Shine Like Stars

He's in the Whisper

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Recently during one of our nightly devotionals we read the story of the prophet Elijah running from Jezebel. Elijah was afraid for his life. He began to doubt that the Lord would help him, even though He had been helping him. He lost faith. An angel came to him and fed him to where he had strength to go on, but after 40 days God, himself, spoke to Elijah! That was unusual for God to speak directly to someone!

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13

God told Elijah where to go. God passed by in a great and strong wind, in an earthquake, and in a fire, but He was not IN those wonders. He came in a low whisper. A whisper!

I love, love, love this imagery, do you?

Think of yourself as Elijah. When the wind came, how would you have responded? When the earthquake came, how would you have responded? What about the fire? I imagine I would have been okay in the strong wind. We see strong winds in tornadoes. But an earthquake? A fire? Those things frighten me! But a low whisper? That would be odd, maybe, but not scary I don't think. Not after God had helped me through other big things.

When I think of my life, I often only really request help from God in the big things, but maybe He is saying to me..."I'm in the low whispers". "Listen to me in the quiet times." "Don't neglect those times!"

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

(read all of chapter 46. It goes well with this thought.)

HIM vs. YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Moms....pay attention to what you believe. There are many popular things you can see and read as a Christian woman that may or may not be in accordance with God’s word. The Bible never teaches that this world is about you. God loves you and cares about you. He wants you to love Him, obey Him, and serve Him.

There's a popular trend now, made even more popular by some recent publications, that YOU are in charge of your destiny. That only YOU can change your life. Be careful! There's nothing scriptural about that belief! Nothing in scripture says you are in charge, despite what might be shouted out in the world's view.

Your life and how you live your life should be for HIS GLORY, not for YOURS. It’s not for your happiness, contrary to what you may read apart from scripture. God wants you to be HOLY. In becoming holy, you'll find true happiness....which is joy! Joy is something that can't fade with problems, trials, struggles in life. Happiness comes and goes. Joe remains....or should.

Check what you read with God’s word. Don’t believe it because it’s popular and it’s trending on social media. Women often allow their feelings to dictate their beliefs, which can lead down untrue paths. Don’t be one of those women.

God loves you! He wants you to love you, but He also wants you to love HIM and rely on HIM, not yourself. And self help done should be for His glory, not your own.

First Love - A Life Pleasing to God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

If you pay attention closely, you can tell what is someone’s first love.

If, for a Christian, his/her first love is God, Christ, His church....it will be evident by what shows in his/her life. If it is not God, Christ, the church....it will be blaring and screaming something else.

Priorities are evident if we pay attention.

If I were to ask someone what was most important in my life, if I'm honest, sometimes it might look like things other than God, Christ, and the church were most important. Social media isn't always an appropriate "judge" of what's most important in someone's life, but on the other hand....that's what we put out for others to see. Yes, our close family and friends and acquaintances can see other examples, as well, but so much of our true life is hidden. That's okay. the Bible tells us to live quiet lives.

It's appropriate that the passage below is under the heading, "A Life Pleasing to God".

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

This is my desire, so I should make it a goal to evaluate and judge my life by this standard in God's Word. May my first love be what God desires for it to be.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T GOD

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 18:04:00 +0000

This was a recent post on our parent's page:
Never make light of spiritual matters. Your children are watching how you respect God, Jesus, the church, as well as your attitude towards sin, worship, grace, mercy, and on and on. Making light of something that’s of spiritual importance isn’t sharing the gospel message with others. Jesus died on the cross for those things and because of those things. That’s nothing to take lightly.

Nothing makes me sadder than to see spiritual times and spiritual matters become a time of entertainment or in fun. It doesn't really matter what I feel about it or what you might feel about it, though. What matters is what God feels...what Jesus feels....what we might make others feel about it. The thought of hurting my Lord and my Savior brings tears to my eyes, does it yours? I think of the song, "Does He Still Feel the Nails". Am I crucifying him all over again if I am not having the reverence I should during worship? God's grace and mercy is sufficient. He's loving and will forgive me, of course, but what about when I deliberately continue to fail in this area, never realizing it's sin? That's a scary thought that I don't take lightly.

As a parent, I pray that I've taught and trained my children to revere the name of the Lord....to not trample on Christ's death on the cross...and that they will never deliberately "make Him feel the nails".

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 11:28-29 (read all of chapter 11 to see what "Therefore" is THERE FOR).

An Attempt to Begin Again

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 17:47:00 +0000

My blog posts are sporadic, I know, but this is an attempt to begin blogging again consistently. For now, I'm scheduling several, just because I know I won't follow through with daily posts if I don't. It's not that I don't want to blog....in fact, I miss it in a lot of ways. I also know that I've missed blogging a LOT of family things that I will regret someday because it's hard to go back and do past things. I may try to, but for now, I'll start with now.

Have a great day! It's cold here, so hopefully it will result in beautiful fall trees. That's always what I wish for :).

It Only Takes a Spark

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 12:00:00 +0000

So many problems in life could be alleviated if they were taken care of when first noticed, rather than waiting until something blew up into something much bigger. As a parent, if we don't take care of disobedience in our children at the first sign of it, it will develop into something much worse down the road - then we will be left wondering how to fix the problem and it will often be too late. Nip it in the bud from the beginning, instead of ignoring that little spark!

Whether it's a problem in the workplace, in a relationship....anything, it never is helpful to let things go and not take care of the problem. Peacemaking is not ignoring problems. Avoiding conflict only makes things worse. Conflict, tension, irritability comes from not taking care of things that need to be taken care of. Nothing good comes from procrastinating. Being a true peacemaker is taking care of things within your control, not leaving them to fester and build up.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Hebrews 12:7-15

Walk Your Talk!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 12:00:00 +0000

It's interesting how children grow up to be influenced by the world around them, isn't it? Parents strive to do their best to teach and train them, and hopefully instill God's Word in them to where they make good decisions. They will make mistakes. They will make bad decisions. They will do things to damage their reputation. They will do things that dim their light that is shining for Jesus. They won't always realize it at the time, though. Looking back they will see and understand.

Parents, let's pray that our children remember the truths they've been taught. Let's pray that the example they show to others not only honors you as their parents, but also one that glorifies the Lord. It's really easy to fall into what the world believes is okay. It's even harder to be different when brothers and sisters in Christ may be participating in the very thing that you've realized is not wholesome and holy and God-honoring.

So pray. Pray that they will have the knowledge of God's Word instilled in them where they will stand up to what is not good. And pray that they'll be strong in the faith - strong enough to say no when they need to.

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity,”

1 Timothy 4:12.

Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright. Proverbs 20:11

Modesty....It Matters!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 19:27:00 +0000

I am always so impressed with moms, and especially dads who are caring about the subject of modesty and the affect of it on their children's hearts and minds. In following several Christian Facebook groups, there are always a lot of "shoulder to knee" modesty comments. Many Christians follow this rule simply because the Bible refers to covering the "loins to the thigh" as God's instructions for the linen trousers (NKJV) or “breeches" (KJV) which were part of the priests' garments "to cover their nakedness" in Exodus 28:42. The thigh is the entire area from above the knee to the hip.

When you research the tunics worn during these times, they were a garment that covered from the shoulder at least down to the knee. Also in Isaiah 47:2-3, uncovering the thigh is again referred to as revealing nakedness.

As Christians, we are priests!
We are Christ’s ambassadors!
How are we representing ourselves as such?

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, they realized their nakedness and covered themselves with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). God then made them "tunics of skin and clothed them" (vs. 21 - NKJV). Apparently the simple coverings Adam and Eve made for themselves were not enough to adequately cover their nakedness. If it wasn’t enough clothing for God’s original people in the garden, why would it be enough clothing for His children today?

