Wedding Joy

This is me and my mom by the Oak tree my parents planted the day I came home from the hospital over 40 years ago in good ole Norman,Oklahoma. :)  And thats the house they built.  We drove up and asked the nice lady if we could pose in front of it and she allowed  the intrusion.We were in Norman for a wedding.

Tiffany and Winnie have been friends since they were 3. They really did not like each other at all for many years... Winnie thought Tiffany was mean and Tiffany thought Winnie was terribly boring.  Both grew up to be absolutely neither mean nor boring.  We were neighbors but, Wins family moved away much to both girls glee... about 3 years later, when they were 9, we moved into our current cabin... right next door, albeit acres away to their cabin.  Both girls boo hoo'd bitterly. They did not want to be forced to be friends just because Winnie's mom and myself were and are dear friends...but, as time had changed and boredom demanded time together they grew into very close friends and Tiffany was Winnie's Maid of Honor. It was a spectacular wedding but aren't all weddings?  I cried, my mom cried... everyone cried.  It was just so beautiful.  There were so many giggles coming from the dressing room...it was just too cute.  

And at the Reception we had so much delightful fun and cherished the moments... because life rushes by us so fast. My mom, Tiffany and I drove up to Norman, stayed in a hotel and just enjoyed the time together. We have so much fun together, the three of us. I can't imagine things changing but they just do. 

So, is everyone done shopping?  Presents wrapped? 

The very purpose of Christ's coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men.  He came to die.  This is the heart of Christmas.
--Rev. Billy Graham

Catching Up & Up & Up... super easy gift ideas!!!!

  Hope everyone is finding joy and love in the beginnings of the Christmas holiday. :) 

Thank you for sticking with me and not canceling out of my blog due to the fact that I don't seem to get on here to often. I know its not so fun following a blog where the person doesn't update much. I have spurts of being on every day and then times of absences.  

Okay, so if your wunna my friends here locally, lookie what you will be getting for Christmas!

Although I am thinking I will make my own sugar cookie dough, freeze it and then wrap it in nice paper like this... has the dough recipe and all the instructions right here at Design Dazzle Blogspot.

I got a chuckle out of this one from Howdoesshe.com but I probably won't actually give it to anyone:

And in the daily life, Annah got her first library card... I haven't settled down any at all... there were some diversions but, I'm still thinking that I want to be a Missionary when I grow up.Tiffany is going to college to be an International Adoptions Worker and she wants to live on 'that side' not this side... she wants to be the person who is at a particular orphanage or orphanages and be the one who helps match up and find homes etc.... which means she is going to not be living in the USA. She graduates December 2011...thats only a year away... Alan is in South America ...it looks like my parents are going to have to bite the bullet and join the wagon because I think thats where we are all headed. There is a new base in Panama right in the heart of the jungle.... its possible that when I go visit Alan, Karmy and Elias in July that maybe I can stay at that base if they are in Panama and not Costa Rica.... they are discussing it. That would make me so happy. Then I could really get a feel for what I'm thinking I am wanting to do... and I continue to say "I" because Paul is still happy at work. :)  He is open after he retires but, as I always say...thats just tooooooooooooo far away.   Just think, someday you may click in here and find a picture of me in a hut! 
Annah's first Library card...  

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." 

- John Piper

Twinkies

 

I bought this book at our local Library...they always have some bookshelves with books in it for sale and I am a fan of Susanna Wesley although I've never read her Bio and so Wahlah!   I have been reading it for a few days and then yesterday I just so happened to notice the front page had a name on it...

As I open the book I see that it belonged to my friend and otherwise affectionately known as my "Twinkie".... had owned the book.... how fun is that to open a book that you have been wanting to read and see that it was once read and loved by a dear friend?  To see a familiar name.  I was so tickled pink.  :-)  

So as I went to my Twinkies Blogspot to link her page to the word "Twinkie"... I see her title is the same as mine... isn't that even double fun?  :)  Thanks back Twinkie! :)
( of course I am assuming I am the twinkie she is writing about... maybe she has another twinkie friend.. LOL...I"m going to go ahead and assume I am assuming correctly. I'm over confident like that.)

