Flashback Friday: Weddings

For this week's Flashback Friday, we are talking about weddings!  Here are some questions Linda shared to think about: 
What is the earliest family wedding you remember attending? Did your family attend many weddings when you were growing up? What do you remember of them? What was typical of weddings you attended? Were you ever in a wedding as a child? As you became a young adult were you in lots of weddings? What roles did you have? Did you catch the bouquet (or garter)? What "royal" or newsmaking weddings do you remember and how old were you? For the gals, were you one who planned your wedding repeatedly as you were growing up or was it not a big deal to you? What have you noticed that is different about weddings today, and do you consider it for better or for worse?

My flashback: 
I cannot think of very many weddings I attended as a child.  I remember a few we went to of people from church.  At one wedding the couple stood on the top of the stage with the minister below on the steps.  I liked this so the audience could see them instead of just their backsides and wanted to do this in my wedding.   

I've been in a few weddings.  I was a bridesmaid for a church friend before I got married.

I always liked reading the wedding announcements in the Sunday paper, especially where they would go on their honeymoon. 
Attending weddings always got me thinking of what I'd want my wedding to be someday.  I wanted to have Steven Curtis Chapman's "I Will Be Here" sung.  I thought about the cake and colors I'd choose and who I would have as my attendants.      

A funny wedding story I remember....One day my aunt and uncle came over to my house to tell us they'd gotten married.  I was so disappointed because I thought they had not invited me to the wedding.  But really they'd gone to the courthouse. 
Have a day of blessings!
 

Book review: A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

I have read a book called A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter.  I enjoyed reading this book and this was my first book by this author.

In A Cowboy's Touch Abigail leaves her life and work as a writer in the city for some rest at her Aunt Lucy's house to hopefully help relieve some of the health problems she's been experiencing.  She ends up as the nanny for young Maddy who lives on a ranch with her Dad, Wade. A strong relationship quickly grows between Abigail and Maddy as Maddy has no mother figure in her life since the death of her Mom.  Both Abigail and Wade learn a lot about themselves during this summer together and how they have let guilts of the past to control them. 

I enjoyed the characters of this book.  This was an easy book to read, and while parts of the story were predictable, it also had a good message.     

Thank you to Audra at the B&B Media Group for sending this book to me for my review. 

Q&A with Denise Hunter,  Author of A Cowboy’s Touch

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you first begin to write?
I’ve always been an avid reader, but I didn’t start dreaming about writing a novel until I was in my early twenties. By then I was married and busy pursuing a degree. I put writing on the back burner until my grandfather became fatally ill. While I was visiting him in the hospital, I was struck by the brevity of life and felt God pressing on my heart to take the first step. I started my first novel a couple weeks later. I had two small children by this time, so I wrote while they napped. I wrote my first four books that way. Even if you can only write a page a day, by the end of a year you’ll have a complete manuscript!

Q: Are you a small town or a city girl? What inspired you to write a book about the life of a cowboy?
I’m a little of both. We live in a country setting just outside the city. It’s the best of both worlds. There’s something very earthy and organic about a cowboy’s life. I was drawn by the idea of living off the land. I think it takes us to a simpler time and place—even though the life of a cowboy is not necessarily simple! And Montana is such a beautiful state. I thought my readers might like to journey there with me through story.

Q: Can you tell us a little about what you have learned about the cowboy lifestyle while doing research for this book?
I learned a lot of fascinating details about the workings of a ranch: branding, breeding, cattle disease, etc. But what I came away with is a great respect for cowboys and their families. Those who choose this way of life do it because they love it. It’s not easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

Q: Abigail’s title at her job is “the Truthseeker.” What is the significance of this title, and what do you think a real truthseeker does?
I thought it would be interesting to write about a protagonist whose job was to seek the truth and have her find out that she was missing the real Truth the whole time. Since Jesus is the Truth, a real truthseeker follows Him.

