Serving the LORD in

Prayer Meeting

2010-04-21T10:37:00.003-05:00

We've started a Tuesday night prayer meeting. We gather with another family, have dinner then worship the Lord and pray for our city. We're looking forward for the Lord to call hearts out of empty religion and understand the Lord's love for them and the relevance of His word in each of our lives. Right now, we are praying for Him to prepare the ground.

We pray for revival along the border here in TX, where many people are concerned with tradition and religion and some are in bondage to idol worship. We want to share the truth of the Word.

One thing that has been on my heart, specifically for religious people here is that they would understand the truth God has given us in His Bible. Many people have been lied to and told the Bible is not for them to read, or too hard to understand. I hope we can spread the message of God's love and His Word He has preserved for His people.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Pray with us if you like!

Love in Christ,

Kathryn

Menu Plan Monday 3/22-2/28

2010-03-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

Again, I've been away a while, but I'm back, and it's ~~Monday~~ Tuesday, so here's the plan:

Monday:B- Cereal and blueberries

L- Leftover BBQ pork sandwich, sliced apples

D- Spaghetti, salad, mixed veggies

snack-fruit, seeds and nuts

Tues: B- Pancakes, PB and syrup

L- quesadillas, carrots and ranch

D- Adobo Pork, steamed rice, zucchini

snack- banana bread, fruit

Wed: B-Oatmeal

L- eggs and potatoes, tortillas

D- probably out (we'll be in town for church)

snack- dry cereal, banana bread

Thurs: B- Oatmeal/blueberry Muffins

L- Tuna melts, seasoned potato wedges

D- Chicken Floutas, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, rice & beans

snack-yogurt, carrots and ranch

Friday: B- Cereal

L- Chicken fried rice with stir-fry veggies

D- Soup, crackers and cheese

snack- smoothie, apples and PB

Sat: B-Cinnamon Toast

L-French bread pizza

D- Chili, corn bread

snack- seeds and nuts, fruit

This is going up a day late, but thank you Org Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday!

Seriously???

2010-03-22T15:31:00.003-05:00

I often tend to take things too seriously... no really, I do. Most of my friends and family would tell you this is true (Well, maybe not some of my family, 'cause I think I got it from them!) My husband is a big jokester, so he's made me loosen up a little. Still, I have my serious moments, and the last week or so, I've been in an especially literal and serious mood.

All this to tell this story: Yesterday, I taught Sunday School at my little church. We usually have the same 5-7 children in the younger class (three of them mine), but we had two little boys, brothers, visiting. We were having our worship time and after the first few songs I began asking the children if they wanted to pick a song.

I asked the older of the brothers, "Would you like to pick a song?" the younger one quickly said to him, "Say, 'No,'" (which I took as "Say, No"-the title of the song). I replied with "I don't think I've heard that one, could you tell us how it goes?"

No sooner had the words escaped my lips, than I realized they weren't picking a song, but instead giving me a hard time and not picking a song. ::blush:: We had a little giggle and moved on, with me a little more relaxed.

But seriously, note to self: LOOSEN UP!

Sunday Song

2010-03-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

I must tell Jesus all of my trials,
I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me,
He ever loves and cares for His own.
- Refrain:
  I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
  I cannot bear my burdens alone;
  I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!
  Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles,
He is a kind, compassionate Friend;
If I but ask Him He will deliver,
Make of my troubles quickly an end.
Tempted and tried I need a great Savior,
One who can help my burdens to bear;
I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus:
He all my cares and sorrows will share.
What must I do when worldliness calls me?
What must I do when tempted to sin?
I must tell Jesus, and He will help me
Over the world the vict'ry to win.

Menu Plan Monday 9/14/09 - 9/20/09

2009-09-14T10:34:00.001-05:00

Ready for a new week!

I've been looking through my cookbooks. I'm trying to pull out some forgotten recipes, so hopfully we'll enjoy some old favorites. We're trying a couple new things, too, and I'm planning to double the Lazagna and putting the extras put in the freezer.

It should be a good week! Thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday!

Monday:

busicuts and applebutter (made in my tiny Crock Pot on Saturday)

Grilled Cheese sandwiches and fresh peaches

out to dinner -- Little Birthday Celebration :)

Tuesday:

Cereal

Soup, crackers, cheese

Lazagna, peas, salad, bread

Wednesday:

oatmeal, eggs and potatoes

grilled sausages, couscous

out to McAllen for church

Thursday:

"Cakes"

Grilled Turkey and cheese

Peppersteak, rice

Friday:

Oatmeal

Chilequillas w/ fresh salsa

Chicken Enchiladas, rice, beans

Saturday:

Waffles

BLT (turkeybacon)

Chicken Tostadas

Sunday:

Cereal, fruit

out

Fajita, rice, beans, salsa

We make fresh salsa a lot lately, the nice thing is, you can really suit it to your own taste. We make a cooked salsa, which is suprisingly simple, I usually use roma tomatoes they are the best price here and pretty flavorful, too.

here's what I do:

4-5 roma tomatoes

3-4 jalepenos or serrano peppers, (we've been using serranos lately, they have a different flavor - I think they are a little milder, too. this still makes a medium spicy salsa, so you may want more or less depending on your own taste)

2 cloves of garlic

chunk of onion

put it in a sauce pan with water to boil bring up to a rapid boil for a few minutes, then turn off. I let mine sit for a while and get back to it when I can (I get a little busy sometimes...) Take out tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onion with a slotted spoon and put in blender, blend till smooth, add a little water from that you boiled in if you need to loosen it up a little. Salt to taste and eat it hot or let cool and refridgerate. Easy!

You can even do this in the mictowave! Put the stuff in a microwave in water in a bowl, and microwave on high for 5 minutes then follow the rest of the direcitions. Even Easier!!

Love in Christ!

Picture catch-up time!

2009-09-04T00:02:00.005-05:00

We've been busy and the kids are growing. Here are some moments from this summer:

Theona took a ballet class this summer. She loved it and we are considering continuing it this school year. After class one day we swung by Papa's work for a quick "Hello" and watched part of ICE AGE 3 before heading home.

We went Thrift Shopping in McAllen (One of my favorite hobbies!) Jecoa helped scope out some old kitchen electronics and toys.

We spent a night at South Padre Island (this deserves it's own post!) We had a blast at the beach, checked out a Sea Turtle rehabilatation center, and attended a friend's wedding on the beach before heading back home. It was a beautiful little weekend getaway! It was my (and the kids) first time to go to the Gulf of Mexico. It was so nice, now that I know how close it is we won't be strangers!

We had a friend from bible college over He was in town visiting his inlaws, who live near us. (Small world, huh?!) We sure had fun catching up with him and his wife, and getting to see their four beautiful children. Elihu kissed their baby! ha ha. You can come over; he'll give you a kiss, too!

That's it for now. Hope to share more soon!

Love to All!

Best. Venison. Ever.

2009-09-01T10:07:00.001-05:00

It's a little surprising that I'm posting two food posts in a row, but Last night the dinner I made was unexpectedly DELICIOUS.

We had been given some Venison that was taking up space in my freezer, and though I was hesitant to cook it, fearing game-y, tough results, I pulled out the Slow cooker and decided to give it a go.

I had some two large strips and two small. I think the meat was from the back. I was going for stew-type results, so I salted, peppered and paprika-d, coated with flour and browned it in a pan with a little oil. I put it in the Crock with a few cloves of garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, a hand full of baby carrots and diced up1/2 each of a green bell pepper and a red one. I added no liquid, but when it was pretty much done and I checked it, The liquid released from the meat was about as high as the meat, but I thought it needed a little something else. I added 1 cup of water with two tomato bullion cubes dissolved in it and a bay leaf. (Next time I would do this in the beginning.)

An hour later (on low) when we were ready to eat, the meat was just about falling apart. I made seasoned rice and served it up over the rice for me and next to it for Abe and the kids. (And some green beans that needed to be eaten.) We also had the neighbor over. He lives alone and I know he hunts, so I figured he was up for an adventurous meal.

Mmm. It was good. I think I could have fed this to Jenni (or anyone else not inclined to eat deer meat) and we all would have enjoyed it. Maybe I got a particularly nice piece of venison, but I would try this again anytime I was unsure about how to cook a wild piece of meat. Not really "stew", but delicious! And if I'm ever out of wild meat, I may just try this with a roast or something. YUM!

Menu Plan Monday - Aug. 31

2009-08-31T12:36:00.005-05:00

Well, I have been writing weekly menu plans for a long time now, but I haven't participated in Menu Plan Monday over at the Organizing Junkie Blog in a long, long time. So, I'm back in! Here is this week's plan. If you look closely, I think you can tell it's been overcast and rainy for a few days now (there is a lot of "comfort food" on here!)

Since I just got back from vacation and the cupboards were kind of bare, I did my planning/shopping backwards. Usually, I plan based on what I have then I shop for what I need picking up sale items for the next week and the best priced fruits and veggies to fill out the meals. This week I just filled in our usual staples, picked up some deals and reasonable priced things, then planned. (We also had some venison in the freezer, so I'm trying that out this week. There is still quite a bit frozen, so I guess I'll get to try many new recipes.)

Monday:
Oatmeal
Cheese Dogs, blueberry applesauce
Venison Stew (carrots, peppers), rice, bread
snack: yogurt, popcorn

Tuesday:
Oatmeal Apple Muffins, Fruit Smoothies
bean, green chile and cheese burritos, watermelon.
Crock pot chicken, rice, green beans, salad, garlic bread.
Sn: grapes, cheese & crackers

Wednesday:
eggs and potatoes, tortillas, fresh salsa
chicken fried rice
out to church
Sn: watermelon, banana bread

Thursday:
Pancakes, Orange Juice
homemade mac & cheese, broccoli, garlic bread.
chili and cornbread
desert: watermelon
Sn: carrots and ranch, homemade yogurt popsicles

Friday:
Cereal
BLTs (turkey bacon. I found a great deal at a local store!)
Chicken Tostadas, rice
Sn:apples and Pb, banana bread

Saturday:
Waffles
rolled french bread sandwich.
Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna, salad, garlic bread
Sn: yogurt pops, crackers and cheese.

Sunday:
eggs and salsa, tortillas
tuna melts/grilled cheese
Fajita, broccoli, tortillas, fresh Salsa, Aguas de Sandia (Watermelon Water) if there is any left.
Sn: Banana Bread

Thanks, Laura, for the motivation to stay organized in the menu department!

Love in Christ to All!!

Oops!

2009-08-31T11:10:00.003-05:00

I sure haven't blogged in a while. Well, we'll just call it busy-with-summer and get back to things now that the next season has started... The middle school across the street from us is busy again. I can see the buses full of kids arriving from my kitchen window in the morning.

We just got back from a nearly month long vacation in Oregon. The kids and I visited my family while Abe stayed home to work. Boy! Did we miss him!! It was a wonderful visit and I'm so glad the kids got to know their Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin as well as spend some extended time with Grandma and Grandpa.

We've only been home a few days, but I guess we're back to normal. Monday is Washing day and I'm changing the beds and unpacking and putting away the last of our stuff from our trip. I went with the intention of shopping for some clothes I needed for the winter and the next size for the kids. I went with about a bag and a half full and I came back with 3 bags packed to bursting!! I think I got some pretty useful stuff. Some was hand me downs, some was second hand from a consignment store I LOVE. I wish I lived closer, but it's probably a good thing we don't! :) I bought the Little People School Bus full of people there for only $5. I also found a nice dollhouse, but it was a little too big to bring back, so it stayed at the store.

So, on to Washing and writing a menu plan for the week.

