2010 Giving Thanks Challenge

I am looking forward to participating again this year in the Giving Thanks Challenge for the month of November. You can join in too. Visit South Breeze Farm to link up.

I'm going to be posting my list starting on November 1 in my sidebar. Each day I'll plan to add what I'm thankful for that day. Then at the end of November I'll put them in one post. I also plan to put my list on Facebook this year too.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #44

For November my theme for verses will be praise. The verse this week is Psalm 9:1--
"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders."

Pause and consider the wonders of the Lord that you have witnessed today. Praise Him for all He has done!

Do you have a prayer request this week? Here are some I'd like to share:

~ Michele asked for prayers for her husband as he travels to visit a Christian school in Tanzania.

~ Our family as we still have not closed on our house.

~ My hubby as he begins his new position.

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you have a great month of November!
Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: Halloween

This week Linda has asked us to share our childhood Halloween memories. This will be a fun one!

My flashback:
I don't remember Halloween being as big of a deal then as it seems to be now. I don't like all the scary decorations they sale in stores. I SO do not understand buying costumes for pets. Lots of houses put up all these yard decorations too which I don't get either.

Our school had Halloween carnivals. There were booths set up all around the football field--bingo, cake walk, lollipop tree, duck pond, etc. Each class or grade level was responsible for a booth. We quit having them though after blonde haired kids started getting kidnapped by people in white vans (that's what I remember at least!)



I dressed up in friendly costumes that we (meaning my Mom) usually made. One childhood costume I remember was when I was a little old lady. I looked just like my piano teacher. We have a picture of this (of course it is at my Mom's house or I'd scan it to put on here!). One year I was a clown with rainbow hair and a red nose.



In middle school we could dress up at school. My Mom made me a Hershey Kiss suit. It was my most favorite Halloween costume ever! She made my little cousin Chelcie a matching one. Another year she made me a bumble bee suit. We have a picture of Peepaw wearing the hat part with the antennae.

I don't remember ever going trick or treating up and down the street. I went to a couple houses of friends or family members to show them my costume and they'd give me candy, but I didn't just go out trick or treating random houses. Plus we lived in the country so we didn't have a lot of houses within a close walking distance.

We always had a jack o lantern. We like to carve one each year with Caleb too and take his picture with some pumpkins.

We usually take Caleb to some sort of fall festival. For his Halloweens he has been a pumpkin, puppy dog, football player, a big green truck, fireman, and clown. This year he has a police officer costume.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

~ my sweet husband and how he provides for our family. Oh I just love him so much and appreciate his friendship.

~ my sweet boy and our breakfast at school. They had cinnamon rolls on Wednesday and we made it in time to get one. It made for a nice start to my Wednesday!

~ our landlady working with us so that we still have a place to live. I may have already mentioned this. We were expecting to be out of the duplex at the end of October. Now we don't know when we will be out. I'm thankful she has been so understanding in this matter.

~ seeing a short little section of a rainbow over the weekend after a rain storm. It was a nice reminder that God keeps His promises.

~ the encouragement and reminders I've received from several different people this week not to be discouraged as we wait for a closing date to be set for our house.

Our TT hostess Lynn asked us about a verse that God is using in our lives right now. I've been reminded the past week of how in human eyes a situation may look impossible, but not with God. He is able to do what seems impossible to us.

What are you thankful for today? Thank you for visiting!

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #31: The Book Whisperer

I have finished reading an interesting book called The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. I chose to read this book for my yearly book to count towards my continuing education credits. Sometimes I am disappointed with the book I chose to use; this year I really enjoyed reading the book and agree with the author's opinions about reading.

Donalyn Miller is a teacher who loves reading and shares her love of reading with each of her students. In this book she shares her techniques and advice for how to teach reading. Students are not given much time to just read in today's classrooms. Teachers say they don't have time for that. Instead they are forced to read a book assigned to the class by a teacher, prepare for a standardized test, and do worksheet after worksheet. This is not effective. Mrs. Miller has a totally different approach. The kids in her class actually read. They take ownership of their reading through selecting their own books and sharing favorite books/authors with classmates as well as their teacher. She writes that the average each student reads is 40-50 books per year. It was interesting to read about the different types of readers she has in her class each year and how she gets all of them to read.

