Luke 5:26

Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

singing in the rain

It's been a while since I've been here. I've started a patio project in the backyard. It's been fun having everyone sitting around while I work. LOL I really do enjoy it! When they aren't there I just listen to my iPod and hopefully don't sing along with the songs. I have this thing I wear around my neck and I am able to listen to it through my hearing aids without wearing earplugs. I wear it inside my t-shirt though so people can't tell I'm listening to it. However when I'm listening to it it's on the telephone setting so I can't hear if you say something to me. I have just told my neighbors if I ignore them that I'm listening to my music!

Donald was off Thursday afternoon and yesterday. He helped me with the work on our patio and it was so much fun having him there. It started raining and we went to Taco Delite and got a cherry diet coke and I got a bean burrito with sour cream. I don't like sour cream that much, but Ben has me hooked on them. I guess it's just something different.

I ran out of bricks last week and Barb gave me some stuff she wasn't going to use and I was able to finish the part I had started over to the fence. Now we can move the table and chairs over and it's much nicer. We grilled hot dogs Thursday night and ate around our patio table again with the family. It was great! We have the best kiddos!! I am so proud of them all.

My friend Dustie has found some brick for me and when it stops raining we will begin to get those. I am so excited about this project! God is so awesome! After pricing brick and pavers at Home Depot I knew there was no way I could justify spending that much money to finish it.

The kids are enjoying the hammock; I have laid on it maybe a couple of minutes. There is just too much to do to lay there and do nothing right now. After it's finished I will lay there and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

I need to get busy but the rain is making me lazy. I slept in this morning and since it has been pouring I doubt I'll be able to work out this afternoon. The outdoors is calling, but it's too cold to work in the rain.

Make a choice to rejoice in the Lord!

pretty in pink

Pretty in pink...

My latest project....

My bowl that I am going to make a fountain out of...

Even the inside is beautiful...

The days are just flowing by. It seems there aren't enough hours in the day, though I know there are just the right amount. I just need to learn to use them more wisely.

I am yearning to be outside working on my new project. I have only been able to work on it the past two Saturdays. I am making a patio area in our backyard. My friend Barb and I went to Sherman Friday specifically to shop for our yards!! What fun and what a creative genius she is. I cannot "see" something until it is right before my eyes and she has the gift of envisioning things.

I found some patio chairs at Sam's Club for under $25 each and they can be stacked. They are simply perfect! I bought four of them, but really wanted eight.

We had gotten a reimbursement check and Donald gave it to me to spend on our yard. I went shopping for a table yesterday morning. It is such a shame you have to go out of town to find what you need. I couldn't find the table I wanted here. Barb dropped by yesterday afternoon and we decided to go back to Sherman to get more of the chairs. They are a seasonal item and if you don't get them while they are there, that's it. We went to Lowe's and I found the perfect round black wrought iron table I was looking for. It matches my chairs perfectly and I like my chairs better and though they are almost identical to the ones in the set they are $10 cheaper. I saved $80 on my chairs!

When we were there Friday Barb bought two of the neatest "bowls." They are scalloped at the top and are the most beautiful colors and shape I have ever seen. She was going to make a fountain and I had already decided I wanted some kind of water fountain in the corner in my backyard. It was so hard not to buy one yesterday. I really exercised self-control and didn't get it although I did buy the pump kit while they had them. I ended up buying more rock to match the free ones I had gotten last year. It was the exact bag and I couldn't pass that up either and after talking to Barb decided to just put more rock rather than trying to have a flower bed. In the long run it will be cheaper and less work. I tell you that girl is great!!

We got home and Barb gave me a birthday gift. It was the brown bowl I was wanting to buy!! She had bought it Friday and was afraid I was going to buy one and she would have to tell me not to. Now she has the job of showing me how to finish the project!

I can't wait to get in the yard and work on my patio. I still have to plant my vegetable seeds. I had started that yesterday, but when the opportunity to go back to Sherman arose that project went by the wayside. Maybe today I'll get them in the ground; remember I said maybe. Or not.

This afternoon Connie and Eddie brought me their glider for my yard. I was wanting to buy one and they don't use theirs so they gave it to me. Thank you both so much; I love it!! Pictures later.

Breathe

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. Mark 9:15 (NIV)

What would I do if I saw Jesus? Hopefully I would be so in awe of him that I would fall before Him in praise and worship. He has totally transformed my life. I hope I never cease to be amazed by Him.