These two thoughts from scripture put a whole new perspective on modesty for me, even though I always believed it to be important.

I did try to teach our children to "DIVERT THEIR EYES" and look away when people were dressed immodestly. People in the world think modesty doesn’t matter. Christians should know better because scripture teaches these truths. We mustn’t cave to the world’s standard of what is modest or not. It’s pretty apparent that the world doesn’t have a standard.

Many years ago my high school FHA chapter was going to tour a state penitentiary. I wasn’t able to go due to dental surgery , but I still remember one of the of the rules we were told. No one could wear sleeveless shirts.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the requirements for pension visits now. Guess what? Thirty-plus years later, sleeveless shirts are still not allowed. Interesting, huh? Check out the other dress code requirements below. Crazy how big of a deal it is to have schools or other places enforce a strict dress code, yet a prison is stricter and sees the issue of wearing immodest clothing more than in our free society. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?!

As followers of Christ, our bodies are temples. We must respect our bodies and not defile them in any way. Through the way we dress and by how we appear, we can show that we know how precious our body is. We can show that we are a disciple of Jesus Christ and that we love Him by how we dress. Our dress and grooming influence the way we and the way others act around us.

We must never lower our standards of dress. We must not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When we dress immodestly, we send a message that is contrary to our identity as a son or daughter of God. We may also send the message that we are using our body to get attention and approval from others. We mustn’t seek approval from the world, from social media, from those who desire to harm our influence as a child of God. Modesty in thought, word, appearance, and behavior keep us in step with the Spirit. It will also show others that we are different than the world, giving us the opportunity to tell them more about Jesus and His influence on our life.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭

Integrity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 22:13:00 +0000

I came across this quote a few days ago: Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain. It's a great life quote that we can all take to heart.

There are many things I hope my children have. One of those things is integrity. They'll only have integrity if I have modeled it, trained them in it, and taught it. My example is huge. If I do the things I do to benefit ME, then they will do the same. If I bend rules, make plans, and hide things on the basis of "for others", yet it's actually to benefit myself, they will see through my fakeness and I will have failed to teach them to have integrity. It's easy to see when others don't have integrity. It's much harder to see it in myself.

Want to check to see if you have integrity? From Carey Nieuwhof's website, check yourself!

Five signs that show your integrity is in question:

1. It’s all about you.
2. Your self esteem rises and falls with the opinion of others.
3. You’re hiding things.
4. You fail to do what you said you were going to do.
5. You make too many compromises.

How did you do? Could you make some improvements? Start today! Don't delay!

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. Proverbs 10:9

The Lord judges the peoples;

judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness

and according to the integrity that is in me.

9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,

and may you establish the righteous—

you who test the minds and hearts,

O righteous God!

Psalm 7:7-9

The Power of Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 16:15:00 +0000

This week I have been preparing to speak for a ladies day in Weatherford, Oklahoma. In the midst of that preparation that has been going on for more than a month, there have been so many things that have been going on. Things that have been distracting. Things that have been serious and not so serious.

Prayer is something that comes easy for me when doing with my children, but has never come easy to me for myself. I have always wanted my children to have a stronger and deeper prayer life at their ages than I had in mine at those times.

Prayer is still something that I struggle with, I think because of my independent personality. I don't always think to pray like I should. I do pray, but not as often as I should. I pray prayers of thankfulness in all of my prayers and the most often. I pray prayers of repentance, but not as often as I need to. I certainly need forgiveness often! And I'm not always good at praying for my needs or for God's guidance/strength, etc. I rarely, if ever, pray for my wants.

So this week some things were troubling me. I decided to pray bold prayers. I told God exactly what I wanted. I prayed that God would either take care of the trouble or calm me. Which taking care of the trouble WOULD calm me, I wanted peace if the trouble stayed. Another thing going on is still ongoing, but I'm continuing to pray about it, as well. The first trouble was taken care of by God. Even before I knew that I was calmer. I knew that everything was going to be taken care of by God, no matter what. I had faith that He was going to take care of the problem in however it needed to be - whether it was what I would have wanted or not. Either way, I knew God would help me to be calm.

I kept reciting the last sentence of this verse as I prayed fervently:

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he quoted scripture back at Satan. I try to do that. I just tell Satan he is not going to tempt me in that way....tempt me to worry, become stressed, get upset, etc.....well, on certain things. I need to do it with some of my food/Sonic drink things!!! But I have found if I do that, it really works for me. Of course, in doing that, I totally believe it's the Holy Spirit of God working and helping me in those ways as I pray about them. But I do believe that's how we can resist the devil - by telling him to GO!

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

There's definitely power in prayer. We may not always depend upon it as we should, but this week, once again, I can know that it does work. And so when I'm upset about something that I can't control or shouldn't control....or really even when I can control it.....I need to pray, "God, if it is your will, calm this storm. If it is not your will to calm it, then calm me." Maybe you need to pray that prayer, too.

Depend on the power of prayer. It will get you through whatever comes your way.

The Power Washer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 14:50:00 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity to use an extremely powerful power washer for a few days. I cleaned the gunk and grime off of a huge concrete slab, often times maneuvering over it an inch at a time to ensure that it was all as clean as possible. As I worked, I thought about the spiritual application of this massive tool.

First of all, I thought about the incredible power of this washer. It was a super-duper power washer! It even took most of the painted basketball and volleyball marked lines off of the concrete!

In the same way, God is the ultimate power washer! There is no higher power! And just as the machine gives the "gift" of high-powered water, and the water does the cleaning, God gave the gift of His Son on the cross, and His blood shed did the cleansing for those who accept that gift and obey His Word.

I also thought about the time and care I spent going over every spot, making sure no stains were left. I asked myself this question: Am I as careful to look for the "spots and blemishes" of my spiritual life, taking care to repent of the sins and name them one by one? The blood of Jesus will continually clean off the spots in my life when I repent of those sins and strive to live a life in faithful obedience to His Will. Just as no spot was too bad to withstand the power of that power washer, no sin is "too big" for the blood of Jesus. His blood has the power to wash it all away, making me clean and pure.

And then the last thought from the power washer was the fact that, no matter how powerful the machine was, the water was, the pressure was, unless I held it in my hand....unless I pushed the handle, the machine couldn't do the work it was supposed to do. Now God can do work without me. In fact He works all of the time and everywhere without my help. He doesn't need my help and He doesn't need yours; however, for Him to work in my life...for His Spirit to work in my life....my heart must be willing to allow Him to work. He can do things that abruptly make my heart willing to obey, willing to listen, willing to change, but if I'm defiant, unwilling to change, unwilling to submit, unwilling to do anything at all, He can't change me the way He wants to. I have to "allow" the power to work in my life. And although I did NOTHING to clean the spots off of the concrete (I had no power!), I had to "allow" the power washer to do it's job by me doing my job. God's Spirit can work in my life, molding me and helping me grow in the fruits, but only if I allow Him to work. It is as simple as saying, "Here you go God. Do what needs to be done!".

It's interesting how simple things in life can have deep spiritual meaning if we will just look. There are spiritual applications all around us if we will just open our eyes! So whether you find yourself folding laundry, washing dishes, playing catch, walking, or using a power washer, look for the spiritual side of life. God will teach when we take the time to learn.

Zachary's 21st Birthday & Time Capsule Opening

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 04:53:00 +0000

What a fun time we had Saturday! My parents came to town Friday night, and my mom, Zachary, Lauren, and I spent all day Saturday cooking for Zachary's 21st birthday. The 21st birthday in our home is special because the kids get to open their time capsule that was made at their 1st birthday party. So for 20 years that sack that was his time capsule has been safely stored away. I've never even peeked to see what was put in any of them, so it's always exciting to me, too!

