Blackberry Seeds

I have had a great bear hug from God. He gives us hugs and encouragement when we don't even see it coming. He sends people to love on us and lead us when we need it the most. I have needed it. But I am not the only one.

I stood in the Amway Arena this past weekend with I don't even know how many other women worshiping the Lord at a Deeper Still Event. We sat on the edge of our seats as we heard that God goes beyond our expectations and then he will go beyond, beyond. We heard that we can rest in our faith even in a bad season. We rallied as we learned how to discern what was from God so that we would not get PUNKED! We laughed until we cried as we heard the banter between the ladies that led us deeper still into the word with God. We left with a challenge to go deeper still in our relationship with Jesus and expect him to go beyond, beyond and way past, way past as we rested in our faith of the one true God!

I was exhausted when I got home. I had the chance before driving home to have one of the best conversations and discussions with my new friends. I thank God for my sisters in Christ.

I had to go to work yesterday, on the Sabbath. I have to work every third weekend and this was my weekend to work. God blessed me when someone switched a day with me so that I could attend the conference on Saturday. I still had to work Sunday, so the blast of the conference was over and off to work I go, tired!

I momentarily forgot that I was expecting God to go beyond, beyond. I mean, I was going to be stuck at work(which has been really hard for me this year.)

I ended up meeting someone that was experiencing grief of a loved one. Hmmmm. I sure can relate to that.

He brought up his grief and we talked about grief and how hard it is. I shared that I was struggling with my own grief currently and I found myself offering to call a minister.

"No."

"Would you like a Bible?" (the limit of my expectation at the time)

"Yes. I have been seeing John 3:16 all over the place today, and I can't remember what it says."

" I can get you a Bible, but I can tell you what John 3:16 says. `For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' " (okay, God just got me way past the limit of my expectation, I realized later that this is the first person that has ever asked me what John 3:16 says that didn't already know it or was in the process of memorizing it!)

I brought this person a Bible and told him it was a New Testament, but it did have the Psalms in it. Somehow, during this encounter, I got to share the plan of salvation with him. He was asking~ I was telling. Since he was anxious I asked him what story he like in the Bible. He wasn't really sure, so I told him when I am anxious, I like to read about Jesus calming the storm. He didn't know this story, but he wanted to read it. So I went to look it up, and I couldn't remember the book. I can always go right to it in my Bible, but I was having a moment of panic and it dawned on me...use your Blackberry.

Into my pocket as fast as could be, I used my new nifty Blackberry and googled `Jesus calms the storm.' I had flipped to the reference quick as could be and left him reading about the Prince of Peace.
(Now, by this time God took me beyond, beyond! Way past, way past! Did I see it coming? No, but I liked it. Thank you Jesus!)

He liked the story. He was smiling, yet he was still anxious. He struggles you see. He was taught as a child, that only 144,000 get into heaven.

Strange... he could remember that number of 144,000 and that learning heaven wasn't for him, but he couldn't recall John 3:16 at all.

A few seeds dropped, and one was even a Blackberry seed. Isn't God Awesome??????

This is what standing on good soil is all about:)

Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. May He be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3: 20-21.

Tears and Hope

I have been thinking much about time and loved ones recently. Memories of loved ones are crowding my mind as I remember the time that I spent with them. I have come to discover how much their personality's have shaped my own. I have discovered how much I miss the presence of their laughter and humor in the day to day of my life. Things are just never the same.

Mary and Martha's lives changed when they knew Lazarus lay sick and dying. Their dear brother was suffering and they wanted Jesus to heal him, but he was away. Their hearts were breaking. Memories swept through their minds as they wept. Thoughts of memories never to be surely flashed by as well. Lazarus died as his family wept for him and for themselves. Their hearts broke.

Jesus knew that Lazarus had died and he knew what he was going to do about it. He went to the grave 4 days after Lazarus had been there. Jesus wept with Lazarus' family and then preceded to tell Lazarus to come out.

Lazarus lived again, yet his life was changed.

Mary and Martha would never be the same.

Those who witnessed it were changed and made choices because of it. Some placed their faith in Jesus, others reported his deed to the Pharisees who in turn met with the Sanhedrin. A plot to kill Jesus had begun.

Lazarus lived, but Jesus would die. Jesus would overcome death, rising on the 3rd day, so that each and everyone of us would live again and things would never be the same again.


