Fried Okra! This is the last pickin's from my Daddy's garden that he so graciously shared with us! Umm! Umm! Ain't nothin' better than a pot of Beans, Fried Okra, Buttered Potatoes and a big skillet of Cornbread... throw in some Cucumber/Onion salad and that's a feast very few of we Hausman's can resist. This is a DELIGHTFUL meal to us! :)

Happy Birthday, Brittany!

Brittany's Birthday Cake! ( sorry, Daryl's too busy to help us learn how to turn the pics right side up) So again you'll have to endure another neck cramp to see the pics above!
The neat thing about your kids growing up is the differences it brings. This year after taking a cake decorating class, Brittany asked if she could please make and decorate her OWN Birthday cake! Part of my heart was a tad sad... but that only lasted for a few minutes and I was breathing a sigh of relief... "One less thing to do that weekend!"

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"
- Corrie Ten Boom

Collage of Pictures!
Here are some of the pictures from our busy weeks.
Hope you enjoy!

Brittany and I had the privilege of taking a cake decorating class with a bunch of other girls from our church. Here is our instructor Melissa, along with our cousin Kimberly.
We had a blast, and are enjoying getting to use the techniques that we learned.



Here is our first lesson at decorating. We had to decorate cookies.

Sorry, you will get a neck cramp from this picture. I don't know why it uploaded it sideways. It is supposed to be a fish.

Our first cakes that we made. The cupcake one was Brittany's cake. The reason her "icing" on her cupcake looks like a brain (as she put it) is because she mixed her yellow and blue together to come up with the peuky (extremely nauseating) brain color.


What is supposed to be a shaggy mum flower on a cupcake.


The Final product! A lemon cake with lemon meringue pie filling. This was my cake. Brittany is using hers as her birthday cake. So a picture of her cake will come later.


Meeting our new cousin: Mary Grace!

Sorry, another neck cramp! :)
Brittany and I are taking a Family Consumer Science, or Home Economics, class this semester. This class is a tough one!!! ;) The picture above is the breakfast that we made for Lab one day.

Natasha~

Greetings all you bloggers! Always follow your mother's orders! My mother told me to update this, so I'm following orders!

Love you MOM and thanks for keeping me on my toes.

Daryl

The following questions were taken from a 'place mat' at a McDonald's:

"Why don't we say onety-one for the number 11?"
"Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?"
"If we evolved from apes, why are there still apes?"

I finally was allowed the privilege to post something on this blog that I bequeathed to my family. I recently wrote the following for a class that I just took. It's not perfect, and like all writing, needs some revision, but .... here it is. It is was it is! ~ Daryl

"I am from"
I am from the pre-historic dark ages with no i-pods, i-pads, i-phones, or 'I'-gadgets.

I am from rotary telephones but no internet, gas stoves but no microwaves.

I am from Tinker Toys, Tyco racetracks, Big Wheels, and Geronimo Indian toys.

I am from an ill-advised time of living within your means, paying your bills, and not anticipating a bail out.

I am from twisted parents who said, "This hurts me more than it does you," disciplining me in love never anger.

I am from parents who brain-washed me into thinking honesty, integrity, self-control, kindness, and respecting others are important character traits to live by.

I am from a mother who was quiet, yet strong, until she began talking with siblings; then she was like New York City at rush hour.

I am from a mis-guided father who instructed me that Pepsi was the one and only soda and drinking Coke was a sin.

I am from parents who believed missing church was breaking the 11th commandment, like bees to honey, so to were we with church.

I am from a family whose motto is: loving, caring, helping, praying, and worshiping.

Daryl
7/10

"We have this Moment,Today!"
"We have this moment to hold in our hands
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today." ~by Bill Gaither



This song always makes me think how fast time flies! God has blessed our family with treasures on loan from Him! Are we doing our best? Are we coming before God's throne often, begging God to give us the wisdom He has promised? Are we loving them enough, praying for their souls salvation? Can They See Jesus in Us?! Our heart's cry is that our entire family make Heaven. That they learn to LOVE to follow after God and His way of heart holiness! If you have room to add us to your prayer list, we'd love that! We want to be all that makes Jesus Smile!

World's Easiest Cake - Racetrack style per request!



This was Bryan's request, that I make a Racetrack Cake for him this year. As I knew that we would be celebrating early in TN with relatives, I wasn't sure how to make it all happen. I found the Cake Idea on Tasteofhome website (I think)... however I tweaked the recipe a bit to fit our needs and made a Racetrack out of the topping. This is an IceCream Sandwich Cake... SO EASY! Then I used the Hot Fudge Topping to make the track... crushed up Heath bars (a favorite of mine) as the "gravel" and added the cars that were also one of his gifts from family. He was ONE happy Kid!

