Evenin folks!

It is Tuesday night and I am so sleepy so don't be expecting much out of me tonight! After Dancing With The Stars, I'm hitting the sack! Haven't been sleeping well lately and I'm not sure why. Very aggravating though! Alfred got a small buck yesterday so we have deer meat now! I can hardly wait to fry some up with mashed taters and gravy! Ummm.....It is SO good on a cold night for sure!

I was thinking earlier today about a Thanksgiving we celebrated some years back. Our families were all here and I decided to cook most of the side dishes outside in my Dutch Oven! I did Broccoli Rice Casserole, Mexican Cornbread and Berry Cobbler in it! It was the NEATEST thing and tasted unbelievably good! We even ate outside around the fire and stayed there talking and laughing for hours! It was an awesome time for everyone! A Thanksgiving we won't soon forget! Now, for those of you who don't know what a Dutch Oven is, it is a big, cast iron pot with legs and a flat lid with a lip around it. You pull hot coals out away from the fire and set the Dutch Oven on top of them. Then you put whatever dish you want to bake inside it, cover with the lid and put hot coals all over the top. The heat from the coals creates an oven inside the pot and you can bake very much like a regular oven does in your home. It even browns like an oven! Of course you can't regulate the temperature very well so you just have to play it by ear! It was so much fun and made us feel like we had stepped back in time. If you are in an area where you can, I recommend trying it sometime!

We are so blessed and this Thanksgiving we need to slow down and enjoy the simpler things. We get so caught up in the cooking, cleaning and preparing for the festivities that we miss the blessing! Let's not miss out this Thanksgiving! How about we slow down and look around at all God has done and then give Him our heartfelt thanks this year.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.
—Psalm 92:1

AMEN BROTHER! :) God bless...

Weekend with Trav & Brittany

We had a wonderful weekend with Travis & Brittany but I sure hated to see them leave this morning. It is lonesome around here with just Alfred! :) The pictures are of them about to leave for Ragin's wedding so they were looking sharp! It does my heart so much good to see Trav doing so well. It has been a long time coming for sure and I can just hear God saying, "I told you it was going to be ok!" He is constantly speaking to my heart and reminding me that that He was in control the entire time! I just can't express my gratitude enough for all He did and continues to do. I have said this many times before but , how do we cope with even the slightest difficulty without God? I can't imagine it and don't want to either!

We put the game camera back out this afternoon. Ferd saw some signs of hogs so he wants to see if they are coming to the corn. Sorry but I just don't share his enthusiasm about the hogs! I like seeing the deer on the camera but the hogs just don't excite me. We went to the cabin after lunch and the Water Turkeys were THICK! It was a crazy sight and I did get a couple pictures but I'll post them later. Alfred said they were feeding on Shad. Speaking of Shad, the creek bed is COVERED with thousands of dead ones after the flood waters receded. It is crazy, the number that didn't make it!

Oh well, as you can see I don't have much to write about tonight. It has been a good weekend and we have to get back at it tomorrow. I hope you all have a blessed week and don't wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks for all your blessings. :) God bless you all...

A book you say...?

My friends keep telling me I should write a book. Heck, I can't even keep up with my daily blog so how ya think that's going to work out for me? I know it's not really the same and I HAVE entertained the thought many times in the past but my thoughts are too jumbled up in my mind and I struggle to put them into words. I truly have been feeling a prodding from the Holy Spirit but honestly, I don't know which direction to go with it! I read something in one of my devotions last week that basically said, "If God is calling you to do something and you feel you are not prepared, THAT'S the time He wants you to begin! If you wait until YOU believe you are prepared, you will probably never start!" So true but nevertheless, I still feel like I'm groping in darkness. I need to practice my own preaching and just be still and listen. He will direct my path I know.

Maybe I could write my autobiography! Now THAT ought to be a best seller in no time! HA! According to the internet, the correct way to write an autobiography is to focus on three major things.....

