Twins, Again????

My sister is expecting.  She has three children.  One singleton and then twins.  She is about 5 weeks along.  She is already REALLY sick.  She felt the same way with the last pregnancy.  She goes today to the doctor.  Hopefully, they will do an ultrasound and we will find out whether or not there are two babies or just one.  WOW!  I am so excited.  She is excited and yet worried all at the same time.  God will provide.  He is able to work things all out the way that they need to be worked out.  PRAISE GOD for these new little lives.  He is the Creator and He already knows their names!  I want to help in any way that I can.  Please, Lord, use me to make her load light. 

Fear

God is not a God of fear.  He promises us power, love and a sound mind.  When I am afraid, there is nothing to do but run to Him.  Only in Him will I find peace.  Only in Him will I find understanding.  Only in Him will I find true acceptance.  The fact is, nothing that I fear is greater than He.  Beth Moore said this week on our Esther video that "If _________, then GOD!"  No matter what happens, God is there.  He hasn't left.  He isn't planning on leaving.  He has made a commitment to me and He will not back out on His end.  I may run or I may cause Him pain, but He will never leave me nor will He forsake me.  He is always there for me, even when I don't see Him or feel Him or understand why  He allows something to happen to me.  Whew.  That is so hard for me.  I don't want to see those around me going through great difficulty.  I want them to be resting in His care.  We all fall sometimes and then He picks us up and helps us with the scraped knees and bruised hands.  He is there.  His mercy is unending and He is faithful to the end.

Fill-in-the-blanks

Outside my window.....overcast, with fallen leaves

I am thinking...about friends in need

I am thankful for...those who have walked this path before me, who are patient with my mistakes

I am wearing...white t-shirt and grey warm-up pants

I am creating....a Christmas dress for Libby

I am going..to get a haircut and for a walk

I am reading....The Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

I am hoping.....that my children will obey today and that there will be no big problems

I am hearing...the little boys be EXTRAORDINARILY LOUD!

One of my favorite things...morning coffee and flannel sheets, yeah, I know it said "one""

A few plans for the rest of the week.....AWANA, date, Thanksgiving party and grocery store

Some Suggestions

Something for you to do in your spare time:

www.holyexperience.com - Ann's blog - she will inspire you.

www.memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2009/10/waxing-leaves.html - self explanatory

www.portabellopixie.typepad.com/BOFpattern.pdf - free Christmas ornament pattern

www.explorefaith.org/reflections/181.html - praying the hours....LOVE this!  what a way to spend time with God!

www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/today.html#/quiz-results

Enjoy!

Fall

Is it really fall? My little ones ask everyday...it is Halloween yet? It's funny, because we don't "celebrate" Halloween. Really. We do go to the Harvest Festival at church, and the kids LOVE that. Most of all, they just love to dress-up. Everyday is something different. Reed says, "I am going to be Spiderman." Aiden changes his dressing up in the same sentence, "I am going to be an army man, no, a guy from Harry Potter, no, a spaceman." Muireann can't decide what she wants to be, although at last guess, she was going to be a model (again), complete with trench coat and BIG sunglasses. I love to listen to them talk about why they want to be this or that.
I am just in LOVE with the cool weather, the falling leaves, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, children in corduroy pants and hot chocolate and hot cider. LOVE IT!

GOD

Do you believe in God? Do you believe that He really CAN do anything? Do you believe that He answers you when you call Him? He does. He listens. He knows your pain. He is there in the darkness, even when YOU cannot see Him. Call out to Him. KNOW that He listens and that He cares. He will help. He will touch you. He will never leave you nor will He forsake you. He is your Father. Do you have an earthly father? Do you talk to him? Do you ask him for things? God is our eternal FATHER. He cares for you SO MUCH. Pour out your heart to Him. ASK for the IMPOSSIBLE. He is waiting for you.

Today

ENJOYING:

quiet

early

coffee

chill

READING:

Resistance by Anita Shreve

The Book of Esther

COOKING

more coffee

General Tso's chicken (Much later today)

PONDERING:

our vacation that starts tomorrow

PRAYING:

for God's protection as we travel and for good rest tonight

Turner

Would you please pray for Turner? He is dying of cancer. He is two. His mama is Sarah and his daddy is Keith. Will you lift them up? My heart is breaking for them.

Holy Experience

Ann has a blog: www.aholyexperience.com. It is profound. Really. Her words move me. Her words are relevant and personal. She is a mother and a writer. She expresses MY feelings in words that I am unable to capture. Her blog is a weekend retreat for me in the middle of the day. I know that when I "visit", I will come away refreshed. I encourage you to visit her. Take your coffee or your hot tea and go read for awhile. God will talk to you, I promise.

Glorious FALL!

