Howdy!

Have lots of catching up to do!

The house. There's a contract on it right now; closing date is the 31st of August. It would be awesome if it came to pass. We are thankful.

Greg. (Obviously NOT in order of importance!) He's sleeping somewhat better, though he has some bad nights still. He's snoring in a higher pitch; soon he'll be snoring in soprano! He's a dear.

The peach of a baby grand! S/he is doing well, all nestled in Sarah's womb. More thankfulness! Due on Groundhog Day, Greg's favorite holiday (go figure).

Little Gregory Gregory, aka Ernest Luke, to be called Luke. He's hanging in there--due to make his appearance around Labor Day (we only have baby grands on holidays). Off to Georgia soon!
I miss my Georgia family! I have the best daughter-in-love.

Church! Blessed beyond measure. It's wonderful to see what God is doing. And I'm excited to see what He will do! We are learning to pray. Go to http://sermonaudio.com and look up Audey Shepard--you won't be sorry.

Cornelia. I have a new friend, a sister in the Lord. She is a joy. Looking forward to great times in the Lord with her.

Photography. I'm shooting our pastor's son's wedding on the 18th! I'm enjoying the preparations. Sent an order off to mpix.com (quality place). Can't wait to see those.

Reading. I USED to read a lot. I need to sit down and read books again. I miss my friends.

(Yawn.... Sorry, guys--I done bored you to death.)

Until next time--ttfn, as the Pooh would say.

"Our Father"

Our new pastor, dear man, has been teaching on the Lord's prayer. These messages are helping me so much!

I had a thought on the opening of that prayer: Our Father. So many times our prayers tend to be: God, I need this, and I need this, and I want this, etc. And I thought to myself, How can I start to pray, and say OUR Father, and then proceed to recite all the things that I want and need? What about the rest of the family, of which God is OUR Father? This is helping me a lot.

Samuel, the prophet, says this in 12:23: Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (That's also verse 24; it was too good to stop at 23!)

Selah. And I speak to myself also.

George Mueller

"According to my judgment the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life."

That is superb.

It's Working! and Forgiveness

God has done a wondrous thing. The surgery is working! Greg, my love, slept WELL last night, as he has since he had the surgery. I have wept tears of joy over this. I get a new husband when he gets back from Minnesota! He's RESTED. Glory to God. And, with the scar tissue forming, he will only get better!

Our wonderful new pastor is preaching through the Lord's Prayer, and he is on the verse about forgiveness. It was pretty quiet as he spoke during Sunday School. I think that's an area with which we've all struggled. Very convicting. And he's going to do a few more weeks on the subject, and we are excited about that.

I love his burden to teach us about prayer. This is an area where I need all the instruction I can get! His sermons thereon have been excellent. We are working on getting them in mp3 format, so maybe they can be put online. In the meantime, you can hear him at sermonaudio.com, under Audey Shepard. He is a joy.

Off to enjoy my "mini vacation," with Greg being in Minnesota and I here. T, our pastor's son, is here with me, so it's a little different than being alone. Homemade egg rolls tonight. You're invited. Hurry, but don't speed!

God is good, even in the hardest thing He has ever sent into our lives. He will "sanctify to thee thy deepest distress." May Jesus Christ be praised!

Surgery!

Good afternoon, bloggity friends!

My dear husba had surgery yesterday for his sleep apnea. We traveled to Duncanville, where the surgeon inserted four stabilizers, approximately this long: ------ into his soft palate. These will stiffen the tissue there, and, as scar tissue forms, firm it up some more, so it won't fall into his airway as he sleeps. If it works, the best part is no more cessation of breathing at night, many times a night (he's been told 400 at his sleep study!), and did I tell you the best part is NO MORE SNORING? I couldn't decide which one to capitalize! He slept 7 hours straight last night, and, believe me, that hasn't happened in months, maybe a year. The full results will be known in 3 months. Let's see what happens. So far, excellent!

