She calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me…” (Luke 15:8)

I guess you all would be my ‘net-neighbours’ so I will call you to rejoice with me.

  

The Bible commands us to rejoice alway. (1 Thess. 5:16)

Isn’t that the command we so often fail to obey?

Maybe you’re a very optimistic person who can smile every day and find something to rejoice about in every situation. If so, I have something to learn from you.

But, today the sun is shining and I am finding it easy to be optimistic.

Today was my end-of-the-year Piano Recital.

It went well (thanks to the prayers of my family) but it implies something that I am more glad about…

The Piano Lessons are over for a summer! 

Rejoice with me!

I feel like I’ve learnt a LOT.

Mr. Shandro was a good teacher and I appreciate his ‘not-being-satisfied-with-less-than-your-best attitude’.

It was something I needed as I had become a bit ‘lazy’.

I finished school the beginning of this week!

Rejoice with me!

Being enrolled in CLE’s Homeschool Plus program has taught me some of the same principles.

I wasn’t very accountable and it made me quite ‘lazy’.

Now that I have to do every writing project and some extra subjects, I find it a bit challenging.

But rejoice with me, Grade 11 school year is done. (I am planning on doing some projects throughout the summer.)

I told Mama that once I would be done with school, I would have to learn to think all over again.

My mind has been so busy with school that I don’t know how to think if I don’t have school on my mind.

I also have to learn to use time wisely.

What do you do when there’s hardly any school to do?

I find myself squandering time and it frustrates me.

(Don’t worry, I don’t have to look far to find work otherwise. 🙂 )

Our basement is all painted!

Rejoice with me!

I feel very accomplished because I did most of the rolling and that is quite accomplishing as it is.

But we finished painting last week, and what a difference it’s made!

We girls are exploring the whole basement as sleeping quarters through this renovation but it’s actually quite fun.

Hanging up a clothing rod in the family room and hanging dresses on it for privacy.

Moving furniture.

Bare walls.

Light fixtures hanging like ‘planets’ above your bed because there’s no drop ceiling in.

Washing your hands in the wet bar because the bathrooms just not quite done.

It’s been a long process, but it’s been fun!

I’ve especially enjoyed sleeping with all my sisters.

First of all, I’ve never liked being alone.

And secondly, late-night talks are way too much fun.

Some things that have made this spring exciting are as follows:

Leandro’s 6th Birthday.

Our swim suits came!

We had ordered modest swim suits from ebay and are very impressed.

We haven’t tried them out in a swimming pool yet but they are so much more comfortable.

They are like a long shirt (elbow length sleeves and a high neckline) with leggings underneath.

After looking ‘high and low’ online but all I could find was very expensive ones that took long to ship, etc.

Finally I decided to check ebay and I was very glad I did.

Compared to those at $100 or over, these were cheap ($45).

All five of us ordered one and were we ever eager to check the mail!

(Search ebay’s website for ‘modest swimwear’ and look at the ones labeled “NEW WT Turkish Style Islamic Hindu Jewish Cover Modest SWIMWEAR” for pictures.)

We’ve done some cleaning and organizing already, our garden is growing well, and summer is here!

Rejoice with me!

~Yesenia~

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks:for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thess. 5:16)

P.S. Thanks goes to Bianca for a lot of these pictures. (Anybody want to guess which ones I took?)

Finally.

It was high time for this family to take family pictures so one Friday night, we headed outdoors equipped with a camera, tripod, and memory cards. 

The first ones are the very best. In fact, I was quite impressed.

Who would have thought that you could take such nice pictures ‘on the street’?

No, actually, the camera was on the street but we were in front of our neighbour’s lush foliage.

We did go to the park but those pictures didn’t turn out as well.

For those of close acquaintance, the prints are coming. 🙂

You can enjoy these for now.

Yesenia

 

 

 

 

 

My aunt and uncle came over one evening this week and we girls spent almost all of the time taking pictures. The posers were very patient with me, and I really enjoyed our time together.

Ciandra and Imelda. They are often together.

From left to right: Elfrieda, Mickenzie Ciandra, and Serena. (I don’t know if I am spelling their names right.)

The green background was very nice.

Being silly.

Isn’t this much better?

Sisters

Ciandra didn’t seem to happy with this arrangement.

There’s the smile, Ciandra!

Don’t they look sweet!

I decided to throw some of these in too.

I love to take pictures of flowers.

Cousins. These were taken in our neighbour’s yard.

Some of these girls look tired, and I don’t blame them; with me around.

The flowers don’t really smell good.

Yes, I know, this is a LOT a pictures. But we were just having fun. And if you were worried, we did take a break in-between.

All trying to get through the “frame”.

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And here are some of the boys yet.

Jaden,

and Samuel. He likes to eat grass.

-Bianca

Here are some pictures we took recently. Some of them I took, but Yesenia shot most of them. She did a good job.

On our way to Janice+Nacho for Sunday dinner; we saw these ducks. It was a real treat.

Perfect photography weather. -if it doesn’t rain-

From left to right: Elfrieda, yours truly, and Imelda.