Lauren bought Zachary a yummy cookie from a shop in Oklahoma City she had made with the Italian flag on it. She gave it to him on Friday. We gave him a special book, which I'll tell about towards the end of this post.

Originally Zachary wanted to cook all of the food for his party, but in the end he decided it would be easier for him if we all helped! It worked out perfectly! He chose Italian food, which was great because he and Lauren spent three weeks there in May (which I haven't yet blogged about, but need to!). I'm usually not one that likes the food I've cooked all day. I guess just being around it all day makes me not like it, BUT this time I have to agree with those who said - it was all delicious! Everything just seemed to go right, and turned out like it was supposed to (yippee!).

Most of the decorations I had for this theme, but was really excited to see the "Hunts" brand of large tomato sauce at Sam's. Mine were so old and had been in the garage and gotten too hot, I guess. The red cans make it extra cute!

Walmart had these red and white plates in a "picnic" section, but worked great. I ordered the Italian flag napkins from Amazon.

The traditional "cousin" picture. The little ones are second cousins. They make parties even more fun!

My mom made two chocolate pies (Zachary loves that one she makes) so we would be sure to have enough dessert. Zachary had requested that I get a church friend's banana pudding recipe for his main dessert. We put candles on it!

And then it was time for the time capsule opening. I remember using slick paint on that sack at the last minute before his 1st birthday party thinking I should have done something different - more special. But I didn't let myself change it, either. It was fine!

There were lots of special things in the capsule. A red wagon from Grandma (my mom) that had a message of how she pulled Zachary in that wagon a lot when she kept he and his siblings a few days in the summer when I worked part time.

An extra special handwritten letter from his great-grandpa with his first wedding band in it. Oh, I wish that grandpa was still alive to have seen this, but how neat that he has this memory and keepsake.

A plate and napkin from his first birthday party. The candle was in their too. I should have used it for the "1" of "21"!! (But I had no idea it was there! Ha ha!).

A letter and pictures from family members. It was fun ready them and looking at the pictures.

When Zachary was born one of my friends gave me a scrapbook keepsake book. I kept it up well and it was something special that just he had. It tells funny sayings that he would say. I enjoyed reading that again.

The book we give them when they turn 21 is the words of the book "Just in Case You Ever Wonder" by Max Lucado. The words are put to pictures of them growing up.

It was a LOT of work, but I'm proud of it and know Zachary will be, too. I loved looking through pictures of him. It brought back so many memories and tears of joy, happiness, and a little sadness at how fast it's gone.

And I love the main point of the book - that we taught Zachary about God...about Jesus....about Heaven.

Another special thing was in the time capsule. This book. I wrote a letter to him in it - a really long letter. I'm not sure he's even read it, yet! Ha! And I had letters that I wrote to him each year. Some will be blog posts that I print out. And two years were missing for some reason. I got a little overwhelmed a few years and had a hard time keeping up. It seemed like I was always writing and maybe I just didn't do them?? I don't know. Hopefully they'll show up. If not, it's okay.

I'm not sharing a picture of it, but one thing we did last week was watch the commercial we made for Comanche County Memorial Hospital about Zachary being born and having Group B Strep. The commercial was good at the time, but they made it waaaaayyyyy close up so our heads are HUGE! And I have on way too much makeup! But Zachary and Lauren looked cute :). It didn't show Jacob, although he would have been born at the time.

Then the party was over.....

On Sunday, Zachary's actual birthday, Mom and Dad were still in Tipton. We all went to Bible class and worship, then had a quick lunch before they headed back to Texas and we left for Texas....visited the DFW area for a few days for a quick vacation trip. We worshiped at Roanoke, TX, then at in Carrolton at Babe's. A fun and delicious ending to Zachary's special day!

Dear Zachary,
When I think of you celebrating your 21st birthday, my heart is filled with pride. God allowing me to be your mother has been one of my biggest joys of life. After always wanting a big brother - or any brother - it was fun having a boy! I'd never been around boys other than my dad, grandpas and your dad, so actually being around a little baby boy and raising him brought all new experiences in my life! And I have truly loved every minute of it.

I'm writing your letter a few days late, so it's a Wednesday. Just tonight at Bible class, you taught about two miracles of Jesus - Him healing the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus' daughter being brought back to life. As you taught, I just kept thinking about your wisdom and knowledge for your age. I know people think it's our doing (your dad and I), and I hope and pray that we have taught you a lot and you did learn a lot from us, in reality I know that a lot of what you know you have learned on your own - by digging into God's Word yourself. That's what it should be and that's one thing I love about you.

As you attend college and learn in classes, I know that you are doing what you can to shine your light for Jesus in any way you can. In a small way, but something that I have seen you do, is that you get to know people. You learn their names. When I've been with you on campus, you speak to them and say hello to them. You do what you can to make them feel like you care. I can't remember what you said exactly, but I remember you saying you were specially trying to learn people's names and say their names. You know....that is something people need to hear and you are doing that. That one thing made a big impression on me. It's something I need to work on myself. You teach me things all of the time.

You're so mature for your age. I thank God for what He has done in your life and how He is molding you into what He wants you to be.

This summer has been special for you and for us. We have had you here, which I never would have thought possible. You've worked at the children's home helping organize and plan events, camps, etc. You've directed QMCC camp session with your dad for the 3rd year, baptizing someone for the first time and influencing many others who are on their own spiritual journeys. You've gained knowledge in your future career, but been an asset and helper to all who needed you here - especially to your dad.

I'm going to miss you when you go back to college, but am also excited about your junior year. You've made it a goal to have lots and lots of people in your apartment. Hospitality is important to me, and I think all of our family feels that it's important. It's so great to see you willing to open up your college home to reach out to others. They will be thrilled! :)

Zachary, all that your dad and I wanted for your future was to know that we loved you and for you to be a faithful Christian and a worker for Him in the Kingdom. You are doing just that. There's nothing more to say. All I can say is that I love you and am proud of you. Most importantly, I believe you are doing God's Will. You have Him at the center of your life. I pray that He is always the center. If He is, all else will be okay.

I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. Now and forever my baby you'll be. MOMMA (You call me Momma. Not all the time, but often. No one else does :) )

THE CRAZIEST WEEK I'VE EVER HAD!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 May 2017 03:42:00 +0000

Do you ever look back at something and think, "Whew, I made it!". I'm sure you have. I have too, just today, in fact! Last Thursday morning I left home. I knew I wouldn't be back home again until today, a week later. As I began to think about all that was going to happen in that week, I got all spastic. I don't worry, for the most part, but I get so excited about it all that spastic is the best way to describe it. Crazy might be a better description, though. Ha ha!

Once I had my clothes out for the week, it helped. I wasn't quite as spastic! Packing for that long means making some decisions and not knowing the weather conditions made that difficult. To help, I just took probably a third (maybe more) of my clothes.

When I drove away from the house, I was completely relieved. Everything I had thought about and planned for a month or so was on its way to happening. No more thinking about it. Now it was time to DO it! However, many things that happened during the past week were not planned. And that made the week even more memorable!

This post is more for myself, just to remember this past week. I'm putting details I want to remember.
It's a day by day glance...with details.

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY (and before)
Made the meat, rice, beans and picked up cake....made floral decoration...gathered party supplies, etc.
Stayed up making Jacob's high school graduation announcements, paid extra to get some stamped and mailed from Shutterfly and also extra to have some shipped here quickly for he and Joe to take care of before they left Friday. (more about that at the end of this post).