We so want our loved ones not to suffer, but yet we don't want to part with them either. It is a strange mix of emotions as you sit and weep for a loved one as they pass from this earthly world. We long for them to be their old self, yet it can never happen in this world. As much as we want it, things will never be the same and we can only hope.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...

Revelation 21:4

Here, the fall leaves are brown!

Fall is here and pumpkins are popping up everywhere! This is a super fun time of year for young and old. BubbaLou got to pick out her costume tonight! She is going to be a.... sorry, top secret information. If I tell, she might have to insist on a whole new outfit! We can't have that, now, can we?!

I love watching the leaves change, but I don't get to see to much of that anymore. There is one little spot, as you round the corner to my house that has a few trees that actually have other colors than just brown. It took me four years after moving down to Florida to figure out what month it was. I see the subtle changes now, like pumpkins in roadside stands and leaves beginning to turn brown, but it is not a true golden and red leaf fall that sets your soul to wonderment and awe. So, I have to rely on memories of my beloved Tennessee falls...

memory fade in

The last 2 weeks of October were always my favorite. This is the time in Tennessee when all the leaves were at their most beautiful. I even had favorite streets to drive down in which the trees canopied the road, leaves would fall as you drove under them. The air was crisp and fresh with an intoxicating breeze, my eyes filled with the beauty around me, and my heart praised God. When I find myself prompted by nature, I am always reminded that He will not let me forget that He made it for us to enjoy because He loves us and is glorified!

memory fade out

Isaiah 45:18

For this is what the LORD says-he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. Not only did he make it for us, but he filled it with his glory.

Isaiah 6:3

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

Life is like soy sauce

Our family has been going through some stressful times the last month. It has been overwhelming with the abnormal-literally. I haven't known quite what to make of it,nor, how to put my normal positive spin on it, so I have been abnormally quiet.

It all came together this morning as I was making yummy blueberry pancakes since the second day of school was cancelled for a "Storm Day." I had my last two blueberry pancakes cooking and had put the finishing touches on my own plate of hot blueberry pancakes when I grabbed something out of the cabinet and realized it was covered with black liquid. Then in that same hundredth of a second that won Michael Phlelps a gold medal, I realized the entire cabinet was covered in black liquid that came from an overturned bottle of soy sauce.

It had covered my box of Stevia. That stuff cost too much to be infused with the taste of soy sauce. I immediately set to work cleaning. It dripped on the coffee pot, it dripped on the counter, it dripped on the floor, and then down the front of my gown. I am not sure how many paper towels I used to clean this mess, but I sure was glad I wasn't out. I cleaned and cleaned as my pancakes sat there getting cold.

It was during this massive clean up, I realized, this is how my life has been lately. I have been up to my knees in soy sauce! But not just me, everyone in the family is standing on soy sauce. Our friends have even been standing in soy sauce. So what to do, what to do?

While I was cleaning out my cabinets, I was able to save what was inside most of the time, but the boxes had to go. Very few things had to be completely tossed out. My cabinet is now clean and is less cluttered-at least that one shelf. Maybe, just maybe, that is what God needs us to let him do.

So I will let God clean this mess up! I will let him go through, and box by box, either wipe off the bottom or throw the box away. He will have the shelves in our souls cleansed and straightened, clear of even the lingering smell of soy sauce. He can find all the drips and stains of our hurts and fears and wash them away completely. He will take the abnormal and make it normal again, giving us ways to cope and overcome. He will put the top on tight so now new spills of soy sauce don't occur and he will always have plenty of paper towels.

You better check the bottoms of your shoes, you might just be standing in soy sauce!

Dan 3:24-27

Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement.

He asked his officials,

"Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?"

They answered, "Yes, we did, Your Majesty."
"Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?" he asked.

"They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt

-and the fourth one looks like an angel."
So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door

of the blazing furnace and called out,

"Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego!

Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!"

And they came out at once.

All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors,

and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men,

who had not been harmed by the fire.

Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned,

and there was no smell of smoke on them.

Imprints

God puts people in this world baby by baby. He gives each one a personality with talents and charms. He makes each one special because He has a plan for each one. We can't see people the same way God sees them. We see stereotypes, colors, wealth or poverty, and actions. God sees each person's heart. He sees the way we act and knows the thoughts that go along with it. He sees the potential that each of us have because of the gifts and talents he set us up with at birth. He knows from the beginning. He knows...everything about us. He knows when we are to be born and when we are to die. He knows the imprint on the world that each of us are to have for Him.

