Knowing Your Place

You are seated with Christ at God's right hand...
Nothing is higher than that !
God loves you with an everlasting love...
Nothing is deeper than that !
He invites you to drink from the river of His delights...
Nothing is purer than that !
He shares His heart with you in communion...
Nothing is dearer than that !
He watches over you with tender mercies...
Nothing is kinder that that !
He is with you and will never leave you...
Nothing is nearer than that !
He leads you according to the counsel of His own will...
Nothing is wiser than that !
He faithfully feeds you from His word...
Nothing is truer than that !
He is in you and joined to your spirit...
Nothing is closer than that !

-Roy Lessin

I (heart) family

Families

fillour
liveswith
happinessand
laughterleavingus
memoriesto
treasuretoday
andforeverafter.

from a thoughtful friend

And just what I needed
to brighten up my day
and my desk.

Uncle Jerry

Monday morning, my mom's brother, my Uncle Jerry, passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack. This is very difficult, following the two recent diagnosis of cancer and surgeries for my Granny and my Aunt Judy, that our family has faced since Christmas.

Last night, I took some time to write down a few memories that I never want to forget. Uncle Jerry is my crazy, fun, wild uncle. I always remember him laughing and cutting up. He had an infectious smile and big hearty laugh. He lived at home. And Granny spoiled him - her baby boy. She did his laundry, cooked for him, and woke him up. I can still hear Granny calling him "Jerry Dean, it's time for you to wake up. You're gonna be late for work." He always slept on the couch - and had a slight fetish about no one laying on his pillow and blankets. Since he worked 3rd shift, oftentimes, he was asleep while we were there. As kids, I, along with cousins, would sometimes 'pester' him while he was asleep and run away to hide. Sometimes we even played in his bedroom - and I confess that we sometimes 'plundered' in his things on his dresser, wondering who the little valentine teddy bears came from. :) And he always had a pocket-FULL of change. And when he emptied out on the shelf in the living room - I remember, playing in all his change. I vividly recall him emerging from the bathroom after his shower without his shirt on - looking like the woolly booger he was - and the smell of his cologne infiltrating the house. Oh, how we loved to tease him. As a matter of fact, just a few weeks ago, I teased him of being 'high tech' with his blackberry cell phone. And I've always thought it unique and quite 'cool' that he had a fishing buddy named Pinky.

And although, he was a bit feisty and a little hot-headed at times, he had a big heart and loved his family. I recall him showing up at our house one Sunday afternoon while out riding his Harley Davidson. He was there for my family when my Daddy died. He came to my graduation. And if I remember correctly he was at my wedding. He adored and loved his mama (my Granny). Most recently, since Granny's surgery, his love was more evident. Roles reversed, and he stepped up and took part in caring for Granny.

Although, I never heard Jerry profess Jesus as His Savior, my earnest prayer is that in his final moments, He found God's grace sufficient and His mercy full and new Monday morning.

And Thursday, at his funeral, I'll be wearing a leather jacket in his memory.

reading

I'm not into reading as much as I have been.
In my younger days, when I had more free time,
I read lots and lots of fiction - particularly Christian Romance.

This is my current book stack.

To read. And to finish reading.
As you can tell, these days,
I enjoy reading about 'real' people.
And I like 'help' books.
And, yes, I've started a few of these,
... reading more than one book at a time.

I guess our reading style and habits changes with age, as well.

Do you have any 'good reads' to suggest?
What have you been reading or planning to read?

needs prayer

My family needs much prayer. Your prayers for us are appreciated.

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I've got spring fever

Mr. Groundhog saw his shadow last week.

So, I say, "Hurry up, spring!"The other weekend we had temps in the upper 60's.
I was anxious to get out of the house and enjoy sunshine.So, I, along with my cousin and her kiddos headed to the park.
Another cousin of mine met me with her little boy,
so that I could babysat while she did some training/testing.
It was interesting to watch the kids interact, get to know each other,
... and learn each others names (this especially for 2-year olds).
After playing at the park,
we stopped in at Dairy Queen for lunch and ice cream.What fun we had!I think I enjoyed the day outdoors as much as the children.

a hard-working husband

I take great pleasure in watching him work.