And Tyler wanted a cell phone....
We were going to get him one - a non-smart phone - in the summer to take to camps, but decided he should get one for the FFA Chorus time. We didn't tell him, though! Wednesday night after Bible class we staged a funny thing. I hid the phone in the love seat where Tyler sits. I watched from the couch. Jacob was gonna video it but had run out of storage. Joe rang Tyler's phone. Nothing. Not even a budge. Joe rang again. Tyler even moved his hand and foot to the phone's ringtone. He finally realized no one was answering the phone, looked around and all of us, and jumped up to start digging in the love seat!! It was GREAT!! He was excited then a little teasingly "upset" that we hadn't told him he was getting one and let him do all of this list of "why Tyler needs a phone" he did. It was funny!

THURSDAY
Met Zachary at Oklahoma City for his doctor's appointment.
Joe got Jacob's graduation announcements that Jacob needed to take to school and mailed a few I had forgotten to put on the mailing list to Shutterfly.
Unloaded Lauren's college graduation cake and taco meat/chicken, beans, rice, other food stuff, and my luggage at brother and sister-in-law's.
Lauren came to switch cars with me while I was unloading so that she could pack some college apartment stuff in it.
Went out to Lauren's car to leave only to discover I had no purse (no money, no nothing).
Went to her apartment to get my purse, phone charger, etc.
Picked up prescription for Zachary. Waited in parking lot for prescription to be called in for another son (never happened). Shopped a few hours for food for Lauren's college graduation.
Took all the bought stuff to bro/sis-in-laws' and began getting food stuff together (Zachary helped.) Decorated grad party table.
Responded to texts (many overdue and way late due to phone being on silent).
Went to sleep about 2:30 a.m. listening to the thunderstorm and rain....at their house in Edmond.

FRIDAY
Woke up at 6:00 a.m. Got ready FIRST (other thank clothes) rather than waiting until everything was done (yay me. I NEVER do that!).
Finished preparing food things. Stuck food in the oven.
Decorated patio tables outside.
Couldn't find the dish soap to wash the dishes (thankfully my brother-in-law came in and showed me it was in a pump RIGHT ON THE GRANITE surface by the sink. OH BOY! I had to put that detail in. It's part of the funny stories from the week!!)
Realized it was 9:10 and I was wanted to leave for Lauren's college graduation at 9:30. Hurried and washed the dishes and made it out the door at 9:30!! Yay! I changed quickly!
Made it to graduation. Waiting on my husband, three sons, one son's girlfriend, and my parents who were there from Lubbock.
While I was at graduation, my brother-in-law ordered the "set ups" from Ted's Cafe (homemade tortillas, chips, salsa, queso) and went to get it...he lowered the temps on all of the food (I had forgotten to). My sister-in-law got home from her mom's early morning minor surgery and had the other food out on the island when we got there.
Many family members and friends came to join in the celebration of dinner, cake, grad gifts, pictures, and fellowship. Took lots of pictures.
God blessed us with a beautiful day and perfect for an outside garden party!
Cleaned up the food.
We went to pack up Lauren's apartment stuff then Zachary's dorm stuff in the Expedition and Joe's pickup.
Jacob and his girlfriend left for OSU FFA Inter-scholastics competitions in Zachary's car.
The other five of us went to eat with my parents at Jason's Deli.
Tyler went to spend the night in the dorm with Zachary.
Went to bed by midnight or so. Exhausted, but feeling accomplished and relieved!
WOW! Joe and I alone for a night???! That rarely happens! Weird!

SATURDAY
The plan:
The five of us were going to meet for breakfast. It took me a while to remember that Jacob would still be in Stillwater. I had planned to find a really neat and fun place to go. Lauren and Zachary were leaving for Italy and Joe's birthday was the next day. We would all be together...my favorite thing :).
Well, Zachary wanted to run and needed to work his R.A. job checking out college Freshmen from 9-10, so he wasn't sure he would be able to eat. Lauren needed to be out of her apartment for checkout at 7:30 a.m. She would be able to eat after that.

The reality:
A storm came through Oklahoma City causing a lot of downed power poles. It was pouring rain in the morning. We know Zachary couldn't run, so it was going to be all five for breakfast!
Joe and I left the hotel to go load up the rest of Lauren's stuff and she was going to check out.
Mom and Dad started going back to Lubbock. There was a problem on the road near the OK State Fairgrounds and they were having traffic go to Exit 10. They were there, barely moving at all, if any...for over an hour! Turns out it was the downed power lines caused by the storm.
Lauren's roommate missed her checkout time and Lauren wasn't sure why.
Joe was helping her carry things out quickly before the checkout guy got there at 7:30. He carried a sack to the car that had a lot of stuff in it...including Lauren's car keys. He put the trunk lid down just a little, but didn't shut it. The trunk lid slammed shut immediately because of the wind. So immediately Joe know the keys were locked in the car.
Lauren couldn't take anything else out of the apartment after her checkout (this included her pots and pans) because of the roommate not checking out yet (or something....I'm not sure about this part).
We pay for AAA and it's been a lifesaver for us, but because of the OKC storm, they weren't answering. We knew it would take a long time for them to come unlock a car.
Joe called a locksmith and waited. He came pretty quick.
In the meantime the rest of us went to breakfast, not at one of the places I had searched for on TripAdvisor and gotten advice from by friends, but at Jimmy's Egg, which was close. And it was good! We ordered and ate.
Joe got the car unlocked, got the pots and pans from the roommate when she got there (the storm at their hotel had knocked the power out and caused she and her family to oversleep).
Joe arrived at Jimmy's Egg....Zachary had to leave.
After we ate we all went back to Zachary's dorm.
We helped unload his dorm and cleaned it.
The college stuff was packed in my Expedition, Joe's pickup, Zachary's car, and Lauren's car.
We had a family prayer together (minus Jacob).
Zachary and Lauren left for Dallas.
We let Tyler decide what to do since he had us all to himself.
Tyler decided we would go to Golf Galaxy (formerly Golfsmith) where he and Joe putted and had a putting contest for an hour or more, Von Maur at Quail Springs mall plus other shopping (mostly needs since he's grown so much!), and then ate at Zio's. We also went to Cavendars for Joe some socks because his feet were soaked from the rain. It rain mostly all day long!
Lauren and Zachary left their car at a cousin's house and called a cab. The cab never came so they called for an Uber driver. They made it to the airport.
About 4:00 p.m., Lauren realized she didn't have her wallet. She had left it in the Uber car!!They were past security and almost ready to board the plane. She called Uber and the driver met her outside DFW. Thankfully...thankfully....she was able to get back through security and onto the plan just in time!!!!
About Zio's: Because the Bricktown Zio's is so pretty and because it was just as close as the other one, I suggested it. When we got there we found out that it was the OKC schools' prom night, plus many Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Marathon runners were there....all waiting to eat. It was going to be an hour and a half to two hour wait! We decided to go to the other one.
On the way to the other Zio's Joe called. There was no wait at all. We got seated immediately. Within 15 minutes there were lots of people coming in. When we left there, the wait was at least 30 minutes, maybe more.
The evening ended with Cold Stone Creamery and a trip to Walmart for pencils that Tyler could use for FFA Chorus during the next few days.
Went to bed late because I was watching Lauren and Zachary's plane on the app. I set an alarm for 1:30 a.m. so I could message them when they got there. They were to have a 3 hour layover. I never went to sleep (reflux).
Jacob drove back home from Stillwater in pouring rain the whole time. He was so tired.
I missed the exact landing time. I was looking at other stuff on my phone. When I went to the app, though, it didn't say "landed". I went to the airlines' app. It showed a plane in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN and said "scheduled". I went back and forth between the two apps trying to see when it landed. Neither ever said landed. I'm not a worrier, but the plane in the middle of the ocean saying scheduled really worried me a LOT. After about 10 minutes, I called the airlines hotline. I realized while listening to the first part of their stuff, that it was after midnight our time. I went back to the airlines' app and realized that what I was searching had switched to April 30th instead of the 29th!! Ha ha!! I searched the 29th and saw what I wanted to see: LANDED! WHEW!! :)
Waited a little bit and talked to Lauren and Zachary a while.
Went to sleep late, but slept through getting to say anything to them before they flew to Italy.

