Random Life, Summer in Full Swing

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Happy July! Wow. I am shocked at how fast June went. I spent a lot of time writing, and it’s been exciting to see the Lord’s blessing upon this first draft!

My sisters are doing well. Thank you so much for praying! As those of you know who are involved in ministry work, there is often great spiritual warfare. Satan does not want to lose! This last week was super intense for them, but God brought them faithfully through! They have return tickets to come home in two weeks, and we’re excited to see how the Lord will continue to use them, and yes, I confess, anxious for their arrival home.

Soooo, without my sweet sisters and their presence, I thought this Random Life might be harder to pull off. But, again, the Lord brought together all kinds of pictures to give you a peek into Maxwell life.

It was an exciting month, with Jesse buying his house debt-free! Seeing my brother become a home-owner and now his mind turning into all-things-house has been great to see. He’s jumping into a quick remodel, and Dad and brothers have lent some help. You know how Anna and Mary are with these projects, so they’ll be happy to assist when they get home!

Dad and Mom have enjoyed early-morning-long walks before it gets too hot. Summer came very quickly here in Kansas, but we’re grateful for ALL seasons!

Okay, enjoy a peek into the last month.

Love,
Sarah

Christopher and Anna Marie and all five kiddos flew to Washington to visit Anna Marie’s family. What an adorable family!

Whew, what a small crew we are without Anna and Mary. We took a Sunday evening walk in Weston, a state park nearby.

Abigail trapped a raccoon who had been taking her chickens!

This munchkin can ride a real bike now! Super cute.

Jesse signing a paper for his house.

Ha, ha. What it takes for me to write! Even Ellie! 🙂

These two.

Miss Calia loves to “wash” dishes.

When Christopher and Anna Marie were in Washington, they visited a place which holds a lot of memories for them exactly 8 years prior–when they started their courtship!

Jesse working on his house

After one of their long walks.

Loving my writing!

Stopping in with a Father’s Day gift.

This Benji is total cuteness!

Dad keeps our grass mowed! Those yellow leaves have to do with the fact we’ve had an extremely hot June with little rain.

Look where Mr. Arnold decided to go as I was doing laundry. He’s a curious guy.

Nathan took a mini-trip with his girls.

Ellie met the kittens! Pickles (the gray + white one) didn’t like Ellie at all and hissed at her. Tiger, on the other hand, thought she was okay.

Ellie’s kinda used to the bat-at-her-thing from Arnold! 🙂

Cleaning out Jesse’s car on a Saturday.

Joshua’s favorite place in Washington is at the Pike Place Market.

More house stuff.

Taking photos one Friday evening for a local church event.

Miss Elizabeth is really growing up!

Melanie with her two little guys

Dad and Mom stopping in to see Jesse’s progress.

Ellie still takes to being a lap dog.

Making tortillas with my nieces.

Mom with Kyle.

Trying to fill in while Anna and Mary are gone.

Mom was a creative grandma for Aunties’ playtime. She had each of the children write down their favorite game and put it in a basket. Then, they drew a paper and would play whatever game it was.

“The eyes of all wait upon thee;
and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.”
Psalm 146:15-16

Memory Lane for Steve and Teri

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44 years ago, Steve and I were engaged in Rolla, Missouri, toward the end of our freshman year of college. We were then married that summer (at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where my family lived) just before starting our sophomore year.

We had many special moments, firsts, and onlys in our lives in Rolla.

  • First four years of married life.
  • First two houses.
  • Salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
  • First baby born.
  • Steve’s first business.
  • Graduation from college for both of us.

Chemistry building where we first saw each other in chemistry class.

Where I had most of my classes

Steve and I had the opportunity to be in Rolla recently. We took a long walk, literally, down memory lane. We spent two hours walking along the route we used to walk or bike from our house to campus, between the two houses we lived in, through town, past the hospital where Nathan was born, and out toward the little airport and back.

We talked much about our lives and especially how amazing it is that God took two worldly, college students and brought them to salvation in the midst of a secular, college campus (we haven’t encouraged our children down that path!). He completely changed our hearts and our lives. He is so good and we have so much to thank Him for!

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

How We Flash Freeze Strawberries

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We regularly use frozen strawberries in smoothies and yogurt. When they are in season, we buy 10 to 12 pounds at a time, for a great price, to flash freeze. Our frozen strawberries are less expensive than the ones we buy at the store, taste better, and have a firmer consistency.

