"Where is it?" asked JonathanAnd off they went. Jonathan with the fire engine, sirens sounding and Joel with two monster trucks. The bathroom 38 miles away is safe thanks to my two rescuers, Jonathan and Joel!
"In the bathroom," replied Joel
"Don't say that word, Joel. Say '38 miles away'."
Joel answered, "38 miles away."
These aren't just five snowman as anyone can see.
I made them with my hand which is a part of me.
Now each year when you trim the tree
You'll look back and recall Christmas of 2008
When my hand was just this small.
(I couldn't get a good picture of his whole hand)
Whatever Obama's motives are does not concern me. I am just glad that Rick Warren agreed to give the invocation. I know that he has a personal relationship with Jesus and that he converses with Him. Jesus hung out with those that did not agree with Him and that is exactly what Rick Warren is doing - showing the love of Jesus.
The second verse says
For all You've given to meWhen I ask God to show me those blessings he always does. I hope that this song will minister to you today.
For all of the blessings that I cannot see
Thank you Lord
Thank you Lord
While I was fixing the plates of food, I saw some other children walking up and said to myself, "Oh no, we do not have goody bags for them." So I met the grandmother (Bea) at the door and told her what we were doing and explained that we didn't have gifts for everyone, but we'd figure it out. Well, she wasn't going to let her grand babies feel left out, so she started to take them out. I told her that they wouldn't be left out. The rest of the conversation does not need to be repeated, but we were both offended.
If you know me, you know that I am tenderhearted. I began to cry for many reasons, but deep down I did not want this precious lady to be hurt. I spoke to Kylie's grandmother and she got more goody bags for the three girls. There was enough food. All the children had a great time.
I went back to the service crying. Honestly, I was stewing and was having a hard time getting over it. I asked the Lord to help me forgive her. That's the right thing do to, am I correct? The lady ministering today was talking about walking in the love. Was I loving this lady who offended me?
At the end of the service, Denise called Bea up to be prayed for. Bea has been under a lot of pressure. She called Pastor Laural up to pray too. I stood up to help Bea with the baby, but Denise told me that she wanted me to lay hands on Bea and minister to her.
As I stood before Bea, I knew that I could not minister to her with unforgiveness in my heart. I started crying all over again. I hugged Bea and told her I was sorry and asked her forgiveness. She also apologized and asked for my forgiveness. Denise looked at me because she wasn't finished yet, but I explained that we had to take care of some business before I could pray for her.
I told the Lord I didn't know what I could say to encourage her with what transpired between us. But as we forgave each other, the Lord gave me the words that he used to encourage her. I willingly laid hands on Bea and prayed. God answered my prayer and helped me forgive.
It made me laugh to realize that God put me in a position to forgive before I could stew for long and let the matter get out of control. I really just wanted to deal with it privately, but God knew what was best for us today.
We have a good God.
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Take an inventory of what you don't have that is causing you jealousy or envy. Then ask yourself if that item is really a necessity or a luxury. Next, take an inventory of what you do have. Ask God to give you a heart of thanksgiving that will lead to contentment.
Jenners played a little game on her blog recently, my cousin Christy did too, so I asked to play. All you have to do is make a list of ten of your favorite things. The catch is that everything on the list has to start with a specific letter of the alphabet, which is assigned by the blogger you are playing with. Jenners little One assigned me "T" so here goes... my favorite things that start with the letter T.
1. Tiramisu is my favorite dessert and I enjoyed it most on my first date with my husband.
2. Tami is my very best friend from college. We met the summer that we both stayed to work. It sure helped to have someone to pass the time with as we didn’t have TV and didn’t get off campus much.
3. True Friends love me despite my faults – Jenn, Melissa, Mary, Tonya, Tami .
4. Transcription, yes it can be one of my favorite things as it was my first job as a “work from home mom.”
5. Three Children – I have always wanted two boys and one girl. I have my two boys and one day I will have my girl.
6. Two Sisters – I have the best sisters in the world, Judy and Debby. (I have a great brother too, but nothing started with T to fit him). I was 13 when Judy was born and I was a little mother to her and I enjoyed helping my mom with her. I was 19 and a freshman in college when Debby was born and really didn’t get to know her until I moved back to Valdosta in 1996.
