Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Let the Countdown to Christmas Begin!

★ ° . .    . ☾ °☆  . * ● ¸ .   ★ ° :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * .      .   °  . ● .    ° ☾ °☆  ¸. ● .  ★  ★ ° ☾ ☆ ¸. ¸  ★  :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * . .  ¸ .   °  ¸. * ● ¸ .    ° ☾ °  ¸. ● ¸ .  ★ ° :.  . • °   .  * :. . ¸ . ● ¸    ★  ★☾ °★ .     .  °☆  . ● ¸ .   ★ ° .  • ○ ° ★  .        * .  ☾ °  ¸. * ● ¸     ° ☾ °☆  . * ¸.   ★  ★ ° . .    . ☾ °☆  . * ● ¸ .   ★° :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * .      .   °  . ● .    ° ☾ °☆  ¸. ● .  ★  ★ ° ☾ ☆ ¸. ¸  ★  :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * . .  ¸ .   °  ¸. * ● ¸ .    ° ☾ °  ¸. ● ¸ .  ★ ° :.  . • ° ★ ° . .    . ☾ °☆  . * ● ¸ .   ★ ° :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * .      .   °  . ● .    ° ☾ °☆  ¸. ● .  ★  ★ ° ☾ ☆ ¸. ¸  ★  :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * . .  ¸ .   °  ¸. * ● ¸ .    ° ☾ °  ¸. ● ¸ .  ★ ° :.  . • °   .  * :. . ¸ . ● ¸    ★  ★☾ °★ .     .  °☆  . ● ¸ .   ★ ° .  • ○ ° ★  .        * .  ☾ °  ¸. * ● ¸     ° ☾ °☆  . * ¸.   ★  ° . .    . ☾ °☆  . * ● ¸ .   ★° :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * .      .   °  . ● .    ° ☾ °☆  ¸. ● .  ★  ★ ° ☾ ☆ ¸. ¸  ★  :.  . • ○ ° ★  .  * . .  ¸ .   °  ¸. * ● ¸ .    ° ☾ °  ¸. ● ¸ .  ★ ° :.  . • °

You've just been sprinkled with blessings of love, joy, peace and happiness.....now go forth and sprinkle other people, too! :)

Friday, November 25, 2011

Blessings!



You, my blogger friends, bring color to my life, much like the colors of autumn. I love reading all of your blogs....you are so creative, talented and generous. What a great group of friends you are. I can say that I have been blessed this year by all the joy and enrichment you have brought to my life. Blessings to you as we approach the end of 2011 and the beginning of a new year!

Monday, September 19, 2011

I Love Fall.....

Autumn is in the air today - it's cooler and just has that feeling of fall. (Of course, I heard on the weather that this week is supposed to get hot again - like summer temps!)

There's something about autumn that is special. It's my favorite time of the year. Here are my top 10 reasons why I like this time of the year:

10. Leaves start changing colors
9. Football
8. Bonfires
7. SMORES - oh, yeah!
6. Pumpkin spice candles
5. Hot spiced cider - yum....
4. Carmel Apples!
3. Candy Corn (have you ever mixed it with peanuts? It tastes like a payday candy bar)
2. Cooler Weather! (some good news to this hot-flashing grandma!)

And the Number 1 reason why I like fall?

1. Don't have to shave your legs as often because of not wearing shorts!

Lol - what is your favorite part of this season?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Where did it go?



The time flew by.....my trip to Utah went so fast! I'm awake at 3:00 a.m. just thinking about the great time I had. I had the privelege of meeting some new friends, renewing some old friendships and going on some adventures! I got to meet fellow blogger and new found friend, Tiff, in Salt Lake City....that was fun! Thanks, Tiffany, for spending some time with me - having lunch, talking and getting to see you - SWWEEEET! (Thanks, Tiff, for taking this picture...can't believe your phone can take that good of a pic.) (P.S...I'm praying your hand heals quickly~!)





I also got to go on a spiritual retreat - just me and God - at the Beth Moore conference in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Wow - what a powerful experience. I am grateful to Jesus for spending time with me and helping me to grow spiritually!



I got to meet up with some old friends who have moved to Utah. What a blessing to see Willie and Shannon and the girls again. Thanks to the Hoffmann family for sharing some time and great fellowship with me. Keep up the good work you are doing. I am praying for you!


I had never been to Utah. It was wonderful. The mountains are beautiful. I came back feeling so refreshed and ready to head into fall.


Can't believe the summer flew by so fast. Where did the time go?

What about you? What fun things have you done this summer?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Happy Summer!

Well, it's that time of the year where things get really busy for me! I'm in charge of several major events in the summer including Vacation Bible School, so I might not have a lot of time to post in the next couple of months. Right now, my family is on vacation. When we get back from vacation, it will be time to gear up for all the summer activities.

Hope you all have a fantastic summer. What are your summer plans? Mine includes several short trips. Do you have any travel plans? Do tell!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Take a Lesson from the Animals

(Cody with Rebekah)


I've decided that animals are more tuned in to the weather than the forecasters are. Every time the weather forecasters tells us we are in for the "Big Storm" it never seems to materialize. However, every time our dog or the neighbor's dog or stray pets or other animals seem "skiddish" that's when it seems like we are going to have really bad weather. So, from now on, I'm taking my cues from this guy! :)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

What is going on?