Next week we're starting our Homeschool preschool! I think it will be great fun. Theona is very into school stuff and Jecoa is pretty interested in whatever his big sister is doing, so I'm expecting excitement over the whole thing! Our school year schedule is probably going to seem very busy at first, but I still hope to blog. I'm gonna put it on our schedule. We'll see how that works.

Love in Christ to All!!

"BOB" Party

2009-06-09T10:25:00.003-05:00

(B.O.B. is the little blue guy with the eyeball.)

Yesterday was Jecoa's birthday. What a fun day we had!

We went out early and looked at a house we are interested in buying. It's a nice one. The kids like it, too.

We ran by the dollar store and picked up a couple things. Water toys and balloons.

We came home and did normal stuff. During nap time I finished the B.O.B. cupcakes (from Monsters vs. Aliens), added water to our little pool, made salsa and filled water balloons.

Sadly, the kids we invited weren't able to make it, but a couple grown up friends we invited and the kids had a great time with each other any way.

The B.O.B. cupcakes were fun. Jecoa said he wanted a "B.O.B. Party" after seeing some party plates at the store. It was a fun choice. And he kept saying "B.O.B. cake!" It was very cute. (Also I thought the whole theme worked out pretty well because Abe grilled and the kids played in the pool. In the movie the Monsters all went to a BBQ and swimming summer kind of party at Susan's house after they were released from captivity... maybe you gotta see the movie to follow all that ;) The water balloons were a first for them, and they were a huge hit. Theona asked what they were for and I told her we could throw them and pop them. See looked a little sad then asked, "Could we put them in the pool?!" I said sure, so as soon as it was pool time, she put them all in. They liked swimming around with a bunch of water balloons. Funny.

Abe got his big boy a tool set. He loved them. I think his favorite is the hammer. Theona declaired, "These are like Home Depot!" They have both been figuring out how to use them. Jecoa will stay occupied going around with his pretend nail and hammer and hammering everything. So far I've only said "no" to hammering the computer and the guitar....

So, that was the big "2". I can hardly believe it's been 2 years. I miss the place we lived and the friends we had near us when he was born. I hope we'll get to visit you all soon.

Happy birthday my big boy!

Ouch! My feelings hurt.

2009-06-05T21:45:00.003-05:00

Theona got up tonight after I put her to bed and had something she wanted to tell me:

Theona: Well, Mom, I'm senafied...

Me: Oh, you are?

T: Yeah, and I'm kinda misterated...

M: Are you gonna be ok?

T: Well, yeah, but misterated is for my feelings. Cause...(as she rubbed her side and scrunched her face) my feeling hurt...

He hee hee... She's so silly and cute. She was just looking for a reason to be up! I can hardly believe she's big enough for that. She just makes me smile.

I prayed for her and her feelings and she was ready to go right back to bed. Ahh, this is a good life.

The old computer and the NEW ONE!

2009-06-05T21:25:00.004-05:00

(Explaining my absence.)

We've had some computer problems.

For almost the last year our main computer has been my sister's old laptop. Our Mac laptop is almost dead. (It's a rare day that it works...and then only for a few minutes. It's been like that for a year, so it was, uh, retired.) Abe really would like to get a new Mac, but there have been other things to save for, so we've put that off for now. My sis's old Dell does the job.

So, the Dell has been acting up. I spent some quality time on the phone with tech support. (Now that's a good time. Not!) Turned out, the mother board needed to be replaced. That was taken care of, but immediately we were again having problems. The problems were strange and they couldn't figure it out over the phone, so they had us send the computer in for them to fix. We were not looking forward to spending a week without a computer! (We've become so attached to our gadgets, huh!)

Well, turns out we aren't without a computer for a week cause Abe bought me a present!!!He got me a little 8.5 inch, white Acer netbook!

Yeah, the little one! So Cute. (pic from here)

It's so cute and teeny! He got it for me cause I like to listen to internet radio ( a lot) and I'm pretty sure he was worried I was gonna wear out *his* computer. It was especially good timing, too, cause it arrived the day the Dell had to be shipped out for repair. I guess they're great for surfing the web, listing to my music, skype (It has a webcam built in), blogging (maybe I'll do more of that), plus I bet it's really handy to tote around cause of its teeny-tiny, so soooo cute, uh, compact size. I'm having a great time playing with my new little toy! I'm sure I'll be around here more!

**Oh, and incase you are wondering what internet radio I like to listen to, it's on iTunes radio. Click on "Religious", then my favorites are Anima Radio and Growthtrac Radio, also, KJSM Radio (that's out of the church where I went to Bible College) and KWVE (Calvary Chapel teaching). There are some other good ones, too. Do you listen to internet radio? What's your fave?

I'm home when I'm here...

2009-05-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

The BIG Tractor.

2009-05-23T10:14:00.001-05:00

The other day, the kids went out with their Papa after he got home from work. Apparently, they played, picked flowers and jumped in the front yard.
(Look at that girl jumping! She's been really into jumping as high as she can. Maybe she'll be a volleyball player.)

They've been really into action songs lately. One favorite is: Jumping up and down, Jumping up and down, Jumping up and down, shout Hosanna!

I'm pretty sure that was sung at some point here.
(Look, Jecoa got some air! He's a good jumper.)

Then they took a walk, and now that I see these pictures I understand why the Big hole and BIG tractor have been the hot topics of conversation for the last couple days. (Tractors and big trucks have been exciting lately. There have been a lot around since there is a park being built on one side of us and a new sub-division on another side.)

Yeah, I guess it was big!

Friday Already?!

2009-05-22T20:17:00.003-05:00

This week absolutely flew by! Today was our shopping day. We do our grocery shopping every other Friday. I took all three kids! I think this is the first time I have taken all three and done an entire shopping trip. (Once before I took all three, did one store, came home and put them down for a nap, then went back while Abe stayed with sleeping babes, oh, and I took sleeping baby.)

We usually do two stores. Abe had to work this morning (He's been soooo busy at work this week. He's exhausted and we've missed him at home.) so we did our first store then stopped by the theater. I nursed baby and the kids ran around a little, then we were off to our second stop. We all did great. It seemed to take longer than normal, but everyone stayed happy and cooperative, and we made in home just in time for lunch and nap!

We ate some of the beautiful big sweet strawberries we bought (for a deal, by the way. I love a deal!) for lunch. We had a peaceful rest time. It was a good Friday-Shopping day.

Four Months

2009-05-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

My baby Elihu is Four months old. This year is flying by already...My new haircut is really a lot cuter than it looks in this picture... But you weren't looking at me anyway, right?
Just look at my sweet little baby boy and those big, beautiful eyes and ears!

Today!

2009-05-18T13:04:00.003-05:00

Ah, It's good to be here. In the present. Now.

I admit sometimes I look toward somewhere else. Where my friends are... Where my family is... Where my kids are behaving...

Some days there are too many places to wish to be. I'm learning (again) to be content where I am. Today I'm here and I'm glad.

Mondays are usually relaxing days at my house. Rest from a busy weekend, Do laundry, Make bread. It's an easy day. My "to do" list is short. But there are so many in-between things that make the day beautiful.

Jecoa is a little sick. He got a cough this weekend (We had some rain and it seems like every time the weather changes that boy has some lung issues.) He seems much better today, but he's such a little snuggle bug when he's sick. I love giving him extra love when he's not feeling his best. Usually he's too busy and independent to sit down for hugs from Momma.

Elihu is starting to get around. He gets up on his elbows, buries his head and pushes with his feet. He makes it a foot or so at a time. I don't think he means to go anywhere yet, but if he did, he'd be there! I'm pretty sure as soon as he realizes he can follow his brother and sister he's really gonna be on his way!

Oh, and I gave the big kids sweet pickles with their lunch. We never have pickles in the house (Abe HATES them), so I think the kids have only tried dill pickle slices on a hamburger a couple times. They were not a fan of dill... They both seemed excited about the sweet pickles. Theona immediately licked hers and announced that she liked it. Jecoa took a bite and immediately spit his out (and then wiped off his tongue! ha ha.) Neither of them ended up eating them. I guess they got their Papa's taste for pickles... just kidding. I'm probably gonna keep trying them. Maybe they'll acquire the taste... i don't know.

So, there's a glimpse of our Monday. There's beauty in the small stuff today.

Time flies...

2009-05-15T10:35:00.003-05:00

I always intend to blog more regularly. I get out of the habit and it's so hard get back to it... honestly, I think I've put too much pressure on myself to blog, I'd rather enjoy it.

To catch up (all I ever do on here), the kids are growing, we've started a home study, well, home church (I guess I'm not 100% sure what to call it yet...) It's Sunday mornings. We are only having a visitor here and there, but Abe and I agree it's been a huge blessing to our little family. We still go to church on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. It's sure been a different season, but things are changing, and we pray we are following the Lord's leading as we think we are.

Mothers day was lovely. I tried to do almost nothing. I hung out with my family and held the baby. I had to keep reminding myself I was relaxing and enjoying the day. I didn't realize how busy I had become; I guess that's growing up! It was refreshing. Abe grilled and we just took it easy. It was a special day of rest from the busy days around here with three little, busy ones!

We've gotten into a great habit of having a little "circle time". Mostly, we read from the Childrens Bible and sing songs, it's great. Theona and Jecoa are very into singing right now, so they have been learning a lot of songs. I'm really excited about how this is moving us toward our first year of homeschooling. Next year I plan to start a little homeschool-preschool with Theona.

Oh, also, I finally made a couple friends around here! I met a girl from the church here in town (it's a Spanish-speaking fellowship) Her mom is so nice. She taught me to make meatballs, and she always speaks to me in Spanish "because I need to learn" she tells me. Also, I met a lady threw AWANA at the church we go to in McAllen on Wednesdays. I was so glad to meet her! It seems like we have similar ideas about a few things, and she's the first homeschooling momma I've met in the area. She told me about a local homeschool library, so I'm pretty excited about checking that out.

So, that's the excitement in my life... maybe I'll get on here a little more often and try to avoid the "catch up" posts...maybe.

Happy Birthday, Abe!

2009-03-02T22:26:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear A-Abe,
Happy Birthday to you!

(feel free to add "cha-cha-cha" if you must.)

Today we celebrated Abe's birthday. He had to work, but it gave us plenty of time to cook up a good surprise. We had fun! He's nearly impossible to surprise, so it was great fun to put twenty-seven candles on a big chocolate checkerboard cake carry it out after dinner. He was happy and surprised (even after Theona had declared, "We made you a cake, Papa!" as he walked in the door. He didn't even catch it then!)

Ahh, I love my little family! We have so much fun!

Open up the Sky

2009-03-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

The Fair

2009-02-28T21:33:00.000-06:00

The County Fair is in town! I was looking forward to entering a couple projects in the arts and crafts competition, but it kind of snuck up on me... I sure didn't expect the fair to be in February.

We went yesterday and had a lot of fun looking at the contests and animals. There were some really big cows and pigs there! The kids liked seeing that. And there was a little petting zoo. It had a few goats and lambs, some really fluffy chickens, a large, black rabbit, and a young camel. Abe took the Theona and Jecoa in and the biggest goat (who was bigger than Theona, but a miniature anyway) come running over to them. Theona hid behind her papa, and I was a little nervous for them, but I think she was just coming over for some treats (we didn't get any). After being greeted by Abe, she was on her way. The kids liked seeing the animals up close, but the only one they petted was a chicken! It was pretty cute, I would have captured the moment, but our camera battery died right before they went in.

