VACATIONS

We just returned from a week at Lake Tenkiller with our kids and Grandkids.  It is so much fun to watch those grandkids and the thrills that they get from playing in the water and tubing and getting filthy at the camp site.  I rested and rested and yet today I find that I am completely exhausted.  Now why do you return from vacation so tired?  It seems that is the way it always happens.  Arliss was up and off to work with no problem and I have been draging around all day forcing myself to do the mounds and mounds of laundry.  I love camping but it seems to cause a build up of tired that doesn't hit you until you get to the front door back home.  Now I need a week of rest to rest up from the vacation.  I did get to visit with Mrs. Riley this week when Arliss came back to work and I let the kids do their own thing one morning while I drove over for a nice visit on Mrs. Riley's front porch.  It was really nice I must say.  Our little Abigail started figuring out how to float with her lifejacket on in the lake and was getting pretty good by the time we left.  Her cute smile and sweet way of saying "Gamma" really wrapped me around my finger this week and all the kids too.  Audrey was such a happy baby this week and played on the quilt outside and loved the water once we got her over her strep.  Brett absolutely loves those two little girls and was so good with them all week.  Cherylynne and Kaylyn love Abigail too but Kaylyn and Ethan fight like brother and sister.  I think there is some jealousy for sure.  I noticed especially when Brian would play with Ethan or Abigail in the water that Kaylyn was there and wanting her Dad's attention.  Abigail loves her Aunt Ber and is so cute when she says that name.  She worked on saying Uncle Brian but it kept coming out "Uncle Ian" most of the time.   Ethan is all over the lake now feeling very confident with his life jacket.  He loved hanging around with his Daddy and it was so cute to see him idolize his Daddy so much.   Brett loves to ski and tube and Cherylynne is a tubing maniac.  She never gets tired and will handle the roughest of waters and come up laughing.  Kaylyn is our little accident waiting to happen.  We have to keep plenty of peroxide and bandaids for her daily treatment to her latest accident.  Bryant had a rough week with several things - like his awning being blown off and two of the kids coming down with strep which meant trips to town for medicine.  Lori too had it rough for a couple of days with the sick kids but then she seemed to really enjoy getting to ski as last summer she was pregnant and didn't get to ski.  Arliss had one ski trip and had great fun but then his foot was very swollen the next day and he could hardly ski.  Brian enjoyed skiing at the end of the week but was having trouble with his elbow early in the week.  Amber tubed with Kaylyn and had a good time.  Kaylyn likes the smoother water and so does Amber.  Brian's pontoon boat is the best.  The wind was terrible a couple of days but his boat scoots right through that water and we were able to find smooth water up the lake and enjoy swimming around even on the roughest days.  Bryant is working on learning to handle their boat and it doing pretty good.  It is all new to him and there is just no short cut to learning - you just have to do it.  I really enjoyed our morning devotions even though the kids had their usual bored looks on their faces and couldn't wait until we were finished each day.  I really enjoyed being in Blackgum Baptist church too.  We really love those people and Bro. Ritter's preaching is great.  It was nice though to be back home in our church last night.  We didn't get our normal spots this time and so it seemed like things never really ran as smoothly as usual but we made it work.  It is just such a privilege to spend a week with my kids and grandkids and so thankful that they want to be with us.  Arliss and I are getting more and more lazy and like to sit more and more and play less and less.   I actually read 4 books which is a record for me for sure.  Now the question is - WHY IN THE WORLD DO I FEEL SO TIRED?

Lazy

I hate to admit it but I think I have become lazy.  I find myself going back to bed after Arliss leaves and then I take an afternoon nap and then I'll be if I don't fall asleep while watching TV in the evening.  I think having the house for sale discourages me from doing any new projects so I have just become very comfortable with my backside on the couch with my computer in my lap.  Shame on me - Arliss works so hard every day and then to make matters worse he has started working out of an evening while I am still sitting on the couch holding it securely to the ground.  I hope this is a phase that will pass quickly.  Christy will be here in a few days and I have a feeling that she will keep me moving for a few weeks.  This is the last week of school for me and I am as ready as the kids are to put math up for a few months.  I can't wait for our annual trek to Cheesecake factory - yum!  Two more weeks of Kings Kids and I am ready to sit and learn on Weds. nights for the summer.  I miss Bro. Nelson's teachings but I do love Kings Kids too.  It looks like we will close out Mom and Dad's estate next week when we close on the cabin.  I am sad and relieved all at the same time.  I have listened to two days of discussion over Usama Bin Laden's death and now I am ready for them to move on - it did take the royal wedding off the front page for a few days anyway.  I am very proud of our military for taking out our enemy but of course seeing any soul go out into eternity without the Lord is a sad thing for sure. 

missing Mom

I bought the ham and potatoes for our Easter dinner.  It seemed rather strange not to be talking to Mom who was the extreme planner.  She usually had Easter planned before Christmas arrived.  This will be our first Easter without Mom and Dad.  I am especially missing Mom today.  It will be hard on us all but we will push through Easter just as we pushed through Christmas with the hope that as time passes the hurt will lessen.  The Masons always get together on Easter and so I will carry on the tradition as Mom had done it.  I actually have had it at my house a few times but Mom was always in charge.  I guess as the matriarch of the family I need to hone my planning skills.  I am just not as efficient as Mom.  We will miss Mom and Dad so much.  I also  appreciate that I had my parents for so many years when many lose their parents at such an early age.  Thank you Lord for all the years I had and help me to cherish those memories and that they might bring joy to my heart instead of the pain that they  now bring.  Time heals all wounds - I wonder if that is true when you lose a loved one? 