1. Who you are in life
2. What life means to you
3. What your outlook on the future is

Ok......sooooo......hmmmm.......? I'll get back to ya on that one! Maybe I could write about my dreams! You wouldn't believe most of them and I dream nearly every night so in a year I could have a 365 page book! How's that for planning ahead? Anyway, I have the most unbelievable KA-RAZY, all over the place, dreams! But then, what if someone came and put me away only to try and study my brain! Just too risky! ;) Seriously, I do love to write and I get it honest because my mama loved writing too. I just can't imagine sticking with one theme long enough to complete an entire book! If God is truly urging me to write, and I believe He is, then He will give me the subject, the words and the wisdom to see it through. Until then, I'll just keep blogging away. God bless you all.......

The War

Did you ever see the movie "The War" with Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood? It is one of my all time favorites because it reminds me so much of the old dirt roads in Mississippi where I grew up! The kids, Stu (Elijah Wood) and Lidia live with their mother and father (Kevin Costner) in rural Mississippi. Lidia's best friends are two black girls named Amber and Elvadine. You will LOVE Elvadine! Anyway, they love to sing and dance to old Diana Ross songs which is pretty hilarious! Of course Lidia (the white girl) has no rhythm! The local Lipnicki children, Leo, Arliss, Ulla and Billy, are the local bullies so there is constant friction between the two groups. It is a fantastic movie with a fantastic message so you should probably go pick it up at WalMart for about $6 and watch it! My favorite scene in the whole movie is when Elvadine voices her opinion, to a very prim and proper school teacher, about a book called, "Why My Life Is Like A Bowl Full of Cherries." The teacher wants the class to read it and then write their memoirs! You really don't want to miss this scene! I have written the actual quote, just as Elvadeen says it, but you MUST watch it for yourself. Though her statements are heartwrenching, her performance is stunning!

"I was thinkin' to myself...Elvadeen, what you gots to write about in your whole good for nothin' life? Ain't got no daddy. Only money ever belongst to you was 20 dollas you got yosef in a birfday card from your uncle lass year. But it really wasnt for yo birfday. It was for layin' over his lap, and lettin' him spank you with yo underpants down....(pause)...Now here you come along, shovin' me in the back of the room, when I's can't even see good, which means I's probly not gonna graduate this summer neither! Just cause you read how some white man's life be like a bowl fulla cherries, I gotta come up with a fit here saying!! Well, fine! I'm gonna write how happy I'm gonna be to get 20 more dollas for my birfday- never mind what he got planned for me this year...and I'm gonna write how the new man my momma's seein' might stop drinkin, and treat me nice, and maybe he's gonna take us off da welfare, and in the end, we gonna be good as puddin! Life sho is a bowl fulla cherries. But to tell you da truth, Miss Strapford? I think YOU, that BOOK, and this WHOLE CLASS be a bowl...fulla...####!"

Oooo, you tell 'em Elvadine! It truly is a good movie and, in my opinion, vividly captures the day to day struggles families had, not to mention, it wasn't so long ago either. People were POOR, and I don't mean, (oh my poor, needy children......they don't each have their own I-Phone!) I mean they were DIRT POOR! Take a look around the next time you go shopping. There is an entire generation of kids that get anything and everything they want! Mama and daddy work overtime to make sure they have it too! I heard an advertisement for yet ANOTHER reality show that is coming on.....something about getting ready for the new baby. Some EXTREMELY SMART INDIVIDUAL said they were spending $28,000 for "STUFF" for this infant coming into the world! WOW! Mary didn't have a baby shower. As a matter of fact, in preparation for her childbirth, she rode a donkey, bareback, over a hundred miles carrying the "world's most precious cargo" in her womb. And then, Jesus was born in a stable! DID YOU HEAR ME?!!! THE KING OF KINGS WAS BORN IN A STABLE! THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD WAS BORN IN A STABLE!!! Does that disturb you? Well don't let it because it was all part of God's perfect plan and it was a most amazing night! (I know 'cause I read all about it!) :) Let the fact that our Nation is headed down a path of destruction disturb you. Our values have gotten all mixed up and we are wandering in a spiritual desert, experiencing the worst kind of drought. These things are cause for concern friends! Oh how we need to be on our knees praying! I love you all............