I am glad I read this book and wish there were more teachers out there who valued reading as Mrs. Miller does.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers and Promises Week #43

This week's verse is Psalm 103:2, 3--
"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits--
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases."

Here are some prayer requests I would like to share with you:

~ I saw on Facebook on Friday a prayer request and want to ask you to pray for this family. I was in choir with these sisters (one was a couple years younger and the other a few years older than me). One of the girls said her Mom's cancer had spread to her brain, a tumor burst in her brain and she has a brain bleed. She was care flighted to Lubbock and a recent post said the doctors gave her a few days to live. This family has been on my heart, and I ask you to pray for them to be comforted at this difficult time as well as for those caring for their Mom, Joyce.

~ Another Facebook prayer request! Many of you probably know Michele-- she said their heater went out and the repairman is coming Tuesday, they have a space heater to use till then. Where she lives it's already in the 30s/40s at night, so pray for it not to be too cold and also for the repair not to be expensive.

~ Denise (Shortybear).

~ Still waiting on our new house. We have the duplex pretty much packed up besides a few things we are using in the kitchen and bathroom. We are just waiting now. To be honest we can't see with our eyes how this is going to work, but we are praying we could close somehow this week....that is really what we want to happen and feel like needs to happen for my husband to start his new position on November 1. It is going to have to be God for it to all come together this week though; we can't do it ourselves obviously. We had things planned how we thought they would work for the move, and it hasn't gone like that. I read in a devotional book today about the man who asked for his son to be healed of the evil spirit (Mark 9:14-32). The dad said to Jesus, "But if you can do anything...." I was reminded that our prayers to God about this do not need to be "if you can." We trust Him and seek His will in all of this.

Thank you for visiting. Visit others for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

questions

I was tagged by Linda to answer the seven questions she gave me. Then I am to come up with seven questions and tag seven people to answer those questions.

These are Linda's questions for me:
1. Do you prefer to read the book or see the movie?
Read the book

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas. I love the specialness of the season in the fact that we remember Christ's birth (even though we know He wasn't really born Dec. 25). I love the decorations, family traditions, buying and wrapping gifts, and all the special food.

3. Which do you like better - the mountains or the beach?
Hard choice, I haven't been to either very much. I like looking at the mountains and hearing the sounds of the beach.

4. If money were no consideration, what vehicle would you drive?
I'm not really picky about my vehicle. I liked sitting in the Acadia at the State Fair Auto Show a couple years ago. There was one I liked this year, but I don't know what kind it was. My husband probably would know though!

5. What is your favorite cold-weather beverage?
Hot cocoa with marshmallows

6. How do you communicate most often with your friends: phone, email, text, face-to-face?
Mostly email now or through Facebook. My phone doesn't have texting on it but my husband's does so I've used that lately and like it.

7. How do you receive your mail? Mailbox on the porch, at the end of the driveway, down the street, or post office box?
Since we are in a duplex, we have our mailbox on a post with three other mailboxes out near the street in front of the duplex.

Here are the seven questions I am asking.
1. Do you exercise regularly? If so what kind of exercise do you do?
2. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
3. Do you use plastic, paper, or reusable/recyclable bags?
4. What is the best book you've ever read?
5. What is your favorite drink?
6. What's a website you go to every day?
7. Do you have a favorite charity? What is it and why do you support them?

Now I am tagging the following people:

Hickstionary
Mommy Accountability
Becoming a Titus 2 Woman
Susan's Space
Blossoms & Butterflies
Lily Valley
Country Roads

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

Today for Flashback Friday we are talking about our family structure.

My Flashback:
I lived with both my Mom and my Dad in the same house until I went away to college. They divorced after I graduated from college.