Q: Forgiveness seems to be a recurring theme in your books. Why do you feel it is so important? Your main characters both dealt with forgiving their past mistakes. Do you think that it is just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive the mistakes of others?
With sin rampant in all of us, this is something we need to get good at! Eventually, someone’s going to do something you struggle to forgive. I think this is partly because forgiveness is easily misunderstood. It’s not saying that what they did is okay. It’s saying that you’re not going to hold it over them anymore. I do think it’s just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive others. Oftentimes, it’s even harder.

Q: Abigail and Wade both threw themselves into their work in order to escape their pasts. Do you believe it is easy to find an escape in work in order to hide from our problems?
No one likes to hurt, so I think the tendency is to avoid it however we can. Throwing ourselves into our work is certainly one way of doing so. But these things have a way of bubbling up to the surface eventually, no matter how hard we try to avoid them.

Q: What would you like your readers to take away after reading A Cowboy’s Touch?
Abigail was essentially trying to work off her guilt. She thought if she could just keep exposing other peoples’ wrongs, it would appease her own guilt. I’d like readers to see that only God can redeem us.

Find out more about this author at her website:  http://www.denisehunterbooks.com/

Have a day of blessings!

 

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!  What are you thankful for today? Join us one more week of April at Lynn's blog.  She has a great post about hope today.

Today I am thankful for...

~ having a lunch date with my husband.  Since he was out of town last week I was glad to get to meet him for lunch this week.

~ the way my boy has made me laugh this week with the funny things.  He's uses some big words and it is funny to hear him use them.

~ reminders from the Bible about courage.  It seemed to be a recurring theme on Wednesday. 
 
~ being able to volunteer at the school book fair.  I had fun helping the kids find books to add to their wish lists and just being at the school.

~ getting a new bed.  We had had ours since we got married and new it was time for a new one.  We'd been shopping around for one we liked.  We bought one last weekend and had it delivered Monday.  What a blessing! 

Have a day of blessings!
 

To Caleb

Things I want to remember about now and today... 

To Caleb,  I seemed to miss you more today than normal when I was in town doing a few errands while you were at school.  I'm not really sure why, but maybe.... 

Maybe it was remembering your cheerful chatter from this morning at the table while you were eating your breakfast and wishing you were along with me to talk to me the rest of the day.

Maybe it was throwing all the plastic bottles in the recycle bin myself and thinking how I could have waited until you were with me because you love that job so much.

Maybe it was seeing the Wii attachments at Dollar Tree and thinking how you would have asked for one.

Maybe it was going to the library and seeing all the Mommy's and little ones gathered for story time and thinking how I loved our time at our old library and the way you'd listen to the stories. 

Maybe it was hearing the little boy ask his Mommy why and thinking how I love when you ask me questions. 

Maybe it was because it is Wednesday and thinking of all the times we'd get up early before you were a school boy and go to the food pantry together.  Oh how I miss those days.

Maybe it was because as I watched you walk into the doors of your school this morning and head down the hall, I was so proud of you, so thankful for you, so blessed to be your Mommy.

I can't wait for our summer together with my favorite 6 year old! 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Flashback Friday

This week's topic is a little different. Here is the prompt:

What comes to mind when you "flashback" to that Friday almost 2000 years ago? Have you spent much time reflecting on the events of Good Friday or is it generally a regular day and Resurrection Sunday is the focus? Thinking through the events of that long night and day--the trials, the scourging, the frenzy of the crowd, the walk to Golgotha, the raising of the cross with Jesus Christ suspended from its beams, the vigil as they watched and waited for Him to die, His agony, His tender words to His mother, her grief, the darkness, the soldiers gambling for his clothes, the mocking of one thief and the repentance of the other, the finality as He said "It is finished," the grief as his disciples lowered his body and prepared it for burial--what stands out as vivid and touching to you? Where does your mind usually "park" when you reflect on the crucifixion?

