My Life Was Forever Changed

18 years ago, today, I was the Mama of a 12 year old son and a 7 year old son.  Both blonde, one blue eyed and one brown eyed, both full of energy, their bedroom full of trucks, cars, legos, k'nex, books, stuffed animals & lots of Boy/Cub Scout stuff.  They loved video games, camping, playing ball in the yard, riding bikes, doing stuff with their dad & grandpa Bill.  They turned my life upside down with excitement, adventure & fear (have you ever heard feet running across your roof?  I have!)

The Lord had a new adventure in mind for me.  18 years ago tomorrow ~ my baby girl was born!  She had a head full of black hair, an olive complexion, and blue/green eyes (now green like her Grandpa Bill).  We now had lace, pink, dolls, tea sets, stuffed animals with names & personalities, and lots of drama. 

Fast forward 18 years later ~ tomorrow Amy Lynn turns 18 (gasp). She surpassed me in height about 6 years ago, has long brown hair and big green eyes.  My Amy today loves ~ baking, reading, ballet, crafting, her dogs & rabbit, animal facts (her knowledge rivals Animal Planet), shopping, volunteering, going on Mission Trips, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, going to Disney World,  swimming, traveling, jetski rides with Greg, "babysitting" her Granny, spending time with her cousins & siblings & being an Auntie.  Given the choice of any fast food place she will always choose Chick Fil A.  She started her own home business since graduation ~ Amy's Cupcake Creations ~ all made from scratch & they are yummy! 

In her 18 years she has gone on Mission Trips to Honduras, Prince Edward Island Canada, Oklahoma, Memphis, and New York State.  She leads a group in our churchs yearly Bible School. 

And I was forever changed ~~~~  I love you Amy Lynn!

Smith Mtn. Lake

bible drill

Epcot

Cutting off her waist length hair to donate for Cancer Patients

Homeschool High School Graduation

she's an Auntie

crafts at Street Reach in Memphis with Inner City Kids

Amy loves riding with her Dad on the Jetski!

Amy's gift to Granny ~ Pigs In a Mud Pit cake!

Happy 18th Birthday~

Threshold Of Glory! - Prestonwood Choir & Orchestra

This is one of the most powerful songs, I've heard proclaiming the magnificence of the Lord!  Our choir is singing this Sunday morning at church!  I found this beautiful version on YouTube and Amy downloaded it for me to share!

Simple Things

 

Todays technology is a great thing ~ we can send & receive messages almost instantly, snail mail is optional ~ we can find out almost any information we need at the touch of a button ~ a machine can wash & dry our clothes (I am waiting for the folding & putting away machines), another machine can wash, sanitize and dry our dishes, our stand mixer can mix up bread, cupcakes, cookie dough, etc. ~ the pressure washer can clean the exterior of the house, the driveway or the vehicles ~

 

But what about appreciating the simple things?

Many today, don't focus on things that don't beep, bling, or require electricity.

 

Here are some simple things I love ~

 

In person conversations

receiving a Card in the mail

pictures of my grandsons

cross stitching a picture

hand quilting

family get togethers

Sunday afternoons

floating in the pool

getting fresh eggs from the chickens

reading a book

morning prayers

sunshine

family celebrations

setting and achieving a goal

spring flowers

tiny baby clothes for a new grandson

laughter

helping a friend

a home cooked meal

hugs & kisses

hearing "I Love You"

wandering through a quilt shop

the changing of seasons

birthdays

singing in the choir at church

hand smocking a dress

colorful floss for projects

iced tea

Saturday morning dates

projects to work on while traveling

watching snow fall

beautiful sunsets

the beach

colorful, warm quilts

friends

 

 

So what simple things make you happy?

 

 

 

 



Reputation

When I was growing up, having a good reputation was important.  You shouldn't do anything to adversely reflect your reputation or the reputation of your family.  We were brought up to be truthful, helpful, kind, considerate, loving.  You gave up your seat for an older person, listened quietly & reverently in church or other meetings, visited with family, held doors open for others, helped wherever possible, spent time with people.  If you disagreed with something an older person said ~ you kept it to yourself.  If you said you were going to do something for someone ~ you did it.  You were dependable. The way you dressed also affected your reputation...little effort is made in that arena today.  I know these are old fashioned values & standards, but there is nothing wrong with that.

There is much in the world today & people that adversely affect my "take" on their reputation ~ good or bad.  Are you honest?  trustworthy? considerate? helpful? kind? decently clothed for the situation? respectful? friendly? selfless? humble? are you teachable?

All of these reflect on your reputation and the reputation of your family.  We should be worried or concerned with how people view us.  If something is wrong or we have given someone the wrong impression of ourselves, its our problem not theirs.  We should correct the situation, sincerely apologize when needed, take steps to correct our fault, repair the damage done, ask for forgiveness, pray the Lord gives us the strength not to fall back into bad habits.  There are many words that are said that should be unsaid ~ just because you think it, doesn't mean you should say it, text or email it.

