OK, this really IS the last blog of the year...

It's early morning.  This end of New Year's Eve is quiet and reflective here.  I'm the only one up; I will probably be the first to bed tonight...
I just found the following from a blog I often visit.
~~~~~~~~~about Mary:
I'm certain there would always be whispers and unbelievers and a reputation ruined in the eyes of friends and relatives. I once read the statement that the only human on earth who knew it was a virgin birth was Mary. With certainty Elizabeth must have believed and been a friend to Mary. Joseph believed but not at first.

I pondered on the very young mother and what it was like as she raised her Son. Did she play tag with Him and sing Him songs and tell Him stories of times past? Did Joseph show Him how to use a chisel and a hammer? Did Joseph read from the Torah... the words to the Word?
There are many people I've met in the Bible with whom I would love to sit and talk over delicious tea (for I'm certain the tea of Heaven will be delightful). Mary is near the top of that list. I wonder if she would share how it was to be chosen the mother of the Lamb of God... or will she continue to ponder those things in her heart?

http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/

I so identify with this writer.  I, too, have many questions and few answers.
See you next year!

last blog of 2011

I'm studying the gospel of MATTHEW these days and this verse grabbed my interest this morning.
6:17-18---When you fast, comb your hair, wash your face, look normal not martyr-like...others need not see what you're doing, but God will.  He'll see your heart and decide if your fasting is sincere and will make a difference on the answer to your prayers.  (I've taken HUGE LIBERTIES with this verse by translating it.)  (There is nothing I can do to make God love me more...or less!)  Fasting is not commanded except for one day a year, the day of Atonement, and that is for Jews.  But here's what I found in a great commentary by John Phillips:

Simeon Stylites, A.D.390-459, did something that awarded him cannonization by the Roman Catholic Church.  He ended up living atop a high pole.
"His life on a pole began when he moved to a hillside not far from his monastery and perched on a pillar six feet high.  There he sat with an iron collar around his neck, chained to his pole.  Periodically the height of the pillar was raised until it was fifty feet high.  His disciples had to climb a ladder to bring him such scraps of food as he would condescend to eat.  Throughout the bitter cold of thirty Syrian winters and the burning heat of thirty Syrian summers, disdaining any shelter from wind or rain, frost or sun, he sat on his pole and in the end was rewarded by his church with sainthood."

The year changes from 2011 to 2012 in a few hours.  I won't say Happy New Year; what does that mean anyway?  It sounds like a command...maybe you're not inclined to be happy in the new year...and when does the 'new year' end?  Is this an ongoing state of attitude continuing on for...
well, you get the idea.  But, I do say, God's blessings on you in 2012.

Christmas as a kid

There are a few things I don't miss about Christmas mornings as a kid.  Oh, I know...you're probably all 'mushy' about recollections of YOUR childhood Christmases ...masses...(couldn't find plural of this word in dictionary).  Here's a few things I'm glad are gone:
1. SNOW, ICE, COLLLLD-D temps (Minnesota, don't cha know??)
2. wrinkled tinsel, or even straight...    we carefully began to hang it on the branches, then when half-   way done, we just threw it on.  Mother ordered us to carefully pack it away when we took the tree down a couple weeks later, but when we needed it the next season, it was just a big ball laying in the  bottom of the box of ornaments.
3. I don't miss those ugly little hooks one used to hang the glass balls onto the branches...first the hook pokes you, then the pine needles poke you...then your sister pokes you...uh, I probably shouldn't have added that.
4.  the stockings all hung by the...ours were Dad's white work sox hung on the mantel of the cardboard fireplace (with the red cellophane over an electric gizmol that went round and round, casting eerie shadows.)
5.  the one orange and a dozen walnuts (still in the shell) settled down in the toe of the stocking.  What kid can hardly wait to crack her nuts on that festive morning?
Do you see all this in your imagination??  It sounds dismal, but we looked forward to it all year.

We usually got a gift of a new flannel nightgown the night before and I only remember opening ONE gift presented under the tree... adorned with fallen pine needles. 
We didn't read the Bethlehem account or sing hymns...oh, sure we sang JINGLE BELLS or RUDOLF, THE RED-NOSED DEER.  We believed in and performed as 'nice rather than naughty.3' to please the big, fat guy SANTA.  We always listened to DICKEN'S CHRISTMAS CAROL on the radio each Christmas Eve, performed by Lionel Barrymore. And we had a favorite uncle that stopped by with a tin of hard candy that we fought over.