My Flashback:
There are so many parts of remembering this day that are so hard for me to think about or imagine.  You can read the account in Matthew 27.  One part that always sticks out in my mind is how Jesus is mocked.  I just can't imagine how it must have been for Him to already be in such physical pain on that Cross and have those who were passing by mocking and insulting Him.  How hard this must have been for Mary and the others to witness.  .  One part that always sticks out in my mind is how Jesus is mocked.  I just can't imagine how it must have been for Him to already be in such physical pain on that Cross and have those who were passing by mocking and insulting Him.  How hard this must have been for Mary and the others to witness. 

When I read about the two criminals who were hanging on either side of Jesus, I am touched by Jesus' concern for them and His promise that the one would be with Him in paradise.

From reading these passages that tell what happened that day, I think we can learn from Jesus' example.  We haven't had to face anything to even begin to compare with what He faced in that moment, but do we even come close to acting as He did on the Cross when we are faced with minor, petty things in life?  Also, in our times of pain and hurting do we reach out to the other ones hurting around us, like Jesus did to the criminals?  Just some things I think about when I think back to His sacrifice. 

Thank you for visiting today.  Have a day of blessings!

3rd Thursday Thought

I'm going to be participating with other Hearts at Home bloggers for a blog hope called  "Third Thursday Thoughts."  Our first question is:  Have you experienced any miracles in your life?

What do you think of when you hear the word miracle?  My mind goes to the miracles of the Bible where Jesus turned the water to wine...Or fed the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes...Or raised Lazarus from the dead...Or made the blind man see.

I haven't had any miracles like that in my life.  But there have been plenty of times when I knew that what happened was a special gift from God, something unexpected that only He could have done, something we could not have possibly done on our own.

One such time that comes to mind is the birth of our son.  When I went to my doctor's appointment before my due date, my doctor found he still had not dropped into the position where he needed to be to be born.  The next appointment was the same.  She had told us she would let me labor for 24 hours if I wanted, but she really did not feel it would be productive based on what she could see.  Or the other option was a c-section.  In the months of pregnancy I had not considered having a c-section.  I don't know that the thought crossed my mind really. 

My husband and I prayed and talked about our options.  Of course we also had family members and friends who threw in their "two cents" that we should just wait and we'd regret not trying labor, etc.  Ultimately the decision was that I would have a c-section.  I can't begin to describe the peace I had leading up to August 12 that we had made the right choice.

We wouldn't know until after the fact just how right the choice was.  You see, after Caleb was born, my uterus did not contract as it should have done.  I lost blood, nearly to the point of needing a transfusion.  My doctor told us that she had "one more trick up her sleeve" and if that had not worked, she would have done an emergency hysterectomy.  But what she did worked and the bleeding stopped. 

My doctor and the nurses were surprised how well I was doing after so much blood loss.  She told us that really it could have been tragic if I had not already been cut open from the c-section because there might not have been time to take me to surgery and get the bleeding stopped since nothing was working.

I have always felt that God had His hand on that situation, protecting both me and our son.  He gave His peace beforehand so we felt going into it that we were making the right decision. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

What song are you singing?

Today I am sharing a devotional called "What song are you singing" over at Laced With Grace.  Please visit me there today!  Thank you!  Here is the beginning....

It is spring in Texas, and the birds are happily singing their little songs. We like to watch them through the back window as they sit in the trees or hop down to the ground where they find things in the dirt.

As I hang clothes on the line to dry or water our garden, I notice the sounds of the birds in the trees all around me. It is a pretty sound to hear them all together.

Go to Laced With Grace to continue reading....

Have a day of blessings!
 

Thankful Thursday

This month for Thankful Thursday we are joining together over at Lynn's blog.  Please join us in giving thanks! 

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband's safe travels and being able to text him and talk to him while he is away.  We've had a good week, but I'm VERY ready for him to be home!

