Timeless Design and High-Quality Materials

The Rolex Day-Date is available in a variety of metals, including 18k yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, and platinum, making it a truly luxurious timepiece. The 36mm or 40mm case provides a balanced and classic fit, perfect for both formal and casual occasions. The dial is offered in a range of elegant colors, including black, white, champagne, and mother-of-pearl, complemented by diamond hour markers for added refinement. The fluted bezel is another signature feature, which adds an extra layer of sophistication to the overall look.

Movement and Functionality

Powered by the Rolex Caliber 3255 automatic movement, the Day-Date offers superlative precision and reliability, with a 70-hour power reserve. The watch’s Day-Date complication allows for easy adjustment of both the day and date through the crown. The Cyclops lens at the 3 o’clock position magnifies the date for effortless reading, further enhancing its user-friendly design. Additionally, the watch is equipped with Water Resistance up to 100 meters, offering practical durability alongside its elegance.

Pictures: Saturday, we had our family pictures taken by Zachary David Photography. Here is the sneak peak that we received. I cannot wait to see the rest!

Ponderings: Auburn had a rough day. When she came home from VBS, she checked on her fire bellied toad, only to find Libby dead. We had a little burial service. Auburn has handled it pretty well. I was afraid we would have many meltdowns tonight, but after the initial emotion, she hasn’t cried again. She has checked on the burial site a few times, but she is remaining strong.

Pictures: Over my sink, I have a few boards with verses and sayings on them. One of the boards has hung empty for many weeks while I procrastinated to fill it. Finally, tonight, I made a printout of something that has been on my list to make for quite a while.

Prayer: Landon’s knee is bothering him. He said it has been bothering him off and on for a while now. After his shed jumping incident, we had his ankles  checked (broken) and his back checked, but I never thought about his knees. With the type of break he had in his ankle, I can imagine his knee sustaining some damage. I hope this is just a growing boy related pain and not something overlooked in the past.

Ponderings: It is hard to believe that I am just 2 years from 40. As a teenager, I thought that by this stage of my life, I would have everything figured out. I definitely didn’t think that I would be learning anything new! How wrong I was! This past year has been one of much growing and stretching. I love the age my kids are at. I used to fear getting out of the baby stage, but it is WONDERFUL! So with that said, I am looking forward to what this next year holds.

Playfulness: A few months ago, I mentioned to Dave that for my birthday I would love to sleep in to 10 AM. He remembered and kept the kids quiet so I could do just that. Upon rolling out of bed I found 5 helium balloons in the house. 2 in the living room tied to the computer chair and 3 in the kitchen tied to my chair at the table. Dave even matched the two balloons (red heart and zebra) in the living room to the room’s decor. =)

The kids were super cute. Darren tiptoed into my room around 8 AM and sang Happy Birthday to me (and was promptly chased out by Dave). The little man sang two more rounds of the song as soon as I came out of the room this morning. Owen made me a 1inx8in card and put it just outside my bedroom door for me to find as soon as I came out. Dalton made a scavenger hunt for me to find his card. He had a coupon in it for 5,000 back massages. =) He gives a good massage! Auburn made a very clever card that used some of the design from the front of the card that bled through the paper as part of the design on the back. It is hard to describe, but very creative. She also made a paper flower with pipe cleaner vines that fits perfectly as a partial frame on my computer monitor. =) Landon made a card with several coupons in it, and in the afternoon he walked to Grant’s and purchased an Arctic Swirl for me. Parents and Grandparents also joined in the festivities. Multiple birthday wishes on Facebook or by text were all read with a smile on my face. All of this mixed with the Magic Bullet (love it!) and flowers Dave had already given me, made for one spoiled lady!

Prayer: Please pray for a teenager, Logan, who is facing a very difficult physical challenge right now. Pray that he, and his parents, keep their eyes fixed on the Great Physician.