So, life is certainly going on fast by.  Funny how it does that.
Big hugs and giant well wishes!  :)

Jungles or Puppies?

Can you find me?   I went to a Mystery Dinner last night. It was fun. It was hosted by our friends youth group....not really part of a church but a group of young Christians that have been more or less lifelong friends and get together for fellowship and activities.  They did a really good job on this!  Abundant food and friends! 

Disclosing clues and lies.  My good friend Debbie had to be mean to me in her character. I was kinda surprised at how well she did.   Hmmmmm......  :) 


We have an opportunity to get a newborn puppy that is going to need to be bottle fed ... A Shitzu.... a cute and healthy runt.... but, its just that... well.... thats a long commitment...how can I go live in the jungle with a puppy... but Annah wants a puppy... we live in the country, she is home-schooled and she would benefit from having a small pet to care for. 
 And What if I never make it out of the country and spend years saying no to a puppy because we may leave soon... I certainly don't see it in sight. 
But I want to be ready. 
I have my bags packed emotionally... in my heart I'm out the door but nobody else is.  :)  My other half certainly isn't.  He wants to retire first... thats like 10000 years away as far as I'm concerned. 10 years, 10000 years...its all the same to me...forever away.  So I guess I just keep playing keep up with the American life.... have a home, a puppy, lots of chocolate and pizza...  go to parties..... Minister to anyone I can as often as I can.... but its just that sometimes I just want that 100% Consistency that you get from lets say YWAM.... because then your just IN...thats what you do...you spend everyday with that very thing to do.... go out and serve God... 

I KNOW I KNOW I am doing my best to serve God every day... yeah yeah yeah I smile at the person at Walmart...maybe do a pay it forward, Foster care... etc... I know ... sure I know that... But I want to do more than acts of kindness and going to feed the homeless here and there.... smiling at a stranger to brighten their day...blah blah blah... not that I'm  trying to minimize those things because they do take effort on our part...especially mine because I tend to plow through Kroger not looking at anyone but with one goal in mind, shop and get out.  To concentrate to take the time to look at people and see if perhaps someone needs help getting something on top isle...sure yeah I can do that... its a small gesture... maybe it means the world to someone...I don't know. 

I just have my mind set on other things that seem more gigormous... like leaving the country and being in street orphanages in Brazil....or living in the jungle in a hut and taking in babies that can't be cared for...thats what I got my heart set on... but unless I'm willing to go alone then nobody else is coming and Paul's job is like so secure its almost ironic.  Yes I am SO thankful for his job... gosh yes.  I'm just saying that I know he'd be willing to leave the country and be a missionary if he didn't have his job but its very stable and secure probably for a long time and he has no intentions on walking away from it because believe me, we have discussed it at length...  

So, maybe I will stop looking out of the country and try to find something profoundly needful here to do.  I do foster care but, babies are few and far inbetween... TX is trying to give children to their family first and they are working really hard at that and for someone like us who foster newborns... family members are usually found readily to take in the newborns.  Until Annah is older, I am not venturing to take in older children and plus, I've just always fostered the babies....its where my heart leads me.  Anyhoooooooooooos........  looks like a puppy is in site?????   

 "Every good thing in the Christian life grows in the soil of humility. Without humility, every virtue and every grace withers. That’s why Calvin said humility is first, second, and third in the Christian faith. "- John Piper

Near Death Terrors

 I missed the "Wear Purple Day" Memo. :) 

Love this picture of my pretty pretty pretty girl!

....my two pretty pretty pretty girls!

