The sky is falling!

A strange thing started happening yesterday. It was so strange, I felt compelled to post about it. It started to rain.

Now most of you know we now live in Northern Texas. We have lived in a lot of different states, that experience different kinds of weather, at different times of the year. We were not here when Texas got it's flooding in the spring. I can only say I'm sure it was like letting 38 puppies loose in a kiddie pool filled with balls! 

These people do not, I repeat, do not know how to drive or act when the sky is falling, I mean, when it's raining! 

We own over 5 umbrella's, most Texans do not even have 1. 

I have 2 rain coats and a few water proof things that I would considered outer wear. Texans have boots. 

The phase "Turn around, don't drown", is more like a dance move to these people.

Every time an emergency vehicle went down the road, the girls I work with would say "Someone just hydroplaned into a ditch!" 

Truth be told, I love seeing stuff like this because it makes me feel a little more put together, well rounded and prepared. I'm glad my parents let me drive when we had an ice storm, it taught me what not to do. I'm proud of the fact that I also know how to drive in snow and rain. The most important thing to remember is to slow down and think ahead, something that too many people do not do.

As I write, 3 emergency vehicle's have gone by... really people? 

On a side note: It's pecan time. That means that we have pecan's falling out of the 5 trees in our yard! Gracie and I have been picking them up everyday. OK, I've been picking them up, she just wants me to crack them open and feed her. 

   

I've started filling a 5 gallon bucket, it will give Daddy something to do when they visit! I've got to figure out how to keep him from eating them all though!

This is what's keeping me sane right now! Preacher man!

And this...running. I spent 8 weeks race walking, and this week I started the run walk. I just know I'm prone to injury, so I'm taking it slow. It's a gross picture, but it's close to Halloween, so I'm trying to scare ya!  

By the way... This is a new head band. It say's "In my dreams I'm a KENYAN"

Peace out and Dream on!

What's Up!!!

Living God - stand by me. Hold me up. Be my strength when I am tired, my inspiration when I am bored, my life when I am listless.

Living God, I cannot always meet the standard expected of me, cannot always be the personality I am known for. Abba, when I fail, Abba when I stumble - stand by me.

I ran across this today and thought, how perfect! 

I have missed not posting... My job has made me sad and too tired to write. But there is light at the end of the tunnel and I can smell freedom, so I thought I would write a little.

Oh! Pickle season has started! These are some of my cuke plants. All those yellow flowers will hopefully be turned into cubes, which in turn will be turned into pickles! We have had so much rain that I'm worried about rot and disease getting a hold of everything. I'm thankful that we have sandy soil that drains well, but enough is enough with all this rain.

I have also been making pesto! Now that is some yummy stuff that you can spread on just about anything. It's so easy to make, here let me give you the recipe that was given to me!

In a food processor put the following:

2 cups loose basil leaves (clean)

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 medium cloves of garlic (more if you love it like me!)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Blend till rough paste

Add 1/2 cup virgin olive oil (extra virgin is best)

blend...with 1/4 tsp salt and a good grind of pepper

put into small container - freeze or eat. Good on chicken, pasta, cracker's with cheese, a spoon, your finger, you name it, it's good on it. It also freezes well and thaws fast an easy. 

We also got gravel, or as Preacher man calls it, rock. This was put down before we got this...

It looked like this....

Here's Preacher man! Oh, look behind him to the left, it's the garden! That wad of green, see it? Not the trees, look lower!

We also did this...

Yes, new driveway! All in all a busy day or 2.

So that's about it, your caught up on this side of the yard. I hope to have more time very soon to post and muse on what's what. Until then, thanks for stepping back into my life!

Peace! 

Picture's!

What is it they say about good intentions? And who is "they"?

Sorry about it being almost a month since last I wrote with you in mind, but it has been flat out crazy around here. Or maybe I'm the crazy one.

I'm going to post some pic's in order to share with you what in the sam hill has been going on around here.

I've been seeing my fair share of these. That's the sun coming up behind Burger King, which is across the street from work. BTW, I won't be using the name of the company I work for because I don't want them to know about me cuz they will stock me. They have moved open time to 4:00 am. This pic was taken around 7:00 am. 

