Living Small And Getting Smaller

You may be surprised to hear this. I am attending college. My load is crazy. For this particular semester, I had to scale down almost every activity that causes me to be away from my desk for more than 15-20 minutes.  In those short increments, when I give my rear-end a break from the chair, some things get done in our little Barndominium.

Behold our bounty! 

We harvested the sunflowers from our garden and tried our hand at roasting the seeds for snacking. Obviously commercial growers have figured some things out that we do not have a grasp on. -yet-

I'm not sure I can really enjoy these roasted seeds because I am obsessed with checking every.single.one for holes. Why? Because worms (and squirrels) had also been snacking on the sunflowers, that's why! There's no way I can just grab a handful and chuck them in my cheek to happily crack away. Can't do it. Also, I soaked these seeds all night long in salt water and still did not achieve the awesome saltiness I prefer. If the zombiepocalypse happened tomorrow, we wouldn't be capable of sustaining ourselves by growing our own food, but we're getting there. At least the cardinals don't care about worms in the seeds.

It was in the mid-nineties today, but I couldn't care. I had a hankering for Simi's potato soup and that was that. I tracked down her "recipe", then I messaged her for clarification. She's one of those amazing cooks that doesn't really write down recipes. She puts "some" of this and "a couple spoons" of that and voila - deliciousness. I went for it anyway, and it was good. Not as good as if Simi had made it but I suppose that privilege is for another day.

 It was an interesting study in our family unit getting smaller and our impending empty nest. Used to be, I would make a giant pot of soup like that and it would feed our large family and we would have a little left over for lunch the next day. As the years have gone by, I have seen my leftovers become larger portions. Although, the dishes created in bulk cooking are still outrageous! The youngest is off on a mission trip this week and that left just three of us at the dinner table. That also left a portion that will feed us lunch tomorrow, a portion that will go in the freezer that will provide another meal another day, and another single serving portion that will go in the freezer that someone can pull out when only thinking of themselves.

I wonder if I will like cooking for just two, or if I will find it somehow less satisfying. Who am I kidding? I don't like cooking at all.

Then, the bad thing happened. I was preparing to fill my Hawaii cup with ice water (cause I am still trying to kick the evil soda habit) and I accidentally knocked it to the floor. I've already replaced the lid for this cup because it broke in a fall, but today was the last straw for the poor thing. I said goodbye to the pieces and the fond memories of being hosted in Hawaii and the sweet care package Mary sent me before I ever got there.


Aloha, dear cup....

 

Blessings on your day, my friends

Carpenters Bluff Bridge

I love bridges.

Today hubby took me on a photo-taking date to the Carpenters Bluff Bridge. The bridge has been spanning the Red River since 1910. You can read more about the bridge here.

Trains used to pass on the bridge, but it has been converted for vehicle traffic.   Cars can only go one direction at a time and they go way too fast , if you ask me. 

The foot bridge is even more scary.

The bridge appears to be coming apart at the seams.

 

Blessings on your day,

Seventeen

                                             
                                   Our youngest.

Seems like they were born sometime close to just yesterday.   6 feet and 4 inches of boy twin will tell you that this is not so.   Today we stand in excitement, celebration, and ~yes~ a little bit of trepidation to announce that they are seventeen .   I have written about this some; here and here .

Though they are twins, in typical fashion, they are each attacking their special day quite differently.   Boy twin, just wants to get through  school - if it were up to him, he would have stayed home today.   He chose to open all of his presents, leaving no wrapping un-torn.   Grandpa got him a very particular Swiss Army Knife (They all tell me that every man must have one. I agree. But he is not a man, he is my Sonny-Boy.)

Girl twin , who has been telling her friends all month that her Birthday was coming, put on a special dress, Birthday Princess Ribbon , Birthday Tiara , and the brand new make-up that Grandma made sure she was able to open and use on her special day.   She chose to open her gift from Grandma, and just 2 from Mom and Dad so that she would have more to enjoy when she came home.
 
As we step into this final year of major influence over their lives, where they take more of the reigns and we practice letting go, I am filled with many emotions.   It is becoming real that these small creatures , the last additions to our little family, are soon going to be flying off in search of life, love, fame, fortune, education and deciding who they really are without the constraints and close guidance of their parents.

One year.   One year to pray like I've never prayed before.   One year to show them Jesus every day.    One year to ask more leading questions like, "Is it worth how hard you are going to have to work for that?" "How does that fit into your faith?" "Do you really want to do that??"   One year to issue less commands like, "Eat your vegetables." "Be kind." "No you may not watch bloody chainsaw sexpot vampire f-bomb movies . I don't care if every other parent lets their kids."   One year to practice waiting for them to ask for my opinion rather than throwing it at them with the force of a hurricane every chance I get. (I don't really do that.) (I don't think.) (Much.)

Sonny-Boy hugged me this morning. I wonder if he will hug me when he comes home for Thanksgiving with his wife and children....

