Prayers & Promises Week #22

Thank you for visiting today for Spiritual Sundays.

For June the theme for the verses will be trust.
The first one is Psalm 22:4--
"In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them."

Let's remember this week to pray for....
~ Graduates and their families at this special time.

~ Those serving in the military and their families as well.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

For this week's flashback we are thinking about summer!

My flashback:
When I read the questions this week, my mind was filled with many wonderful memories. I could see how this could be a really long post so I'll try to keep my stories short!

Memory #1: One summer my Mom made a chore chart for me. She put all sorts of things on there too, not just regular "chore" type activities. For example, one was read a book and do a book report. For the chores I did I got points. I liked to save up my points, but I could spend them on a special treat. One I liked using was going to get a game rental for the Nintendo! I'd get Junior Jeopardy sometimes.

Memory #2: We often went on trips in the summer. Sometimes we would meet my aunt and cousin in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and go to a water park. One year we went from Texas north to Missouri and Iowa. My Mom has family in Iowa, and we stayed with them. One unique experience from that visit was eating pumpkin blossoms. They were so yummy! I believe they were fried like squash. I remember they had to pick them when the blossoms were open. In Missouri we went to the Precious Moments Chapel. I want to go back there someday.

Memory #3: My cousin stayed with us in the summer. We had a grand time (that is how I remember it at least, I think she would agree!). Well except maybe that time she raced down the driveway with a letter that I received, closed herself in the bathroom and was going to read it with me telling her over and over not to read it. Haha! Our school would give us passes for activities to do in the city during the summer. One was for a free game of bowling every day of summer vacation. I think you just had to pay shoe rental. So once a week Chel and I would go bowling. Then afterwards we would go down a few blocks to the snowcone stand.

Memory #4: Camping...My family would go to a State Park and camp for a few days some summers. Chel would go with us. I loved roasting marshmallows. She always teased me because I always had a stack of books with me. Also, we made Indian headdresses one year and danced around the campfire. Haha!

I could go on and on with many more summer memories. Thanks for the great questions for this flashback, Linda!

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

It's time for Thankful Thursday. We are again at Women Taking a Stand if you want to join us today.

Today I am thankful for....

~ my husband doing a great job painting a wall of our house. I thought it might take a long time to get it all done but he taped it and got it painted all in one day. It looks great too.

~ going to have a cinnamon roll at school for breakfast with my boy. I told him one last time as a kindergarten! They had them about once a month on Thursdays. When he got his May calendar I was glad to see we had one more together!

~ working air conditioner in the car and house, plus fans.

~ the blessing of praying with my family.

~ our family lessons. We finished up the Armor of God last night and talked about the lessons from the year we remembered. It was a wonderful thing we did as a family through the school year.

Have a day of blessings!

Thank you!

Today I am over at Laced With Grace with a devotional called Thank You... I hope you will visit me there today and read it.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Always Enough" by Casting Crowns

I wanted to share "Always Enough" by Casting Crowns for this week's song. If you go to the Casting Crowns site, you can read the story behind this song by clicking on the song title. They shared this story at the concert when we saw them last year.




I was reminded by a blog friend last week that God always provides enough. I loved what she wrote in an email "Enough manna for one day at a time. Enough grace for one day at a time." He truly is "Always Enough." Whatever you need today from Him, know that He is enough.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #21: Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

At our library book sale, I found the audio version of Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell. Being a fan of his book The Five Love Languages, this is one I've wanted to read. Since I like audio books now I was glad to find it and get it for a quarter. It was new, still in the package too.


I listened to this book last week and really enjoyed it just as I expected. I liked listening from the approach of a parent. We all have different ways to give and receive love. This is true of us as parents and also of our children. When we learn each other's language, we will be able to give love in a way that they understand and will meet their need for love. The five love languages are:

• Words of affirmation
• Quality time
• Receiving gifts
• Acts of service
• Physical touch

If you are a parent I recommend this book to you.



Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #21

We are having a nice weekend and home. We've gotten several things marked off our to do lists and that is a great feeling! Caleb has a week and 2 days left of school, June 2 is his last day. I have been thinking for several weeks how great it will be for him to be home with me again this summer. I went to get groceries last week and it made me smile to think how he'll be going with me again soon. I love having him along with me and we always have fun times together. Today I got his rest mat (towel) out of the wash and thought of the song "You're Gonna Miss This." Next year my boy won't have nap time at school and there won't be a towel he brings home to wash every weekend. Time goes so quickly!

