Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge him,and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Path

One day recently, Johnny asked me if I had noticed how the dogs created paths around our property.  It was so dry that all the places that they traversed were accentuated by the dryness of the drought.  Honestly, I had noticed but had not really stopped to think much about it.  But then I started looking around further, I saw that the cows make paths, too.  Can we safely say they are all creatures of habit?  Cows and dogs alike?

If I base my answer on our animals I would have to say yes.  Our dog Penny for example, does the same thing nearly every day.  Takes her morning walk, venturing down the street a short ways and then comes back home.  Each day she does this.  I like to think she's checking out the area, making sure we're all safe.  But, it really just reminds me that this is her habit.  She's a creature of habit.  She does this because it's what she's always done and she doesn't know any different.

Monday, December 26, 2011

General Update

Wow - so much has been going on this time of year and no time for blogging.  This post will be my attempt to catch you up on the Parker household.

I had plenty of baking orders to keep me busy these last 2-3 weeks with four birthday cakes, 8 dozen cupcakes, and 24 dozen cookies.  It was a lot of work, but it seemed to bless others and that something I like to do.  Here are a few pictures of some of my projects.


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Nursing Home Blessings....

It's an annual event for our home school group, singing at the nursing home and making stops at the homes of local shut-ins.  It was started by a dear friend of mine 5-6 years ago and Caleb, Randy, and I joined in making this year our third year to participate.


It is truly a blessing to spend a few hours visiting people who don't get a lot of visitors on a daily basis.  Very touching and heart-warming and I suppose a bit bitter sweet as well.

Every year I tell myself I will not wait another entire year to come back and visit, but time gets away and 1 year later I find us back there, singing and hoping to bring a few minutes of joy to someone who needs it.  All of them touch my heart, but this year 3 nursing home patrons have stayed steadfast in my mind.  After we sang to them, we went around the room, greeting each one individually with a "Merry Christmas" and a hug.  Some of us handed out gifts.  My family gave some home made Christmas ornaments.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sweet Family Connections

The opportunity to reconnect with family I haven't spent a lot of time with for a while was something I will definitely remember and treasure for a long time.  My daughter Christy came for a visit.  She brought with her her husband Wes and her son, Tyler, who has grown so much, even since the last time I saw him in April.

They arrived on Saturday, blessing us by preparing King Ranch Chicken for dinner!  I asked my other daughter Allie, her husband Aaron, my oldest son Dusty and his family to come join us that evening for a get-together.  Randy was already here spending Christmas time with us.  My heart was full having all my kids and grand kids together in one place, at one time.

We played a round of Apples to Apples - bible edition where we laughed and laughed - - who knew how much fun the bible edition could actually be?   Then we traded gifts with one another.  I would have loved a group portrait, but who would be the one to stay out and take the picture?  So, I decided to take one picture with my grandkids and one picture with my kids.....If my camera hadn't decided to be FULL, I would have taken one with all of them together, but drat the camera.  I tried to delete photos to make room, but by then the little one's scattered back to Caleb's room to play.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Operation Ornament

September 29, 2010 marks a significant day in the life of my parents.  It was that day they were flooded out of their home and lost nearly everything.  The point of this blog though has to do with the loss of their Christmas decorations/ornaments.  Christmas 2010 was a sad one.  They were living in a home, with the barest of necessities.  So, Christmas tree ornaments were not a priority.

In November of this year, 2011, my dad asked all of us to make homemade ornaments for mom.  Buying would have been nice as there are definitely pretty ornaments out there, but homemade would offer that extra bit of love to each one.

Operation Ornament was underway.

I decided to make salt dough ornaments and some with popsicle sticks.  With the help of Caleb, Randy, & Allie, we had quite a variety for her.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Happy Birthday!!!!

It's always fun to actually be able to surprise someone for their birthday.  This year we were able to do just that to my mother-in-law, Ava.  Dec 4th was her 80th birthday and the family wanted to gather together to celebrate in her honor.  It was decided that the 3rd was a better time for all to be able to meet so, the Parker's gave her a call as we drove to her house, a little over 2 hours away and invited her to lunch.