A good friend of mines mom was supposedly dying... I say that because she is now being moved back to the nursing home... she has had 9 children and none of them will even really hardly speak to her except my friend and her brother and only because they feel obligated by their Faith to care for her.  The story of their childhood is not painted lovely but very ugly.  Alot of hurt, pain,severe neglect etc... and all these years their mom, no matter how they have tried to care for her, she has been very mean and hateful to the 2 of them.  When she thought she was dying she wanted to call each one of her children and began to apologize to them...consequently 2 are coming down to see her but their hearts are still full of pain.

As me and another friend where there to be with our friend, her mom did not want us in her room at all... she would open her eyes and wave bye bye to us and say "Bye Bye, goodbye, you need to go" and when we didn't leave ... because our friend liked us there and needed us... she began to get highly agitated and said she couldn't breathe with us in there and my friend said "Mom, why can't you breathe" (she had on an oxygen mask and everything) she said "Because they are taking up all the oxygen in my room".... we couldn't help but giggle at that... it was rather funny.... maybe you might not think we should laugh at a dying womans comment like that but, well....frankly it was funny and she isn't exactly a kindly, sweet old lady whose dying...she then broke out into calling her daughter an ugly pig etc....

The next day a few of us went back...when the mom was very drugged on morphine and we sat with her, talked to her about God, talked to her about Heaven, and sang to her, brushed her hair, tried to minister to her spirit for about 4 hours. We obviously would of liked to do that when she was awake but, she wouldn't allow it.  When she was awake she was screaming in agony that she was dying and she cried out that she never ever ever in her wildest dreams thought dying would be this way and then she would scream and say its going up and down...I think she meant her spirit.... and then she would beg God to help her just one more time and then she would say she didn't want to go meet God because she was terrified of 'retribution'.  

It was really very agonizing to witness.... I know that people who 'know' God and have Peace with God are not at all in terror like that.  No way.  There is no reason to experience that terror when you are at peace with God. 

Take care and have a happy Friday! :)

Captured Alive

I was minding my own business at the Fort Worth Zoo and along came a Gator or a Crocodile...I don't for sure. But, some how I fell dramatically to the ground and somehow I got my arm in his mouth. It was very surreal.

Annah on the Merry Go Round at the Zoo.  It was Homeschool day and we got in at a discounted price although the drive was really long and traffic in Fort Worth is crazy. 

Along with getting captured by alligators we got to ride turtles too!  Not sure whats wrong with my camera...it has some blur to it. 

"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' Isaiah 58:9

Favorites in Writing

When we were in Costa Rica Annah would be so exhausted that she would often want to go to bed by 8 ish which meant we would go to our room rather early.  But, that gave me oodles of time to read and take notes. I had a notebook that I began to put some of my favorite quotations from the books I was reading in. Here are some of my favorites from that months time... seems so long ago but was actually only a couple months ago. Most of these do not have any author credits..as I was not paying attention to giving credit rather just jotting down what I was reading that had meaning to me:

•  The willingness to be and to have just what God wants us to be and to have nothing more, nothing less and nothing else would set our hearts at rest and we would discover the simpler the life the greater the peace. - Elisabeth Elliott
• I'm not getting any younger. I say that with all sincerity.
• When God seems silent, make sure you are really listening. you many not hear His answer because He may not be answering the way you anticipated.  If you are confident in prayer that you are listening for God and still there is no answer, then keep on doing what He last told you to do.  God will let you know what He is doing in your life in His timing, which, is often different than ours. - Corrie ten Boom.
• When Christ ascended into Heaven, He left behind only 2 things for the fulfillment of all his aspirations for the world. His Spirit and His followers.  With the Holy Spirit we have been commissioned to demonstrate Christ's love for all the world to disciple the nations, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the broken and rescue the oppressed.
• Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widows.... Isaiah 1:15 - 17
• Here I am Send Me- Isaiah 6:8
• When you have learned who you lean on, it is not really important if there is no one to send you or receive you. God will meet all of your needs, He will not fail you.
• All great men have in them some weakness, and all weak men have in them some greatness. - Andrew Urshan
• Life is passing, youth goes, strength decays. But workd done for God imperishable. - Howard Goss.
• Prayer and Praise are the spiritual raods to the presence of God. The throne of God is hidden in the secret kingdom of God, kept safely hidden from enemy interference or intrusions, so that only the hungry, conscientious, humble spirit can find the door that leads into the secluded realm of the spirit.
• Somewhere along its length, every busy street presents an opportunity and a challenge to step out and begin presenting the Gospel.  Every city, town and suburb presents opportunities so numerous that the God called and aggressive heart is always overwhelmed by the vastness of the white harvest field. 
• Because one may not see an opportunity is no reason to become discouraged. A man, woman can always find work to do unto the Lord and do it - even though seemingly small with all his or her soul, heart and mind. God, though H is capable and able to do anything has put us here to do it and He needs us, wants us and will surely uses and bless our service when presented humbly with open hands to Him.
• It is enthusiasm that sets powers free.  - Woodrow Wilson
• God knows who His children are and will NEVER fail to find them and lead them.
• Nothing is to hard to a willing mind.
• I am willing to be cold, uncomfortable, insecure, to take beatings, misrepresentation, to suffer loss, to be thrown, tossed on a cold and unfriendly world without money and without rest, deprived of sleep or a place to lay my head. To accept joyfully any persecution or trouble the Lord allows the evil one to stir up because I believe the Bible and especially when it says "All things work together for the good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose."
• Do not be afraid of the fullness of God, nor of what He might do if we yield ourselves to Him completely.
• Ordinary people have an extraordinary call to an extraordinary God who calls each of us to total commitment.
• Humility and Honesty will always remain great spiritual safeguards.
• To believe in Jesus is not such a great thing. Even satan believes and trembles. To become like Jesus is truly great.
• What a person believes is sown in their daily life and how they live and what they become under circumstances.
• The modern church, rather than going out and defending and feeding the poor and mistreated, the sick, dying and miserable, lost and unsaved have today rather become comfortable resting places for the saved. 
• Prayer, real prayer, really does change things - often by changing us. - John Rush
• The Lord reigns, let the people tremble - Psalm 99:1
• When a burden is given from teh Lord it does not lose strength with the passage of time, but rather gains intensity.
• Anything vital for God will be tested by the enemy.
• When God is at work, none can withstand Him.
• If we do not win the Communist for Christ, they will conquer the West and uproot Christianity. - Richard Wumbrand.
• If you are a Christian you should really believe God for Great things.
• We are sons of the living God and He wants NONE to be lost.
• Faith without works is dead. Period.
• The way of faith is perseverance when God has already given word to do the task.
• When walking in faith of what God has shown you to do, when you face obstacles He will provide encouragement along the way.
• We can not walk in faith and be fatalistic at the same time.
• We must actively press in to hear God's voice and obey His promptings.
• If Christianity could promise that no one wold ever fall sick, suffer a tragedy or be killed, millions would embrace it. But Christianity cannot do that.  To embrace Christ for selfish reasons goes against God's character.  God is love and He is seeking people who will embrace Him out of a heart of pure love and obedience. JOb knew that when he said "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Job 13:15
• "Oh Lord, purify my soul from all its stains. Warm my heart with the love of thee, animate my sluggish nature and fix my inconsistency and volatility, that I may not be weary in well doing." - William Wilberforce

 Tiff and Annah having fun!

Left Ajar

Sooooo, I left the ice cream sandwiches untouched ...mostly.   Annah had a few left over the next day but, I went to Kroger and bought the above for me.... but, sadly, I bought SO much stuff for the freezer that the freezer couldn't shut all the way and I didn't notice that it was slightly ajar. My overstuffed, unclosed freezer left me with melted ice cream in the morning. So now, when I helped myself to a Drumstick, it was melted and gooey.