There you have it; does that differ much from yours?

 Do you see the original price of $.29 for the box?  Well, you can now purchase on the internet for $9.99 plus tax and shipping.  Whooee.

Royal comforts

I've been selling a few books on AMAZON; just quilting and scrapbooking items.  When I think of the retail price I paid for them new, and now they go for just a buck or two.  They were 'impulse purchases' that I'm over now!  This leaves me with a new occupation:  dreaming over the wishbook of Amazon.com and just what I'll order with the small reserve of $$ I've accumulated.
My wishlist is tempting me.  The one I plan to order soon is, SOLOMON by PG Ryken.  In the sample pages, I read in I Kings 1 of Abishag, the human hot water bottle.  King David was old and shivering in his bed, just couldn't warm up!  Someone, (was it the court physician?)  ordered a Shunnamite woman to be put into bed with him for the express purpose of warming him up.  Nothing else, it seems.
Wonder if it worked. 
Wonder what she thought of this command on her life. 
Wonder what David thought as he shivered there.
Yup!  After reading the sample pages and several critic reviews, I'm going to order this book next.  Not just to read about David's bed partner, though.

Looks like I have a bi-monthly blog.

It's been my usual TWO weeks since I visited this blog.
Last night was the CNN Republican debate...I wanted so badly to watch as I have with all the others, but was too sick with URI (upper-respiratory-infection) - and the DVR was busy with other shows.
Sounds like Newt was the star again.  I'm not surprised.  Have I told you how much I agree with him??
I pulled up the WEEKLY STANDARD site this morning and you can read it http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/history-newt_609219.html or here's what I got out of it:

Billy Carter tried to stop Ronald Reagan with what the Dems called 'right-wing extremist' statements.
Californians tried to stop Arnold Schwartzenegger with his reputation of womanizing.
Republicans thought they could stop Clinton with the Monica affair...nope!
They also want "a candidate who's bold and tough"...enough so they may overlook some "female" troubles in his past.  He's pretty unbeatable in debate.
So, I guess you know who I'm rooting for...but in the end, it will be the man of God's appointment anyway.
Makes me think of the verse my daughter has on a card in her car:
"Look among the nations, and see;  wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."  Habakkuk 1:5

Enjoy your Thanksgiving.  We have much to be thankful for.

begging bread in desolate places:
if I was a beggar, a hungry beggar,
filled with visions of bread...warm,
fragrant, crusty bread...where would
I run to?  whose door would I knock on?
without running through all the streets,
where would I land first to beg bread?
whose hand would offer me bread,
satisfying my longing?
I would knock on the entry or push
open the door of a BAKERY...a
fragrant store of loaves__ piles, shelves
filled with fresh and perfect loaves of
wonderful bread.
The great Satisfier filled my longing
heart with Himself almost a half
century ago... like having constant
access to a shop filled with fresh bread at
anytime, He satisfys my longings for
divine sustenance, the Word...even
joining me in the filling.
He satisfys my soul, my cup
   runneth over.

A few minutes after writing the above,
I was directed to Acts 3 in my Bible study
book.  The account of the man lame from
birth, begging from men going into (Temple)
to worship.  He couldn't run from shop to shop,
down the streets of town.  There are several
positions of begging.  If he received coins, he
would need to employ able-bodied people to
search the shops for his bread.
Instead of money, Peter gave him
THE BREAD OF LIFE.  That Bread gave him
what he needed most...health AND salvation.
I've tasted that bread...it's WUNDERFUL.

from: http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2008/07/french-bread.html

a tale that's sad but true...

Well, my husband SAID a rock reached out a grabbed his wedding ring while he was tubing (inner tube) down the Apple River in Wisconsin many years ago.  Yeah, right!
So we bought new rings...

They're inscribed with Hebrew lettering: 

Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god.
That's from Ruth 1:16 in the OT of the Bible.  People have commented on my ring and often asked me to translate the inscription for decades.  I love to do it.  It's a true testimony of a young woman who loves her mother-in-law and her God, and walks in righteousness before both. 
That's my heart's desire also...to know Him better - so I may love Him more  -so I may learn to walk in His righteousness before others.

I don't purposefully write only two blog entries a month...it just happens that way. 
