Getting Ready

I've been getting ready for Thanksgiving. We won't be having it until next Saturday so I will be able to get lots of the food ready on Thursday. I've done the major cleaning, baked rolls, baked cinnamon rolls, and gotten the bulk of the groceries. I'm still debating whether to use the china or the Chinet I bought. The jury is still out. My back is holding up well so far so I'm hoping for a good run. Tonight there was a potluck at church for Thanksgiving and that was fun. Worked in the kitchen and brought home a little extra pie.
Tomorrow night we are going to Bible study at Mike and Colleen's house. They are studying books by Andrew Murray!!! YAY!!! I'm so excited to maybe have a group to be part of again.

Weekend

Jon is on call this week, but has been call-free all weekend. We had no big plans, and that worked out well. Saturday I did some cleaning, baked cookies, did a little laundry. Today Tabbi and the boys came over for church and groceries, and I finished cleaning this afternoon. Jon spent a couple of hours working on the cradle today, too. I'm shot and need to get ready for bed...just don't feel right tonight. Hopefully will sleep better that last night....'Night all!!!!

Pray for the Week Ahead!

Today we were home all day...well, I was. Jon went over to the shop for the afternoon. He's still working on trying to put in a remote start on the Suzuki. He has a ton of hours in it...so wishes he had hired it done. I cleaned, baked, and listened to lots of great music. It's getting close. I'm done shopping but still have some wrapping to do.

Mom had a stomach virus and ended up in the hospital for dehydration. She was MUCH better after a 24 hour stay and is home again doing okay.

The weather looks dicey for the week ahead. Pray for clear roads and weather!!! Pray, too, that Emmy gets much better and no one else gets sick!! My stomach is off tonight...don't need that!!

Preparations

It's been a busy weekend. On Saturday Tabbi and the boys were here for a few hours. After they went home I did some wrapping. This morning we went to church and since then I've been baking buns and peanut blossoms. Actually, the "buns" are still just dough in the bowl, but it's time to make them into buns and bake!

I hope you have had a great weekend! I got to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" last night while wrapping...YAY!!! Well, time to get back to work!

Thought for the day

By the way, God does still give gifts of healing, word of knowledge, tongues, and prophecy no matter what a preacher says from the pulpit! He still speaks and works through people filled with His Holy Spirit. Read your Bible and believe what it says instead of listening to any person that tries to construe it into something it's not!!!

Baking and Memories

Hi, everybody!! It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, so today we went and got groceries for our turkey dinner which will be next Saturday. After that I baked some cinnamon rolls and buns...actually I should say I'm still baking. The cinnamon rolls are in the oven now and the buns will go in after that in shifts. The tough part is they will go in the freezer till Saturday...bummer. We may be able to snitch a few out first. It's been a good weekend. Yesterday I went to watch Tre's basketball game while Jon was helping on the farm. Today after going to church I got caught up around the house while punching bread dough. I'm working with the girls to figure out Christmas gifts and holiday plans...I LOVE this time of year!!!

Thought for the day

I was thinking about Philippians 3..."forgetting what lies behind, and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Forgetting what lies behind can be easier said than done. We are human beings, and we have memories. When we have a pattern in our life of repeated failure, broken relationships, or refection it is impossible to actually forget. When we are faced with similar circumstances now it's easy to fall into the thought process that the pattern will repeat itself. To set those memories aside we have to make a deliberate choice to see what God's truth is. He declares to be new creatures with a new life hidden in Him. Our old life was crucified with Him, buried, and we were raised to a new life in Him. He is the truest thing about us, and our identity finds its reality in His life. Hang onto the good memories. Learn from the not so good. But understand that who you really are is wrapped up in the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory.

A DAY OFF!!!!

It was a wonderful day off! Last night we went to the tractor pull with Trever, Tabbi, Tre, and Tru. Because it was a late night, the boys slept here and I took the day off. They got to sleep in a little while and then I took them to kid care. Saw Tabbi then went to the city for a little shopping. It was raining on the was there and while I was at Target, but by the time I got home in the afternoon it was GORGEOUS...sunny, breezy, low humidity, and 74 degrees. I went for a long walk. Jon was able to stay home when he got off work and mowed. I baked cookies, grilled chicken for supper with corn on the cob (compliments of Trever and Tabbi)!

I must have been REALLY ready for a day off...it was AWESOME!!

Thought for the day

We're doing some more research including asking a couple of organizations some specific questions by email. The book I've finished has cemented a determination on our part to be involved in some kind of international outreach. BUT I maintain that no matter how great the need around the world, we MUST find a way to make a difference where we are. I think it's sometimes easier to write a check to send around the world than it is to reach out to someone who lives where you do and can find you when they want to. However true that may be, it is IMPERATIVE that we help where we live somehow. The Gospel has always traveled best in the shoes of a neighbor...when someone that lives where we live and faces what we face shares Christ and demonstrates the reality of His love to us, we have a sense that God actually "gets" us and loves us.