The bad part is the anesthesia wore off. Greg went golfing after we got home and felt great until afterwards, where the pain hit him. He was almost on his knees. Poor baby. (For those of you who know me as the Founding Mother of the Sisters of Compassion, you know there IS a time to be compassionate! Such times ARE few and far between, however....) He was feeling somewhat better earlier, and he just left for a long walk. CC kindly invited us over for supper. Greg leaves tomorrow for Minnesota; he will meet our Mike at D/FW and drive from there together. I like that plan! They're going to visit Greg's folks for a week. Mike's wife so generously gave him up for that time.

We're waiting to hear that our buyer's loan got approved. We should know by tomorrow. They have 2/3 of the price down, so it's hard to imagine it not going through. God is good!

Our pastor and family will be moving here next Thursday! Yippee! I cannot tell you what a joy they've ALL been (all 3 of them)! We love them, and look forward to seeing what God is going to do with His church in Coleman, TX.

Off to straighten up before going to CC's. In case you, my fans, are so forgetful, Canada Day is coming up. Be prepared!

Love to all you dear bloggers!

The Latest (and it ain't all that)

Hello, bloggity friends! The latest: Greg has retired for now--he was having periods of uncontrollable I-have-to-go-to-sleep-NOW, which is dangerous for anyone, let alone one who drives people around for a living.

He finally won two in a row in Scrabble--about time. He was getting squelched!

And the house inspector has been here--how fun. Period. (Nice guy, for what it's worth....) And the plumber and foundation guy came to give estimates. We're learning more than we want to know about our beautiful home. Sigh. But it's ok.

And we have a WONDERFUL realtor. I recommend her highly. Let me know if you need one. She's been outstanding. A person who returns calls--imagine. And actually answers her phone if she's there! I may get her autograph before it's all over.

AND our pastor and family found a HOUSE! Glory to God. And what a house it is! HUGE! I think he'll have to hand out maps at the door so we don't get lost. Nice landscaping and back yard to boot. The Lord answered exceeding abundantly above all I asked or thought. But that's just like Him. Can't wait to get some REAL German food in me!

And we're having a Bible conference the weekend of the 7th of July. Come one, come all! Forrest Keener and John Sytsma should be preaching. Both of those men are [joys(?), a joy(?)]. Let's rephrase: It's a joy to hear and know both men! (How's that?)

And I'm still reading II Peter every day, and, for a change, decided to try to read it in Spanish. I can read Spanish because I can read English (never learned Spanish in school). I have to read out loud to understand what it says. Anyway, when I finished Chapter 1, I decided to translate it into English from Spanish--a fun thing to do (my computer did it, lest you think I AM gifted and talented, as some of my friends are)! In Verse 1, it says: ...our Savior, Jesus Christ. In Spanish, it says Senor, which is, obviously, the Spanish word for Savior. But, when you translate it into Spanish (where it says, Salvador Jesucrist0), it translated to OUR MR. JESUS. I love it!

(Any English teacher would be having FITS with every paragraph starting with AND. Bad Pee Wee.)

SO (another bad word with which to start a paragraph), off I go to cook supper. Fish sticks and french fries (yes, fried). Come join us. They're even Schwan's, which are REAL. Good night, Bloggity World! God is good.

What's New?

Good morning, Blog World! It's 4:11 AM and my dear hubby is getting ready for work. He is tired!

Our house sold the day we put it up for sale, for our asking price! God is good. The folks have a HUGE down payment (more than 2/3!), so it is a pretty sure thing that they will get the loan approved. Our tentative closing date is July 16--hopefully sooner.

I am getting ready to move (this is a bad word at my house). I'm going through the kitchen and downsizing, as almost any kitchen would be smaller than the one I have now. Now I have 2 sets of sinks, and 50 (yep, I counted!) cabinets and drawers (I counted handles)! It's a real country kitchen, eh?

In the meantime, God has been blessing me in wonderful ways through the preaching of our new pastor. Superb. We needed him! His family is tops, too. Looking forward to them moving here, and looking for a place for them to live (I accidentally typed "love.") We're praying and looking....

More later. Back to bed. Lots of work to do today!

PS Yahooey! Sarah's pregnant! Glory to God!

Musings

Good morning, world! We have a new pastor! God is so faithful. We are looking forward to them moving here, and getting to know them. We are thrilled!