I am thankful that my parents were concerned about these things.  Looking back, I can see they lovingly guided us through our growing up years, taught us right from wrong, expected us to behave (no, we weren't perfect), tell the truth, carry through with our commitments.

Thanks Mom!

I love you & HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The Eagles

Last night, while channel flipping ~ Greg found a documentary on the band "The Eagles" ~ and it was really interesting.  The guys in the band talked about their struggles, both with each other and with drugs/alcohol.  It covered why different folks left the band and about the folks that joined the band.  It was really neat to see the guys then ~ and the guys now.  And they talked quite candidly about all the events surrounding their fame.

Which made me start thinking about all the concerts I attended as a teenager at the Omni in downtown Atlanta ~ Styx (many times ~ still like them), Chicago, Beach Boys, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, The Osmond Brothers, and many more.  Good times & great memories.  A highlight of the year was the annual Toys for Tots concerts ~ Styx was in the ones I saw in 1976-1978 or 79.  They featured about 6 bands every year and most went on to become big hits.  And the tickets were cheap plus each person brought a toy to donate for needy children.

What a blast from the past!

Busy Days

We've had some really busy days lately ~

Sunday we drove home from GA and had a lovely time, listening to good teaching and just being together.  Before we left Atlanta, we made a stop by Restaurant Depot and loaded up on good things to can for our pantry provisions.

Monday, I cut up and canned 18 quarts of chicken & 3 quarts of chicken stock.  Those jars of chicken will be a great start to our chicken enchilada meals & greatly cut down on the time needed in the kitchen to fix dinners.

Tuesday, Amy peeled 25 pounds of carrots & I started cutting up and canning them.  I've got 14 quarts and 7 pints canned. I didn't get it all done yesterday, so I finished up today. We loved the carrots with our roast or just as a side vegetable with a meal.  In the afternoon, we were able to go up to the church and help sort items for the annual garage sale benefitting out Haiti mission team.  I found Greg a couple of shirts, me a shirt, Amy a few things & some baby stuff for my grandsons!  Plus its fun to help and fellowship in the process. 

Today, we are helping a friend pack up her shop in preparation of moving.  It will be a mutually beneficial agreement since she needs help and we can work for items in her store!  Bartering is a good thing!  No money exchanging hands! 

Our menus for the week have been easy so far ~

Sunday ~ leftover grilled hotdogs (we ate a huge lunch at Cracker Barrel on the way home)
Monday ~ Homemade pizzas
Tuesday ~ Fried Ham Slices, baked sweet potatoes & peas
Wed.~ chicken enchiladas
Thursday ~ Grilled Hamburgers & mashed cauliflower
Friday ~ maybe dinner at the Sams Club Deli (we have to buy stuff for Gregs food stand at the yard sale on Sat.)
Saturday ~ Taco Salads
 

Pride

In my "Where to find it in the Bible" reference book there are 86 scripture passages listed under the topic Pride.  It also points to topics ~ arrogance, conceit, vanity.

Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the Lord is to hate evil: I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Proverbs 16:18-19 "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

Proverbs 21:23-24 "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.  The proud and arrogant man - Mocker is his name, he behave with overweening pride."

Galatians 5:26 "Let us not become conceited (pridefilled), provoking and envying one another."

2Corinthians 10:12 "We do not dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves  when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

1Timothy 6:3-5 "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing.  He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain."

James 4:6 "But he gives us more grace.  That is why Scripture says: 'God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

1Peter 5: 5 "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

1John 2:16 "For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world."

And these are just a few of the admonitions about pride.  All were taken from the NIV Bible.

Last week Greg found us a study to do together on Subtle Sins ~ pride was the first of the lessons
He found this resource on Wretched Radio (http://www.wretchedradio.com/) ~ the link to the study is
(http://www.wretchedradio.com/store/product_details.cfm?id=476) ~ Sanctification.  We did the first lesson on Pride and Humility ~ so 2 of the questions in the study were 1. Do you agree that facebook and twitter contribute to our problem with pride?  If so, explain how. 2.Can social media (like facebook and twitter) be used for Gods glory and if so, how?  Just looking back through our/your homepage on facebook can reveal a lot about how we esteem ourselves and our opinion. (No, I am not going to share our answers, we shared them with each other)

The next part of the lesson got really personal ~ evaluate how well you love others by comparing yourself against the definition of love found in 1 Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind.
Loves does not envy or boast.
Loves is not arrogant or rude.
Love does not insist on its own way.
Love is not irritable or resentful.
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Instead of the word love ~ say your own name ~ Donna is.........  Then answer "how I struggle in this area" and "how can I be more loving in this area".  When being completely honest ~ I would say I had struggles in every area but 1. 

Pride says its all about me/us, our opinions, our way of living, etc.  Humility says its all about the Lord, His works, His words, His everything.