People come in and out of our life and they make imprints on us, and we make imprints on them. God chooses who and why.

God allowed me to sit under a wonderful preacher for several years and allowed the preacher's daughters to sit in my GA class. I am the better for it, but my heart is broken today. For today, we have lost a wonderful and caring preacher and his son, and those girls and their family have lost their father/husband and brother/son. Pastor Forrest Pollock and his son Preston will be missed greatly by his family, the Bell Shoals Baptist Church congregation, and all the people, all over the world that they touched with their lives. We will carry on knowing that they are in our Father's arms, and we will be forever changed-for the better. We will see them again.

Php 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven.

BubbaLou's Beauty Secrets

BubbaLou came down with a tummy-ache yesterday. She spent today recuperating at home, on the couch, in front of the bube-tube. She did however find time for a beauty treatment. You know, you don't have to feel good to look good!

She couldn't resist the temptation of the nice cool cucumber in the fridge. She sliced off a couple of cool eye treatments to go with the cool melon lotion she smeared over her face.

It takes a calm persona to lie there and relax for 20 minutes while the cucumbers do their magic. Funny thing is, it is hard to watch Scooby Doo with big cucumbers stuck to your eyeballs! I would say her calm, relaxing 20 minute beauty treatment lasted all of 3 minutes max. Oh, but her skin was sooo soft and smooth.

You probably only need 3 minutes of beauty treatments in the first decade of life anyway.

Ester 2:12

The regular beauty treatment for the women lasted a year---massages with oil of myrrh for six months and with oil of balsam for six more

Eagle Eyes

Have you ever seen such a sweet little bunch of ducklings? BubbaLou a.k.a. Eagle Eyes spotted these precious little critters under the bridge at Universal, right in front of Krustyland. I was so mesmerized by the circling of Krusty's eyeballs, I almost missed them. But as we know, a child will lead them. We even got the attention of others nearby who had not taken a moment to look down and see God at work with these little ducklings. Don't ya just love to find the simple but intricate things among the gaudy dressings of this world.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Rosette Waffles

These are lovely, aren't they? Very easy to make with a Williams-Sonoma rosette muffin/cupcake pan! Unfortunately, I don't think they make them any more. I happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time several years ago and just couldn't resist paying $ 25 for something that I rarely use! Yes, it was an impulse buy-but look it has paid off only a few years later.

Now, for my secret recipe for these yummy, delicious rosette waffles......

1pouch of Belgium waffle mix

Then follow the directions on the box for waffles!

I cooked them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes-I think...I didn't really time it....I just took them out when they were starting to turn just barely golden brown.

I served them with a great big dollop of fat free cool whip with strawberries on top! YUM!

We ate them as an afternoon feast last Tuesday in remembrance of the day that Mary conceived Jesus! It is a tradition to serve waffles on this day in Sweden!

BubbaLou stuffed herself with them-it was a feast day!

Luke 1:35

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.

A Surprise Easter Celebration

Easter, our most Holy Day when Christ was raised with a promise of Eternal life has come at last. My celebration of this day was a little different. I had to work.

I could not attend church services, not even a sunrise service, because I was already at work. But God does not forget those of us who must carry on and serve him while we work. He keeps the surprises for us!

He played the Hallelujah Chorus on the radio this morning for me. I found myself in full blown worship with the Holy Spirit! I cried all through it. How awesome that he loves us so.

He gave me a positive day at work today, lots of progress with a patient.

He took two suffering patients home today. I got to hug the wife and brother of one of those that he took home. We shared that if he had to go, "What a day to go!"

He had a friend/co-worker reveal to me that they got saved!

Luke 24:12

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened.

Don't you think that we should expect to be amazed by our Lord-it still takes me by surprise every time.....

Good Friday

Col 1:20

Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

1Pe 2:24

Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.

This is the real reason to Thank God It's Friday!

I am grateful that my Jesus walked the walk and took my sins to the cross that day. How my soul is looking forward to the ressurection celebration!!!

The Garden

Your feet will bring you to where your heart is ~IRISH PROVERB

Today was jam packed full of simple and good things. Way too much to share in just one post! So I thought I would start off with the simple things and add in a few blessings as I go.