We have been having some of these here, what I like to call, a controlled burn.

This is what I get to drive into in the mornings. It's our main street and there are snow flakes that line both sides of the street. When I see this, I almost forget how crabby people can be.

This is Gracie with her stick. I know, it does look a little big for her, and she's a big dog. We have burned all the small sticks so she has been forced to pull up small trees and smack us in the back of the knee caps as she runs by. Dang Huskies!

This is our wild and crazy Christmas tree. I believe in forcing branches to loosen up by placing heavy ornaments on them. Yes, I do know that there is no topper. I'm looking for a new one. See Santa in the corner?

Here's Santa! We got our yearly gift from Maker's Mark and this year it's a "Deck the neck" scarf. The gift's are meant to to go on a bottle and to be given as a gift. Not happen, just saying.

There's Preacher man, hanging lights! After he finished, he got sick and has been sick for 4 day's now. 

I just wanted to say Hi, before the season got away from me. Thinking about you and wishing you Burger King sun rises and really big sticks to play with!

Peace Out!

Persecuted

I gotta say, yesterday blew me away! Let me explain, or at least try to.

Preacher man and I went to a service yesterday at "That Church". If Sherwood were to have a mega church, this would be it. We decided on the middle service and from the minute we drove up in the peking lot, we could tell, this wasn't like any other church we had been to in a long time. You could feel the Spirt, even out in the parking lot. People were excited about being there.

A lovely lady walked us into the church, showed us where coffee was, and the entrance to the worship center and off we went. I could tell Preacher man was taking it all in, lights, sound, hospitality people, all of it. It's something that ends up happening to you when you've been trained like he has.

The lesson started and guess what it was about? Being persecuted! I haven't been able to talk about it freely yet, but just know that we are being persecuted and I will fill you in very soon.

The three points were accept it, endure it, and embrace it; persecution that is. Jesus told his disciples that If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. It's so true and I guess I had forgotten. I keep looking for something we did wrong. It's that we have Jesus in us and that flat out pisses folks off! 

Jesus never said, IF they persecute you, He said WHEN. Paul tells us that when we are persecuted, we endure it. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your heart honor Christ the Lord as holy… Have no fear of them. I have said it over and over, They don't hate us, they hate the Jesus in us!

Now the last part, embrace it, made me want to laugh. I don't want to embrace this suffering. I want to…yeah, you know. Peter tells us not to be surprised at the fiery ordeal, but to rejoice in the suffering of Christ. Rejoice and embrace.

The part that surprised me the most was this was the message both of us needed desperately to hear. We needed to know, beyond a shadow, that God sees us, knows what we are going through, and has us! It has given me reason to rejoice in this uncertain time. 

As hard as it is, it's for Christ! I will continue to accept it and endure it. I am going to start to embrace it.       

Strong and Courageous!

Be strong and courageous! That's what God told Joshua after Moses died. He didn't just tell him once either, it was three times! Kinda like when Momma use to say; 

Don't forget to look both ways. 

Please don't forget to look both ways. 

LOOK BOTH WAYS!!!! 

After that third time, you can bet you pretty well had it! That's how I picture it with God and Joshua.

Preacher man talked about how God is calling us to this way of being even today. It doesn't just happen with people that God calls into full time ministry, it  happening with all believers, sometimes we're just too busy to hear it.

I have found as I make time to be with God, my ear's somehow become tuned into what is being said in the silence. The words I read in the Bible are aimed right at me and my life! 

How does He do that? That's what people are talking about when they say The Bible is The Living Word of God. Or, Jesus, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! 

Joshua 1:9 says; I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

The third time we are commanded to look both ways. We are also commanded to be strong and courageous, however, God goes a step further and says don't be scared, and don't be throw off balance, for I am with you!

That just fires me up! Preacher man did a mighty fine job bringing this message. Click Here and check him out!

I challenge you to first off make time in your day to hear from God. If you are already doing that, then I challenge you to stop reading so much of what other's write and see what God has written for you. Then, just sit with it. See what comes up. I'd love to hear about it!