SUNDAY
Joe was supposed to run in the Half Memorial Marathon, but decided he couldn't. Instead he spoke about the Home at Carbondale Church of Christ in Tulsa. He left the hotel in OKC pretty early.
Tyler and I got up early for worship at class at Memorial Church of Christ.
As we arrived I found out Lauren and Zachary made it to Italy!
Tyler and I went back to the hotel, packed up, and went to eat.
At 2:00 p.m., I took Tyler to check in to the hotel to begin practicing with the Oklahoma FFA Chorus.
I checked into my hotel.
Joe got back from Tulsa.
We worshipped at Southern Ridge Church of Christ and got to visit with some friends we used to worship with at Elm & Hudson in Altus. Joe was part of the studying due that the man studied with before becoming a Christian!
Joe and I ate (ALONE!) at Ted's Cafe. I did the birthday song and sombrero for his birthday as a surprise! He shouldn't have left the table to visit the restroom. It gave me time to let the waiter know!
Went to sleep pretty early because it was going to be an early Monday morning.
Responded to lots of people that had been commenting on all of the graduation stuff.
Talked to the Italy kids late and then during the night when it was their morning.
WOW! Another night alone. So, so weird!!!

MONDAY
Jacob got up and left the house at 4:30 a.m. for Kingfisher for the Regional Golf Tournament.
Joe and I left the hotel in OKC at 6:30 tournament, but in separate cars. My GPS is way messed up on my phone, so it took me an alternative way for a while. It said roads that were in ALTUS, not OKC. Thankfully I could read the map on the phone.
Jacob played two games of golf, so 36 holes. We were finished about 4:30.
Joe went back home.
Jacob and I went back to OKC.
The FFA Chapter had gotten to OKC in the afternoon. They were going to Main Event to play games/bowl. I was to take Jacob to meet them.
When we got to Main Event the FFA group wasn't there. They didn't come for about an hour. Jacob and I waited, but then just decided to bowl. I paid for a wrist band for $15, which gave unlimited bowling. When they "buzzed" us saying a lane was ready, we went to get our shoes. The lady at the shoe desk said we should have paid for the shoes at the first desk, but since we didn't, she said she would just let it slide and gave them to us instead of us having to go back to the line. (Savings: $5 per pair). She also put in the two other people that we were going to get to bowl with us and said to tell them just to come get their shoes when they got there. (Total savings for all of us together: $20!!)
We bowled for the two girls until the 7th set, then they got there and we kept bowling for two hours!
I didn't want to eat late like I had the two nights before, so asked them if they wanted some appetizers to share.
We ordered onion rings and loaded fries. I didn't want much at all, but those sounded good and they agreed. When the food came, instead of fries, it was loaded tots. The waitress said she'd get it changed.
After 20 minutes I asked about our fries. The guy said they had a LOT of school groups come in and order. I told them I understood, just wanted to check.
After 10-15 minutes, the waitress brought the fries and apologized for the delay. She said she wasn't going to charge me for any of the food.
In a little while the manager (I guess) came and apologized and said the same. I told them I totally understood! But, hey...free food? I won't complain! Total saved: $25?? I left a tip, still.
Jacob wanted me to take him to the FFA hotel instead of unloading his luggage to the bus. They were going to leave at 8:45 p.m., but ended up not leaving until 10.

Since we had a lot of time with nothing to do, we were just walking around or sitting. Jacob had someone come up and give him a card that had unlimited game tokens for 8 hours! We all played Skeeball several times, then they did other games. They gave the card to someone else when the FFA group decided to leave. (Quite a bit saved!)
I dropped Jacob off at his hotel and went to mine...checked the car in with the valet.
Stayed up late and talked to the kids in Italy some.

TUESDAY
The FFA Convention began at 9:00 Tuesday morning, so I got there about 8:30. It was across the street from the convention center, so very nice to be close.
Tyler was so much fun to watch in the FFA Chorus. They did great! He was so excited about it and texted about it often. So fun reading his messages!
After the morning session I walked around the career fair of the convention and walked with Jacob and Camry to our favorite downtown place to eat during the convention....Mom's Kitchen. Ended up eating with a friend that moved several years ago and walking back to the convention with her.
Tyler was done with practice and going to eat, but said he could visit with me for just a little while before he had to practice again. I told him I'd wait on him at his hotel lobby.
He finally said he was just leaving from running into Jacob and Camry.
I waited, but he never showed up. Finally he called.
He was by the convention center, but couldn't figure out where he was to get back to his hotel.
I asked where he was...what he saw...where the sun was...trying to direct him to the right place.
I waited and waited and called...NOTHING. I was standing out on the corner of his hotel block so hopefully I could see him or he'd see me.
He finally called and said he didn't have time to see me then...he had to go.
I asked if I could just say hi really quick as he walked the skybridge to the practice room. He allowed that :). It was quick! Ha!
After a quick trip to my hotel it was time for the evening session.
Our school secretary was given an honorary FFA degree award at the evening session, so that was exciting.
After the session ended, Tyler said he was hungry and since he thought he could go eat with Jacob and others, but they were going to eat near their hotel further away, he couldn't.
I was Tyler's last resort for an eating buddy, and since he hadn't seen me much in several days, I think he was excited (or maybe it was just me and he played along!).
We ate at Sonic at Bricktown. Tyler said he was going back to his hotel room and sleeping. He was so, so tired. Many others of the chorus group had gone to a concert.
We walked back to my hotel to get my car so I could drive him to his. I didn't want to walk back alone since it was dark and the FFA people weren't out then.
The valet, Zach, went to get the Expedition and was gone a long time. I told Tyler it was taking too long for the car to come. Zach soon showed up with bad news. The car wouldn't start.
I told Zach I'd walk through the convention center and take Tyler to where he knew to go from there without getting lost, then get back to my hotel to decide what to do. He thought it was a dead battery so jumped it and let it run for 20 minutes. I waited in the lobby.
Zach said not to worry about it, that he would charge it more and then I could go on to my room.
After about 30 minutes, there was a knock on my hotel door. Zach had bad news. After jumping it, running it a long time, and even driving it around, the car wouldn't start up again after he turned off the key.
I called Joe and told him what was going on. He made plans to call someone the next day and to come to OKC in a bigger vehicle in case we had to unload the college stuff in case the Expedition had to stay a while.
Okay....so that left a night with a little uncertainty about the next day. I needed a vehicle to go to the State Capitol to hear the chorus. I wasn't sure yet when that was scheduled or how I'd get there.
Oh....and Tyler texted me at 11:30 asking if I was awake! I guess he got his second wind. Ha ha!