Names of God

Some years ago I bought a book and began studying the different names of God. It was a good book and I was reading and trying to apply these truths to my daily life. You know how satan tries to slap you down when you set your mind to do something for Christ? And he sure doesn't want us to get any closer so he pulls out the big guns and prepares for the attack! This particular time in my life I had been praying and praying and praying some more, for a situation to turn around! I prayed it, I believed it, I claimed it and gave God all the glory for it! Was I ever glad I had learned the proper way to approach the throne and command my Father's undivided attention! I was certain He had taken care of everything! Well the day came...Hours would pass and all there was left to do was wait for God's answer! He said no! He said NO! HE SAID NO!!! That's all I could hear in my head and it was more than I could bear! Anger welled up inside me like I had never felt before! I was FURIOUS with God! How could He let me down this way? Well that was it! I would show God that I didn't need him and even said, "I HATE GOD!" Oh yes I did! I said it with my own mouth, out loud for the world to hear! AND, on top of that, I went straight home and, since we had a fire in the fireplace, decided I would burn my Bible and my Names of God book and any other piece of Christian literature I could get my hands on. I threw the book in before my youngest son Jamie stopped me! He wouldn't let me burn my Bible, THANK YOU JAMIE! I had never felt so out of control before and it scared me terribly. Without getting into the details, you will be happy to know, there is a beautiful ending to my awful display of disobedience. The truth is, that ordeal brought me and my Lord closer than I can begin to tell you! Without actually hearing His voice, he spoke to me and said it was ok that I had said I hated Him! He understood? Oh my gosh! He understood and it was ok! How could that be? I knew full well that I didn't hate Him, but how could He ever forgive me for what I had done? It's very hard to put this into words. I had so much remorse for what I had said and done, but also a profound revelation that God had already forgotten it all! It was gone and I knew without a doubt, He had cast it into that sea of disremembrance. You know, as far as the east is from the west! He "FLUNG" it and it was over! I wish I could explain to you how I felt but I believe those words are being reserved for a Heavenly conversation I will have with my Father one day. What a mighty God we serve! What a loving God we serve! What an understanding God we serve! What a forgiving God we serve! It just goes on and on............

The names of God are listed here. There are more but these were the only ones I studied at that particular time in my life.

Jehovah-Jireh - The LORD my Provider
Jehovah-Rapha - The LORD my Healer
Jehovah-Nissi - The LORD my Banner
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh - The Lord my Sanctifier
Jehovah-Shalom - The LORD my Peace
Jehovah-Tsidkenu - The LORD my Righteousness
Jehovah-Shammah - The LORD Is There

Wanna shake your fist at God? I don't recommend it because it is an extremely difficult place to be. However, if I hadn't done it I would have missed out on a very special blessing and newfound closeness I might have never known otherwise. I am SO thankful for the end result! And did it ever backfire on Satan! HA!

Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Oh, and about that NO answer God gave that day! You wouldn't even believe it if I told you! ;) Much love to you all and God bless.............

It Is Well With My Soul

This is for those of you that have never heard the history behind this great old hymn by Horatio Spafford. (1828-1888) His unwavering faith and God's Amazing Grace will bless your heart.

Spafford was born on October 20, 1828 in North Troy, New York. He was a successful lawyer in Chicago who maintained a keen interest in Christian activities, deeply spiritual and devoted to the scriptures. The words of this song were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy. In 1870 the Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire. Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England for some much needed rest. The Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. During his voyage, the captain of the ship called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Having just passed over the watery grave of his beautiful children, Horatio returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Oh what lessons we can learn from this great man of God! Read it again! Read it and try to fully comprehend having this kind of faith. It doesn't matter how many times I read or hear this story, it always leaves me in complete and total awe! Can you say, It is well with my soul? God bless....

