My Everything Quilt

What a treat! We had a white Christmas here in Woodstock. It snowed all day and a good part of the next day. Christmas this year was on Saturday. Due to the dangerous road conditions, church was canceled for Sunday. Deborah, Neal and Amelia spent the day with us Christmas Day. Because of the road conditions, they spent the night as well. It was so nice having a baby in the house again. The day was very nice. We ate a leisurely breakfast (around noon!) and then exchanged gifts. It is so much fun to watch your loved ones open gifts you've given them, hoping they enjoy them as much as you anticipate! No "major" gifts this year, but a lot of love given with every item. We cooked a big lunch/dinner of ham and macaroni/cheese and so forth. My family could eat mac and cheese 365 days a year! After the dishes were cleaned, again, it was game time. We always play games together on Christmas. We played card games this year: Oh, Shoot and Hit the Deck. This took us well into the wee...

I'm a grandmother! Amelia Jane Parker was born this morning at 4:06a.m. She is 18.5 inches long and weighs 6lbs. and 8 oz. She is the most adorable baby! David's first comment was, "They're all girls! What did you expect?!"

50. I'm not exactly sure how I like this number yet. I do like when people tell me I don't look 50, or when they say they hope they look as good when they get to 50. If I only live to be in my 80s, I have already lived over half my life. Now, that is not something I wish to dwell on right now! David's work schedule had him out of town for my birthday. So, we decided to celebrate the weekend before. I told him all I wanted for my birthday was to have all my family go out to dinner to a very nice restaurant we would not normally go to. In other words, an expensive one!! After all, I took him to Aruba when he turned 50! We went to the Sun Dial Restaurant atop the Westin Hotel in Atlanta. It is one of those restaurants that rotates around the building. It was just about dusk when we arrived, so we were able to see the city during daylight and then watch the sunset and see the city in all its lights. All of the girls, and spouses, were able to join us, so I got what I asked for!...

"Life's not the breaths you take, the breathing in and out, that gets you through the day. Ain't what it's all about. You just might miss the point, trying to win the race. Life's not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away." These are the words to a George Strait song. Every time I hear it, my eyes tear up. Because it is so very true. Yes, there are some things in my life I wish were different, but there are also some very special moments that do take my breath away. The moment my husband walks in the door after a business trip and gives me the hug I've been waiting for all week; my daughters telling me good night at the end of the day and saying "I love you"; looking at my pregnant daughter's belly grow with my first grandchild; knowing God loves me and forgives me when I fail Him. Life's full of moments that will take your breath away. Don't let life get in the way and miss them!

One of my favorite persons in the Old Testament is Joseph. I love the whole story. His faithfulness to God, God's faithfulness to him. The reunion with his brothers always brings a tear to my eyes. Then as the book of Genesis closes and Joseph dies, he makes his family promise to carry his bones out of Egypt one day. When Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt after hundreds of years, they do carry Joseph's bones. They also plunder the Egyptians, as God said they would. Less than 100 Israelites went into Egypt seeking food during a famine, and now 100's are leaving a life of slavery. Now the story really gets interesting to me. They have God in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night leading them to exactly where He wants them to go. They come to the Red Sea, He miraculously parts it and allows it to return and drown their pursuers! They become hungry as they wander to who knows where and God provides manna each and every day. They grow tired of ...

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.~Eph. 4:1-3, 31, 32 It seems I can't get away with anything. I begin to have thoughts and feelings of anger, bitterness, and resentment, then wham! I read God's Word and it's in my face. Be kind. Love one another. Forgive. Patience. And the biggy-walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called! I really am glad God is faithful to me. Today I was headed down the pity-party path. With a lot of anger and frustration thrown in to make it interesting. But I sat down ...

We are in Savannah and it is thundering with lightning. I just love a real good storm. I hope it rains buckets for hours. It's starting to rain. Oh, good, now the electricity has gone out. This keeps getting better and better. I could so easily close my eyes and go to sleep right now. David and Hannah both are doing just that. I love listening to the sound of a storm while I try to go to sleep. Had lunch with Mom, Gayle, and Cynthia today. It was supposed to be a girls' lunch, but we let Daddy join us. You know, it really is true; you don't appreciate things/people until you don't have it/them all the time. I didn't use to enjoy spending time with my sisters; now I wish I had the opportunity to have lunch with them every week. And Mom and Dad, I really need to spend more time with them. Mom has fallen and has a black eye. It looks awful. Daddy just sits there most of the time, unaware of what anyone is talking about. He can't hear well which is part of the reaso...