This week's verse on light is John 1:4, 5--
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

Please join me in remember these (both children and adults) who are battling brain tumors:
Anderson, Kate, Clayton, Tonya, and John Pray for these and their families to be encouraged this week.

Thank you for visiting for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

For this week's Flashback Friday we are talking about graduation! I had a feeling we'd have this topic soon.

I graduated from high school May 31, 1997. There were 58 in our class. We took a special picture for the yearbook of those of us who had been "together since kindergarten." We were a very close class and still are now.

We had an awards night a few weeks prior to graduation and that is where I found out I was my class valedictorian. (I debated putting this in this post. It isn't something I ever tell people...it took me a long time to even tell my husband when we were dating! I told my Mom the topic and she said, "are you gonna put it?" because she knows me so well!) I was very excited to find out because I knew it was close for the top few spots. When I began working on my speech, I decided I did not want anyone to hear it before graduation, even my parents, because I wanted it to be a surprise. I included things about all the people in our class in the speech. The quote I used was from Corrie ten Boom----"Memories are the key not to the past but to the future."

The week before graduation we had a Baccalaureate Service at the local Baptist church. After graduation we had an all night party at the high school. We'd had events all year long to raise money. The seniors could earn points for volunteering at the events. The points translated into prizes for us for items for college, like microwaves and mini fridges.

My church had a graduation banquet to honor the seniors as well. That year there was a college graduate and one other high school graduate besides me.

I remember getting a lot of presents when I graduated. One special gift was a quilt put together by my Mom and aunt. My Mom secretly sent pieces of fabric and a pen to all different people from my life--teachers, relatives, classmates, etc. They wrote me a message and mailed the fabric and pen back to my aunt so it could be passed on to the next person. My aunt turned the messages into a quilt. It is a treasure to say the least. Many of the people who wrote on it have passed away since then which makes it extra special. Here is a picture of it: This is what my Dad wrote: This is the square Peepaw did. He called me "Sweeetheart." This one is from my Mom. (Pes is a nickname.)This one was from my senior English teacher.
Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday: Time

Today for Thankful Thursday we are meeting at Women Taking a Stand. Laurie has a great post about time. She talked about the end of a school year, and I totally know what she means. This kindergarten year for Caleb went so quickly for us. Also this year my younger brother-in- law is graduating from high school. When my husband and I started dating, he was the age Caleb is now! It doesn't seem that much time has passed since we met for him to already be grown up and heading to college! Time does pass quickly and sometimes we don't even realize it as it is passing. It is a gift of God that we need to be careful in using to make the most of each day.

This week I am thankful for...
~ time with my wonderful husband at our Thursday lunch dates this past school year. We both look forward to this time together. I'm not sure if we are going to continue these this summer! Guess we better figure that out!

~ time playing with my boy. He doesn't have any more homework, and it has given us a little extra time after school before Daddy gets home to play. We played Hungry Hungry Hippos one day. Then I started supper and he continued to talk with me about some things that had happened at school. A precious time for sure!

~ time at home. I am one who likes to be home and not gone all the time.

~ time at school. I love being up at Caleb's school and knowing his classmates. I am glad they know my face!

~ time spent waiting. I know God teaches me great lessons in the waiting stage. I want to know the answers now but know He has a plan for this time of not knowing too.

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "Do Not Be Anxious" Seeds Family Worship

We ordered one of the CDs from Seeds Family Worship. I found some of the songs on Youtube and picked one to share with you today. We are loving our CD! Here is a link to a blog post I wrote about getting a free download of a song plus a discount if you buy a CD. Enjoy this song and verse of the Bible.



Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #20: Misconception by Paul and Shannon Morrell

I have finished listening to Misconception by Paul and Shannon Morrell.

A few years after a successful round of in vitro-fertilization and the birth of twin daughters, there was a mix up at the lab. The couple's other embryos had been thawed and "transferred into another woman." This book is their side of the story of what happened and their journey through this experience.