We are under another tornado warning here in St. Louis. The sirens have gone off several times this afternoon. I've been in the basement the last couple of hours, but it looks like the worst has passed so I ventured upstairs to get on FB and check my e-mail and blog. Hope everyone is okay. Will check back in later. Stay safe!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

A Prayer for the People of Joplin

Lord,
I ask you to please be near to the ones who have lost everything in Joplin, Missouri. Bring them help. Give strength to those who are helping the ones who have lost so much. Please give your peace and comfort to those who have lost loved ones. Restore their hope, Lord and restore their city. We know what it feels like, but theirs was much worse, Lord, so give them all the courage, help and strength that they need to rebuild. Let us know what we can do to help.
In Jesus Name,
Amen

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Score!



Look what I got for Mother's Day! Woohoo~



Thursday, May 5, 2011

Motherhood=Challenging; Grandmotherhood=Rewarding!



Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done. I wish I was as good at it as my mother. This time around (with the grandmothering thing) I'm trying to fix all the mistakes I made the first time around (with the parenting thing). One thing I've learned is to stop and take more time with the kids. The dishes, laundry, housecleaning, paying bills, and all other "important" stuff can wait!


I'm going to enjoy this Mother's Day. Hopefully, we will just relax and take it easy. Maybe we will all watch a Hallmark movie together, or maybe just swing and tell stories. Whatever it will be, I'm going to just slow down and enjoy it. Who cares if the house is a mess, right? :)


What is your favorite memory of your childhood days? Do tell....

Friday, April 29, 2011

Praying for the South!

We are praying for all those affected by the tornados in the south. Our hearts go out to them, since we just experienced a tornado ourselves in St. Louis. However, the destruction I've seen from the pix in Alabama are much worse than we had here in St. Louis. We are praying and thinking of all our friends in the south. We are also remembering the loved ones of all those who lost their lives. May God send forth his comfort & peace and wrap His loving presence around those who are grieving.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

A Little Clone.....





She loves coffee and chocolate (yes, even at 15 months, she is already like her Nana!). Honestly, I don't know how it happened. One day I was drinking coffee and she was "begging" for some. Well, I waited until it cooled down and then let her sip it (thinking she wouldn't like it). Well, she loves it. And, on top of that, she "cries" for chocolate all the time. Believe me, I know what the "cry" for chocolate sounds like! :) I try not to give her too much but I figure a little chocolate never hurt anyone! :):):)

Monday, April 25, 2011

Good Friday Tornado



On the evening of Good Friday, a tornado ripped through St. Louis making debris of many neighborhoods including some in the Maryland Heights area. Our house was not affected but many others were.


Thankfully, no one was killed and there weren't any serious injuries! Our church has been feeding people in the neighborhood and will continue to do so for the next couple of days.


Thanks to all the volunteers who have help to make hundreds of sandwiches and deliver them to the people who were hit the hardest in this storm. It's great to live in a community where everyone is willing to chip in and lend a helping hand!!






Thursday, April 21, 2011

Happy Easter!



JESUS LIVES!!



May God bless each of you with an abundance of joy and peace this Easter season!!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Spring is Here!

I love spring. With it comes the feeling of hope renewed. When the grass starts to turn green again, the birds start to chirp and the flowers start to bloom, there's something that stirs hope in the human soul. That reminds me of Emily Dickinson's poem: "Hope". "Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. And sweetest in the gale is heard And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest sea Yet, never in extremity, It asked a crumb of me." What is your favorite part about spring?

Saturday, April 9, 2011

New Year's Revolution Update

I can't believe it's already April 9! Where has time gone - it's flown by!! Anyway, here is an update of my New Year's Revolution! - 1) I'm on track to read the Bible through this year. Right now I'm in the book of II Kings. 2) I recently went on a "mini" mission trip. It was so cool. It was to an organiztion called: "Love Packages," in Butler, Illinois. They take used literature and ship it overseas. Last year they shipped tons of Bibles and other Christian literature to countries who otherwise couldn't afford it. I helped to separate and pack the materials into boxes. It was fun and rewarding and exciting to hear the stories of testimonies from people in other countries who had received some of the previously shipped literature. 3) I've been sharing myself more freely with others. I'm on a mission to be more vulnerable and truthful with other people. It gives me and them permission to let our guards down. It helps us all! 4) Along with being more vulnerable, I've been attempting to be more generous. I have been trying to give more things and money away, which just comes back in multitude of blessings. 5) I'm trying to pray for each country, one nation at a time. Lately I've been focusing on Japan. They really need our prayers. My heart goes out to the people of that country. We have some friends who have been e-mailing us. Some of the stress they are undergoing is so heartbreaking. But, they are hanging in there. They are very kind people. I'm learning to open my heart and life to others. Well, as much as I would like to keep writing on here (I've got some more things to say but that will have to wait for another post.) I'm struggling with getting everything done (like my taxes! ugh!) so I better get off here and get busy!! Goodbye for now!!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Praying.....