7. Twenty-eight years old is when I gave my life back to the Lord. What an awesome experience to know God on a personal level.
8. Two Thousand One (2001) is the year that I married the love of my life, Lee. I am so thankful that the Lord brought us together through a singles ministry at the church I was attending. Of course, I had no idea that he was interested in me at the time. And my friends tell it that it was soooooo obvious. J We’ve had seven good years and two beautiful boys.
9. Triangles are fun, especially when I get to tutor geometry! The Lord used this experience to show me my passion of teaching high school Math. Another goal to work toward.
My understanding of my position in Christ and my knowing God as my Father is a daily journey. As I mediate on God's Word and let it get into my spirit, I trust God and his promises. The delight in being a great father to His children on earth is what motivates God!
I want to know you God as a true father who is my teacher and my provider. I do not want to cast an image on You that is not true. You are Abba Father to me and I trust You!
The Lord gave me the words to this song several months ago:
Father, you have given me an ornament of beauty
You have given me oil of joy
You have given me the garment of praise
And girded with gladness, I dance before you.
Chorus:
Because You are Lord
You are God
You are Most High
You are Almighty
You are Provider
You are Healer
You are Righteousness
You are Lord of Hosts
You are Conqueror
You are Peace
You are Present
You are Lord
Father, I have given you all of my brokenness
I have given you all of my heart
I have given you all of my passion
And girded with your Spirit, I choose life.
Chorus
My Daily Bible Reading comes from
The Devotional Bible
Experiencing the Heart of Jesus
Max Lucado, General Editor
I pray that we all have happy, godly marriages.
2. I am married to a godly man and have been blessed with two beautiful boys.
3. I am doing what I've always wanted to do - be a stay at home mom.
4. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
5. I am able to share this blog with Meili, Tonya, Mary, Christy, Tami, Sue, Jen, Tara and C. Beth. I have enjoyed meeting new blogger friends.
HOW THIS WORKS:
1. Repost the picture on your blog and pls. acknowledge where it came from. Kindly leave a comment on this post so I would know you've posted it.
2. Write down 5 things you are grateful for, the 5th being the bloggers you are tagging
3. You may copy this or write your own quote regarding gratitude:
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1
I AM GRATEFUL BECAUSE this blog was passed on to me by: meili_lo
My friend Melissa made a bed quilt with the same pattern and shared it with me. Isn't she talented?
I've made progress on my Blooming Nine Patch, but I am not ready to show it yet. But it will be a nice quilt.
I'm glad to be quilting again. It is a relaxing hobby for me and I love the exactness of it. I'm hoping to take a class on paper piecing after the first of the year.
I like hearing how others got started quilting. For me I saw a quilt and thought that I probably could do it too. And we had a quilt shop downtown that was teaching classes. It was a lot of fun. I mainly did wall hangings and baby quilts, but now I am branching out to do a bed quilt. We'll see how that turns out.
One of the ladies in my latest class said that she made a quilt doing it "her way" and decided to learn some basic techniques. She wasn't at all interested in the exactness of the art. But oh how that interests me.
This first group of fat quarters I won as a door prize when I attended the Grand Opening of Boston Bobbin in Boston, Georgia. It is a quilt shop about 13 miles West of Quitman. I recently attending a quilting class on the Blooming Nine Patch.
This last group I bought just because I liked the colors. I think I'm going to make a lap quilt for myself.
I'll post the patterns as soon as I decide what they will be. Decisions, Decisions.
I found some Christmas fabric in my stash and I want to make a tree skirt with it. Hopefully, I'll finish it before Christmas.
What do you think? Have any suggestions?
My husband replied by asking why didn't I pick up the pecans under our pecan tree. We have a tree on the lot next to our home. My answer was that I didn't want to shell them.
Today, my MIL, the boys and I picked up pecans from the ground. Honestly, it is not something I really enjoy doing. Bending over, moving wet leaves out of the way, just to find a pecan that is the same color of the wet leaves on the ground. But I will do it again......
My boys loved picking up pecans today. We had a great time in the sunshine. They are so proud of what they did.
Another moment where I enjoyed my life.