~ my son's encouraging words to me this week.  One night after his bath I was helping him dry off and he said You're the best Mom.  We hugged and I said thank you, why do you think that?  He said cause you help me with  my bath when Dad is not here.  Then he paused and said I don't think T's Mom helps her with her homework and you do help me with me.  It was so sweet and unexpected for him to say this to me.

~ the rain we received this week!  We are praying for more!  Caleb said in his prayer he hoped it would rain 100 lbs.  When he was watching it rain out the window he said, "He waters better than we do" cause we've been watering our garden and yard. 

~ having both my Mom and Dad come this week and them coming to Caleb's game.  I thought it was nice they both took off work to come and I know Caleb was proud too.

~  Mandisa's new CD.  I'll be sharing some songs from it soon.  I'm really enjoying it!

Also, I want to remind you of the giveaway I'm doing for a fun prize pack.  Click on the previous post and leave a comment answering the question asked in that post for a chance to win.  I'll be drawing the winner Saturday!  This is what you could win! Click here for the post to enter!

Have a day of blessings!
 

Betty Crocker's "Loaded Mashed" potatoes + GIVEAWAY

After a mix-up in the mail because I had forgotten to change my address in my online account with MyBlogSpark, I recently received the above fun package.....  a mixing bowl, a magnetic hanging pot holder, silicone spoonula, and measuring cup along with a box of Betty Crocker's new "Loaded Mashed" potatoes.  Keep reading to see how you could win your very own prize pack identical to this one! 

I used one of the packets to add to our supper one night this week.  I thought they had a good flavor and they reminded me of a baked potato.  I must say they were very easy to make.  This would make an easy, flavorful addition for your family when you want to add something else to the meal but you are short on time.   

Here is a coupon for you to try out the Betty Crocker "Loaded Mashed" potatoes yourself.  Click here for the coupon.

Thank you to Ana at MyBlogSpark for resending my package to the right address! 

Do these potatoes sound good to you?  Which of your family´s favorite meals do you think you'd make with the new Betty Crocker "Loaded Mashed" potatoes?  Let me know and I will draw one winner from the comments to receive the same prize pack I received (pictured above).  Contest ends Friday, April 22 and I will draw a winner on Saturday.

Have a day of blessings!

 

Disclosure:  The product, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Book review: Max On Life

I have finished reading Max On Life by well-known author Max Lucado.  In this new book, the author of 25 years answers 172 questions he has received.  These questions fall under the categories of Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-nots, and Hereafter. Also included are both a topical index and a scriptural index. 

I enjoyed reading this book and found several questions I myself have often wondered in my life.  This would be a great gift book to give someone who needs some encouragement.   This is the kind of book you can pick up and read through or pick up and find answers to questions you may have using the handy topical index.  While this is a different style of book that others by Max Lucado, it is still very enjoyable to read.  I recommend this book to you.
 
Have a day of blessings!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

SSMT #8

"Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."  James 3:18

This verse got me thinking about sowing and our garden.  We expect certain things to grow based on the seeds we have planted.

What things are you sowing your home?  Are they the things that will bring about a harvest of righteousness? 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Flashback Friday

This week's Flashback Friday is about gardening!  Fun topic!  Join us if you'd like at Mocha with Linda.

My flashback:
I remember many years that we had a garden when I was growing up.  Our house was on about one acre of land in the country, and in one fenced off area we always planted a garden.  The things I remember growing are tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, okra, and green beans. The okra I did not like to pick because it was scratchy.  One year we did carrots because my cousin wanted to see how carrots grew.

We always had so much squash, and it has always been a favorite of mine to eat, cooked any way.  My Mom made up all these random recipes using squash.  One I really liked was "squashed squash" which looks like baby food.  I could eat a whole pan of it! 

Tomatoes from the garden are my favorite.  I love cherry tomatoes especially!  One year I picked the tomatoes and put them into a little pink plastic doll carriage and got a full load.  My Mom would make quarts and quarts of tomato juice for my Peepaw.  Also, she would fix me stewed tomatoes....for breakfast!  I LOVED them!  It makes me want some today just to think about it. 