WEDNESDAY
I found out early that the chorus wasn't leaving for the Capitol until 1:15, but it was an early morning at the convention. I got there and saved seats at 7:45 for the FFA group.
Another mother and I plus some of the FFA members went to a workshop.
Joe got to my hotel and began waiting on the mobile car mechanic to come. By that time they thought the problem was probably the carburetor. He wasn't sure how long he would wait.
I didn't have time to eat lunch, but wanted something.
I decided to stop by the hotel Starbucks and get something. It must have been noon because she was closing and so I didn't get anything to eat there. When I went to pay her, she GAVE it to me FREE!! She said just take it, I guess because she had counted her register already. (Savings: $5)
I borrowed a car from another mom friend. I left at 1:15.
On the way to the Capitol Tyler called. He needed me to go get him a cheap pair of black pants because he had a white stain on his.
After some questioning, I got it out of him. He had spilled Super Glue on his pants trying to glue down the zipper pull on his FFA jacket!
I told him I wasn't buying a new pair of pants, but I had a Sharpie and he could color it and cover it!
He said to meet him after they finished singing at the Capitol.
Turns out I went out the way I came in and they didn't....SO, I didn't ever see him afterwards.
I got back about 3:45, just in time to run up to the room and do a few things and get to the convention center to help save seats...but Tyler wanted his pants colored so I ended up meeting him to color his stain really quick. TALK ABOUT a LOT of WALKING! I wonder how many miles I put on Tuesday and Wednesday?!
My phone died during the Capitol trip, so I left it in the room to charge. That made it difficult to communicate, obviously.
I noticed an "Okie" t-shirt on the coffee table in my hotel room, but didn't have time to change to it and decided to wear it another time. I was also wondering why Joe brought it with him to OKC, thinking I had ordered it not remembering exactly how the one I had ordered recently looked.
Joe wasn't around when I left my hotel, so I figured that he had gone to the parking garage - that the mobile mechanic had arrived.
About 6:00 Joe got to the convention center. The mobile mechanic did fix the Expedition! It was only a cable and only $60!!! (Savings from not being carburetor. About $200!)
And a very, very cool thing: The man said he knew someone with our last name years ago....in our town (not knowing that's where Joe was from). Turns out he was at the Children's Home for two years in the 70's. Joe remembered him because his parents were houseparents at that time, as well!
The FFA Chorus sang lots of songs, we got to go see Tyler right after they sang and he got to stay with us after that.
I got to hear part of the keynote speaker after that. Joe and Tyler took his luggage to the car. The speaker was great.
Then Jacob got his FFA State Degree later in the evening and we took lots of pictures after that.
Joe and Tyler left for home. Jacob and the rest of the FFA left for home.
I stayed in OKC for one more night. I originally thought I'd get a doctor's appointment for Thursday, but never did.

THURSDAY
Woohoo!!! It's going home day! I set my alarm at the hotel for 8:00 a.m. I was going to go looking around at a few places and get to Altus at 4:00 for another appointment.
*I kept looking at the Okie shirt that had appeared on my coffee table. I sent a message to a lady I had ordered the shirt from. I knew I'd sent her my email address, but didn't remember sending my mailing address. And Joe wouldn't have brought it to the City, surely.
She didn't know what it was - hadn't send the invoices out yet. She asked for a picture of the shirt then said she didn't sell that shirt!! Hmmmmm....
I had texted Joe about it and he finally responded saying my 18 year old, Jacob, and his girlfriend, Camry had bought it for me! They gave it to Joe at the hotel during the afternoon to put in my hotel room!
Then I texted Jacob and told him about the funny story and told he and Camry thank you for the mysterious shirt! I'm sure they wondered why I never mentioned it the night before!
Oh, well...guess what I wore all day?! That new Okie shirt! It had leopard print on it - my fav!
I checked out of the hotel at 10:30 a.m., but just decided to head back home.
When I got to Lawton, I thought of a few things that I had to do, so stopped at a few stores.
I ended up staying at Lawton longer than I expected to, but then was tired and not breathing too great.
I decided to cancel the thing at 4:00 p.m.
I got home at 4:45 p.m.
When I got home I told the boys hi. I went to my room and started to go get stuff out of the vehicle. As I came back through the living room, I noticed Tyler had fallen asleep!! At least by 5:00 p.m.! It's 10:30 and he's STILL asleep on the couch. (Update: Jacob woke him up at 6:45 a.m. Friday morning!)
I had brought home Panda Express for all of the family. I just put it up from the oven warming. He's not gonna wake up! Ha ha! That late night Tuesday did him in, plus all of the other stuff that went on with their practice schedule and hours of work.
Joe, Jacob, and I were all enjoying the evening.
Jacob is working on his sermon for Sunday morning. He's preaching!!
I was thinking and even said to Joe how I kept waiting for something to go wrong today, but it hadn't. Or so I thought.....
I don't know what made me think about it, but I happened to think that I hadn't even seen Jacob's graduation announcements! I went to look at them.
I noticed there were a LOT of announcements in the box. I mailed out 52 to go to the people directly, then bought about 50 to be mailed here.
Something was wrong.
I texted my sister and she hadn't gotten hers.
I looked up my order. Yes...I was right. 52 and 50...different things.
I called Shutterfly. After waiting 15 minutes, the guy looked it up. Apparently I didn't check the mail directly tab so it was all addressed, but not mailed from there.
After looking in the boxes at every set of the announcements, I found that there were some of the envelopes with addresses!!! So, here I was thinking everyone had them and now they are just now going out tomorrow! Joe and Jacob stuffed the envelopes while I added to my crazy week post!
Today wasn't as smooth as I thought......

But I'm home. I survived possibly the craziest week I've ever had! Mostly fun...some not. Memories made, for sure. And best of all, I get to sleep in my own bed tonight. I think that's a sign I'm getting old. Surely not!

FRIDAY
I request a good day....a calm day....a day to get things done around here....and a day to not get ready or watch the clock too much. :). Thanks in advance.

Something To Think About

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 13:27:00 +0000

This is a great reminder for me concerning the things I do....repeat...and have a habit of doing. Maybe it will make you think, as well.

Snowman Christmas Party 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 14:04:00 +0000

The elementary Christmas party for 2016 was a snowman theme. It was "snow" much fun! Each elementary student, as well as several junior high and high school students, were able to get their picture taken with Frosty. This junior high student was as tall as Frosty!

The students traveled around to different stations doing lots of fun activities.

This activity taught them how to make fake snow using shaving cream, baking soda, and glitter. Adding vinegar to the mix made the snow erupt!

They played snow games.....throwing snowballs into buckets for points, relays creating snowmen with toilet paper, and other snow themed games.

They made a snowman ornament.

These are easily done with paint stir sticks, but this year we bought the little kits with everything included from Oriental Trading.

They heard snowman stories in the reading center.

And decorated their own cookie for their party.

When the students ate their decorated cookie at lunch, they drank snow punch. Here's the link for the punch. It's so good!

Tablecloths and paper sacks with tissue decorated the cafeteria for party time.

The punch was served from the adorable snowman punchbowl I bought several years ago.

It was a great party and the students had a lot of fun!

Christmas 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 13:33:00 +0000

I really thought this had already been published, but see that it hasn't. Even though it's really late, I want to publish it as part of my family's online scrapbook - for the memories to be saved for myself and the children to read later on if they want to.

On the first Friday of Christmas Break, we went to Oklahoma City. Our daughter was traveling with the college basketball team to broadcast, so couldn't be with us, but our oldest son met us after his classes, then began his Christmas Break by coming back home with us. We spent time at Bricktown, which was beautiful all lit up.

We ate at Legacy Grill, formerly "KD's". It had the same menu as KD's, so was still delicious.

We played mini-golf at the new-to-us "Brickopolois". That is such a fun addition to Bricktown! The weather was perfect! I lost, unfortunately, but not unexpectedly. :)

After Christmas our family went to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for a quick trip. Reading and seeing the history of this area was very interesting.

We toured downtown Ft. Worth, stopping for a Starbucks treat.

We toured the stock yards, which was really interesting.

We went to the "Ice" carvings at the Gaylord Texan. The theme this year was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". It was beautiful, as usual!

It was cold, too! VERY cold!

The work these ice carvers do is just amazing!

We slid down the ice slide.

And toured the Gaylord Atrium. So pretty.

Like everything in Texas, the Christmas decor was bigger than life size. It was huge!