Popsaroo, BubbaLou, and myself, went to the Renaissance Festival today. It was held at the grounds behind Mosi, our kids science museum. We had to park and walk, but we found the most serene garden along the way- the butterfly garden. BubbaLou loves butterfly gardens. She keeps saying she wants to plant one, maybe we will do that.

When we first walked into the screened room, we just saw plants. We had to start really looking for the butterflies.

This is the first one we found. Resting on some Pentas. These are great flowers to grow down here, they just bloom and bloom. It usually is the very end of summer when the Pentas start to look leggy, but they will still be blooming.

Then we found this one on the screen. Why isn't it on a flower? I guess it preferred the scenery. We couldn't find anymore, and then we looked up. They were all over the ceiling. I guess they like to hang upside down. Who knew?

Instead of staying put and counting the butterflies, we moved on towards the festival. We could hear the crowds cheering behind the trees and we were anxious to be in on the show.

So long little butterflies, maybe we will plant a garden for you too.

Bless to me, O God, the earth beneath my feet,

Bless to me, O God, the path whereon I go,

Bless to me, O God, the people whom I meet,

Today, tonight, and tomorrow.

~Celtic Blessing

Heb 9:5

Above the Box were the winged creatures representing God's presence, with their wings spread over the place where sins were forgiven.

If butterflies look like this, I wonder what the wings of angels look like......

A coat of many colors and a shamrock

Don't ya just love it when God makes a connection for ya? Well, he sure gave me one today, and appropriate to the holiday too! I made a connection between St. Patrick and Joseph with his coat of many colors. I made this connection via Beth Moore. She wasn't talking about St. Patrick, she was talking about Joseph. I have just been thinking and reading about St. Patrick with the upcoming celebration. So it goes when you are in Bible study, God just puts stuff together for ya.

Now, Beth was sharing with us how Joseph's brothers had become entangled by the grudge they felt for their father's favorite son. She talked about how Joseph(17 yrs old) pranced around looking for his brothers while wearing his lovely coat and once he found them he ended up in a dry cistern and then sold off as a slave. Do you think he got a clue about rubbing that lovely coat in his brother's faces? Maybe, because then she spoke of how Joseph would spend his lifetime looking for his brother's approval, respect, mercy, apology, appreciation, and finally their welfare. As you read on in Genesis, we see how he staged the events to get these things out of them. She also pointed out, that God had Joseph in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. In the end, he was caring for his family and making sure that they had the best and prospered.

Patrick, before he was a saint, was a young man(16 yrs old) in Roman Britain, who was having a good time and not worshiping the one true God. He was busy, as most young men are, having the time of his life. All of a sudden, Irish raiders put an end to his high time and took him back to Ireland as a slave. Patrick was a slave for about six years. Somehow, I can't imagine he was to fond of the Irish when he was first taken. I know that as a slave, once he got past the anger and unfairness of it all, he certainly wanted their approval and mercy. As he stayed on and started to form some relationships he may have even been hoping for some respect and appreciation from them. Are you seeing the connection? God had Patrick in his hand and a purpose for his slavery. Patrick found his way off the island via God's plan and then he found his way back to the island via God's plan and Patrick's heart had been forever changed as he wished for the welfare of the Irish people.

God even gave Patrick the shamrock to help explain The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. I think God had that in mind when he created the shamrock!

Irish Link of the Day:
Stephen Lawhead wrote a great book, Patrick:Son of Ireland . In this book(which is fiction-but based on the story of Patrick), he explores what it must of been like for Patrick to be taken as a slave and his life in Ireland. The prelude, is at the beginning, but really is a clip of Patrick after he has returned to Ireland to spread the Good News! You can read a little of it by clicking on the name of the book above.
You can read Patrick's confession by clicking on Patrick's heart.

Gen 45:7-8

God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God. He has made me the king's highest official. I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of all Egypt.

Here and There

This is here, in Florida. Where it doesn't snow.

This is one of our Chinaberry trees. We consider this a weed tree, because you see, it grows no matter what you do to it. It drops these chinaberries that look like a bunch of ugly grape shaped clusters and just litters up the yard. Our bird friends then scatter the seeds by their very own special seed delivery system. They pop up all over the place. You just can't get rid of them. But they do have pretty blooms. This is the tree that BubbaLou picked those blossoms from. It is hard to see them in the picture, but they are way up in the tops of the tree.

She can really swing that golf club!

This is there in Tennessee, where it does snow. It looks very cold.

My CuzinAmy sent me these pictures of the snow, she wanted me to remember the good times. She was happy, she was excited, she got a snow day!