What a time of year! The leaves are changing. A hint of cool is in the air...a teaser for us here in the South. In a few days, it will be warm again, but this little bit of cool is enough to revive an exhausted "summer heat" heart. I have friends who really hate the winter, but I am so thrilled that God has given us Autumn and Winter. He is there in the midst of the change. He shows His creativity and His joy in the falling leaves and in the cool crisp air. It is invigorating. I have so much energy and love to cook and clean. I feel all the summer "ICK" just dropping away. Hooray for football, pumpkin pie and corn husks!!!! My friend Laurie posted this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Supreme. I hope you enjoy it!

Pumpkin Pie Supreme

Mix:
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 egg
1 stick margarine
Set aside 1 cup

Press the rest into a 9x13 pan. Follow directions from a large can of pumpkin for pie, but use CONDENSED milk instead of evaporated milk. Pour over cake. Add 1 cup chopped nuts to the 1 cup of mixture that was set aside. Sprinkle over the top of pumpkin.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 mins, then at 350 degrees for40 minutes!

Thanks, Laurie!

Prayer

May I just encourage you to pray? Ask for God's love. Ask for His wisdom. Ask for help for a friend. The power of prayer is unmeasureable. ASK.
Then THANK. Thank the God of the universe for His unfailing love. Thank Him for His most precious gift - Jesus Christ.
Pray - it will change your life.

40...can it be?

wearing my dad's police boots
Easter baskets
foster brothers
camping trips
sunday school with the LaCroix's
ECS
harvest festivals
band
fall drama, spring musical
friends
traveling to the Grand Canyon
high school graduation
Florida trips with my precious family
St. Louis trips with my precious family
Mid-South Bible College
singing
cheering
dating
"societies"
Caryn, Melissa, Jeana
ensemble
PMT and Guatemala
MARK BAKER
wedding
Ren
Muireann
Reed
Aiden
Sarah
Leah
smocking
LOVE
40 years..............Thanks, LORD!!!

Sewing.....

Bought white lawn today for making a Christmas dress for my niece. I washed it, starched and ironed it, and hung it to wait for cutting out! I have to get my pattern out and trace it off. I have Christmas ideas just bouncing around in my head! I think I am making a "Frannie" from Children's Corner. DELICIOUS!
Are you reading Isaiah 58? Is it changing you? What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.

Isaiah 58

If you are up for a challenge....try reading Isaiah 58 everyday for a month. I am starting tomorrow on this journey. I can't wait to see what is in store. "Studyinbrown" says that it is life changing. She also says that you should try to read different translations so that you get a fuller picture. If you don't have several translations around your house, then look up biblegateway.com and use their site to read! For other questions, go to www.studyinbrown.com Look at the top of her page and you will see the Isaiah 58 prompt!!! Let's do it!

New Blog Background!

Check out all this new stuff!!! Hope you like the new look. The children and I are headed to the pool. Anything to ease these DOG DAYS of summer is appreciated. We have such wonderful friends who have invited us to come to their pools anytime. We go to one particular friend's house every Friday. We take a picnic lunch and stay all day. We are all brown, tired and happy at the end of the day. THANKS, dear friends!

Sleep

I am just wondering, what is it in a 12 year old's life that keeps him from sleeping. His lack of sleep is KILLING me. I am falling into bed in the evening. I am barely waking up in the morning. He is outdoing me on both! Lots of activity, or no activity....he just isn't the "sleepy teenager" that I was expecting. I was never a big sleeper when I was a kid...well, until my thyroid went wacky.....but I was never a sleep all Saturday long type. I would stay out very late, and still only be able to sleep until 10 am. After Himself and I were married, we would stay up late on a Friday night. Saturday morning, I would be up at 7:30. He would sleep until noon. You can't make someone sleep. I guess it is a good thing he likes to read.

What is in Store...

I never know what is in the future. I never know from one minute to the next what is coming. The future could be good, or it could be bad. When the future arrives, how will I respond? In panic? With tears? In frustration? Jeremiah 29:11 tells me that "He KNOWS the plans that He has for me....plans for welfare, NOT for calamity, to give me a FUTURE and a HOPE." I want my responses to the future to be for His glory. They are NOT always that way. I want my responses to be from a heart that is not afraid. Fear is paralyzing. Fear makes me run away. God doesn't want me to run away, He wants me to run toward HIM. He gives the peace that surpasses ALL understanding. Help me, Lord, to run to you in my times of fear.

Help

God always finds the time for me. In my darkest hour, He is there. He does not abandon me. He walks quietly beside me. He waits for my heart to turn to Him. He doesn't yell or scream. He just waits. He knows. He is there. I am filled with joy. Have you listened to Him?

Bring the Rain

When I do not expect it, God gives me His peace. He leads me beside the still waters. He quiets me with His love. He rejoices over me with singing. There are times when I just need to sit. Times when I just need to listen to His voice. He doesn't have to yell. I just have to be listening. Help me, Lord, to listen to Your voice. I need You. I cannot make it without You. I am humbled that You love me without fail.

