Happy 32nd Anniversary!

Wow. Today begins our 33rd year (ONE-THIRD of a CENTURY!) together! I cannot think of two more opposite people for God to put together. Ask anyone!

Thirty-two years ago in San Antonio it was HOT, and HUMID (business as usual, eh?). I was terrified. I had never seen marriage done correctly, let alone Christianly, and I was scared. I didn't want to get married until the divorce (that is a forbidden word in our marriage). All my friends, except Mike and Joyce, were single. I did not want to make a mistake. Going up the aisle on said Mike's arm, I told the Lord, If I'm mistaken about your will, show me NOW, and I will turn around, change, and walk out of here. I was that serious.

What kind of man did God send me? Let me tell you what I asked for, at the tender age of 18, when the Lord saved me:
1. Saved--understood.
2. Preferably never married, no kids.
3. Taller than me (at 5').
4. Not in debt.
5. Soulwinner (obviously these are not prioritized).
6. Blue eyes (picky, picky, eh?)
7. Handsome, so our kids would have a chance.
What did I get?
1. Saved: Six years later. But I didn't know until after the fact. Wow.
2. Got it.
3. Exactly a foot taller!
4. Got it. He paid off my $450 school bill before we got married, too! Before
he proposed, even!
5. Got it. He cares about the underdog and the neglected more than anyone I
know. What a sensitive heart. In a manly-man.
6. Semi. His eyes are green, but look blue if he wears certain colors.
7. Got it and then some. Swoon! He was incredibly handsome when I met
him, and he's aged beautifully. Better-looking than ever! "Classic good
looks," is how a student described him. We have VERY nice-looking kids,
so I've been told, and so I KNOW!
Yes, I know some of these requests are pretty carnal, but God was good to me in spite of myself. (And thus come all our blessings, right?)

Miss Coke-drinking, chip-eating-for-supper junk-food-junkie meets Mr. All-Tri-State health-food-nut jock! CRASH! We sure had FUN adjusting to that, said VERY facetiously. My poor baby got asthma shortly after we got married. I recommended a Coke and a Snickers to bomb his system. (Works for me; I'm hardly ever sick.) Mr. Work-out-almost-every-day-since-before-I-met-him (and still!) meets Miss Almost-flunked-PE-because-I-don't-play-softball-in-the-heat-and-won't-do-gang-showers!-so-I'm-not-dressing-out. Double CRASH. We've both come a long way--he more than I, because I still eat junk food and don't do heat or working out--in fact, poor man (he tried to fight!), I've pretty much corrupted him. Sigh. So worth it, though. More peaceful household. A word that our married children have taken to their homes is "treats." Greg's word. (Misty, our precious daughter-in-love, always thought "treats" were for dogs. Hmmm.) I've done my job well.

More? Mr. I-never-read-a-book-I-wasn't-forced-to meets Miss I'll-read-toothpaste-tubes-if-there's-nothing-else-around! The baby (Greg), spoiled, 2 older sisters meets THE BOSS, Miss I-Don't-Need-Anyone (with which God has made GREAT adjustments in my life since salvation!), 2 younger brothers who were beaten up regularly (or the older younger beat me). Did I mention The Pacifist (in relationships) (as in, "I hate to fight") meets The Provoker, The Sarcastic, Mean, I Am Right. Poor man! Trust me: God has kept us together!

Before our wedding day, I thought about how my relationship with the Lord would change (and it does when you get married). When I met Greg, the Lord had saved me from a life of wickedness and ungodliness, and taken away EVERYTHING I held dear, so it was only me and the Lord. And He was enough. He was my portion. He was my everything. He was my love, my life, my all. I had a glorious, sweet relationship with the Lord for almost a year and a half when I met Greg. And I was going to marry and be led by a SINNER? (Like, And what was I?) Scary thought. Before, the Lord had led ME. And that was fixin' to change. It was a hard change, but a necessary and a GOOD change! My precious Lord is still my all-in-all, my first love. But it's different than being single. And it's good.