SELLING THE 5TH WHEEL

We finally sold our 2002 5th wheel today.  Of course it wasn't without complications.  I was so glad that Brian happened to be at the shop and he helped me through my moments of panic.  We had too many vehicles at the shop so Brian followed me home so I could leave a car and then we planned to go back to the shop.  Well Arliss asked Brian to get the propane tanks for the camper and I was to get the title.  Ok- no problem until I got the title out and there was still a lean listed on the trailer - eek!  We had paid that thing off in November of 2002 and I guess I forgot to get the title updated.   Well panic set in first - which usually happens to me.  I got in the pickup and Brian quietly encouraged me to think about what to do.  I first called the bank and they were willing to give us another lien release  but it would be a 5-7 day wait.  The lady was leaving town with the 5th wheel TODAY!  I suddenly thought of my safety deposit box.  Brian took me to the bank and we got into my box and I was frantically shuffling through papers when Brian handed me the lien release.  whew!  I dodged a bullet with that one.  He was rather amused at the way I panic first and think later.  He did however admit that he sometimes does the same thing.  He then drove me to the tag office where I got my signature notorized and made sure the lien release was all that was needed to get a clear title by the new owner.  Finally back to the shop and I was so thankful Brian had gone through that with me.  I still had to make a trip back home for the new tag that I forgot and oh yes Brian had to bring me back home once for the keys to the camper.  By the time the lady drove out with our camper and I had the check in hand to take to the bank it was 5:30 and I was emotionally exhausted.  Obviously not one of my best days for alertness.  Yea! We are very thankful to have the 5th wheel gone. 

Giving up too soon

Just as I lost hope of ever seeing a day with sunshine and no wind - the Lord gave us this most perfect Saturday.  I walked outside and just stood in amazement as the trees weren't swaying madly in the wind and my hair wasn't on top of my head.  I feel so grateful to the Lord as I desperately needed a day like this to give me the ability to keep hope alive when the next round of wild wind hits which it most certainly will but just like the rainbow at the end of the rain so is the beautiful day at the end of the wild winds of spring.   Shame on me for giving up one day too soon - the Lord willing I won't do that the next time.

The Weather

I have lived in Oklahoma pretty much my whole life and you would think that the wind would not get to me so much - but really - the March winds are now eating up April.  It is blowing 30-40 from the south one day and 30-40 from the north the next.  It is  really starting to get on my nerves.  I know the Bible says that we will have perfect peace if we put our trust in the Lord.  I am failing in this area.  For the life of me I can't get that perfect peace about the wild winds day after day after day - I'm sure I haven't prayed for patience- maybe someone else has and I am having to learn it too - oh NO!  what next.

THE RUN AWAY REMOTE

THE RUN AWAY REMOTE

I know that the days of turning channels and turning the TV on and off by hand are long gone. Now it is the battle of the remotes. I don’t know about you all but we have a special container for our remotes. There are at least 5 or 6 in our living room. Well this story takes place in the bedroom. Every night we turn the TV on in the bedroom while we are getting ready for bed and usually watch it a few minutes before going to sleep. Arliss of course is king of the remote and it stays on the night stand on HIS side of the bed. Well on this night, he reached for the remote and it wasn’t there. He looked on the floor and under the bed and even in the covers but no remote. He started asking me - Did you get MY remote? Did the Grandkids come over today? Did someone come to look at our house today? (We do have our house for sale). I had not touched his remote and no the grandkids were not here and who would come to look at a house and steal a remote. He started looking everywhere- in the mean time - I was now ready for bed and I walked over and actually used the “on” button -amazingly the TV came on. I tried to tell him to forget it for this night but he was on a mission. It just would be awful to have to manually turn off the TV. I got rather tickled at him but he left the bedroom and started the search through the house. Now the remote was found on the table beside his chair. He brings the remote to me thinking I had done it. Well I didn’t do it and to this day no one knows how the remote got there. I will say though that the fact that it was on the table beside HIS chair makes it pretty obvious to me who was the guilty party.
Now for a spiritual application. I know the Lord allows these things in my life to teach me and this was no different. We are a very missionary minded church and we have visiting missionaries all the time. We try to give them our best as we so admire the work for God that they have been called to do. We take up special offerings and send them to missionaries in need. It is all good in itself - but like the remote - it is an easy way to support missions without us having to actually touch it personally. Please don’t misunderstand, I think we need to do all that but it isn’t the end. In Acts 1:8 - It says we are to go to Jerusalem and Samaria and all parts of the world. Well the Jerusalem is our home town. Sometimes God doesn’t want us to just support missions by remote. He wants us to go to that neighbor and tell them about the Lord, or take the new comer list and go knocking on doors. How about handing out tracks or mailing them in our bills. Believe me I am preaching to myself as well.
This world we live in today has everything to make our life easy but at the same time we have become lazy. There is no substitution for hands on visiting with people and sharing the gospel one on one.
Now when you pick up the remote maybe you should try to think if God might have some “hands on” work for you to do instead.

CRAZY SPRING

I am so glad to turn the heat off AGAIN!  One day the a/c is on and the next day the heat - no wonder everyone is sick.  I know that sometimes Spring has a hard time settling in but this year it seems worse.  The March winds forgot to leave and the April showers forgot to come.  I have given up on trying to make my hair look decent as the wind is so wild and my hair just stands on top of my head the minute I step out - hey I just had an idea - I can forget doing my hair and then just blame the wind on how horrible it looks.  I am trying to remain thankful for the sun as last week the clouds covered the sky all week and yet no rain came from those clouds.  I know that the Lord is in control and we will eventually get some rain - hopefully before the whole state burns up but sometimes you wonder what the Lord has in mind.  I don't even pretend to understand the mind of God.  I guess that is why he wants us to have faith in Him since our little minds cannot comprehend the whole picture.  I therefore am deciding today to be THANKFUL FOR - BIG WIND - NO RAIN - AND CHANGING TEMPERATURES.  That's my decision and I am sticking with it - right?

THE INCREDIBLE INEDIBLE LEMON PIE

THE INCREDIBLE INEDIBLE LEMON PIE

　