We also canned what we grew.  I still tease my Mom because she always would say how easy it is to do the canning, like of green beans.  She said you just cut them up and put them in water.  It was always funny to me because the process always seemed so long to meand not as easy as she made it sound!  I remember canning green beans, carrots, and bread and butter pickles for the county fair. 

One funny story I have about the garden was when it became a mud pit!  I don't remember if we asked to do it or my cousin just thought it would be fun when she saw the water making a puddle.  But we were both muddy messes when her Mom came to get her! 

Another random garden story to throw in.....One summer we visited my Mom's aunt and uncle in Iowa.  They had pumpkin plants growing in their back yard.  They would take off the blossoms and fry them to eat! 

My Mom had a flower bed out front.  It had a bunch of rose bushes.  Also we had a patch with irises.  She had hanging baskets on the porch and a huge trellis of honey suckle.  We also had fruit trees lining the driveway in the front yard.  The apricot trees seemed to produce a lot some years.

We did not have much success with a garden at our previous house.  My husband tried one in different spots in the yard but it never grew well.  He thought it was because of the rocky soil.  Now at our new house we are trying a garden and we're very excited about it!  I'm watching it grow and it's exciting to see the plants getting bigger.  I had Caleb take pictures earlier this week so we could see the progress it's making! 

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday!  This month we are over at Lynn's blog each week.  Join us!

What are you thankful for today?  Here are some of the things I'm thankful for this week...

~ my husband and all the ways he makes me smile every day with his sweet words and funny sayings.

~ my son's fun creative ideas.  Wednesday he came to the car with a long trail of paper in his hand.  It was a kite he'd made out of scraps at school.  When we got home he wanted to fly it.  I told him I thought the paper he'd used to try to make a string would tear so he got out some of his yarn and attached it.  Then we went out and tried to fly it.  The string wasn't long enough for it to fly so he tried to fly it through the house.  Then  he made a hopscotch board on a long strip of packing paper that had come in a package in the mail today. 

~ snow cones!  We always enjoy snow cones in the summer and the past week we've had two!  We found a local stand that we went to today after school.  The small was very big and they have a card that gives you a free one after you buy five. 

~ my stack of books to read.  I have several I am so looking forward to reading in my stack after I finish the one I'm reading right now, which is a good one as well (Max on Life) and will review soon.

~ temperatures that feel just perfect.  I love these spring days! 
Have a day of blessings!
 

Random

Has it really been since Friday that I last blogged?  I thought I'd share some random things with you that have happened recently.

~ We were thankful my husband had a job to go to this week after all the talk of the government shutdown at the end of last week.

~ Our garden is starting to grow.  We've seen some of the plants getting bigger.  I had Caleb take pictures to watch the progress.  He was excited to see his corn getting taller. 

~ We bought a new lawn mower on Saturday.  Caleb was excited to get to push it and mow.  Daddy said it was hard to believe our boy is big enough to do that. 

~ We are looking for a new bed.  We can tell ours is getting old and isn't as comfortable anymore.

~ It rained Sunday night.  As Caleb was going to sleep he heard a rumble of thunder.  He told me "God heard my prayers" cause he'd just prayed for rain at bedtime.  I took a picture for him to show him the rain

~ We are having fun watching Caleb in tball.  They do it different here in that the coach pitches the ball and if after 5 balls the child doesn't hit it, he gets to use the tee to hit it.  I think some of these little ones just don't have the motor skills to hit a ball thrown to them yet.  But I have seen progress made by them at practice.  Caleb thinks it is grand to be able to hit the ball thrown by the coach into outfield.  Very exciting!  He has a game Thursday and Saturday and a make-up game next Monday.

~ I am listening to Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity which I've read already.  She reads it herself, I'm enjoying it.

