It's getting busy around here

We finally had a little rain here and the temperatures are out of the double digits. The serious heat wave is broken. I'm not say saying that it isn't going to still be warm but this stifling over the top heat is gone for this year.

I'm working on my seminar for Across The Pond scheduled for September 8 and I'm enjoying the research. I'm relearning things I had forgotten and checking on questions I have had but have never taken the time to look up. It will be a good seminar.

Also, on September 22 I will be giving a presentation at church to our Women's group about relationships with men. That is what the women wanted to talk about and I have several of the counseling classes in the school of ministry so I'm putting something together and we will have some discussion time, also. We are not necessarily opening it up to the public, but guests are certainly welcome.

My ex sister-in-law has ovarian cancer and this weekend she did not do well. She arrested and the Doctors (and prayer) brought her back but the hospital called all the family in and told them she probably would not make it through the night. But she did and she is doing much better. She is off the respirator early and is attentive. Its been a hard time for everyone.They used to be my family and I love all of them. They are constantly in my prayers.

I had better get started on this busy week. Things are picking up and I am really enjoying that. It's just the beginning. God really does take care of His children.

A New Boat

In the Christian world there is as attitude that I call 'Drop a car into my lap syndrome' that some spirit-filled, faith practicing people practice. What that is in my opinion is 'if I pray for a new car (or whatever I want, but a car is a good example) then God will just drop one in my lap. I don't have to do anything except ask.

I understand that God is faithful and no prayer goes unheard, but I think this attitude is way off base. Yes, I have seen God 'drop something into a lap' but only after staying faithful and being in God's will to allow Him to do such a thing. I have an example:

A few weeks ago Husband prayed for us to have more fun in our lives. I got into agreement with that request and we went on with our lives. Husband was at a job with a family where he had been called back from doing previous work. While working, the couple mentioned that they were moving and had this older but in good shape, speedboat. They didn't know what to do with it. Well husband has wanted a boat for a long time and he said he would be glad to take it off their hands. So they signed over the whole thing with skis, vests and the other things that come with a boat for ...free!

Now we are enjoying working on the boat, cleaning the oxidation and shining it up, replacing the carpeting and adding our special touches including mahogany to the boat that fell into our lap.

But lets look at what it took to get this windfall, for a moment. First we had to have a truck to haul the boat. That was another act of obedience that I won't get into now. In another answer to a prayer we have this house with the garage and all this land in which we can store the boat and work on it. Then Husband had to do have done excellent work in order to be called back to that home. And lastly, he had to be working in order to be at the place of opportunity to receive the boat. So look at the lining up that God had to do to perform this miracle. And look at what we had to do to be able to receive this miracle.

My point is, Heaven doesn't move until Earth does. If we want something from God, we have to do something! Just sitting at home with no education, no job, or no opportunity to get yourself blessed is not having Earth move first. So if we want to be blessed with having a car dropped into our lap, or in this case, a boat, then we better be obedient and attentive, as well as working, in order to be blessed.

I'm sure some of you reading this is thinking, duh, right now as I do, but there are people who believe that just because we ask something from God He is like Santa Claus and just hands stuff out as we ask for it. But relationship is a two way street, especially with God. We are here for His good pleasure and He enjoys interacting with us so ask, but don't let it stop there. Listen to His leading in order to get your miracle. And enjoy all the other miracles He performs in order to get you to that ultimate miracle.

Are you Weather Depressed?

I don't know if it is scientific or not but I can double guarantee that this hot, dry weather is making peoples' personalities change. It's almost a feeling of hopelessness, like things will never get better. Like we are going to dry up and blow away and nothing will ever grow again and we won't ever have water holes or we won't ever be able to stay outside in the middle of the day.

I am a victim of these feelings myself so I know of what I speak. A whole region can be effected by this hopeless feeling. Folks stop spending money, they stop making plans, at least immediate plans and they can get just downright mean. It has been a hard year weather wise around here this year and I really feel that it is effecting peoples attitudes for the negative.
About the only thing that will carry us through this rough patch is to not get wrapped up in our feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. It will rain again. It will be cool again. God has not abandoned us but perhaps He is giving us a wake up call that we should take better care of what He has given us. We can carry that from this experience.

So don't give up hope. Make plans for tomorrow. The whole world is not blowing away, just our little part and just for a little while. Decide what you want to plant this fall and get ready to do it. It will make you feel better.

I love Okra

Some of you may not know what okra is. It's a slimy long green vegetable that grows on upright plants that make you itch when you cut the okra off the plants. If you don't pick it at the right time it gets tough and you have to throw it away. Okra is what makes gumbo---gumbo.