It hurts me to have to admit to making an inedible pie, but it actually happened. Every month we have different hostesses for our ladies meeting. Well it was my time to be one. My job was to bring the table decorations and the dessert. I decided to make lemon pies. I knew it was time consuming but I wanted to do it. I think probably a little pride thing got in there too. I realized I needed to make the pie crusts on Sunday night so I could make pies early Monday morning. They need to sit for several hours before they are really ready to eat. I got home from church Sunday night and went right to the kitchen to make the crusts before my tired was all over me. As I rolled the crusts out I noticed how soft and pliable they were. I knew it was different but I told myself that I just got everything perfect this time - ha! That joke was on me for sure. I got up Monday morning and made the pies and they looked so beautiful and delicious . I proudly took my 3 pies to the meeting that night and looked forward to each lady eating my pies and I already heard the compliments in my head about how wonderful a pie I could make - again! Ha! The jokes on me! As we were preparing to serve I asked my daughter Lori to please cut the pies as I was doing other things. She got the knife and I looked over and saw her putting her whole body weight into pressing down on that knife. She finally said “Mom - what is wrong with the pie?” What! My perfect pie - wasn’t perfect - how could that be? Well immediately I remembered that I had doubled the recipe and I forgot to double the Crisco. Well if you ever wondered what Crisco does to your pie crust. I can tell you with great confidence that it gives the crust its tender flaky texture. I was so embarrassed. I encouraged the ladies to just eat the filling - which I must say did taste pretty well. I knew the Lord was bringing me up short for my prideful attitude. I also knew that there had to be an article out of this. Oh yes I took the pie home and got so tickled as Arliss took a piece and had his fork and was pushing with all his might to cut off a piece and all the while saying “I think the pie is fine I don’t see anything wrong” as he is groaning in his efforts to actually cut the crust. I had to laugh. That sweet husband actually ate the crust and tried to smile and encourage me that it wasn’t “THAT” bad.
Well now here is the spiritual application. I was thinking about how so many people today try to live a good life. They don’t beat their wives or cheat on their husbands. They take care of their family and give to charity. They are living a good clean life. They are thinking that their good life will prepare them for acceptance in heaven for eternity. I have had people say to me that surely God will see how good a person I am and understand and let me into heaven. Well if that were the criteria for heaven they would be right. God loves us so much and wants us to be in heaven with him but if we forget the one thing that actually gets us to heaven then it is all lost. Matthew 7:22-23 says Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity.
If we don’t know Christ then we can never be in heaven with Him. We live a good life because we know Christ - not because we are trying to work our way into heaven.
It is so sad that so many good intended people forget the one ingredient that will secure their eternity - salvation - trusting Christ as their personal Savior. Remember John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Now I may forget a vital ingredient in something else out there in the future as I seem to make mistakes over and over but one thing I know - I have the ingredient that will secure my place with the Lord in eternity - I have Jesus as my personal Savior - what about you? Have you secured your place in eternity - you must have that one vital ingredient or all is lost.

Decisions Decisions

We looked at a house in Sun Valley acres today.  It is at the back of the addition and has a dead end so no traffic.  You can hear the turnpike but not nearly as well as we hear I-40 where we are now.  The house has so many good things.  It has beautiful wood work, 3 beds.  3 living areas and 2 1/2 baths.  a big covered patio and three car garage.  a pad already poured for the RV.  Arliss likes it very well but says the decision is up to me.  Now to the problem  The kitchen.  It has tons of storage but seems a little tight with the big island. It also is open to the family room.  The stove is electric and I like gas.  I asked Arliss about changing the island but he was hesitant about doing a lot of cabinet work.  Now I am trying to figure out if I could live with the kitchen and be happy or not.  I didn't like the kitchen at the house we live in now and had things added over the years but still wanted a bigger kitchen.  This kitchen in Sun Valley Acres does have a nice big eating area that I love it is just the tightness between the island and cabinets that worries me.  I guess I will just pray and ask the Lord.  Arliss has put it completely in my hands - eek!

THOSE PESKY BURDENS

THOSE PESKY BURDENS

I know that I have had an on going battle for years with letting things go. I give them to the Lord and then I take them back again and so it goes round and round. I have recently felt so very burdened over a loved one. I found that it was consuming my every thought. I couldn’t think of anything else and just kept rolling it around in my mind as if a sudden solution would come to me so I could make it all better.
Well you know the Lord always knows just what we need. We had a visiting missionary who talked about stepping out of our comfort zone and obeying the Lord even if wasn’t something we thought was a good idea. Our pastor then preached that evening about trusting God and then one of the songs was all about our burdens. I knew the Lord planned that whole day just for me - at least it seemed that way.
I came home knowing that I needed to turn that burden to the Lord but still hadn’t done it. Well recently we had watched a movie called “Volcano”. It was about a volcano that had lava going into the underground subway system in LA. Well there was one scene in the movie where a man was carrying an injured guy trying to get him off the subway as the lava was quickly approaching. The scene went in slow motion as the man’s shoes were melting and yet he was determined to get the injured guy off the subway. As he got to the door the lava had come under and they told him to jump. As he jumped right into the lava he threw the injured man and the rescue people were able to catch him but the other man died. Well the Lord brought to my mind that I was sinking into the mire as I tried to carry on with that heavy burden weighing me down and preventing me from walking with the Lord as He wanted. I was going to ruin myself and my loved one if I didn’t let go of that burden. I visualized myself throwing my loved one to the Lord. It was the most freeing moment. In the movie the rescuer was consumed but I was not consumed - I was set free. I suddenly knew it was up to the Lord now - not me! We always sing that song “Cast your burden” with the little kids but it is for all of us adults as well.
After you let go of a burden - you wonder why in the world you even wanted to carry it in the first place. Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved”. Why we fight dong the very thing that is going to bring us joy is a mystery to me but we seem to all do it.
That movie I watched was a silly movie but the Lord used it to drive home the message he had been giving me all day while I was at church. Isn’t God good to put things into a practical setting that we can see and understand what he is wanting from us.
If you are trying to carry a heavy burden maybe you could visualize yourself sinking in the mire and both you and the burden going under. The only way out is to throw that burden to the Lord. Let it go and you too can experience that wonderful light airy burden free feeling - wow! It is great!

FROM BUSY TO BORED

The strangest thing has happened to me this week. We have been working so hard for literally months to get the house ready to sell.  Well now everything is done - at least everything that I am doing. All I have done this week is keep things neat and clean - no leaving my tea cup in the den or my shoes in the living room floor.  The problem now is that I don't want to do anythng.  I don't want to mess up.  I hesitate to cook much as I don't want to clean the stove or mess up the kitchen floor.  I have moved my computer to the den so I am not working on my diary as much as usual.  My knitting is also getting negleceted because I had to move it and it is not at my fingertips.  Now I don't want to stay home as there is NOTHING to do.  I never thought in my whole life that I would think such a thing.  I think it might be my extreme laziness kicking in.  I hate to mess up because I don't want to clean up.   I have to do some cooking today but I must admit I seriously thought about buying the brownies and cookies instead of making homemade ones - shame on me!  I am not sure if this is going to be a temporary thing or not - if not we may have four months of misery here at the house as we can't let ourselves just relax and live - maybe the problem is that we were too messy to begin with.  who knows?