~ I am going on a field trip with first graders on Friday! 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Flashback Friday

This week for Flashback Friday we are talking about poetry because it is National Poetry Month. My flashback:

I remember poetry units in elementary school. One year we had to make a poetry book. It had to have a certain number of different types of poems with illustrations we drew. These were poems we just copied, not wrote ourselves. I remember other times when we learned about different types of poems and then had to write our own on special lined paper.

I had several poetry books as a child. The ones I remember are Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein and The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky.

The poem I remember memorizing is called If by Rudyard Kipling. Every senior at my high school memorized this poem in "Mrs. H's" senior English. When I looked it up, I realized I still remember most of it today. I shared it on my blog previously.

I don't read poetry much now.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday already! Sometimes I type my thankful list on Wednesday night. Last night I realized I hadn't even thought about doing it so I saved it for this morning. What are you thankful for this week? I'm thankful for... ~ my husband working hard on our yard. He did a lot of work Saturday. Our new home has a big yard with lots of trees. In the corners there is lots of old vines and brush he is working to clear out. It's a lot of work and we're going to keep working on it a little at a time to get it how we want it. ~ my boy doing a good job at ball practice Tuesday night. He was so excited to hit it far into outfield! We have a game tonight. ~ eyes to see the beauty of the world around us...a little prairie dog peeking out of his hole, birds in the yard, the colors filling the morning sky, and wildflowers along the highway. ~ finding yummy new recipes we enjoy. I've had two this week...one was granola bars I found on another blog (Cheaper By the Half Dozen) and the other was from a book I reviewed recently for a casserole we had for supper. ~ free mobile to mobile minutes on our cell phones. This month we are at Lynn's for Thankful Thursday! Come join us! (And if someone can please tell me why the text is all squashed together and the spaces beteween lines I put are not showing up in preview mode or when I publish...I would like to know what to do different! I have had this problem the past few posts I've done.) Have a day of blessings!

Song: Day After Day

There are so many heartaches we face in life, so many trials and times when things just don't make sense. I'd like to encourage you with this song today called "Day After Day" by Kristian Stanfill. Here are the lyrics. I love this line: "Day after day our God is reigning He's never shaken"

It doesn't take much to shake up our personal worlds. However, we serve a God who isn't shaken by what happens. He knows what is happening in your life and He cares about those details. When you feel like everything is falling apart, one thing hasn't changed and that is that He is still reigning on His throne. He loves you and cares for you right where you are today. He is trustworthy. Put your hope in Him.

Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: The Radical Disciple

In the book The Radical Disciple author John Stott shares eight characteristics of the lifestyle of a disciple of Christ. When thinking what I would share about this book, I realized this is a rather basic book but has information that we need to remember as Christians. It's good to be reminded of the important things of life as disciples.

Some of the topics covered include nonconformity, maturity, creation care, and balance. The chapter on creation care was interesting since the environment is such a big issue it seems nowadays. The author makes the point that a wasteful lifestyle does not show worship to the Creator.

The book was read by Grover Gardner. Honestly, I did not really enjoy listening to his reading of this book.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

SSMT #7

"He who answers before listening---that is his folly and shame." Proverbs 18:13

When I come across a verse I want to use for SSMT, I add it to my list. This is one I found a while back and thought it was a good one. I have seen this happen in my own life, and I'm sure you have as well.

Sometimes with my son I will start giving him an instruction, but he only hears the first few words and gets upset. For example, if I say "You can't watch your movie until you put up this game." He only hears "you can't watch your movie" and then he gets upset. He didn't listen to the whole instruction. I wasn't saying he couldn't watch his movie, but that was all he heard and he starts asking why he can't watch a movie, etc. I know I've done this with my husband too when he's talking and I will interrupt in the middle without letting him complete the thought. Interrupting and not listening only causes trouble. We need to give the people in our lives respect to hear what they are saying before we add our own two cents, which may not even be applicable to the situation if he wait and listen! I think this is another great reminder for us to listen to what the people in our lives are saying.

Have a day of blessings!