Playfulness: Owen as Captain Conglomerate. =)

Darren has earned a Daddy date by sleeping in his own bed for 20 days. =) He’s 2 days into his new chart and on a 5 day streak. Honestly, I kind of miss his cuddles at 3 am. =) Last night he came down at 4 am (ish) to give me his squinkies that he was afraid might fall out of his bed. I was thrilled, and surprised, that he willingly went back up to his own bed.

Yesterday was Wet Wednesday. We went to Thorn Park and enjoyed the splash pad.

Ponderings: I am not sure how to say this. I am not trying to point out something good that was done, but the lesson that was learned. Today we visited an older lady in our church. She has been a selfless giver for many years. When we handed her a loaf of bread, she had a look of shock on her face and said, “No one does that.” Her statement was like a dagger in my heart. We have forgotten the older believers. Shame on us.

As I sit here thinking about my day, I find myself amazed at God’s mercy and grace. Mercy in that He is not quick to anger and punishment when I fail Him in caring for my children, husband and others. Grace in that He chooses to work in the lives of my family members in spite of my failures.

Today, I looked out the window of my living room and saw Landon reading his Bible to a neighborhood friend. They have decided to read through a portion of the Bible together this summer. We do not know if this young boy has a personal relationship with God, but he is willing to read His Word. Please pray for Landon as he talks with this young man throughout the summer. Sometimes they don’t get along, and we are trying to help Landon see the big picture.

Tonight, Auburn let me know that she thinks God may be leading her to become a missionary when she is older. I had to smile. She is the same age that I was when I was convinced that God would use me as a missionary teacher in Brazil. I love seeing her wrestle through what that may cost her. She knows people serving in dangerous places, and she knows the risks they take, but she has seen God’s protection over them. Please pray for her that she will continue to tender to God’s pull on her life.

Both of these situations are completely of God. I love to sit and contemplate what God could do through the Fab Five if they will give their lives to Him. It is humbling that He has allowed Dave and I to be a part of it.  I stand amazed.

Ponderings: I am going out on a limb here. What I have been pondering for a long time is not popular. Let me start with a bit of a personal testimony. When #1 was born, we lived in a rural setting. We attended a small church. We loved it. I was so excited to have our little busy bundle in my life. There were moments of uncertainty for sure, but I was not overwhelmed with fear and not overly concerned that I was doing things wrong. If I didn’t know something, I asked an older lady or called my mom. When we arrived at church, I was encouraged along my path of motherhood. Ladies would stop me in the hallway to speak words of kindness to me. These words bolstered my resolve to keep going, even in my tiredness.

Fast forward a few months. We moved to a new location. I found out in our new church that I was doing EVERYTHING wrong. My child was not sleeping through the night. My child was not feeding the correct length of time on each side. My child was feeding too often. My child was not napping at the appropriate times. Suddenly, I was filled with fear that I was ruining my child. Not long after, child #2 was on her way. I resolved to do it right. I started to read the right books. You know, the ones that lay out exactly how you are to do things. If you do them, you are guaranteed to have the perfect child (or so it sounds). Guess what, it didn’t work for me. I was overwhelmed. I felt horrible. I was embarrassed to talk to other young moms. I was embarrassed to admit that my kid didn’t fit the approved mold. When I did try to share my struggles, I was reminded that it was my own fault that my kids were not sleeping through the night. Everyone else’s kids were.

