the above mentioned meal. And we actually enjoyed it! Especially when topped with maple syrup or strawberry jam. After dinner, some hours were spent studying four chapters of Macroeconomics and then Tony took his test - the last assignment of the week. Which meant we had two days of "vacation." Woo-hoo!! :)

Saturday morning we had the urge to go on a treasure hunt (a.k.a. yard-sale-ing), so we were out the door a little after 7am and stopped by about seven different yard sales. Only one treasure was found - a Boyd's Bear wall hanging priced at $3 that I bought for mom. {She very much liked it.} Around 9:30, my parents treated us to breakfast at Mae's restaurant in Seven Springs. Good food and fellowship.

From there, we borrowed the tiller from Tony's parents and tilled up most of our little garden. The marigolds, tomatoes, carrots, and arugula is all that's left. For the fall, we're going to plant broccoli, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, and more carrots.

That evening we had some awesome fellowship with our dear friends, Kevin & Sheri. It had been an "eon" since we'd seen them last. It was really good to break bread with them at Illiano's and drink milkshakes at CookOut; several hours of catching up and lots of laughing!

Sunday morning we were reminded to "count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds." Each trial (small and big) I go through, has been designed specifically for me by my loving Father. And I know that each circumstance will be worked out for my good and will be used to produce steadfastness. These trials are not pointless. So when I am faced with a trial (ie: bread that doesn't rise), I am to respond with joy, having a deep trust and confidence in God. This response does not come naturally. It is only by the grace given to me by Jesus' death and resurrection. May God continue to do this work in my heart and mature me in the faith.

After a fun lunch with the Daniel's boys, we went home for a "Sunday afternoon nap"; about 2.5 hours worth. :) It was real, real nice! Then we met everyone at Tony's parents house to hang out for a couple hours and draw names for Christmas. Yeah, we like to plan ahead.