Pecan Pie Muffins
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup pecans, chopped
2/3 butter melted
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Combine sugar, flour and pecans mix well. Then add in butter, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Grease muffin tin.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
For a lighter version use Splenda Brown Sugar (see conversion chart on pkg) and Smart Balance Butter 50/50 with Omega 3.
A few weeks ago, Greg & I were trying to decide what to do for a date-night, when our youngest, "Belly", had an idea...
She said, "Why don't you recreate your honeymoon and do whatpeople do on their wedding nights."
As I dropped my mouth open and my fork hit the plate, my husband (just about) choked on his steamed veggies (if that's possible)!
I questioned, "And what would that be, Missy?"
She replied, "Sit under the moon and tell your honey you love him!"
For more details check out her blog. The baby's name is Daniel. As a mom myself, I cannot image what she is going through, but she does have Jesus with her.
I love you Tara and we are praying.
A circle is round,
it has no end.
That's how long,
I will be your friend.
O - Others.
This was her motto - from the keeping of babies of migrant workers to the caring of her aged mother.
U - Understanding.
You could always pour out your heart to Ma. She listened, she cared, and she always seemed to understand. Sometimes she gave advice, sometimes she didn't; but you always felt better after you talked to Ma.
R - Rare.
A price far above rubies. She was a 'joyful mother of children' - Proverbs 113:9. She worked 'willingly with her hands' - Proverbs 31:13. She 'looked well to the ways of her household' - Proverbs 31:27. The heart of her husband trusted in her - Proverbs 31:11. Like Sarah, she followed her husband when he went out and sojourned in a strange country - Hebrews 11:8,9.
M - Mommy, Ma.
She was a 'keeper at home' - Titus 2:5. She was home when we got up in the morning. She was home singing throughout the day. She was home when we came home from school. She was home to tuck us in at night. She was there - it was home.
O - Old.
She was old and gray-headed (although she never seemed to age) and she showed God's strength to our generation and the next - Psalm 71:8. Strength and honor were her clothing - Proverbs 31:25. She was content during the good times and the bad.She accepted God's will for her life. She knew her Lord, she loved Him, and she trusted Him.
T - Tender.
A tender heart - 'Out of the abundance of her heart, she spoke.' Tears flowed easily. Oh how she loved all the creatures great and small; all people rich or poor.
H - Humble.
Webster's Dictionary: 1.) Not proud or haughty: Not arrogant or assertive. This was our Mother.
E - Everybody's friend.
She was just as comfortable in Brenda's humble home eating corn bread and beans as in Mrs. Boyd's fine home eating chicken salad on fine china and drinking coffee from a silver pot.
R - Remember.
Our Mother, we love her, we miss her. May her rare beauty always remain vivid in our memory and may her children always rise up and call her blessed.
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15 November 6, 2005
Anytime I was asked to bring something to an event, I would bring these brownies. They were a big hit with our singles group at church (that was a long time ago as most of us are married now!) When I was dating my husband I made them for him in the 9x9 pan without nuts. He prefers a thin brownie with lots of nuts. Hence, my adaptation. My kids love them too and I usually make them for their birthday parties since they prefer brownies to cake. If you try them, I'd love to hear how they turn out.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
12 oz bag of Toll House Chocolate Chips
(do NOT use a generic brand - just isn't the same)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup self-rising flour
Combine sugar, butter and water in a saucepan and bring to just a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 bag of chocolate chips and mix well until melted. Add one egg at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla. Mix in the flour. Finish by adding the rest of the chocolate chips and nuts (optional). The second half of the chocolate chips should remain whole.
Spoon mixture into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
My Aunt Sue gave me this recipe but her version is baked in a 9x9 pan which makes these brownies cake like. The 9x13 makes them thin and chewy.
Enjoy!
Yes, when we went out to the car the associate pointed out that I had a flat tire. Ugh. I asked him to load my groceries in the car wherever he could put them because I would need to get the spare tire and jack out of the trunk. I thanked him, then loaded Joel in the car seat with some Goldfish. I took a deep breath and started unloading the trunk so that I could get to the spare tire and trunk. It would be embarrassing to mention all that I had to take out, but the items included bricks, floor tires and locks.