Then we had to go play a game. My favorite game is the throw the dimes in the glass, you get one in you get the glass, you know... Well we threw a couple dollars worth of dimes at the glasses. It was pretty cute, Theona got the hang of throwing them up high, Jecoa threw 4 or 5 straight at the ground, and Abe and I had fun trying our hand at it. We went home with three glasses, actually! One of them was a mug that said "2000" on the handle. Ha ha.

We also went on the "BIG SLIDE" - the only "ride" Theona has gone on. I took Theona and Jecoa

So, Abe was invited to be part of judging the barbeque contest on Sunday afternoon. I know he'll enjoy that! And we will probably go back then to walk around and see the animals again.

There is No One Like Our God

2009-02-23T22:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday evening we went to a church in our town that we had been wanting to visit since we moved here. I don't know why we put it off... It's a Spanish-speaking fellowship. I think Abe was concerned that I wouldn't get much out of it or something... I barely know enough Spanish to get by in a Christian setting. I don't do well with it out and around town, but I know "church Spanish" I guess! Ha ha.

It was a wonderful service. The teaching was about love. Can't get enough of that, huh?! The Lord totally ministered to my heart. Limited Spanish abilities and all, and the worship time was so special. It's been a long time since I've worshiped the Lord by singing in Spanish. They played a translation of a new English song I listen to online sometimes, and a couple older songs that I knew. It was great!

Tonight I got on youtube and looked up a couple of Spanish worship songs that I like and remember. Here's one of them. It's really awesome to see all these people gathered for (what I would call) a worship concert. (Is that what they call it, cause that's sure what it looks like!) Notice about half way through the people with the "Jesus" banner. Awesome!

Midnight trip to Mexico

2009-02-21T18:32:00.002-06:00

Last night Jecoa wasn't feeling well.

He had been teething all day, and screaming all afternoon (accompanied by drooling and chewing his fingers, poor baby.) In the evening his breathing seemed very shallow, almost like he was panting, but he seemed normal off and on, so I decided to wait and see. Maybe he was just doing that because he was in pain.

He played off and on from dinner to bedtime, then went down like normal. But he woke up about 10:30, just a couple hours later, and really didn't seem like himself. He was so tired, but was fighting to stay awake. His breathing was strange and shallow and he was grunting and moaning. I was concerned.

My kids rarely get sick, so I am always worried I'm over-reacting when they catch a little something. This time I was sure I wasn't over-reacting! I called Abe at work and told him he should come home right away and take Coa to the doctor.

We knew of an emergency clinic just across the border, in the town near us in Mexico that some of our friends here had taken their kids to. Abe called a friend to come with him since we aren't too familiar with that town yet, and they were off.

I think it's about a 30 minute drive, they arrived at the clinic and thankfully there were just a couple other people there. They got in quickly and the doctor told Abe it was bronchitis. (I'm so glad I sent them! I tend to get bronchitis easliy and I'm glad I didn't wait for it to get worse.) He prescribed Jecoa a decongestant and a breathing treatment and they were on their way.

Of course, since they were in Mexico they had to stop on the way back to get some tacos! Jecoa hadn't eaten very well for dinner, so it was good he got a "midnight snack" too. They got home about 2:30 and everyone was in bed by 3:00. Yeah, 3:00a.m. I was wishing for a little extra sleep this morning, but the kids only slept in an extra half hour.... At least I got a little extra.

And I was so glad to wake up to my big boy feeling much, much better this morning.

Debt Freeeeee!

2009-02-20T18:37:00.003-06:00

Well, here is something to celebrate: We paid off our little black car today!

Early in our marriage we incurred a little debt. Really not too much, but then the interest rates went way up and it was a struggle to get taken care of. Then my car was totaled and we got a car loan and bought the little black car.

THEN we figured out that living with payments here and there was NOT the way we wanted to live!

We started paying off all those little things as fast as we could and got rid of our credit cards (and then heard about Dave Ramsey on the Radio!) and all we were left with was the car loan.

Well, today Abe made the last big chunk of a payment and paid it off! We now own two cars. How exciting. But even more exciting (In Dave Ramsey Style) :

WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

No-Sew Baby Carrier

2009-02-20T13:10:00.002-06:00

No-sew baby carrier- this is a pretty creative idea! I have a few different styles of baby carriers, but I don't have one that is absolutely my favorite or suits all our needs so, I'm always a little curious to try another one. Many of the different baby carriers are so expensive, too , and here's a very inexpensive carrier (possibly free if you have the sweats sitting around).

Anyway, I'm putting this link here mostly for me, in case I come across the prefect pants and want to give it a try.

Prayer

2009-02-17T17:00:00.002-06:00

There was a shooting this morning in the town in Mexico, just across the border from us. Please pray especially for safety of the children at a local orphanage.

All I have heard is that the shooting was drug related, and sadly some children were shot. Schools in that city and the boarder crossings in our area were closed today.

Accidental Kitchen Clean-up

2009-02-16T11:50:00.000-06:00

This morning has been such a busy one!

We've had rain, so that's refreshing. It's been so hot and humid the last week. Mostly mid-eighties! I think that's entirely too hot for February. Saturday was so warm even just a onsie was too much for my little winter baby. I had him laying around in just a diaper during the heat of the afternoon!

So, this morning... Abe got up early. I made eggs and chorizo for breakfast (yum! a favorite lately). He was off to work, the baby was nursing and the big kids were fighting! (Today, every time one child had a toy the other wanted it! A few times they both had a toy and were crying for what the other had. I found myself suggesting repeatedly, "Why don't you trade?" They would, then they were happy...briefly.

I got baby settled for a morning nap, and went back to my breakfast dishes. I had started a load of laundry and there was a lot of background noise from that. Then the big kids were having trouble. I helped them settle it. Then the baby was fussing. I un-swaddled him to see if he needed a change. Then Jecoa was upset about not getting his toy to work and was crying.

THEN...

I looked over and my WHOLE KITCHEN FLOOR was covered with water! I had left the water running and it had overflowed! Honestly, I can't remember having done this ever before, I've come close a couple times, but it has never actually made it out of the sink.

I was feeling so bummed at this point. We have invited people over for dinner and I had planned on having a peaceful day making a couple loaves of bread and getting the kids closet back in better order (I think it's time to pass along some of their clothes!) So, I got on with the situation at hand. I turned off the water and ran and grabbed a couple towels before the water got to my living room rug. I turned on KWVE (K wave internet radio, our favorite radio bible teaching). I dried and scrubbed the floor (hey there was already hot water there, might as well scrub!) I got to the counters and realized a few of my favorite cookbooks had gotten wet. I'm disappointed about that, but they are laid out to dry. Water has also gone under my sink and all my canned storage, plastic bags and cleaners had gotten wet. I had to remove them, dry them and then put them back (I threw out the empty things and trash, and re-organized while I was at it!)

So, while I wasn't planning on cleaning the floor before company came tonight, that is done! And some storage in my kitchen is in better shape, so that's a bonus! And I got to listen to the end of Pastor Chuck teaching, and a whole teaching by both Pastor Jon Coursen and Pastor Greg Laurie. What a treat to hear some of my favorite bible teachers while cleaning up a rather frustrating mess. I'm not upset about it at all now, I'm actually quite blessed that I let my sink run over. Thank you, Lord!

After all that, I sat down to feed baby boy and pulled up the Biblical Womanhood blog, and guess were she is in her Spring Cleaning for Normal People Series?! Cleaning the kitchen, cabinets and floors were on the list of things to accomplish this week. Well, check, check! ha ha.

In all this, I'm blessed. Even with unexpected cleanup the Lord has something special for me. Praise the Lord!

Pure

2009-02-15T23:18:00.002-06:00

I heard this song last night. I've been listening to a lot of internet radio on itunes. There are some really good worship stations. I've loved hearing some new music, especially passionate worship like this!

Habla Espanol?

2009-02-13T13:16:00.000-06:00

That "n" should really have a little squiggly over it. It's supposed to be an "en-yay" (you know, the Spanish "n" with a squiggly live above? ha ha. How would you spell that in English?) I thought I would find it at Alt + 164, but nothing happened there.

Anyway, today I was at the store. Theona and I ran into town to pick up just a couple things and have a little outing while the boys napped. She told me "just the girls" would go.

A common thing happened: A lady holding a box of frozen mashed potatoes walked up to me and gave a spiel in Spanish. (The mashed potatoes weren't the common thing, but the Spanish speaking was. People generally speak Spanish here first, or an equally confusing mix of Spanish and English) I missed the point of what she was trying to tell me as I grasped for some familiar vocabulary to emerge. I think I must have raised my eyebrows in that very uncertain way as I hesitantly offered, "no, thank you...?" She gave the spiel again in English offering the boxed mashed potatoes free with the purchase of a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. (This time I knew for sure I didn't want her deal.) I smiled and said softly, "No, thank you." and I was on my way.

I really need to work on not being so flabbergasted when spoken to in Spanish. I'm familiar enough with the language I should be able to follow a general conversation and give a simple Spanish response. (Like "No, gracias.")

It's definitely a new challenge living here and becoming familiar enough with a new language to use it in simple ways... I know the Lord can use it. It's probably very good for my kids, too. Hopefully they will become fluent in both languages (I better get serious about learning for myself, or they're gonna beat me to it!)

I'm Back...

2009-02-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

I'm sure this has been the title of a post here before (I've been an inconsistent blogger), but please forgive me... I'm back from my blogity hiatus.

Sorry I was gone so long. I now have a one month old! It's amazing how much he has grown. He hit the 10 pound mark. (quite impressive, I think!) It's so good and exciting to see these little guys growing. Not just physically, but they are learning so much. And, about soooo many things! Theona is becoming quite a little artist, and Jecoa has (finally) started saying some new words. Oh, he also loves to sing and dance lately. I have to try and catch that on video! It's really incredible to me! Especially when I look at this tiny little guy and remember what a short time ago the other two were so little and sweet-smelling and such brand new wondrous things to me.

Elihu is here!

2009-01-11T18:26:00.002-06:00

Born this morning at 3:10am.

He's a healthy little guy!

8lbs 4 oz
21 inches

There will be more info and pictures later.

Updates. 41 weeks today!

2009-01-05T14:21:00.006-06:00

I sure hope this baby makes an appearance soon... I was hoping for today, actually. It's my grandma's birthday. I think it's a great day for a birthday.

Grace left last night. We had a really nice visit. I'm so glad she got to see the kids and they got to get reacquainted with her. It was so special for Theona to get so attached to her in just a few days. She didn't want her to go, asked a few times if she could go with her.

I've been crocheting a little today. Maybe I should be doing brisk laps around the block. Ha ha. Instead I'm making a little yellow V-stitch blanket. I love making baby blankets. They come together so quickly! It's so nice to see your work progressing.

Yesterday at church we focused on missions and had a couple missionaries share a little it was really a blessing. It's so exciting to be serving the Lord. I know he's called us here to Rio. It was definitely good and encouraging for both me and Abe.

Also, we are still on the hunt for a bigger car. We are looking for something that seats seven or eight, so most likely a SUV (a smallish one with a third row) or a van. We've found a few good options (a couple vans, a Trail Blazer with a third row, an Explorer with a third row, a Suburban with higher mileage...), and Lord willing, we'll be making a purchase at the end of the month. We've been saving and we're very excited about our first buying-a-car-cash experience. We'd love your prayer for wisdom to choose the right thing, and for the Lord's provision.

More upates later. I'll let you know when the little one joins us.

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T23:48:00.004-06:00

Well, while I still have a chance...

Happy New Year! Welcome 2009!

I can hardly believe it's January. December and 2008 are behind us, and aparently we'll be having an '09 baby. Hopefully sometime real soon...