So why am I sharing this? Because I have talked with many, many other moms in the same boat I was in, with the same fear of messing up their kids. They tell me they feel like they can’t talk to others without being judged for not being on a schedule or letting their toddler climb in bed with them. They apologize for their child’s behavior as if I expect the little sinner to be perfect at age 2. They tell me they have come up with answers to questions about sleeping and schedules that makes the hearer believe that their kid is on a schedule and sleeping beautifully, when in reality he/she isn’t. The moms aren’t lying, they just answer in a way that satisfies the hearer. My heart aches for them. Often, I want to hug them and let them know that I understand. How have we become a group of judging people, when we should be encouraging one another? We should be directing each other to the Word of God, not some other book. Books can be helpful, but only to explain and reiterate Bible passages from which the concepts are drawn. Did you ever wonder why there are no instructions on how often to feed, where to let your kid sleep, etc. in the Scriptures? Could it be that we are all different with different temperaments and needs? What God’s Word tells us about parenting is to teach our children to love God. Teach them to love others. Dwell with your husband as one. Both parents are to be involved in the training process. Your husband may see things differently than your lady friends/fellow moms. Ladies, when you do share your personal experience with another mom, be quick to say “it worked for me, but everyone/every family is different.” Share the verses you base your philosophies on when you share your advice. You don’t have a verse? Maybe you should re-examine your methodology. I realize there are family rules that must be made that have no command in Scripture, but these need to be expressed as opinions when being shared with others. Fellow moms, God gave you your kids to parent. He did not give them to someone else, because He wanted you to bring them up the way He designed you and your husband to guide and direct.

I am by no means an authority on parenting, but I firmly believe this judging needs to stop. On the flip side, moms also need to stop comparing themselves and their children to others. It breeds fear and discontentment. How can we bear one another’s burdens if people are too afraid to share them? I am still learning, but by God’s grace, most days I don’t worry about what others think of my methodology any longer. It’s freeing to be able to run to the Word of God and my partner in this adventure for answers and solutions and not some new book. God’s Word doesn’t change, popular parenting advice does.

As a visual, I came across this picture about the time that I realized I didn’t have to meet the approval of others. It is constantly in my mind. I hope it encourages you, too.

Penny-pinching: There is a Value World coupon out this week in the sale papers that come in the mail! Great for back to school shopping. =) My kids report that Burger King’s iced coffees for $1 are very good (see below).

Playfulness: Pictures of today’s Munchy Monday.

While pulling ivy off of our fence, Owen decided to decorate himself.

Owen on dishes duty.

After the kids finished all the chores on their lists, we went to Burger King for the $1 summer drinks. Landon and Auburn really enjoyed the iced coffees. If you are an iced tea drinker, I do not recommend their tea. =(

We thoroughly enjoyed our church’s Summerfest and Fireworks last night. I took my camera, but failed to get many pictures. Of the ones I did take, this was the only decent one.

Prayer: Landon injured his pointer finger on his left hand almost a week ago. It was improving, but tonight he seems to have re-injured it. He is in a bit of pain. Please pray for wisdom for me as I decide whether to have it examined again, or not.

Playfulness: In addition to our weekly schedule, the 4 older kids had basketball camp this week. They all did a great job, each exhibiting their own personality on the court. Let’s just say, I’m looking forward to seeing Dalton and Owen playing on the same team in High School. My predictions: Owen will be strong defensively (and maybe offensively) under the basket and Dalton will strong offensively with his quickness. Now to wait 9 years to see if my predictions are accurate. =)

Munchy Monday: This week we went to McDonald’s for a large drink, a cone or a sundae after we finished our house work.

Try Something New Tuesday: We used the Kool-aid and vinegar tie-dye method to decorate shirts. The stains were beautiful, but washed out almost completely in the wash. We were very disappointed. This picture wasn’t the best shirt, but I forgot to take pictures of the others.

Water Wednesday: Unfortunately, splashing in puddles in between rainstorms was all we accomplished this week.

Thoughtful Thursday: Honestly, I feel weird posting about this, so I’ll just post a picture of the kids working from last week. I will most likely skip this day in my future posts because we are trying to teach the kids to work without needing praise from others. If there is a cute picture, I may post that.

Field Trip Friday: Because of basketball camp, we were unable to take a trip anywhere this week. I took the kids to play baseball Saturday night after Dave gave us money to go out to eat. He was working his second job. I think that was a good substitution. =)

I thought this was hilarious-the boys talking and eating while Auburn read. =)

We have some large mulberry bushes along our property lines. I was able to pick and remove the stems for a little over three cups of berries and made my first mulberry pie. It is pretty good-and I don’t like berries! The crust wasn’t beautiful, but the taste made up for it.