Special memories of time with family this Christmas of 2016. It will most likely be the last Christmas we will be together for this amount of time, just because our oldest will be working full-time next year. It was bittersweet. So thankful for these special times together and for the photos we have to remember them.

Obedience/Respect

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 12:00:00 +0000

This is such a great article. I haven't asked permission to post it, so am just sharing the link that goes directly to this man's blog. Please take the time to read it. Click HERE.

What Is Most Important?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:45:00 +0000

What is most important in your life? If you asked your spouse, your children, your friends what is most important to you, what would they say? Is what you think you portray as most important shown in the way you live and conduct your life?

The choices you make, each and every day, show your family, your friends, your neighbors, but even more importantly, GOD, what is most important to you. In the end, eternal life with GOD in Heaven is all that will matter. The choices you make now determine where you will spend eternity. Choices you make now will help determine where your children, grandchildren, and future generations spend their eternity.

I'll admit that sometimes I don't make wise choices. I have a hard time saying "no", so I'm too busy much of the time, and busyness oftentimes gets in the way of doing what is best. Good things aren't always the best things. I'm working on that. Maybe you are, too.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

Loving....Correcting....Instructing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 15:00:00 +0000

"What you allow, you encourage." ~Michael Josephson

Whether you're raising children, educating children, or trying to make a positive difference in yourself or your workplace, you want to set an example. When we turn a blind eye to the little things that are on the verge of right/wrong, we allow that behavior to keep happening. "Oh, they're just a kid...and kids will be kids..", "Oh that's just that person's personality, they didn't really mean it...," "Oh, they're just having a bad day...". And "Boys will be boys?" No way! Not if parents teach their boys to become men! And girls can be ladies and it's not a bad thing! God made each gender to be unique, special, and able to do things and feel things and accomplish things that the other gender wasn't made by Him to do. We were each uniquely made by God for a purpose - His purpose.

When we allow things that are wrong, we become part of the problem and not the solution.

Take time to lovingly correct your children, your students...stand up for yourself (in kindness) when someone offends you. But be KIND. Be LOVING. Be understanding, but teach and instruct and don't neglect to do so.

If no one tells them something is wrong, how will they ever know?

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Parent Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 14:45:00 +0000

Sometimes people get "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes". This is when someone else's child or grandchild does something it's wrong, but if my own child or grandchild does it, it's okay. This can be something seemingly simple, but it can be something glaringly big. It can be something innocent, but it can be something sinful. It can be something against God's word, yet if it's MY child or grandchild, my "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" easily overlooks it because I don't want to believe that what my child or grandchild is doing is wrong.

Let's just look at some of the things that can cause "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes":

#1: In sports, MY child walks with the ball. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" yell, "He/she did not walk!" Everyone else clearly say that he/she did walk, yet the parent can't believe it; however if someone else's child walks you can hear murmuring, "That's the third time he/she has walked!" See the problem? Yes. And the child didn't offend God. It's an innocent mistake. No big deal, really. The parent and grandparent could be offending Him, though, just by their attitude.

#2: In life, YOUR child is living with their boyfriend/girlfriend. "Parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes" will see YOUR child and think (rightfully so), "That is wrong! (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18...Ephesians 5:5) Sexual relations outside of marriage is sinful in God's eyes! It's listed with murder in the Bible! (Revelation 21:8)" And it is! Yet a few years down the road and those same parents and grandparents will have a child that moves in with their boyfriend/girlfriend and seem to not have a problem with it. Maybe they do deep down, and of course they wouldn't shout their disdain to the world or on social media (hopefully), but seemingly act as if it's okay. Nothing is said, even to close friends who are around them all of the time. And oftentimes the child/grandchild is posting on social media what is blatantly against God's Word, be it sexual immorality, drunkenness, mocking God or Jesus, etc. They're not only doing it, but flaunting it in the eyes of friends and family and strangers.

The point is that we all do sin and do wrong, of course, but as parents and grandparents, we must learn to see what is real. We can't excuse things in our lives and the lives of our children/grandchildren, yet condemn those around us who do the very same thing. If it's wrong, it's wrong.

Christian's are under different guidelines than those in the world in regards to sin. If a lost person does wrong, they are no more lost than they were before. They are separated from God because of sin. When a faithful Christian does wrong, it's sin, but the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us and make us spotless again when we confess our sins and ask God to forgive them. He is a graceful and merciful Heavenly Father and aren't we thankful that He is?!

If we are Christians we have an obligation and commandment with instructions to follow when someone is wrong, as in the example of sexual immorality given above. We find this in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, where Paul says:

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world (Note from Parent's After God's Own Heart: This was written to Christians and for Christians, not for this 'of the world' who are not Christians), or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”"

That is God's instruction, whether we're looking through "parent eyes" and "grandparent eyes" or not. Our eyes can change. We can put on dark shades or rose colored glasses that distort what is true and right. God's Word never, ever changes. He is the same. The Bible is the same. And wrong is wrong, no matter what.

What eyes are you looking through today? Are they seeing what's real? Are they seeing what is right? Or are they seeing through "parent eyes" or "grandparent eyes"?

Take Time For What Matters Most

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 14:14:00 +0000

Many years ago I had a friend who was always cleaning her house. If we talked on the phone, she couldn't talk long because she had to clean. If we were volunteering for something at our children's school, she couldn't help long because she had to clean. I would tease and say her house must have been the cleanest house in town! I loved that sweet friend and the times we shared.

One day that sweet friend found out she had cancer. From then on, any phone call we had revolved around spiritual matters, family matters, important matters....not about cleaning the house. That friend passed away after a hard-fought battle of treatments that eventually didn't work. She would say how that clean house she always kept didn't matter any more and that her family and God was was mattered. Oh, I miss that sweet friend! But I remember her attitude. It was always positive.

As I was washing dishes a few days ago (that had been on the counter and in the sink for 24 hours), I was thinking about how for many, that would be horrible. To have dishes sit overnight wouldn't ever happen. I'll admit that it happens quite often in our home. For the most part I wash them in the morning after the younger two leave for school, but sometimes do wash them at night.

I could have washed those dishes during the previous afternoon and missed out on time with my husband's family at our Christmas get-together. I could have washed all of those dishes late that night instead of playing dominos with my family. I could have gotten up earlier on the last "sleep later" day and washed them. I could have washed them that next morning instead of watching the Rose Parade with a few of my children. But I didn't. I waited until we ate our late lunch and cleaned it all up then.

Here's the deal....dishes will always be there to wash. These children, these family times, the family time we had with extended family members yesterday will not always be there. I've come to realize that there are work-focused people and people-focused people. There's a time to work - absolutely! But when it comes to people, think about the fact that special times won't always be there. This moment when our two college kids and two younger ones are home will not be here much longer. In fact, this was probably the very last one since our daughter will graduate from college in May.

Will that pile of dishes matter to me when I think back on memories of this recent break or will the people who I spent it with matter? It's an easy answer. The dishes can wait a while. People can't. Spend time on what matters....on WHO matters. Be available for people.

When I think of Jesus, he worked. He served. But he took the time to love people. He should be our example in all things.

Oklahoma Class "C" State Football Champions!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:05:00 +0000

Going to the state tournament in football is always exciting! This year was no exception! The cold rain didn't keep hundreds of fans - both young and old - away from cheering on the Tipton Tigers. Fans, friends and relatives from all over came to cheer on the team and their family members. It was so much fun! So much so that I would like to relive it all over again!

Family picture after the game. Such a great memory of a great night!
Siblings!

Team picture minus a few.

Jacob and his girlfriend. :)

Everyone wanted their picture with the gold ball! Who wouldn't?

A great ending to Jacob's Senior year in football! In his three years playing (9th, 10th, and 12th, the team won silver, gold, and gold!) Quite a record!