My best friend, Grace, came over from Arizona to visit. Last time we saw her was June. The kids have grown so, sooo much since then. What a difference half a year makes! I sure hope she gets to meet the newest member of our little family before she has to head back home. I think she will.

Love to all! Hope your year is starting off well.

Due Date

2008-12-30T08:09:00.001-06:00

Well, the "due date" has come and gone. It was yesterday. Baby is still inside, but I imagine he or she will come out in the next week or so...

I'll let you know.

Miss me??

2008-12-24T01:12:00.002-06:00

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately.

I'm looking forward to this baby being born, and I guess I've just been preoccupied with my day to day stuff... not exciting, but time consuming.

The due date is less than a week away. Next Monday, the 29th. Hopefully sooner rather than later...

In other news, the kids are growing, and this year, the Christmas celebrating is really fun. We have a handful of good christmas story books, and the other day Abe and I went to a Christmas party with a white elephant gift exchange, and I came home with a kids nativity play set. It's really nice with a stable and all the pieces wonderfully colorful and plastic. (You know, so they don't get broken by these busy kids.) They love it.

We'll be sure to update when the baby is born. And I'm quite sure there will be pictures soon...

Oh, yeah.

2008-12-23T23:34:00.000-06:00

I had wanted to post about our weather. Usually that would be boring, but it's really something else here...

Saturday it hit 86. It was quite humid, too. By late afternoon I was tempted to turn on the A/C. I resisted and things cooled down as the sun went down.

Sunday we woke up to a cool morning, but I don't even think you could guess what our "high" was... Are you ready for this? 55 !! 55 degrees. It dropped 30 degrees overnight. I was surprised.

Monday was cool, too. And I think today it got up to about 70.

This is the weirdest December ever.

Countdown!!

2008-12-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I'd say the countdown has begun!

My due date is three weeks from today, so we should have a new baby to ooh and ahh over in just a few weeks. How exciting.

I'm so excited for Theona being a big sister of a new baby again. The other day we were sitting together and the baby was noticeably moving A LOT and she giggled and said to be "Hey, the baby is walkin' in there!" So fun.

And I don't know if Jecoa is gonna be totally surprised or what, but it's gonna be great. He's gonna be a great big brother!

Now, are we having a baby brother or sister?? Oh, the anticipation...

Sick Week

2008-12-08T16:55:00.003-06:00

Well, we caught a cold at church last weekend.

I was in the nursery, and a little boy (who LOVES to play with Jecoa) was coughing and sneezing and not looking so well. I suggested he not stay in the nursery, but I was told he "wasn't contagious".

Well, both the kids were sick with runny noses and coughs and obviously not feeling well within the next couple days. And then me, but thankfully not Abe.

Today both the kiddos are pretty much back to normal. Theona seems totally well. Jecoa has a little cough left, but he slept all night last night without being woken by his cough. I'm hoping I'm back to normal in the next couple days. It's tough not feeling well, and being so pregnant and chasing two busy kids.

One great thing I realized is that the last time I was sick was last November (Yep, 2007) with strep throat. Wow. I'm so thankful for a strong immune system. I love that I rarely get sick. I think it makes the down times a little more tolerable, knowing they are few and far between... I just have to get us all totally well before new baby is born!

Revelation Song

2008-12-07T17:07:00.000-06:00

Thank You, Jesus

2008-11-27T22:32:00.003-06:00

I'm definitely in a place to say thank you. My God has given me more than I could expect, ask, or imagine... I'm grateful for the normal things, salvation(!), food, our nice little apartment, the Christian brothers and sisters we've met while moving here, there and everywhere (it feels like it anyway... CA, NE, OK, and now TX), but am I thanking God for the things I see as struggles now? The things I know He is using for my best interest... for His interest in me?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for this pregnancy and all the discomfort that has come with it? This pregnancy has been much, much more pain-filled than the first two.

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" for moving us away from great friends, from our families, from our familiar surroundings?

Can I say "Thank you, Lord" For my husband working so many late nights and my feelings of isolation and loneliness?

Can I say "Thank you, for putting us in this teeny, little town with nothing to do, and almost no way I can see to meet people; where Theona asks if we're going to "the Wal-mart" when we drive toward town because THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE HERE?!

Do I want to say "Thank you" for these things?

I do.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I want obedience. I want to give thanks in the tough things. I want to give thanks in everything. I want to see where God takes me from there... or here, I guess.

"Oh, Thank you, Lord for this pregnancy, even, thank you that there has been so much extra pain this time. I pray you would use it for your glory and that you work in me through it."

"Thank you, that my husband has had so many extra hours to work and you've been providing a commission that is such an answer to prayer and obvious provision. Thank you, Lord for meeting needs in a practical way."

"Thank you for this little town. Thank you for bringing us here. Thank you for giving my husband a position that makes him known in our community. Please give him grace and strength to continue to honor and glorify You - that you would give him grace in the eyes of people watching."

"Thank you, Lord that I feel so lonely. I have you to call on and you put a song on my lips. Oh, how you encourage me in those times when I'm searching for a friend and you make yourself known to me..."

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Here's something, be blessed.

Lord, please teach me to give thanks in all things. Would you help me continue, and would you grow this into something that brings glory to You?

real quick... My little BFF

2008-11-21T21:47:00.004-06:00

Very often at dinner, Theona says to me, "Mom, you're the best cook." Honestly, I love it. I'm pleased that my family enjoys food I make for them.

Tonight, Theona looks up at dinner and says to me,

"Mom, you're my best friend."

*sigh* she's such a sweetie...

I can hardly believe she's almost three. I love hearing these sweet, surprising little things she has to say. So, this is partly for my own memory, and partly to share how amazing my little girlie is. ;)

I should make myself a note to come back and read this when we're not having this kind of day.

My biggest crochet project ever... Coming soon!

2008-11-20T11:10:00.003-06:00

I've been working on a child size afghan for Theona. It's probably going to be a Christmas present (as she keeps asking if I'm making it for her for Christmas. ha ha). The pattern has several stitches that were new to me when I started, but I think my crochet skills have improved a lot since beginning this project. Also, this pattern calls for like, 47 ounces of yarn. The yarn I'm using comes 5 ounces to a skein, good thing I got it on sale!

In other crafty news, I tried to knit a baby hat "in the round". I pretty much failed miserably! I think I need a different size of knitting needles with a shorter chord between them. I'd like to make some to donate to the hospital in my town, and in McAllen. When Theona was born she got a special hand knit baby hat, not just the little blue and pink striped standard. I thought it was sooo special! I'll let you know if/when I attempt this again. Especially if I'm successful!

In the meantime, I'll be finishing up my Theona blanket, the "BIG" one, the 47 ouncer... haha.

I know you're on pins and needles just waiting for pictures. Hopefully soon, I need Abe's help for that... I miss my trusty ol' simple Mac!

On the Road to Homeschooling! (Funny Story)

2008-11-17T11:29:00.003-06:00

I hope to home school as the kids reach school age, but I'm sure like many young moms, I'm intimidated by the idea. I hope I can do a good job and teach my kids well, so not only do they get an excellent education, but just as importantly that they know the Lord and have a godly and biblical worldview.

We talk about lots of things throughout our days. Theona has lots of questions and I just try to talk out loud about the things we are doing so she has an opportunity to learn more about whatever it is and so Jecoa hears a lot of language. He's starting to talk more, and it's fun to hear his new little phrases.

One thing we've been doing a lot of lately is coloring with chalk outside. Theona is always asking me to draw certain pictures or letters, and she'll tell me what she is drawing. I wondered how much she understood the letters. She knows the alphabet song, but I didn't really think she was learning to recognize any letters yet. When she would ask me to draw a "T" I'd tell her "T for Theona"

Well (you need a little background here), there's a cemetery that we drive through on our way into town, and they recently built a little shrine at one of the grave sites. They also built a metal cross. It's about 20 feet tall! It has solar lights on it, so at night it lights up.

We were driving on Saturday, after dark, and I told Theona to watch for the houses with lights on them, as some people already have Christmas lights up. She was telling us, "Look at the lights on that house! Look at the lights on that house!" As we passed houses with lights, then as we passed the cemetery she exclaimed, "Mom, look at the lights on that 'T'!" - the new big cross! I thought that was too cute! I was so proud that my bright little daughter has recognized the first letter of her name! How funny, huh!

So I guess we are well on our way toward homeschooling! I'm not the most gifted teacher ever, but she's learning! If my girlie is recognizing letters without much practice, I suppose we're on the right track. She's learning lots of things every day, and I'm so glad that I'm making a good learning environment for her!

HE LOVES Us! (I just can't get over this song!)

2008-11-16T08:58:00.001-06:00

"God wants to encounter you. And wants you to feel His love - His amazing love. Without it, these are just songs, these are just words, these are just instruments. Without the Love of God we're just up here making noise, but the love of God changes us, and we're never the same, we're never the same after we encounter the Love of God!

"We're never the same after we encounter the Love of God!

"And right now, if you haven't encountered the Love of God - And you would know, because you wouldn't be the same! You'd never be the same again! - If you want to encounter the Love of God right now, you better just brace yourself, 'cause He's about to just blow in this place!"

I've been enjoying worship on YouTube so much lately. There's something really special about a big group (or a small group) of believers just worshiping and seeking the Lord. We've been spending a lot of time worshiping and reading the Word as a family lately, but I'm really hoping to find a worship concert or something like that in my area. I think that sounds like great fun!

Ahhh...

2008-11-14T23:14:00.003-06:00

Today turned into a great day.

We took it easy this morning. Kept things low key. Had brunch when Abe got home (He's been having a lot of special showings in the morning for school groups and stuff since Madagascar came out. That's good, even though he has to get up earlier than he would like! I'll let him sleep in tomorrow.)

I discovered Jecoa's bottom 2 teeth he has been working on both broke through last night. Hopefully that will bring him some relief.

Abe ordered an XBOX 360 online and it arrived this afternoon. He was pretty happy about that.

I even snuck in a little nap! (A much needed nap! I started feeling much better and my shoulder stopped hurting, yay!)

Theona's cough picked up this evening. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I ended up giving her some cough medicine before bed, but I'm really not too sure. She doesn't seem to have other symptoms. Maybe it's an allergy cough like her momma... :(

We tidied up the house After Abe left for work. I'm sure he'll be glad to come home to a clean house. Toys are back where they belong and the kitchen is clean! That's always good ;)

My baby belly has been so busy today. And it's definately growing!

It's so fun getting toward the end of this pregnancy. I'm enjoying feeling this busy baby, especially when brother or sister is on my lap and the baby gets wiggly! It will be so fun to see them with this new little one.

Well, I'm glad to share a good day, and a good start to the weekend. It's bedtime now! I'm sure I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow!

Goodnight.

So Tired...

2008-11-14T10:47:00.002-06:00

I'm tired today.

The kids didn't sleep well last night. I think Theona has the beginning of a cold and Jecoa had two bottom teeth (I think molars) break through last night. Yep, we're busy.

I have things to get done today, but I'm sure not motivated. I guess I'll have to just plug along and get things done anyway. I'd much rather sit around and read to and snuggle my babies today. I've spent most of the morning doing this, so I guess it's time to move on to other things.

Theona is laying on my bed watching a Fraggle (remember Fraggle Rock!) and Jecoa just went down for a nap.

Now is the time.

Love Song from Creation to Creator: The More I Seek You

2008-11-09T08:20:00.001-06:00

Ahh... Such a beautiful song. Be blessed seeking the Lord today!

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matt 7:7-8

Why I Blog

2008-11-08T08:30:00.002-06:00

So, back to why I started a blog in the first place: I want to serve the Lord with all I have!