Deep Thoughts

Did any of you ever watch the old Saturday Night Live shows on TV? During one particular season, (or maybe two) there was a skit called "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handey and it was pretty ridiculous! What did you expect from SNL anyway right? It was meant to be funny and funny it was! At least it was to me! It was only intended to entertain and make you laugh, nothing more.

Over the last ten years or so, I have had opportunities galore to ponder on life's ups and downs. I am always tempted to say that there were more downs than ups (that woe is me mentality) but THEN I think of ALL God has done and where He has brought me thus far. To complain almost seems as though I'm saying it wasn't worth it! I am SO MUCH the wiser, have SO MUCH more faith and I feel God's love SO MUCH greater than I ever did before! How does this happen? How do we come out of the fire without even smelling of the smoke? The next few sentences sum it up better than I ever could! I hope you will take these Deep Thoughts from God's Word and God's messenger and ponder them! They hold unbelievably deep truths that will encourage and empower the believer!

Life is often lived forward but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back at the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life while we were there. "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light." (Job 12:22) When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.

Is that as amazing to you as it is to me? I have read this over and over tonight and honestly, I could probably go on writing for hours. I can picture myself on that high mountain, pausing just long enough to take a look back into that deep valley and saying, "Thank you Lord for getting me through it but I'm moving on now." God is SO GOOD! He never fails, He never disappoints, He never turns His back on us and no matter how hard we fight to do it in our own strength, He never lets go of our hand! My prayer is that wherever you are at this point in your life, you will not atempt to go one day more without Jesus Christ! It is simply not worth it.......

I love you all but Jesus loves you more! God bless..........

Monday, Monday....

Our pond is full now!
Alfred paddling across the creek! Blue & Red swimming along behind.

Jeremy is standing right in front of the cabin on the river bank.

The Trinity River is up!

Well another weekend is gone and we have to get back at it tomorrow! "Daylight Wasting Time" has come again and the clocks have been set back. I've been wanting to go to bed since 6:00 this evening! It's crazy how my body just thought since it got dark, it needed to go to sleep! And I had to fight it too! I DO NOT like the time change because there is no daylight in the evenings and it messes up everything. I want to play outside when I get home and I can't cause I'm a'skeered of the dark! Alfred always tells me, "There's nothing in the dark that's not there in the light!" Ahhh.....well......excuuuuse me but, at least in the light, I can see to shoot at it if it tries to get me! He is so weird and just doesn't understand things clearly like I do! AND, I remind him of it often!

I took lots of pictures of the flood waters this weekend. It was pretty wild there for a bit but everything is getting back to normal. The rivers & creeks have receeded considerably since Friday so that's good. I know there are probably a lot of people that had their homes flooded and are still displaced. We need to pray for them and lend a hand should we hear of a need. Put some action with those prayers friends! Don't ya love helping someone in need? I sure do! When Travis was in prison, he met many, many young men it seemed had no one that cared a flip about them! It always broke my heart and naturally I wanted to be their mama! Trav used to fuss at me and tell me, "YOU CAN'T HELP THE WORLD MAMA!" I know he's right but my heart sure wanted to take a shot at it! I can hardly stand it! My mother used to say that I gravitated toward the "underdog types" in my life! I just wanted good things for everybody and was nice to EVERYONE! It didn't matter to me what they looked like, smelled like or anything else! I just had a hard time accepting that I couldn't help everyone that needed it, and still do to this day! Let's just do what we can, WHEN we can and even though we can't "HELP THE WORLD," we CAN make a difference. I love all of ya! Even you ornery ones! HA! God bless us everyone.......