The plan you see, was to take her to her favorite restaurant.  The surprise would be that the rest of the family would already be there.  It worked.  She was surprised.  ;o)   It was a great lunch at a seafood place called The Oyster Bar.  Unfortunately, not everyone could make it, but we still had a super crowd and it was an awesome time of fellowship.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Caleb and Nee Nee as she opened her present.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Forgotten Birthday

I'm shuffling through my photo's and it just hit me.....I forgot to blog a very important birthday in October.  The birthday itself was not forgotten, but with our busy schedules I didn't get the photo's on here.

So, Randy turned 16 on Oct. 10th.  Hard to believe that he is nearly 1/2 way through high school and can be "on his own" in 2 1/2 years...It seems like yesterday that I was looking at a 9 lb 2 oz new bundle of joy.  Gee whiz, time flies too fast.  I always heard, the older you get, the faster it goes.  I now know exactly what everyone means when they say that.


This birthday was a special one for Randy.  Probably because it was his 16th.  The older you get, then less significance is placed on a birthday and a party.  Last year he had a really fun party while at his dad's house complete with a Murder Mystery, family and friends.  This year he just wanted to have dinner out with his family.  

So I did my best to gather everyone, around RANDY'S busy band schedule, and pull together a dinner at Pier 99 over on the beach.



Not pictured was big brother Dusty and family, cousin Zach and his wife.  Not sure why I didn't get pictures of everyone.  I suppose conversation and chatter was enough of a distraction.  The fellowship was good, the food was okay, and the music in the back round was old country and fun, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbel type of stuff.  Brought back memories.  LOL

Wishing Randy another wonderful year....

Hugs,
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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Another Play - "Anatomy of Grey"

Anatomy of Grey was the name of the play that the Theater Department did at Tuloso Midway mid-November.  Randy landed a part in the play as the preacher in a small town.  This small town had people getting sick and no one knew why.  Dr. Grey shows up and does his best to treat all the patients, but people are dying and they can't figure out what's wrong.  There were definitely some funny scene's throughout the play to make you laugh, but there were also those that tugged your heart strings and yanked a few tears out of your eyes.

Entire cast at the end of opening night.

The Pied Piper

Just in case there is someone out there who wonders how the mystery in the garage is coming along....here's an update for you.  The mess came back....big and huge, just like before.  This time, Johnny decided that multiple traps needed to be set and we should probably use the old fashion kind.  SNAP!!  In addition to that, we bought a metal trash can to keep the cow feed in.  So, no more bags for the little guys to chew their way through!!  Aha!  Now we'll get ya!!

First night?   Four for four....yes, four full traps...Geeshh!!  And one broken one in the process.  I won't tell you how that happened exactly, but it was broke.

Second night?  Only three traps left to set, since 4 minus one broken one equals, well, three.  Ha!   We were three for three that night.....bbbuuutttt, one trap is missing.  Disappeared somewhere amongst the boxes.  Poor thing got snapped....then tried to crawl away... UGH!!  I can only imagine how we'll find that guy eventually.

Then we were out of town for a few days over Thanksgiving.  That will give the little fella's some time to get comfy again, and maybe a little bit hungry in the process.

So, at least the mystery is solved.  Mice.  Lots of them, must crawl up inside the hole in the feed bag and participate in the happy-dance.  Can you imagine sitting on top of, and being surrounded by, your favorite food?  Well, that's what they were doing.  And the more they ran around squeaking for joy and sinning by gluttony....the more that feed trickled out the quarter-sized hole in the bag and made it's way all over the floor around it.

Makes complete and perfect sense.  Did I want to believe our garage was being overtaken by a herd of mice?  Um, no....And do I enjoy the notion that we have to set traps to get rid of them?  Um, no....But, they are completely and totally destructive.  Not to mention gross when you notice the most obvious sign they leave behind on the ground.  :(

If I could just evict them like a landlord does to a tenant, I would....but they have come to love the comforts our garage provides and I don't expect a 30 day notice letter would have them packing their bags and vacating our property.

So, we've waged war....and have every intention of winning.

Warm fuzzies,
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Boat Ramp Exploration

I posted a short while back about our impromptu trip to Austin with Johnny.  On our last day, we had to check out of the hotel a little while before daddy was done with his meetings.  What could I possibly find to do, inexpensively, to keep a 6 yr old from being bored while we waited?