Look who's 40! The Lord has been sooooo good to me. I've so many blessings to count! He placed me in a Holiness family that loves God and trained me to do the same! God sent me the most wonderful, caring husband 20 years ago, and has blessed our Union with 4 wonderful children! Blessed beyond measure... not depressed at all to be 40... just thankful for the very rich life that God has given me!

First Ever Hausman Reunion! What a blessing this was to us all! This is the place that we rented for a week! Perfect setting for those who LOVE the Mountains as we do. Just close enough to the Mtns to make you feel ever-so-close to God as you had your quiet time on the back porch. And yet just close enough to the city for fun and shopping and of course Go-Cart riding! :) How thankful we are to the Lord for giving us a great time together there!
This is the entire Hausman Crew! We spent time hiking together, Go Carting, Celebrated LOTS of birthdays, Shopping, Horse Back Riding, Fishing, cooking, & eating (of course... who has a reunion without WAY-TOO-MUCH Food?!) What a memorial week! Dad and Mom look what you all started! We love you all and would do it again... well after we've saved up for a few years again! :)

Our Graduates!!!
Brittany finished the 8th Grade and Bryan finished Kindergarten!
Up close and personal! A side of our kids that you all rarely ever get to see. I may be a "grounded Momma for this" but it will be worth it! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT GRANDMA BRYAN!
Dear Great Grandma Bryan,
Happy 103rd birthday! Thank you for all your prayers and the godly example you are to us all.
Love ,
The Hausmans~

Picture to come.

Guess What!
Just in case you can't tell from the picture...I got my Temporary License!
Daddy's stipulation for us Hausman kids is that before we get our license we have to memorize a book of the Bible. As a reward once I had memorized two chapters of James, Daddy said that I could get my permit. So here is the warning for all of you who want to get off the road. Just kidding!
Natasha~

Our Loss, Heaven's Gain!
This week, a dear prayer warrior, saint, and godly friend of ours, Sis. Marjorie Ferguson made Heaven this past Sunday a.m. How our hearts grieve OUR LOSS. She prayed for many missionaries EVERY DAY for years, our family included. Who will be there in fill in the gap? Will WE step up to the plate, take the challenge and remember to pray for our missionary friends and lost loved ones? Will YOU? Our prayers are with the Ferguson family as they grieve their loss. She is with Jesus!!!!! What a glorious Hope!!!!

Family! Have no idea what I'm doing and Why the underline!! Got to see my dear cousins Cheryl and David and their precious gifts from Heaven while passing through (literally) on our way home! Gotta love the boo-boo on their youngest boy's knee! Life is so full of fun for their precious family! Thanks Susan and Jeff for your "Bed and Breakfast" along our trip home! We love you guys!
Got to see Uncle Carson and Aunt Linda too... but totally forgot to take their pic! Sob! :(

Here are the "foursome" that have scrap-booked together, along with about 1,000 other things. Very talented and creative friends here... where has the time gone?!

Though this all uploaded backwards... here is the whole family.... very special friends of ours! Love love you all and thanks a million, Paul and Marilyn for EVERYTHING! So fun getting to see you for those few hours! God Bless You! The Hausmans

Surprise!? Well we tried at least! Here is our family with one of our dear home-school friends. Sometimes in life you just do things because it's the RIGHT THING TO DO... not because all of the numbers add up right etc. One of these times happened for our family over Memorial Day weekend. We made a VERY LAST minute decision to make a DASH to FL for our girls sake and their friend pictured with us here, Crystal! We love you Crystal and are SO thankful for your Christian life and godly example and most of all for your never-failing friendship to Natasha and Brittany. We were SO glad, though we didn't get to surprise you, to get to be there for your special day! God Bless You dear!

Something to think about!

If you do not believe in some 'higher being,' where do you get your morality from? Do you base it on what the majority or the government says. That is a very dangerous game to play. History has shown how that philosophy plays out in real life.

What's really wrong with lying to someone? Hey, if it makes them feel better or you need to cover your own skin, why not. Why is it wrong to plagiarize? What's the big deal about it anyway? Where do you get your basis for why it's wrong to steal someone's ideas?

As a Christian and someone who believes in God, I believe that these 'moral issues' come from God and His word. I'm far from being an intellectual, but the logic is solid.

DH

Brittany, Darla, and I had the chance to play with a group orchestra, all of whom were Mrs. Collins' students. We are playing the Orange Blossom Special. Mommy said that it made her feel right at home, for she has Tennessee roots. It was a lot of fun!

This is Darla and a girl from our church playing in the group.Sorry I just realized that I must have uploaded it twice. I guess you'll get the chance to see it twice whether you wanted to or not! :) Also sorry for the blurriness.