Becomming a stay at home mom was not a dificult transition for me. Working at a Christian Preschool, however, was. I think I didn't see a mission field at the time, but I was wrong, boy was it one! I do see being home as an amazing mission field, and so much more! blogging is becomming one way I can give a testimony about what's going on with us. (Sometimes it's hard to be totally real, but the Lord is teaching me to be transparent and unashamed in living my life for Him.)

My Lord has called me to serving Him at home by serving my kids, my husband, and whoever comes across my path I guess...

To be quite honest, I should pray for a renewed desire for evangelism. I love sharing my Lord with others. Why don't I do it more?

The Lord encouraged me so much. I was listening to this song called "He Love Us" and there's a line toward the end that says, "I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way...He loves us! Oh, how He loves us..."

I don't have to worry about my past or my shortcomings... I am so encouraged to serve the Lord where I am at and do what he's called me to do. Amazing. Thank you, Jesus.

I'm so thankful for this season of my life. Having little ones and a whole different pace to my ~~day~~ ~~week~~ life is challenging and fun! Sharing the truth with them and seeing them grow in prayer and praise is beyond exciting. For now, we are enjoying our time where we're at!

Still I hope, come soon Lord Jesus! Maranatha.

Dress-Up Animal Costumes!

2008-11-06T20:44:00.001-06:00

** I see a couple of these are turned sideways. I'll come back and fix them tomorrow with Abe. I thought I turned them, but I guess he'll have to show me how to keep them turned. oops.

Yesterday, when we went to town for church, we stopped by Target for a couple things and since we were early we decided to kill a little time and check out the left over costumes. We had been wanting to pick out some dress-up play clothes. I was thinking butterfly wings; Theona has a small pair and I had seem some really cool big ones I thought she might like. We didn't find any wings, but they had some really cute animals left!

Jecoa loved his puppy. He was giggling when Abe showed it to him, and we just had to throw it in. It was only $4.00! We decided it was totally worth it, and I'm glad we did. He loved wearing it and running around and would tell us "Puh-ppy" over and over.

Theona loved this horse. I didn't think she'd like it so much. It was a horse and rider outfit, so her legs are the horse's back legs and there are some little legs in stirrups hanging down and it's held up with suspenders. So funny! When she walks she kicks out the front legs of the horse. It's really cute.

Coa is the cutest little puppy! He kept clapping the paws together.

Theona and her horse, galloping!

She loved running back and forth with it.

Abe and I didn't notice the tail until it was on him. It totally cracked us up!

A day in our life: Skateboarding, Watermelon, and A Nap Time Walk

2008-11-05T09:32:00.007-06:00

Last week we had a very fun and busy day, and since Abe was home (I think it was Tuesday) he was glad to take plenty of pictures.

Theona figured out how to ride Papa's old skateboard

We had a watermelon plant (vine??) appear on our back patio. It grew up from next to our telephone utility box and just sprawled out on our brick patio! It was pretty cool, but it didn't come out until very late in the season. At one point we had at least eight small melons growing but only two ended up getting very large. One rotted from the end, and we decided decided a few days later that we better pick the other big one while we still had a chance. It was pretty big, but an odd shape.

Theona helped carry it in.

We sliced it after lunch, hoping for a special treat for desert, but sadly it wasn't ripe enough. We didn't want sick tummies, so we decided to pass.

The kids absolutely would not go to sleep for nap time. (This has never happened, and I decided we needed a creative solution this day.) I don't know how they were able to fight sleep for so long, but after a while I kind of gave up and loaded them up in the stroller for a walk around the neighborhood . We were barely out of the drive way and Theona was out. Jecoa held on for a while and fell asleep sitting up propped up on his elbows. Abe and I had a very nice walk and put the kids in bed when we got back home. Theona's eyes immediately popped open and she said, "I don't want to sleep!"

She slept anyway.

It was a good day, and Theona talked about the watermelon that we had to throw away "'Cause it's yucky. It'll make our tummies sick" for the next few days. Maybe we'll have to plant one on purpose next year!

Good Morning

2008-11-03T08:42:00.002-06:00

It's Monday, and it's already starting off a little extra busy (as Mondays for me often are). The kids woke up a lot last night (which is not that usual for them), and extra early. I guess because of the time change?? Nah, it was early anyway!

We had breakfast and cleaned up a big mess on the floor that Coa left us last night. He poured out a bag of expired yeast all over the back corner of my kitchen floor right before bedtime, and I promptly forgot about it and put them to bed and went to bed myself only to wake in the middle of the night imagining the kids waking up and making it an even bigger mess! I went back to sleep, deciding to clean it up first thing in the morning.

I have a big pile of clothes to fold (some of which got folded and un-folded with the assistance of my two helpers...mostly the bigger of the two) I really shouldn't do a bunch of laundry late Saturday night. It never gets put away on Sunday and I hate getting the laundry halfway done... At least it's clean I guess. I won't mind having a chance to sit and fold today. I probably could use a sitting-down-job today. I'm tired already... not that I won't have to jump up ten times, right?

Oh, and the funniest thing that happened already this morning: Jecoa put my cell phone in the sub-woofer. It has a sound hole in front and he occasionally slips toys in there when no one is looking. Well, I was looking, but I didn't make it in time. Plop. There went the phone. At least I saw it, 'cause I would have been hunting all day. I never would have guessed where it was. So we had to wake Abe up a few minutes early, so he could get it (and the cars, toothbrush, and golf ball that were also in there) before he went to work.

To do today:

-fold laundry

-make bread

-check menu plan for the week, and see if it needs any editing

-mop the kitchen

I think that's probably enough for today. I need a slow Monday. Maybe we'll make banana bread if we have a little extra time today. I have some banana's that are calling me.

Happy Birthday, Sister!

2008-11-02T08:46:00.000-06:00

It's my little sister's birthday today.

She's married to a great guy, has a beautiful daughter, a house (that takes up much time and money at the moment, but will be well worth it), a blog, does the college thing... she's a busy girl.

Aren't they so cute?!

I wish we were closer, but for now it's lots of pictures and phone calls... I miss you.

Happy Birthday, Kimberlee. I love you.

Yearn

2008-11-02T06:32:00.001-06:00

[When You said,] "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
Psalm 27:8

Here's Shane and Shane singing "Yearn".

I love worshiping the Lord with these guys. Even on YouTube...such sincerity, and God is so absolutely worthy.

Have a wonderful day worshiping the Savior Jesus Christ!

Confession: OOps, I did it first...

2008-10-31T23:55:00.000-05:00

White Ink Tattoos

Don't ask how I came across this... (I wasn't up way too late surfing around the interweb waiting for Abe to get home from work, even though I most certainly would fall asleep before he does...)

Apparently, white tattoos are the thing to do if you're a young person in hollywood. Hate to say it, and maybe I shouldn't, but here's to being honest: Uh, I got one first.

Okay, maybe not first, but probably before most of these kids. I think I got mine the end of 2001. It's a white cross on my belly, kind of above my left hip. Yeah, bright idea, I know... To be entirely honest, after a few years and a couple babies, it has lost most of it's color and looks a lot more like a stretch mark than anything else...

Awesome, I know.

Also, I love how the people in the article just say they are doing it because their friends are.

She said: ‘Everyone in LA is having the tattoos so I just had to have one. I saw Lindsay Lohan had one and it looked so pretty I asked her where she got it.

Aaahh! puh-leese

Kids, what have we learned today? Don't follow fads, don't get tattooed, don't do stuff 'cause all your friends are doing it...I could go on.

Yay! A Break in the Gas Prices!

2008-10-30T20:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we were in town for Wednesday evening church service and topped off our tank because the gas was $1.89 a gallon!

I even tried to take a picture, but it was after dark and it came our terribly, so I guess you can take my word for it. Ha ha.

I hope everyone is enjoying a little break in the price of gas. No doubt it will be up again soon, but for now we are happy (and thankful) to enjoy a little extra savings.

Pictures

2008-10-29T09:13:00.006-05:00

I know I've been way to long without sharing pictures of my growing little ones.

Here are some from a little trip to a playground before church on Wednesday:

The three of us getting ready to play.

Jecoa climbing up.

Theona climbed to the very top!

**There will be more to come soon. This new computer isn't quite as simple to use as our little Mac, but I'm getting the hang of it, so I'll try to avoid any more excuses and post pictures more often.

**Ahh, I thought I posted this yesterday, but I guess somehow it didn't make it up... I don't know what happened, but here it is, a day late...

National Chocolate Day

2008-10-28T08:49:00.000-05:00

I just found out that today is a great day to celebrate.

It's National Chocolate Day!

Actually one of a few National Chocolate Days...

I personally am looking forward to November 7th, celebrating a couple of my favorite delicious treats. (See what I mean here.)

So, in honor of the special day, I'd suggest sharing some chocolate with someone you love.

I will be.

What's Your Ordinary?

2008-10-26T09:35:00.001-05:00

Our beloved Father, please come down and meet us
We are waiting for Your touch
Open up the heavens, shower down your presence
We respond to Your great love

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, We want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Our beloved Jesus, we just wanna see You
In the glory of Your light.
Earthly things don’t matter, They just fade and shatter
When we’re touched by love divine.

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary
We won’t be satisfied at all

Open up the sky, fall down like rain
We don’t want blessings, we want You
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don’t want anything but You

Here we go, let’s go to the throne
The place that we belong, right into His arms

We won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary,
We won’t be satisfied at all.

Crochet

2008-10-25T22:27:00.003-05:00

I have been crocheting quite a lot lately.

I've made a few different blankets, pot holders, hats, baby sweaters, and one set for a friend's new baby (sweater, pants, and a hat). And I've created two different sweater patterns and a blanket pattern. It's been fun for me after the kids are in bed especially on the nights Abe works late. I just kick back and worship, pray and crochet... It's a good time.

I should take more pictures. It's a lot of fun, and I'd love to share my projects.

I love Crochet Pattern Central for all kinds of creative project ideas.

Here is my most recent project. I'm making it a little smaller than the pattern, for a special little someone. I'm making it in bright colors similar to the brighter colored pictures.

I am so excited about this one. I will definitely post pictures when this one is finished.

Maybe someday I'll hone my skills at knitting, but for now, these little crochet projects are just right to unwind with after a busy day.

Grumpy Kids

2008-10-24T17:59:00.002-05:00

We had a busy day.

We played outside a lot.

We went grocery shopping.

Other stuff in between.

Jecoa was woken early from his nap (by his sister).

Theona played on her bed and never went to sleep.

Now they are a little extra tired.

Ok, a lot. And so am I.

But life's good. And God is Great.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 cr 15:51

No Compromise

2008-10-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes no compromise means no compensation.

There's power in Jesus' life 'cause He wasn't bought by the world."

-Jason Upton

I heard him say this a while back and I was just thinking about it.

...anyway, something to think about.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-10-20T14:15:00.001-05:00

Ugh. I'm kind of loathing doing this...

I started writing weekly menu plans, I guess, a little over a year ago.

Since we've lived in TX I've been writing them for two weeks at a time and I shop for both weeks at the same time, (Except for produce. We do a quick produce run usually at the beginning of the second week.) I usually come in under my grocery budget and it saves gas, since we don't make extra trips to town for little things.

The reason I'm sitting down today to write a menu for just this week is because I LOST MY MENU PLAN. Ahhhh! This is the thing not to do. Actually, I lost it last weekend, right after completing it and my grocery shopping. AND, this is the ridiculous part of the story, instead of sitting down and re-writing it, I just stumbled through the first few days, remembering what I could, then totally struggled through the rest of the week.

