Before & After

In life it's always nice to see the before and after of things. We can sometimes appreciate things more if we could just see how it looked before.

This was the photo of the natural ditch with a little waterfall before.
It was an ugly mess.


This is the natural ditch now after hard work. It still has a lot of work yet to be done, but the clean up is nice.


This is a side view, not quite before because a lot of clean up had already taken place before we shot the photo, but you can see some of the progress in the after shot below.



The side view after we removed the fallen tree. The ground is cleaner and the ditch is visible.



This is a before photo of the tree that we really want to get to on this side of the property. It is a gorgeous tree, no telling how old or how many people have sat under it or the stories that have been told underneath it. Children have probably played near it and problems have been solved sitting there thinking under it.



This is the tree after. We can walk up to it. It still needs some clearing, but you can tell it's a tree. I think trees are beautiful. I'm not a tree hugger by any means & I even joked during all of the burning that we had to make sure we did our part to contribute to the media-hype of global warming, but I do love a beautiful tree. And this my friends is a beautiful tree!

As we were removing fallen limbs, logs & cutting the briers that had engulfed, entangled, and smothered the tree, God brought to mind our lives and how that sometimes we have clutter in our lives or our worlds are entangled by briers and thorns that keep people out or from reaching us or that keep us from reaching out to others. How often do we ignore & allow a small entanglement, a small offense, a small hurt, a small snare to grow a little too long only to realize it a little to late, and we can't get out. Not on our own anyway.

Fortunately, God will either help us directly, or He'll send someone on our way to help us out...If we'll listen. Removing the clutter...It won't be easy. It won't be fun. We might get hurt. Those helping us might get hurt. I have scratches & puncture wounds all over my arms, legs, and a few on my sides as a result of my efforts to free the tree. Tom has sore arms & got cramps in his hands from cutting the thick briers for so long. Yes, we might get hurt, those helping us might get hurt for it is a battle you see. A battle for our very freedom. A battle for our souls. A battle that we can be free and our beauty that has been hidden behind thick cover for so long can be seen to those who will see it.

As I worked I prayed for myself that I might not be ensnared & that I would recognize anything that might be waiting to trap me, and I prayed for those around me for the same. We must remember that the enemy of our souls is 'more subtle and crafty than any of the creatures God created' (Gen 3:1) and that he wants us trapped and weak so that we cannot be effective for God. Be on guard because your enemy will continually try to trap you where ever he can. Watch, pray, and depend on God, be on guard so that you are not trapped and ensnared! Keep the downed limbs, briers, and rotting debris from your life so that your beauty can shine & glorify God just as my special tree does!

Cabin Work

We purchased insulation to install under the flooring of the cabin. Tom lay out the plastic sheeting to keep moisture from seeping up & then went to work. Fortunately, we purchased exactly enough insulation and even got the "government green" discount to boot! I think we saved 10% whoo hoo!!! It took Tom about an hour to complete the work. We're hoping this will help with warmth in the cabin this winter. We do know we will have to install underpinning to keep the wind out, but this is a start! Tom is great & is not afraid to try anything! He's an adventurer & a pioneer & has no fear for attempting something he hasn't done before. We have accomplished so much with our cabin on the hill that we could not have done without his conquering spirit! Thanks, Tom, for all you've done!

It's Always Something............ A Duct Tape Adventure

Tonight we had 3 boys who decided they needed an adventure...so they decided to duct tape Clay to the wall to see if he'd stay. It all began with a baseball bucket & a little duct tape.......

And a little more duct tape..............

And just a little more...............and a lot of laughs...............

And finally the removal of the bucket to see if he'd stick.................

The shock & laughter says it all..............

And of course we had to add a little drama..........

Oh what fun it is to live in the Thompson house!

Youth Bonfire

Halloween night, we were invited to Helena to do a little music for a youth bonfire. It was such a blessing to be able to be there to support others in their ministry and to minister a little bit too. We were very encouraged to see how God is using these two young men in their local church and in their communities. It blesses us to see our summer campers grow in Christ, go home to their local churches and minister to their church families and daily grow to know Christ. We thank God that they truly have a relationship with Him not one that is on-again off-again, but one that is growing and maturing daily. We are very blessed to know these young men and are very thankful that they are friends of ours and our boys. We are extremely grateful that they encourage our boys not just as good examples, but daily encourage them to grow in Christ. We are fortunate to have these young men in our lives. We can hardly wait to see what God has planned for their lives. Our prayer is that they would continue to grow closer and closer to Him so that He may lead them in His path! We love you guys!!!!!

After the Rain

We've had the wettest October recorded, with only 8 days...9 counting today of sunshine for the month. Clay mentioned that it was a good thing God promised not to destroy the earth by flood again because if not...we might want to get worried. This cloudy sunset had just the right colors and softness. Regardless of the soggy ground or washed out roads there is always some beauty to be found if we only look!

A Little Ingenuity!

Tom had the boys picking up & bagging leaves on Friday after the week-long rain! They recruited the neighbor boys. They decided to make it a race. Clay winks at me and says...we're getting help. He figured if he recruited help, then they'd have less to do. Guess you gotta love their ingenuity. Reminds me of a story when Greg, who had less, convinced Sandy, who had more, to combine their money so they'd each have equal parts. These Thompson's!

Fall Festival

Wednesday night we had our annual Fall Festival at church complete with a Chili Supper & Trunk or Treat for the kids. Clay dressed up at Captain Rex from Star Wars & Graeson was a Cowboy! Chandler didn't dress up; he helped work the carnival games for the kids. The kids had fun jumping in the jump zone & playing all sorts of game & of course getting the candy to eat later.

Graeson got my attention mid-way through the night & said "Steppie, come here" so I bent down so he could whisper in my ear. He said, "Steppie, you needa tell my momma that I gotta come to your house an' spend the night!" He's so funny! I just love that boy!

Clay is funny about Halloween this year. He told me the other day that he's never gone trick or treating in his life....he has, but this is his story...so anyway, he's never gone in his life and that he just really wanted to this year because he just had to go ring a stranger's doorbell! I'm not sure what that really has to do with anything, but he's a 9 year old boy....so really who knows. We've really gotten a good laugh out of it anyway. So we're looking for a good, safe stranger so we can go ring his doorbell.......hmmm....guess we'll have to find someone that we know that he doesn't. Gotta love kids.