So. Moving day. Happy Anniversary Day! I get a brand-new apartment for a gift (and I already got a beautiful card yesterday!). (Did I mention Mr. Never-Celebrated-Anything-Or-Given-A-Gift-Voluntarily meets Miss She-Gets-3-Birthday-Cards--at-least--From-Her-Mom-Where-We-Pretty-Much-Celebrate-Birth-MONTH?!) (Talk about adjustments.)

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," in more ways than one! Thank you, Lord, for my precious husband! He still loves me! And I'm CRAZY about him. It only gets better, except when it gets rough for a while, and then is better than ever!

Ketchup

Time to Ketchup, folks! Not necessarily in importance-order:

1. New baby grand! Yahooey! We thank the Lord for little Luke Earnest Risse, born on my little brother's 50th birthday (the 23rd)! Happy Birthday to both!

2. We're moving in 2 days! GAK! I have made my peace with this move, and I am EXCITED about our NEW (literally--we're the first ones to live in it!) apartment! It's a HUGE change for us. Minus 500 square feet, 5 acres, a donkey, and sheep. Cozy, I predict. But with a community room, a billiards room, and a fitness room, that should be just what we need. (Did I mention it's behind Wal-Mart? Can it get any better?) God is good!

3. Thank you for praying for me about the wedding. I lived! Except for a major meltdown at the end, when the you-know-whos took their time leaving, and I was shooting pics in 90+ weather with 90+ humidity, and the fact that I couldn't find my husband or my cameras when it was time to leave, I had a BALL and was so in my element! I only took 400 pics (whee!); 100+ with film and almost 300 candid digital (I love candids!). (That's for rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, and the rest.) I wanted to be considerate and not shoot during the vows so as not to detract from the solemn occasion, but everyone else shooting made up for me and then some! (I tried.) So, I missed a few shots afterwards when we posed for the ceremony shots. The good news is I didn't walk out of my sandals when I walked backwards to catch everyone coming down from the front! Seems like during the ceremony everything happened on fast-forward. And I learned you can't take two pics at one time when they're happening in front of and behind you, as in the parents lighting the unity candle as others are coming in. At least I did get the couple lighting it! I do think, all in all, that the bride's parents will still love me when they get the pics. I was pleased with the group shots (and they were a BIG group!); I'd never used a tripod under pressure. It did its job--no blurry shots, but I hated using it. My dream is a camera with image stabilization--no more tripod! AND all the light I had (my bitty little flash on my camera) was ENOUGH! What a mercy! I was so concerned about that, as the light isn't the best there. God was good to me!

4. Baby Grand #13 is next! We find out the gender on the 10th--and I'm invited to the sonogram! How kind is that, Principessa!

5. Our pastor's sister-in-law and brother-in-law, their 2 girls, and our pastor's daughter are here from Germany! The daughter, beautiful girl, speaks perfect English with no accent! I am so enjoying her. And the others speak NO English, so it has been really fun getting to know them! They are all dear. I'm luring the girls with mini M&Ms. I think they like me. (Works for my baby grands, anyway.)

6. Got to go to Olahomika with two dear brothers to pick up a vehicle (yes, it was worth the trip for the car!). We had a blast. And we played spelling games for longer than we should have, I'm sure. My little brain was fried.

7. We got to talk to our Dan, the red-headed snippet! He was in a car wreck--a hit-and-run by a drunk 19 year-old. He was pedaling his pedicab (kinda like a rickshaw pulled by a bicycle) (yes, he has awesome calf muscles, biking around Austin!) when he got hit. God was so merciful to him! He has a lot of therapy to go through still; no biking, and difficulty walking; we were so relieved to get to FINALLY talk to him. How we continue to pray for our babies' salvation!

8. I'm about 2/3 done packing. I HATE the piddly stuff that's left at the end! I want to get a gigantic vacuum and just REMOVE it without messing with it! GRRR! But I am thankful for Princi's help, and for CC offering to watch my Miggy while Mommy helped me. The apartments have some GREAT incentives for moving in: free month's rent, rent reduced by $35 for the life of the lease (yippee!), AND free moving! They pay for the truck, and, get this!, you pack your boxes and they come get them, load them, and unload them! Sweet, sweet!

9. Our first grandson, Beans, started school today! Bittersweet. How I love that child! His mommy was very brave today, I think.