I don't know why I did this! For sure, it reminded me how wonderful it is to have a plan, and how much more time consuming and stressful it can be to "just throw something together".

So, here's this weeks re-write of a plan. We have some cooked chicken in the fridge, so we'll try to use that up the first couple days. Also, we like beans. We usually eat pintos, but sometimes throw in navy beans of kidney if that's what we have (sometimes they are given to us...) If you avoid making dried beans and go for the canned variety, here's how I do it. It's so easy and way more delicious than canned! Oh, and for my method, you have to have a pressure cooker. From asking around, I'm finding that a lot of people have one and just don't know what to do with it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Pinto Beans-

Put in the pressure cooker:

2-4 cups dried beans (sort them to get out rocks and bad ones, and give them a rinse)

Fill to 3/4 with water

salt generously

a little pepper

2 cloves of garlic

Sometimes a little chile powder or a New Mexico or Anehiem dried chile

(you can take the chile out when they are done or after an hour, this gives it a nice flavor)

And for those of you who avoid beans 'cause of the "gassy" effect, this is my little family secret:

When you put all this stuff in the pressure cooker peel a raw potato and throw it in. (Apparently it absorbs the "gassiness", I don't know if this is really true but it's what my family does, and growing up, I never heard ,until junior high or high school, about beans making people "toot"... how'd I miss that? )

I usually cook beans on medium after they've pressurized for 1 hour then check, they're never done yet, but take out the chile and potato (and DON'T eat it) and taste the broth, they may need more salt.

I then close it up and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes.

Now they are usually done. Yum!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the plan:

Monday:

B- Cereal with milk

L- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Apple

D- Chicken Tostadas, rice

Tues:

B- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

L- Beans, cheese, homemade tortillas

D- Homemade Burgers with our bible study group, veggies

Wednesday:

B- Chilequillas (eggs with tortillas and salsa), and beans

L- Fried Rice with Chicken and Veggies

D- (possibly out when we're in town for church)

Thursday:

B- WW pancakes and peanut butter

L- fish tacos in corn tortillas

D- Spaghetti with peppers and onion, bread, salad, peas

Friday:

B- Cereal with milk and banana

L- BLTs, carrots and cucumbers with ranch (we've been waiting for these!)

D- Shredded beef tacos, rice with carrots, refried beans, 1-2-3 Jell-O

Saturday:

B- Boiled eggs, toast

L- Left over spaghetti with cheese.

D- Grilled Steak, rice, sauteed veggies.

Ahhhh, now I'm back on track. I feel so much better!

For more menus, and where I got motivated to start doing this in the first place, check out Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Orga nizing Junkie.

Oh, How He Loves Us

2008-10-19T00:34:00.003-05:00

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
I realize just how beautiful you are
And how great your affections are for me

And oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so

Yeah He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves

We are His portion, and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking

So Heaven meets Earth like a sloppy, wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

He love us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves

You might also want to watch this version. (Hannah!!)

Mr. Muscles

2008-10-17T16:49:00.003-05:00

Jecoa is getting too strong!

Last week he picked up Abe's glasses off his bedside table and ripped them apart! He tore one ear piece completely off. And they were the kind that gives when you tug on them...

Abe wore them anyway with a little scotch tape for about a week. (He's braver than me. I'm a big wimp about stuff like that.) We couldn't find anyone to fix them, and we were having trouble ordering a new pair of frames because of moving and the store here didn't think they had the same ones... anyway, I drove to McAllen on Tuesday and when I was half way there the store called Abe and told him his frames had arrived. Surprise!! We hadn't ordered them, but we had told them exactly what we were looking for (though they couldn't find them in their computer when we'd been there previously...) I was so thankful to get them for Abe. We got his old lenses put in and he was set.

Then I got home.

I took my glasses off (I only wear them for driving or watching movies) and set them on the table. Bad move. I was straightening up the house for bible study, and turned around to see my little guy snatch the glasses and rip an ear piece off... bummer.

But it's not just glasses.

The next morning the kids were playing in their room while I was changing laundry, and I walked by to see Jecoa ripping the lid off of the CD player that Abe got me for my birthday last year! Ahhh! I rescued it before it was too damaged, and though it takes a little coaxing, it still plays.

So, wonder why they had my CD player in their room? (Sorry for being silly, but this is one of the only things that is special and mine.)

Somewhere during the last two moves their CD player was misplaced. I have no idea where it is, but I'm pretty sure it has one of our favorite bed time, worship CDs in it. After moving the second time (from OK to here) and still not finding it, I'm pretty sure it's just lost...

Needless to say we are being much more careful about our glasses (especially Abe's new ones) and breakable things are not going to be so easily accessed by the little Mister.

We'll see how many more things are damaged before I really learn how to spot what is attractive to and easily broken by a one-and-a-half-year-old boy.

This is a new level of baby-proofing. Or toddler-proofing.

What Jesus Is

2008-10-16T13:26:00.000-05:00

"To the artist, He is the one altogether lovely–Song of Solomon 5:15
To the architect, He is the chief cornerstone–I Peter 2:6
To the astronomer, He is the sun of righteousness–Malachi 4:2
To the baker, He is the bread of life–John 6:35
To the banker, He is the hidden treasure–Matthew 13:44
To the builder, He is the sure foundation–Isaiah 28:16
To the carpenter, He is the door–John 10:7
To the doctor, He is the great physician–Jeremiah 8:22
To the educator, He is the great teacher–John 3:2
To the engineer, He is the new and living way–Hebrews 10:20
To the farmer, He is the sower and Lord of harvest–Luke 10:2
To the florist, He is the rose of Sharon–Song of Solomon 2:1
To the geologist, He is the rock of ages–I Corinthians 10:4
To the horticulturist, He is the true vine–John 15:1
To the judge, He is the only righteous judge of man–II Timothy 4:8
To the juror, He is the faithful and true witness–Revelation 3:14
To the jeweler, He is the pearl of great price–Matthew 13:46
To the lawyer, He is counselor, lawgiver, and true advocate–Isaiah 9:6
To the newspaper man, He is tidings of great joy–Luke 2:10
To the oculist, He is the light of the eyes–Proverbs 29:13
To the philanthropist, He is the unspeakable gift–II Corinthians 9:15
To the philosopher, He is the wisdom of God–I Corinthians 1:24
To the preacher, He is the Word of God–Revelation 19:13
To the sculptor, He is the living stone–1 Peter 2:4
To the servant, He is the good master–Matthew 23:8-10
To the statesman, He is the desire of all nations–Haggard 2:7
To the student, He is the incarnate truth–1 John 5:6
To the theologian, He is the author and finisher of our faith–Hebrews 12:2
To the toiler, He is the giver of rest–Matthew 11:28
To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God who takes the sin away–John 1:29

To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God,
the Saviour, the Redeemer, and the Loving Lord."

I found this here. I like it.

Something to think about when we are sharing the truth with others. Jesus makes himself known in a personal way to people. We don't have to become right to get to know him.

Just wanted to pass it along.

What is Jesus to you today?

October 15

2008-10-15T10:19:00.004-05:00

Today is the National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy and Infant Loss.

I just wanted to pass this along and encourage anyone interested to join in prayer for these families who have lost little ones. This includes all babies who have died because of miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or any other infant death.

I've spent the morning lifting up friends and acquaintances that I know have experienced loss.

I also wanted to share this testimony and perspective and ask for united prayer on this issue as well:
(This is from the comments in this post at Life in a Shoe I know this is a sensitive topic, one that needs to be dealt with, mostly on our knees, asking God our Father to change hearts.)

Amber, on October 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am Said:

The very word “abortion” moves me, deep inside.

maryjo, you said no one has the right to choose for someone else.

Absolutely.

I know a lady who, when she was in her teens, committed sins, and ended up pregnant. She didn’t want the baby. But in the year she was pregnant, abortion was illegal. She tried to find a doctor who would commit an illegal abortion, but couldn’t. Then she tried pills, but couldn’t keep them down. Then she tried strenuous work, to make herself have a miscarriage.

Nothing worked. She gave birth to twins; two baby boys. The boys’ father didn’t want to keep them, and so their mother gave them to someone else to be raised.

Now those two little boys are grown men, and have children of their own - ten children, between the two of them.

Ten children, who would never even been conceived, if abortion had been legal. Ten children who have lives of their own, loves of their own - they are real, breathing people, not tissues.

The boys’ mother would have made a choice for those two babies in her womb. She would have chosen death. She would have chosen death for her 10 grandchildren.

God chose life.

I am one of those grandchildren.

If abortion would have been legal the year my Daddy was born, he would not be here today, and neither would I. …or my
siblings…or my cousins.

I’m sure that most murders are committed by people who are angry, or desperate, or otherwise in turmoil. They need someone to come along and gently take the gun out of their hand - to prevent injury to others, and consequences to themselves.

Then later she responds:

Amber, on October 13th, 2008 at 8:16 pm Said:

Thank you - I am thankful every time I get to speak a word for the unborn, using the testimony of our family.

Yes, amazingly, Dad grew up knowing his birth mother. His grandmother was the one who adopted him. His birth mother became a little bit like a sister - one who wasn’t around much.

We see Dad’s birth mother every so often, and I’m glad I know her. But she will never be Dad’s mother. She lost that chance. His real mother is the one who took him in - his grandmother.

I don’t say that spitefully. I mean it as a tribute to my great-grandmother. Her love changed what Dad’s life could have been.

What a testimony! I am thankful for this gal's boldness to share the testimony of her family for the Lord's glory. I'll surely be praying for this family and opportunities for their testimony to glorify God as well as those hurting who may have been driven to this decision out or ignorance or desperation.

Green Oranges

2008-10-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

We stopped on our way home from church a couple weeks ago at a little road side stand. They were selling greens... er, oranges.

These oranges were so green we were almost not convinced, but the guy sliced one open for us to taste. They were juicy enough and though milder in flavor, still very sweet. We ended up buying a bag. When we tried them at home Theona questioned, what's this? When I told her it's an orange she quickly corrected me, "It's Yellow." then exclaimed in her almost-three-year-old kind of way, "Oh, it yellow-orange!"

She's so funny. I'm loving this age for all the funny things she has to say. (Not loving the tantrums and insistence on always being right, but hey, it's definitely been a learning experience...for both of us. ha ha)

Updates...

2008-10-13T11:07:00.003-05:00

I plan to be back to blogging, but after such a long time I suppose it is reasonable to start with some updates.

Our computer died.

We thought it wouldn't be too difficult to replace the hard drive and have our Five-Year-Old Mac laptop back up and running, but nothing technological ever seems to be as easy as we think it should be. Maybe it's just us... We ended up buying my sister's old laptop from her, and it's serving it's purpose. We are very thankful to have it. It's nice to be able to get online and check e-mails (especially for Abe's work) or just keep up with people.

While the computer was down I wrote some letters (a very nice practice that I'll try not to neglect again) and we had Cable TV. Let me just say this about cable: Never. Again.

We've never had any more TV than we could pick up with a little antenna. What a huge time waster! I found myself having it on way too often and staying up way too late just watching nothing... I think the only semi-useful thing that came from the 2 months of TV was I couple probably tile a fireplace or kitchen "backsplash". (I really liked all those Do-it-yourself shows...)

In our new little town (we're in a valley) we get one channel without cable. It's channel 40. It's in Spanish. It's Telenovelas all day every day. I keep the TV off now and am still surprised at how much time I really was wasting. Like I said: Never. Again.