My Mom was a stay-at-home Mom. This is why I dreamed of being a stay-at-home Mom myself one day. She volunteered at my school. My cousin stayed with her while my aunt worked from the time she was born until she was going to kindergarten. That year I was going into 9th grade. One of my former teachers who had been named the principal of the primary school asked if she'd be interested in being her secretary. So when I started high school Mom started working. She has worked as a school secretary since then. She is really good at it and loves what she does.

My Dad was a machinist. He worked normal day hours for many years until he went to work for a large company. Then he did some shift work. He hauled junk/trash for the phone company. He took their trailers of trash to the dump. He always came home with interesting stuff and had a huge collection behind the barn of things he'd collected through the years. He could fix anything, and we still call him with questions when something messes up or breaks.

I don't recall a set list of chores I had to do. I remember making my bed every morning. For many years we had to go to the laundromat so I would help sometimes load or unload the clothes or fold them.

I am a stay-at-home Mom now and very thankful my husband supports me in this.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

We are joining for Thankful Thursday at Lynn's blog this month.


If you read my post last week, you know that Caleb was sick. Well this week I have been sick. I know how Caleb felt last week because I've had all the pains he told me he had last week. I am praying my husband doesn't get it either.

This week I am thankful for:

~ my sweet husband. This was his week off to get things packed so we could move. He has worked hard on getting things packed plus taking care of me. He's been taking Caleb to school and picking him up too. I have been very thankful for his loving care.


~ my sweet boy feeling better. He has taken good care of me this week too.


~ cooler temperatures of fall in Texas.

~ encouraging blog posts I read just at the right time. I am blessed by the encouragement from our blogging community.

~ our landlady being willing to work with us as we face the unknown about when we will be moving. She's been very helpful.


Have a day of blessings!

In Other Words...

My friend Debbie at Heart Choices is hosting "In Other Words Tuesday" this week. I wanted to join in when I saw the quote she chose for this week. It's a quote from Priscilla Shirer's book entitled One in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land.

The spirit of complaint is born out of an unwillingness to trust God with today. Like the Israelites, it means you are spending your time looking back toward Egypt or wishing for the future, all the while missing what God is doing right now.

When I read Debbie's post last night, I emailed her and told her that it was just what I needed to read this week as we are still waiting to close on our new house and for it to be released from the foreclosure freeze.

If I am not trusting God with where He is taking me, I will complain and grumble. Neither of those will do any good; they will cast a negative feeling over our home. That is not what God wants (and it's not what my family wants either!).

I've been reminded lately to enjoy today without complaining and also without longing for our new home. Things have been smooth for us and God has provided every last detail. It will all work out and come together in God's timing anyway.

Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: A Leader's Heart

I received A Leader's Heart 365-Day Devotional Journal by John Maxwell from the Thomas Nelson book review program.

From the publisher:
Leaders need encouragement too, and who better to send it than the leader of leaders!

Applauded as one of the world's most popular leadership experts, John Maxwell brings many of his winning concepts and scriptural meditations into a daily devotional/journal format, designed specifically for leaders.

My thoughts:
This would be an excellent Christmas gift. It is appropriate for anyone who is in any position of leadership whether in the church, business world, or even your own home. Each day includes a Bible verse followed by a short devotional thought. There is also a question each day with some space for you to write your answers. The devotional thoughts are taken from various books on leadership. I enjoyed reading this and feel this would be a helpful, encouraging gift for a leader.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Prayers and Promises Week #42

This week's verse is Colossians 3:13. It is another one about forgiveness that is familiar; it's good to be reminded of the importance of forgiveness.

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Do you have any prayer requests this week? Here are some requests:

~ Alexis, a young girl battling a brain tumor. Pray for her and her parents.

~ our military and their families back home.

~ Leslie's family. I read this prayer request on Kelly's blog recently. I've been praying for this family in their devastating losses.

