Happy Birthday, Keelie!

BLISS!

Jenna's car had to go to the dealership on Saturday. Marilyn rode with me to meet met her there. Instead of sitting around at the service department all morning, we left and had lunch at BJ's. Then....Jenna was absolutely insistent upon going to a new cupcake place a co-worker had told her about. (Well, girl, twist my arm!!)

All we could say was....WOW!

I don't even remember the flavor I ate; I do remember cake, filling, icing, and two kinds of topping. However, I don't think the flavor you choose would really matter one iota.

Again......WOW!

(Just for the record....I wasn't totally out of control. Marilyn and I shared ONE. Yep, that's the truth.)

Jonah, BBall, and Having Fun

Not sure who had more fun -- him or me.

Watching some little kindergarteners laugh, dance, wiggle and CARRY the basketball down the court provided some great entertainment last night.

The New Study

I was so thrilled to get started again tonight with our ladies' bible study. I had missed our weekly time together. This is a brand new study Beth Moore has written. It's going to be SO good. I have already been blessed in Week One.

"See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple. Bible scholars compare James to the prophet Amos. In other ways, James more closely resembles the Book of Proverbs than any other New Testament book. Topics in this study include: joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer."  LifewayD3Y8-8EXMS0-D3Y8-

Thanks'living' Evening

Yep, it was one of those precious times for me. Last night, Keelie brought a meal down to the house. She had made a couple of comfort foods that we all could enjoy (especially Tim with his soft diet).

Lots of good food and conversation at the table....

After the kitchen was cleaned, I retreated with the others to the living room.

As I sat on my nice comfy sofa,  I looked around admiring the picture in front of me. Family members, young and "older," with electronics going (the iphones, laptops, and oh, Tim's heating pad!). The television was playing to the tune of the Mavs and Tebow. Magazine pages being flipped through.

What a blessing and joyful thing. Thank you for Your Love and the love of others. What a Godstop!

(“The stop in GodStop comes from the acronym: God: Savoring the Observable Presence. When God makes Himself observable, we want to stop and take notice.  Savor the moment! A Godstop is any means by which God seems to go out of His way during your day to make Himself known to you." Believing God/Beth Moore)

From Sad to Glad
by Patsy Clairmont

For years I dragged my sorry self around like a bag of old potatoes, weighed down by an inexplicable sadness. Then I slowly began to realize I was a big influence on myself and I could make some changes that would help lift my own spirit. Some of these things sound too simple to matter, but give it a try and see if it doesn’t promote goodwill in your own heart and home.

Sing: No, it doesn’t matter if you sound like fingernails on chalkboards, just sing. And choose happy songs that once made your toe tap and your heart skip. Put on a Women of Faith praise CD and worship the Lord.

Warning: At first you won’t feel like doing this if you are in the doldrums, but with all the love in the world, may I suggest you do it anyway. (Don’t make me come over there.)

Laugh: Call up a funny friend and stir up some health-producing endorphins. Deliberately lighten up. Yes, pretend if you have to, because many a time I started out phony-ly happy and ended up genuinely joyful.

Serve: Do something for someone else. It gets our mind off us. Bake a cake, send a card, plan a party for someone you love or don’t, pick a bouquet for a neighbor, take a group to a Women of Faith event, etc.

Study: Pick a Bible passage to study then memorize one of the verses that cheers you. God’s Word changes our mind and strengthens our fragile character.

Create: There’s something about working with one’s mind and heart in a creative manner that releases bad vibes and restores the soul. You don’t have to be an artist to create, I promise. I did watercolors for a couple of years before I painted something identifiable. It startled me when I recognized my effort. I showed a friend and we immediately framed and hung it before it disappeared.

Maybe you’d rather cook, bake, garden, dance, sew, scrapbook…okay, do it.

Avoid: Pity parties. Newscasts. Negative people. Racy books. Overeating. Sad movies. Excuses.

***Patsy Clairmont is an awesome regular speaker at Women of Faith.

Uncle Tim's Surgery

Thought I would document that yesterday, January 10, 2012. Rick, Marci and I were sitting in the lobby of a Dallas hospital as our special "Uncle Tim" (their brother/my brother-in-law) had neck surgery.

Oh thank you, Lord, for a safe trip. Rick drove us to Dallas in traffic and rain! Not that he can't drive; he did a great job. He just hates traffic. We started prepping and talking patience the day before.

We saw Jenna at the hospital as she was on duty upstairs in ICU. Got to meet some of her friends and see her office. Thank goodness we didn't need those ICU services.

This picture of Rick, Marci and Tim was taken New Year's Eve at Chad and Tara's wedding.

Congratulations Tara and Chad

Marilyn's post about the wedding included where you can go to see Tara's bridal portrait shots.

Keelie's post about the wedding included some awesome thoughts and reflections.

I took 300 pictures of the event. The wedding was incredible and so special! What a fun weekend. I love our family! 

 The beautiful couple....