These people didn't know Jesus the way we do. There He was before them, in the flesh. Obviously the recognized something in Him. I wonder if I would have, had I lived back then??

Today I've been filled with thoughts and yearnings to be more committed. I truly want to be. Then life and circumstances and things happens and I draw away. My mind becomes muddled with problems and situations and I forget to depend on Him for my very next breath. He is my life. We watched an awesome tape by Rob Bell Saturday called "Breathe." I know there's some controversy in the Christian circles about Rob and his ministry. I think he's being used by God. He takes things and makes them so simple and relevant to life: our lives because of God.

It reminds of me of the verses later in the ninth chapter of Mark. The disciples saw someone casting out demons and told them to stop because they were not "one of us." Jesus' reply??

39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.

I think as Christians we sometimes spend all our energies criticizing and putting down our own. Maybe they look different or talk different or belong to a different group than our own. I think we need to STOP that and love and accept those who love our Lord.

I love the way The Message puts John 13:35...

"This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other.

Oftentimes we fall desperately short in this area.

pa rum pum pum pum

I must confess that the words"quiet time" usually make me feel guilty and unfulfilled. So many times I've met with God for Him to speak to me through the reading of His word and trying to pray. So many times I've left feeling defeated and alone. Now I'm sure this is not commendable coming from someone who is His child and who really does love and desire Him. For God speaks to His children and does desire us to be in His presence.

I have always "put God in a box" so to speak. That is, I've always had my ideas of how it should be and what I should do when I spend time with Him. Now I'm not saying He doesn't speak to us in those situations. That is not what I'm saying at all. Just bear with me for a minute, please.

This morning I awoke and my first words were not "Good morning, Lord." I only desired to roll over and go back to sleep. I decided to listen to a few songs on my iPod shuffle before I started my day. The first one that came on was "Majesty" by Delirious....

Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed, but alive in your hands
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty

Suddenly I was worshipping from my heart while the moment before I was cringing at the thought of having to get out of bed. For you see, I have been changed by His love and I found myself in His presence!

The next song up with a Christmas song by Josh Groban..."Little Drummer Boy."

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum

I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum

Me and my drum.

Did you catch it?

I play my drum for you

I play my best for you

Then He smiled at me

This encouraged me so much this morning. For you see, I am guilty of having my mental lists of what would please God and what wouldn't. I'm sad to say that listening to my iPod in bed is not on my list of how to spend quality time with God. But that is exactly what happened.

God desires us much more than we desire Him. I believe we need to think outside the box and see Him in all the things we find ourselves doing. If we play a drum...play it for him.

no title

Jupiter caught in a meow. He was following me around while I snapped pictures.

pansies in a pot

blooming ajuga that is spreading!

it did come back!!

a petunia from last year

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

I love spring! I can't wait to get out and work in our yard again. I have already been out several times raking leaves and I actually started a new project in the backyard yesterday. I was really bummed out that we didn't have two weeks worth of spring break. The week we were off it rained most of the week. I am very grateful for the rain for we needed it badly. I guess if it hadn't been so cold I could have worked out in it~! Then last week it was the perfect weather to be out in the yard and I was inside. We did take our "snow day" and the decision of whether to work outdoors or go on a much needed shopping expedition was a hard one.

The pictures above are a few I took a few weeks ago. They are my first signs of spring except for the pansies which have been beautiful all winter. I have been grateful for my splash of color in our front yard. When winter seemed to be dragging on I could gaze on them and feel better. My hummingbird feeder must go up also and I have mega weeds to pull or cut. The ones in the ground cover I pull. My Asian Jasmine is spreading and I'm so excited. I'm even going to move some ajuga since the jasmine is spreading into it.

I'm so glad God made springtime!

birthday pictures

When the kids were small we had a wall phone with a long cord...of course when I really needed to talk on the phone the kids were always loud and interrupting. I would take the phone out into the garage to talk. Rebekah reminded me of this with this card. She said I would go out there and talk and sweat.

gifts from Connie

The kids got me a $100 gift card from Home Depot and these other things. They have a knack for getting the perfect gift!

My chocolate cheesecake from Bethany. Joseph helped her with the topping.

My friend Vicki cooked my birthday dinner. I was so surprised I didn't think to take a picture of it. It was wonderful~! Donald also gave me a neat gift. He gave me three hours of yard work. I already know what he can help me with!