The whole process is very simple:

  1. Wash and core strawberries.
  2. Cut into pieces (halves or quarters depending on what size you’d like to achieve.).
  3. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides. We line ours with a baking mat to help with removal of the strawberries after freezing.
  4. Freeze until solid.
  5. Remove from cookie sheets and place in zip loc bags.
  6. Store in freezer until use.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed,
and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself,
upon the earth: and it was so.” (Genesis 1:11)

Jesse Maxwell Purchased His Home Debt-Free!

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We’re very excited to share with you that Jesse purchased his house debt-free this month!

Jesse (23) worked hard to save over the past years and be wise with his expenditures. Also, living at home and no rent charged enabled him to save even faster. Dad and Mom are so gracious to provide for us in that way!

So, how did this come about? Jesse’s been watching the housing market for a while. Last year, he considered a house, but after some time, he saw it wasn’t a good fit. Then, in May, we had some friends over, and as part of the conversation, they casually mentioned the house next door to them, and that it was a rental house.

Jesse had the idea to contact the owner to see if he was at all interested in selling, and would you believe, the man was just about to list his house?! Every part of the process went smoothly. We praise the Lord for this exciting answer to prayer–and a fulfillment of a vision my dad had for his sons!

Jesse plans to use the house as a rental until he needs it, and he’s not in a relationship.

Dropping off his check at the title company!

At the house closing!

I strongly recommend two resources (Preparing Sons and Buying a House Debt-Free). My parents share practically how they prepared my brothers not only to provide for their future family but also how they encouraged them to buy a house debt-free.

Buying a House Debt-Free

“… and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Proverbs 22:7

Titus2 Ministry Update

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I wanted to give you a peek into the day-to-day Titus2 ministry details and what’s currently going on.

Weekly, Dad writes and sends out his Seriously Dads e-mail. He’s so faithful (never misses a week!), and his guys are really loyal. You can sign up here.

We continue to publish the monthly Mom’s Corner. I write the newsy part and do all the formatting, and Mom writes the actual Corner. We usually send it the first Tuesday of the month. You can sign up here.

Books and CDs continue to ship out to homes worldwide. Mary does quite a bit of the shipping, and while she’s away, Mom and I are doing it. We are so blessed to be able to share with families!

Mom is definitely a Titus2 mentor, spending time answering e-mails and helping moms. She’s in a new season of life, without any left in homeschool! She loves to invest in her daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and others whom the Lord brings into her life.

Mom has a beautiful view out her window!

Occasionally, we have a little work party and compile kits into the Managers of Their Chores books or Scheduling Kits to the Managers of Their Homes book. We girls can fly through them pretty fast. Last time, Dad got us coffee from our favorite coffee shop. Sister fellowship and coffee = a great combination!

Yes, yes, and YES! I’m writing another children’s book. I’m excited and amazed as I write the first draft. God has been so gracious to me, and I am thrilled to see it taking shape!

Oh, and I work hard to keep three blog posts coming each week. 🙂

That’s the latest!

Love,
Sarah

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
(Titus 2:11-13)

Why We Like Shopping at Aldi

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Y’all! This shows grandmas in their 80’s can take good pictures. GiGi took this when she and Mom were out shopping.

Even though Leavenworth built a new Aldi store close to our Home Depot, it took a while for me to begin shopping there. Now it is almost a weekly stop along with our basic grocery store, Dillons, which is a Kroger store.

We have been impressed with the quality and prices of their produce so I check their sale flyer each week to plan what I will get from them. This spring when they had fresh strawberries for $1.19/lb, we bought 25 pounds to core and freeze for smoothies and to go in yogurt.

We make quite a bit of homemade granola that we put toasted rice cereal in along with rolled oats so we buy the cereal at Aldi’s. We also like their oyster crackers. We also get sour cream, orange juice, butter, and heavy whipping cream there.

After Joseph and Elissa’s baby was born, I did their grocery shopping, and Elissa also buys quite a bit of produce plus other things from Aldi’s like parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese, refried bean, tortillas, applesauce, and pasta.

Christopher and Anna Marie and John and Chelsy also like shopping at Aldi.

Be sure to have a quarter with you when you go because if you want a cart, you put a quarter into the cart rack to release your cart. Then when you put the cart back, your quarter is returned. There is another Aldi’s protocol I learned. If someone offers you their cart as you are headed for the cart rack, you offer them your quarter. Some take it; some don’t. 

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me,
bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).

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