Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!!

2010 has been an interesting year, to say the least. Looking forward to 2011 and what the Lord has in store. Hope you have a very Happy, Blessed and Spiritually prosperous New Year!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Merry Christmas!

From our house to yours.....wishing you a very blessed season!! Just think of it - God came down to us -- Emmanuel (God-With-Us )! God meets us right where we are. His presence means so much to me. I can't express how grateful I am that He never leaves us or forsakes us. I appreciate His "With-Us" quality.

At this time in my life I am thankful to have a Savior - one who forgives my many sins. What about you? What are you glad about this Christmas Season?

Time is rushing by so fast this December. I'm afraid I won't get Christmas cards out this year, so I'm using this blog as a way to say: "Have a blessed and holy Christmas season" to all my friends and family!! Love you guys!!!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Thankful for....


.....family!

I am priveleged to have a wonderful husband, 3 beautiful daughters, a handsome grandson, and a princess-like granddaughter.

More than that, I have a great extended family and wonderful in-laws.

I'm also blessed to have terrific friends, who feel much like family to me. Included in that is my "church family" who I am very close to, as well.

So, as you can see, I have a lot to be grateful for.

What about you - what are you thankful for today?

Monday, November 1, 2010

Thankful....

This month I will post the things for which I am grateful.

My friend, Janel, posted that she is thankful for JESUS.....well, that's Who I am thankful for, as well!

Jesus is my Savior, best friend, confidant, encourager, the lover of my soul and so much more.

Thank You, Jesus!!!!!!!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

A few things I like about autumn....

.....making fires in the fireplace
.....roasting marshmallows
.....making s'mores
.....drinking hot apple cider
.....curling up in front of the fire with a good book
.....wearing pretty scarves
.....making home-made chocolate chip cookies
.....eating home-made chocolate chip cookies (while they are still warm:)
.....lighting candles
.....sitting around with the windows open
.....cool air
.....crisp leaves
.....football
.....caramel apples
.....candy corn (eaten with peanuts so it tastes like a payday candy bar!)

What are some things you like about fall?

Monday, October 4, 2010

October 4th

This day is a happy/sad, but special day. First of all it is my hubby's birthday. He is 52 today....but he doesn't look it! He is my heart-throb!

The other thing about today is that my sister, Pam, passed on this day. I asked Mark if it bothered him that Pam's passing fell on his birthday. He said it didn't bother him because it is a way for him to always remember and honor her.

Oh, how I love these two special people in my life.

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to be Mark's wife and Pam's sister!!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Revelation 17:14

This is the scripture I am memorizing right now. It goes with our Women's Bible Study on the book of Revelation. I am so encouraged by it. I can rest assured that Jesus wins! Let me know if you have any hints on memorizing. Right now I'm trying to take the verse in sections and just learn part of it at a time.

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is the Lord of lords and King of kings - and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers."

Hope you are in a Bible Study some where. We have such a blast studying the Bible and memorizing the Word of God. If you live in the St. Louis area and want to join us in our study, just let me know and I will give you all the particulars.

Have a blessed day!!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

A Match Made in Heaven....

I was looking through the book shelves the other day and ran across this 1966 Primer entitled: Janet and Mark. My mother-in-law purchased a copy of this for us at an auction many years ago. I absolutely love it. It looks just like Mark and I posed for this book. When this book was written, he would have been 7 and I would have been 6. He was toe-headed when he was young, just like the boy, "Mark," in this book. I had short, brown hair, just like the girl. It's like we were the models for this book! The first page starts out something like this: "Come. Come here, Mark." That's kind of how it went down for us. I spotted him in the cafeteria in college and said: "Come, Mark, Come!" lol

Here we are......over 30 years later, and still together. I guess you can say we were just meant for each other!! :) Now all we need is a dog named "Socks."

Wonder what ever happened to Dick and Jane and Spot? Which primer did you start with when you first went to school?

Friday, August 20, 2010

First Day Back to School.....