We found a church about 45 minutes from us. It's called Maranatha Baptist. It's an Independent Baptist church. We're really thankful for it. It's a different "style" (I guess you'd say) of church than we've attended before, but it's good to fellowship with believer's and they really have a heart for sharing the gospel, which is refreshing.

We've also started a home bible study on Tuesday evening. It's been going well. Abe's been teaching through Genesis. We are both really enjoying it and have started building relationships and making friends in our town (Which I've found kind of hard to do in such a little place. Small towns are different.) Genesis has been exciting. The Lord has showed me things that I guess I had just skimmed over before. Mostly I'm in awe of the Love and Mercy the Father has for us! Amazing. From the very beginning I see God reaching out to people with so much love. I'm in awe! Thank you, Lord for loving me.

Also, I had a birthday. I got my car flooded. I know, weird thing to get for a birthday, but thank you Lord. He does work all things together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)... I know the Lord was able to use even that to help me keep my attitude in check and get some perspective... 'nuf about that for now.

Oh, and I don't know if I've mentioned this to you (who might be reading), I'm due December 29th. If baby number 3 is born "on time" we will have a 2006, 2007, and a 2008 baby. Crazy...in a good way.

Too long.

2008-07-25T01:03:00.004-05:00

It has been a long time, and I feel like I really have some catching up to do with the people I keep up with here.

About a month ago, maybe closer to two months, actually, our computer was acting up and the hard drive ended up crashing. (We knew it was coming, but still, always a bummer.)

During that time we were looking for a new apartment to move to a little further north in the city. We ended up finding a place that would work for us and the very day we signed the lease, not three hours later, Abe's boss called and asked if we were up for the transfer we had been waiting to hear about to Texas! We accepted. It was Friday and they were asking that we arrive in time for Abe to start the next Thursday!

We were already in the process of packing, but we had a lot left to do. We are so thankful to our friends from church who came Sunday afternoon to help us finish packing and load the truck so we could be on our way Monday afternoon.

So, now we live in Texas. We're all the way south to the Mexico border, but not quite at the tip. We like it.

It's been a little hard with no real connections. We haven't quite found a church, but we have felt the Lord calling us to start a bible study. We wanted to start last Wednesday, but decided to postpone the real beginning because of Dolly (the hurricane) being in town.

So, I guess that's about all the news I have for now. Hopefully there will be pictures to come, but for now our computer is still having little issues. We think maybe the new hard drive Abe installed is defective. We're still trying to figure all that out, so I'll let you know when we have an answer...

Happy Birthday, Jecoa!!

2008-06-08T22:39:00.002-05:00

My Baby is one.

What a busy weekend we had. On Saturday we had a little pizza/swim party at a friend's house. Theona and their four-year-old swam in their back yard kiddie pool. Jecoa even took a dip. It was a nice hot day.

We had cake in the afternoon. I made a big chocolate and white checkerboard cake per Papa's request. Jecoa had a good time with his first cake (oh, there will be pictures!)

Sunday was the actual birthday. It was filled with church and friends and playing. What a big boy he is!

He's walking. (and loves to chase his sister)
He says Momma, Papa, bye-bye (and waves), night-night, a few times when he was mad He said neh-neh-neh with a head shake (It was definitely him saying "no").
He signs more and all-done (sometimes he signs it when he's tired, too.)
He loves his sister and papa and loves to hug and kiss them.
He loves to be silly and make people laugh. (When he gets a good laugh he laughs back and when he laughs hard he snorts! He has a great laugh like his papa that just makes you join in.)

I can hardly believe a year has passed since he was born. I remember so vividly, preparing for Marla's baby shower then the little surprise coming to join the festivities. I know it was a little crazy, but wonderful, joyous, fun-crazy!

Weather or not?

2008-06-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

Well, we're having storms tonight here in OKC. Pretty typical. Thunder storms, strong winds, lightning, tornados... though I would avoid taking this serious weather lightly, it is kind of old news this time of year living in this part of the country.

Earthquakes, however, are an entirely different story. We don't generally hear anything in the earthquake department out here.

Apparently, according to our local weather guy there were four (yeah, 4) small earthquakes this morning where our I-40 and I-44 cross. That's right in the middle of the city. He said one of them was a 2.5 on the richter scale. (Pretty small, is that enough to be felt...?)

Anyway, weird. Weird, weird weather. In the last week I've heard about all kinds of unusual weather events. One example, I heard on the radio, there was a snow advisory in CO and OR. Snow in June?

Now I'm not saying be fearful, but hey, look around, this is unusual. Why is this happening?

You might like to read Luke 21.

Maranatha.

Bay-oo-ti-ful

2008-06-05T17:41:00.001-05:00

After Theona's nap today, she was sitting with me, waking up, and she pointed at my calf and said, "Momma, this is your leg?"

"Yes" I answered.

"Aww, Momma, your leg is bay-oo-ti-ful"

I never thought much of my calf, but hey, if my toddler likes it...

A Father's Love

2008-06-05T16:53:00.001-05:00

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'

The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'.
They went on to complete the marathon together.
Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his
Son's request of going through the race together.
One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.'

To which, his father said 'Yes'

for those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever.
The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean
swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike
ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the
coast of the Big Island .

Father and son went on to complete the race together

A Perfect Proverb for Today

2008-05-12T12:09:00.002-05:00

The kids and I read a Proverb together first thing in the morning.
The Lord had a special word for me today. My heart is blessed.

Proverbs 12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.

3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.

7 Wicked men are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.

8 A man is praised according to his wisdom,
but men with warped minds are despised.

9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

11 He who works his land will have abundant food,
but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
but the root of the righteous flourishes.

13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,
but a righteous man escapes trouble.

14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things
as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Thanks, Terri)

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but joy for those who promote peace.

21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.

22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.

23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor.

25 An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.

26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, [a]
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 The lazy man does not roast [b] his game,
but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

28 In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.

Prayer for Hank

2008-04-30T10:17:00.003-05:00

Last week we went out and spent some time with my cousin Hank. His health has gotten worse quickly. He flew out Monday evening to Chicago, for a better hospital. He's been having really bad stomach pains, and I was told he is pretty orange again. I'm so sad to hear his health is declining so quickly, but Praise the Lord, he has made a decision for Christ!

The last time we were out we grilled chicken and shared the gospel with him and asked about his relationship with God, he told us that he was not saved and wasn't ready to make that decision.

Though I was concerned, I was stumped. I couldn't force anything, so we kept on praying. And My aunt told me that when she was visiting this weekend, on Sunday, he gave his heart to the Lord and they talked about Jesus giving him a new body in heaven. Oh how gracious our heavenly Father is!

(I'm having a problem with blogger uploading pictures, so, I'll probably edit this later with pictures.)

Toddler Vocabulary

2008-04-24T16:33:00.003-05:00

So, this afternoon, Theona comes running into the living room saying "I need a 'SKO-uh'. I need a 'SKO-uh'."

"You need a what? a school? What's a 'Sko-uh'? Do you need to go potty?"

She kept saying it, and I followed her to where she was leading while repeating her need for a "sko-uh". Then I got it, "Oh, you need a STOOL" She needed a stool to get up to the potty. I moved it back over from the sink, and she stood up on her stool and said "I need a bike."

"A what? A bike?"

"Yeah, I need a bike" and I realized she needed her potty seat that goes on top of the toilet.

She usually knows what that kind of stuff is called. I don't know where her vocabulary went today, but she's gonna love this story in a few years...

Last of the No Boyfriends Club

2008-04-21T12:03:00.005-05:00

When I was in high school I didn't date. Actually I made an informal club of it. The "No Boyfriends" Club. We had members. Two of my friends who I worshiped the Lord with. (and now keep in touch with online) joined me in seeking the Lord and avoiding the boyfriends.

In all honesty, it was probably for lack of prospects rather then a determined commitment. That's okay. Whatever works. I have full confidence that it was the Lord protecting me. I am so thankful!

I met my husband in Bible college and our second year, after becoming great friends, we decided we'd like to stay together forever... basically he wanted to date, I told him I hadn't dated and wasn't planning on it. I asked him how serious he was, "Are you gonna plan on marrying me?" He said he would so, we went from there... and I was pretty much out of the club. :)

I'm sure all that sounds kind of crazy, but I didn't have an understanding of courtship, or really anything other than typical high-school-type, casual dating. I just knew I didn't want to go around giving bits of my heart to "test the waters". I had been told by older people "no one marries their first boyfriend" and "you have to see what you like". I just didn't buy it. I knew what I wanted and I prayed for it. I am truly thankful that the Lord sheltered me under His wing.

Around the same time, we lost one of our other members. My friend Julia met her husband in College, and now are serving the Lord in Tanzania! They're with Wycliffe, they studied linguistics and they're both really smart. I'm excited to where the Lord takes them and what he does in their life.

So, Pamela, the last standing member of the club started dating a nice young man about a year ago. Guess what?! The rumors are true....

I'm so happy for them!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed!

2008-04-20T18:42:00.000-05:00

Abe and I went to see Expelled (Ben Stein's documentary about the evolution vs. intelligent design debate) this afternoon. I'm so glad we did. Perfect day to watch it, now that I think about it... It was really interesting. I often don't think about, or realize how dark the science world, or even college world can be. What a hate for God people can harbor.

At one point in the movie a man (a professor at a college with who knows how many fancy degrees and such) said that "[maybe life came from the pre-organisms piggy backing on the backs of crystals]" that is where life came from? Whoa! What?! Ben Stein repeated what he had said, "So, you think maybe life came from mud on crystals?" Yes, this is actually what this guy thought was a good theory on how life started! Whoa. I was surprised that very intelligent people can say and believe such off the wall things. They say my God is silly to believe in, he couldn't have created the earth in less than a week. Must have been mud and crystals.

For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 2:6 (New King James Version)

Watch the Trailer!!

Veggie-taaales

2008-04-19T22:20:00.002-05:00

We have an old veggietales video. "Silly songs". We got it out a couple weeks ago and Theona really likes it.

Tonight we put it on a little while before bed and she watched the first few songs. She really likes the intro song and began singing, "Veggie-taaaales, Veggie-taaales... Broccoli....Veggietales! Peechy Keen, Veggietales! Time for Veggie-taaaaaaaaaales!"

SO cute. I seriously can't believe all the things she's learning.

Things are Growing

2008-04-16T23:35:00.003-05:00

Last night when Abe brought the garden in (pulled the tub inside our fenced porch area), he noticed some little blossoms on our pepper plants! One of the pepper plants has grown quite a lot. It's so exciting to see actual vegetables happening right in our own garden! Right before our eyes.

And, about a third of the seeds we started have sprouted. So exciting!

When I Think About the Lord...

2008-04-13T07:45:00.001-05:00

Granola

2008-04-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

I made granola today. I had been wanting to for a while, it was a perfect little project for my girlie and I this evening.

Here is the recipe we were inspired by.

Here is what we did: ingredients in black, directions in purple.

3 cups oats (we used old fashioned oatmeal)

Microwave them for 2 minutes stirring once.

Just under 1 cup of crunched up, bottom of the bag, bran flakes (cereal that I didn't think was ever going to get used)

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2+ cup raisins

Mix these in with the oats after they have been microwaved.

1/2 cup oil

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

1 T Molasses

2 T Maple Syrup

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix these together then combine with dry mixture
Stir until well combined
Microwave for 5 minutes(or until golden, stirring every minute
Cool on wax paper (I pressed it together so cooled in one big bar then I broke it up.)

I thought it was at great first attempt at granola. I'd like to put more seeds in next time.

The kids loved it, too. Coa was the inspiration for omitting the honey. I thought it worked out nicely.

We are Gardeners...

2008-04-12T17:20:00.000-05:00

We now have a garden. Yay. We ran around today and got the last things we needed to get the garden going. I was a little nervous we are starting to late, but after reading the backs of the seed packets I am reassured. We are in the middle or at the end of the recommended time for starting, and the weather has been extra cool lately, so I think we will be just fine.

Like I said, we are planting in containers, recycled rubbermaid bins, actually. I'm hoping they will travel okay, since we are looking to move a little further north in a couple months to be between Abe's work and church.

We planted a bunch of organic seeds, Peas, green beans, onions, peppers, squashes, Romaine and loose leaf lettuce... I'm wondering how they would be different from non-organic... We also got some seed packets that weren't labeled organic, a hot pepper mix with anaheim chiles, cayene, jalapenos, and a couple others, and a bell pepper mix (which I am particularly excited about) with red, yellow, orange, green, and purple peppers! We also got Basil, chives, and another herb that isn't coming to mind right now. Oh, and tomatoes and a few small plants for a dollar that are already started (the others are a few different kinds of peppers. Man, we're gonna have all the peppers we can eat!)

I'm pretty excited about it. I'll have to get some picture of our progress so far as gardeners.

Remember my cousin Hank in your prayers today. I know the Lord is at work and desires His salvation for him.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase." 1 corinthians 3:6-7

read the chapter here

Gardening

2008-04-11T23:29:00.004-05:00

We are starting a small garden tomorrow. We had put it off, unsure if we were really ready to do it this year. Well, we are actually starting it and I'm going to give it my best shot. I hope we aren't too late...

We are doing a container garden. We have a few rubbermaid bins we are recycling. I've watched some clips on youtube about container gardens and I think I have a pretty good idea about what we are doing... or I might have no idea at all what I'm signing up for... this is our first garden other than a strawberry pot with a tomato plant in there that never grew...

So, here's the plan.

We'll plant tomato plants that are already started, but other than that we've chosen organic seeds for green beans, peas, lettuce, peppers, jalapenos, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots. I think I'm most excited about the beans and peas.

I'll have to take pictures tomorrow so you can see all the fun we're having. Yay for home grown produce!

The Silent Killer

2008-04-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Last night I heard through my mom that one of my cousins has cancer... the bad kind.

He lives here in OKC, just outside of town actually, and my Aunt and Uncle were up from NM to see him. I called them this morning to see if I could come out and spend a little time with them. I felt kind of weird about it, but I couldn't do anything other than make myself available, so that's what I did.

We went out this afternoon, I took them some mild chili and blueberry oatmeal muffins. (Weird how people bring food when stuff like this happens, but it was nice when my mom was sick...one less thing to worry about.) We had a nice visit with some of my other cousins and my Aunt and Uncle (I haven't seen any of them since I was 13. My cousin Hank (the one with the cancer) kept himself busy and smoked a lot and then left to go pick up some medicine... he wouldn't let anyone help him really with anything. He seemed like he didn't want anyone to think he's sick, but he really didn't look very good. (He was pretty orange-y. I think from his liver not functioning... I think he seems kind of in denial, I guess... I'm sure it is a LOT to take in and face your own mortality..).

Well, they said when he was in the hospital they did a body scan and it showed cancer all over his whole body. Lymph nodes and all. Everywhere but his brain (his mom died of brain cancer...) Also, in the hospital they said he had three months to a year to live (I don't know if that was before or after the scan), but they said hospice came by this morning and said 1 WEEK to one month... He's only 43.

I know this is a little bit of a ramble, but I'd appreciate your prayers. I'm pretty sure he's not a believer... One of his sisters is.

Oh, Lord, I'd love to see you work a miracle in Hank's life and heal him. I don't doubt You at all, God. I believe You. And, I don't praise You because you will heal him. I praise You because You can.

But Lord, more than physical healing. Spiritual healing. Lord, would You reveal Yourself?! Would you intervene and speak life to Hank?

No Elephants

2008-04-10T11:57:00.002-05:00

I just had the most amusing conversation with my girlie.

We live in an apartment on the bottom floor. Sometimes our upstairs neighbors are so loud! A few minutes ago there was a loud thump-thump-BOOM from our ceiling. I casually remarked, "There must be elephants up there."

Theona looked up and then 30 seconds later ran over to me and said, "I feel scared!" I chuckled a little and tried to explain that it was just our upstairs neighbors and they were just making noise up there... she quickly asked, "Where's the elephants?!" I told her there are no elephants here. They live in the zoo and in Africa. "She seemed a little reassured and pensively repeated "Elephants in Ax-i-ca"

She's back to playing, but I'm gonna have to be more careful. I may have started something... oops.

The Little Guy

2008-04-06T21:07:00.005-05:00

Sorry, you're gonna have to tilt you head... I couldn't figure out how to flip them... Different program.

He's getting so big! He was putting a clean shirt on. We were about to go out.

So, do you think he looks like his sis?

Park Fun with Pictures!

2008-04-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

We had a little picnic outing today. Theona played on a climber and Abe played with his new camera. He's getting quite good at it!Isn't she getting so big?!

Watch for pictures of Jecoa tomorrow...

Tortilla

2008-04-03T09:49:00.004-05:00

We made fresh tortillas yesterday. They were such a good treat! This morning My Big Girl was having one for a snack, and Coa came over to see if she wanted to share... He pulled himself up using her shirt and waited. She tore off a piece of her tortilla, flicked his paci out of his mouth and gave him a bit in his hand. He promptly ate it and asked for more.

They are getting so big. She likes to take care of him. How sweet. I just love to see them loving each other.

Which reminds me, isn't our Heavenly Father good?! Seek His face today. Be filled with His Spirit!

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" Matt. 7:9

Potty Training Success

2008-04-02T10:03:00.001-05:00

If anyone noticed my absence I'm sure you thought it must have some very good reason. Well. I now have only one in diapers!

Theona had been very interested in using the potty since before we moved, I just wasn't entirely sure how to help her get from the diapers to the potty on a regular basis. She seemed to be only occasionally interested in sitting on the potty. Only when it suited her, and there was usually nothing going on while she sat...

At first I thought I was gonna mess it up and then she would *never* be potty trained. (I always seem to get a little unrealistically concerned about these little growing up steps...) I read a couple things on the subject, but didn't feel like it was doing any good. Then I realized I knew who knew the answer! We started praying for guidance. For Mommy and Theona. She started telling me when she was wet. I encouraged her to tell me before she went so she could go in the potty. She started to tell me more often, then we were committed. Good-bye diapers! We got some big girl undies for her, and she excelled! We had several accidents the first couple days then success! She's been doing very well and it's been a week-and-a-half since she has had an "accident".

The last four nights she has even slept without a diaper. I am so excited she is doing so well! I did not really have any expectations for a time frame on potty training, but I'm really glad we have had such a great first experience.

I've also had a great lesson reinforced on trusting my Lord. I totally believe He knows and cares about these things. He will certainly give me wisdom, even about such things as potty-ing, if I ask.

Thank You, Lord for being Lord of ALL! Even our family, even the little things, even potty training!

The End!!!!

2008-03-20T19:49:00.002-05:00

This is my mom's last day of Chemo. I'm pretty glad about that.

She said her friend gave her a card and candy, and a lady came and played a guitar and sang some "healing music", and the nurses sang the halellujah chorus. Pretty much it was the best Chemo ever.

I think it might have been even without all that stuff 'cuz it was the LAST.

"There are some, down the road
between hither and yon, that can scare
you so much you won't want to go on."

But on you will go though the weather
be foul. On you will go though your
enemies prowl. On you will go though
the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward
up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far and
face up to your problems
whatever they are.

(From Dr Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go" Page 14 & 15)

Way to go, Mom. Keep going!

You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So, get on your way!

Happy Birthday to Mo-om...

2008-03-17T13:40:00.002-05:00

Way to have another birthday, Mom. Love ya!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Yay!

2008-03-14T17:03:00.000-05:00

We got our new camera today!

Abe totally had to track down the mail lady for it, but he got it.

Expect many beautiful pictures of two amazing children!

Workin' in the Kitchen

2008-03-13T16:41:00.000-05:00

The kids are playing together in the kitchen. Come on in...

"I'll wash my hands. I have to do some cookin'."

"Turn up the heat."

"Thanks, sis, I was hungry."

"Huh. Maybe this side is better."

"Uh, you might want to check the recipe on this one, sis..."

(Abe just got us a new camera, so hopefully soon we'll be able to catch some good pictures of the girlie. She's been too busy lately, and our camera is way to slow to catch her without being blurry. We're so excited about it!)

FIVE Years

2008-03-08T10:23:00.001-06:00

Since this:

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage."
Martin Luther

Happy Anniversary to my Loving, Courageous, Hard-working, Handsome, (and so much more) Leader.
I love you.

Wood Anniversary

2008-03-07T17:34:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow.

Keeping the Schedule

2008-03-07T10:15:00.001-06:00

I need to get back in gear! Tomorrow is Friday and my whole week has flown by without much productivity.

Man. Hate it when that happens...

The girlie and Abe were last week. Abe is totally short at work and couldn't take anytime off. He was even working much more than normal, so it seemed to take him a bit longer than normal to get better. (Thankfully, he didn't seem to spread too many germs around. No one else has gotten sick since then.) Baby boy and I stayed well, so Praise the Lord for that! Monday was our first day semi-back-to-normal day, and Wednesday we went to church. Theona had been up all night throwing up the Wednesday night the week before (Our FIRST experience with this), so it took us about a week to recover.

Oh, and Abe had his birthday somewhere in there, and we didn't even really celebrate.

Anyway, I'm so glad we're done with that. I was happy to get some things done today. I cleaned the kitchen, did a bunch of laundry, finished some little chores that had been neglected, and even got some shopping done.

Still, I feel a little thrown off. I didn't realize how attached I've become to my schedule. I like it that way, though.

Yarn Fun

2008-03-03T21:57:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been crocheting a lot. I am working on something really fun. (I'll have to share that later) Jecoa likes to help.

It took a while to get that back in a ball...

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

Come and Listen

2008-02-29T12:56:00.007-06:00

Psalm 66

1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!

3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah

5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf!

6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.

7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Selah

8 Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;

9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.

10 For you, O God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.

11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.

12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.

13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you-

14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.

15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
Selah

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.

17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

19 but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

Come and Listen Lyrics
Artist:David Crowder Band

Come and listen, come to the water's edge, all you who know and fear the Lord.
Come and listen, come to the water's edge all you who are thirsty, come.

Let me tell you what He has done for me.
Let me tell you what He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done.
Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done.

Praise our God for He is good. (repeat)

He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done.
Come and listen, come and listen to what He's done.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17

The Lord's Provision & Free Movies

2008-02-28T22:18:00.000-06:00

“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

"A man's heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

This weekend Abe's theater is doing a fun promotion: Free Entry! So, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all day, everyone gets in free. I think they are gonna be very busy! He's working all day (opening 'til closing) tomorrow and Saturday, and I think Sunday evening, so we won't see much of Him this weekend, but I think it will be very good for business. I'm glad they are working to improve the theater's reputation since it had been so neglected before we got here. Abe has worked hard at getting the place in shape.

Last week, coming home from ladies' study, I had some major car trouble (my tire shreded, the medal was sticking out and stuff, the Lord sent some young Christian guys to help me change to the spare, then I got back on the road and a couple minutes later the spare blew out! Btw, this was all after 10pm! I'll have to tell you the whole story sometime.) and the I told the guys who helped me change my tire about the promotion and that they could have a free popcorn, so I hope they collect on the offer!