~ Regarding our move there are several things: We need definite answers on our house closing. We were asked to extend the contract to the 22nd, which is this Friday. We don't have a definite answer on closing though. We really need it to be this week due to our schedules and the time we have before my hubby has to be at his new office. Another prayer is for my husband as he begins his new role in a management position. Pray for wisdom as he will be in this new position. We pray for us to find a new church home. We are also praying for this to be a smooth transition for our son as he will be in a new school.

Thank you for visiting.

Join us for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday: Money

Our flashback this week is about money.

My flashback:
My Mom always handled the finances, paid the bills, etc. I knew they were careful and wise with money. They instilled in me the importance of giving. I saw them giving at church, and I knew it was important to them. They gave to missionaries and other charities as well.

I received a $2 allowance. I don't know what I ever really did with my money. I've always been a saver. I'd give some at church and save the rest. When I got into middle school, I was given $10 a week for lunch. I got to keep whatever was left at the end of the week. I remember choosing meals that would total $1.75 most days, which was a main item (pizza, frito pie, or burrito are the ones I remember that cost $1), a candy or ice cream ($.50), and tea($.25). If I had extra, some weeks I would splurge one day on a baked potato or hot ham and cheese because they both cost more than $1.00. I don't remember if the $10 continued in high school or if it was more.

I have had a savings account as long as I can remember. When I went to college I got a checking account. I loved picking out the checks. I had Precious Moments checks for a long time and also Pillsbury Dough Boy. I had a credit card too but did not use it really use it regularly. It was for big expenses that would be paid off at the end of the month. That is how we started out our marriage too. We always had a zero balance on our credit card. When we did Financial Peace we got rid of our credit cards. We have used a debit card for years, and I like it for its convenience.

My Mom was always careful in how she handled the money and she has told me before I do our accounts similar to what she used to do.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

What an interesting week this has been at our house! I'm glad to share my thankfulness, even in the midst of the crazy week.

Caleb has been sick. He started running a low grade fever Sunday night after church. He threw up in the night. Monday he was out of school and we took him to the doctor. She tested him for strep throat because that was going around. It came back negative and she said he had a virus. The fever continued Tuesday along with headaches. Poor boy. He rarely complains of anything hurting and I knew he just did not feel well at all. Tuesday A.M. Daddy left for a trip to go to get some hands-on training for his new position. Caleb napped most of the day and about 4 woke up with a high temperature and complaining of severe pain in his right side. He was not wanting to get up or walk or anything and saying how badly it was hurting so I was very concerned. I took him to the walk-in clinic. That doctor examined him and said it could be appendicitis or pneumonia in one lung and he wasn't comfortable sending me home so he sent us to the ER. Well this Momma has never taken her baby to the ER. To have him be feeling so terrible and be by myself without Daddy's help I just prayed and knew God was going to have to help me handle the situation. Caleb did not like the room and said he was feeling better, we should just go home. The doctor wanted to do a CT scan to check his abdomen, which meant Caleb had to have an IV and drink some "stuff." Daddy was on his way (he was 2.5 hours away). Gramma came and my aunt did too. I told them I was going to feel bad for them coming all that way if it turned out to be nothing. They all told me no they wanted to be there and there support was greatly appreciated. I tried to occupy Caleb as we waited on the nurses. Then they came in to do the IV. They were super nurses and I was very pleased with how they explained to him just enough of what they were doing so he would know yet not be scared. I talked to him and kept him from watching them. He did cry when they poked him. Let me tell you, he was so brave. I was so proud of him. I knew that God was with us. I can't even take him to get his shots by myself so I know God was giving us strength in that moment when we both needed it. We were working on drinking the "stuff" mixed with apple juice and Gramma arrived followed by Daddy and Sis. Daddy's boss also came to check on us, which was very much appreciated. Caleb was so brave when it was time to go to the CT scan. He rode over in a wheel chair (his first wheel chair ride). The man doing the scan explained it all to Caleb and Daddy stood with him while we watched through a window as they did the procedure. Then we waited some more. The doctor came to tell us his appendix was okay. He has some sort of virus in his intestines which was causing the pain and fever.

Today I am thankful for....