My heart goes out to the people of Japan. I can't wrap my mind around what they are going through, but I can give and I can pray. Please join me in praying that the love of God will be shown to these people in their time of need.
Mark and I have some friends in one of the cities that was touched by the earthquake. Their names are Toshi & Kumiko Sakamoto. We are praying for them and their children/family. We've tried to e-mail them, but, so far - no response.
I'm sure the people of Japan are overwhelmed. I'm praying that God will wrap His arms around them and give them the strength they need.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

It's MARCH, and you know what that means?????


MARCH MADNESS!!!

Oh, yeah, baby!!

Who's your favorite team?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Best ___________ Ever!

I "borrowed" this post from another blog. Thought it would be fun to hear your best (fill-in-the-blank) ever. It can be anything. Here's mine. Let me know what yours is.



Best Brownie Ever - Ghirardelli's Ultimate Fudge Brownie (You can buy the mix at the grocery store.) It is unbelievable. It will change your life!!! :)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Your Divine Valentine


A valentine may play a love song for you, but God sings the sweetest love song over you: "The Lord Your God.....will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)
A valentine might give you flowers, but God sent you the most beautiful rose of all: Jesus! "I am the Rose of Sharon....." (Song of Solomon 2:1)
A valentine might bring you chocolate, but God provides something even sweeter - His word! "How sweet are your words to my taste...." (Psalm 119:103)
A valentine might love you for a lifetime, but God loved you even before you were born. "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love...." (Jeremiah 31:3)
Praying you are blessed by the wonderful love of God this Valentine's Day and always!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

I want to wish all my friends a Happy Valentine's Day! Instead of following our heart (which can be wishy-washy :), I pray that we will lead our heart this year. Blessings to all of you!!

Also, I just realized that I have never posted a picture of my granddaughter on the blog, so here's one that was taken a while back. I will try to get a more recent one to post in the near future.



Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A Memory Challenge

I've taken a challenge from a fellow blog to memorize 2 scripture verses a month. So far, here are my verses.

January 1 - "Buy truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom and teaching and understanding." Proverbs 23:23

January 15 - "Let the high praises of God be in my mouth, and a 2-edged sword (the Word of God) be in my hand." (Psalm 149:6)

February 1 - "May my tongue sing of Your word, for all Your commands are righteous." (Psalm 119:172)

I keep gravitating to the book of Psalms. There's just something poetic about it. David, who wrote a lot of the Psalms, was such a man after God's own heart and he had such a close relationship with the Lord, that is why I think the Psalms are my favorite.

What about you? What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Who's Going to Win?

So, who do you pick to win the Superbowl? My favorite teams are already out of it - St. Louis Rams, and Minnesota Vikings. But, if I have to pick a team to win, I guess I will pick "The Pack."

Our family loves football. My husband played football in college and we like to follow the sport. The family (his parents, and a few of our extended family) get together to watch football on Sunday afternoons at Mark's parent's house. It's fun to cheer on our favorite team, kid one another about their favorite team, and to pig-out on rotelle dip and chips, pizza, and all our favorite "snack" foods!

Are you going to a Superbowl Party? How do you usually celebrate?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Let it Snow, Let it Snow.....

....Let it Snow! We are supposed to get a foot of snow or more - yippee~

I love this kind of weather because I can just curl up with a book and sit by the fire and read.

We've had a lot of snow this year. The last time I remember it snowing this much was when I was in Junior High. We got so much snow that year that we had to go to school on Saturdays to get all the make-up days in. Yikes! I remember a lot of the kids didn't show up, but my Mom made me go - it was kind of fun!

What was the most fun you had on a "snow day?"
Got any good book ideas I can download onto my Kindle?

Have a great week!!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Update

Here's an update on how the "New Year's Revolution" is going. To date, I have been keeping on track with reading the Bible through in a year. I've ordered and received a book on praying through the world, one country at a time. I've started praying for Africa. There are a whole lot of countries in Africa....challenging! I've begun to give sacrificially.......getting ready to give some more today. I've been reaching out to people in tangible ways....yesterday we visited an elderly man who lost his wife last year. He is so lonely without her. My hubby and I went and visited him to try to bring him a little cheer. He and his wife had been married for 55 years.

As far as a mission trip for this year, I'm still praying about where the Lord would have me go.

What about you? Any New Year's resolutions that you have kept (or broken) this year?
Blogging about it seems to help with accountability.

Have a blessed week!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New Year's Revolution

Instead of a "Resolution," I'm planning on a New Year's "Revolution!" I've been reading the book: "Radical" by David Platt. It has challenged me to the core. I've been inspired in the following five areas.

1. This year I'm challenged to read the Bible all the way through in one year.
2. This year I'm challenged to pray for each nation in our world, one nation at a time.
3. This year one of my goals is to give more sacrifically.
4. This year one of my goals is to go on a "mission" trip.
5. This year I'm challenged to share the blessing of Jesus with others in very tangible ways.

This is a one year challenge. I will let you know how it's going!

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? What about a New Year's REVOLUTION?