I did enjoy listening to this book for the most part. It seemed like there was some repetition through the book. For example, she (Shannon) kept repeating how private the whole situation was for her and her family and she did not want to go public with what had happened. Obviously, she changed her mind since she wrote a book about it and the story was on the national news! It just felt a little overboard on the many times she said it was so private but then they went ahead and shared it. Also, I would really like to hear the other family's (the Savage's) side of this story. The book would have been more balanced with that I think. While the Morrell's reiterated their thankfulness throughout the book for the other couple (the Savage's) choosing to give their baby life instead of choosing an abortion, there were points that I felt that Shannon painted the Savage's in a negative light because of the choices they did make in the pregnancy (like not wanting to meet her immediately...she gave the impression they should have been willing to meet them right away). Many times I got the impression the author wanted people to feel sorry for her and what she had to go through.

I don't have experience with anyone in my life using IVF so it was informative to learn more about this subject and the ethical and moral issues involved (which I find many). It was an interesting book and was written in such a way that I wanted to know what would happen next for this family.

The narrator (Tavia Gilbert) did an outstanding job reading this book. I really enjoyed listening to her.

Have a day of blessings!


The audio version of this book was provided through christianaudio Reviewers Program and I was not required to post a positive review.

Something to think about...

Last week at the food pantry, one of the tickets had "homeless" written on it. When I took out the buggy of food I had to ask the man if he wanted the bag of frozen items he had received and could use them. I've been thinking a lot about this man in the past few days and realizing all the blessings we have.

I received this in an email recently and thought I'd share it with you. Sometimes it helps to change your perspective when you are feeling down.

Today before you say an unkind word -
Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food -
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife -
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life -
Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children -
Think of someone who desires children but they're barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house
someone didn't clean or sweep -
Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive
Think of someone who walks the
same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job.
Think of the unemployed, the disabled,
and those who wish they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another -
Remember that not one of us is without
sin and we all answer to one MAKER.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
Put a smile on your face and thank
GOD you're alive and still around.
Author Unknown

.

Have a day of blessings!

Proverbs & Prayers Week #20

Hello and welcome to my little blog. I'm glad you are here today. I pray you are having a beautiful weekend. The weather here has been so nice and I've enjoyed the time with my boys.

This week's verse is Romans 13:12--
"The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."

This passage got me thinking about the difference in darkness and light. Verse 13 goes on to list things to avoid in the darkness ("not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy"). Instead we are to be clothed with light and Jesus. If you are doing something that is sin that you know you really shouldn't be doing, you don't go stand on the sidewalk in the bright sunshine and make it known to your neighbors. You hide in your home. It is easier to do these things in darkness when we think no one will see and no one is going to find out. As Christians, we need to "put on" light.

For a prayer request this week I'd like to have for wisdom and peace for a special situation regarding me and my hubby. Thank you.

Join us for Spiritual Sundays. Thanks for visiting.

Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week for Flashback Friday we are talking about our first jobs.

My flashback:
I did not have to get a job when I was in high school. I was thankful for this at the time because I did not know how I'd manage my school work on top of a job every evening.

The first paying job I remember was being a tutor. I really don't know how old I was or how much I got paid, maybe junior high. My Mom would drop me off in the summer for a couple hours at the house of the secretary from my Dad's work. I'd tutor her daughter in math. She was several years younger than me. I continued to tutor various people on through high school. One girl who was a year younger than me, and I tutored her in geometry and algebra. She'd call me on the nights she needed help and I'd go to their house. In my senior year I tutored after school in the library at our high school, and they paid me and another guy to do this a couple times a week.

When I went to college, I did not work at first. Then I got a job in the education department. I loved it! I worked for the director of student teaching and one of the other professors. I would help out the department secretary too by going over to the post office and getting the mail for her. I worked until I started my student teaching. Then in the summer after we got married I worked there part time also, which was a blessing to have that money coming in before I started teaching. Also, another lady in the department hired me to baby sit her daughter after school. I did this for a couple of years.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

We are at Women Taking a Stand this month for Thankful Thursday.

Thank you for stopping by today. I have many things for which I'm thankful this week!

I'm thankful for....
~ my husband sharing about his day yesterday. He said it felt like a "good day" at work. He told me about some colleagues who had complimented him for his work and thanked him for the job he had done. I know that helped him feel good about what he is doing.

~ my son's morning snuggles.

~ able to do things with my son's kindergarten class. I'm working on a gift for the teacher and was able to work with the kids on it yesterday. I'm glad I know his classmates, and I like to hear them to say "There's Caleb's Mom" when they see me.

~ a week without tball practice! We don't have a game this week so the coach decided to wait until Friday to have practice. We have enjoyed extra time at home this week!