~ my amazing husband and his true love for me and Caleb. I didn't know if it was necessary for him to drive all the way back to be with us but I was so thankful he did. We needed him there.

~ my sweet boy, I am praying for him to be well and this fever to be gone. He has improved Wednesday but is still running fever.

~ the support of our family to come be with us and also their love for us and Caleb. Very special indeed and I love them so much!

~ a huge praise....at this point we believe we are signing the contract on our new house on the 22nd!! Thank you to those of you who have been praying for us.

~ the peace and strength God gave me as I was alone with Caleb. I'm so thankful it wasn't his appendix.

Have a day of blessings!

Who will I listen to?

Last Thursday afternoon my husband called and told me he'd just received an email from our Realtor. He told us that the Texas Attorney General had put a moratorium (I never even knew this word before last Thursday!) on the sale of foreclosures. Since the home we want to buy is a foreclosure property, our closing (that was scheduled for Monday) was now on hold.


This came as quite a surprise to us to say the least, and admittedly it was disappointing that we wouldn't be closing on Monday.


I had found someone giving away moving boxes on Freecycle so Thursday afternoon we were going to pick them up (and they were boxes in great shape too, tons of them, such a blessing to get at this time). As I was driving I caught Casting Crown's song "Voice of Truth" on KLOVE. This line really stuck out to me that day....

The voice of truth says, 'Do not be afraid!'
The voice of truth says,
'This is for My glory'
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I know I have a choice of how to respond to this situation. I can easily be upset that it didn't go as we had planned, and now we are uncertain when we will get to close. Reading the news articles about this foreclosure mess can leave me with unsettled feelings of "what's going to happen to us and our house." I could be scared and afraid of the unknown. But my choice is to listen to Truth. We don't know what is going to happen. We don't know how long we are going to have to wait. But we trust God and His timing. We can't see how this is going to come together, but we know He can. We trust that there is a reason for this delay.

I am glad for the reminder from this song that we need to listen to the Voice of Truth. I have prayed through this entire situation that whatever happened it would be obvious that God did it and it was nothing we could have done. We continue to give Him the glory.


Have a day of blessings!

Prayers and Promises Week #41

This week's verse is Psalm 79:9--
"Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake."
----------------------
There are so many hurting people around us. Take note of those around you this week who may be hurting and may be just needing someone to reach out with a simple act of care to show them they matter. Here are some people to think about that may need you to be Jesus to them this week....

~ a lonely elderly person. Go for a visit "just because" and let them know they matter.
~ a widow. Send a card just to say "I'm thinking of you."
~ a family with a loved one battling cancer. Come beside them and give them an encouraging word or prayer.
~ the clerk at the grocery store. Be appreciative of the job they do for you.
~ your coworker. Notice when they do a good job on a task this week.
~ your preacher. Give him a simple thank you for what he does each week.
~ a new Mom. Take her a meal or offer to run some errands for her.
~ your child's teacher. You don't have to wait until Christmas or the end of the year to tell him/her you appreciate what he/she does daily for your child.
~ a teenager. Let one in your life know you are proud of them and the stand they take for Christ. Let them know you notice them. There are too many sad, depressed teens today who are taking their own lives. I encourage you to do something this week to make a difference in the life of someone you encounter on a regular basis.

Do you have any prayer requests on your heart this week?

Also, I'd like to ask that you please pray for us. We were supposed to close on our new house on Monday; however, the Texas Attorney General has put a freeze on the sale of all foreclosures, which includes the house we are buying. We don't know how long this will delay us. We trust God has a plan as He continues to teach us to just trust Him. We know He's faithful.

Thank you for visiting today. You can join us for Spiritual Sundays today and every Sunday.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week is part two of the things we played with in childhood. Our focus this week is puzzles and games.

My Flashback:
I got board games as Christmas gifts many years. I remember having a big stack of board games that we put on a shelf at the end of my closet. It felt like the one I wanted to play was always at the bottom of the stack and then it was frustrating to try to stack the others back up!

I had a few favorites through the years. I liked the cherries on Hi Ho Cheerio and putting them in the buckets. I liked to play Battleship with my Dad. I had Candy Land and liked it, this is one I still have that I've played with Caleb. Another I remember playing was Trouble. I didn't like how loud the bubble was when you popped it or how hard you had to push to make it pop. We played Yahtzee as a family. A fun domino game we played was Spinners. An older couple (kinda like grandparents to me) got us started on that game. I played a game called Pretty Pretty Princess with my cousin Chelcie. We played this SO many times together! I was excited one year to find this game in a boy version (I think the name was Busy Busy Builder) and bought it for Caleb. It had a tool belt with tools instead of a crown and jewelry.

One game I wanted to like but didn't really like too much was Operation! I was so scared I'd get buzzed!

There were some games I never had myself but played with others. My cousin had Chutes & Ladders. I always wanted it and never had it. I did get it as an adult one year for Christmas after I'd said it was a game I never got! I always thought the game Life was so neat and remember playing it at my aunt's house. I loved the sound of the spinner on that game and sticking the people in the little car. Another game I never had was Monopoly, but I did play Monopoly Junior.

It's been fun thinking about toys and games of childhood. I always look forward to the topics Linda has for us each week.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday and Laced With Grace!

For October we are meeting over at Lynn's for Thankful Thursday. I love this time of year and the fun fall season!

This week I am thankful for:

~ being invited to the surprise going away party for my husband. They spoke of his accomplishments over the past seven years and how they will miss him in this office as he moves on to the new office (still within the agency just a different office in different city). I am very proud of him and was happy to be able to take part in this surprise to honor him.

~ safety and protection for my boy. I heard a crash Tuesday morning as I was getting dressed followed by "Mommy!" I was part-way to his room already. His dresser had toppled over. I'm not sure what happened. I think the drawers were opened maybe or he was trying to reach something in the top dresser and it made it off balance. I'm so glad he was not injured or trapped by the falling dresser. It was very heavy and I had a hard time lifting it up. Thankfully there was a laundry basket sitting in front of it that caught it so he was not injured by it's fall.

~ sitting in car line after school with a cool breeze coming in the windows.

~ new audio book to listen to this week.

~ our military and their families in their service to our country.

Are you thankful today? Take a minute to give thanks for your blessings!

Also, on Thursday morning you can read a devotional ("Dots of Light") I wrote for Laced With Grace.

Have a day of blessings!

Recent ponderings...

How many times have you said something and then immediately regretted ever bringing it up? This happened to me recently. One day on Facebook a few weeks ago my heart hurt and I was saddened and actually offended by a comment a fellow blogger put on the page of an organization I support. I told the person her comment to them hurt me. My words though were then totally misconstrued by the other person and taken in a way that I never intended. Some very hurtful, untrue things were said about me too.

I can't stand conflict or hurting anyone. If this person even knew me or my heart she would know that. Yet I had to realize that what I said hurt this person. Even though I never meant to hurt her, it was taken that way. I asked her to forgive me, and I've prayed for her hurt. But I've also thought about how maybe I should just have never said anything to her? Other people had publicly agreed on the comment that it was inappropriate to type on the page of this organization so I felt at least I wasn't alone in thinking this was inappropriate. But looking back I don't think it accomplished anything to tell her though that what she said hurt. So this raises the question in my mind: Should I have just said nothing to begin with?

How do you respond in situations like this? How do you know when to stand up and let someone know you are hurt by their actions or words? Or on the flip side to just let them say whatever they want even when it is untrue, hurtful, rude, inappropriate, etc. in order to avoid any disagreement or conflict? I'm not talking just in regards to this personal situation either. I see this in society in general too.

This has been on my heart lately. Thank you for listening.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Jesus Saves" by Jeremy Camp

Have you heard this new song by Jeremy Camp? It's called "Jesus Saves." They lyrics and message are great. I heard the DJs on KLOVE asking this question recently: Jesus saved me from... They asked listeners to send in photos with their answers. You can see the wide variety of answers as you watch this video.