Blessings on your day friends,

Veteran's Day *repost*

With deepest gratitude to those who have willingly stood in service to this country and to those who have willingly stood beside them.

Generation to Generation

 
It is that time, once again, for P.W.O.C International Conference. An incredible time of worship, study, fellowship, growth and squeals from every direction. I will not be in attendance this year and, of course, I am sad about that but it doesn't mean that I cannot go before God in prayer and thanksgiving for this wonderful conference and the life-changing transformations that happen there.

A lot goes in to making these conferences happen. Women work tirelessly (these take about 2 years to plan), dedicating their gifts and talents to the glory of God. From the prayer warriors, to the local conference team leaders, to the workshop leaders, to the International Board.

Today, as I begin my prayer journey and women from all over the world begin or continue to travel to Nashville, Tennessee ~ we will start with J. Moss. Why? Because we must praise.

 

Blessings on your day, and your journey my friends

She's Not Broken Anymore

*Quick note* I switched computers and I haven't been able to access my blog from the "new" one. Google is on the case and will hopefully be helping me with that soon, but in the meantime, I am at my old laptop which has the info stored for automatic use....






You remember my beauty...some of you have met her in person...(I apologize for lack of a better picture; see above quick note)

She has finally been given the name Caliope. It means "Beautiful voice." My goodness does she have a beautiful voice.
Sadly, a few years ago I began to notice that her voice was changing. There began to be a metal-like string vibration noise coming from her E and B strings and other things were happening too. As you can see, Caliope is very special. What you cannot see in this picture is that Caliope is a 12-string guitar. There is an incredible amount of pressure on her at all times and she began to show signs of stress.

I took her to the local guitar repair shop, which at that time was in Rosepine. They shipped it to their best guy in Lake Charles. He called me with the news that he was unwilling to even attempt repairs to this guitar because of the danger to the finish. And so it went. Several attempts rendered the same response, "Put her on display." Then one day entered.....

I heard about him through my friend Jenster. Jenster has heard Caliope and she felt my plight! He said he was willing to have a look at her. The trouble was, He is all the way in Pennsylvania and I am not. This was also during the time when we were doing construction in the Barndominium and it was no good place to be storing a sensitive guitar. I asked, "Can you look at her and tell me if you can repair her without destroying her?" This gracious man agreed to house Caliope with him for as long as it took to repair her (if he decided he could) and then for as long as it took for me to have a healthy environment for her to return to.
 The calendar would show this to be nearly an entire year.  By the time UPS dropped her at his door, she had MAJOR cracks and her bridge was separating from her body. When he had given her time to show all of her colors,(cracks) and completed all repairs AND there was a suitable environment for her to come home to, he carefully packaged her back up and sent her home. I have included some of the work and pictures of some of the damage from his page. If you click on the first picture, it should take you to the album where he explains all the work he did.

This guitar means a great deal to me and this man lovingly, patiently and carefully restored her to playable condition. She WILL eventually have to be retired, but he assures me that I have several good years left to play her before that day comes. 

I very highly recommend Thompson's Guitar for your most complicated or not as complicated repairs.

Blessings on your day, 

It's On!

Today we are doing battle.

There are a lot of you dealing with spiritual corruption, division and lies. Today, in the name of Jesus, we will pray against that.

Philippians 4:6 instructs us to, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to, "Pray continually."

Praying down lies and spiritual corruption. Praying up God's wisdom, strength and armor. I'll be dropping specific scripture prompts throughout the day. You can do this!

Begin with Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

In this battle, we must first understand that this is not about us. This is about God and His glory. His church and His people. If you are joining this battle because you are feeling wronged or irritated about a way that you have been treated, stop. Refocus. Seek first the kingdom of God. This is not about you. Angry on behalf of God? Okay. Hunker down.

In battle, we must arm ourselves.

On to Ephesians 6:10-20, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."

Praying for a clear conscience...

1 peter 3:16-17, "Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

Praying that those who would speak up for righteousness will have the boldness of Nathan and the hearers of their words will have the heart of David...

II Samuel 12:1-13, "The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

'Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.'

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, 'As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.'

Then Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Don't fret because of evildoers, but continue to commit your way to the Lord...

Psalm 37:5-6, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."
Liars, be aware - the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...

II Corinthians 10:1-6, "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."

We will forgive as Christ has forgiven us...

II Corinthians 2:5-11, "If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. "

Warning against rejecting wisdom...

Proverbs 1:20-33, "Wisdom shouts in the street,
She lifts her voice in the square;
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
“How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools hate knowledge?
“Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
“Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof;
I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD.
“They would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
“So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be satiated with their own devices.
“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

Matthew 18:19 tells us there is power in numbers, "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."

"Almighty God, the giver of all good things, without whose help all labor is ineffectual, and without whose grace all wisdom folly, grant, I beseech thee, that in all my undertakings thy Holy Spirit may not be withheld from me: but that I may promote thy glory, and the salvation of both myself and of others." - Samuel Johnson 1709-84