Got to take some baby-toes pics, and one came out so nice, if I may say so. Hope the mama likes it. My camera was accidentally kidnapped, and I didn't have it for 2 weeks. I was going nuts--Kodak moments flying by. I about kissed it when I got it back Saturday. I've taken a LOT of pics since then! Weeds, toes, roses, flowers, baby grands, more weeds, more baby grands.

We're so-bittersweetly announcing the sale of our home. The Papa's health is growing very poor, and we need to go somewhere where he can rest. We will use the proceeds to let him take a year-long break, to work on his eating habits, sleep!, and perhaps see about surgery for his apnea. Hopefully he will be a new man after this year, or at least an improved one. So, if you haven't been over lately, head over here before we move! Say when.

I am thankful to be released from recovery from my hysterectomy. I was allowed to do NOTHING for 6 weeks--no exercise, nothing repetitive, no heavy lifting, no heavy housework. And I am now a slug. I have no strength. I tried to run 1/10 of a mile and about croaked (with proper warm-up and preparation). That's pretty sorry. I am now trying to get back at least to where I was before. Fun times on the exercise ball coming up! GAK.

Finished up mowing our 5 acres (on the riding mower, for which I am very thankful!), and it's about time to start mowing again! We have had SO much rain! I think we're about 5" over our yearly average, and it's only mid-May. I'm loving it. Soaking myself with mosquito repellant when I'm outside. Vicious critters. They love P*erto Rican blood.

This entry would make a good case for speed-reading, or maybe even skimming. Sorry, guys.

The Baby and family are on their way. We're trying to perfect the shortest, non-constructionest way to McKinney and back. I think we have it. It's great if you don't mind toll roads. It takes me a little more than 3 hours. Not too shabby.

The Firstborn got to talk to a large group of international CEOs recently, and his speech, through Toastm*sters was on eating healthy. He said, You know what was so ironic about it? I said, Let me guess: They were eating steaks while listening! Close. BBQ ribs. "Question and Answer Time" was interesting....

Off to cook! Good night, all!

Only in Coleman

(For some reason my Kodak Easy Share won't open today.)

My sweet friend and I were in the drive-thru at her bank, waiting on a deposit slip, when I happened to notice a bag of doggie treats, opened, by the other teller's intercom. The other teller was absent.

I contemplated this. First thought: She is pregnant--her tastes are very strange--she couldn't wait until she got home. (She probably has some sweet breath!) Her co-workers probably bark at her when she goes by, just because they're fun that way. [People in Coleman ("the friendliest town in Texas") are really nice.]

I HAD to ask! Is your co-worker pregnant? Nope. It's for the dogs. She patiently explained that the kids get Dum Dums (little lollipops) and the dogs get treats. And I asked myself, How does she KNOW the dogs want some? Mommy ASKS them when they go to the bank! The conversation goes like this: Would Mama's little Schnookums like a TREAT? The doggie shivers in delight and barks. This is how the teller knows. It all probably begins with: Mommy's going to the BANK! Wanna go get a TREAT?!

I enjoyed this whole dog-treats-in-the-drive-thru-window WAAYY too much.

I really should be nice, because my new friend REALLY likes dogs! (Hope she doesn't read this!)

Boo Who?

Boo Hoo, What shall we do?
We no longer have our little Boo.

Boo Who? The dog named Boo.
We went to church; away he flew.

Who knew that little Boo
Would leave us as he'd actually do?

He grew, homemade doggie muffins by the shoe (I'm stretching it here!)
From a littler to a bigger Boo.

We knew, you'd think we knew
He wouldn't last, our little Boo.

So blue, without our Boo.
And so we sigh--alas, adieu....



(I feel like Dr. Seuss, my childhood hero!)