He loves building.
And he knows his stuff.
He enjoys developing 'cool' ideas for building.
He works hard. All the time.
At times, he works 16 hours out of the day.
Working 8 hours on 3rd shift.
Driving to a construction job.
Working another 5-7 hours.
Coming home to sleep 6 or so hours.
And then doing it all over again.

He's tough. He's rough.
He's awesome. He's amazing.
And he's all mine.I love my hard-working husband.

our outside dogs

While in VA, our outside dogs stayed at Chris' parents

and my father-in-law fed and cared for them.
(Thanks so much, J -- we appreciate it so!)
A few months ago, once all was settled,
Chris brought the 'boys' home.
Chris is so happy to have them in the backyard again.
And I think the dogs are pretty excited to be home.
Chris took a few pictures of them the other day in the snow.
(I wasn't willing to make the trek)

This is Ickes (aka The King). Our first-born dog.
He was given to us shortly after we were married.
January 2001 or 2002. (can't quite remember)
In dog years, he's a senior citizen for sure.
Chris is his master - and loyal describes him to a "T."
He doesn't like rain.
And obviously he doesn't like snow.
Chris said he came out of his house once for this picture,then retreated back to his warm, dry abode.

This is JD (aka short-stuff). He'll be 7 years old in April.
He doesn't mind the snow.
All he wants to do is play, play, play.
And chase the ball (see it at his feet).He also likes to pester Ickes.
He even picks a fight occasionally.
They are both jealous of Chris' attention."Welcome home, boys, welcome home!"

a fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day

It Thursday, December 30th.

Roughly 7:45 PM.
We arrived in the Wendy's parking lot.
And H and A jumped out of their family's car and into ours.
Straight to the bowling alley we went.
It was going to be a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.
We bowled two games.
H bowled a strike.
And A .. well, just look at him.He is quick.
We snacked on soda, nachos, and fruit snacks.After bowling, we headed home to open Christmas presents.
I could tell it was going to be a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.Chris and A played the Playstation a little while.
H and I played a competitive game of Connect Four.
Next up was some puppy love and play time.Thumpy loved all the extra attention this dog-loving kiddos gave.
Then Chris and A wanted to play the Connect Four game.And H and I decided on pedicures
compliments of one another.
Then, I knew it was going to be a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.At around 1 AM, it was time for another snack.
Popcorn, Cheez-Its, Cookies, Doughnuts, milk
Whatever we wanted from the pantry.
My, my, this was definitely going to be a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.And on we went to play some exciting games of Pizza Party.
Lastly, we put our drawing and quick-thinking skills to test
with a mad game of Pictionary.
I just knew this was absolutely going to be a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.
Next up was bedtime. After all, it was 2:30 AM
We spread out our blankets.
And all slept together.
Me, H, A, Thumpy, and Chris.
Most certainly, it was a
fantastic, awesome, not bad, very good day.
I don't think I'll be moving to Australia.
H and A wouldn't live close by then.

story designed similar to
Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

a funny

Last night, I took a drink out of my water bottle,

and Chris started 'grossing out.'
And he said, "I am never drinking after you again.
Look at all the 'floaties.'"

I then informed him that
what he saw was lemon pulp and seeds.
I had made fresh lemonade with my water.
And I do not backwash.

crazy confessions

• I confess -- I'm struggling and becoming frustrated with learning how to use my new cell phone. I'm not-so tech savvy. I often send blank test messages. And do not log off of Facebook, therefore, I am 'on' FB chat 24/7.
• However, I have completed the Angry Birds game app. I am 'addicted', I confess.
• I am extremely clumsy and klutzy. Saturday evening, I confess, I ran into the corner of an open kitchen cabinet door - got smacked in the forehead - I now have a bruise and bump.
• I confess - I took a 2-hour nap with my sleeping 3rd shift husband yesterday afternoon. Probably, because, after a weekend of beautiful weather, I have a serious case of the 'blahs.'
• And lastly, I confess, although I am 'caught up' on washing many, many loads of laundry (6 to be exact) - it all remains unfolded, piled high on my kitchen table. I did cook dinner last night, nevertheless, we didn't eat at the table. lol.