~ a good report at the dentist. I'm usually not nervous to go to the dentist but yesterday I was. I had a tooth that was bugging me, it didn't feel quite right since the last time I went and had some work done on it. Yesterday's visit was just for a cleaning but I told the hygienist how it was bothering me. She had the dentist check my bite. He did something and corrected it. I immediately could tell a difference. I was so thankful it was an easy fix.

~ a lovely Mother's day weekend!

Have a day of blessings!

"In Christ Alone" Brian Littrell

This song came on the radio yesterday as I was driving to the school. I thought I'd share it today. It is called "In Christ Alone."



Have a day of blessings!

Prayers and Promises Week #19

Happy Mother's Day to all the other Moms today! I hope you have a great day and you know how special you are!

I was thinking how it was fitting that I chose "light" for the theme of the verses in May with Mother's Day being in May. When I was a student at home, my Mom would always say a prayer for me in the mornings before school and she'd always tell me "let your light shine." I'm thankful that I had a Mom who prayed for me and continues to pray for me and my family now. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you!

This week's verse is 2 Corinthians 4:6--
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

The very God who created the light in the beginning and separated darkness and light also shines His light in His people.

Here are some prayer requests for today:
~ college graduates as they begin a new chapter of their lives.

~ teachers and students to have energy as they complete the final few weeks of school.

~ Update on the phone call I mentioned last week--On Wednesday we were able to find out whatthe phone call was about, which was a good thing. I cannot share any more yet.

Join us for Spiritual Sundays.
Have a day of blessings!

Flashback Friday

This week the flashback topic is teachers since this week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Great topic and I could go on and on about this one!

All of my life I loved school. Looking back I am thankful for all the teachers I had. While I have some special memories from each grade, I can pick a few that greatly influenced my life and have a few special favorites.

One was my second grade teacher. I've shared an extra special story about her here on my blog before and the "Mrs. P" apple, you can read it here if you do not already know that fun story. She is still teaching today (but I have her apple!). I really loved my third and fifth grade teachers too. I loved the centers we did in 3rd grade. We also did a Christmas play in her class of the Nativity (yes in a public school and it wasn't even THAT long ago!) I remember my fifth grade teacher had a talent show at the end of the year for us. She played a guitar and sang to us.

In middle school I enjoyed 7th grade Texas history with Mr. Tate. He was a fun teacher and really knew his history and made learning fun. History was never my favorite subject, but I felt I learned a lot in his class.

I had many great teachers in high school. I really appreciated my choir director. I was in choir from 6th-12th grade, and I have many happy memories of trips, contests, and productions with Mrs. Reed. I got to go to New York with her twice to sing in Carnegie Hall with the choir too. She excpected the best of us with each performance and practice. I respect her so much. Mrs. Hohertz taught everyone senior English. She also had high expectations for her students. She always had a challenge for us and wanted the best from all of her students. Everyone loved her! I think we all knew she cared about us and our lives outside of the classroom. Mrs. Nance was another one that seemed to go the extra mile to help me in her math classes in high school. I had her several years and she was so helpful to help me in the mornings before school when I wouldn't understand the homework. She made us do a different project each six weeks. There were some crazy ones! One was building a truss bridge with balsa wood and Popsicle sticks. I could list more memories about more teachers, I am thankful to have so many great ones.

I keep in touch with many of my teachers. Several of them are on Facebook, and I am glad to see how they are doing in life now. Some are still teaching and others have retired. I know of one who reads my blog too. :)

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday. This month we are joining at Laurie's.

This has been a busy week for us and has gone very quickly. What are you thankful for today?

I am thankful for. . .

~ my husband's love and support to me and our son. He is really busy at work but took off a few hours this morning so he could go to field day.

~ my son's sweet little singing voice. He loves to sing along to "Go" on our new CD from Seeds Family Worship. I love hearing him sing!

~ the cool breezes we feel in the evenings. I love having the windows open and feeling that breeze blow through the house.

~ God's plan and timing. I shared Sunday how I made a mistake in deleting an important phone message for my husband. We weren't sure how it was going to be resolved but Wednesday we got an answer after several phone calls Monday and Tuesday. It was good news. We will share more in the future. However it works out, the story is great of God's amazing plan.

~ all the special women in my life, including my mom, grandmothers, many wonderful aunts, mother in law, teachers, and other fellow moms!

