Girls trip

TOBY MAC BABY!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday I ran to Springview to catch up in my office and while I was there I was asked to go with a group to Toby Mac in concert the next day in Lincoln. After trying to talk myself out of why I shouldnt' or couldn't, I decided to go and am so glad I did! We left yesterday morning and were home by 4:00 a.m. today! Had the opportunity to get to know some great sisters in Christ as well.

Thank you Papa!!

Jayden's 1st Deer!!!!
Thank you Papa for taking Jayden on his 1st deer hunt! Lance is still in Kadoka working for the electrical company there and Jayden has been broken hearted that he couldn't go hunting... so we called upon Papa and look at the results. Only 5 minutes into the hunt and he got this nice 2x3 mully (sp?). Dad said he wished he would have had the camera to take a picture of Jayden right after he shot. Priceless.. Thank you Papa!! Thank you Mickey for the permit!! We are so blessed by the Godly men in my sons life.

Rapunzel...

Tonight was our school's play production and our Ciara played Rapunzel. She did a lovely job!

The 30 point buck for the 60 point lady :-)

Thought we better post the great accomplishment!

Love you Lois

Happy 60th Aunt Louise :-)

Today we celebrated my Aunt Loie's 60th birthday! She lives in Denver and so it isn't very often that we get to celebrate her special day. This year she decided to go deer hunting with her bro's and so we decided to throw her a surprise party..

In front of our house we posted a sign that my darling son made that said "We support Aunt Louis (yep not aunt lois, aunt louis:-)) turning 60!! Then by the poster were a few support bras although as you see, Lance used them for other purposes.. Also notice the precious gift that Lance gave our Lois.. preperation H, stool softener... you get the idea.

So happy birthday Aunt Louis... hope you enjoyed your black tiara, black wand, black rose... and the support your family always provides for you!!

Daddy leaves in 2 days :-(

(Sky and Daddy watching the huskers and eatin popcorn)

My husband is a utillity lineman and has been called to help in Kadoka (sp?) South Dakota this next week as they have been out of electricity now for almost 10 days. Our life isn't quite right without Daddy... He wakes us all in the morning. He makes us laugh lots. He is just right to snuggle with... He is our Daddy, and my husband.. We will miss him and pray he comes home safely in time for Thanksgiving....

It's Christmas Time @ the Philbens

Thought I would post a few pics of the beginning of the christmas decorating at the Philbens..

To Paint or not to paint?!?!

O.K.,,, so here's the thing. I"ve been looking for a tall lamp for quite some time now but just didn't have $100 to throw down for one. My mother in law came over today and so we went to an auction and low and behold... here is my lamp..$8.00 later and now the infamous question. To paint or not to paint? I purchased a black lamp shade and now... what to do? Anyone have any good ideas? The color in the wood is pretty but I know there are some ingenious junque bloggers out there that know exactly what I should do. I thought of painting it silver with a black stain over it and then put faux silver tiger spots on the lamp. What do you think?

Sickly Philben Update

Greetings from the sickly Philben family. Lance is recovering from having a cold/flu last week and now Ciara and I are struggling with it. Jayden seemed to have minor symptoms over the weekend so hopefully he is over it and pray our Schylar doesn't get it. Ciara was so sick yesterday that she woke up and thought she was an hour late from pom practice. I stopped her before she left the house @ 6:15a.m.. Bless her heart. Today she is worse but says her life is too busy to be sick. She has 2 tests, a new dance routine they are learning for pom, and mandatory play practice for next weeks production. Only one more day and we can rest a little.

The girls and I had a great weekend in Fremont at camp Rivercrest. Our church holds an event called "Ignite". They have friends they have met from church camp and Ciara's trip to NYC and so it's so fun for them to catch back up with each other. This year the band "The Cause" was there and they were absolutely awesome. The kids worshiped and grew in the Lord... just what a mom would wish for her children. My Schylar came home touched and wanted to surround herself with christian friends.. It is so hard to come home to friends that don't desire to put God first and you do. I told her she needed to pick one person and pray for them and show them Jesus. The girls also competed in music while they were there. Schylar got second and Ciara got third in their solos. Pretty proud of my babies!!

Here's hoping no one else gets this crud..:-(
The Philbens

Please vote!!!

I have attached my devotion from today as it pertains to the significance of tomorrow.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”
Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

Tomorrow, November 4th, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to elect new leaders of government. If you live in the United States, I encourage you to be among them and exercise your right to vote. I encourage you to vote for both your national and your local leaders.

While the Bible does not command us to vote, it does command us to be good citizens wherever we live. One way we can be a good citizen, honor God, and assist in guiding our nation is by voting.

As a woman, I’m honored to take part in determining the direction of our nation. Before the 1900’s, women in America were not allowed the privilege to vote, and in some countries they still cannot. I look at voting for our leaders not only as my citizen’s duty, but also as a privilege millions of people in the world do not have.

I take my right to vote so seriously that in 1992, while nine months pregnant and restricted to bed rest, I had my mother drive me forty-five minutes to vote in the presidential election. I allowed nothing to stand in my way of exercising my right to vote. Eight days later, I gave birth to a healthy little girl - to whom I hope to pass on my political passion for voting.

There’s no doubt about it, voting is both a duty and a privilege. However, I realize that some people won’t take the time and trouble to vote because they don’t believe their ballot will make much of a difference. That’s not true. Statistics show that many elections have come down to only a handful of votes.

What would happen if most people felt that their vote didn’t really matter and didn’t bother to vote? It would mean that our country’s future would be decided by only a few of its citizens— who perhaps don’t hold the same convictions as yours.

Deciding whom to vote for can seem a daunting task. But voting is easier once you and I pray about it, and seek out good information about the candidates and the issues they address. The fact that there is moral haziness in politics these days indicates our need to rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance when examining the issues as well as the candidates.

November 4th is a day of opportunity for America. It’s a day to stand up for what we believe in. It’s a day to voice those beliefs and be heard. It’s a day to take the time to vote as we honor our Christian heritage, and bring glory to God. For “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!”

Dear Lord, in this upcoming election, I pray that You will move in the hearts of Your people in this nation to vote. I pray You will work in and through our leaders to guide and bless this nation – may it be so in all nations, Lord! Guide us by your Spirit, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Welcome November!

What a beautiful November 1st! It has been a wonderful Saturday. The boys went hunting (no deer yet) and enjoyed the georgious day together. It thrills my heart when jayden and lance get to spend quality time like that together. Mom always prays that there is some talk on growing up to be a man of God.

The girls and I cleaned and then I had some time to play with some of my junk finds from the last year. I'm hoping to make a lot of my christmas gifts this year. My first piece was a small door. It has about half as wide as a normal door. I painted it black last night, then robins egg blue left over from Ciara's room and then I put a light coat of stain on it. I love the color. I'll try to post a pic tomorrow of it. I think I will turn it in to an organizing station with hooks for your purse, keys, etc. with maybe one section of the door with a marker board and a place for pics... We'll just have to see. It was fun to have time to just play today.

My brother from Olathe Kansas got into town about 3:00 and so we stopped and went out to eat with him. He's in town to vote on Tuesday. We don't get to see him often enough anymore but so enjoy our time with him when he is in town. Blessings to all and enjoy your Sunday!!!