Sufficiente! (With an accent on the last "e.") I love you, whoever you are, reading my blog! Leave a comment and share the love. Nothing says love like commenting and Sonic ice.

The Thud Heard Around the World, or It Only Gets Better!

The guys with the butterfly nets are patiently waiting for me while I finish this post. I took the DELICIOUS pound cake out--it was done--voila! And I set it on the stove (the stove was off--such forethought!). The middle started to sink (my heretofore-unknown-heights cake!), so I had, what I thought was, a brilliant idea. This IS a TUBE pan, after all, in which one makes ANGEL FOOD cake, right? And what do you do to angel food cakes that come out of the oven so they don't sink? CORRECT! With great forethought, again!, I thought: The syrup bottle is not good for this, for it is made out of plastic, and plastic and HOT POUND CAKE do not mix! (Told you it was great forethought!) So I got a hundred-year-old glass bottle of hazelnut syrup (sugar-free, from the old Atkins days) and used that. Give me credit, now, because I did think, as I was turning it over onto the GLASS bottle (I DID think--What if the cap melts?), hey, this IS a POUND cake, not an ANGEL FOOD cake, and, which is heavier? I wonder.... A few moments later, I heard the Thud Heard Around the World. And I did all I could do--I started laughing. When by myself, I only laugh at Paul Harvey's "For What It's Worth" department, but today I made an exception for myself!
The lesson learned: POUND equals more than ANGEL FOOD! On a side note, if you dust the greased pan with SUGAR instead of flour, it makes a DELICIOUS crust, which is what I'm sure that gal on BooMama's comments ate! And my pic keeps crawling to the end of the blog!

I hate when Greg's right.

Oh, Boo, What Should I Do?

"Boo" is a reference to BooMama, my favorite blogger, next to family. Go to http://boomama.net/ for great entertainment and great recipes.

For example, this one! It's delicious, which you may be asking me how I know, since the cake isn't finished yet. BooMama did NOT tell me to put a cookie sheet underneath the tube pan--that was a stroke of genius on my part, as I thought IT would rise up to heights-heretofore-unknown and spill out the top! Psych! Wrong end! Anyway, had I known, I would have greased and floured the cookie sheet, too! (It didn't stick at all--must be all that butter and Crisco!) I tried the part that was on the cookie sheet (which is already done). I hesitated to actually LIFT the tube pan to get the scrapings (read: future burned cookie sheet), as I figured I'd start another flood. BUT, dear BooMama, my pound cake has ALREADY risen to heretofore-unknown-heights, which means about an inch above where I started (minus the outflux)! Ain't I proud of me! The only reason it didn't catch fire, dear BooMama, is because I used a fork to stir in the baking powder! (See said sister's blog for more details!)

Lessons to be learned:
1. Go ahead and grease and flour the cookie sheet, just in case.
2. Don't use a tube pan from the thrift store (see comments on Boo's kids' cute sayings).
3. Don't use a tube pan that has been played with by diverse baby grands, and been through lots of moves.
4. Don't use a tube pan, use a bundt pan (though I think it would run over the TOP) (how blissful would THAT be!).
5. See if Dunlap's, with 50-75% off, has any tube pans.
6. Go ahead and laugh. The first cake I made as a teen that called for "baking soda" got Coke for the soda, because, what other kind of "soda" is there???
7. Move to a bigger city to get needed help. Greg was right.

Saturday!

Saturday! Timothy and Kyla are getting married in Elmendorf, TX! Guess who is their photographer?

OK--Timothy is Timothy Shepard, the pastor's son, and Kyla is (not for long!) Kyla White, pastor's daughter in Elemendorf (that part's probably permanent, I'm thinking!). And I am their photographer!

Send any and all advice and encouragement--am I nervous or WHAT? I AM stoked! Please pray for me; I want to do a good job for the glory of God and for their encouragement.

Off to San Antonio soon! Love to all. (Look, a sentence with no exclamation point!)

Baby Grands!

Here are two of the 13, headed to Six Flags as we speak. Are they EXCITED! I've got Miss Abby for the day. She's a joy!

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.