I'm heading over to field day with my boy! Have a day of blessings!

Teacher Appreciation Week

May 3-7, 2010 is Teacher Appreciation Week. From my days as a teacher I know this is a great time of year to show a little extra appreciation for teachers as many of them are counting down the days until summertime with their students.

Do you have any ideas that you do to show teachers you appreciate them?

When I was doing my student teaching, one boy brought the teacher a magazine one day. The teacher told me every month on the first of the month the Mom sent her something at school. I loved that idea and have kept it tucked away to use when Caleb is in school. Some of the things I've sent have been a candle, holiday socks, stickers, sodas, and muffins we made. I include a little thank you note that says Happy ____(whatever month it is) at the top. I try to avoid trinket type teachery stuff because I know teachers probably get a lot of that kind of thing.

I look forward to reading your ideas of what you do or have had done for you for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #19: "You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be" by Max Lucado

Book Description
God made only one version of you. He custom designed you for a one-of-a-kind assignment.

You are heaven's Halley's comet; we have one chance to see you shine. You offer a gift to the world that no one else brings. So find it and bring it! And when you do, both you and God will smile.

Yes, you can be everything God wants you to be.

My review: I received a book called You Can Be Everything God Wants You to Be by Max Lucado from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program to review. Parts of this book are taken from another of Lucado's books called Cure for the Common Life. It is a quick read and good book of encouragement I thought.

People around us have expectations that we are to choose a certain vocation or have a certain ministry. We need to do what we are made to do though, not what someone else tells us we should do for whatever reason. The main idea of the book is to find what you are good at doing and what you love and do that thing. It's not about the salary you make or being "higher up the ladder" than someone else. We need to find the thing we are good at and do that. One of the quotes I really liked in this book is: "Success is not defined by position or pay scale but by this: doing the most what you do the best."

I enjoyed reading this book and appreciated the encouragement from it. It would make a nice gift for someone who is graduating.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers 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.”

"God Is In Control" by Twila Paris

****It won't play here, but if you click to watch at youtube it will play there. It played an ad before the song when I tried it, not sure if you can skip the ad or not.

This song is really more of a reminder for me today, but I hope it blesses you too! I like the line at the end that says "He has never let you down Why start to worry now?" You can read all the lyrics too here if you'd like.

Yes I know God is in control and His timing is best. It is hard to wait right now, but I will and trust Him to know best as He always does.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #18

Welcome and thank you for stopping by today! I have a new theme for the verses for May. I've chosen to do verses on Light this month.

The first one today is Ephesians 5:8--
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."

We know that light is the opposite of darkness. It looks different from darkness. As "children of light" we should look different and stand out from the darkness around us.

I have a few prayer requests to share today also.

~ First May is brain tumor awareness month. I participate in a program called Audrey's Umbrella. We send cheer mail to children and adults battling brain tumors. A little friend named Anderson has been on my heart the past few days. His MRI this week showed significant changes in his tumor. Pray for Anderson and his family as well as the many others that are fighting brain tumors.

~ A praise....I previously mentioned Harlan, who nearly lost his foot in a farming accident back in February. He is recovering and doing well.

~ I made a huge mistake Friday afternoon....at least it feels huge to me! I accidentally deleted a message on our answering machine that was for my husband. I heard part of it and knew what it was about. I pray that we will be able to get in touch with the office Monday and find out more what the call was about (and that it is the good news we think it is).

~ Next Sunday is Mother's Day. Remember this week to pray for all those who have lost their mothers this year and also say a prayer for Mom's who have children that have gone to heaven this year.

Thank you for visiting for Spiritual Sundays. I am glad you stopped by.
Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #18: "The Telling" by Beverly Lewis

I have finished listening to the audio version of The Telling by Beverly Lewis provided by christianaudio Reviewers Program . This is the third book in the Seasons of Grace series.

Grace Byler is accompanied by her new English friend, Heather Nelson, on a search for Grace's mother, Lettie. Grace and her family don't know why Lettie suddenly left them; however, she is in search of her daughter she gave up for adoption, a daughter that has been Lettie's secret for 24 years. Will Lettie return home? Will she find her daughter?

I love every Beverly Lewis' book I've ever read, and this is no exception. The narrator of this book, Aimee Lilly, did an excellent job. I loved her voice choices for each character, and I felt her voice was pleasant to hear.

Thank you to christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing a copy of this book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!