 Its been.... YEARS since I have homeschooled.  We homeschooled Alan all the way to him leaving for the Mission Field with YWAM.  Tiffany until our church began a Private School in her 7th grade year. She is now at college. So to start over with Annah left me feeling anxious and excited.  There are so many different curriculums for homeschoolers now.  When Alan was little, homeschooling was SO new that I couldn't let him out of the house to be seen during school hours...people didn't understand it.  They felt kids who were homeschooled would be lacking socialization and education. But now, 20 years later, its very acceptable to homeschool and easy to get into any college as many home educated kids are more than equipped for college. I am,however, not a fan of the new movement called "Unschooling".

After pouring over as many curriculums as I could, I fell deeply in love with "Heart of  Dakota"  and it has not let me down.  It tells me everything to do and I do it.  It provides me with a full Kindergarten year for Annah.  

If you are not lost, what do you want with a Saviour? Should the shepherd go after those who never went astray? Why should the woman sweep her house for the bits of money that were never out of her purse? No, the medicine is for the diseased; the quickening is for the dead; the pardon is for the guilty; liberation is for those who are bound: the opening of eyes is for those who are blind. How can the Saviour, and His death upon the cross, and the gospel of pardon, be accounted for, unless it be upon the supposition that men are guilty and worthy of condemnation? The sinner is the gospel’s reason for existence. You, my friend, to whom this word now comes, if you are undeserving, ill-deserving, hell-deserving, you are the sort of man for whom the gospel is ordained, and arranged, and proclaimed. God justifieth the ungodly.--- Charles Spurgeon

Me and the box

Paul bought Annah a box of ice cream sandwiches because they were out shopping and she wanted them. He knows how I am  when it comes to ice cream. If he brings home one gallon of ice cream I will eat one gallon of ice cream ..that day.I said "wheres my box"???? He said "but you say don't ever buy you ice cream."....   And here I am all alone with the two girls sound asleep already tucked in their beds and a box of ice cream sandwiches just sitting  in the freezer. What am I suppose to do?  Its rare I have an evening alone. Just me and that ice cream.  I could be totally in bliss if I could just take that box and curl up on my recliner, put on one of my favorite shows like "Its Supernatural" with Sid Roth and one by one eat those ice creams. But instead of being able to just enjoy this evening I am left with this conflict...pacing the floor... biting my nails, peeking into the freezer over and over again.  I've had 3 already. I think there are about 5 left. Maybe its 10 in a box... I don't know.  Its not right to eat a little girls box of ice cream.

'I don't believe in any religion apart from doing the will of God.' - Catherine Booth 

So much to say I can't even talk- Many many firsts

Costa Rica: Well.  Well. It was really amazing. I was shocked to realize to live like an American I needed oodles of money because American chocolate was imported and very expensive... anything in English was very expensive. I'm used to my comfort foods for sure. Something that became very apparent to me...if I truly want to go and be a missionary, I can't have any addictions.  I can't be addicted to coffee, diet coke, chocolate or chips and salsa... pizza, ice cream etc... and I was very happy that I could live without those things... although I did spend a lot of money buying imported American chocolate... a small bag of Hershey's kisses was $7.00 and it was so small I could eat that in one sitting.  The choices were very limited...Hersheys or Cadbury.  ( OH, the picture is of Annah and my grandson, Elias. He is 3. Its a wee bit ticklish having a 5 year old daughter and 3 year old grandson. :) )

There are a zillion ways to make the most amazing meals out of beans and rice to which are gleefully served at every meal. I became so dependent on my meals of rice and beans that when I got back home that is what I wanted to eat.  

Transportation... I would never ever ever drive there or own a vehicle. I would take public transportation. Absolutely no road rules followed.  And pedestrians absolutely do not have any rights. None. Cross roads at your own risk.  I kid you not. 

Even though it was July there, it was the beginning of their rainy season so it rained everyday. It was a very happy experience.  I can't say that I would be jumping up and down to live there but, if I was given that opportunity to go serve God there, I would jump up and down for that. But, to just want to pack up and go live there for the heck of it....no.  I haven't been to very many places but of all the places I've been, I've never been anywhere that I love more than Texas and more than my spot on earth here at home. But again, I'd trade it all for an opportunity to go serve God on the mission field full time. That is what I came away with.  :)  I LOVE YWAM. Love it.