Did you know that teachers get excited over snow days just like the kids?

I know two teachers who are like that. MzAmy and MzLisa.

Yes, CuzinAmy, the thought of snow days does bring back fond memories. I loved to sit in front of the TV, anxiously watching Snowbird and waiting for him to announce that Davidson county had no school that day. There is nothing like getting a snow day! Except maybe playing in it!

I also remember the snow cream. I loved snow cream. Snow cream tasted as good as snow smells. I guess it wouldn't be safe to eat snow cream anymore. So sad.

I also remember attempting to walk down our driveway to my car, so that I could venture over to MzLisa's house to pass the snow day away, when I fell flat on my tooshy! I must have been a site to behold as I crawled up the icy drive to the snowy sidewalk and then back into the house where I almost blacked out from the pain. Ahhh, memories.

Psalms 147:16

He spreads snow like a blanket and scatters frost like dust.

A little love token from BubbaLou

BubbaLou loves to pick flowers. She can hardly walk by a flowering plant without picking one. Loving family members have been known to turn their flower pots around or place the flowering violet and the prized Christmas cactus out of her reach when they know she is coming. They have learned from experience what will happen if they don't. She can never be accused of not stopping to smell and pick the flowers.

The other day, she even wanted to get out of the car while we were stopped at a light to pick the pretty white and yellow wildflowers growing on the corner. She is always on the lookout for a pretty flower. She always wants to give it to someone after she picks it.

Today, she brought this beautiful bouquet to me. She was telling me all she had to do to pick these flowers. She had tried a new approach, because you see, these flowers were growing in the tops of our chinaberry trees. She picked these flowers with a golf club. That's right, a golf club. Maybe picked is the wrong word. She knocked these flowers down by throwing her golf club up into the tree and knocking them to the ground! Then she picked them up.

Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Luke 12:27

Look how the wild flowers grow: they don't work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.

The Creation of Laughter

Our Creator sure has a sense of humor. I mean, who else would create the animals that can entertain us for hours with their silly antics? Dogs chase their tails, cats can turn inside out mid air with their tail poofed out and still land on their feet, and hamsters and gerbils are just down right knee slappin' funny to watch.

Then Creator God, makes these animals that tease each other! What cat wouldn't give her last catnip mouse to tease a dog on a leash? No cat I know! The cats I have known, will flop right on their back with their belly in the air and just roll around in the dirt driving that dog mad! I think they even sing....."Look at my belly, you can't touch me! Isn't my belly fuzzy, you can't reach me!" They just laugh at that dog, I can just hear them! But then, what dog wouldn't give his last beefy bone to chase that cat right up a tree?




God made another funny creature. That creature would be the crane. Yes sir, the crane is fine specimen of bird. A family bird he is, always right by Mrs. Crane and the Crane children.




Mr. Crane has also been known to freak out when he sees himself in the window pane. He thinks he is another bird. He talks some smack and then commences to peck that noisy good for nothing bird right in the face! Almost broke my window, he did!

Mr. Crane is in need of a bit of therapy.


Dr. Thomasdog is ready to give it to him...For Free!!!!

The therapy is called.....Chase the Crane.....and watch him freak out!

Dr. Thomasdog does laugh sooooooo.

Gen 2:18-20 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him." So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names. So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.

I can only imagine the crazy antics that Adam must have seen....it must have been the first time the first man laughed!

LOVE, The Real Deal!

Happy Valentine's Day

1 Corinthians Chapter 13
4 Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; 5 does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; 6 finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

John 13:34

And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Puppy Issues

It is that time of the year! Pirate time. Gaperilla brought the pirates to the Tampa Bay Area and the pirates in turn, brought their fleas...and left them. We are currently experiencing the Flea Invasion of '08. They even had a parade across the pup's belly. I think I even heard a few, "Arrrgh's, " hmmm.... maybe that was the dog.

While I was off having tons of fun at work, trapped on Davis Island by the Gasperilla marathon and the time clock, Popsaroo and BubbaLou found their way to the flea market to pick up a flea pill. This is a sort of magic pill that kills all the fleas in 24 hours. It wears off after that short span of time and then your back-up long-term flea medicine better be working.

Of course, Popsaroo and BubbaLou had a high time at the flea market. She saw a puppy, she met the puppy, and the puppy licked her finger. BubbaLou was in love with the puppy and wanted to bring it home. Yeah, right. Dream on kid. Popsaroo had the power of NO in him that day. So off they went to the car, puppyless.