My neighbor has about 4 rows of okra in his garden and it was the only thing that really made in his garden this year. He doesn't really like it and I don't think he has picked a mess of it since it has started coming on. But he told me I could have as much as I want.

EUREKA! I love okra fried with cornmeal. Today was the first picking that I got a lot. So my freezer is going to be full of okra this year and his generosity will save us lots of okra dollars because okra is very expensive this year. About $2.00 per pound to be exact. We will have okra all through the winter and I may even be able to give some away to other okra loving friends.

Vegetables and food in general has been expensive this year since we have had such drought conditions so anywhere I can find things to put in the freezer, especially just for my labor, well I will take advantage of that.

I'm going to have lunch with my son today and I am happy about that. I haven't seen him in two months because we live on opposite ends of Huntsville and we are actually about 1 1/2 hours apart. Isn't that crazy?

I'm looking forward to work kicking in full force. I love my work and I enjoy all that it brings, including a good paycheck. But I honestly must have the best clients in the world. They make what I do such a joy.

Speaking of that, I've got to go to work.

Lets talk about weight, I guess

I have put on some weight in the past couple of years. I don't like it---at all. I do well for a few days and I am back to my old eating habits. I eat for the most part in a healthy way. I just eat too much. I have seen some recent pictures of me, which I generally avoid, and the view isn't pretty. I have given up on stylish clothes and that makes me feel worse about myself. Is this ringing any bells with anyone else? Am I the only one who gets into these downward spirals? To add to the problem, its been so hot around here who wants to do anything.

No one can fix this problem but me. But I have to do something. I am miserable and when I start feeling this bad about myself, it starts effecting other parts of my life like my self esteem. So yesterday I cut back significantly on my eating and played around with the total gym to work out a routine. The thing is to make it a lifestyle, not just something I do for a few days. I need all the prayers I can get!

About this heat. And don't forget the drought which is worse than the heat. It's not good for a landscape designers business. I figure when the heat breaks, around the first of September that all of us in the business will be covered up so I am preparing to be working seven days a week for a while. I am trying to get my Parade of Homes house under control so I won't have to deal with that at the same time. Speaking of that, I'm having a ball with that. It's nice to do something you love.

Update on lots of stuff

Well we dropped our dog Lacey off at the vet this morning to get fixed. We really feel bad because we are afraid that all the work we've done trying to build her trust will be betrayed. She did go in much better to the vet than when we picked her up at the shelter. She tried herding us a couple of times but then went in without much of a hitch. She even followed the tech in on the leash without a problem. I commented that she is a much better adjusted dog than two weeks ago when we got her.

She has been keeping Craig up pretty much all night barking at heaven knows what. Finally I guess he had enough and spanked her (at 1:30 A.M.) with a rolled up newspaper and she quit barking. It's the first time he has slept in the bed in 10 days. I told him the bible tells us to be slow to anger but if he had gotten angry with her several days ago he would have been getting sleep.

Our party on Saturday was very nice. The weather cooperated and we sat on the back deck and visited. SD let us use their outdoor patio set (thank you) since we don't have one yet and theirs is in the way with all the construction going on at their house.

I have started a new job on a parade of homes home that is a pottery barn look and I am enjoying working on it very much. It is just so hot here now that not much is sirring on the outside. I've advised my customers not to do anything until fall but designs are good for now so plans can be made for when the time is right.

I am going to start a news letter for anyone who wants to be on the list. Please email me your email address and I will send you the newsletter about every three months.

Our Family Continues to Grow

We now have a 110 pound bouncing teenage girl at our house. Yes Husbands daughter has come to live with us. She brought her bags, laptop and various teenage things two days ago and we are very glad to have her with us. Maybe I can hand the cooking duties over to her. She likes to cook.

Our other 'daughter' Lacey is driving us crazy, barking at everything at night. We think she is guarding as Great Pyrenees and Collies do. But it makes for little sleep. Anyone got any ideas to make her quiet down, short of tranquilizers?

I had a great work day yesterday. I accomplished a lot, picked up a new design and scoped out a parade of homes for me to input on and decorate. It's the coolest house. Its a cross between beach and cottage with nice pottery barn colors and very high ceilings. I can't wait to get started on it. I hope to help with the landscaping as this house is very different than what we usually see here. I want visitors to catch the vision of the house.

I talked with my half sister in Houston last night and my heart goes out to her and her mom and dad for the death of her brother. It's been devastating as one might imagine. He was a believer and they have the comfort of knowing that he is in heaven. But each day here without him is hard.

What is being a friend?