This particular YWAM base in Heredia is very focused on raising their own animals, farming, training how to live in the jungle and live off the land. Most of the juice we drank was all freshly made from fresh  fruits. Annah loved helping to cook.  Very time consuming.

My amazingly handsome son, dad and of course, Annah. My parents went to Costa Rica for the first week and stayed at a really  nice Villa down the road from the YWAM base. It was so much fun having them there.

My mom and daughter in law, Karmy!!!! They are both sweeter than sugar. They are so sweet you will get a cavity just being around them. 

We did LOTS O'walking. Lots.

I loved this little house.  We passed it every day on walks...walks that felt like you were lucky to be alive when you got back home because cars do not care that you are on the road and I had to constantly be on guard.  But, isn't this just the cutest house ever. :)

  In the meantime, we got back home and even though we are homeschooling Annah, she is enrolled in an all day homeschool enrichment program where she is in a Kindergarten class,Spanish and Math class. So, this is her first day of homeschool school away from home. AND, the baby that I had to crop out is a foster baby we have had for almost a month. Not allowed to show her face. She is a dear dear dear dear baby girl. I love her oodles.

Annah's first soccer game! We have had two so far. LOST big time. Like major lost. I said I was NOT going to be one of those soccer moms but, gosh. I am just so competitive. I was basically pulling my hair out and pacing the field and trying to be nice and clap when they 'try' ... but inside I'm wanting to scream PAY ATTENTION...... GOAL IS THAT WAY, NOT THAT WAY.... and the little Pink Princesses were kicking in goal after goal after goal.

 You can't tell here but Annah lost her first tooth. You can't see it because she already has the other permanent one in. But, What was SO SO cute was she told me she had hidden the tooth under 'a pillow'...not her pillow but 'a pillow'.... she told me she wasn't going to tell us which pillow it was under because only the Tooth Fairy needs to know and can find it herself.

Lots of first... first skating rink..... Paul is the brave one going out on the rink to help her. I stayed behind the safety bricks because I had the baby. :)

AND, I read the most AMAZING book, "The Man with the Bird on His head."... you have to read it. You just have to.Its a true account of a man who was an atheist turned Christian, pastor, and then went into YWAM, went on his first outreach on a ship to an island that was partially reached but, the other part was not because they were waiting for a prophesy to be fullfilled... they were waiting for John Frum... (in National Geographic and was featured on 20/20 or something years ago).... John Frum was from America and come on a big white ship and bring them medical supplies and help them live... they completely rejected the message of Christ... and this man, John...well, you have to read it to believe it. 

So to sum it all up... First time in Costa Rica, First day of school, first lost tooth, first skate, first soccer game.... wow. :)
"The moment a man falls into sin, divine life ceases to flow, and his life becomes one of helplessness." - Smith Wigglesworth

Space bag wardrobe and other stuff

I am packed up. Ready to fly away to Costa Rica for almost a month. I leave on Friday. Hopefully I will be able to blog "buh bye" tomorrow before I go! I'll be back in late August.

The thing is, my entire wardrobe.... mostly and definitely seriously, can fit into 2 size Large Space bags-have the air sucked out of and fit into one suitcase.  Can you even imagine being able to fit almost your entire wardrobe into 2 Large Space bags????

Here is my way cool Vibram Five Finger jogging shoe tan line.   This is all from jogging from the early hours of 8:30 am to 10:00 am.  Even though the sun doesn't feel officially out I am typically drenched in sweat and go through about 3 water bottles during that time even though it is so early in the morning.

Annah had to have her hair extensions re-done so when we took the old ones out, she graciously fixed Tiffany's hair with her extensions. 

"Oh Lord, purify my soul from all its stains. Warm my heart with your love.  Animate my sluggish nature and fix my inconsistency and volatility that I may not be weary in well doing. - William Wilborforce.