Guess who cried, uncontrollably? Guess who called me at work, to tell me about BubbaLou crying uncontrollably and actually handed the phone off in the expectation that I do something?

She was still crying when we hung up, but I discovered something. It was almost 2pm and they had not eaten since breakfast! "Go feed the child!" I cried.

During this phone cry, they had left the flea market and were on their way to Universal Studios for a fun-filled adventure. The Mardigras parade and GOGO's concert were calling their names.

Popsaroo pulled off the interstate in Lakeland to stop at the handy Mickey D's when BubbaLou spotted the ROADHOUSE steak house. She heard the choirs singing and pointed Popsaroo in the direction of her favorite steak house. She said, " Popsaroo, you have to take me to Roadhouse because I have puppy issues!"

Being the softie that he is, he took her for a steak, she stuffed herself, and was then a stable member of society even with her puppy issues.

They had a great time at the parade and the concert. They found a place far enough back from the stage so it wasn't too loud for BubbaLou. While they waited, she befriended the "older than us" couple next to her and kept them entertained with stories of her pup, Thomas.

Some how, some way, BubbaLou thinks that if I see this puppy, I too will fall in love with it, and we will bring it home. She has made a date for us to go the flea market on Saturday. "Yeah, right, dream on BubbaLou, no more dogs!"

Ecc 9:7 Go ahead---eat your food and be happy... It's all right with God.

Milestones

I wanted to share the spectacular milestone my daughter, aka BubbaLou has accomplished today. She is so excited about it and has been showing me time after time. In fact, when Popsaroo got home, it was the first thing she showed him. She continued to show us in the truck on the way to MOE's for some dinner, and she even hid behind the truck door to show us one more time before we went inside.

Can you guess???????

She can arm fart!

Have I told you how proud I am(as my eyes roll back in my head and sigh)?

Aahhh!Milestones of childhood. Way to go BubbaLou!

1Sam 1:27 I asked him for this child, and he gave me what I asked for.

Just in case you are wondering about the context of the above scripture, it is the story of Hannah dedicating Samuel to the Lord. But children are children. I prayed for and dedicated BubbaLou to the Lord too! Wonder what she will do when she grows up!?

A SuperDylan SHOUTOUT

Dylan has started his last and 6th round of chemo today. This one is more tricky and will involve a stem-cell transfer that may take 4-7 weeks. In isolation. People, he is 5 years old.

Let's send him some LOVE Internet style!

This is no time to lurk, so join with me in sending Dylan good tidings!

You can send comments to him via his SuperDylan site-just hit the contact tab in the top right hand corner. There is also an address for his hospital room on the home page.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, go to the SuperDylan site and educate yourself on this wonderful little boy and his family. I grew up laughin' with his mama! So get to readin' and prayin' and sendin' some love!

Psalms 66:19 But God has indeed heard me; he has listened to my prayer.

It's the Simple Things

Have you ever wondered why it is the simple things in life that can make or break your day? I love to look back at my day and remember the simple things that made me stop, even if for a second, and thank the Good Lord above for these simple details that made my day!


Haley and I were on our way to and from swim practice the other day and we actually saw a handful of simple things that just tickled us pink! The first was this lazy cat, taking a nap on the very top of the roof. We even turned the car around and pulled up and took its picture. We were a few moments late for swim, but it was for a simple thing that mattered.

On the way home that night, we saw Pepe the little baby donkey that lives in the pasture behind the pool. He is so cute and we look for him every time we pass by. Two girls were feeding and petting him. I would have pulled over and taken a picture, but their bikes were in the way and I had someone behind me. Closer to our house we saw a dog running along beside a bull, like they were the best of friends. I love to watch the relationships between animals-they can truly be friends. When we pulled up to the house, the sky was very pretty. I was just able to take a deep breath and relax knowing that God had His hands on everything. My camera doesn't do it justice, but God's watercolors are amazing.

What was my simple thing for today, you ask? My daughter's art. Yes, we had come home from church and she had been playing in the yard. I went to put some clothes in the dryer, and out of the corner of my eye, through the window, I spied her art. Her yard art. Her rural yard art. It made me smile and laugh! Who knew she had it in her for such modern expressions art?

The collage of yard tools- by Haley

Ecc 7:29 This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.