We are back in business folks!  This pretty little item arrived in the mail yesterday! Yes, i have a camera in my hands again and it feels so goooood. Ebay saves the day!

My Uncle is going to bring my good camera from FL with him when he comes to visit in a couple months.

On a different note... 

 My heart is sad today. It's time to say goodbye again.

Our neighbors are moving on in preparation for serving the Lord in Brazil.

Elijah has played with these two nearly all day, every day, since we came back from Florida. They are his pals and he was in tears tonight telling me "My friends are leaving tomorrow!"

Their mom was one of Elijah's teachers last year. She's great and I'm going to miss having her as my neighbor.

Here they are today. Sharing Popsicles and sidewalk chalk in the hot summer sun.

It's hard.

This leaving and being left.

It's hard to leave and it's hard to be the one left behind.

For me, this is one of the most difficult parts of this journey that we are on. I'd rather face lions in Africa than keep having to say goodbye to my family and friends.

Earn Extra Today!

You may have heard about Swagbuck by now. To tell you the truth I was sceptical about it at first. I wondered if we would really get the prizes. I ended up signing up since I do searches anyway and figured if it didn't work I'd just cancel and i wouldn't have lost anything.

But I can tell you that it does work! So far i've earned over $60 in amazon.com gift cards! Whoohoo, free money! We put it towards Elijah's new car seat. What a blessing!

When you sign up you can download the swagbucks toolbar that makes remembering to search through swagbucks so easy.

On Fridays they give out extra bucks for your searches so today is a great day to join!

When people sign up under you then you get bucks when they win. So everybody wins!

To sign up just click on the banner above or below and start searching and winning!

Count it all Joy

Welcome to Why I Count It All Joy Wednesday!! On Thursday. =) Any day is a good day for counting your blessings, right?

Today I'm am joyful because I still have three whole weeks of summer left to enjoy!!

I find joy in the moonlight streaming through our bedroom window every night.

My children bring me joy and i've had fun watching them enjoy special times with their friends this summer.

I find joy in the fact that no matter how crummy or unfair life looks at times I can trust that "He will make every thing beautiful in His time."

Share your joy with us and link up at All the Mus.

Remember

Sneek Peek!! Bell Design!

Blogmania bloggers are all about building relationships-
between our blogs, our cherished readers, the online community and business owners.

 

In September you'll have the chance to enter our biggest giveaway yet here on The Missionary Mama!

 

In the mean time I want to give each one of our sponsors some time in the spotlight.

 

Today I want to tell you about etsy shop Bell Design.

The Bell Design shop is full of cute magnets and pocket mirrors.

Check out these adorable magnets!

Or this sweet owl mama mirror.

Your order comes wrapped in a silver bag. Perfect for gift giving!

For the giveaway Bell Design has offered the Abundance Pocket Mirror!

Check back soon for the chance to win this from Bell Design and more!

You can find a complete list of our Blogmania Sponsors over on the sidebar.

Photo Shoot with the Johnsons

While in Florida I had the opportunity to take some family pictures for Jesse and Sherri.

Back in January I took their maternity shots. It's fun to see their family growing.

Here are some of my favorites from last week.

Yeah, I'm kind of in love with black and white right now. =)

Hey, how'd this guy sneak in there? =)

And the rest in color.

Elijah and his new friend Angel.

Linking up with:

Us

My sister took this picture of the hubby and I while out for dinner this past weekend.

Sunshine and Sushi

As you read this we are leaving the Sunshine State and heading to the Show-Me state. Two and a half days on the road. whoohoo! not!

We've spent the last couple days with my sister and brother in law Andrew in Clearwater.

Some pics from our time with the Topels...

Andrew and Crystal

Be sure to visit one of my oldest friends Esther's new blog. She had a new handsom little guy just one month old and two beautiful little girls. You can read some of her kiddos funny sayings.

No Pictures, No Post

I have such a hard time posting when I don't have pictures to share! My camera's battery died a couple weeks ago and I seem to have left my charger in Missouri so i haven't be able to get new pictures. I have taken some with my cell phone. Anybody know how to get pictures off a phone?

We are leaving for Missouri tomorrow morning so today is packing and cleaning.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Embracing the Camera!

Me and my boy swinging last week in South Carolina.

Go ahead! Embrace that camera of yours and get in front of it for once! You know you want to!

Some Favorite Moments

"Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure." -- Jewish Saying

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."  --Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"A friend loves at all times." -- Proverbs 17, 17

"Every man passes his life in the search after friendship." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." -- Bernard Meltzer

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." -- Helen Keller

"There comes that mysterious meeting in life when someone acknowledges who we are and what we can be, igniting the circuits of our highest potential." ~ Rusty Berkus

"No man is useless while he has a friend." ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you." -- Bernard Meltzer

"A part of you has grown in me. And so you see, it's you and me together forever and never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart." --Anonymous

"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." -- Richard Bach

All pictures were taken last week in South Carolina at Brittany's. Read her post about our visit, You Know You Have Good Friends When... on her blog, Living in the Moment.

Thank you all for being such good friends who make blogging such a joy!