I have a friend who is going through a hard time right now. Not so that the outside world would know what is going on. From that point of view one would think she has the world by the tail. But I have been where she is right now. Actually at about her age come to think about it. Some of our situations are the same so I can identify with her very closely. She doesn't know where she fits into this world and that brings with it feelings of frustration, anxiety and depression.

What changed for me? I had to make some radical changes in my life. It didn't come over night. I had to grow up. I was 40 years old and spoiled rotten and full of potential that I hadn't allowed to be tapped. Someone gave some good advice. They said 'write down the 5 things that are most important to you. It can be anything from what kind of image do you want people to have of you to what could you do for 8 hours a day, to how would you want your children to remember you if you died prematurely?' These simple questions put my world into perspective. I didn't like who I was when I started asking the hard questions. I wasn't living up to my potential. I didn't like my appearance. I wasn't allowing myself to be stimulated intellectually, I had gotten lazy and my spiritual life was a mess. I had very little relationship with God which I figured out later was the root of my problem. When I got right with God the other parts of my life started straightening out. I asked forgiveness to people I had wronged, namely my ex husband and to a lesser extent, my children. But as the love and acceptance of God became real to me I started to forgive myself for real and imagined wrongdoings. When I offered forgiveness to those around me I was blessed with forgiveness, too.
Soon I was off anti depressants completely. I dropped 10 pounds and started dressing better. I quit worrying about myself and was able to let others into my life much more easily. My priorities changed considerably. My best friend was amazed at the kinder, gentler person I had become.

Needless to say I like myself more now and I don't sweat the small stuff as I used to. I'm not in control of it anyway. It's a daily lesson but each day I give all my experiences over to God. He's much better at these things than I am anyway. It didn't happen overnight but the journey has well been worth it.

My mother died when I was 24 and after that I had a hard time loving wholeheartedly because of the incredibly hurt that resulted from the loss of someone I loved so much. But God has shown me through his amazing love and acceptance that loving people is worth the risk. I now tell people freely and often how much I love them and that is huge for me.

My dear and wonderful friend, and when you hurt, I hurt. You are really okay. You have just lost your way a little, but God can put you on the path to peace and joy just as He did for me. I love you my friend.

I am official

Yesterday I was ordained into the ministry. Don't say miracles can't happen. My mother-in-law came to church for the ceremony and that was nice. Now in our home we have two prophets which is very unusual in any church or time. But husband and I have very different ways of hearing from God. I think he is very in tuned to what God has to say and when I grow up I want to be like husband but I don't think that will happen. We are different and God uses our unique personalities to bring His word to His faithful. I will continue to grow in 'knowledge and truth' and service. I know this is a new concept for many people, even long time Christians but when I was attending another type of church I was always bewildered by the way they would just skip over large areas of the Bible, like it didn't even exist. I often wondered who gave them the right to decide which part of the Bible is truth and which part should be ignored. I always knew there was more than my denomination was teaching me. It just wasn't adding up. So I found that there were many more people who saw the same thing I saw and wanted all of God, not just parts that a human being said they should concentrate on.
Big blessing for me, this journey. I have many more answers now because I have accepted all the information given to me through the guidebook to life, the Bible. And I will continue to grow and help people to develop a relationship with their creator as I have done.

Our new dog, who's name is Lacey is such a joy to us. She is big. Bigger than I had originally wanted but she is great and has adjusted to our family wonderfully. She doesn't eat well, though. I bought some higher quality dog food and I don't thing she likes it. Not sure what I will do about that yet.
Thanks to our friends who have just acquired some new horses. We went horseback riding last night. Not far because it got dark but it was fun.

TA- glad you are on your way home. Call me when you get there. I miss you. Love, Mom

New Addition

Husband and I are proud parents to a 58 pound baby girl and her name is Lacey. The stork left her at the Fayetteville animal shelter. She is about 5 years old and is a Great Pyreenes and Collie mix. I believe she was well treated at her other home but for whatever reason was left in the drop pen. She had been there for 3 weeks and her grace period was about expired so we are happy to have such a sweet, good natured dog who evidently has never been inside before judging by her fear of doors. She has adjusted well in 24 hours and has found her favorite spot and does her business outside. We just have to figure out how to keep her in the yard. But she loves to be loved.

That is our biggest news but we finally have the kitchen painted, cleaned (that took as long as the cleaning, with all that sheetrock dust) and every inch of the three surrounding rooms have been cleaned from all that dust. Now I have to get the lesser impacted back rooms. We will soon be putting in new countertops and a tile backsplash (thanks SD) and I want a few new accessories and a little more task lighting and new cabinet pulls and it really will look updated and nice. It's already 100% better.
I just remembered, I think I am missing a seminar on shower heads so have to go.