As it would happen, it had been a while since I'd been to this location and as we made our way towards the Bank, I missed our exit by 15 or 20 yards or so.  I was SO tempted to just back up along the edge of the highway to make it back to the driveway we needed to get into, but the cars were really flying by in that area and it was obviously not a safe thing to do.

So, I kept on going, made the next turn around, which brought me somewhat past where we wanted to be to turn around and back track.  As we made our way through the turn around, I realized we had the perfect opportunity to stop and kill some of the time we had to wait for dad.  This perfect spot?  The city boat ramp, of course.

Caleb had the best time.  For the first 5 minutes he was a bit timid around the water and the skimpy shore  it had.  But, it didn't take long and he was venturing out, climbing, and having the very best time!  Here are a few photos of our spur of the moment school lesson as this was around the time we were studying shells, beaches, oceans and waves.

Don't be surprised if you see this post on our home school blog as well....these were great pictures and I just couldn't decide where to share them...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Singing Praises, Turning Cartwheels

That's what I was doing yesterday!!  Singing praises:  Thank you Jesus, Praise God, Amen, Amen, Amen!!

And yes, maybe the actual cartwheels themselves were all just in my head, but they are an expression of great enthusiasm & excitement all the same.

Why?

For three weeks we've been in a state of limbo and wonder - laced with concern.  This time reminded me of this cross I saw once while we were on a trip.   It was rainy and stormy outside...What I could clearly see with my eyes as a beautiful cross, was masked by the bad weather, the windshield of the car, and the huge raindrops.  I could let our present circumstances cover my love for the Lord like a mask or I  could find a way to rise above it and Love Him no matter what.

Johnny, a cancer survivor of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, discovered a slightly painful lump/knot under his arm.  It was under the opposite arm from where He had cancer the first time.  And to use his words, "it all seemed too similar."

We had to wait 5 days to get into the doctor, only to hear what we expected, further tests would be needed in order to make a conclusive diagnosis.  Of course, the doctor was very calm, and he honestly didn't think it was Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma again.  His reasonings:

1)  Non-Hodgkins returning in patients in remission is unheard of, and Johnny is 10 years removed from it.
2)  He didn't think it was quite in the right place.

BUT,

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Heaven is for Real

I'm sure you all have seen this yellow covered book in about every store that might sell books, and maybe even some that don't -- Heaven is for Real.   I've seen it.  Everywhere.  I've heard about it.  Everywhere.  I heard on K-Love how wonderful it was.  A lady waiting at the doctors' office was reading it and commented positively on it.  It's all good, right?

Well, if you are like me, all that is fine and dandy, but, actually finding the time to read a book in its entirety, wellllll, now that's another story.  I used to be an avid book reader, but for some reason the last few years have not lent themselves to a whole lot of free time for just-for-fun-reading.  I try now and then to get into a book I've heard is really good, but I struggle with finishing it.

I think in part, sometimes it starts off good and then maybe I lose interest.  Or, maybe sometimes life just gets busy for me and the book isn't interesting ENOUGH to hold my attention.  A few months ago I read "The Lamplighter" and that was a book I had a hard time putting down.  Written in what I think was old-English, it was so captivating for me.

Mystery Update

For those that read my post the other day about the mystery critter in the garage I have an update.  We've suffered casualty number one....Two traps set out on Sunday and by Monday morning one accomplished it's mission.  So far, no further messes on the garage floor.  Of course, the feed bag that had the hole has bee used, so they would have to chew another hole to continue the mess-making task.

We shall see....will trap number two complete it's mission?  Will we still have big messes on the floor?  It all remains to be seen.

If all that mess was indeed made by one little mouse I will be completely amazed....

Blessings,
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Monday, November 14, 2011

Just a Little Fun

Last week brought us a short, unexpected get-a-way.  Johnny had to go to Austin, leaving on Monday and wouldn't be back until Thursday.  Tuesday morning he called us to check in and on a whim invited us to come up to Austin to be with him!  Talk about impromptu!!  Caleb and I grabbed everything we thought we'd need for three days and threw ourselves in the car.  Within 2 hours we were out the door and on our way!

We didn't do anything special while we were away.  We had some quality family time and that's enough for me.  During the day Caleb and I walked around the mall area, did a "little" bit of school work, and basically hung out in our hotel room (The Westin at the Domain).  In the evening we ventured out again with dad, spending some fun time together.  