Today I'll write about a book I'm reading.  I ordered it from Amazon and highly recommend it to you:

I read his first book earlier this year,

and have sharedon this blog already. 

 It's one of the BEST books I've ever read!  

This latest one, is his memoirs of a kid from a really messed up family.  There's a scene he recalls 2/3 through the book that made me cry.  It's a harrowing scene of a teen whose chronic alcoholic father is out of control in the home.  It brought back fresh memories over 50 years old of my own teen years living in a home with an alcoholic father.

I've spent the last 3-4 years reading mysteries, historical fiction...pure entertainment for the moment.  But, I recently made a decision and talked it over with myself.  I'm done with that!  Honestly, I'm so tired of seeing people shot left and right, faces and bodies covered in blood, violence everywhere...I see enough of it on the news channels; I don't need to reserve books of the same from the library.  So, if I recommend a book on this blog, you can be sure it will have some redeeming value...hopefully a lot of it!

" Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders.
I'm a stranger in these parts; give me clear directions."      Psalm 119:18,19 MSG

an old custom

Tomorrow begins Yom Kippur for 24 hours.  I read about an unusual tradition of some that occurs just before this holy day.  Kapparot is a custom in which the sins of a person are symbolically transferred to a fowl.  Well, a chicken...rooster for a man, hen for a woman.  Here's how it works:

...held above the person's head and swung in a circle three times, while the following is spoken: "This is my exchange, my substitute, my atonement; this rooster (or hen) shall go to its death, but I shall go to a good, long life, and to peace." The hope is that the fowl, which is then donated to the poor for food, will take on any misfortune that might otherwise occur to the one who has taken part in the ritual, in punishment for his or her sins.

Oh, my...do I ever have questions.
the sacrifice for my sins must be perfect and acceptable
it (He) must be the price paid for my atonement (making me ONE with God...Jehovah God)
I would first confess and repent of my sins, and by faith agree with God...and ...and wait!!
Hold the phone!  I wouldn't look very repentant while giggling about the sqwauking bird sailing overhead.
I'm not making fun of their custom; I'm sure they're serious, sincere in it.  But, they're missing one vital item:  GOD'S ONLY SON IS THE ONLY SACRIFICE HE WILL ACCEPT.
My sacrifice, Jesus Christ wasn't donated to the poor for food, but went directly to sit next to God to await the arrival of all who put their faith in HIM, not in a chicken.

What do you think of this?  please comment.
the site where I learned this:  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kapparot.html

The temperature dropped

and it's a cool, clear Autumn day here.  The sky is the exact color of CAROLINA BLUE...lovely!
Well, all the visitors are back home safely, snug in their beds...er, er...whatever.  I've been sorting photos and recalling memories made whilst they were here.  I'm including some photos of the 3 sisters here.  Also, one sister encouraged me to knit her a warm collar.  It's a soft grape color and will have two buttons added when it's dry.  It's wet now, as I just blocked the piece. (see the pattern photo)

Below is the piece as I block it...buttons still to be sewn on.  What do ya think??

the two 'holes' are button holes (*_*)

Next post will be all about the VISIT and the photos of the 3 sisters.

ps:

Nobody ever comments on this blog...feels like I'm here all alone.  Go ahead...ya know ya wanna make a comment...

Here's a 'teaser' for now:

company comin'

I look forward to the next September days.  My sister from Iowa, whom I haven't seen in over four years, and my daughter who lives mostly in Romania, whom I haven't seen in over two years...are coming to visit.  The weather has been beautiful since the hurricanes passed through, and NC has pre-frost beauty in nature to show.  The very hot days are over until next summer.
I've prayed much about their visit; mostly, I've prayed they would sense the love and joy for Jesus in this house, not that OUR testimony will be highlighted, but that HE would be.
Funny how I find new things to be thankful for, just keeping my eyes and mind open.  This morning I'm thanking God for Paul's beatings.  Because he continued to strive in spite of terrible beatings, 39 flesh wound stripes on his back five times (2 Cor. 11:24)...and more physical discomforts...he cried out to God.  Those cries were captured in print to encourage and edify me, to build up my faith in God, to treasure Christ even more.
Now that I'm writing this, I thank god for David's many troubles.  We're all comforted by his cries for protection and mercy.  When I meditate on those verses, my own faith is deepened.

July flowers in my yard....

NASA auction of space travel items on 9/15

Rare artifacts and trinkets from the history of NASA are going to auction in the upcoming week-long Space & Aviation Autograph and Artifact Auction from RR Auction starting September 15th. The auction will feature a letter from Neil Armstrong about his first words on the moon, Armstrong’s training glove, and other exceptional items from the history of space flight and aviation.

But one of the more unique items up for bid? A full King James Bible that has journeyed all the way to the moon’s surface.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/02/faith-in-space-behind-secret-mission-to-land-bible-on-moon/#ixzz1XAvSGE6p
I see one packs differently for travel when one is going to the moon.  I wonder what I would decide to take?

on another note:  summer is about over...went fast!  Raleigh experienced an earthquake and a hurricane in one week...makes me wonder what winter has in store for us.

"The LORD, He is the one who goes before you.  He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you."  Deut. 31:8

A Lovely flower from my backyard....

day-old smoke odor

I put three small potatoes in the microwave oven for 4 minutes yesterday, then left to pick up the gr-kids at school.  Gone maybe 20 min.  Came home to find garage door open, smoke drifting out, fans running.  Either my microwave malfunctioned or I accidently hit 40 minutes instead of 4, but was gone only 20...guess I'll never know which action caused it.  The potatoes and ceramic dish were totally incinerated, the inside of oven was black...and 20 hrs. later, we're still trying to be rid of the odor.
The result was that the microwave died...shorted out?  melted the element?  But, since that and my toaster oven are my main source of cooking, I need to buy a new one today.
Sometimes I get this feeling like my insides are filled with pickle brine...the only way I can define it.  Get that way when I've made a mistake or made an unkind or untruthful comment...occurrences that one can't call back and eliminate.  (does this sound like confession?)  Feeling irresponsible since...probably because I'm a controller, and this was obviously out of control.
 I'm rationalizing the event:
40 minutes?  but only gone for 20 minutes.
microwave malfunction?  can't even remember when I bought it, but it's pretty old.
But the scary part was my husband was home and is legally deaf...couldn't hear the smoke alarm unless he was next to it.  Thank the Lord, my granddaughter was home upstairs and heard the alarm.  She asked his advice and he walked her through controlling the noise, smoke.  About that time I arrived.
So, today I have a new rule for me in my part of the house:  NO COOKING ANYTHING UNLESS I'M HOME...I don't even trust the crockpot now.
Once again, my God protects us.
"This is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.  Ps. 48:14"

looking in gift horse's mouth

I bake breads, cookies, rolls often.  My husband and I can only eat part of it, so I occasionally offer a loaf of warm bread or pan or rolls to neighbors.  When their gardens are producing, they usually respond with a few tomatoes or cucumbers.  But, one person offered me a can of green beans, assuring me I would love them.  She does.
Well, this is where the gift horse gallops in:  they were absolutely awful!  I opened and drained them, added them to my chicken-potato-cream soup casserole.  The beans were not only flavorless, but they had been canned with stems, bits and large, hard weeds (think little branches here)...oh, awful!  So my husband and I tried to pick out anything green and salvage the rest of the tasty dish.  Photos show our progress.
I'm still grateful for food gifts, but will be discerning in the future.

"They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share...I Tim. 6:18"

He married his sweetheart

While reading a critique of McCullough's biography of Harry Truman, I read:
“Listen, son, I married my sweetheart,” Truman said, “She doesn’t run around on me, and I don’t run around on her. I want that understood."
That sounds exactly like something my own husband would quickly say!
I can only hope all who read this blog can say the same!

I'd like to read the book, but have you seen any of McCullough's tomes?  Would have to give up a portion of life to get through it.

Thankful today for: married almost 50 years to my sweetheart, experiencing the first EARTHQUAKE during my life with surprise and NO injuries.  One never knows what the day holds when one tumbles out of bed in the morning.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
   his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
    "therefore I will hope in him."
   Lamentations 3:22-24

  (WRAL.com photo)

Peak season

There's an abundance of local produce at the markets right now...it will continue for another 3 months...then the citrus and items from other states will be ready.  Food is wunderful!  It often makes me consider Adam and his produce.

Gen. 2:7...God formed man...I've heard that line, "from dust to dust...", well, not that He couldn't, but it seems to me God made Adam from CLAY, not DUST.  I can't imagine forming anything out of dust.  Dust is elusive, not malleable.  But clay, now there is a creative medium.  One could make wonderful forms, if one were creative...and that One, Creator-God was...er,er is.

Gen. 2:8  says God had already planted and established a lovely garden.  What better place to make the home for the first man?  As it turned out, he had food, occupation, nature to observe and great scenery.

When I try to imagine the scene, I haven't settled what age I think Adam was when created, or what he looked like.  Red hair or brown?  Bronze skin or pale?  And what was his age?  Could he have been a teen walking beside his Father learning his trade?

did Adam have to dig?  did he have to invent the shovel, plow or hoe?

Where did he get the first seeds?  Think of the size and quality of his produce.  The leeks, the cucumbers, the garlic...how did the curse of the ground effect his garden?  were there cut worms in the potatoes?  was he and his wife vegetarians?

I'm glad the first farmer began the long tradition of producing produce, grains, seeds...all the items we love to eat.  Mostly, I'm thankful to God for creating the garden and the worker in the very beginning. 

The weather the last few days has been glow-rius!  In the 80's, soft breezes, birds chirping...after 2 weeks of 97-99*...s'posed to go back up soon.  Wish I could bottle it to share.
Below is a photo of an unusual flower on a wild vine in the back yard.  I don't know what kind of flower it is, looks exotic doesn't it?  only lasts a few hours and sprinkles much pollen on surrounding leaves while it labors to stay alive.
Don't ya see, it's doing the exact work God made it for...wonderful plan.  He made it for US to enjoy...He doesn't need it.  Thanks go to Him!

"Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun."
Psalm 74:16

Princess, bride, Cinderella...

One of my many grandaughters is hoping for Princess status.  It seems to me, she began this when she was a pre-schooler, and continues today into her twenties.  Not queen, or at least not the "Off with her head!" type queen...nope, Princess's have more FUN with less responsibility. 
Did you see Princess Beatice' hat at William and Kate's wedding?  A doozy!  Sold for $131,000 on eBay a few days later.

But, I digress. 

Our princess was fashioning and wearing hats (helped by her gramma) when she was so young.  She's about 4 years old here, primping in the Hat Shop (gramma's living room).

I borrowed "the princess' car" this week and found this glass slipper hanging from the rearview mirror...she's still hoping to become Princess.

Go for it, Lexi!

My Father built and dedicated a park.

I was just listening to a Father's Day message by David Platt...he's so passionate about God.  It made me think; He, our Father, planned, created and gave a huge park to the first couple on earth.  They could run and play tag in it all day, drink the clean water from rivers and waterfalls, eat the most lush fruit that ever grew.  They had lots of sunlight to warm them by day and a huge viewing screen of stars and moon by night.  Their own personal zoo and aviary for entertainment.
What ecstacy, what perfection.  But, they traded it all in for One apple...no, it was one-half an apple (they shared).
Back to Platt.  He was describing the beauty of scenery in Arizona, the handwork of our creative God.  That made me think of other beautiful areas of our country that are parks and playgrounds for us.  Not National Parks, which after all used and put boundaries on His creativity, charge a viewing fee and consider it theirs...but the gifts from a loving Father to His children.
I visit these parks and wonders now by internet and television, but still am pleased and in awe of the playgrounds and gifts from my Father.
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate."  Gen. 3:6
                            below is photo of a 3 wk. old robin in nest in the yard a week ago

the night the lights went out in...(north raleigh)

We had a 'thunder-boomer' storm a few nights ago that put our lights out for an hour or so.  Boy, it was dark!  I'm used to some light, somewhere:  nightlights all over the house, street lamps right across from our house, little green light on the DVR...even opening the refrigerator I was faced with a dark cave.  It startled me, even though I knew the electricity was out.
I grabbed a 'torch' as the British say (flashlight) and scouted out some candles.  Ah, yes, romantic and calming, but super inefficient.  We stared at each other for several moments in the dimly lit room, then decided to go to bed early...better than the growing anticipation of beams of light.  It was almost like super-thirst or super-hunger...super yearning for LIGHT. 
As "mama in her kerchief and papa in his cap" had just settled down for a long (summer) nap...Wahla, the lights went on.  And the TV, the stereo player, refrigerator, a/c, dehumidifier...all kicked in.  The house was abuzz (is that a word?) with activity and noises.  Our short respite from modernity was over.

The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts (Proverbs 20:27).

Bumper sticker I saw this morning...

Wag more, Bark less.   cute.

I just finished one of the best books I've ever read...I especially like books that challenge me, more than books that only entertain.  This one CHASING FRANCIS by Ian M. Cron, is an unusual way of compiling a biography; this one is of St. Francis of Assisi.  Of course, it describes some history of the Catholic church and monasteries in the 1100-1200's.  Dry, you say?  Nope, super interesting...wish I'd known the guy personally.  Since I embrace Jesus, and he said he did, we'll probably be pals in the kingdom when I get there.
I bought it on Amazon for only $2.67 plus shipping...great deal.  (Ya gotta love Amazon!)

You know how there's times when we evangelicals are more arrogant than other times?  Ok, I'll speak only for myself...there was a day when I heard some say, "Oh, those Catholics...why don't they take Jesus OFF the cross?".  Maybe you've not heard that, but I have and with dripping piety I've thought or said it also.   This book makes me realize...Yes, the cross is empty now...bare of His body.  But, seeing the icons or jewelry with Him still hanging on the Cross reminds me of some of the price He paid for me.  It causes me to stop a moment and reflect on God giving up His only, perfect Son...of the charges against me erased, of a debt paid that I could never, in a million lifetimes pay...of Grace and Love that I can't even comprehend.  And I'm have renewed gratitude before I go on my way.

Thank You, Lord.

pure food, no substitutes

Here's an article about the suspicions of drinking unpasteurized milk.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/05/31/raw-milk-drinking-returns/
That makes me wonder, just what IS a pure food?  Is it pure milk when it comes directly out of the...ummm, host?  as in cow, goat, sheep?  how 'bout honey...well, that's not out of a bee, but you get the idea.  Be careful of honey if you're allergic to bee stings.  Don't eat peanuts if...don't eat shellfish if...
I remember monthly trips to my uncle's farm on the edge of town then I was young.  First thing we did was grab an enamel cup and run to the barn for uncle to fill our cup with warm, foamy milk straight out of the cow.  My mother craved the stuff, even though she had been confined to bed as a child with bovine tuberculosis.  Apparently, that disease still is watched in some dairy herds.
Just thought you might be interested.
Would I do it today?  Hmmm, let me think about that.

"Like new born infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation."

1 Peter 2:2

Memorial day

I wonder where my little white Bible is?  When I was quite young, somebody gave me a small white Bible...can't imagine who, since our family didn't attend church during those years.  I kept it until I was in my late twenties, although when I read it, I couldn't understand ANY of it.

Not long after Christ was explained to me and I responded (at age 27) my husband and I drove to Florida.  We stopped at the St. Louis Zoo,( in the heart of the city as I recall)...and our car was robbed while we were watching animals.  It was a sunny Saturday morning, came out of the zoo to find luggage and belongings GONE!  Reported the break-in to police and went on our way.  But it came back into my memory today and I wondered what happened to the white Bible?

Since God's word cannot return to Him as void, (Isaiah 55:11) what did His word accomplish in whomever read that?  or did it just end up in a dumpster?  in any case,  His word is alive and eternal.  Does it live on in the heart of the robber?  or one of his partners?  hm,m,m...hadn't thought about that Bible in all these years.

Today I have many Bibles, of several translations, and thanks to God, I can love and understand the Words.

Water, water...everywhere

Yeah, I know...you missed me.  I've been gone too long; guess life got ahold of me...but, I'm here now.
I have a tendency to believe almost everything I read...and I'm reading 98% of my waking hours.  Just now I found a website while web-cruising that states:  1 in 8 of us on the planet don't have access to clean drinking water.  I love startling statements like that because it causes me to immediately thank my God for all the clean water He lavishes on me each day.  The article goes on to say it takes 24 litres of water to produce one hamburger...does that include the dew on the grass that the cow consumed?  That's 816 oz....or 102 Cups...just for one hamburger.  Maybe that includes hosing down the muddy cow before she enters the slaughter house.  Hm,m,m.
It also says,  today 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets, but many more have access to a cell phone.
It goes on, but you get the idea.  I know, I personally am more conscious of water usage than I used to be.
All this reminds me of a part of NOTES FROM THE TILT-A-WHIRL, ND Wilson.  He says all the water that God created in the beginning is still on earth today...now that's super-recycling.  The icicles I saw last winter might have been moving drops from a waterfall in the Garden of Eden...who knows?  At any rate,  I meditate on all this and conclude, "What an awesome God we have!"
         "...God...who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number:  he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields...."  Job 5:8, 9

the candy game

I recently finished a 14 oz. bag of M-M's I've had since Christmas, dark chocolate of course.  Bought another but didn't notice when I ate a few, so here's what I do now to pay attention to enjoying my indulgence.  I only care to eat a few a day, but decided to eat only ONE color at a time:

First I ate all the YELLOW ones...only a couple left in the bottom photo...then I started on GREEN...only could eat 'til they were gone...hm,m.  Wonder what color I'll pick next time...anyway, I find I'm paying more attention to the color and taste.  I think CHOCOLATE needs all the attention I can give it........do you agree?

Rev. 10..."And I took the scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it.  it was sweet as honey in my mouth...."

sittin' 'n stitchin'

Over the last few years I've created a big stack of embroidered pieces.  I don't need anymore PILLOWS...so this week I've been working on turning some of the pieces into gift bags.  Here's a few, but more to follow:

Most are about 10" x 15"...100% cotton...I'd like to find an outlet to sell them...but, we'll see what happens.

"She sets about her work vigorously..."  Prov. 31:17

6 little words...

I discovered a great new site for voracious readers OR blog-hoppers, like ME!  It's described in:
http://www.shereads.org/2010/04/blog-carnival-and-a-contest/
Not only might you find a new favorite fiction writer, but you may enter the contest for a great conference in Charlotte, NC.  I entered and am hoping.
 I've been working on a fiction book for juveniles for several months.  It's about an 11 year-old boy whose father is bank president of a three-employee bank.  The father has been stealing money in small amounts from the bank; his son discovers his stash and tries to save his father from prosecution.The setting is rural Iowa during the late 1930's...banking was different back then...I'm going on memories here, folks.
Well, that's it for today's blog...mostly want to let you know about a good thing...THE CONTEST.
You have to enter a 6 word title or 'grabber' in their comments.  Mine is,
"CARRY MY HEART IN YOUR POCKET".

I remember when, in elementary school, (mine was near downtown Minneapolis) we used to bring our dimes (only) to school and slip them into a small cardboard folder.  When it was full, we would receive another.  I think it was all for the war effort of WW2. Or just after the war??
Those were the times when money, even lowly coins, were important... our military needed these monies.  Oh sure, we had paper drives and soda bottle drives, turned in our damaged pots and tires, etc.  But they all required a bit of 'elbow grease', worked up a sweat to collect and pull wagons full to the school grounds or wherever the collection station was.
But, to slip a dime into the folder...to hold something in our hands that was valuable...something that could represent a paper bag of penny candy or a music magazine with the words of all the popular songs...to give ME pleasure...Well, I guess it gave me pleasure to do my small part to help the military overseas, fighting to keep me safe.  It seems patriotism encouraged even children differently then.
I had one uncle in the Army and one uncle in the Coast Guard...the least I could do was bring my dimes and place them in the folder.

Here's something to make you smile...can't you just see that fat-tummy, smiling bear say,

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them"

A. A. Milne, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh

Isaiah 6

I was reading Isaiah 6 this morning and though God is speaking here of Judah, it sounds so much like what's happening in the Middle East today. 
 I read:
v. 11....“How long, O Lord?” (until the people obey God)

And he said:

“Until cities lie waste

without inhabitant,

and houses without people,

and the land is a desolate waste,

v. 12 and the Lord removes people far away,

and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land."

(I added the blue)

The upheaval in all those countries surrounding Israel is no mistake, not coincidental...It is the Lord Who plans and commands it.  When they make Jehovah their God, He will treat them well as His children.

It's just pure grace that I was born in this free country; it is truly 'the land of the beautiful', in spite of our grumbling about it at times.  I thank Him for my life in Him here today.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Home.aspx

Do you hope so??

Often I say, "Oh, I hope so!" or, "Is that what you hope for?" 
We hope for the mundane:  I hope the coffee is hot.  I hope the sun shines today.  I hope my gr-kids turn out alright.  I hope my money stretches....
I've been watching the flowers pop into bloom the last couple of weeks.  A few years ago I planted a Camelia bush but it didn't bloom until this year...couldn't even remember what color it was supposed to be.  It's RED!!  (photo I took below).  The last few years the ornamental peach and pear trees were in bloom and we had another hard freeze that turned the blossoms a disgusting brown...they looked like Satan touched each one and laughed.
So, this spring I hoped that wouldn't happen...and my hope was realized...it didn't.  They bloom today; the jonquils and forsythia are also bright against the still sleeping grass.  What I hoped for did occur...flowers that bloom in the spring.

Today I share a V.I.P. 'hope-for'~~~"Looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ." 
He is my hope and I'm hoping for the day He will return.  I can count on that promise:  HE WILL RETURN !
That verse is followed by another gem-the gospel: ~~~~"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity..."   Titus 2:13,14
Yay!  Thank you, Jesus........you are my reason for hope.

What are you hoping for today??

Were you invited to the Royal Wedding?

(oooops, you could call this a 'monthly blog', since I post only that often...sorry!)

I think I heard that Prince William and Kate's wedding will be the end of April.  I didn't receive an invitation, but it's early...I'm hoping.  Wouldn't that be grand?
Anyway, I'll be celebrating here.  I have a dressy blouse and a white pair of pants, look like new;  I will bake or buy a cupcake with tons of frosting (white, no sprinkles) and I'll lift my cup and toast the happy couple (coffee, of course).

This makes me consider the wedding Jesus attended in Cana...the sight of His first miracle.  He turned six huge clay pots filled with water into 162 gallons of the finest wine...instantly....without calling out "Abra-ka-dabra".  It seemed like an after-thought, so incidental was it, but we know it was planned.  The God who created grapes and planted them in the first garden on earth, who showed Adam  how to harvest and make them into fine wines...produced a vintage beverage in an instant.
He was the unseen Guest at the weddings of Abraham (a friend of God) and David (the apple of God's eye), and Joseph (His earthly father).  Oh, He has attended so many weddings He could be called the Grand Wedding Planner, I think.
Well, let me know if you receive your invitation....

Four daunting figures in black....

I'm recovering from a month-long attack...not the flu, not a real head cold...doctor said yesterday it's now STREP infection.  Swell!  Everybody needs this 'junk' every 10 yrs. or so, just so one appreciates what good health was like.  I'm pretty contagious today...So, if I wander...or blather, please excuse me.
Just now, four adults, three women and one older man, knocked on our door, then left our yard.  They were all four dressed in BLACK...from shoes to hats, carrying their brand of 'scripture'.  JW's...
They all piled in the car at the curb and sat for a few minutes.  I didn't pull out my binoculars, but it looked like they were praying...for me?...to whom do they pray?  MY GOD says we shall have NO other gods than He; I don't believe their god is the same as my God...so who received their prayers?  Did they just waste their time ...flatter their god...complete their good deed for the day????
Usually, I'm challenged when JW's knock on my door...I love to share the gospel with them, show them the joy I have in Jesus.  They could have used a big dose of joy.  They were downcast, black-garbed joyless figures...walking with their heads hanging...they truly looked defeated as they drove away.

Proverbs 15:23   A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—  and how good is a timely word!

"...mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of 'em all?"

Please excuse my absence from blogging...don't have a really good reason to be away...

I was reading Job 42:15 this morning, and noted this:
Job had three daughters...they were the MOST beautiful in the country...and they were rich!  They had their own inheritance, which was unusual for daughters in those days.  Wow!  Can't you just see old Job (says he lived to be 140 yrs. old; twice what most men lived) holding down his pride about the girls??

I don't follow the celebs in the U.S., but sometimes I hear the name of the three Kardashian sisters...how beautiful and famous they are today.  The Most beautiful in the land?  And rich!  And sought after!
I thought about if I was their parent...fielding the phone calls, TV offers, boys at the door at all hours...the trips to Target for make-up, to the Mall for fashions, teaching them each to drive as teens.....and although I have four lovely daughters, we didn't have to deal with talent scouts, paparazi, endorsements, etc.
Can you imagine??
And what about their Mom??  She had 20 - TWENTY kids in all over the years!  Poor thing must have been 'plum wore out'...
It was an asset to have lovely daughters in Job's day...she might bring a good price.  But, today an asset to some might become a headache to others (me).  My God made me and I'm thankful He didn't make me to be the Mom to a celeb.
Praise the Most-Wise God...His Name is YAHWEH.

copied from  http://silenceoftheclams.com/blog/2009/05/adventures-in-babysitting/