Sword Conference, Here We Come!

Hannah put Bailey in her teddy bear's aeropostale hoodie. She has her tongue out almost every time I take her picture. Funny, huh?

I started painting on the VBS banners today about 10:30, I think. I finished up about 25 minutes before prayer meeting started tonight. They turned out really cute. I did not take pictures because I just didn't have time for that, but trust me, I'll have plenty of pictures to share of VBS and I'll include the banners. Thanks for lunch, Mrs. Janet!

Tomorrow morning, Hannah, Harrison, and I will be traveling to the Sword Conference. We're looking forward to it. I am, for sure! Please pray for our travels. There's a couple others going with us and I believe we have some church people up there already. Not to mention the ones that came back today.

So I guess you could say I won't be blogging Thursday, but I know I'll have scads of pictures and stories to share Friday.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Bailey and VBS 2008, "Rescue 911"

Pics of Bailey for the H Family. We've enjoyed having her while y'all are on vacation. She's a sweet little dog. Not as yappy as I thought she would be. I tend to enjoy larger dogs, but Bailey is a sweetheart.




Ready for bed!


Pretty flowers in front of the church.


We start VBS next Monday. Our theme this year is "Rescue 911." While Bruce met with one of the singing groups to practice, I worked on some banners for Brother Johnny. They're going in the main auditorium. I thought I would be working by myself, but Mrs. Rebecca showed up to listen to her husband sing and she came right on time to help me pin up the ten feet long paper. Thanks, Rebecca!


Me!


Bruce and I stopped at Ingles on the way home and picked up my clothes detergent I forgot. When we came home, he and Harry passed out on the couch. Aren't they sweet?


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I had a discussion today with someone on contentment. Isn't that something Christians just never seem to have enough of? Our relationship with Christ is the only thing we should never be content with. We should always be trying to better that relationship. When we better the relationship we have with Him, everything else falls into place.

Contentment is uncomplaining acceptance. When we are not content, things set in our hearts and minds that draw us away from the Lord.

*Worrying ~ Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
God has placed times in my life where I found myself worrying about groceries, bills, things my children needed, etc. I don't know why I would worry. God has never, EVER let us down. His hand has always blessed us, His children. I know there are other children of God out there who go through difficult times. If you're a child of God, there's nothing to worry about. He is already in the future and your difficult times are not taking Him by surprise!

*Murmuring ~ I Corinthians 10:10 "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." Boy, I can't STAND to hear people murmur about every bad thing in their life. Don't get me wrong, we need share our problems, but let's not forget to give God the glory for all the wonderful things He has done for us too. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in counting our problems, we stop taking the time to count our blessings.

*Greed ~ Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Stop comparing your life to everyone else. Be content with what the Lord has graciously given you. If it weren't for Him, you would have NOTHING! He's already given you forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Everything else is icing on the cake.

*Envy ~ James 3:16 "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." When we envy others, the devil is at play. He can confuse us into thinking the Lord is not treating us the same as He does His other children. Or he may convince us we need to seek other things to make us happy when God has given us everything we need to fulfill that happiness. Someone else's marriage will look better than yours. Someone else's children will behave better than yours. Someones home will be bigger and better than yours. Someone will drive a better car than you. We will begin to want what we do not have and evil work prevails.

Rambling Thoughts

Summer is usually a busy time, but I'm becoming restless this year thinking about school. I'm geared up and mentally ready to start, but physically ready is another story! I was supposed to look into a book sale online yesterday and forgot they were having it. Thanks for the info anyway, Mrs. Kellie. I need to purchase a 50 gallon tote to store some of our school books for future use. Then we can make room for ordering the new books. Yeah, sounds like a big project, huh? Well, it's a project just the same in preparation for the new school year.


There were a couple things I forgot to purchase at the store yesterday. One of those things was clothes detergent. I walked down the isle, looked right at it, and continued walking. Y'all have never done that, have ya?


Harrison collects two things. He has gobs of Hot Wheels and his newest thing is Pez Dispensers. He started collecting those about three or four weeks ago. Today he had all of his Hot Wheels in the bathroom lined up across the sink. He made a car wash and washed them all. Now he has them in a complete circle on the living room floor with his pez dispensers standing in the middle. Not sure what it's supposed to be. I guess it's a boy thing. It kind of looks like a car lot or something. lol


Hannah bathed Bailey this morning and then helped me in the kitchen for a while. I washed and cut up fruits and veggies for the fridge and she made tuna salad. She's wanted to do some laundry, but remember I forgot to purchase clothes detergent. I was a stumbling block in her productivity today. She has a LOT of laundry piled up from her week in Puerto Rico and then a week with her grandparents. Sorry, Hannah.


Justin is with mom and dad this week, as you already know. He helped them each to their doctor appointments today and then they treated him to lunch at Love's Fish Box. A favorite little fish camp here. I think he's going with mom to another appointment she has this afternoon about her legs.


Bruce woke up and took off to run at the track. I wish I could be as disciplined as he is about everything. I also wish I could go to the track with him. I love to walk for exercise, but my ankle just can't take it. Maybe I'll start going with him once a week. I'll pay for it that night, but it'll be worth it in the long run...or uhh...walk.


Right now I'm going to start on supper. I have some leftover green beans from last night and I think I'll do some rice and BBQ chicken. Add to that all the fruits and veggies I cut up today and it should be a great supper.


I ran across a Calvinist's blog the other day. Besides the whosoever will they tend to skip right over, and the most popular verse in the Bible (John 3:16), what about this verse, John 2:2?

"And he (Jesus Christ) is the propitiation for our sins:
and not for ours only, and not for ours
only, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world, but also for
the sins of the whole world, but
also for the sins of the whole world!"

Voices of Faith

Well, it's 1:44 AM and I can not sleep. I have nights like that sometimes. Usually I pray myself to sleep when I get like this. There are so many people in our church and in our friend's lives needing prayer. Not to mention my parents are both still not doing well. Daddy has had a relapse with the illness he had before the stroke and mom is not doing well with her legs. Please stop by Maw Maw's House and tell her to STAY OFF HER LEGS! LOL, I'm sure she'll appreciate that.

My friend, Amy, is pregnant and had an ultrasound today to find out what she was having. She and her husband have a precious little boy, Cameron, so ever since we found out she was pregnant we told her to dress in pinks and be very girlie in hopes of being SO girlie, she would have a girl this time. Oh come on...everybody needs a little sugar and spice! Amy called today to say it's another precious little boy. Now that we know it's a boy, it's time to break out the camo and blue colors. Congratulations, Brian, Amy, and Cameron! I can't wait to see the little guy!!

I took this video of the Voices of Faith singing Sunday. The camera's batteries died right when they were getting ready to go into the tag. But the verses and chorus are still there. I don't know the name of this song. Tammy or Brother Ted, clue me in on that, OK? Justin is playing the guitar with that group now and Gary is playing the bass. Justin wasn't over-joyed with that, but he doesn't mind. He enjoyed playing the bass so much, but the guitar sounded great Sunday, especially on a slower song they did. He plays more and more with his dad's style of finger picking each day. ANYWAY! I hope you enjoy this song. We sure did!

*yawn* I'm going to bed to pray. See ya in the morning...or afternoon, whichever the case may be.

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

How much is that dogie in the window

(Oreo, very loving & sits patiently for your attention)

The one with the waggly tail

(Patches, very smart and likes to snuggle)

How much is that dogie in the window

(Daisy May, Very active and can hold her own.)

I do hope that dogie's for sale.

My brother, John, has this thing about taking in pets in need of homes and trying to find a good home for the little critters. That is how we came to have Tipsy and my parents, their Dolly. These pups are not for sale in a window, but they are free to a good home. If you are interested, click here to say so!

A GOOD Sunday!

Oh, wow! There is no way to put into words the services we had at church today. I can't even try. I'm sitting here tonight with one of those "holy headaches." If you don't know what I mean by that, I feel sorry for ya!

First of all, it was a BLESSING to see Shawn sitting next to my hubby with his guitar. Shawn was saved just a few months ago and he is IN! The devil has attacked their family but God is seeing them through the trials and the Devil is LOSING the battle!!!! Bruce told Shawn he just needed to grab his guitar and come sit with "the front porch boys." We're so glad he did. He and his wife Kristie are a precious couple.


This lady is from the Philippines. She and her husband and two children will be going back to the Philippines to be missionaries. She sang O, What a Saviour, and less than five words into the song I was already crying. She was a little lady with a BIG voice and sang her heart out. It was beautiful! To hear her testify was a blessing. She was saved out of the Catholic church and her burden for lost souls is great. I was listening to her sing and thought about the years growing up in the Catholic Church where she was never able to sing this song with the power of God on her like she did in our church this morning.
There was another missionary couple there too. They are going to Canada and he is in school at Ambassador Baptist College. He actually works with Bruce so it was nice to meet him and his family. Susan H, I gave them y'all's names and told them to look at your site to see where you would be from where they are going in Canada. You never know! Their last name is Mauerer.

We don't normally go anywhere between services when Bruce works third so that he can come home and sleep. But today was an exception. Bruce's brother, Barry, called and invited us to their home for a family dinner. Everyone was there but Britt and Brandy. As usual, there were a LOT of laughs.


The guys played golf on the Wii. Barry won but said it was home court advantage. I believe they have a real golf game scheduled for sometime this week.


Mackenzie was lovin' on her great-uncle, Bruce. She is so sweet. Hannah and I are going to steal her for a weekend one of these days.

When we got back to church tonight the Holy Spirit was there and I have to tell ya, it was one of THE sweetest services I think we've ever had. Like I said, there is no way I can put into words to describe today. All I can say is I am so thankful that God led us to Faith and that my children are growing up in a place where old time religion still takes place. Where the alter is not dusty. And where the family of God can love one another and pray for each other.

And, oh yeah..............................This is what happens when you leave your Sunday meatloaf in the oven and don't turn the oven off before you leave the house!

Anybody hungry?

Worked Like a Turtle!

I spent the day cleaning house and doing laundry. And I mean spent the whole day. I didn't do any kind of "special" cleaning. But it took me all day just the same. I was in absolutely no rush.

I had my devotion this morning, started to blog, changed my mind about blogging, played a game of online checkers, started cleaning.

Ran the vacuum in the living room - answered a call from my mom.

Sent Bruce to gas up my car and deliver lasagna to my parents from Kim - answered a call from my dad.

Cleaned the tub, Tilexed my shower doors - answered a rather strange call from Brother Randy, Mrs. Kelly, and Abey.

Sifted through old papers and magazines to throw away - called my brother.

Checked something on mom's blog - answered a call from my mom.

Finished cleaning the shower doors and the rest of the bathroom - answered a call from my dad.

Changed the sheets on our bed - answered a call from my mother-in-law.

Threw in a load of laundry - answered a call from dad.

Folded a load of laundry and put it away. Dusted the furniture in our room - answered a call from my dad

Stopped to have lunch with my Justin while Bruce, Hannah, and Harrison were at my parents delivering lasagna from Kim - looked at the phone in surprise that it had not rung while we were eating. Oh yeah...mom and dad were visiting with Bruce, Hannah, and Harrison.

Unloaded the dryer, unloaded the washer and refilled the dryer, threw in another load to wash, folded the clothes from the dryer, put them away, mopped my bathroom floor - Answered a call from Rebecca.

Cleaned my kitchen appliances and counters - answered a call from my dad.

Did the breakfast and lunch dishes, put them away, cleaned the fridge, put away clean dishes in the dishwasher, loaded the dirty dishes from the fridge - answered a call from my mother-in-law

Took out the trash, mopped the kitchen, started mopping the hardwood floors - answered a call from Lib W.

Finished mopping the floors, dusted the furniture in the living room, dusted the chair railing, Cleaned off the desk, put some things away - called Pizza Hut.

Said bye to hubby as he left to pick up our order - called Pizza Hut to make a minor change.

Threw in another load of laundry, folded and put away a load, took a hot shower, ate supper, said bye to hubby as he and Justin left to pick up some ice cream. Started blogging, greeted hubby and Justin as they returned home, was handed a bowl of ice cream from hubby ---------- waiting for the phone to ring.

(For the H Family!)

Rebecca's hubby is a district manager for Pizza Hut and they brought them mom's favorite pasta from there. Mom and dad were thrilled with that. They love that pasta.

I was going to take this meal to mom and dad, but Rebecca was able to go with me to deliver it. So we stopped for gas, picked up a meal from my mother in law, and headed to my folk's house. Rebecca was able to visit with them while I changed the sheets on their beds, ran the vacuum, and some other little things. From the sounds of laughter, I think it was a good visit.


The nurse came while we were there. While she checked daddy out, Rebecca, mom, and I were in mom's room. I was straightening some things up and mom was getting a back massage from Rebecca. Mom has no idea I took this picture. hehe


Justin finished weed eating faster than I thought he would. So that put me a little ahead of schedule.

Crystal, Cassie, and Callie were here with Bailey at 3:30. They stayed for a while and visited with us. We enjoyed that so much.

Bruce got Bailey all wired up and she barked and barked at him today until he left to pay bills. When he got home, she started barking again. She barked at him until we left to take Justin to Taylor's house.

Kim had told us about their garage and how they had remodeled it into a game room. They have all kinds of great stuff in there. I was going to hide in there and chill for a while, but Bruce was starving to death. *sigh*

We decided to eat supper at Outback tonight. We had the chargrilled ribeye. It's something new on their menu. It was so savory good! I remember when Hannah was very little we took her to Outback and she said, "Can I have some of that chocolate bread?" lol


Speaking of Hannah, it's so good to have her home. She was gone to Puerto Rico all week before last and she's been at mom and dad's all this week. So it was definitely time to come home!! I've missed my girl! But I'm very happy she was able to be a blessing to her grandparents, who cried when she left today.

When Bruce picked Justin up tonight, Kim sent home a lasagna dinner for me to take to my parents. Apparently, this was her grandmother's recipe and receives rave reviews. So I'm sure they will love it! Thanks, Kim. That was very sweet of you.

By the way, Bailey was still barking at Bruce when we came home from supper. But she made friends pretty quick with him when he shared a bit of leftover steak with her.

Busy Day!

Today is going to be a very busy day so I'm going to post a little bit before it really gets going.

I'm in the process of making arrangements for daddy to be picked up from dialysis Monday and Wednesday by a man in our church that can help him get up the steps. Thank you, Brother Randy! You have no idea what a tremendous help this will be to my mom.

I'm waiting on my friend, Rebecca, to get here. She and her family are bringing a meal for me to take to my parents. That is so nice of them! Thank you, Rebecca!

When Rebecca gets here, Justin and Harrison and I will be going to pick up a meal that my mother-in-law cooked for them last night. So they should be set on food for the weekend. Thank you, Marie! I know it will be delish!

Justin is going to weed eat the grass while we're at mom and dad's house. While he does that I'll see if there is anything I can do around the house. Change her sheets, do some dishes, etc.

When we get home, I'll throw another load of laundry in the wash, run the vacuum, and wait for Bailey to get here. Bailey is a dog that belongs to Cassie from Cassie's Corner. They're going on vacation and Hannah will be dog sitting for them.

Bruce and I have plans this evening. We'll be dropping Justin off at his friend, Taylor's, home and then out for a bite to eat.

I'm heading into my "crunch" time now so I better get off the computer and get my groove on, so to speak.

I'll leave you with this story I received in an email not long ago:

A mother was watching her children play from the kitchen window as she washed the supper dishes.

One of the youngsters came running into the house yelling, "Mom! Mom! We found the most adorable kittens! Come see! Come see!!!"

Grabbing the mother's wet and soapy hands, the child led her back outside to show her the kittens. To the mother's surprise and amazement, this is what she saw....

Justin, Harrison, and I went to mom and dad's house this morning to drop off a meal for them from Mrs. Janet. When we got there, the house was very cool and daddy was in his chair all snug and warm.
His vision is better. Not completely, but he's able to move about without having to feel his way around the house.
Several people have asked about the "odd episodes." As far as we know he has not experienced any more of those.


The grass was lookin' a little shabby so Justin hopped on daddy's John Deere, threw it in high gear, and had their yard cut in no time. He's going to weed eat for him tomorrow.


Dolly found an empty Sun Drop bottle. She likes to gnaw on them for the crackling sound and then she'll take the wrapper off.

Mom warmed up Mrs. Janet's, oh-so-delicious, homemade chicken pot pie while Hannah fixed this disgusting sandwich. It consisted of hot pimento cheese, mayonnaise, ham, and Swiss cheese. I dunno...I like all of those ingredients, but I don't think I'd like to eat them all together like that. She, on the other hand, loves it.

It was a gloriously, beautiful day so I talked daddy into sitting on the front porch for a bit for a bit of fresh air. I noticed he had on pink socks. He obviously can't dress himself right now and, well, mom has a sense of humor. lol

While daddy sat on the porch with Hannah and Harrison, a bee stung Harrison between his pinky and index finger. It's been a couple of hours and it is still badly swollen. Poor thing. I put after bite on it and when I went grocery shopping for mom, I picked up a bottle of Benadryll. It's helping.

Dolly asked permission to sit with mom on the footrest of the chair. When she "asks permission" she sits in front of the chair and lays her chin on the footrest, looking at mom or dad with sad eyes. It's hilarious.


We had a wonderful visit and besides doing a little shopping for mom, I was able to mop and clean a bit.

Hannah will come home tomorrow afternoon. I'll be happy to have her back. Then when Justin gets off work Monday he'll stay the rest of the week with my parents, helping them with what he can.

Daddy told Harrison his week with them would follow next.

An Abraham Testing

Mrs. Janet called to see if I would play the piano tonight at church. I told her if she could get Mrs. Tammy C to play, that would be wonderful because I feel very uncomfortable and inadequate playing in front of so many people. But she called back and said I was it. Apparently our regular player, Mrs. Tammy G, was working out of town today and would be running late. Tammy C was helping to take care of her Grandmother tonight. And Mrs. Parris was nursery mother. SO! That left the bottom of the barrel.....ME!

As I said in a previous post, I do not play like these other ladies. Everyone is so nice to compliment my playing, but truth be told, I am very nervous to the point of being sick. My face was flustered, my neck was sweating, my hands were shaking. It was pretty bad.

I walked up on the platform and sat with Brother Arnold before church. He is a Senior Saint and our song leader. I showed him two songs I knew I could play fairly well. He then told me a story, the way only he can, and I felt soooo much better. About the time he was finished telling this hilarious story, I looked up and saw the most wonderful face I've ever seen. There, standing before me, was my ram in the thicket...Mrs. Tammy G, our regular player!! I think God was testing me to see if I was willing to play. Even though He knew I really did not want to.

As I sat in our pew listening to Mrs. Tammy play, I thought about Abraham and how it must have made him feel as he walked up that mountain with his only son, knowing that God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac. He had no idea God was only testing him to see if he was willing to obey. I'm sure he had seen that mountain numerous times before. But that day, it must have looked so much taller than he could remember. Each step higher must have been more difficult than the last.

And as Abraham was building the alter, each stone must have been heavier than it looked. I imagine that alter, to Abraham, was so much more than just a pile of rocks. And to us, it is a symbol of his obedience.

As he placed his son upon that rock alter and lifted his knife into the air, we can not even begin to imagine the great relief he must have felt as he heard from Heaven to stop.

Abraham was willing to do what he had to do in order to please God. I realize that playing the piano for church service pales greatly in comparison to sacrificing your son. But what will God ask us to do for Him? How far will we go to obey Him?

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable
service."

Likeminded Friendship

The last couple of days I have been considering friendship. Why do I hang out with the people I hang out with? Here are some verses I found this morning that helped me put some things in perspective about the friendships we have in our lives.

"But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. Phil 2: 19-21

As I studied these verses I thought about those I consider to by my friends and realized that, although there are many, MANY things we do not see eye to eye on or would do things differently in personal situations, we are likeminded in most, if not all, spiritual aspects.

We have friendships outside of our church and we cherish them, but most all of our friendships are centered around the people in our church. We have seen many people come and go in the seven years we've been there. Some leave because God has moved them away and some leave because they have moved away from God, seeking, as the verse above says, their own and not the things of Christ. I could expound on both of these, but I don't want to go in that direction today for trying to stay focused on being likeminded.

To be likeminded is to have similar or identical opinions and/or dispositions. As Christians, we can not take a worldly look at life and friendship. We must stay on spiritual levels. So our friendships should be with those that are likeminded in our spiritual opinions and dispositions.

I don't have best friends outside of my marriage. Bruce is my best friend. I have many close female friends that I love dearly and they know that. Although some of those friendships are closer than the others, they'll tell you that I have always made it clear that Bruce is my best friend and fortunately, we hold the same opinions on spiritual matters.

Friends come and go, that's for sure. The friendships that die because of spiritual inconsistency, I can live without. God weeds them out and I am content with that. But the friendships we have, that matter on spiritual similarities, I will always treasure.

Research Shows That...

...thinking makes you stronger. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that imagining doing exercises (but not doing them) actually boosted muscle strength. The study: They had one group of people imagining moving their pinky muscles for 15 minutes a day for 12 weeks, and another group doing nothing. At the end of the study the second group showed no change, but the first group had a 35% increase in pinky strength.

I wonder how much money was spent on THIS research?

I think I'll go now and imagine tighter abs.

I Moved

As you can see, I have moved! I'll keep the original Thimble Thoughts in my sidebar if anyone wants to go through its archives, but I just wanted a change. A new look. I'm a woman. It's my prerogative!

I had the OLD template where you had to type in the code for everything so I love, LOVE, this one with its easy layout. It's terrific!

If you came from the old blog, you know that daddy came home today. I was in the shower when my mom called to say they were on their way home. After I got dressed, I checked the caller ID and saw where she had called. I was upset when I found out I missed their call and wasn't there to help them in the house. Then I found out that Justin heard the phone ring but didn't answer it because he didn't recognize the number on the caller ID. At first I was upset, but then realized that was a habit he picked up from me. Remember, I don't like to talk on the phone and I screen my calls. So! I couldn't stay upset long. I just hate I missed helping him in the house. I suppose he would have picked up if they had left a message. But they didn't do that either. *ahem*

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Thankful for my Dial Soap

I like Dial soap. I like that I can walk into a grocery store, pick up a few bars, check out, and go home.

In my book, The Original White House Cook Book 1887 Edition, here is the recipe for making soap:

One pound of washing soda, one pound of lard or clear tallow, half a pound of unslaked lime, one tablespoonful of salt, three quarts of water. Put the soda and lime in a large dish, and pour over the water, boiling hot; stir until dissolved; let it stand until clear; then pour off the clear liquid, add the grease and salt; boil four hours, then pour into pans to cool. If it should be inclined to curdle or separate, indicating the lime to be too strong, pour in a little more water, and boil again. Perfume as you please, and pour into molds or a shallow dish, and, when cold, cut into bars to dry.

click here to read another update from Hannah