Sunday was Father's Day. I don't really know the origin of the special day for our dads. But if mothers can have a designated day then I guess fathers should have one also. Actually, as I have been thinking about it, I think fathers deserve more than just one special day. I mean look at all they do for their families. They work hard and oftentimes long hours (many must work these hours away from their loved ones), they take care of the things around the house the wife and/or children don't like to do (such as bug control and yard work), they maintain our vehicles, they do all the heavy stuff like moving furniture, they fix our computers when we haven't got a clue (at least in our house) and numerous other things. Sometimes I think there is not enough appreciation for these men. My dad. I like to call him "Pops." I remember as a child Daddy would play with us when he got home from work. He was a very good horse! One year our church awarded him "Mother of t...

We went to a wedding this past weekend. It was the first wedding we've been to since our daughter was married in March. The bride is an only child. We've known this family for many, many years. Our daughter and the bride used to be the best of friends when they were much younger. Now our older daughter is like a daughter to this couple and she was in the wedding. Strange, I know. The mother of the bride looked elegant. The bride was beautiful. The wedding itself was very pretty. And the fact that another daughter of ours did the flowers and coordinated the wedding is beside the point! It was a nice ceremony, typical, not strange or unusual. There was a moment of sadness for me, though, when the father of the bride PROUDLY walked his daughter down the aisle. He was smiling from ear to ear. Of course, he was also dealing with a lot of emotions! The face of the bride was beaming! You could tell she was nervous, yet so very happy to be on her father's arm heading down the aisle...

It's here! The week of church camp for the girls is my week to catch up on my scrapbooking. I look forward to these 4 days every year. I know some people think I'm nuts to spend 4 whole days (and at times all night) putting pictures in a scrapbook, but I really enjoy it. I am usually behind (this year I'm working on 2008). It is fun to remember what was happening in our family by looking at the pictures. It is also interesting to see how my girls have grown and changed. Among some of the fun events from '08 were Gran's 80th birthday and the Riverboat Cruise we took her on. That summer we all spent a week at the beach in St. George, Florida. There were 10 of us including Gran, Deborah and Neal, and Leah's then boyfriend, Blake. Our friends David and Terry Thompson were invited to join us, but at the last minute Terry couldn't go. David and their daughter, Rachel, did spend the week with us. Our friends, Ted and Cindy Boone, were a few houses down the beach fr...

I'm struggling here. My heart says one thing; my head keeps telling it something else. It's that faith and trust thing again. Repeat: love is patient, love is not jealous, love does not take into account a wrong suffered, love does not act unbecomingly, love bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love NEVER fails. Keep telling yourself that-over and over and over. Life never gets easier; it only gets harder. Love never gets easier; it only gets harder.

We have never really made too big a deal about Mother's Day around here. I mail my mother and mother-in-law cards. The girls give me cards. David usually gives me flowers. And I cook Sunday lunch, sometimes everyone's favorite dish. This year was a bit unusual. First of all, a bouquet of flowers was delivered on Friday. From my daughters!! I can not even begin to express how surprised I was by this! David also gave me a bouquet of flowers! (It is a good thing I love flowers!!) Rebekah, Deborah and Neal left for Croatia on Saturday, while I was hosting a bridal shower no less. Due to a volcano eruption in Iceland in April, flights have been affected all over Europe. So, our team was stuck in Munich, Germany due to cancelled flights. By now they had been traveling almost 24 hours and had no idea when they would get to their final destination. Leah and Blake joined us for lunch, which was a real treat. We haven't spent any time with them since their wedding. We looked at the w...

It all started with stomach cramps, fever and nausea. The cramps decreased eventually, but the nausea wouldn't let up. I had not felt nausea like that since my last pregnancy, 14 years ago! There was some minor pain on the right side of my abdomen. So, that meant it wasn't my appendix. Then Monday morning, the most intense, sharp, excruciating pain I have ever felt hit. On my LEFT side! Hurry! Call 911! David had left late Sunday night to go to Iowa. One of the girls was to be with me at all times due to the fact I tend to pass out when I'm ill. So Hannah and Moriah had taken turns sleeping in my room. At 6:00am Monday morning I woke Hannah and told her to go get Rebekah. I had this very intense pain that I knew I could not deal with. It was going to require professional help and fast! Rebekah called 911 and within 10 minutes my room was filled with 6 large men! I only needed 1 or 2 at most! They took my vital signs, felt my abdomen and said I had earned a ride to the hospi...