God

God is great.
God is good.
Let us thank Him.....
for so much more than food,
for His grace
for His mercy
for His unending love
for His willingness to love even the most horrible sinner
for His passion to draw us to Himself
for His kindness that leads us to repentance
for His gentleness in times of grief
for His precious, precious peace.

Thank Him much and often.

With God....

I am a bit perplexed with life these days. I do not understand how God can take a life that is so miserable and make it into something good. HE is really speaking to me these days, but I find so much background noise that has to be turned down or gotten away from. I WANT to hear what HE has to say to me. A side note is that sin NEVER EVER only affects just one person. I am living through that and trying to get to the other side. How do you help a person who wants to continue to sin? PRAY, PRAY, PRAY. That is the only solution I have right now. I want to fix all that said person's personal demons, but I don't have that right or ability. Listen to my prayers, Lord. Answer my desperate cries. This is WAY too much for a person. I am glad that I have you.

My blog

You know it has been too long since you blogged when....you see YOUR OWN blog on someone else's page and you go to visit that "new" blog because it sounds like something you would be interested in!!!! HA!
We are off to ballet dress rehearsal. I am looking forward to spending time with my friend. She and I haven't spent much time together lately and so this should be fun. Tomorrow is the recital and I can't wait to see my 4 children dancing. It is something that they are really good at doing. DH's parents were supposed to be coming, but DH's mother is very sick. We will get to see them at a different time.
Short, but sweet.

A New Blog Entry for Dawn

Dawn, my dear friend, is working on being green. I am at a place in life where green is good, but not necessary. I will say that I am willing to grow an avocado plant in my kitchen so that we can share oxygen and carbon dioxide. I am also willing to NEVER put my fallen leaves in bags on the curb. WHO came up with that idea? Leaves turn into mulch. They fertilize the earth and the earth grows. Using up black plastic garbage bags and sending them to a landfill doesn't exactly shout "GREEN" to me. Anyway, those are my contributions.
Dawn is my inspiration. SHE is awesome at going green.

SNOW!

Snow is fun. Snow is more fun if there is more than an 1/8th of an inch! This, however, has not hindered the children one bit. They have made snowcones. They have had snowball fights. There are at least two snowballs in the freezer "for later, Mama!" There is at least an inch of water on the kitchen floor. Most of the kitchen utensils (ladles, butter knives, spatulas) are buried somewhere in the front yard.....just enough snow for them to "disappear"! Don't get me wrong...I really do love snow. I LIVE for the winter. DH tells me that snow is bad when it is there all winter - rusted out cars, dirty snow, etc. But, if I lived in Lillehammer, I wouldn't have to worry about cars and dirty snow....I would just put cross-country skis on all the children and send them to the store for me! :)

Now, the only thing that would make this snow better REALLY would be a nice blazing fire, a cup of coffee, a Diana Gabaldon novel and QUIET. I haven't found the quiet yet, so ...off to piano with 4 Baker children and two Stout children. Life around here is never dull.

Daniel and Ren

Our ladies Bible study group is studying Daniel this year. We completed the first half of the book last fall. Last night, we started the second half. I am so excited about Daniel. I love having a study to do each day in my book. I only wish there was more information so that I really could have 1o or so days worth of work. We have spread out the lessons and videos so that instead of being a 12 week course, it is taking us 9 months. I really feel like I get to know the information so much better that way. We have a great group of ladies who come and worship together. We pray for one another and enjoy visiting with one another before and after our study. I am so thankful that God has given us His Bible. What a treat! I love how I have read something many times, and yet something new always pops out when I read.
We are deciding to send Ren to Veritas starting next week. This is a HUGE step for me. I have always had him at home and it is a little daunting to think that I am sending him out to be under someone else. Not that I think that someone else can't teach him, just he can be such a difficult student. I haven't ever wanted to subject anyone else to that. I will be praying that he will listen and learn and really love being with other kids and really love the learning. He is SO smart and has SO much ability. I want to see it put to good use.

Catching Up!

It is so fun to be finding friends in lots of places on Facebook. I am finding people that I haven't talked to in YEARS! There are also those that I would love to find, but can't. It is amazing to me how important it becomes (as I get older) to find those who are able to "remember" with me. I know it seems silly, but getting older brings with it a wanting to be around those who spent time with you when you were younger. It seems when you are young, you spend your time wanting to "get away"- to prove that you don't necessarily need anyone. You want to establish yourself and become independent. Then, you grow up, get married, have kids and watch the kids grow. Then, you discover that you crave finding your old friends. You want to connect with those who shared your "back then" life. I am so thankful that God has placed so many wonderful friends in my life. I am so glad that He is bringing so many of those friends back into my path. Thank you, Lord.

2009!

I am starting the new year with a praise to my heavenly Father. Without Him, I am nothing. Without Him, all would be naught. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him all above ye heavenly hosts! Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen!