I'm dreaming of.... Tiger Butter?

Over at Hillbilly Housewife's blog I found this recipe that sounds SOOOO good! I want some. Maybe even right now! This could be because I am recovering from the flu... I almost have all the ingredients too! I don't have the much needed crunchy peanut butter however. Just thinking of how pretty those swirls of chocolate and peanut butter must look in a pan makes my mouth water.

Having successfully caught the flu for the second time in a month, I've been hoping and dreaming of getting better so that I can finish my Christmas shopping and get my house tamed back into shape before our family's big Christmas Eve dinner. But I've been stuck on the couch doing nothing at all towards these goals . And to top it all off, I've given the bug to The Dad.

Excuse me... I'm heading back to the couch again to dream of... Tiger Butter!

The Sudden Flood

I didn't cry until this morning. I got up and went to the kitchen in my usual routine, got my drink of water and turned go look at my Christmas tree and it hit me. There under my Christmas tree was our church's beautiful nativity figures. The wise men bowing under my tree, baby Jesus nestled all snug against his mother Mary. And I teared up.

Yesterday, Daughter L went to clean the church to get it ready for our Christmas Dinner and Sing that will be this coming Sunday. And she noticed, as she walked up to the front door, that there was what she described as "a river of water" coming out from under the doors! "How strange," she thought and opened the door. Out poured a flood of water that washed over and covered her feet. The water poured on and on because the whole, entire church was filled with ankle deep water. I got a frantic phone call, "Mom! There's a river of water pouring out of the church! It's flooded!" I have to admit, even at that moment my mind went to the song, "There is a River". Even as I write this I'm not sure if it was poetry or hysterics. As I got the story from her I ran and got my car keys, Son J and out the door we flew.

Heading to the church just a few miles away every car in front of me was going about 15 miles slower than the speed limit. I think that's a hallmark in situations like this. But finally I got there, it's pouring rain and there's my bedraggled daughter out front of the church and sure enough, there's the river of water still pouring out the open front door. Son Th was there also, poor man! He had got Daughter L's call too, but he was home that day, in bed, doubled up with the stomach flu. But now, there my brave man was trying to stop the flood of water flowing on and on.

The first thing I heard was water rushing. Rushing everywhere around me. I peered in through the front door and water was cascading down from the ceiling just inside the door and the ceiling was coming away in places and hanging down. Looking toward the men's bathroom door I could see in just a little bit and what I saw was amazing. Again, water showering down and chunks of insulation and plaster everywhere. Quickly I turned away because Son Th was still trying to turn the water off at the water main. And now I'm starting to think about the electricity! Water and electricity do not mix and my daughter had just walked up to a building full of water AND electricity! Oh and by the way, I was now standing in that same water. But there was no place to not stand in water because I then noticed that around the entire church yard there was water. The water must have been flooding for some time, there was water out all the way into the neighbors' backyards! My brain was trying to comprehend all this and by this time Son J had taken off his shoes and socks and had rolled up his pants to wade out to the water main to help his brother figure out how to shut off the water. Finally a city worker pulled up in front of the church and helped turn off the main pipe.

Gradually the water slowed and the torrent from the ceiling lessened. Our church's heating and cooling unit uses water to heat and cool with. It's up in our attic. Last week we had the unit checked and I don't know still how or what happened up there, but the water was all coming from up in the attic of our sweet little church that to me now looked destroyed. At last, my husband pulled into the driveway and put on his boots, went into the church and turned off the power. We at least were all now safe from electrical shock. But all of a sudden there was a crash. A big chunk of the ceiling had fallen in! I remembered then that I had my phone that I could take pictures with and so I started taking pictures. Most of them are a little fuzzy because I was shaking with shock, cold and wetness. It was, of course, pouring rain outside still!

I had to leave to go to the library to work after that. It was so hard to drive away. My mind was filled with so many questions. How could this happen? What will we do now? Where will we have church? When can we be happy in our little building again? And then thought hit me; it's just the building. The building might be devastated, but our real church; the people, are safe and we are fine. All will be well.

Sidenote: Thank the Lord for small mercies. Both Sis. D and I were so happy to know that our precious nativity figures had been lovingly placed up on a table last Sunday night in preparation for the church sing. If not for that, our little baby Jesus would have been found floating around the building and we would have had to rename him Moses instead!

Quiet

I am home this morning. Quiet. Doing simple homely type things. It's really cold outside, but the sun is brightly shining. Crisp and snappy are words you could use to describe this delicious morning. I am home. Nothing outside my home is calling me to go do or come be. It's delicious. It's quiet. There is a fat robin outside in my backyard that I watched eat an entire leftover apple fallen from the old apple tree this autumn. My heart is glad that there are a few apples out there waiting for the birds to enjoy on this cold morning. I should have picked them up last fall. But I didn't. The chickens are huddled together out there too. The hens seemed to appreciate the warm water I brought out to them, clucking to themselves and chiding each other to come get a drink while it's still warm. On my back porch there are four boxes full of Christmas decorations and I brought the first one in and set it on my kitchen table. I opened the box and out came a jingle bell necklace, an ornament that I've had since 7th grade and a stocking. How did that stocking get there? It's a leftover stocking. It's Son #4's stocking. He lives far away from us. And my heart constricted and suddenly I found myself longing for the days when I brought out the Christmas decoration boxes and unearthed 9 stockings ready to be filled.

I am restless, here with the quiet of home. It's been exactly one year since two of my children moved out on their own leaving only three of us rattling around in this house together. There are times of quiet. And then there are times when everyone is back home and the house is bustling. I adore those times. Not so sure about the others. Quiet and busy.

I still can't say that I'm accustomed to this quiet. Only one child left at home seems lonely after raising a house full. But, I'm trying to make my peace with the quiet. Let myself even enjoy it now and then. Stopped for a minute here and there to listen to my memories of days gone by when it was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone around the table for lunch, down for naps and hoping I could steal a few minutes of quiet for myself while they all slept. My life is just different now. Quieter. Full of wondering, what should I be doing right now? It's so quiet.

Once Upon a Time....

in a doubtlessly true-to-life land called Nearby, there lived three brothers. One was young, one was older and one was oldest. Now the young brother had come upon some good fortune one day and he decided to purchase two golden tickets to the greatest tournament held in the land. This tournament was held especially to decide who was the most victorious in the land of Nearby. The mighty winner of this tournament would go on to be the challenger in the Great War of the Roses held in a land called Faraway.

Now, immediately upon purchasing the tickets the young brother knew that he would be taking his older brother with him. He was sad that he didn't have enough to buy three tickets so he could take his oldest brother also, but he was happy enough to bring one brother. He couldn't wait to see the mighty heroes at the tournament battle it out for the winner. Slowly the day approached for the clash. His older brother and him made plans and carefully anticipated all the wonders of that day coming.

Meanwhile, the oldest brother watched his two younger brothers look forward to the tournament and rejoiced with them that they would be able to attend. After all, he would be able to hear all about their adventure when they returned from the mighty tournament. Such stories they would tell!

As the Great Tournament Day approached, the young brother who had the two golden tickets began to think. He thought harder and harder about the two tickets he owned. He knew that the most important Holiday in the year was drawing close as well as the great day of the tournament. He knew he didn't have a special gift for his oldest brother and this weighed heavily on his heart of hearts. So, with great love and joy in his heart it came to him one night. He would give his own golden ticket to his oldest brother and let him go to the tournament in his place! The very next day, he ran to give his own golden ticket to his oldest brother. The oldest brother said that no, he couldn't take his place. But the young brother urged and insisted that the ticket was his and he could give it freely to whosoever he desired.

At last the oldest brother accepted the gift of the golden ticket. And as the day dawned of the great and mighty tournament he rejoiced greatly along with his whole family that he had such a noble young brother who would give such a gift to him. Oh the stories he will tell to his young brother after the tournament! But most importantly the oldest brother would have the treasured memory to keep in his heart forever of what his young brother gave up for him.

The End

A Full Heart of Thanksgiving

Today is the fourth day that I've been sick with what my kids are telling me sounds like the Swine Flu. I wouldn't be surprised if it is... or was. At the library I come in contact with so many people, am handed so many things from those people, help those people by touching the same computers they are working on all the while knowing that I am only being kept well by God's amazing grace. So, Thursday night, I felt a sore throat coming on. Be assured that this was the day that I had gone to get a coffee drink for me and Daughter L to share, had (of course)kissed my husband numerous times, kissed Son J goodbye as I went out the door to the library and then sat beside Sis. D at the movies that night sharing with her by personally handing over some of my Junior Mints to eat! May God keep all my loved ones free from what I might have given to them without knowing it! I can't say that the flu hit me as hard as I've heard it has hit many people. I know that everyone was praying for me, along with myself begging Him and so it is definitely God's mercy that I feel so well this morning. I am tired, but no sign of the flu going to my chest. Or even a cough!

The first thought I had when I felt the flu starting was, "oh no! Thanksgiving is just a few days away!" I absolutely love Thanksgiving Day. It's one of my favorite holidays because I get to cook, have everyone I love around me and feel that warm cozy feeling of my home filled with good people, good smells and good food. To me, laughter and love at the holidays is very important because my holidays as a child were filled with alcohol and fighting. Never, ever a good combo. (If you ever want to understand why I adore my husband so much, you would only have to take a minute's peek into my life as a child to see and recognize what a treasure I have today!)

On Friday night, I sent out my husband, Son T. and Son J. to do the Thanksgiving shopping just in case I didn't get well enough to do it myself, knowing that the stores would only get worse the nearer to Thursday we get. I am so thankful because they never missed a beat... they so graciously went and tried to figure out what in the world I meant by "stuffing mix" or "lunchmeat" on the shopping list that I could barely make for them in my flu foggy haze. I think I am pretty well set up for the big day as far as food is concerned!

So I guess this post is meant to say that I have a heart full of Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that God's mercy has been to me in my life. I'm thankful that the flu eased over me instead of taking me with all it's rage. I'm thankful that I have all the food I need to make the meal that will draw all my loved ones here to be with us on Thanksgiving Day. May God fill my home this holiday with peace that my children and grandchildren will stow securely in their hearts!

Down the Driveway He went...

Down the driveway he went this morning. Backing out like he always has, driving away from his home on his way to work. Faithfully he goes to his destination to fulfill his God given job. He's just a man, doing what is right. No big deal, right?

There's a sweet scripture that says something like, "he who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing and obtaineth favor of the Lord". But I'm wondering if there is an opposite scripture for us wives. Something like "she who is found by a husband, is found and greatly blessed and has obtained favor of her God". Nope, I don't think that's in the scripture! But it sure makes my heart glad for the day that my husband found me.

He goes to work every day. He has been my heart's companion for most of my life now. My dearest friend in all the world. And I am awed and humbled by the power I have to make his life sweet... or sad. In awe because I see how easy it would be for me to mess up such a "good thing" that God has given to him. And humbled by the huge responsibility to be a "good thing" to him. The apple of his eye. The one he can be always "ravished with her love" with.

As he went off to work this morning, I pondered about his heart safely trusting in me. He's given me his heart. Is it a precious thing to me? Another place in the Word talks about "doing him good all the days of her life and not evil". I shake my head so many times in wonder at what a gift I have been given in my sweet husband. But do I truly do him good? Each action I take toward my dear one can either make his life sweet or it can make him sad. It's not so much that I send him out the door with a lunch and a kiss that makes his life sweet. It's... do I hear him? Do I care about his heart he has entrusted me with? Do I listen to the underlying thoughts and gestures he makes when he lets his guard down for only me? I stand in awe and am greatly humbled by the work God has given me to do as a wife. It's something I am only beginning to understand the enormity of.

So, as he drives down that driveway each day, I will continue to wave insanely to him; hoping to catch his eye one more time to let him know that his heart is safe in mine. Then I'll go in my bedroom and get on my knees and thank the Lord that He found me for my dear husband and beg His help to be a "good thing" for him for the rest of my days on earth. And then I will be here waiting at the end of each day, when he drives back up into our driveway, safely home.

When Your Hut's On Fire

I found this fable in my inbox this morning from my sweet Daughter-in-Law to be... it made me laugh and cry at the same time. This is just what I hope God is working in my life!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Everyday he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?,' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives..... even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.


(a nod from me to whoever wrote this original fable!)

Courage to Step Out of That Ship

I've had occasion twice now to feel like I am in a small little boat swirling in the current of a gigantic ocean with the wind and waves boisterous around me. We heard yesterday in church about the faith of Peter to step out of his ship in the midst of his boisterous wind and walk to Jesus. And about his sinking because he looked around at the wind and waves. I wondered where I was in that story. I am pretty sure I have been hanging on for dear life to the sides of the boat I've been on. Step out on the water? Mmm.... not sure about that. But I am sure that Jesus has walked out to meet me on that ocean in my boat and that comforts me. My eyes are definitely on him, hoping that my boat won't sink. Surely my boat won't sink with His help?

Courage. Been thinking about the courage my husband and I have needed to step out of our room each day and face our life. We have so many eyes on us. Our children and their companions, our grandchildren, our brethren, people in the world. What will we do now that God has brought sorrow our way-- twice? It was hard enough the first time. We have raised seven children; known the joy and pain of raising little ones. Known the deep abounding love for our children. And then came the grandchildren. Have you ever heard it said that you love your children and then your grandchildren come and you find out that you love them even more, if that is possible? Well, it's true. All our hopes and cares and love go out to our little darlings. Each time one of our girls has announced that we were going to be grandparents again...I can't tell you what wonderful days those have been! To see the Lord bless the wombs of our son's wives has been a blessing beyond compare. And so now we need courage to face life. Courage to stand back and see that God has given so much to our "pelky9" that has turned into "pelkey20"! Courage to know that God can give life again, whenever He chooses. Courage to take steps forward. Courage to stand up and let go of the sides of that boat we are on.

The Sun's Coming Up in the Morning

Once again I faced Satan this morning
and I battled him all the day long
but in my weakness, God sent reinforcement
and at sundown I sang victory's song.

And the sun's coming up in the morning
Every tear will be gone from my eye
This old clay's gonna give way to glory
and like an eagle, I'll take to the sky.

No words can express what we've all gone through in the past few days and will still go through in our lives. But truly I can say that reinforcement will come at the time it is needed. God does not desert us in time of need. It is well...

Disappointed

Last night I went out with "the girls". We went to see a movie. As I got home and climbed into bed, I wondered about what "the girls" got out of the evening. Did I do or say anything to build them up, or did I do or say anything that tore down? You see, I had been invited to go with them when really it was their "girls night out". Their plans were to really just go to see a movie... no responsibility on my part to be "the older Sister" and actually say or do anything edifying. Right?

Well, I don't know about that. Climbing into bed, I had a niggling feeling that I missed an opportunity to be the servant of the Lord. Had I sought Him when an invitation was given for me to go with "the girls"? You'd think I would have... we've been hearing this sort of thing in church for weeks now. I've been trying to turn my focus away from myself. Trying to focus on serving my brethren and the Lord in deeds. But it just seems like I am put into more and more situations that I come home from and realize that once again I missed another opportunity.

I wonder. If I'm not edifying, then am I tearing down? A movie with "the girls" didn't really help any of us along in our walk before the Lord. Now, I'm not saying that we should throw movie going out with the bathwater. But I'm disappointed in myself. I should have asked the Lord for help. I had 20 minutes in the car each way with these young sisters where I could have spoken some encouraging or edifying word to them... talked with them about what their thoughts have been on what we've been hearing in church. About what they've been doing towards being the Lord's servant. Or their thoughts on our sweet foot washing meeting last Sunday. But instead, I joked with them about candy and I listened to their chatter about their lives.

I'm disappointed. I love "the girls"! And I want to please the Lord and be the kind of big sister they need. But today is a new day. I'll try harder to keep my eyes open to the possibility of service... once again.

Oops I forgot! Another Blue Tongue!

Up to Date

There has been SO much happening in our family lately. Been too busy to keep up with my blog, but I'll try and update all the stuff that's been happening. First of all, I've really truly enjoyed my life this summer. It's been busy, but the Lord has been so good to me; I want to thank Him most of all for all he's done for me in my life. For my wonderfully dear husband who is my bestest friend ever, for children who have grown into faithful and much loved men and women, for companions for my children who are so perfect in every way, for beautifully darling grandchildren who light my life with joy and happiness and for dear brethren who are the cloud of witnesses that I walk with everyday of my life!

Lets see, we had a birthday party for Amy
She got to dive into a chocolate pie in Pie Eating Contest!

We had our annual Sister's Trip, we went to Bandon, Oregon, where we had tons of fun
Here are some of our feet....

The guys went on their annual Hiking Trip... here's their spoof of our Sister's Trip picture of our feet:
I know, I know, it's not pretty, they don't have as nice of toes as we do!

There was the Scandinavian Festival that we all enjoyed...



Son R came to visit from OKC with his new fiance! We shall call her Daughter A2 since we already have a Daughter A! Actually there will now be two exact Daughter names in our family... two A. Pelkey's. Thank goodness for middle names! We fell in love with our newest Daughter A2 as soon as we met her... and once again I am thoroughly edified by God's mercy to our children in bringing the PERFECT companions to them and for calling another sweet girl into the faith for one of our sons. Here he is with Daughter L and his fiance...

They've gone home now, back to OKC and we are all hoping that they will move here after they get married on Feb. 6th. May the Lord make it so!

Now we are anxiously awaiting a new grandbaby, then Son Th and Daughter A1 will move into their new house, then they will have their 3rd baby soon after that. So, summer is not over... we are still busy as can be... but loving every second of it!

Is My Tongue Blue?

For the Hiking Brothers!

Yes, it's that time of the year when our men gather round and plan their hike. I know some of my men peek at my blog now and then... okay, so maybe I drag them to the computer and make them read my posts. But just in case anyone else is getting ready for that hike of a lifetime... here's how to Improve Your Technique!


How to Improve Your Hiking Technique - wikiHow

Scripture Mamasita mentioned...

I just had to copy and paste the scripture that Mamasita mentioned in my previous post's comment area... goes along with my heroes theme beautifully! I want to be one of these who are in white robes!

Revelation 7:13-17 (King James Version)

¹³And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

¹⁴And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

¹⁷For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

More thoughts on Heroes

I found an article in the World Magazine this past week where they asked readers to send in their favorite last lines from books they had read. One of the entries struck a chord with me and I can't get it off my mind! It's from Stephen E. Ambrose's book "Band of Brothers". It ends like this:

"'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?'
'No,' I answered, 'but I served in a company of heroes.'" -- Sgt. Mike Ranney, East Company 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR

I myself am not a hero in any sense of the word... but I know I serve the Great God of Heaven with a company of heroes--my dear brethren!

Evidence of Grandchildren in your life

1. the potty seat in your bathroom even though the last of your children have been potty trained for over 15 years
2. that special toy that is sitting on your end table that someone special let you "borrow"
3. all action stopping when you hear the words, "Grammy..."
4. special treats in small baggies in your cupboards waiting to be given away
5. tiny gardening gloves and boots outside your back door
6. an itty bitty pool in your backyard waiting to be filled with warm water
7. a growing basket of books for special storytimes
8. a heart so full of love that you never thought could hold more!
9. an inclination to get on your knees more often that God's mercy will be to your little ones too.

I liked this!

My Frog Does Not Waste Precious Time
My frog does not wast precious time
just sitting on a log.
He's learned to use the Internet,
and now he has a blog.
It's filled with tips on how to hop,
and how to catch a fly,
on things that frogs can do to keep
their skins from getting dry.

My frog has hints on where to find
the finest lily pads,
and writes in great detail about
the latest froggy fads.
He tells of different ways to croak,
and how to act in bogs...
it's boring for most people,
but it fascinates most frogs.

Jack Prelutsky

Hero #3

Ok, so this one is a given... my husband...aka "The Dad" is my hero #3. BTW, these heroes aren't in any order... :)

Are you surprised? That my hero would be my husband-- goes without saying. I try to imagine my life without him and I just ... can't! God has given us many dear children who I know would take care of me so sweetly if I didn't have my sweet husband, but I do NOT want to think about that. So, I will treasure each and every second I have with him and thank the most wonderful God in heaven that he saw fit to bless me in my ignorance with the man of my dreams.

I've been re-reading Created to be His Help Meet lately and I was choked up to read the inscription that my husband wrote in it... he wrote that when gave me the book it wasn't because I needed it, but because he found me within it's pages. A friend had lent me the book to read and I got to read about half of it before my husband took it over and read the whole thing before I could, he then got the book for my very own on my birthday! I highly recommend the book first of all. Secondly, by reading it I feel like I fall so short it what I am doing here on this earth as a Help Meet.

But, back to why my husband is my hero. I grew up in an awful home. My foster parents fought all the time and it was not good. I used to wonder how in the world I would find a husband who I could trust and love having never seen such things myself! Then the Lord saved me. Took me out of that miry pit and just saved me. Simple as that. Plopped me down into a home full of love (Bro. Jim and Sis. Paula Smith's house!) and gave me 2 1/2 years there to watch and learn how to be a mommy and wife. Then came my Craig. We were so young! I'm sure the brethren quaked in their proverbial boots to think we were getting married! But somehow, we loved each other. More importantly somehow Craig loved me! I totally gave my heart to him...just threw in all my cards. I trusted God that He had brought me this young man and I knew that he would love me all my life. I had watched him for a while you see. I had watched how he was in visits; in church, how he loved the Lord. How he loved his Momma and his Dad. How he loved his family; his brothers and sisters. He was gentle, he was kind. He had a lot to learn! But we learned together! It's amazing when I think of all the years we have been given together. He is still my knight in shining armor. That armor has not dulled a bit... only gotten shinier in my eyes.

I admire him so much! He loves the Lord with all his heart and his integrity amazes me. And I get to be his help meet. I think, what in the world am I doing? Do I meet his needs? Do I love him the way he loves me? Cares for me... truly? Will I do him good and not evil all the days of my life? Have I already done so in the time I have been given? Hard questions... it's easy to say yes to them. But when life is happening, when I'm not sitting here at my computer writing this post, but out there in the trenches...do I truly do him good? Do I give him reason to have his heart safely trusting in me? My hero sure deserves all of that and more. I'd better go and get busy being a help meet to the man God has given me!

Hero #2

In the past it's always been uncomfortable to me to hear someone say, "they are such an angel!" or "she's an angel in disguise!" or other such likening of a person to an angel. It felt like an intrusion into a realm that was not mine to speak of. But, recently I came across a scripture where a woman was speaking of King David and she says something like this, "he was as an angel of God, comforting me"! This surprised me and then I found a couple of other scriptures that were similar. So, that got me thinking of my Hero #2. She's a woman who I have known now for many years. I sort of inherited her kindness by way of the library. She had been a volunteer there for many years before I became the librarian at our local library. So, when the librarian retired before me , I inherited this dear soul's kindness. Her name is Gloria. How could I tell on this blog of how her kindness has affected me? She has shown me what selfless love is. She is old enough to be my mother, and she has even referred to her love for me as if I were her daughter. It's because of her selflessness and kindness that I call her my Hero #2. A long time ago, she was driving with her two little children, a son and a daughter, when a drunk driver hit her head on. Her daughter was instantly killed and her son only survived because he was laying down in the back seat. I had known Gloria for years before she even told me that! She comes and visits me often at the library and at my house and is so concerned about me. What's going on in my life, who's having babies. When Baby Elijah was stillborn, it affected her deeply and it came to my mind at the time that I knew she would gladly have traded places with me to ease my sorrow. When my family is going on a trip, she will bring us snacks for the road, she remembers The Dad and my anniversary and she NEVER comes to see me empty handed. And it's not that she brings me stuff that impresses me. It's that she thinks AHEAD of what would please me and remembers my favorite flowers and candy. I have a saying, "when I grow up, I want to be Gloria!" Her selflessness, goodness, kindness and heart to comfort me is "as an angel of God". She'll never read this blog, or maybe I'll bring it up at the library next time she comes in, arms laden with thought-filled treats; but still I am thankful to have this dear woman in my life and I know that God brought her my way to teach me lessons on how to become a selfless woman and give of myself to others! I love you Gloria!

Hero #1

My first thoughts tend toward a brother who has been gone for many years although his dear, faithful wife is still among us. Bro. Charles Keeling, known to us all as Bro. Chuck. That taco hording man with the motto of "you can eat as many as you want here but you can't take 'em home" holds a dear place in my heart as a hero who in his life was an illustrious warrior of the cross of Christ. Another song reminds me of his life:
A faithful old vessel, stands in the harbor,
Bravely it's fought, many battles at sea.
It's a proud symbol of freedom and justice
Each battle scar stands for great victory.
Battle scars from the struggle,
Battle scars from the strife,
Battle scars from the conflict, it's faced in this life.
And when the battle's over and we lay our armor down,
We'll exchange these battle scars for a glorious crown.

I hold Bro. Chuck up as a hero in my life because of his preaching that I was able to hear each week when I was young in the faith. He lived " judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet" (Isaiah 28:17) and taught it each week from the pulpit. His talks were long, and my children were being born and were little babies at the time I got to hear him. But what I heard transported me to a place where I saw the picture of what God's plan of salvation was from the very beginning of time until Christ brought true peace on earth. Even now, I know that those were the days of my illumination; days that I will always hold dear. Yes, he was just a servant of God; God could have opened any other Brother's mouth and poured forth such words of life, but the eloquence he spoke with came directly from the throne of grace and I will thank God for it until the day I die. He was a man I admired for his achievements and noble qualities.

Heroes

I lay in bed last night, not able to sleep for some reason again. My mind wandered around in circles and for some reason I thought about heroes. The dictionary defines a hero as such:
1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage 2 a: the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b: the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3 plural usually heroes: an object of extreme admiration and devotion

There are heroes in my life that aren't mythological or legendary. They aren't a principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. But I still consider them heroes. So for today, I'm thinking about the heroes in my life. People who I've looked up to for strength and guidance, people who I've striven to be more like; most often they haven't even known it. I love this song by my favorite singer/songwriter Paul Overstreet. I couldn't find a video of him singing it, but here are the lyrics. I hope the words make you think about someone who is a hero in your life!

Heroes Song by Paul Overstreet

Is a Certain one of Us Famous?

No kidding, I found this book in my library and I just had to take it home. I'm wondering if a certain Sister who's blog title is so similar is really a famous author in disguise? I thought all of us bloggy girls would think this was cute! Love to all!

Prayer Request

Today is the day. I have to speak in front of a crowd, which might include a State Representative. I'm having a hard time with anxiety here. It didn't help that my dear friend told me to make sure I had my bra on straight when I got dressed this morning. Or that she would check for me when she saw me! Okay, maybe that did help a little, laughter is the best medicine. But I really need your prayers for my speech tonight. Want to know a little secret? I haven't even written it yet! Last night's WoW Party helped me forget my anxiety and relax(?) a little. But I found myself getting out of bed and onto my knees begging God to help me get to sleep last night. I did get more sleep than I expected and I am so thankful that He heard my prayers. But if you remember, please say a prayer for me that I can just get through this evening.

WoW Night

A few of us girls got together tonight for a WoW Party at Daughter L's house. I gotta say, it was pretty sad. Since my dear friend and I are the two "older" girls and are such nerds, we shared a character by combining our names. She took one side of the keyboard and I took the other. I left Daughter L's house just now and came home because my beddy bye time is pretty early. Poor thing, I left my nerdy buddy there all by herself. I wonder how she is doing... I wonder if she is off in WoW land wandering around looking for the other not-so-nerdy girls. Hopefully she has mastered her side of the keyboard and hasn't died two more times like we managed to do while playing together as one character. Maybe she is doing great without me? Maybe I was hampering her not-so-nerdy side and she's excelling without me... there in WoW land. Wow!

An Innocent Enough Date

It started out innocent enough. I asked my dear friend out for chocolate. We have our usual favorite chocolate haunt we like to get our late night craving satisfied from. So last night, as I was driving to go pick her up, I thought, "wait a minute here, there's got to be other places to sit down, lean back and enjoy each other's company at!" But it's gotta have good coffee and chocolate right? So The Dad suggested another place. Off my dear friend and I went. Imagine us, walking into a nice restaurant that is quiet and has cushy booths to sit and visit in. That's what the place The Dad suggested usually is like on a weeknight. So in we walk and to our surprise the place is packed and the waitress asks, "so, are ya here for the burger and brew?" My dear friend and I just looked at each other blankly. But, we valiantly held it together... and asked what is burger and brew? So the cute little waitress launches into all the different variations of burgers we could get for $7.00 that evening. We stopped her before she got to the brew alternatives by saying we would just like some dessert; chocolate preferably. After looking dubiously into the crowded, lively restaurant and wondering if we would even be able to hear ourselves talk over the noise level, we allowed ourselves to be led to a very small two-person booth. There's a light hanging down over our heads. I presume it is supposed to give us a feeling of our own personal space, lit up so we can see our food. Instead, it glares into our eyes from above. We giggle a little at each other. Then by mutual consent, we both jump up out of the booth and make a quick run for it! Yes, we abandoned the place! Yes, we are giggling hysterically by now! So, after a quick phone call to Son Th, who was a chef and knows all the good chocolate haunts in town, we head on over to the next place. Park in a very scary back alley in a spot that quite possibly might be flagged as ticket worthy or even tow away worthy and we charge in for our chocolate. To get to the place we have to weave our way through a narrow pathway between two houses and there, finally, is the door to the palace of chocolate that holds the promise of satisfaction. But what's this in front of us? A stairway with a belching plume of billowing steam coming from it? Very 1940 noir feeling. Cue the smoothly suspenseful music. We open the door... we walk in and there is a waiter. Or so we surmise. We are still giggling a little at this point. Mostly from that 1940 plume of steam coming from the stairway... we're nervous! The nice man in the suit, who looks just like a waiter asks us, "so are you here for the Lingerie Party? Because if you are you just missed it!" My dear friend and I look at each other again and of course start giggling hysterically as we tell the nice man that we just want some dessert, preferably chocolate and some coffee. At that point, thank heavens, a very discreet waitress comes and rescues us from the "definitely not a waiter, Lingerie salesman". She leads us through the dimly lit, very quiet restaurant to the most divine looking dessert case you could possibly imagine. Cue the heavenly choir music. At that point, my friend and I both needed someone to tell us to close our flabbergasted mouths so we would stop drooling! Oh the beautiful desserts in that case! Oh the chocolate! Oh the cheesecakes so lovingly decorated! Bless the pastry chef who could create such masterpieces for our delight! What were we doing just standing there? Let's get down to business! Needless to say, we both were served the most wonderful chocolate cake on gorgeous dessert plates all (as my dear friend would say) fancy schmancy! The coffee was rich and satisfying and the place was quiet with little candles on each table. Cue the sound of clinking fine silverware on even finer china! We got to hear each others trials of life without the sounds of "burger and brew" being served to 100 people all around us. Oh! and one more thing to top the evening off just right. The "definitely not a waiter, Lingerie salesman" came by our table as he was leaving and gave us the rest of a bottle of fine wine that was leftover from his Lingerie Party, a Petite Syrah, for us to share! It was one of the best wines I have ever tasted. My dear friend and I definitely will be going back there someday... hopefully soon. Hopefully not on Lingerie Party Night. But I will never forget our date last night, that started out innocently enough!

Riding an Elevator...

I'm doing some changes on my personal blog and on my library blog . Isn't the busy bees background fun?

Have you heard of ProBlogger? They are doing a thing called "31 Days to a Better Blog Challenge". I joined in an effort to make not only my library blog more readable, but maybe to incorporate some of the ideas found there into this blog also. The first day's challenge was to write an elevator speech for your blog. An elevator speech is a short speech that tells all about what you are doing in the time it would take to ride in an elevator to the 10th floor! Short, quick and concise. I wrote the one on my library blog, but I'm having trouble with my elevator speech for my personal blog!

So I'm asking myself... what am I doing blogging? Is blogging dumb? Is what I blog about even worth reading? Do you all ask yourself those questions? Some of the blog writers I normally follow might have already done so, because I have noticed it's been pretty quiet lately. What keeps us blogging? Certainly what keeps me blogging on my library blog isn't what keeps me writing here on my personal blog. Heaven knows I'm not even sure anyone reads my library blog! (should I laugh or cry?) I blog about the library because our community is trying to get a new library in Monroe, Oregon. I also sneak in some other fun stuff when I can, mostly about programs we do and the love of books. But what keeps me blogging here? What is my elevator speech for what this blog is about? Mmm... I'll have to think about that this weekend...maybe I should find the nearest elevator and practice!

Got Worms?

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful here in Oregon. Blue skies, 70 degrees; what more could you ask for. Well, you could start by asking for worms. Yep worms. And I've got the worm crew for you! Here they are... ready to unearth as many worms as you need. And in case you're worried about the pretty-pretty princess in pink getting dirty? No need. Dirt doesn't seem to cling to her at all... whereas the bare little feet and hands on our prince charming seems to be getting a tad bit grubby. What's a Grammy and Poppa to do?

Lately...

1. I've enjoyed all the sister's blogs...wept for your sorrows and shed different tears for your joy and testimonies. Thank you ladies for sharing your lives!
2. We had The Dad's little sister visit us with her children. What a joy they were! I loved watching videos of my nieces dancing so beautifully and seeing them become young women. I got to visit with my nephew who, on the brink of manhood is one step away from the Lord. We got to talk about our thoughts on the world around us and it was fascinating to see life from his point of view. It's wonderful to see my dear sister in law with her children and the care and devotion she has for them...we only wished her hubby could have been with us too!
3. It's getting easier to only have one child left at home... sorta!
4. My granddaughter wrote my name... LORI... and said, "that spells Grammy!" I will always treasure those little things with my grand children!
5. The daffodils are all blooming and it makes me want to go out and plant in our garden again.
6. I had to speak at a city council meeting and I was so nervous, but I went into the quiet part of my library beforehand and begged God to help me... and it turned out not to be so bad after all. I just needed to be myself...just plain old me!
7. I'm making headway on my yearlong reading of the bible! I'm staying up on it (some days I do better than others and I get behind a little! ) but I'm already to 2 Samuel. I have been so edified by the story of the children of Israel and their struggles. I do NOT want to be like them and disappoint our God. I absolutely loved reading Ruth again! I read it thinking of my dear daughter in laws. I stand in awe at the care and love that Naomi had for both them. My heart went out to those three women so much! My hope is to be such a mother in law as Naomi was to all my lovely daughters who love my sons so much!

Well... besides trying to think of what in the world to make for this Sunday's church dinner, not much else is happening lately!

Got my new "Thing" covered

I waited and waited for the case for my Kindle... it just arrived day before yesterday and here it is! Isn't it pretty in purple? It turns into a stand so I can stand up my Kindle on the counter and read a recipe or let me be hands free doing something else while it reads to me!

My New "Thing"

So I saved my $1 bills up for over a year and I had enough to buy my new "thing" ! I love my new "thing"! It's handy dandy and I'm having an awful lot of fun with it. It now holds my King James Bible, Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional, several Jane Austen titles, not to mention several other free books that are dear to my heart!

Much love goes out to my dear husband who puts up with both my love of books AND technology. My new "thing" combines the two into one lovable device!

Introducing a new Brother and two Sisters!

It's been a whirlwind day! We knew this morning that we were having a baptism. Sis. Patsy gave her hand a week ago, but we waited because there were sick brethren who couldn't come to watch. But today, as meetng went on, and ended; two more gave their hands! So, here you see Sis. Kaitlyn at the way back of the picture, Sis. Patsy in the very middle and our new Bro. Jonathan! Yes, our youngest and final child has been baptized. And what a wonderful day it is! Thanks be to God that his hand has been extended to each and every one of our children and that they each chose Life!

Just wondering....

Well, I've been sick with the flu and so I've been spending a little bit of time on the computer. If you can picture me dragging myself into the computer room and lolling on the desk in front of the monitor you'd get a good idea of how wonderful I've felt. Not a pretty picture. I haven't brushed my hair in two days... Anyways, I thought I'd do a little housecleaning on my blog reader and it made me wonder which blog reader do you all use? I just switched from "Sage"; a Firefox extension, to Google Reader. Sage seemed a little clunky and took up desktop space so-- out it went. I took some time to organize all my blogs into files within Google Reader, so I've got Idaho Sisters, Indy Sisters, Colorado Sisters, Oklahoma Sisters, Oregon Sisters-other (sister's from my hometown are under plain Sisters), Homemaking, Library and Geeky. Okay, the Geeky one came with Google Reader, but hey, I do keep up with some blogs that could be considered Geeky.

So, how do you all read your blogs? Do you just randomly show up at all the blogs to see if someone has written lately? Do you use an RSS feed in your bookmarks toolbar? Bloglines? Come on everyone, 'fess up. How do you keep up with reading new posts on your blogs?

Thank Full for dear Like-minded Friends

I was sitting in a room full of people the other day just listening. The conversation was spinning around and around and I felt pretty much an outsider. The talk was leading down a road I haven't ever walked. Most everyone there had no idea what to do about the situation they were talking about; it was all bleakness and desolation in fact. Suddenly I wanted out of that room so badly. But, I was bound to my chair having been invited to be there and I saw no escaping until the clock set me free. Finally, having been released I bade my farewells and wondered at my weepy feelings. What was wrong with me? I felt like the room's conversation of bleakness had worn off onto me! I called my husband and spoke to him and he cheered me up. We spoke of God's mercy to His people and how we should love people in the world, as the Lord does, but not the things they do. That it's okay to keep these two things separate. Love the person, not the works they do. Now skip ahead to later that night. I was again in a room full of people; this time they are all my sisters in Christ. Again I sat there listening. And suddenly I was so lightened in heart. I wanted to start singing! I was an insider here in this room... I belonged. Every woman there knew exactly where she was going in life and there was no bleakness or desolation. Now I didn't want the clock to set me free, I wanted that clock to stop exactly where it was. I wanted nothing more in life than to sit there in my chair and hold on to the sweetness in that room. When the time finally did come to leave, I realized on my way home that I was refreshed because I had been with dear friends who were like-minded and so dear to me. Once again, I am so thank-full of God's mercy to me to give me such a cloud of dear friends to walk this way with.

Yummy!

In my quest to eat mostly raw food, I found this yummy Lemon Pudding recipe that is SO easy and it's so good! Here goes: Soak one cup of pitted dates in some water for an hour or so... Then drain them and put them in your blender. Scoop out a nice ripe avocado into the blender also. Now peel, yes peel! 2 lemons and throw them in there too! Blend it all up. It turns out to be a lovely green color. Pour this pudding into a nice bowl and stow it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Now... after an hour, get the bowl out and get your spoon and sit in a nice comfy place. Close your eyes! Yep, you gotta close your eyes. Now take a bite. Mmm.... yummy. Oh, I forgot to tell you to think yellow while you are taking that bite! Think sunny bright beautiful yellow!

Expectant Longing...

So, by now you all have probably read on my dear daughter T's blog that her and Son Ph are expecting. Every time I think about it I get this catch in my throat. I thought we were going to have to keep quiet about it for a while, but they broke the news yesterday and so I can sing about it all I want! Then, we had Son T and Daughter A over for dinner last night and as we were sitting there... Son T calmly said, "well, we're pregnant again!" The Dad and I both said, "are you kidding?" and "No way!" I'm telling you that our cup is running over! Both girls are due within a month of each other, Daughter T in August and Daughter A in September! Our little family is growing again. Thank the Lord for His bountiful mercy to me... and to mine. My heart is singing for double joy today! I long to hold both little ones in my arms... may the Lord make it so.

Dinner at the new apartment

Last night Daughter L and Son T had The Dad, Son J2 and I over for dinner at their new apartment. Words cannot convey how proud of was of them. My daughter; for making a wonderfully prepared meal and our son; for hosting us at his table. They have made themselves a comfortable home together. After dinner we sat and visited on the Word and then we played a quick game Son T had gotten for Christmas. It was a wonderfully comfortable evening. They both talked about it being their intent to have the brethren over for meals and visits and it struck me that they had grown up just like I wanted them to. How blessed am I to have a bounty of faithful children around me who love the Lord with all their hearts! This surely is all I could ask for as a servant of God.

Two New Additions

I wanted to post pictures of the newest additions to our church! No, no one got baptized recently. But... we did get a new cross for the front of the church and a nativity scene to display instead of our usual Christmas tree at Christmas. Big thanks to Sis. D's dad who made our cross for us, it matches our pews and is lighted from behind. All the brethren love it! And Sis. D and I really wanted and tried to find a nativity scene before Christmas and we looked online and everywhere we could think of, but we could not find one that was big enough, but didn't look cheesy. Then, the day of our church Christmas party, I was walking through the mall and lo and behold, there in the window of the Christian Outlet store was this beautiful nativity scene! It was on sale and I bought it on the spot. Our church really wanted to get away from the Christmas tree that we usually put up and I think the Lord made me find this one because everyone thinks it's perfect!