Congratulations to the Tipton Tigers!

Happy 14th Birthday, Tyler!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 15:12:00 +0000

Today Tyler (Biscuit from the "Chronicles of Biscuit" stories) is 14 years old! He's grown many inches over the past year, but has also grown in other ways. He's more mature, becoming a young man rather than little boy. He still gives me hugs, so I'm adjusting with his maturity. I tell him those can never stop! :)

I love having a child with a "winter" time birthday, and it's especially fun having one near Christmas. He didn't care what kind of party he had, just cared about the food! He okayed a rustic theme, so it was fun decorating with red and black buffalo checks, wood-looking items, and his "tree stump" cake with a camping theme on top.

It's hard to see, but the cake has a red/black buffalo checkered tent, a little campfire, and marshmallows around the bottom, mostly just because I turned the cake board over for the cake to sit on and the greasy icing was making the board look bad. Marshmallows covered it up!

Tyler's next oldest brother and his girlfriend, Camry helped make the banner for me. They did a great job!

Blow out the candles! I didn't have 14 of them. Think I had 10 - oops!

Then this morning, Tyler got to have a non-typical breakfast of donuts! Since our elf is a permanent fixture and always will be around here, I'm blaming him (Buddy) for the donuts!

Happy birthday, Tyler!

You are such a blessing to our family. I can't imagine what it would be like without you in the family and wouldn't want to. You bring joy, laughter, and special moments to our family by your personality. You're a combination of your two brothers - a little "serious and clean cut" like Zachary and a little "crazy rough and tumble" like Jacob! Ha ha! You think that makes you perfect to be a little like both of them. I won't go so far as to say perfect, but it is pretty neat!

Thank you for being YOU. Thank you for the example you are to those around you. I pray that you always keep God at front and center of your life, that you continue to walk in the steps of Jesus - striving to live your life always for Him, and that you continue to grow in Him and in your service of the church. Never forget that THOSE THINGS are most important - not the things of the world.

I love you to the moon and back, forever and always.

LOVE, MOM

Thanksgiving 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 14:47:00 +0000

My pictures uploaded backwards, and for some reason I can't get them moved, so I'll start backwards on Thanksgiving week with our family! I also can't get the text to publish right, so sorry about that. It's mostly for my own personal record, so I'll just be confused someday as to why this is!

This picture is the State Semifinals game, which we won! We're headed, once again, to the State Championship!! It's so exciting and brings back lots of great memories from years past. This photo is our son, backup quarterback, who played several minutes at the end of the game. Since we were so much ahead, he was coached to just take a knew for the last few downs. I love this picture of him looking back at the coach, his cousin. :)

This picture below is of the cinnamon rolls our oldest son made for Thanksgiving week. He made the dough for these, as well as the hot roll dough. He did such a great job! They were delicious! This brings back memories of Thanksgivings past where my father-in-law and my husband's grandmother used to make the rolls. What a wonderful family tradition!

Next photo: The younger cousins' table keeps growing and growing! Second cousins and family guests make this photo even more special. We love welcoming new family members into the family :). The newest little family member attending was three months old. It was his first visit to Oklahoma!

Next: The annual pumpkin bash was lots of fun! There weren't too many that splattered everywhere, but when they do, they are picture-perfect moments that are fun to capture! One pumpkin was filled with whipped cream and water, making it a surprise splatter! But at least it smelled better than a rotten pumpkin!

The annual "cousins" picture is always a big group, no matter who is missing or here. There's just a BUNCH of them, no matter what! And what a blessing that is!

I captured a sweet picture of my husband coloring with a niece and great-nieces and nephews. Love this one!

And back to the football game...A family picture with our immediate family...the next to last one we will have with this Senior. So thankful for those memories and for those who came. We had lots of relatives who were able to be there, which was extra-special!

Our youngest son is the official team videographer. He got to be in the press box and wear the special press pass. He felt pretty important - and was important for his cousin, the head coach! :)

The next picture is our nephew (the head coach), another nephew who plays on the team, our son who plays, and a niece who's a cheerleader. On the end is our brother-in-law and uncle to these three in the middle...dad to the head coach. He's the defensive coach. What a special picture!

And back to Thanksgiving day! The annual Turkey Trot, in its 10th year. This nephew and his wife are newlyweds. They "ran" to the finish line dramatically making it seem like they were finishing the tedious run with tears and sweat. Ha ha! Not sure they ever broke a sweat, actually, but boy, did they have fun and make it look like a dramatic ending! Not surprising because he's in the photo/video industry and he knows exactly what it takes to have great photos captured!! :)

Last picture is the group Turkey Trot picture. A big group in the great weather!

I designed this graphic for t-shirts, thinking it would be a neat family thing. It didn't quite work out like I wanted it to, but I'm thankful we have them for the memories and traditions it represents. Sometimes things don't work out like we want it, but for me it was important. So it matters to me and is special to me.

I am thankful for God's blessings in my life and in the life of my family. I am thankful for this tradition and the memories that we have shared together. This is THANKSGIVING. Thank you, God.

Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 14:56:00 +0000

Yesterday after school, my youngest son, Tyler and I went to the nearest large (to us) town to do some shopping. I let him pick what he wanted to eat, but then we stopped by to get Panda Express for the next oldest son, Jacob, who had been at football practice for a few hours after school. My husband is out of town, so didn't have to worry about his supper.

We didn't take the Panda Express order until 6:15, so got home about 7:15. Surprisingly, when I hollered at Jacob, he didn't respond. I hollered again. Still nothing. I went into the living room and he was laying (or lying...sorry if that's not proper :) ) and he was asleep! I couldn't believe it because he NEVER takes a nap! I went over to him and poked him a little, saying his name. Still nothing! Finally I figured if he was that sound asleep, I should just put the food on warm in the oven.

A few hours passed and Jacob stayed asleep. Tyler and I both went to bed, still surprised Jacob was snoozing! I woke up during the night and remembered Jacob being on the couch. I went to check and he was still there!

I set my alarm a little early, just to be sure to wake Jacob up when he likes to be up. When I woke up, he was awake. He said he'd gotten up a little bit before then, but was surprised, himself, that he slept on the couch all night long. He figures that he got 12 hours of sleep! I honestly am not sure he's ever done that before - in his WHOLE LIFE! It was crazy! But, obviously he needed it. The funny thing is that he said he dreamed about Panda Express! He'll have it for lunch today.

Rest is important. We must have rest. Sometimes we don't rest well because we don't allow ourselves to do so. Rarely is Jacob home alone, but he never just lays down on the couch like that at that time of the day. He had done school homework, college homework, unloaded the dishwasher for me, then laid down to watch Monday Night Football, which hadn't started. Something about that couch just made him relaxed and he fell asleep. (I tell my family all of the time that it's the best place for sleeping! That's why I never allow myself to sit there during the day! If I have to sit, I sit at the dining or kitchen table. Otherwise I would fall asleep!)

Jesus came to earth as a human. He rested. EVEN THE SON OF GOD NEEDED REST! Why do we think we don't need rest when He did?

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Matthew 6:31-32

Jesus knew He had to have rest so that He could do what God sent Him to do. He could only fulfill His mission on earth if He got proper rest. It's the same way with us. We can only do what God needs us to do if we get proper rest. And I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone else! It's hard for me to rest sometimes. I get too busy. But then I crash. That's not good!

How about you? Do you need rest? Maybe you need a 12 hour sleep like Jacob had! Or maybe you just need an hour. Either way, take the time to rest today. Meditate on God's Word. Get alone for awhile. I've noticed that I can be "alone" without being alone...you know? I have to deliberately be quiet and find a quiet place to really be alone - without distractions. Find a place to rest. You'll be refreshed and ready to serve again.