Clearance Sales and Balance

The weekend comes again...every week!!! How amazing is that? We had a little sunshine late today...a welcome relief after rain and clouds all week. Went to Pamida after work...all clearance items 50% off!! I've been eyeing toasters for a year and they had one at original price of $49.99...with a clearance price of $44.99. That means $22.50, right? Nooooo...we get to the check out counter with a couple of other items and she rings us up at $24.04. We told her it should be more. She said no I rang it up at $34.99 and took 50% off. We told her to look at the tag again because it said $44.99 and she looked and said "we are not arguing about this..it's too hard to change it now!!!" Thanks, Dee!!!! That's one cheap toaster, and it has a tiny oven area, too.
Then we come home and had leftovers for supper---YEAH!!!! Tomorrow I need to bake a birthday cake and we're low on cookies. Tabbi's will be over some time on Sunday for Jon's birthday, and I'm sure that two little boys won't understand a birthday without birthday cake!! At least that's my excuse to bake. And I need to clean, too. Megan works tomorrow and gets Greg on Sunday. Jon and Kelli have his parents there this weekend so everyone is busy and blessed!!

Thought for the day

Sometimes it's hard for me to balance busy and not busy. How about you? When I'm busy I think what I'd like to be doing if I wasn't busy. When I'm not busy I can have a really good day or spiral downward feeling lonely or useless. It's definitely true for me that I need times of both being busy and having down time. I many times have no control over whether I am busy or not, but I need to really learn that whichever I am at the time is God's choice for me and exactly what I need right then. I need to then relax and ENJOY what He has given. Let's thank Him and praise Him either way and take that day, or even those years, of our lives and LIVE THEM to the fullest?

Keep Praying

I think we have a pretty quiet weekend ahead. We went out to eat at Victoria Station tonight and came back home so Jon could do some GPS work. I'm planning on spending a little time on the treadmill when I'm done here. Tomorrow by afternoon he'll probably be helping with combining again. All week I've been wanting to bake...with some input from Jon I've settled on baking oatmeal fudge bars tomorrow. I don't think I even remember the last time I made those. Baking is one of the things I miss about everyone leaving home and me working full time. I can still do it, but it's pretty risky when there aren't others around to help eat it. I'll have to figure out a sharing plan.

I love fall, but these last few damp days have been more challenging. It makes my joints hurt more, so I'm looking forward to some sunny days again. The weekend is supposed to be better---don't mean to complain, but I won't mind feeling it less in my joints.

Kelli is really sick with respiratory crud--pray for her please. Keep praying for Greg and Megan's house to sell, too, please. They are spending the weekend in Winfield, so I'm sure they'll be well fed and cared for. I would like to work on a computer project this weekend, too...we'll see if that happens.

Thought for the day

I'm always surprised how little it takes to distract me from prayer. I've believed for a long time now that if God has a "calling" for me, it is prayer. I believe He calls me to prayer for my own blessing as well as for intercession. There are so many needs to pray for, yet I'm constantly pulled from that quiet focus into the busy and transitory things of the day. Still my truest longing is for that fellowship and sense of destiny that are a part of real prayer. I'll have to keep trusting Him to bring me into the fullness of all that He has put in my heart because He's the one who has to do it. Like every other part of our walk it is His work, not mine.

Long Day

Tonight I spent all night in the kitchen, first making a couple of messes then cleaning them up. The end result was supper and a big pile of chocolate chip cookies. Felt good to get some of that done...Jon was working all evening also so it was a good time to catch up. I got to talk to each of the girls. All in all, a productive night after a day at work. I didn't get my walk in though...oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Thought for the day

Sleep....everything will look better tomorrow.

Saturday

It's been raining the last few day here, but this afternoon we're seeing sunshine again. The rain was welcome, but now it's time to mow again. My husband's company has its Christmas party tonight, yes, I said Christmas. They do it in September and have golfing in the aftern00n for those who want. It's nice because it's one less thing to fit in in December. Been watching some of the coverage of hurricane Ike hitting Texas...wow, am I glad to not live in a place where I have to deal with that. I'm sure many are so thankful for warnings and evacuations...God help them all. What a mess. I'm baking cookies today--my world-famous oatmeal chocolate chip. I'm pretty sure that if I ever run out in my house that my family will just disown me. Iowa and Iowa State are tied at 3 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Got much more interesting in the 3rd.

P.S. Final score Iowa 17, ISU 5. My sons-in-law really know how to pick winners. Right, girls?

Thought for the day
You know, I'm not much in thinking mode today. I am really just enjoying being home and working around here. It's good to know that God is with us even when we're "just doing the normal stuff" and we don't have to be what we would think of as spiritual to know His fellowship and presence. "Lo, I am with you ALWAYS..."