OUR HOUSE

Today as I look out the front and see the "For Sale" sign - I find that I have a big knot in  my stomach.  I have never liked this house from the moment I moved in.  Part of the problem was I was feeling very angry at God for making me leave the country which I loved.  Arliss thought I wanted the house so he agreed to buy it.  I thought it was the one he wanted so I agreed - typical marriage communication.  We had lived here several years before we both found out that we neither one wanted this house.  Well Arliss plan of attack was to make it the right house.  He busied himself building a sun room and a storage building and turning attic space into a huge closet and adding a patio cover and a cellar.  I on the other hand went looking for houses.  I was determined not to stay here.  Nothing ever worked out though and I went from hating the house the accepting the house, to liking the house and yes now I find I love the house.  It is not the house it is the fact that it has become "Our Home".  This is the only house that any of our Grand kids have ever known - many years of memories now fill the halls of this house. 

It is strange that I feel so strongly about a house that I have worked to get out of for almost 16 years.  Aren't we strange creatures sometimes.  Part of the reason we haven't moved is a stalemate between Arliss and I.  He always insisted we sell the house first and then find another one - I just couldn't do it.  I was gripped with fear of being without a home.  I wanted to buy another house and then sell this one - but that gripped him with fear of owning two houses.  Finally last fall I gave in and agreed to sell the house first and then find another one.  We have been looking and looking but so far nothing has surfaced. 
Arliss decided that we were putting out the fleece.  If the house sells by the end of the summer then we know that it is God's will.  If it doesn't then we are going to forever forget moving until the Lord comes or the funeral director whichever comes first.  I guess time will tell. 
I am thankful for this home and the many memories here but I also know it is wood hay and stubble.  The things that last for eternity are the memories and the lives that have been affected not the place that those memories happened.  I guess if I keep talking I will convince myself of this.  OH well - that is how I am feeling today - now tomorrow - who knows maybe I will have a thrill when I look at the "For Sale" sign in the front yard. 

Quitting

I decided today that I am definitely a quitter by nature.  As we were working in the flower beds, I kept thinking about how tired I was.  I kept trying to tell myself I needed to stop to eat or have a bottle of water or anything that would stop the work.  The other voice in my head however, kept telling me to jut keep working until it was done.  My husband is my inspiration.  He just keeps on working  no matter how tired he gets.  I am so thankful that we hung in there and finished our flower beds.  They had definitely gotten in a mess over the winter.  Now we have sacks and sacks of leaves and limbs to haul off.  I am sure he will keep going until it is doen.  Right now it is break time though and we are having lunch and looking at the list.  I think my next project is vacuuming out the cellar- wow! that sounds like a fun time - I must keep reminding my self DON'T QUIT DON'T QUIT - DON'T QUIT!

DECLUTTERING BLUES

DECLUTTERING BLUES

I have struggled where to begin with this article. I guess I will tell you how the Lord gave me the idea and then go from there.
Saturday morning I was up bright and early as I had to be at church by 8:30 to leave for a Golden Ager trip to Enid. As I walked to the kitchen, I started picking up this and that and suddenly my time went from being relaxed - to rushed. I only had 5 minutes to sit down and read my Bible. I opened my Bible - read for 5 minutes and then hit the shower.
As I was showering this idea of an article about de-cluttering kept coming to my mind. I was not really interested in that moment in thinking about an article so I was arguing with the Lord that this was not a good time as I had to rush and couldn’t write anything down. Well the Lord said to me -(not audible of course) tell me what you read in your Bible reading today. I said - uh - oh - uh - give me a minute I will think of it. Lets see? - well finally I gave up and admitted to the Lord that I had no idea what I had just read, and his response was - WELL I GUESS YOU DIDN’T DECLUTTER YOUR MIND DID YOU?
I hate that- when the Lord catches me red handed in my sin - rats!
Now here is the thought. Every day for years I have spent the first few minutes picking up from the night before. We always leave cups or glasses or articles of clothing laying around the house. I had never called it de-cluttering until I became acquainted with “The Flylady” who gives tips on keeping your house clean. Anyway it is so satisfying on one hand and so frustrating on the other. No matter how much you do - it has to be done again tomorrow or the clutter will take over your house in a little while.
Now thanks to the Lord’s “not so gentle” reminder- I realize that is what I need to do each day to my mind.
How many times have you sat down to have your devotions and then got up and have no idea what in the world you just did. Our minds are constantly thinking about a million things - for instance - oh yes I need to call the doctor or my Mom or a friend - I need to change that laundry etc. I could go on and on.
Now we know the problem - so what is the solution.
Here are some things that are helping me - I do have to remind you however that if you don’t apply them - then they of course won’t work - which is what happened to me on Saturday.
The first thing is to sit down with your Bible in your lap and close your eyes and just try to relax. Take a deep breath and ask the Lord to bless your time. Then you start in. Now if your mind is still jumping all over the place and you can’t focus then you need step two
Step two - get out a paper and pencil. Read a verse and then make yourself find something in that verse that you want to remember and write it down. If you start writing and it is the grocery list or the “to do” list for the day - then you need step 3.
Step 3
Stop reading - get down on your knees and start praising God - you can praise him as the Creator, you can praise Jesus as the lamb of God who died for your sins. Praise the Holy Spirit for His conviction of sin in your life that he gives to all of us. Then start thanking God - for your salvation, your family, your home. You can go on as long as you have time. There is never an end. Remember you are not asking God for anything - if you start doing that then your mind goes back to your struggles and you have lost the de-cluttering effect. Now remember I am not trying to discourage you from asking God to meet our needs as we all want to do that. He wants us to take our needs to him- BUT NOT IN THIS MOMENT - save it for another prayer time.
When you get off your knees. I guarantee that you will be so full of awareness of God that the truths of scripture will just jump off the page.
The truth is we should take step 3 every day as our step one - but I live in the practical world of being a sinner saved by grace and I know I won’t take that time every day.
Now your assignment is to practice de-cluttering your mind. It is just like de-cluttering your house. It has to be done over and over and over again or the clutter will buildup and take over.
Step 1- Sit quietly with your Bible a moment. Ask God to bless your time in His word.
Step 2- Get a piece of paper and find something in a verse that you want to remember and write it down - that helps you to focus.
Step 3- Get on your knees and spend some time praising and thanking God - REMEMBER NO REQUESTS - then resume your Bible reading.
This works for me and I know it will work for you. Get going de-cluttering your mind - and it wouldn’t hurt to de-clutter your house too.