Does everyone have one of those people in their lives that give "interesting" gifts? You never know quite what to expect when they give you a present. Sometimes you even hold your breath while opening the gift waiting for the unveiling of who knows what! Most times you open the gift and wonder what they were thinking that caused them to buy this and give it to YOU. Were they thinking of you and your likes/dislikes; or just buying a gift because there was an occasion for a gift? Usually the gift tells the answer to that question! But you can be sure they meant for it to be special. Unfortunately, it usually is more special to them than to you. You just look at it, shake your head, and wonder what you are going to do with it. Then comes the obligatory thank you note. What do you say? Do you just thank them for the gift and don't mention exactly what it was? Do you say how you plan to use it? Do you dare mention how thoughtful it was of them to think of you in such a generou...

Wow!! To say that I am excited would be the understatement of the year! My daughter is having a baby! When the time came that I would no longer be the one to be having babies, I began to look forward to the day when my children would make me a grandmother. That name, "grandmother," sounds so old, though. So, we are going to have to come up with a not-so-old sounding name! Grandmother. I remember my grandmothers well. I remember spending a lot of time with them, even though they did not live in the same town we did. My parents would take us to them to spend the summer vacation. We would go to them at Christmas. I even remember an Easter in Moultrie, where Granny and Daddy Bo lived. I remember riding in Granny's car; she was rather short and could barely see over the steering wheel! They lived on a farm and I loved to go out to see the cows and any other animals that would be in the barn. I used to love meals in Granny's small kitchen. We would cram all 6 of us, my aunt...

To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.~Jude 24,25 We have victory in Jesus if we'll just live out what we've been given. It's not a victory to live the way we want to, but to live the way God wants us to. When we do that, we show His majesty and power to the world.~Open the eyes of my heart devotional

I love my husband. All day I have been struggling with something that I just can't seem to let go of. Then he calls and in 2 minutes calms me down and helps me look at the situation from a totally different perspective. More objectively, of course. Sometimes his way of looking at things can really get me frustrated. But most times, especially when it is an emotional issue, he can remain much more objective than I can. So why did I spend all day in emotional turmoil when all I needed to do was talk to him?! You would think after all these years I would have learned by now. I guess it just goes to show me how much I really do need him in my life. He is my rock, my anchor. Thank you, God, for giving me just exactly who I needed to share my life with. David, I love you more...

Leah is married. The wedding was very sweet. The bride was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous. You couldn't have asked for a better day. And yet... I have been learning for months now, that you can't control others actions; you can only control your own. No matter how painful another person's actions are toward you, you are only responsible for the way you act. The bottom line is you HAVE to leave it in God's hands. He uses all things to conform us to the image of His Son. Even, and especially the painful things. I have learned a lot going through these past few months in preparation for Leah's wedding. I have learned when to speak and when to just say nothing. I have tried to do the right thing because it was the right thing to do, no matter how I "felt" about it. I have watched my husband struggle with a pain I cannot image for a father to endure. I have cried until I thought there could not be any more tears, and yet there were. Through it all, my cons...

"Where do you turn for help? Turn to God's throne and call upon Him. Our Savior stands there, interceding for us. This requires that we stop focusing on our problems, trying to figure everything out, and thinking it's all up to us. When we call upon the Lord, He fights for us. He has the power to change circumstances, create new solutions, and sharpenour perspective. With our eyes off our problems, the battle is won."~Open the Eyes of my Heart devotional

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Lord, don't let me be just a lot of noise. Help me show love as well as speak of love. "If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I want to DO, not just KNOW that I am loving. "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." Love is an ACTION. "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, and is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endur...

I just watched a video that was so incredibly timed it is unreal. I needed the reminder that God is the One who holds me up. He uses the trials in my life to shape me into the image of His Son. He gently, and sometimes not so gently, chisles away everything that gets in the way. He wants total control of my life, not just what I think I can't handle. (Which right now is pretty much everything!) The question then is this. Do I completely trust Him to control this situation? Do I want to know His ways and not my ways? Am I really relying on His righteous right hand to hold me up no matter what comes? Do I want this situation to glorify Him or make me happy? His timing is not my timing. Therefore, I have no choice but to rely on His widsom to work ALL things ACCORDING TO His will, IN His time, FOR His purpose, FOR His glory. Mold me, shape me, O God, according to Your will and purpose! My desire is to please You in all I do and say.

It has been a while. Quick update, details later. January 30: Went to Savannah for Dad's 80th birthday party. February 3: Deborah's 24th birthday; February 5th: Neal's 24th birthday. Valentine's Day: David gave me flowers and dinner at Stoney River and George Strait concert tickets!!! The girls and Neal surprised me (and David) with cards and flowers and candy! Sunday the 21st: Was asked to go with Leah to the Ranch for final arrangements for the wedding. Today: The wedding is in 9 days. The emotional rolllercoaster ride is working again. The George Strait concert is tonight!