The Domain was a beautifully landscaped, upscale, outside mall.  You literally walked "city" streets and could peer in all the store fronts as you went.  My favorite store was probably Sur La Table.  All sorts of kitchen gadgets.  Our favorite gadget was the Chef'n StemGem Strawberry Huller.  I tried to capture a picture to put here, but the computer won't let me.  If you're curious, you can just click on the link.  We tried it out Sunday afternoon and it works GREAT!  Since strawberries are actually one fruit Caleb WILL eat, this little guy made my job easier!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Complete Mystery

Life is filled with mysteries.  Big one's like the mystery of God and all His glory.  And little one's, like the one we are experiencing in our garage.  Yes, garage.  I am completely baffled and I think I'm going to share it with you so you can be baffled along with me.

Here is a picture of the feed bags in our garage.  And what you see between them is a pile of feed.  Now, when I walked into the garage and saw all that feed on the floor of the garage I know my eyebrows scrunched up and I probably had a very puzzled look on my face.  HOW did all the feed escape its bag?

Trick or Treat....

In all honestly I've always thought of Halloween as a harmless "holiday" where my kids could be silly and have fun.  It's something I've celebrated as a child and then with all my kids from the time they were itty-bitty's.  I think I have a post from last year where I was struggling with the concept.  While I still think it can be harmless,  I have gained a new perspective on the "holiday"from views shared with me by my pastor.  And I must admit that I do feel a bit of a tug at this time of year to avoid the holiday.  At the same time though, I can honestly say I have never thought about evil or worshipped evil on Halloween.

Putting all reservations aside, I tossed Caleb's costume (new and in the bag from last year), into the car.  Okay, so that's another story in and of itself.  Why did we still have a costume new and in the bag?  Short story version - Caleb has never wanted to dress up. He gets embarrassed easily and for him I guess the thought of putting on the costume means everyone will look at him.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Judgement House 2011

A small group from our church attended Judgement House at Annaville Baptist Church on the Saturday before Halloween.  At first glance and thought, one might assume this is a Haunted House or some other similar type event.  Especially since it was presented the weekend of Halloween.  In actuality, it was far from that.  Judgement House was the telling of a story.  A story about four individuals whose life choices lead them into either heaven or hell.  As you walked through Judgement House, you watched their stories unfold.

The world is filled with good people and bad people.  Lots of good people and lots of bad people.  I know TONS of the good ones.  The sad thing is that not all good people are going to go to heaven.  For those of us who have accepted the Lord as our Savior, we are truly saved from the fires of hell.  But, if you have not made that decision, for whatever reason, you are taking a huge risk.  A risk that could have you spending the rest of eternity with the devil himself.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Sinton WOF Group

What is the chance that three women, two of which traveled together, and the third who happened to be in the same place at the same time as the first two women, would find each other at a WOF Conference weekend?  There are so many women there.  Woman, after woman, after woman...The chance seems pretty small, but in reality it did happen.

Remember from my previous post that going into this years' WOF I wasn't as, um, excited as I had been before?  Well, I had already made a few jokes about "quitting" as group leader for next year before this weekends' event.  But then, as I sat next to my new friend, Jody....I listened to her excitement and heard her say several times, "....next year....".  That excitement was contagious.  It reminds me of Women of Faith a few years ago when the theme WAS "Contagious Joy."

Jody encouraged me to attend a Group Leader meeting with her.  She insisted on several occasions, "we can do this!"  So we went.  And who did we meet?  A lady from our small town, from a nearby church, Carol M.  She was there as well, wanting to get some tickets for Women of Faith 2012, but feeling hesitant at the same time as this is a big commitment.  And unless you remember that God is in control, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed with the process.

We decided together we could do this. We could bring to WOF in San Antonio 2012, at least 25 women.  We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses in order to keep in touch.

What a God-Moment.  First, Jody to lift me up and bring back the excitement I knew I had, then to meet Carol, who was unsure about doing this group leader thing on her own.  Together, we're a team, and I can't wait to see the blessings that come from this.

Walking with the King,
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Women of Faith 2011

What can I say?  Leading up to this years' WOF conference I wasn't as excited as in years past.  So much had gone on prior to make life crazy.  I felt like I did such a poor job organizing this year and that had me in the "Debbie-Owner" mode before we left.  As always though, I only needed to be in the presence of what had to be 15,000 women, singing praise songs, laughing and crying for about 15 minutes when my mind shifted and I couldn't wait discover each and every blessing.

Coming with an open mind and heart is a must.  You never know in what way Jesus is going to touch you and ask you to make a change.  Here's a visual of one of the best moments from the weekend left to right; Sandi Patty, Mandesa, blonde head in back is Lisa Welchel, Marilyn Meberg, Patsy Clairmont, Amy Grant, her guitarist, and Brenda Warner, (green shirted man in the back was Amy's drummer):




Sunday, October 16, 2011

Packs for Pups

It was a blessing and a pleasure to fill in for my brother and his wife last week while they were out of town.  Their small church has a sweet ministry that is just getting going called Pack's for Pup's...I think I spoke about it recently in my blog, but in case you missed it - - backpacks are filled with easy to serve food items for children whose parents are not around on the weekends to provide for them.  Or maybe just down on their luck and can use some help.

Right now they are serving 4 kiddo's from the Elementary school.  It was 5, but one child was moving without explanation and apparently in such a rush that the backpack will not be returned.  A sad story for sure.

Here's Caleb as he helped me sort and stack food to go into the backpacks.  Notice the very excited look on his face?  Just kidding.  This is what I now call the "blog-o-phobia-pose."  Can't you just see his wheels turning?  "Mom.  Come on.  Really?  Again?"

Saturday, October 15, 2011

And On the Fourth Day...



God created the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky.

Check out this amazing picture I took on Friday night.....I wish I knew what settings I had used.  I was standing out at the end of my drive-way taking pictures.  After each picture, I'd turn the dial on my camera to another setting.   Ultimately, I have no idea what one I used to take this.  Matter-of-fact, it wasn't until I downloaded them that I saw one had actually turned out this good...I even captured a bit of what looks like a crater near the top-right of the moon.

God's creations are so wide and vast....

Walking with the King,
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Friday, October 14, 2011



Rubber boots.  Protective coverings worn to keep the feet dry.  Lots of people own them.  What is special about these boots?  There really isn't anything special about the boots as much as the reason I had to wear them.  

I don't traipse around often in these very attractive and stylish pair of boots.  (ahem, just kidding.  Even I know they are pretty ugly).  But, rubber boots are definitely for special occasions - - like, when it rains!  Yes, I actually said that.  Rain.  Whoop!  Woke up the other morning to a rain shower, resulting in - - dum, da, da, dummmmm.........wet grass!!!  We've been in a drought for a long time.  I think I heard it was ten months....I don't know but four months, six months, ten months - - it's all a long time.

God has been blessing us with snippets of rain over the last couple of weeks.  A lot of places all around us have been getting more, but God has given us a little -- one tenth here, five tenths there.  I for one am very grateful for each and every drop He sends our way.  We actually have bits of grass throughout the yard again.  Not pretty grass in the least, but it's green.  And anything that replaces the dry dessert yard we've had is a wonderful blessing.

Got an Itch?

Until today, I thought these stinker cows of ours were tossing the trough over because they wanted the food that had fallen beneath it.  You know?  To get every last morsel on the ground?  While getting every last drop of food is assuredly a reason for tipping it over, these rascals have another reason for making more work for me every day.  Surprise, surprise! .....

Scratch'n their itches!!!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

First Soccer Game of the 2011 Season

October 1st marked the first soccer game of the year!  This year Caleb's team is called the "Cyclones."  All the teams are named using weather words - Thunder, Storm, Hurricane, etc...

As it turns out, his jersey color is orange.  Ummmm, yeah, we don't buy a whole lot of orange in our house.  Anyone who knows Johnny is an A&M Graduate, knows we don't "do" orange.  But, it is what it is, and our team color is orange.

It was a fun and exciting first game.  At this level, U8, we still do not keep score. (But, those of us on the side-lines tend to do a bit of counting and we can tell you the final score was 7-3!!)

Here are a few high-lights of the first game:

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

"Almost Maine"

My extroverted son, Randy, loves drama.  Well, probably not drama in real life, but drama that he can create on stage.  From the first steps he took going into high school he found his way into the drama class.  Then auditioned for his first play, then second.  It's progressed from there.

This school year he snagged a few roles in the first play of the year, "Almost Maine."  This is a picture of Randy after the play was over, still in costume from his last scene.  He has red cheeks because he and his co-star were out "snowmobiling" together.

The Blessings Babies Bring

Life is really quite funny sometimes in what comes in your path from any given day to another.  I enjoy a good laugh just like the next person and a recent experience in the Parker household gave us more than a chuckle or two for sure.

Anyone who has had teenagers in recent years knows that some of the classes taken at the high school level present the student with the opportunity to take care of a "baby" for a weekend.  Now, CPS would definitely be on red alert if real babies were sent home with 15 yrs olds at any given moment.  So, it's quite good and well that there is a company out there that creates these.......


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

You Need This More Than I Do

How many times have you gone into the grocery store with one item in mind, only to find yourself fifteen minutes later with an armload?  Of which about half the items are trying their best to make their way to the floor because you've convinced yourself you can carry them and you're only going to grab, "one more thing."

This was me the other day as I came around the corner of the bread aisle at our local grocery.  Arms full, trying desperately not to drop anything.  Suddenly, standing before me was an angel.  One of God's angels?  Maybe, maybe not.   I'm choosing to believe that he was since he blessed me in a generous way.

This angel, who looked like he'd just gotten off work, wore a bit of grey in the hair that peeked out from around the edges of his cap.  I've no doubt he was tired from a long day at work, but he took one look at me and the load in my arms and said, "here, you need this more than I do."  He then picked up two or three items out of the grocery cart and passed the empty cart to me.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

It's All In The Moo

One has to laugh when they can hear a cow "moo" and realize it doesn't sound like one of their cows... Especially when that person is me who has minimal experience with cattle in general and can't possibly recognize a difference in one "moo"from another.  Maybe it wasn't the sound that was different, but the timing of the "moo" itself that was out of place and not something of the norm.  This I expect is something my ears could detect as being different.

We have cows.  If you've read any of my posts you know that already.  I've had this bunch long enough that I'm pretty familiar with their behaviors.  So, when we heard a randomly loud, blasting "MOO" coming from the backyard as we were getting ready for church Sunday morning, I knew something had to be amiss.

I made my way to our bedroom window, looked out, and low and behold there was the biggest cow I'd ever been that close to.  She put our big girls to shame in size.  Or, maybe it was her color that made her look bigger, a dark, rich, reddish brown, and her HORNS!  Yes, nice big scary looking horns!  LOL   No, as I think back, she really was a lot bigger than our girls.  I took in the scene, counting, one - two - three - four - five - six.....yes, six extra cows traipsing through my backyard, walking along our fences.  She was the biggest, and there was another good size one who was rather pretty and had a speckled coat.  Behind her were four others in random sizes, but definitely all babies.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Treasured Moments

I'm so excited to share an awesome blessing from today.  It's a special moment that I'm going to tuck in my heart and when things in life get rough I'm going to think back on THIS day to help me remember all the GOOD!!

I've been gathering some outfits for my granddaughter A. for the last little while.  I wanted her to have a few new outfits from Grandma Pam to wear when she went back to school.  I bought a couple of things for my grandson H. also and wanted to keep things as fair and square as possible.

Well, sadly, it turned into a bit of a fiasco as the items I ordered (online) did not come in the right sizes.  I had to reorder, swap things out, and get it all worked out.  Finally, long after all the kids have gone back to school, I had all the items I needed in the right sizes to give to her.

So, with sort of an impromptu visit today, I met up with my grandkids A. & H. at the library.  My sweet daughter-in-law, M., let me steal some of their time so that I could deliver the clothes.  I have to say I received one of the best greetings ever from precious A.  I saw her in between an aisle of books.  I bent over and said, "hey you," in a soft voice.  She turned, looked at me, eyes got big and she quickly discarded her armful of books, ran and leaped into my arms.  Talk about melting a Grandma's heart!!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Soccer Season Has Begun

A little later than last year, but here we are as our soccer season is underway.  A little background.  My sweet husband very generously told the mom's at soccer sign-up that he would be a coach as a last resort.  Well, since Caleb is only 6 and hasn't been involved in many team sports as of yet, he didn't realize that giving them a maybe allows them to put their whole foot in the door.  So, who is coach of the "Cyclone's?"  Yes, my Johnny.  :o)   Neck brace and all.  Our dear friend, Richard, has graciously agreed to help him out and for that we are grateful!

Unfortunately, it seems the organizers are running a little bit behind the 8-Ball and we just received the names of our players with only a little over 1 week until our first game.  Not sure what's going on there, but we will definitely do the best we can.

Here are some pictures from our first practice:

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Water Thief

Is ANYONE watching????

Ah, a drink at last!!!

Gotta get away before they see me!!

Whew!  I'm safe!

Walking with the King,Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Saturday, September 3, 2011

God's Making a Move!

I am so excited to share with you a new ministry that our church is going to become a part of.  It's called Packs for Pups.  Packs for Pups provides nourishment for Pre-K through 3rd graders at the local elementary school.  The school system provides, to those that need it, a hot breakfast and lunch all throughout the school week.

But, what happens to those kids in need when the weekend comes around?  What happens when they are missing a father from their life and their mother is an absent role model?  Or vice versa.    And what about the ones who are completely left to fend for themselves and food sources are scarce or non-existent?  

These kids go hungry that's what happens.  My heart breaks at the notion of starving children.  We've all seen the commercials on TV that tug on your heart strings.  And many times we turn the channel, because that's a long way away, or we don't have $30 a month to spare, or any number of other reasons that are unique to our situation.

A need was presented to one of the local churches in Sinton.  My brother, Rick, attends this church and when he heard about the needs of these children he was deeply touched.  He said this was a need that spoke directly to him and told him to get off his butt and do something!  He wasn't the only one at his church that was touched either.  Rick felt called to do something about this and reached out to my church for assistance.  

No one has an endless pile of funds available to save the world.  But, if we each have a little bit that we can add to the pile, it can be enough to make a difference.

Packs for Pups is starting small with only 5 children on the list.  And that's okay, but I have a vision that this ministry will grow in a way we can't even imagine.  We aren't allowed to know who they are.  Our churches are going to be silent partners in this ministry.  For now, backpacks will be filled on Friday's and sent home with children that need them.  They will return those same backpacks on Monday where they will be filled again for the following weekend.  So on, and so forth.

What will come of this ministry?  It remains to be seen.  Our God is a big God and who knows the miracles that can come from this.  I'm expecting big ones!!  He is the one telling us to care for those in need and we as His followers need to obey....

When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop.  It is the same with your grape crop -- do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground.  Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you.  I am the Lord your God.  Leviticus 19:9-10


I look forward to updating you on the blessings received as a result of this ministry.

Walking with the King,
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Friday, September 2, 2011

Facing Fears


What can I say?  You never know when God is going to make you face your fears....or, on any given day make you face at least one of them.  Am I convinced it's God that wants me to get over this fear I'm referring to?  Pretty much.  Because we're really only supposed to fear God.  And to let fear of other things into our lives is not healthy.

Are you wondering what my fear is?  First, let me warn you this is a rather long post.  Secondly, if you've been reading this blog of mine for any time at all you've read a few stories I've told about ours cows now and again.  One of the most annoying things they do is to knock over the feed trough EVERY SINGLE DAY.  It's as though they want to get every single morsel and the only way to do that is to knock it over and get it out of the way to get the bits that have landed on the ground.

They aren't the neatest of eaters in case you didn't know.  I've stood there and watched them a few times...not graceful, I promise you. {Head shake and shoulder shutter.}


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Why Are We Here?


Why are we really here?  Because God created us, that's why!  He wants us to love Him and one another.  He wants all that we do to bring Him glory, honor, and power.  We are here for His pleasure and Revelation 4:11 reminds us of all these things - "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For You created all things, and they exist because You created what You pleased." 

We are here to serve Him.  We are to use the talents He has given to each one of us to serve Him and bring Glory to His name.  It sounds simple right?

I love Steven Curtis Chapman's new song, "Do Everything."  My friend T. shared it with me before I recognized it on the radio and I honestly can't stop thinking about the message it gives to us.  It's what we were all meant to do!



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wordless Wednesday



Old and young...consistently loyal, loving and devoted...



Walking with the King,