LESSONS FROM THE SUN ROOM

LESSONS FROM THE SUN ROOM

It seems that cleaning my house has given me yet another article. This time it is the sun room. This room was supposed to be a place for me to sit and enjoy my tea of a morning and relax and look out on the beautiful day. Arliss built if for me and I so appreciated it at the time but that was BG (Before Grandkids). It is now a toy room with books and toys and a table for the kids to enjoy. I didn’t mind giving it up for them - it does keep the toys out of the house - at least most of the time.
Periodically that room needs a good cleaning. The very nature of a sun room means open windows and so the dirt blows right in with all our wonderful Oklahoma wind. We are getting our house ready to sell so it was time for a good cleaning.
All was going well until I got to the windows. A few months back I had a young lady come and clean for me and she had washed the sun room windows. I couldn’t find the step ladder and so I told her to just clean the outside windows as far as she could reach. As I started cleaning the windows outside, I realized that the top few inches were really more dirty and I remembered that it was the part of the window that didn’t get cleaned in the fall. No problem, I thought - I will just put extra liquid on them and I washed them all. As I stepped down and looked back though, I noticed that the tops of the windows were still dirty. Once again I washed the tops. This went on for 3 and on some windows 4 times. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to get the built up dirt off the tops of those windows. I will remember from now on to get the whole window cleaned every time.
It made me think about sin. When we have sin in our life all we have to do is go to the Lord and confess it and he will forgive us of that sin and cleanse us from unrighteousness as I John 1:9 tells us. I have noticed though that we sometimes develop bad habits and refuse to take them to the Lord as we just aren’t quite ready to give them up. Well just like the dirt on the windows - that sin builds up and gets tough. Now it isn’t hard for the Lord but it is hard for us. A habit that develops over time becomes almost impossible to remove from our life. It is all so unnecessary. If we just daily stay committed to serving the Lord with our whole heart, we will be open to hear the Lord’s conviction of the things that are not right in our lives.
Why should we suffer the pain of having to try and try and try before breaking that bad habit when we can rid ourselves of the sin easily if we just hear and respond to God’s call of repentance.
I would tell you to think about the sins in your life every time you clean your windows to make sure there are no bad habits developing, but if you are like me - you don’t clean the windows that often. I think instead I will just say to you to each day seek God’s face and surrender your life a fresh to God’s control and let him point out the sins that need to be cleansed. You will then never suffer that pain of having to try and try and try to break a bad habit - and that is a good thing!

Quitting

I have never thought of myself as a quitter but I am so having to fight off the urge to quit on my house.  I know people who do projects way more involved than the ones that we have tackled.  They don't seem to get discouraged and want to quit.  My sister weekly has to give me the pep talk to keep going as I am almost finished.  Each time  I think we are seeing the end - new project pop up and now I have a list of about 25 things that need to be done yet! eek!  I want to scream - I want to cry - I want to sit and watch movies all day - I want to be mad at God .  I know I can't do that - shame on me - I am a big girl after all.  I know I will feel so good once I check a few things off my list today but right now - I want to hide under a rock.  The sun is shining and it looks so beautiful outside - maybe I could work on some of my outdoor lists?  I am thankful that I don't have to get out of the house today so I can just keep on my cruddy clothes and leave my face bare of makeup- I did brush my teeth - there is only so much scrounge that I can take.  Well I feel better now that I have vented and I am starting to feel a gratitude towards the Lord for giving me this day at home - my poor husband doesn't get to make that choice as he slaves away at the shop every single day. 