Here's Jake (our grandson) headed off to his first day of 1st grade! Sarah is a sophomore this year. She is a star on the volleyball team and the basketball team!

It's hard to believe our youngest daughter is a sophomore! It seems like just yesterday our "baby" was coming home from the hospital. (lol) A few more years and she will be graduating - unbelievable! Even more unbelievable is the fact that our grandson started first grade this week- Wow! Maybe it will keep me young trying to keep up with these 2! God is good - all the time!!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Cline Family Reunion - 2010!

Every summer (for 13 years now) we have a "Cline Family Reunion" down at the Lake of the Ozarks. This year there were 32 of us. Some of our loved ones couldn't make it. (There are actually 39 of us all together.) Here are some pix from our great weekend~

Our part of the Cline Family (With Grandad and Mema - the Patriarch & Matriarch). Rachel, Jake and Jazelle weren't there.
The "Other" Clines:


Cousins:

The Girls:
The Boys:

Every year there is a basketball game that gets pretty competitive, but it's all in fun!

I think the ones who are the most "sweaty" won the game. lol.....look out for next year!

Monday, July 26, 2010

"Saddle Ridge Ranch!"







Last week was awesome....best week ever for Vacation Bible School. Not only did we have record-setting attendance, but also 21 decisions were made for Christ! LOVE IT!! We had such great workers! They showed the love of Christ to the kids and made it so easy to love VBS! I'm still on a high from such a great Family Day yesterday at church - Thank You, Jesus!

Thanks to everyone who volunteered in VBS this year - I really appreciate it!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Freedom Trail

As we near the 4th of July and the celebration our nation's independence, I thought I would show you some pix from a recent trip to Boston. The "Freedom Trail" was marked on the side walks and streets and occasionally you would see an inset in the brick or concrete that looked like this:



Boston is full of historical landmarks. There are statues of famous people who helped fight for our nation's independence. One such person is honored in this statute. See if you can guess who it is.

That's right....it's Paul Revere. (He's the one on the horse! :) Our friend took this pic and he cut poor Paul's head off. If you remember your history, Revere warned the patriots of the coming of the British troops. "One if by land....Two if by Sea." Here's a pic of The Old North Church where it all went down.
Boston was great. Besides Boston, we also went to New Hampshire and Maine. What beautiful countryside. When we went to Kennebunkport, Maine, we got to see the Bush Vacation Home. Here it is. You probably can't tell it, but the flagpole is actually in the form of a cross.


Speaking of a cross, as we approach the celebration of our nation's independence,
I'm reminded of the freedom we have in Jesus. When my husband and I were recently in Boston, we saw that the Freedom Trail was painted on the ground and it was red. That led to the important sites in Boston where many famous events took place.
When we think about the cross, we are reminded that Jesus shed His blood to purchase our spiritual freedom. How thankful I am for that red trail - Jesus shedding His blood to die for my sin. He also conquered death and rose again so that we could have a right relationship with God when we put our trust in His Son, Jesus. I pray that you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord!
Hope you are having a blessed week. Leave me a message and tell me what you will be doing this 4th of July. Have a great Independence Day!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

In Memory of Pam....

Today, me and 71,000 of my closest friends :) participated in the Komen Race for the Cure. It was a sea of people in pink....so inspiring! Many of the walkers/runners were breast cancer survivors. Others were walking in memory of their loved ones. Still others were just out for a good cause. It was a great day. It was a record day. We were told this was the largest Komen Race for the Cure in the entire country.

I walked in honor/memory of my oldest sister, Pam, who died of breast cancer in 2002. In the picture below, she is the one with the black choker necklace on. (I am the one in the lower right hand corner. This pic was taken in 1970!) I always wanted to grow up to be just like Pam. I thought she looked like "That Girl" (Marlow Thomas).

My family misses Pam but we know we will see her again in heaven. She loved Jesus so much and committed her life to Him!
(P.S.....Ladies, remember to get your mammogram every year!)

Sunday, April 25, 2010

One week from today.....


.....I'll be in Cancun!!!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Megan's New Heart is Beating - Praise God!