Boo and Pretzels

Boo! I saw a side of my husba that I've never seen before. We've had a CUTE (but annoying) puppy hanging around the last couple of days. Hubby was going to do what country people do with stray dogs, but didn't have the heart. He came in all sheepish-looking and said, I couldn't do it; it climbed on my lap and looked into my eyes. If you knew my hubby.... He was mush. So now, at least until we move, we have a puppy--an OUTSIDE one. THEN he said, Let's give him a bath! Outside? I asked. No, in OUR TUB! (Too little oxygen to the brain, I think!) THEN came the warning: Pee Wee, they POOP! (Good thing; I thought we might have a defective one [as opposed to a defecating one! {noticed the closeness of the words as I typed "defective"}]). (Is a squiggly [oh, yeah--a BRACE!], a bracket, and a parenthesis in a row a record?)I think he meant to watch out when I walk around in the yard. Cheapie that I am, I thought, Surely there's a recipe online for DOG FOOD. (I mean, how cheap is a bag of generic puppy food, after all?) The result is Doggie Muffins. They are edible (by us, I mean); taste like (chicken! no!) biscuits. I wouldn't want them for a meal. But Boo (did you guess?) sure chowed them down. (Looking at the pic, I'm gonna have to get one after the Papa grows out his beard--they will match!)

I don't do well trying to post two pics at a time, so let's see where they end up.... Pretzels! Easy recipe--all ingredients shown, except that I brushed them with egg white before putting on the toppings. Quite sabroso!

Finished

I can hardly believe Sarah and I read the Bible in 90 days! It was a wonderful journey, and one of the hardest things I've ever done as far as reading. I would have thought that, since I was able to stay on target through the Old Testament, reading sometimes 16 chapters a day, the New Testament would be a breeze. Ha! I got SO far behind, from Matthew-II Corinthians. I think because I was so familiar with it (compared to the OT), I was slowed down. It was so hard to read! We made it, finishing on our target date. Amazing!

What a time! I learned so much, getting so much of the "big picture." I FINALLY understand the story of Balaam! I'd never read the account through at one time, and it made so much sense. I was enriched in my attitude towards the Scriptures, and now I can sit for a long time and read, whereas before I was so hyper and had such a hard time concentrating. I can't say how good this has been for me.

If anyone's interested, I may start my own Bible in 90 Days e-group at Yahoo in a few months. Please let me know. If you have time to watch TV for an hour, you have time to go throught he Bible in 90 days.

And, to add to the blessing, I've "met" some neat women through our group. Hopefully some will stay in touch now that we're finished.

Much love to all, and to all a good night!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

This pic of Mig was taken yesterday. Note the lack of coat, hat, and mittens. The pic of the car was taken an hour ago today. Welcome to Texas! (Did I mention that it was 90 degrees last week? Today it's 29.)

Galatians

Sarah and I committed ourselves to reading The Bible in 90 Days. The final day is Monday! For various reasons, both of us got behind, and, wowie, have we been having marathon reading sessions! This has been so good for me! My attitude towards the Scripture has been enhanced (I would say "changed," but that's not the right word, as I had a good attitude before). Before, I found it difficult to read for long stretches at a time; my mind is so hyper, and it's hard for me to concentrate for a long time. But now, I LOVE to sit and READ, for a half hour or more at a time. I can see that when I finish this I will still be sitting down to read for a longer time on a daily basis.

I was greatly encouraged by a portion by John Piper on memorization, in which he encouraged us to memorize a book at a time. He even gave directions and suggestions. I want to do this after I finish 90 Days on Monday. I think I'm going to do Colossians. I find it very easy to memorize Scripture, for which I am VERY thankful, as I know it's a difficulty for many. I think the time commitment will be about the same as for 90 Days.

Everyone has been so kind to me as I recover from surgery. God is so good! I believe He has given me this time to come aside and rest, and it has been wonderful. After the 25th, I'm almost back to full speed, with just weight-lifting restrictions, as far as I know.

Greg has quit dairy products completely in an attempt to help his asthma/apnea. He sees an improvement already in less than a week. I found out he was really chugging those Chugs you get at the convenience store! Gak! I'm thankful for this change. The gal at the health food store said it was a good move for him.

Well, Risse goes in at 4:15 to pick up 2 in DeLeon who have to be at dialysis in Brownwood @ 6:30 AM, so he's getting up at 3 to work out before he goes in. I'm gonna be juicing some carrots and celery for him for the road--vile stuff--glad I'm not drinking it. He says it's stout, but it's good for him. So happy for you.

The pic above is not my place, alas. It's my neighbors' beautiful garden. They've invited me over to take pics, but I was surprised that only their irises and whatever-these-things-are were up at the time. I got some great pics from there last year. Neat folks.