CHOICES

CHOICES

I have been thinking about the choices we make in our life every day. We usually think of choices as they relate to good and bad. I am thinking about the idea that most of the time our choices are just whether we choose the good or the better thing.. Those are the types we most have to be careful about because neither thing is bad. The choices have to be evaluated more closely.
Recently I was changing my sheets and noticed that my mattress pad was very worn and needed to be replaced. I went to the store and had two choices. One was $39.00 and the other was $50.00. I looked at them both and they looked very similar in every way so I took the cheaper one. You know that $50.00 sounds so much more than $39.00. When I put it on the bed, I noticed that it had a funny feel to it but I pretty much ignored it. That night we got into bed and I rolled over to kiss my husband good night and heard this crinkle, crinkle. What was that? We soon realized it was the new mattress pad. My husband assured me that we would get used to it. Well a month later it was still driving me nuts as every time I moved in the bed - I heard the crinkle, crinkle. I finally just bit the bullet and went back to the store and bought the $50.00 one which of course now actually was more like $90.00 since I threw away the $39.00 one. The new one is so wonderful. What I failed to notice in the fine print was that the cheaper one was more of a paper product instead of a cloth product.
Now I know we can’t always buy the most expensive and frankly the most expensive is not always the best choice. If I had looked at it more carefully then I could have known I was buying paper and made the decision to pay the extra $10.00 or just wait until I could afford the extra if I didn’t have it at the time.
I remember being so proud of myself on that first day thinking I had been frugal - but the result was way more expensive. You can see how those choices can really impact our life and my budget in this case as I obviously didn’t choose the “better” thing.
I of course always want to make a spiritual application. An example might be a decision about the monthly ladies meeting. Maybe you are tired and think you could just stay home and have some family bonding time instead of going to the ladies meeting. Well family bonding time is a good thing for sure, so you see your choice is good - or better. We do lie to ourselves sometimes - do you really want to spend quality time with your family - or is it more like quality time with your recliner and the TV. I am not making a judgment here on anyone. I just know how my mind works. If you choose to stay home with the family the Lord isn’t going to rain down hail and brimstone on you. The thing that happens is that you will probably miss a blessing that would have rejuvenated you spiritually and better prepared you for the challenges of the rest of the week.
I faced one of these choices just recently. We have been working on updating our house for literally months. We were almost done but our activities kept getting in the way. This time it was the kitchen. We had to texture and paint and believe me that was a huge mess. We also put in our new back splash ourselves. Well to be honest - my husband put in the back splash. I am the willing helper. Anyway, my husband signed up for the Amen Conference. It would take him away from home from Friday afternoon until Saturday night. I wanted him to go - but - I started thinking - well he had been to several of those already. He had a hard week at work and that would make the trip hard on him. If he stayed home we could finish the kitchen. He even began to wonder if he should cancel. Well - he just felt that he needed to go so off he went. It was another one of those good or better choices.
Now he was gone and I decided to put the primer on the walls of the kitchen and also clean off the overspray from the texture that was on the crown molding. This might not seem like a big deal to most of you but for me - it was a BIG deal. I looked at the job and prayed and asked God to help me. I had never tackled anything like that on my own. It looked impossible. A few times I began to think it WAS impossible for me and I kept having doubts about my skill. I kept praying and asking God to not let me quit and I got it all done. I was so amazed at myself and so excited that God had led me through each and every hour encouraging me to keep going.
Now here is the thing. If Arliss had stayed home- it wouldn’t have been a bad thing - in fact sometimes we just can’t go to everything - but - I would have missed the wonderful blessing of God showing me that I could do something that seemed impossible. I would never have even considered it if Arliss was home. He would too have missed the blessings of the men’s retreat.
Now the question is how do we know which is the good or the better choice. Sometimes it is not as cut and dried as my examples. I think the best thing to do is go to scripture. After all we all know that God has the answer to everything if we will just look. Someone told me once that we should visualize God in heaven looking down on us and having a stack of gifts he wants to give us. We however have the freedom to make our own choices and sometimes those choices keep God from giving us the gifts. I certainly don’t want to miss out on any gift that God has for me.
There are so many verses that could help but here are a couple of verse that I especially like for this situation.
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.
If we go to the Lord and ask him for wisdom to know which choice will cause others to glorify Him - He will reveal it to us. Wow! I love that. Why do we always make things so hard when God has the answer if we just ask?
It would be nice to think that we will go forth and always choose better over good, but we won’t because we are just sinners saved by grace. It is so wonderful though that God keeps on loving us and guiding us and we can turn and make the better choice the next time and learn from our mistakes. Don’t forget I John 1:9- the verse about forgiveness- just in case confession is needed. I seem to need that often.
Well learn from my mistakes and I hope you will give those good or better choices a little more thought each day. God will then be able to shower those blessings upon you that he so desires to give each one of us.

Painting

Now for years I have not been a part of any painting that went on around our house.  I use to try to help paint when we had a rent house but my perfectionist husband always repainted everything that I had painted so I decided that there was no use in my doing it  if he was going to redo everything.  Of late though we have been trying to update our house and Arliss discovered he really needed my help.  I helped him paint the bathroom recently.  Usually I am just the clean up person and errand girl.  Well this last few weeks we have been working on the kitchen.  He sprayed the texture Tuesday night but the rest of the week we had our evenings taken up with activities.  He also planned to attend the Amen conference Friday and Saturday so that meant he couldn't paint the kitchen.  I made the decision that I would paint the coat of Kilz on the kitchen and when he returned from the Amen conference it would be ready for the paint and he could be in charge of that project.  I have to face the fact that I am messy and just not a very good painter.  I started in and it took me about 4 hours.  I worked a couple and took a break and then went back to finish up as my arms got to feeling very weak from doing the ceiling work.  Anyway I got it all done and I am so proud of myself.  It just makes me know that I can do things that are way out of my comfort zone if I put my mind to it.  I had several times this evening when I began to think that I couldn't do it.  I thought I might have to just leave it for Arliss but I asked the Lord to help me finish and just ignored that negative voice in my head.  I tried not to look at all there was yet to do and just focus on accomplishing the area that I was working on at the time.  Now I am so proud and so tired and so excited to have that done.  Thank you Lord for helping me not give up when I really wanted to. 

Mattress Pad

Recently when I was changing my sheets, I noticed how old and worn my mattress pad had become.  I made a mental note to get a new one the next time I went to the store.  Once I was at the store - there were two choices.  One was $39.00 and one was $50.00.  Now for some reason I didn't realize that was really just $10.00 difference.  $39 just sounded so much cheaper than $50.  I looked them over and decided I would buy the cheaper one and left the store feeling so proud of myself for being frugal.  Well I put the new pad on and that night when my husband and I climbed in the bed - we heard this strange crinkling sound.  It didn't take long to realize that is was the new pad.  We told ourselves that we would get used to it - but a month later it was still driving me nuts every time I tried to turn over in the night - crinkle crinkle.  Well yesterday I fianlly bit the bullet and went back to the store.  I bought the $50.00 one.  I opened it up and put it on the bed this morning.  It is the most lucious soft padded thing you ever saw.  Ok, now this thing really cost me about $90. considering I threw away the first one.  Sometimes what seems like the best choice is not always so.  I hope everyone learns from my mistake.  Just because they look the same in the package doesn't mean they will be the same when they are opened.  I am excited to lay down on my nice soft mattress pad and not have to listen to the crinkle crinkle all night - even if it did cost me -

TENNIS SHOES

Today I went to the chiropractor for the second time in a week.  My hip keeps getting out of place. I have had this problem for some time and it seems to come and go.  Well today I left my shoes on while on the chiropractors table.  I guess I hadn't done that before.  He quickly told me that I needed some good shoes.  My shoes were worn on one side and were contributing to my hip problems.  He then went on to say - not just any shoes - get some good tennis shoes with support.  I was in so much pain at the time that I agreed - but later wondered if I had made a mistake.  I went to the shoe store where the guy tested my foot with a fancy machine and then showed me the choices of the tennis shoes.  They were ALL ugly.  I asked him if there were any shoes that were not so clumpy looking.  I wear skirts most of the time and they looked so bulky and ugly.  He assured me that the ones that I considered ugly were the ones I needed.  I gave in and bought a pair.  The good news was that I got a discount because he saw my Dave Ramsey billfold and gave me a "Dave Ramsey Discount".  My complaint is that there doesn't seem to be a pair of tennis shoes that will give you support and look good.  I hate the way I look in these shoes but as I walked out of the store - I felt like I was walking on air.  Now in this day of modern technology someone should invent a tennis shoe that looks good and still supports your foot.  I could get rich if I could think of such a thing.  I am commited to wearing these for a while until my hip gets back in shape and then I will be back in those sandals and flats and heels that look good, but do nothing good for your feet - that is just what we women do. 

RAIN

We are so dry here in Oklahoma and I woke up so stoved up with my arthritis that I knew for sure - the long awaited rain had arrived.  I had to be excited as I hobbled out of bed barely able to walk.  The rain has set in for the day which is good as we do need it desperately.  I took a hot bath to loosen the joints - took as many pills as I thought I could without making my blood so thin that my ears would ring and now I am OK.  Days like this are so confusing.  I love the rain - I hate the rain. 

The Lying Toothbrush

THE LYING TOOTHBRUSH

It has been my habit to faithfully care for my teeth and gums for many years. I brush and floss and use my water pick and all has been well . Well recently my life got turned upside down, my habits became disrupted. Many times I didn’t have my water pick with me and just had to brush and sometimes I had floss. All seemed fine until it came time for my regular dental check up. As the hygienist began to poke my gums, she started saying numbers like three and four and bleeding - hmm- that didn’t sound good. The next thing I knew she telling me about special work that needed done and the hundreds of dollars it would cost - eeek! Well my first thought was “Well lady if you wouldn’t poke me with that sharp thing then my gums wouldn’t be bleeding”. I then reprimanded myself - no use blaming her - it was obvious who was to blame “MY LYING TOOTHBRUSH”.
You see every time I brushed my teeth, my mouth felt clean, and it looked clean and I was under the impression that it WAS clean. The truth was that the toothbrush only was getting the surface. Small bits of bacteria were hiding in there and they started to grow and before you knew it- there I was with a big problem.
I asked the girl to make an appointment for me for three months and I would take charge and get back to my routine and I am happy to report at the end of that three months - I passed with flying colors and didn’t have to spend all those hundreds of dollars - I am sure Arliss was very happy as well.
It started me thinking about our lives though. Recently the preacher was talking to us about the difference of being throughly cleansed and thoroughly cleansed. When we accept Christ as our Savior - we are throughly cleansed - which means through and through. Thoroughly means surface clean like when you clean the outside of your car.
Well I was thoroughly cleaning my teeth when they needed to be throughly cleaned.
We go about our every day lives and we go to church and do the right things on the surface but underneath there is sin that we aren’t willing to cleanse away. That little thing doesn’t seem to be a problem but ever so gradually it grows and grows until one day our walk with the Lord is completely messed up and we wonder - what happened? Now remember I am not talking about salvation as we cannot lose it once we have it. We however can lose our fellowship with God. Unconfessed sin harms our walk with God and until we get everything right - our walk cannot get back to what we want.
Now when you are brushing your teeth maybe you should use that time to ask the Lord if maybe there might be some bacteria growing in your life that needs to be purged.
I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness -
There is so much joy when we are right with God - get in there and GET THROUGHLY CLEANSED!

Fighting Arthritis

Today started with quite a challenge.  My arthritis bothered me all day yesterday and this morning I was in serious pain and could hardly walk and ached from head to toe.  It was an all out assault.  That is the nature of arthritis.  There are times when you just are under attack.  I got some medicine and soaked in a hot tub and finally was Ok to get around for my daily errands.  I have to be careful not to let it get me down emotionally as it seems to also attack my emotions.  I am thankful that I do have medicine.  I also know that the attack will pass.  I am very grateful that they don't last forever.  Now I need to stop being a whiner and just get on with it.
This morning in my devotions it was filled with verses about God fighting our battles and God taking revenge on our enemies.  Well to me the enemy today was ARTHRITIS.  I was so thankful that the Lord reminded me that HE was still in control. 

Saturday with the Golden Agers

My afternoon of shopping with Kaylyn really taught me a lot.  I must be patient as little girls still need their privacy and talking too loud in the dressing room about girl stuff will embarrass them - oops.  Girls need to look and look and look before making the decision - especially if it is their own money.  Grandma needs to be patient when the choices of the Granddaughter don't necessarily match the choices of Grandma.  A grandma must rest up before diving into a shopping experience - it takes all your energy plus some to make it.  Above all encourage your granddaughters desire to make her own choices but manage to keep them from making wrong choices.  Just because they aren't your choice doesn't mean it is a wrong choice.  I did have to tell her once that the shirt was just too small and would not work.  She loved the color so much that she wanted to buy it even though it didn't fit.  She was sweet though when I told her that we would just have to look for another shirt.  I always think I am teaching my grandkids - but lets face it - they are teaching me. 

Tonight I am nursing a sore shoulder.  I think all that cleaning of the windows in the sun room yesterday was too much for my arm - I learn quickly- I should not wash windows - right!  Arliss is putting the kitchen back together.  My microwave is off my kitchen table.  I am anxious for him to finish so I can mop the desperately dirty floor.  We need to get it all clean so we can start the mess of painting.  Oh boy can't wait for that. 

Learning to Shop

My afternoon of shopping with Kaylyn really taught me a lot.  I must be patient as little girls still need their privacy and talking too loud in the dressing room about girl stuff will embarrass them - oops.  Girls need to look and look and look before making the decision - especially if it is their own money.  Grandma needs to be patient when the choices of the Granddaughter don't necessarily match the choices of Grandma.  A grandma must rest up before diving into a shopping experience - it takes all your energy plus some to make it.  Above all encourage your granddaughters desire to make her own choices but manage to keep them from making wrong choices.  Just because they aren't your choice doesn't mean it is a wrong choice.  I did have to tell her once that the shirt was just too small and would not work.  She loved the color so much that she wanted to buy it even though it didn't fit.  She was sweet though when I told her that we would just have to look for another shirt.  I always think I am teaching my grandkids - but lets face it - they are teaching me. 

Tonight I am nursing a sore shoulder.  I think all that cleaning of the windows in the sun room yesterday was too much for my arm - I learn quickly- I should not wash windows - right!  Arliss is putting the kitchen back together.  My microwave is off my kitchen table.  I am anxious for him to finish so I can mop the desperately dirty floor.  We need to get it all clean so we can start the mess of painting.  Oh boy can't wait for that. 

CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT

Consistently Inconsistent

Every Sunday I make homemade rolls. My family loves them and they have become a “must have” with the weekly roast dinner. I mix up the dough on Saturday night and then on Sunday morning, I roll the dough into two circles and then cut the circle in half and half again and again until I have 16 triangles on each circle to make 32 crescent rolls. Well one morning I was looking at the cookie sheet full of rolls and laughed at myself as I realized that I so carefully tried to make the rolls the same and yet there were not two the same size. Since that time I have noticed every week is the same. The good news is that once they are cooked, they all taste just as good whether small, large or something in between. I decided that I was definitely consistently inconsistent. Oh me!
Well I started thinking of all the Christians in the world. We are every imaginable color and size and yet inside we are all the same - just sinners saved by grace. I guess you could say we as Christians are consistently inconsistent as well.
Now there is another side to this kind of thinking. I know in my life I always know who I can depend upon. There are people you know will accomplish the task no matter what it takes and yet we all have others in our life that we just can’t trust to complete a task as promised.
James 1:8- A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
I don’t want to be that double minded man. I have though at times started projects only to lose interest and not finish. We have been getting our house ready to sell and last week I just felt like giving up. The work just seemed too much. My sister put me back on track when she rebuked me for working so hard all these months and then be willing to quit right before I was finished - shame on me. I am back in the game now and determined not to be “double minded” any more.
I wonder how God feels when he asks us to do something and we don’t complete the job and He has to lay it on the heart of someone else to finish it for us. It must make God sad and think how it makes those who depend on us feel when we don’t finish what we have been asked to do. Do you want to be known as consistently inconsistent - not me!
My prayer for me is that I will not be consistently inconsistent in my walk with the Lord. I want others to be able to depend on me and trust I will finish what I start.
I think now that I will look at my rolls in a completely different way - I can thank God that he loves us all no matter what size or color we might be. I also will stop to think if God can depend on me to live a consistent life for Him and use that time as an opportunity to make any changes that might be necessary. Never forget I John 1:9- If we confess our sins - he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
My wish for you is to examine your own life and try to see to it that you aren’t consistently inconsistent with your walk with the Lord. Maybe you could try making homemade rolls- who knows what lessons the Lord will teach YOU.

Lounging with my Granddaughter

Well here we are another week is about to go by the way side.  My granddaughter thinks summer will never come and I feel like the weeks are flying by so fast that it makes my head swim.  I offered to take her out to breakfast this morning but she chose to stay home and cook.  I let her help make pancakes from scratch and then she made, snowmen, mikey mouse, a bomb, a butterfly, snowman/penquin - that was one that the batter got a little out of hand.  Anyway we had a great selection of characters to pour syrup on top of and enjoy.  We of course had to eat in the living room as my kitchen is still in a mess.  Hopefully tonight the kitchen can get back together - having the microwave off my kitchen table would be a big help for sure. 
Our next stop is the shop.  I have to do payroll and then we are going shopping.  She has $25.00 that must be spent before it burns a hole in her pocket.  I think looking for a swimsuit is our first priority.  I sure love my Grandkids.  They each are so different and bring something new and different to my life.  The common factor is that I love them so much and they still love to sit and cuddle with Grandma.  I hope that never ends.  I thank the Lord that my Grandkids are close by.  I have many friends who can't sit and cuddle with their grandkids every day.  My heart goes out to them and how I admire their determination to stay close to those grandkids no matter what it takes.  I hopefully would do the same.  God is so good.  If we just trust him - He works everything out - just right - no matter what- even my kitchen - I think?

An evening at home

Good news - I got the sun room pretty much done.  I couldn't get the blinds down so my husband will have to do that but I washed and washed and washed those filthy windows.  Shame on me for letting them get so dirty.  It was hard trying to sort out the toys to pack away and the ones for the kids to keep playing.  I even set up an area with two wicker chairs  and a small table.  I sat down and relaxed a few minutes and visualized me having a cup of tea there in the morning - I might have to try that out.  I used to do it all the time when we lived in the country - it would be a nice way to start the day for sure.
 My Granddaughter is spending the night.  We gave her the option of getitng food from anywhere and you can guess what she chose - McDonalds - well we all have to suffer sometimes so my husband and I  choked down a McDonalds burger and she enjoyed her nuggets and mcFlurry.  Really it wasn't bad at all.  Now we are watching karate Kid - the new one.  I just saw it last week with the other granddaughter.  I think this might be a little more of that suffering thing.  I am going to knit now as I am working on a pretty pink baby blanket that needs to be complete in about a month - eek!  Well I probably won't blog anymore today but this has been fun.  My life certainly isn't the most exciting thing in the world but it is my life and I do love it - at least MOST of the time.

My new adventure in blogging

This is my first time to try blogging.  I write all the time.  I love keeping a diary of my daily life and so now I am going to try my hand at putting my thoughts on line.  Thursday is my day at home - at least that is my weekly plan but of course things are always changing that.  For this day - I am at home.  I am trying to get my house ready to sell and today I am going to clean and stage our sun room.  That room is a play room for the grandkids and I want to try to make it look less like a toy factory and more like a place for someone to relax and enjoy some down time with a cup of tea. 

I have been spending a little too much time relaxing  this morning before getting started.  I think I needed to think on it awhile before actually doing any work.  If only - thinking about it - would make it happen - wouldn't that be great - Ok time to wake up to reality- that room is not going to get cleaned until I get my little backside out of this chair and grab the dust rag and trash bag and windex and get with it. 

I will write more later and see how this goes.  My granddaughter is coming to spend the night tonight so I am looking forward to that.  I have been having the grandkids - one each week and this is week three with two more to go.  There is the little 4 month old that is number six - but I definitely think she will have to wait for a while before spending a night with Grandma. 

My husband is very busy trying to put a new backsplash in our kitchen.  We recently got new granite counter tops and he is putting up the back splash.  It has been slow and my kitchen is a wreck.  It has been very trying to cook in that mess and lets - be honest here - I have used that for an excuse to keep the fast food places pretty busy.  We are so hoping to finish it this week and then next week we are going to paint.  Someone asked me if I was doing all this work just so I could sell the house and someone else enjoy the fruits of our labor .  Well when you say it like that - it does rather seem ridiculous but I must confess that is what we are doing.