Yea! Summer's here! Here is a photo of Darla's last day of school. Oh, the fun we are having! :) I'm thankful for all the Help the Lord gave us this school year! All praise be to Him for the grace and strength that He promises for each new day!

Thanks be to God for these His "unspeakable" Gifts to me! I love you all Hausman Munchkins and the Dearest Man on God's Green Earth! Thanks for makin' my Mother's Day So special with all the flowers for my flower garden out front and all the special cards full of your special art work and loving words for this Momma!

God Is!

Just some verses that God gave to me afresh this a.m. in my quiet time with Him. Thought it may encourage your hearts too with whatever you are facing. In our day it's not usually fig tree's Olives and Flocks that we are facing... but I felt that the Lord helped me to fill-in-the-blanks with OUR everyday needs and found refreshment for my soul!


Habakkuk 3:17-18
"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls---
YET, I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation."

God is GOOD all the time!
Much love to your hearts and Homes from our Haus! The Hausmans

Some spring flowers! These cupcakes were fun to create! I LOVE fresh flowers and was SO delighted and surprised when Daryl and the kids presented me with fresh flowers to plant in our mini-flower garden out front, as an early Mother's Day Gift! These "fresh flowers" above, are not quite what we planted outside, but they are "fresh" and these just happen to be edible!!! :)


F.R.O.G.!!!!!!!!!! Facing My Fears, with these critters?
My dislike of Frogs began a long time ago. My dearest Daddy loves to walk outdoors while he's talking to God in prayer. One early spring day when I was small, and my Mother was expecting my baby sister, Heather Dickinson, Daddy took us out to let us "hear" that Spring was soon to be here. I had no idea what was coming, so wasn't prepared for the LOUD Croaking of that bull frog that night. I screamed and jumped over the seat into the front, landing on my poor mother's swollen abdomen and my growing sister! Needless to say, I've NEVER really appreciated frogs ever since.
Our wonderful Jr Church leaders at our church are using with a wonderful theme... only sad for me it had to include frogs. It's an acronym that teaches the kids to Fully Rely On God! What a wonderful lesson that I'm trying in my every day life to learn more. After visiting the Jr/Ch area, I cringed and could hardly walk in there, for there are frogs EVERYWHERE. My dislike of frogs is SO intense that I don't even look at pictures of them!!!
Well, one week they were talkin about things that make you afraid! So after seeing these Darling, (well, I can't call them that) Froggy Cupcakes, I decided to "face my fears" and make a treat for the kids that they would enjoy and that would go along with their theme.
I DIDN'T make these alone, our kids helped me, LOTS! As I'm blogging this, I'm asking myself, "Am I FULLY relying upon God?" Do I really believe that He can and WILL supply our every need? I'm asking the Lord to help me with my everyday fears, my heart needs, and for the wisdom I need to be a godly Momma.
I may always not care for frogs, sorry Daddy, but I'm determined to remember what it stands for and that is FULLY RELYING ON GOD!
This shirt was given to Bryan sometime ago and he could HARDLY wait till he was big enough to wear it... just so happened that the day we were making these cupcakes he was wearing this shirt and thought he was pretty cool stuff! :)
Western Dress-up Day! And the last day of Kindergarten for Bryan! He is officially a 1st grader now! Darla is very close to completing her school work too! And this Mommy is about to shout... Praise the Lord! I will have a few more days of getting things squared away. Natasha and Brittany need to finish their work, but they are all pulling full-steam ahead and that always helps! Spring Fever, has definitely hit our Haus! Praying we'll have enough WILL-POWER to fight the urge to be OUTSIDE! :) Thanks to the Lord for His wonderful help this another year and the privilege that He gives us to Home-school our kids!

So glad that we got to see Vonnie, my dear sister-in-law and my dear nieces from Alaska. They were out doing what every parent dreads... "looking for colleges"! We are praying with you girls in your major decisions to be made here soon. God cares and WILL lead you, just keep your hearts open to his clear direction! Love you so much! Hausman Cuzin's

Just enjoying our kids! Thanks, Pop-Pop and Grandma for the Easter gifts to our kids. We were able to use the cash and purchase some needed clothing that was on the after Easter sale racks!

Many people make it more complex, but it's really a simple message. We were all born sinners, but God sent His only son to be the ultimate sacrifice and pay the penalty for our sin. It's a free gift! You can't earn it, can't go to church enough, can't give enough money or do enough good deeds. You must confess your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will forgive you, and you will have a deep peace that the world can't take away.

God's Gifts to us! We were so thankful for the Lord's help with Natasha's Jr/Sr Banquet that she was invited to attend. A friend loaned us the dress and we were able to find the jacket at Penny's and material to match to make the sleeves modest and Jesus helped our local Grocery store to run a special on Roses just last week. Then Jesus helped one Mommy to make the wrist corsage, all from her Daddy! One special young lady, God has blessed us with... and we PRAISE HIM!