The best to all. "To comment is to love." Selah.

The Reluctant Recipient

Miggy wasn't happy about her corn popper. But I think she was thankful that I thought of her....

(This is sure turning into a GRANNY blog!)

First Hummer

The Papa so kindly took me to our neighbor's house so I could take pics of their awesome garden. I was surprised that only their irises were up. I thought the whole place would be blooming by now. And The Papa noticed my first hummer of the season. I hope to eventually have them at the house, and get an awesome pic of one! They are incredibly beautiful....

Birthday Girl

We had a successful launch! A good time was had by all. Mig got a mouthful of cake and spit it out like she was a human pastry bag! Lots of family, fun, and food! I got her a "corn popper," that lovely push-toy that makes a lot of noise (I love her parents), and she did NOT care for it. Maybe it will grow on her....

We thank the Lord for an awesome first year with our precious girl!

My Miggy

They're all coming to see ME? And I'm having a BIRTHDAY? I thought that happened last year! Oh, an ANNIVERSARY of my birth day....

Well, Mommy and Daddy, you sure have given me a good first year! I've taught you so many things, haven't I? I've taught you a lot about the heart of God, your Father. And you've taught me lots of things. You have taught me, and I think will continue to teach me all my life, what unconditional love is. I can't believe you love me so much! And you're so nice to me when I'm sick. You get so sad. And you're teaching me what I can and can't do; even though I don't like the word "NO," please don't stop saying it when you need to. And I can't get enough of that "I love you" that you say all the time! Keep teaching me. And Daddy, thank you for reading the Bible to me and teaching me about God. I have so much to learn. Thank you, both, for loving me, for singing to me, for loving each other, and for loving God. I am so happy to be your daughter! God was so good to put me in this family. And you say Grandma and Grandpa are coming soon to love on me?! It doesn't get any better than this.

One more try

Here's that sweet Abby!

Frozen in Time

This is the most beautiful Baby Abby, our newest baby grand. (We have one more due in September.) She is the family's last baby, and she seems to have frozen in time; her looks haven't changed--she just gains some weight now and then, I think. She is delightful. She has a smile that lasts as long as it takes you to see it, then she shuts 'er down! Miss Soberface. Whatadoll. The pics aren't very focused as I wasn't allowed to lift her, so I put the camera above her and shot downward, whilst I was downward also. Awkward angle, eh?

I'm feeling pretty good after my complete hysterectomy with major repair. Everyone has been so helpful to me, especially the hubby. He has been so kind, and such a model of loving me as Christ loves the Church. It's been wonderful. I have read 3.5 of 20 books loaned to me. I'm taking notes on them, and I have been blessed. I'm also finishing up my Bible in 90 Days--we're in the New Testament! We should be finished around the 9th of April. Whirlwind, but excellent!
I am blessed.

I had Principessa take out ALL my craft bins from the guest closet, and I aim to go through them and get rid of much of it at the yard sale Princi's having in a few weeks. I can do this a little at a time. It's raining now (bliss!), so, if it's dry enough come Tuesday, I will try the riding mower to see if it pulls too much on my abdomen. If not, it should take me a few days (5 acres). If so, Bubs is gonna have to come visit me soon.

(If this gets any more boring, I'm gonna put myself to sleep!) This morning I listened to the first two messages from Community's Bible conference. Very good. Looking forward to the rest of them. One of our favorite preachers, Dan Cozart, also preached. He is a JOY!

I put up a little hummingbird feeder, so hopefully the little critters should come around soon. They are absolutely my favorite creatures of all God has made! I've even been known to swat one with a broom in order to get a good look at it! (This is NOT true; SOMEONE "embellished" a story about me....) My goal is to get an outstanding pic of one this season. Here we have the ones that have the beautiful turquoise coloring that looks like peacock feathers. (Ever seen a WHITE peacock? THE BRIDE! Awesome.)

Off to read some more. I'm taking notes as I read "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ," by John Owen. (What a great title!) You KNOW it's gonna be a good book when the preface, introduction, foreward, dedication, table of contents, and appendices are a blessing! This is going to be THAT kind of book! Thanks, Chad.

Flash flood watch. Gotta love it. More later. I think I lost Abby's pics....