HALLELUJAH - Megan got a heart! God is so good. He hears our prayers and answers in His perfect timing.

If you want to follow Megan's story, here's a blog site set up by her dad to record each day's happenings: http://www.megansheartstory.blogspot.com/.

We continue to pray for Megan and her family. Also, please pray for the family in Texas who lost their loved one but gave the gift of life to Megan by donating their loved one's heart.

Consider being an organ donor. Check out the back side of your driver's license.

Have a God-blessed day!!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Please pray for Megan...

You may have seen Megan Moss on the news here in St. Louis lately. She is at the top of the heart donor list in our area. She is only 23 years old but the doctors say she will not be able to stay alive without a new heart. In 2002, when she was a student at the school where my youngest daughter attends, she got a virus that attacked her heart. It has been weakening ever since. This past November she found out that she is in Congestive Heart Failure. She's getting weaker by the day. My daughter's school, North County Christian, has asked everyone to pray for Megan. So I'm asking you to please pray for her and her family. The doctors are giving her until Monday to receive a heart donation otherwise they will have to attempt to use a mechanical heart and that will drop her from the top of the heart donor list. A mechanical heart typically only lasts a couple of years. Right now she is very weak and the prayer is for more strength so that she can undergo some kind of procedure to try and save her life. Please pray for the Lord's will to be done. Thank you.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Only 16 more days....


....til I get to be here!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

I'm SO GLAD for Resurrection Day!


Easter brings such promise and hope. The resurrection means we can have eternal life. It means we don't get what we deserve, but, instead, we get love and forgiveness.

I found the following quote by Timothy Keller that sums up everything for me.

"I am more sinful than I ever dared believed, and I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared hoped." (Tim Keller)

Easter means our sin can be forgiven if we trust His Son, Jesus, to be The Savior of our lives.

Thank you, Jesus!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

What's Your Favorite Flower?







My friend, "Miss Wanderlust" is doing a give-away on her blog. She is now a dot com. www.iheartrunwithscissors.com. Head on over there and become a follower of hers and leave a comment and you will be on your way to being in the drawing! She asked us what our favorite flower is. I wonder what yours would be? My favorite is probably the tulip. But I also like pansies and gerber daisies. What's your fav?






Thursday, March 25, 2010

Can Hardly Wait.......



.......only 35 more days.....yippee!!!!!!




Monday, March 1, 2010

March First

It's hard to believe March is here but I'm so glad it is because that means spring is just around the corner! I ♥ spring. Everything is fresh and new. The weather starts getting warmer, the birds start returning and chirping/singing. Things start getting green. The only problem with spring is that the grass starts needing to be mowed again. I love green grass but I don't like mowing it! Anyone else feel that way or is it just me? Maybe this year I will use it as a time to reflect/pray and meditate on scripture while I'm mowing....that way it won't seem like wasted time. Fall and spring are my two favorite seasons.....anyone else?

P.S....Another great thing about this month is MARCH MADNESS!! We love it - our family is basketball crazy! We compete against each other with our favorite teams. We have so much fun - even when the competition gets a little heated! :)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Miss Wanderlust is doing it again!

My good friend, Miss Wanderlust, is having ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!! She is so generous. I hope I win. But, I'm unselfish enough to post about it here to give you a chance to enter and possibly win for yourselves!! Just go to www.twocrazykidsinlove.blogspot.com to find out all about it!!

Monday, February 22, 2010

I'm a really good reader.....

....but not a very good blog writer. Sorry for the long break. I ♥ to read other people's blog posts, but I'm not very good at writing them myself. I don't know why???? I am going to try to do better, but only time will tell. Hopefully something really funny will happen soon so I have something to write about!!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

The Dawn of a New Year

I ran across a quote by Chuck Swindoll that sums up how I feel. My blog title is patterned after this philosophy of my life.

"Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the nundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little and we're seldom disappointed. Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities."

"You, Lord, open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:16

At the dawn of this new year, I pray that your life will be full of God's amazing serendipitous epiphanies!