A Boy's BEST Friend!!! Bryan's favorite past time... only down side is one HAS to have a bath after playing with THIS Friend named, Diesel! But it's worth it!

God's Gift Of Music! How we thank the Lord for His help to our girls in all of the music recitals that they have had the privilege of being a part of this month. Here is a picture of all of the musicians that participated in the Piano Concert that was sponsored by Martha Miller, the girls piano teacher. This was a lovely evening of piano quartets and duets. Over 30 young people and teachers participating! We thank the Lord for this blessing!
This is a "canned picture" which the girls neither one like... but that was the best way to get a good shot of them, since I'm not an "up-front" person to want to run up there and get a picture while they were performing! :) Natasha and Brittany played on one piano, while Mrs. Miller and another 8th grader played on the other piano. It was really nice. Natasha also played in another piano quartet with 3 other pianist from our Church, Christian Nation Church!

My lack of photographer abilities proved out once again, as I was the only one to take pictures of their recent violin recital too! Daryl had class both of these nights so had to "hear" over the cell-phone so couldn't be there. So Sad! The girls each played pieces that were a reach for them. Their teacher challenged each of her students by raising the bar a little higher for this recital. This was NO SMALL FEAT for our Haushold as we had 2 other recitals vying for their practice time too, plus the routine of school work etc. Much prayer was made and many hours of practice, but once again the Lord came and touched and how we praise Him!

Darla piece was entitled: "Minute II" by Bach... After this recital her violin will be framed. You see it is the little 1st violin that all three girls started out playing! (My niece Kimberly Anna Dickinson also used this as her 1st violin!) So it is my dream to have this one framed! Bryan isn't thinking about playing violin, for it's too "girly" for him, he says! :) Boys!!!

Brittany's piece was entitled: the "Concerto #23 by Viotti"
And Natasha's piece was entitled: "Concerto No.9 in A Minor, Op. 104 (1st movement) by De Beriot".
All of them really needed God's help and wanted to make sure that we took the time after the concert was over to THANK THE LORD for His touch and help! God is SOOOO good! Enough of the music notes!!! Another PLAY on words! :) ~Laura~

Craziness! This picture is especially for A. Heather and Kimberly. When we went to Colombia Brittany happened to mention that if we found some cute sun-glasses to get her a pair..and Darla declared that she too wanted a pair. So on our last day their we went to market and got these funny sun-glasses. They make your eyes work double-time! :)
Hope they make you laugh.
Natasha ~

Who's counting those Candles?! Where have the years gone?! We love you, Natasha! Natasha was "over cake" so she asked for a Peanut Butter Pie this year... with all of those candles it looked a bit "shell shocked!" :)

Happy Birthday, Natasha! How glad we are that Jesus sent you to us. My how the time has flown though! We pray that you'll always seek God's best! We love you so much!

Our Easter/Birthday meal together!

A Few of Her Favorite Things! We usually make quite a to-do with Birthdays around our Haus! This year was no exception... I asked Natasha early enough to plan what she wanted for her birthday meal and got an unusual request! She asked that I make something that we were served over in Romania by some dear friends. Her request? Homemade Schnitzel with Noodles! Yikes,... that was a new one for me to make... so I wrote and asked our dear friend, Sally Sebo, for help. She was so kind as to translate this recipe for me and also gave me a website to "see" it all... Thanks so much, Sally. Here's the finished product! I was thankful for the Lord's help! For those of you "Sound of Music" lovers, you may recall that Schnitzel with noodles is one of her favorite things listed in that song, "My Favorite Things"!


Resurrection Eggs! You can only see a couple of them... but these have become a very real part of our Easter Celebration each year. Years ago while on Deputation we were invited to have dinner with some dear friends who introduced us to the Resurrection Eggs and then gave the set to us after dinner was over. We will never forget your kindness, Beckers, We love you! How could we have known that years later God would lead us here and that we get to have you as our mission directors?! Thanks again so much for your love and support!
That's the news from our Haus! Laura ~ (with MUCH of Natasha's help!!)

Happy birthday to the most wonderful Pop-Pop! Thank you for being such a great grandfather! We love you all LOTS!!!
Hope you have a great day!
Love,
Natasha ,Brittany ,Darla ,and Bryan~

On our way up the mountain we had to go through a really LONG tunnel.

Just barely hanging on! This is Elijah hanging on to the rails at the top of the train. Don't worry Daddy was holding him by the waist.
This is another picture on our way. Here we are passing a train going down.


This is right after we got off the train at the top of the mountain.


And we are finally up at the top! This is overlooking Bogota.
It was a gorgeous view!
More to come...
Natasha~