I put this question on my Facebook status last week, and now I want to ask you my readers.

Jesus saved me from.....

As Christians we need to never forget what we have been saved from. We were all on a path leading to Hell. Only by God's grace are we off that path and on the path to Heaven. We need to let the world know that Jesus saves. Take a minute to think about all the things you have been saved from by Jesus.

Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: "A Cord of Three Strands..."

Want this button?

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

This verse was printed inside our wedding invitations. When I see this verse now I am reminded of our wedding day as well as the commitment we made to each other and to God.

Thinking about our marriage as a rope, we are each individual strands coming to the marriage to become one. When we add God to that rope, it makes the rope (or marriage) stronger. The rope isn't going to break or come apart if God is tied up with the other two strands. This doesn't mean there won't be problems or disagreements. It just means that God is going to be there to help hold us together through those times. To me it makes our commitment stronger knowing it isn't just the two of us but that He is with us in our marriage.

I'm glad this verse was part of our invitation. From the beginning we have wanted God to be at the center of our marriage. This is a good verse to illustrate that and remind us of that.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers and Promises Week #40

Week #40! Wow, it will be Christmas before we know it!

For October my theme for verses will be forgiveness. This week's verse is one that is familiar from Matthew 6:6--"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

This week please remember in prayer:

~ Orion's family as this week will be one year since Orion went to be with Jesus.

~ Denise (Shortybear) and her family.

~ our family in the moving process. We have many things that need to work out timing wise. One of those things we just found out about on Thursday and needing a stove, possibly before closing. We knew were were going to be buying one but aren't sure if it has to be before we close or not. Closing is Oct. 11, that's so soon and we are excited!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope October is a month full of blessings for you as we head into the holidays!

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

The topic for this week's Flashback Friday is childhood play/toys.

My Flashback:

I remember spending a lot of time outside. I had a swing set and tree house. My Dad also made me a basketball goal too, and it had a tether ball attached to it for many years. I also rode my bike up and down our long driveway. We had a sidewalk leading up to the front porch, and I played the "rolling ball game" with my cousin. We would pick a theme and as we rolled a ball back and forth to each other we would say something in that theme (like the theme might be cartoon characters, fruits, things that start with B, etc.)

I entertained myself a lot with pretending. I am an only child and did not have neighbor kids my age at the time. I played school in my room. I had a chalkboard and old teacher manuals that I used as well plus a grade book. I also played "officer" with my cousin (that was what she called it when she was not very old). We would set up at my desk and with a tray table for her. We'd have pretend phones and pretend customers. Sometimes we were a bank, sometimes a vet clinic. My aunt used to work at a bank so she would give me deposit slips to use. Another thing I did was play like my bedroom window was a drive-thru restaurant. I had a big old cash register and would pretend to take the orders and pass out the food to my "customers."

As far as toys from my childhood, I had a lot of Barbies. I got the collection that belonged to my Mom and aunt. Some of those Barbies were really old! (Bet they'll love to read that!) Besides the Barbies I got an airplane and motor home from them. One time another aunt made me a bunch of clothes for the Barbies. I had a bunch of other Barbie stuff too...a McDonald's, horse, four wheeler, bedroom, and beauty shop that I remember. I had multiple boxes filled with Barbies and clothes.

I also had Cabbage Patch dolls. I won a set of twin dolls one time...a newborn boy and girl. The boy was named Peter Jules. I don't remember the girls name. I had another Cabbage Patch later on that had red hair.

Other toys I remember include a Rainbow Brite doll and My Little Ponies. I had little plastic members of the Get Along Gang. I had a bunch of books on tape about these characters and got the little characters one year. (These are still in a box at my Mom's house, and Caleb has played with them.) Something funny about this is that I never had the red caboose they lived in. My husband had the caboose and not the characters.

Other toys I remember that were popular in my childhood were Pound Puppies and Care Bears.

Have a day of blessings!

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Have a day of blessings!