Yesterday was one emotional day. I am so glad it is over. It was one of those days where you wake up already on the brink of losing it and as things progress, eventually something happens and the dam breaks. That something doesn't have to be big; a little something will work! I love it when friends remind you of things you already know, but you just needed to hear it. Of course, it can also be very convicting. A question was posed to me that I had not considered before. It was like a wake up. I had to look at myself and confess what I wanted was not what I should be wanting. That question: Do you want a relationship with ___ more than a relationship with God? And then I was hit with another question: Are you more concerned about ___ relationship with God than your relationship with ___? Thought-provoking doesn't even come close. Heart-searching is more like it. I am trying to keep my mind focused on God's best and His timing. But there are those times where meltdowns occur....

Isn't it wonderful how God shows His faithfulness?! You pray and pray and He answers in ways you really don't expect. Lesson to be learned here: Don't worry! God is in control and He does have your best in mind! He NEVER fails! He can't; He is God! That burden you think is too much to bear? He's there to carry it for you. You think you are getting the bad end of the deal? He loves you and wants what is best for you. His word is true and you can place your trust in it. He is faithful, just, true, and worthy of our praise. OK, maybe it was not such a big deal. But to you it was a big deal and it caused you concern. He is the God of all comforts. You really can count it all joy when you encounter various trials. My role in all this is to know His word and trust in it! I may never see the results, but I can know He hears my prayers and knows my hurtings. It's just His timing is not always my timing.

"I am not your servant." How many times have I felt like saying that to my children? And my husband, for that matter?! The problem then arises: I want to have a servant's heart! I would call this a dilemma. So, how do I serve my family with an attitude of service and not want to tell them to do it themselves? How do I not angrily say to the child sitting on the sofa watching TV while I unload the groceries, "You now have food!"? How am I supposed to teach them to do for themselves and not wait for someone else to do for them, and to serve one another at the same time? When I come behind them and wipe up the crumbs they left or I put the dish in the dishwasher they didn't take time to do, is this serving them or am I doing them a disservice by not making them learn to do for themselves? I have struggled with this issue for years (my oldest now being 25) and still have not found an answer that is satisfying. I keep saying that love is an action. Taking care of...

Just got home from a pleasant evening with a friend. We treated ourselves to Frosty Frog salads and quiche, and coffee and cake for dessert. The food was just right. And the conversation was...well you know how it goes when 2 friends haven't been able to visit for a while. We caught each other up on our lives and so forth. When you start thinking too much about what is going on in your life, good and/or bad, you can so easily forget that other people have problems, too. Not trying to compare problems, but some things just help to put your own troubles into a different perspective. Your problem is still there along with whatever goes with it, but you can forget for a while and try to offer comfort to someone else. Or at least listen to them share their hurts and concerns. I am thankful for my friends and their understanding when sometimes I don't even understand myself.

Hannah and I are reading The Hiding Place for school. This is a story I am very familiar with. I saw the movie years ago, when it first came out, and Rebekah was in a play. However, just having read the first three chapters, I think this book is going to be way more than I imagined it to be. Mr. ten Boom seems to have been a very godly man with much wisdom. For example: When Corrie asked her father to explain sex to her, he asked her to carry a travel case that was obviously too heavy for her. She said she would not be able to carry it. He told her that as her father it was his responsibility to carry things for her that were too heavy until she could handle them. This was one of those things. On losing her first love, her father comforted her with the words, "Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, God can give us the perfect way." He once told Corrie that our heavenly Father knows just what we need, and when we need it; don't run ahead of Him. I think this book ...

All I want is a new flower arrangement for my dining room table. I would prefer to buy a ready made one as opposed to making it myself. However, there are no acceptable arrangements out there to be had. The only nice part of my shopping trip today was spending time with my 2 oldest daughters. I just love to browse in stores with them. We each express our likes and dislikes of items, many times agreeing, occasionally disagreeing! But always fun! So, I guess I will wait until the new spring arrangements are out, and hopefully there will be something I like. I did return home to find my 2 youngest had done their chores and mine! What a blessing! I think my husband had even helped. What would I do without my precious family?!

It's the beginning of a new year and I want to do something I've never done before. The answer: this blog! I am not a great writer, I do not have a lot of profound wisdom to share with people, I don't have any earth shattering experiences that will amaze people. I just like to put my thoughts down once in a while so I can go back later and see what was happening in my life and how I lived through it. I write down verses that impact my thinking, and hopefully my actions; when I come across someone else's saying, I like to write that down so I will remember it. I even like to write down things I come across while reading. So, a good bit of this blog may come from other people! But, I wanted some place to record what is happening in my life and the members of my family.