Sweet sisters. By the way, these were all taken at Janice+Nacho’s. The last two were taken on (or in) a tree house.

 

Yesenia. Doesn’t she look nice! I shot down on her from up in the tree.

Elfrieda. She is sooo photogenic.

Our second-cousin Stepinie.

Imelda. I love her smile.

And me.

It stopped raining long enough for us to take pictures.

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Mama’s birthday.

Opening her gift from us girls.

A blender.

Elfrieda’s gift; which was a card and a day planer.

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Spring!

(Our neighbour’s tree)

 

Or is it?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Some pictures from a couple of Sundays ago when Yeseina was at youth.

 

Volleyball

The girl with the blue dress is our second-cousin Loretta.

Bianca.

Mama, you’re turning 40 today! I know you’re not near as excited as when you turned 4 or even 20 but I think ‘exciting’ has maybe changed meanings over the years. (Am I right?)

We rejoice with you in that you have received the birthday gift you asked God for. Healing from cancer. When we children asked Mama what she wanted for her birthday, she said she wanted healing. Praise the Lord she got her request! 

Wishing you a happy birthday and another blessed year,

                                                                    Yesenia for the rest.

 

Yesenia. So many memories. I don’t know what to wright. Yesenia played with us a lot. But she worked too. She likes to organize.Thanks to her, a lot of our shelves and drawers are neat.

Yesenia likes to teach. She taught Elfrieda how to read. I remember her teaching me as well.Sure, not all the times were good. Sometimes we fought, but we were and still are friends. Like sisters are supposed to be.

Here are some pictures. (they are the best part)

 Opening a gift. For your information , that gift was from me.

 ChocolatesClipes from Elfrieda.

 

A tripod!! Mama and Daddy’s gift.

Edgar enjoyed it almost as much as Yesenia.

Cake!

 

 

 

Nutten Better

Only five ?

 

Our Grandma, watching Yesenia and Tante Janice light candles.

The lighted candles.

God bless you, Yesenia, in the coming year – Bianca –

 

  Yes, it is overwhelmed, this tired heart of mine. (Now, I’m not an old lady, it’s the end of the day)

I know that it should be overwhelmed with joy at the miracle of healing, but, sadly, this is not the case.

We praise the Lord for His work in our lives over the past weeks.

Healing from cancer doesn’t happen to everyone and we are grateful for it. 

 

Our days have not been of the happiest sort lately.

It seems that we are ungrateful.

I don’t believe this to be the case, though.

Is Satan trying us?

Is that the root of our problem?

Or are we doing something wrong?

Truth to tell, our nights have not been of the longest sort (big mistake!).

I believe that trying days often come when we are tired.

 

 

We are very human.

If we didn’t think so, today proved it.

Why did the week/day have to start off this way?

Unkind words. 

Behind in the busy school schedule.

A malfunctioning computer.

Science test coming up.

A frustrated sister, studying for a Language Arts test. (which we went over last week already)

Why did I lose control?

I wouldn’t have had to say what I did to her.

She was having a difficult day as it was.

This situation brought out more ‘whine’ than ‘wine’.

 

If you have the whine in you, kick it out ruthlessly.

It is a positive crime to be weak in God’s strength.

This morning’s devotional from My Utmost for His Highest spoke to us and we determined to memorize the last sentence. 

If that is true, than I have committed a crime.

I was weak in His strength.

Have I discovered the reason for ‘overwhelmed-ness’?

I did not take my problems to God and ask for His strength.

True, I asked Him to fix some of my problems but I didn’t plead for strength and wisdom to handle them.

Lead me to the Rock that is Higher than I.

This is my desire.

I pray that these circumstances and occurrences will turn into stepping-stones, not stumbling blocks.

That I would produce wine when I am squeezed. 

Not the ‘whine’, but the sweet, strengthening, grape juice.

That I would be a smiling blessing in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Why, do I want this?

Is it for my glory?

Is it so that people would know me as a happy person?

I know that I should desire this for His Glory.

So that when people would meet me, I would reflect Him, not me.

Lord, I believe that you can make me into Your image for Your glory, not mine. 

Help thou mine unbelief.

Yesenia

By His Grace. For His Glory.

 

March 24, 2006. I still remember that day so clearly. As if it was only a year ago. Not eight years. How time flies! I still remember holding that little girl in may arms and softly repeating “Elfrieda Naomi. How nice it sounded!                                                                                                                                                               Now you  may be wondering,” Why did it take you so long to post this birthday post?” I don’t know either. Probably because I didn’t feel like it. Good excuse. Well, here are some pictures. The credit goes to Yesenia. She did a great job.

Elfrieda got to sit on Mama’s lap while opening gifts. Here she’s reading a card from Yesenia.

Mama putting the flowers from Yesenia in Elfrieda’s hair.

In the evening comes one of the best parts. Blowing out candles!

“Are you sure you can do it Mama?”

First comes the Bible…

and then the Bible case. These gifts were from Daddy and Mama.

 

“Just what I wanted! Lead pencils.”                                                                                                                              God bless your 8th year Elfrieda.                                                                                                                 Bianca